Featured Rider: WNY Harescramble with Colin Carpenter
Posted on November 07 2019
On Sunday October 20th, I raced my $1,400 Facebook marketplace 2003 YZ250 in the amateur class at the Pavilion MX Harescramble. This is part of a series of fun runs known as the WNY Harescramble series. They are a super fun, fast and unassuming series of races held at four local WNY motocross tracks in the fall season, those tracks being Pavilion MX, Cato MX, Hogback Hill, and Area 51. It is by far the most fun way to close out a summer season of riding or racing in the thick of our beautiful autumn weather.
Classes are generally split by experience and engine displacement, as well as age for older folks. The classes range from beginner, novice, amateur, and expert. We race for 2 hours for roughly 30-40 miles completing one lap after another. Each lap varies from 6-10 miles a lap, so you aim to complete 4-7 laps to stay competitive. It can get really bananas and ridiculous.
Picture yourself rolling along your favorite single-track hiking trails on your motorcycle. Up and over rocks, roots and dredging deep into ruts, dogging menacing tree trunks and premix drunk hooligans on pissed little 125's. You really see every kind of person out there racing and it’s so fricking beautiful. I rode a 5-lap race, not terrible but not great either. My clutch was extremely out of adjustment due to an aftermarket part that didn't quite fit as it should, leaving my clutch taking ages to engage and give it the beans. I still attacked the course and had a blast because you can’t really have a bad day doing this stuff. It just comes with the territory.
There are some races where everything is perfect and others you’re faced with the added challenge of unforeseen obstacles. Those obstacles and challenges are what keeps us sharp. I’ve been away from racing for about 6 years, so these fall races have been a very warm welcome back to a form of motorcycling I’ll always love.
If you’re wondering if this is something you can do, the answer is yes, you can absolutely do it too! Cato MX, Hogback Hill and Area 51 are still in the forthcoming Sundays this month and early November. We would love to see some new faces and help anyone learn the ropes of harescramble racing. The bike you choose doesn’t matter; it all comes down to its operator.
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