| Event Review - Rattlesnake 2001 |
|---|
Enduro Report -
Moose Racing sponsored Rattlesnake Enduro
- July 22nd 2001
- Cross
Forks, Pennsylvania
Hosted by the Brandywine Enduro Riders.
The Rattlesnake enduro won the coveted "Enduro of the year" award in the
19 event East Coast Enduro Association series in 2000. This event got
such rave reviews we simply had to go ride it. We were not
disappointed.
The East Coast Enduro Association events are primarily of the two
extremes of sand runs and rock runs, with the Rattlesnake being a rock
run. All four of the rock runs in the ECEA series so far have been run
in, or just after, heavy rains. The Rattlesnake trail conditions were a
welcome change with dry weather making for a fast paced rock course and
more dust than we have seen so far this year. The forecast was for 50%
chance of thunderstorms during the week leading up to the event which
thankfully never materialized.
Cross Forks Pennsylvania is nestled in the heart of the North Central
Pennsylvania Sproul State Forest. Camping for the event is in the
pristine Quiet Oaks Campground and a 6 hour drive from the hustle and
bustle of Maryland.
The club camped the riders at the bottom of a hill in a large meadow,
right up against the ribbons of a fantastic 1.5 mile ISDE style grass
track, which started and ended the course providing a spectacular view
all day. The grass track, combined with a short 1 mile section of good
old fashioned tight ignorant trail dropped everyone a few points in the
morning and warmed the riders up for the rest of the day. A reset right
at the camp, and a cool down section of road leading to the next test
section was typical of the rest of the day with alternating workouts and
rest.
It couldn't get any more perfect. The course took us down woods
roads to some of the best trail we have ever seen, and the most
manageable rock riding this year. This would have been a very different
event if it had rained, with the club having laid out some good hill
climbs and using the elevation changes of neighboring mountains and
hills aggressively. The club had a single remote location for both gas
stops and a well organized gas transport. Two good points taking test
sections before and after the gas were laid out again taking points, log
crossings, loose rocks and shale, dodging small boulders in the trail,
were all small adventures creating huge smiles for every rider. Good
resets got everyone back on time, and there were reports of more than a
few riders coming in a few minutes ahead of schedule into the last
"check-in" for 3 miles of trees and grass track to finish the day.
Ssponsorship from Cagiva USA and MOOSE racing enabled the club to give
away great contingency prizes and raffle a brand new Husqvarna CR-50
Junior mini-bike at the awards ceremony.
A moment of silence was observed during the B-Open class trophy
presentation in tribute to South Penn member John "Bo" Bald of Etters,
PA. John was a District 7 rider and a strong competitor, with a recent
B-Open class champion win at the 2001 Green Marble enduro. God bless
John and Monica Bald.
For results and more information about the Rattlesnake enduro, visit the
Brandywine Enduro Riders website http://www.chesco.com/~rosenberry/
John Bald at the Greenbrier Enduro 2001
- Photo by
Dennis Black, ECEA Webmaster
Foggy Mountain Breakdown Enduro
- July 29nd 2001
- Blain, Pennsylvania
Hosted by the Susquehanna Off Road Riders.
Oh Lord, please don't let it rain.
I can live with no clutch or brakes,
but don't let it rain on these rocks again.
Our prayers were
answered. Beautiful camping, great amenities, the finest BBQ chicken in
14 counties and good organization make for a great event. SORR did a
truly outstanding job of putting on an excellent test of skill,
endurance, and timekeeping. For those that haven't visited Central
Pennsylvania recently, it's beautiful.
Camping for the event is in the
Blain fire company campgrounds with large flat parking under a canopy of
trees, complete with a wide cool creek flowing around the campground.
There is even plenty of sheltered room for the organized activities of
throwing an enduro. No shelter was required however, as this year was a
welcome change from last year, when the creek rising during rainstorms
the night before the event threatened evacuation of the campsite.
Sunday morning brought temperatures in the 60's with an overcast sky and
dry conditions. A light misty drizzle started at 10 a.m. and knocked
down the dust during the day, but did not affect trail conditions at
all.
Foggy Mountain is always a challenging run, and if it had rained, this
would have been a test of will. As it was, the club was able to offer
up a fare of tight woods and rocks, open woods and some awesome fast
loose rocky trail this year. An appetizer of mountainous uphills and
full-lock-brake-slides-back-and-forth-between-the-trees "keep your
balance for your life!" downhills took points early from even the top
riders. The two test sections before the gas were a mixture of last
years trail and some fresh virgin trail, with some jackhammer rock
sections thrown which were the perfect length. The resets and road
sections were short enough to keep the top riders from being bored, and
still allowing the C riders enough time to catch back up to their
minute. It seemed that the club laid this course out expecting rain as
we compared scores at the resets and made it back to camp "on time" for
the gas.
I bring at least two new enduro riders to every event and they usually
refuse to go back out on the trail after the gas at Foggy Mountain, but
this years gas back at camp was a joy and a convenience with everyone
hunting for power bars and tubes. The second half of the event took us
through some fresh trail once again, some beautiful scenery, some
awesome fast woods trails, and some wildly exciting off camber hills.
District 7 rider Jeff Johns commented that some sections of trail was
almost scary and kept him on his toes all day. Congratulations to Jeff
and Kim Johns, proud parents of new arrival, Holly which is ALSO keeping
Jeff on his toes. Jeff turned in a 24 point score worthy of 3rd place A
class, with brother Jarod Johns bringing home 1st place wood in the
B-250 class.
Jarod Johns of Tamaqua PA 1st place B-250
- Foggy
Mountain Breakdown Enduro 2001 Photo by Terri Warwick
District 7 rider Joe Warwick looking as dramatic
as possible
Photo by Terri Warwick
With Pine Hill being cancelled this year, the District 7 series will be
9 events with three events left to go;
- Competition dirt rider's
Beehive Enduro, August 26, 2001, Southern Pennsylvania Enduro rider's
Micheaux enduro September 9th, and the Delaware NATIONAL enduro, hosted
by the Delaware Enduro Riders on October 28th 2001.
Check your points
carefully on the District 7 enduro website, http://www.enduro.4t.com and
report any errors to Chuck Marler - 301-391-6539 cmarler@hns.com prior
to the last event of the season.
More information on these, and all the ECEA enduros, Hare Scrambles and more can be found at the
East Coast Enduro Association Web page
More information about A.M.A. District 7 can be found at the
Motorcycling Unlimited
of A.M.A. District 7 home page
Go back to the Cycling East Archives page