Team Races

[Paul Danik]

For some reason today I got to thinking about the local TEAM hare scrambles that we used to run this time of year. The best one in this area was held at the Grove City, PA MC club.  The start was always something that you might have pictured in the movie On Any Sunday, well almost...

Picture this big open field with the first riders lined up on the right, and the helmetless TEAM riders holding the bike and lined up on the left, maybe 25 yards separated the two lines. The club somehow had acquired this miniature cannon that they would shoot to start the race, man it would boom and smoke like crazy....and then we were off, running...

I don't recall if they separated the classes or not, but I do remember that at the end of the long field there was a tight left turn leading to a very narrow trail into the woods, it was what you might call an extreme funnel of riders and motorcycles, there always would be some creative trail busting by some of those "other" guys.

You had to trade riders in a marked area and the spectators seemed to really enjoy the whole crazy event, as did the riders.

Anyone else ride anything like this ?

Paul

[dennis brown]

paul i rode and won our classes twice there once on a friends 125 penton,another time on a husky 450.after that tight trail there was a deep creek many bikes died there. was a hard fun ride

dennis l.brown

[Jeff D]

Not sure if they still do it, but the Kansas Forward Motion HS series used to do a couple of 3-hour team races each year.  I haven't ridden the series in 10 years or so, but back then you could do it with 1 bike and 2 riders, 2 bikes and 2 riders, or do the whole thing solo in the ironman class, which is what I used to do on my 501 Husaberg.  Bike/rider changes were in a designated spot just past the scoring barrels.  Lots of fun!

Jeff DeBell

[garrettccovington]

I only raced a couple of times as a kid. 'NOT while your Living In My House" was always my dads reply.  I was the kid that rode the Honda Step Thru Trail 90.  A Girls Bike!!!! UGH!!!

 I would always go watch my buddies race and my 1st race was the Riverside Grand Prix.  This had to be in 1971 and I just turned 15.  My Dad relented and said I could use his 125 Yamaha Enduro. With the stern warning, "You can't change a thing".

 Off I went, Lights and All to Riverside Raceway in my buddies dad's pickup. Taped on some paper plates and I was ready.

 Anyways, AS I recall, You had to line up about 100 yards from your dead engine bike with 1 Boot off. When the cannon went off, you had to put on your boot, run to your bike, start it and go.

 Well, the Yamaha had a electric starter and I was a very fast runner in High School, Plus, wearing "Vans" tennis shoes.

 I smoked everybody to the 1st turn.  When the track hit the pavement, anybody that passed me in the dirt, I'd pass them right back. The Box Stock enduro tires had everybody on knobbies, covered on the pavement.

  I ended up finishing 23 out of 250, Trophied and beat all my friends.  I still have the trophy.  That was my 1st time seeing a Penton and I swore I'd have one.

 G

72 six-day

[brian kirby]

I just did one a few weeks ago in Atlanta, its a blast.

Brian

'72 Berkshire

[Gary Roach]

Since the Mid 80's, there is an event ran here in Southeastern Ohio called the "Team Hare Scrambles Championship of the World" It always been a fun event, and it usually draws well over a hundred teams. Kevin Brown and I are both 2x "World Champions"!:D

The race is always dead engine, LeMans style. One year, James Giddings and I were on opposing teams. While running back to get on our bikes, I decided to add a little excitement. As James was just about to throw a leg over his bike, I blindsided him, and tackled him to the ground. He never saw it coming!

Years ago, some of our local Enduros had a Buddy class, but it was two riders on the same bike. I'll never forget a story involving James' mother-in-law, Penny. Penny and her boyfriend, Rick, would ride the Buddy class together on his KTM. Rick was tall, so he would put Penny in front of him on the seat, and he could still see over top of her helmet. At one Enduro, Rick came upon a log that suprised him. It was too big to jump, so he grabbed the brakes and tried to stop. Both wheels locked up, and the bike stopped just as the front wheel hit into the log...but Penny didn't!!! She flew right over the handlebars, over the log, and landed face first into ground. It didn't really hurt her, but it blackened both of her eyes.



Gary

[Randy Kirkbride]

We used to run lots of team hare scrambles at Abners Yamaha Hills in Newcomerstown, Ohio. I was looking thru some results from October 16 - 17, 1976. Saturday was the 4 hour team race and POG member Bill Hanks and his partner got 2nd place on his Penton in the 175cc class. My partner and I got 2nd place on my Penton in the 100cc class.
 Then on Sunday was the regular 2 hour harescramble, Bill Hanks got 5th on his 175 Penton, and I got another 2nd on my 100cc Penton. Lots of fun riding. Anyone here remember Abners??

[Paul Danik]

I now realize that I used the wrong term for these events, they were and still are TEAM harescrambles, not buddy. [B)]  

Either way I sure enjoy reading your comments.

Dennis,

    Do you remember if we had a mass start at Grove City or was it by class?  

Paul

[dennis brown]

competition riders of america have a couple of team hare scrambles every yr. my son wade and i rode one last yr and won our class,it was a lot of fun.this was in hubard ohio

dennis l.brown

[hanksie]

Hey Randy,Wasn`t Abners kinda our second home back then?I`m thinking Newt had races everyother Sunday from Spring thru late Fall,with the Team Races bringing out all the Big Guns(and us).Burlison & Popeal come to mind.Good thing they didn`t get in our way,eh? Thanks for bringing up these great times.   Bill

[VICTOR MONZ]

We did a few at Smith Road Raceway. aka, Singlars.  Usually 3 hour Team on one bike, in the ice, snow and mud.  My 74 Berkshire was our ride of choice,,,,what fun !  My hands felt like I used a 90 # jackhammer for 2 hours...froze in the grip position for days after !

It is ironic out here in So. Cal....a bit of rain and the mx's are cancelled !

Victor

[joe novak]

Hey Victor,  I remember the Team Hare Scrambles at Smith Road Raceway (Singler's).   When was it NOT muddy there?  I raced one with Orin Leimbach on our Penton Berkshires, and I think I raced another one with John Shinsky, also on our Penton Berkshires.   I still have the string and round coin with our number on it which we used to switch riders in the designated area.   One of my favorite hare scramble races was a 6 hour/ two day event in Norwalk.   I really made me respect the abilities and stamina of the 6 DAY riders.

[Randy Kirkbride]

Bill,
You're right. Abners ran every other Sunday from Easter thru November. There wasn't very many that I missed. They really had some nice trails, hills & MUD.

[joeysixdays]

Some of the clubs here in Minnesota started promoting Team HS races a few years back. Last year we had three of them on our schedule. They are run as 3 hour non-points, for fun events and are a blast. Options are two riders/one bike switching riders every lap or a one rider/one bike "Ironman" broken into A,B, C ability levels.

At one of the events, after the three hour HS portion they take the top ten teams and/or Ironman out. After a short break, the top ten teams run a six lap MX (with teams switching riders after three laps and Ironman riding all six laps solo) and then a hillclimb (with each team member getting one try at the hill and Ironman two trys). The hill they use is impossible to make so it usually turns into a contest of who can ghost ride/launch their bike the furthest up the hill. This is when it helps to be riding your buddies bike and not yours!! They add up all the points from the three events to determine the overall winner. These races are some of the events I look forward to the most every year. Fun stuff and the clubs usually donate the proceeds to a local charity.

"Do not go where the path may lead.  Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
    -Ralph Waldo Emerson

[Dave Mitchell]

We've got one out here in St.Maries Idaho it's been run Every year since Christ was a pup,at the end of April it's appropriately called the muddy butt.Up here in the mountains in the forest it doesn't typically dry up very early.Heck sometimes after a bad year there's still a snowbank or two.You can team up or run Iron Man.It's a he man course for sure,plenty of trees to go over,rocks the size of footballs and usually of course plenty of goo.
Dave