Combs Reunion Ride

Combs

Reunion Ride

Words: Jeff Debell Photos: Sharon Bean

The 24th Leroy Winters Memorial ISDT Reunion Ride was hosted by the Razorback Riders in Combs, AR, on May 15th and 16th. The Razorbacks were the original organizing club for this event dating back to the first Reunion Ride at Byrd's Campground in nearby Cass, AR, in 1997. Since that first year, with only a couple dozen participants, the Razorbacks have hosted the weekend eight or nine times, more than any other organizing club. Their club campground is a great site adjacent to a rushing, clear creek and complete with RV hookups, hot showers, and a nice clubhouse. Being smack in the middle of miles of great Ozark riding territory doesn't hurt either! Trail boss Rick Owens planned for a 50-mile ride, but Mother Nature washed out some access roads and the Forest Service nixed using those areas. Rick still salvaged a 35-mile loop that was ridden both days that included two great timed test sections separated by several miles of gravel road to allow riders to catch their wind and enjoy some spectacular scenery. A third timed test was held at the end of each day back at the campground and included a lap around Mike Parker's fun and vintage-friendly motocross track along with about a mile of sweeping grass track along the adjacent hillside. Razorback president, Danielle Ballard, had all the logistics taken care of, including lunch on Saturday and a catered banquet on Saturday night. Hats off to Danielle, Rick, and all

#111: Greg Prestage, #118: Scott Valley, #41R: Bill Row

the Razorback Riders who spent the weekend working hard for our enjoyment. The Reunion Ride always attracts a number of ISDT and ISDE vets, and this year was no exception. Of course, Greg Holder and Dwight Rudder were there. They ramrod the event now each year, and both always show up dressed for a ‘70s ISDE with Full Bore Boots, Belstaff Jackets, and open face skunk helmets. Dwight was aboard a Can-Am this year and Greg was riding a 100cc Hercules, one of three imported to the US. Unfortunately, he succumbed to a sheared shift key that put his little Sachs engine out of commission, but he'll have it fixed and ready for the next race. Former US Army ISDT team captain, Billy Hoffman, was there on his 1975 Isle of Man Penton, and Bob Bean took time off from dominating AHRMA's expert motocross classes to do some off roading. Erik Nijkamp, 1993 Dutch club team rider and Six Days historian, rode a 250 Husky that he recently finished restoring. Other Husky fast guys were "Big" Al Drane and Louisiana's Kevin Hutchinson. Suzy Moody, who organized the first US women's team years before the FIM established the Women's Trophy, was there continuing on her twomonth whirlwind tour of AHRMA races in Colorado, Texas, Arkansas, and Kansas. She was hanging out for a week following the Reunion Ride to do the following week's motocross races at Mike Parker's

track. Of course, local fast guy Red Van Zant made the strenuous 45-minute drive from his home in nearby Lowell, AR, to do battle with his pals. The big attractions for the weekend were 19-time gold medalist Fred Hoess and four-time national enduro champion Terry Cunningham. Both these guys are becoming regulars at AHRMA events. It is fun to watch them race (they are still seriously fast), fun to visit with them and hear their stories, and nice to see them continuing to give back to the sport we all love. There were plenty of AHRMA regulars in the "notas-fast-as Fred and Terry" category with a total of over 70 riders hitting the course. A fair number were from the midwest and southwest, but there were riders from as far away as Maryland and California. Bill Masho gets the long-distance award, bringing a gorgeous Ossa Berkshire Pioneer to the Reunion. He was stopping off in Combs on his way to race at Unadilla with a pair of equally beautiful Ossa motocrossers, a Phantom and a Phantom GP-III. Saturday keytime was 0900, and riders were ushered on to the course three per minute after a dead engine start. The first two miles were a sighting lap around Mike Parker's MX course and the hillside grass track which would be timed at the conclusion of the day. Then it was across the road and up a rocky driveway to the start of the first timed special test. Riders who attended the last AHRMA cross country in Combs (in pre-Covid days) recognized the terrain. The 3.3-mile test used a lot of trail from the old cross country. It was a true terrain test, too, with lots of steep uphills (like Broken Wheel Hill) and downhills (like Pucker Up Buttercup). There were a few places to briefly open the throttle, but for the most part the route was pure old school enduro stuff with plenty of tight twisting through trees and rock gardens, and at just over three miles it was a good workout. Following Test 1 was a leisurely ride along forest service gravel roads up and across the Ozark ridges. Riders had plenty of time to traverse from Test 1 to Test 2, and Rick Owens had put signs up for several scenic overlooks along the way. Many riders stopped to admire the cliffs and valleys, take advantage of photo ops, and grab a quick drink or snack. Even after stopping to see the sights, the time schedule was such that nobody arrived late for the second test. Test 2 was a 6.2-mile mix of some tight woods and a lot of mowed and winding grass track high atop one of the Ozark ridges. This test had been used in the White Rock BJEC enduro just a few weeks before, so it was well cut in and easy to follow. Riders entered the tests individually at 20-second intervals and were racing the clock and not each other, although if you were catching the rider ahead of you or the rider behind was gaining on you, it was game on. The course went through three or four adjacent fields, ducking into the woods for a bit, then bursting back out into another grass section before plunging back into a short tight woods section leading to the next field. It was a ton of fun and about as long as a modern hare scramble lap. After checking out of Test 2, riders descended 5.5 miles down off the ridge and back to the campground. This was the most technical riding of the day but was not a timed section so there was no need to ride willy-nilly against the clock. Even at a leisurely pace, it was a nice workout with plenty of "on the pegs" riding and some brake dragging downhills amidst loose rock. Once back at the campground, it was straight into Test 3, a two-mile timed lap around the motocross and hillside before riders were done for the day. Day two would be a repeat of the course with Tests 1 and 2 timed and the former Test 3 being used for a final four-lap motocross/grass track test with riders racing against others in their respective classes. Saturday evening, a nice banquet was held in Mike Parker's pavilion next door to the motocross track. Jeff DeBell gave a history of the ISDT Reunion Ride

and how it evolved through the years, and then Robin Winters spoke about her dad, Leroy, and his love of motorcycling and the people involved in the sport. Later in the evening, Bart Winters also spoke about his dad, about racing, and introduced his nephew, Cory West, who is a very accomplished road and dirt

#317: Jason Cuckler #321: Jerry Gollick

#203: Joseph Pitts #204: William Rozell #220: Timothy Grow

track racer and was enjoying honing his skills in the woods. Greg Holder and Dwight Rudder presented two awards. The Al Eames Award was presented to the Razorback Riders, and in particular Rick Owens who had worked so hard in the weeks and months leading up the event to ensure it would be a success. The Leroy Winters Memorial Award was presented to Terry Cunningham who has really become involved in AHRMA and is devoted to giving back to the sport that he has enjoyed for so long. Terry holds riding clinics at the cross country races he attends to help both novice and experienced riders with their riding skills so that they can improve their abilities and have fun on the course instead of struggling. All of the Six Days riders at the banquet were invited forward to share their stories. Suzy Moody led off with a history of women in the Six Days and the events leading up to FIM finally establishing a Women's Trophy in 2008. Bob Bean would normally get the tough guy award after telling how he crashed and broke some ribs and his shoulder blade less than a month before the Six Days, yet he still rode and only missed a gold medal by 12 seconds! That story always gets everyone cringing, but Red VanZant let a 20-year secret out of the bag when he told about lining up with Fred Hoess who asked him, "What's this?" pointing to a bulge in his abdomen. Red said, "That's a dadgum hernia, Fred! They won't let you ride with that!" So Fred got a tennis ball and wrapped tape around his mid-section to pop the hernia back in place with the tennis ball holding it in all week. That story had people squirming, too! No doubt about it, though, both Fred and Bob are tough hombres! The big showdown, of course, is the final motocross test on Sunday afternoon. There were eight motos with riders divided up by class, age, etc. If you were 50+ Expert, for example, your moto had all the other 50+ Experts in it, too, so you raced against the competition in your particular class. Each moto had three or four classes riding in it, so there was great racing throughout the pack. With the mixed classes, generally a couple of riders got out front early on, but the best racing might be a half dozen intermediate riders mid-pack dicing it out amongst themselves. Like a moto within a moto, it is all great fun. The much-anticipated 8th moto featured a bunch of the fast guys, including Hoess, Cunningham, Hutchinson, Drane, and VanZant. They put on a real show, but Fred Hoess likes to be out front, and he put himself in the lead early and never looked back. Terry Cunningham gave him a run for his money, but Hoess steadily pulled away throughout the race putting distance between himself and the rest of the field with each lap. Drane and Hutchinson fought over third for a bit with Hutchinson finally putting his Husky ahead of Drane's. Red VanZant was on a modern KTM, riding for fun and not wanting to get in the way of anyone's scores, so he just took a leisurely cruise to 5th and enjoyed the ride. Scores were posted shortly after the final moto and medals were handed out soon after. Then it was time to say goodbyes to racing pals and pack up until the next race. If you've never done a Reunion Ride, it is more like an old school enduro. You'll get plenty of seat time and you'll get a little mix of cross country and motocross. It is two full days of riding and fun, plus you get to hang out with some of America's best off-road racers, and every one of them is just like your best riding pal, honest. When the AHRMA 2022 calendar comes out, make sure to put the Leroy Winters Memorial Reunion Ride on your "must-do" list. Results can be found on the AHRMA website, and Sharon Bean has posted a ton of pictures on Facebook for your enjoyment.