With the sound of two strokes! Sorry about the late up date, but things have been a little crazy around here!
Round 5 of the CMA National Hare Scramble series was hosted in Moorefield. The Ant Hill Classic is a race many look forward to every year. It starts with the same warning: Do not go off the path! Hidden in the tall grass are hundreds of ant hills, some measuring almost three feet tall! Over the approximately three decades the race has been held, these natural obstacles have caused many an injured rider and many a mangled bike.
This year, the most notable injuries weren’t caused by the ant hills, though. Mike Vandenhoek, on the #4 Gas Gas, was taken to the hospital after pulling off after the first lap. A large throne through his hand, Mike was sent to a specialist, but will most likely be back in time for Oshweeken. The second injury happened in the morning when a Youth rider injured his leg. It seems in a tight turn his leg was caught behind the foot peg. While not broken, track side medics sent the rider to the hospital, just to be on the safe side.
“Thanks you”s should go out to the medics. We hope we never need to you use, but we are so glad to have you around!
The Ant Hill, aside from being littered with dozens of natural troubles, is the longest race of the year. Shortened from last year’s amazing 27 kilometres, the 2008 course was still a gruelling 24 km! Given the length of the track and the time it takes to complete one lap, the Ant Hill is run as a two race, rather than three race, format, with all except the Youth lining up at noon. The Pros leave first, with each class after leaving at the 2 minute mark.
Jesse Grummet continued his amazing winning streak, extending the number of wins to five, with one second place (in Barrie). In his first appearance in the series Caleb Bauman took an impressive second, with Mitchell Lawson in third. Grummet’s points lead over Lawson has grown to 33 points.
In Novice A action, Greg Filer was a no show, and Mark Koens placed just inside the top ten. David Kertsz finished in third, putting himself in third in the over all points chase. Koens and Filer hold on to second and first, respectively. Andrew Powell, of London, Ontario, took the win at the Ant Hill, and Spencer Jones, of Brantford, took second.
Amanda Hutchinson, in her first race since the Barrie round, took the win away from Ainsley Farr, but it wasn’t easy. The two riders rode together the entire way, enjoying the back and forth and camaraderie developed between the two fast females both on and off the course. Brenna Zuest, another fast female from last year, took third.
Elmo took another win in SuperVet action; that #699 KTM seems to be all but unstoppable through the woods. Rick Hone, of Pefferlaw, took second, and Steven Hart took third. These are some fast riding, hard battling riders! They surely prove that if you’ve got the heart for something, age ain’t nothing but a number. Way to go, gentlemen!
Vet rider Wayne Brogan claimed another victory aboard his KTM, proving that the #922 is a fast machine with a determined rider. Steve Young took another second place, climbing up in the points chase, while Keith Billings took third.
Vet Expert Randy Zuest took first place, with Paul Andratis, of Simcoe, taking second in his first round. Don Given took the number three spot, but remains in first in the over-all points chase. With his first at the Ant Hill, Randy Zuest managed to climb into third over all.
Michael Jonker took another victory aboard his KTM, keeping the orange #127 at the lead of the points chase. Christian Birker found himself in second once again, holding tight to that number two place in the points. In his first appearance this year Aaron Wilcox, of Grand Bend, managed to capture third on his #170 Honda.
Expert showings saw another win for Burford, with Brandon Lawson improving on his fourth in Vienna for a second at the Ant Hill. Lee Hill, Burford’s uncle, captured third to round out the podium.
And then there were the Pros.
With van Hove a no-show, and Mike Vandenhoek out with an injury, it was thought that Tyler Linton, who had placed fourth twice, to take the last podium spot behind Stapleton, in first, and Wojo, in second. Luck was not on Linton's side, however, and quick KTM rider Aaron Wilkins took the last podium position.
The next round will be in Oshweeken. Hope to see you there!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Four to Score
Vienna HS
The fourth round of the CMA National Hare Scramble series was held in Vienna, Ontario, hosted by the Vienna Trail Riders. The event saw riders travel through thick forests, bike swallowing mud, deep ruts, soy fields and, in the afternoon, up a very steep, long, spectator lined hill. Vienna also saw the return of last year’s series winner, Chris van Hove, aboard his #1 KTM. Van Hove fought hard, but was unable to challenge the speedy Aussie, settling into second.
The morning class was more of the same. Jesse Grummett took another victory in the Youth class, followed by Mitchell Lawson. Making his season debut on the podium was Connor Brogan, of Palgrave, Ontario, aboard the #598 KTM.
Grummett’s 18 point lead over second place Mitchell Lawson means both riders will come back into the second half of the season with a fighting spirit.
Mid morning action saw the a tough battle for first in the Ladies class between series leader Ainsley Farr, and the new girl, Kate Knight aboard her RM125. The big tires and higher ground clearance gave Knight an advantage, but weren’t enough to over power Farr and her YZ 85, who took another victory. Rachel Comsky took a third in her first race of the season aboard her TTR 125.
An interesting side note: Stapleton and Farr are the only riders who have had a perfect season so far, with four victories in four races for each Yamaha rider. Ainsley Farr has all but guaranteed a series victory, collecting 60 points, and an astounding 32 point lead over Kate Knight!
Farr
Knight
Comsky
Photo unavailable.
Novice A saw new comer Jake Loube, of St. George, Ontario, take first place. Greg Filer managed a solid second place, increasing his points lead over Mark Koens, who finished outside the top three. Third place Alvin Olar, of Sault Ste. Marie. Filer’s lead over Koens has been expanded to a commanding 25 points! If Filer keeps up this consistency, he’s pretty much clinched the championship for himself.
Loube
Filer
Olar
Photo unavailable.
Elmo Rutnik took another first in Super Vet action, with Steven Hart taking second. Brian West, of Sarnia, took his first podium position, a third, in the mud and ruts of Vienna. 15 points separate Rutnik and Hart, a gap that can easily be closed if Rutnik misses a race. No doubt both men will come back after the break with more good natured competition.
Rutnik
Hart
West
Veteran Wayne Brogan increased his lead over second place by taking another win. Second place went to Steve Young, of Port Colborne, Ontario, aboard the #971 Husquavarna. Jim Clayton took third place to round out the podium. Brogan’s points lead has increased to 18 points. Billings, who has run some consistent finishes but succumbed to the mud, heat and/or ruts of Vienna, will have to come into the second half with more than consistency if he hopes to challenge Brogan for the #1 spot.
Brogan
Young
Clayton
The afternoon saw the big boys take the track and the opening of some creative lines off the start. Many spectators found their seemingly safe standing lines turn into lines through the tight turn in the front. The conventional wisdom is that Novice A is where all the crazy, out of control riders are, Vienna proved that every class, even the Pros, have wild men in their ranks!
There was a big shake up in the Vet Expert ranks as only one of the top three points leaders finished in a podium position. Jamie Jones, of Paris, Ontario, and Dwayne Soper, of London, Ontario, took first and second, respectively. Dave Nelson, #2 in points, took third place to round out the podium and close the gap between him and first in points Don Given. This means that going into the break only two points separate first and second.
Jones
Soper
D.Nelson
Michael Jonker took the win aboard his KTM, with Christian Birker taking the number two spot. Ron King took home third place. Birker and Jonker are still in first and second place, respectively, in the points standing, with less than six points separating the two. Desmond Magill remains in third in over all points, even after receiving no points for the Vienna round; he’s four points off Jonker.
Jonker
Birker
King
The Expert class saw Kevin Burley take his second victory over Chad Burford, who placed second. Leigh Boerkamp finished in third in his first appearance this year.
Burley
Burford
Boerkamp
Photo unavailable.
And then there were the Pros. Jake Stapleton walked through the course, putting down lap times that were nothing short of amazing. Throwing a wrench into Wojnarowski’s plans was Chris van Hove, who finished in fine form, taking second. Wojo pushed hard and raced to a solid third place, making it a Yamaha-KTM-Yamaha podium.
Stapleton
van Hove
Wojnarowski
Van Hove has shown that just because he missed the first three rounds does not mean he’s out of shape or that he’s gotten slow. If he chooses to race the rest of the season, he might just throw a wrench into Wojo’s plans to keep the #2 plate for next year.
Two weeks off and then it’s off to Moorefield and the Ant Hill Classic. Much like Barrie, the Moorefield round attracts many riders who tend to throw a wrench into the point plans of the top riders in each class.
As always, I’ll be in the woods, taking pictures and names. I do try to get out of the way, and I apologize if I have, or will in the future, screw someone up because I can’t get completely off the track (Vienna was particularly bad in some sections). I am trying to get to the side, though!
See you at the races, and remember, smile, you might be on camera!
And I know you took some heat for the last photo I posted of you, Ty, so here are some nice ones! Cheers!
Ty. Linton
The fourth round of the CMA National Hare Scramble series was held in Vienna, Ontario, hosted by the Vienna Trail Riders. The event saw riders travel through thick forests, bike swallowing mud, deep ruts, soy fields and, in the afternoon, up a very steep, long, spectator lined hill. Vienna also saw the return of last year’s series winner, Chris van Hove, aboard his #1 KTM. Van Hove fought hard, but was unable to challenge the speedy Aussie, settling into second.
The morning class was more of the same. Jesse Grummett took another victory in the Youth class, followed by Mitchell Lawson. Making his season debut on the podium was Connor Brogan, of Palgrave, Ontario, aboard the #598 KTM.
Grummett’s 18 point lead over second place Mitchell Lawson means both riders will come back into the second half of the season with a fighting spirit.
Mid morning action saw the a tough battle for first in the Ladies class between series leader Ainsley Farr, and the new girl, Kate Knight aboard her RM125. The big tires and higher ground clearance gave Knight an advantage, but weren’t enough to over power Farr and her YZ 85, who took another victory. Rachel Comsky took a third in her first race of the season aboard her TTR 125.
An interesting side note: Stapleton and Farr are the only riders who have had a perfect season so far, with four victories in four races for each Yamaha rider. Ainsley Farr has all but guaranteed a series victory, collecting 60 points, and an astounding 32 point lead over Kate Knight!
Farr
Knight
Comsky
Photo unavailable.
Novice A saw new comer Jake Loube, of St. George, Ontario, take first place. Greg Filer managed a solid second place, increasing his points lead over Mark Koens, who finished outside the top three. Third place Alvin Olar, of Sault Ste. Marie. Filer’s lead over Koens has been expanded to a commanding 25 points! If Filer keeps up this consistency, he’s pretty much clinched the championship for himself.
Loube
Filer
Olar
Photo unavailable.
Elmo Rutnik took another first in Super Vet action, with Steven Hart taking second. Brian West, of Sarnia, took his first podium position, a third, in the mud and ruts of Vienna. 15 points separate Rutnik and Hart, a gap that can easily be closed if Rutnik misses a race. No doubt both men will come back after the break with more good natured competition.
Rutnik
Hart
West
Veteran Wayne Brogan increased his lead over second place by taking another win. Second place went to Steve Young, of Port Colborne, Ontario, aboard the #971 Husquavarna. Jim Clayton took third place to round out the podium. Brogan’s points lead has increased to 18 points. Billings, who has run some consistent finishes but succumbed to the mud, heat and/or ruts of Vienna, will have to come into the second half with more than consistency if he hopes to challenge Brogan for the #1 spot.
Brogan
Young
Clayton
The afternoon saw the big boys take the track and the opening of some creative lines off the start. Many spectators found their seemingly safe standing lines turn into lines through the tight turn in the front. The conventional wisdom is that Novice A is where all the crazy, out of control riders are, Vienna proved that every class, even the Pros, have wild men in their ranks!
There was a big shake up in the Vet Expert ranks as only one of the top three points leaders finished in a podium position. Jamie Jones, of Paris, Ontario, and Dwayne Soper, of London, Ontario, took first and second, respectively. Dave Nelson, #2 in points, took third place to round out the podium and close the gap between him and first in points Don Given. This means that going into the break only two points separate first and second.
Jones
Soper
D.Nelson
Michael Jonker took the win aboard his KTM, with Christian Birker taking the number two spot. Ron King took home third place. Birker and Jonker are still in first and second place, respectively, in the points standing, with less than six points separating the two. Desmond Magill remains in third in over all points, even after receiving no points for the Vienna round; he’s four points off Jonker.
Jonker
Birker
King
The Expert class saw Kevin Burley take his second victory over Chad Burford, who placed second. Leigh Boerkamp finished in third in his first appearance this year.
Burley
Burford
Boerkamp
Photo unavailable.
And then there were the Pros. Jake Stapleton walked through the course, putting down lap times that were nothing short of amazing. Throwing a wrench into Wojnarowski’s plans was Chris van Hove, who finished in fine form, taking second. Wojo pushed hard and raced to a solid third place, making it a Yamaha-KTM-Yamaha podium.
Stapleton
van Hove
Wojnarowski
Van Hove has shown that just because he missed the first three rounds does not mean he’s out of shape or that he’s gotten slow. If he chooses to race the rest of the season, he might just throw a wrench into Wojo’s plans to keep the #2 plate for next year.
Two weeks off and then it’s off to Moorefield and the Ant Hill Classic. Much like Barrie, the Moorefield round attracts many riders who tend to throw a wrench into the point plans of the top riders in each class.
As always, I’ll be in the woods, taking pictures and names. I do try to get out of the way, and I apologize if I have, or will in the future, screw someone up because I can’t get completely off the track (Vienna was particularly bad in some sections). I am trying to get to the side, though!
See you at the races, and remember, smile, you might be on camera!
And I know you took some heat for the last photo I posted of you, Ty, so here are some nice ones! Cheers!
Ty. Linton
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