HAULIN’ TAIL RACE REPORT

The penultimate round of the Florida Trail Riders Hare Scramble season took place just west of Dade City, Florida. The property received some much-needed rain during the week and track conditions were stellar. The Nature Coast Trail Blazers put together a great course with a ton of variety, they were able to limit the amount of field sections from years past keeping the overall speed down and the flow to a maximum. Hats off to the club for putting on another great event, this race has become a favorite for many racers over the year. Huge thanks to the guys and gals over at Motorcycle Enthusiasts for bringing out some Beta Motorcycles for everyone to demo. This provided some fun for those just hanging around on Saturday. Any chance to ride, and try new bikes, on a race weekend will be well received.

The Saturday course featured the typical fast flow that we see at this event with some more technical sections thrown in. The trail featured a few slippery, black dirt, rooty trails that forced the racers to use their throttle control skills. This section definitely provided a challenge. My favorite thing about this course is the club’s ability to bring the riders by the main spectating areas multiple times a lap, this allows for parents, friends and family to see their riders at different points on the track. I know those worried mothers really appreciated it!

There was a Hare Scramble Committee meeting on Saturday night, and this was the biggest one I have seen. A lot of members came out to check it out, voice their opinions and see how these types

Photos by Jamey Perdue

of things work. It was truly great to see; a lot of members may not understand how some of these big decisions in FTR are made. I encourage everyone to come out and sit-in at a committee meeting.

Another popular event at the FTR races is the Stacyc and Strider races on Saturday nights. There are so many little ones out there having fun on these little machines. The future of FTR is getting started at such a young age and it is great to see. Not to mention once these kids get on the actual Peewee track, we will be seeing some very talented riders. Thanks to all who help to put this particular event on.

The Sunday course featured a lot of Saturday with some incredible single track thrown in the mix. The last three miles were so fun with some challenging obstacles and some slick spots thrown in. One of the more popular features of the course was a creek jump laid out by the Lyons family. This easy/ hard featured two lines that forced you to jump a small creek and then make a sharp left before going back through the creek. This was a very popular spot for spectators as the creek claimed a few unlucky victims.

There was also an easy/ hard split that featured a large dirt mound, it is always nice when a club can utilize some of the unique features on the property. The moisture in the dirt allowed for optimum traction, but at the same time it created a lot of chop on the course. Some spots were nothing but braking and acceleration bumps, which wore out the racers.

Course workers faced their challenges with the root sections constantly changing, mud holes developed out of nowhere which forced them to contantly reroute. The few bad sections were different every lap and I commend them on their efforts.

All in all, it was an incredible event thank you to Nature Coast Trail Blazers and all who made it happen.