BODNAR
T MX RANCH Ralph Foster Photo: Kelly Shane
Redwood Engineering AHRMA National Trials & Vintage Motocross Series
By: Debbie Poole
Race 3: Classic 500 Experts and Intermediates Classic 250 Experts and Intermediates Photo by: Kate Jorgenson
The canceled Burrows Ranch national to have been run in California in early April was replaced by this long-time Northwest regional venue in southern Oregon. Bodnar was on the schedule for mid-May originally as the usual regional event, but postponement and a change to national status resulted in a date of June 27/28, about six weeks later than normal. The date change resulted in temperatures about 40 degrees higher during the week leading up to the event from what we have routinely seen for the May date, but things cooled down to the mid-80s for Saturday, and even further to a windy mid-60s for the Sunday VMX. 10
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The track was lengthened from previous years, and the four days of watering was of a herculean effort on the part a few dedicated AHRMA members who came early to help. Rotating the sprinkler hand lines and watering was a 24-hour-a-day project, involving moving the lines incrementally around the clock to cover the entire track area. The watering crew helping promoter Rob Poole were Russ Pfirrman, Mike Houde, Walt Foster, Peter Jorgenson, Luke Sayer, Charlie Higdon, Jeff Bushey, Wayne Hawes, Chet Malito and others who filled in. The little creek running through the property and into five of the ten sections is
operated by a pump from a well, turned on or off by a valve, making it easy to have an "instant creek." When setting up the sections in 95-degree heat, the aim was, should the heat wave continue, to keep half of the sections in the creek area so the checkers could cool off, and the other half in the shade on the upper part of the property. Thirty-nine riders turned out, and many Bodnar regulars found the conditions to be extremely different from those of earlier in the year, with zero moisture content in the high desert soil, and scores were generally higher than usual for this event. Premier
AMERICAN HISTORIC RACING MOTORCYCLE ASSOCIATION
AUGUST 2020
