This past weekend I happened to be in Arizona; coincidentally this was the weekend that the Rocky Mountain Enduro Circuit (RMEC) and the Arizona Motorcycle Riders Association (AMRA) hold their Dual Duel in the Desert near Wickenburg, Arizona. This race was sanctioned by the two bodies; RMEC is based in Colorado, while AMRA is obviously based in Arizona. This is the first race of the season for the Coloradoans, who came down to beat the winter cold. For the folks from Arizona, it is a mid-season race. I spent my Saturday out at the race course on Arizona state land just taking in the sights and sounds of the day. This was a motorcycle-only event; there were no four wheelers.

Big Bikes

I arrived just after 9 am; just in time for the “big bikes” to start. This included most of the adult classes. The classes are A, B and C and depend on skill level. The race would begin with four racers leaving at the top of every minute. They would do a series of five tests that ranged in length from 8-14 miles. After the racers began to take the first course, I walked down to the first check point about five hundred yards from the starting point. Although I only had to walk five hundred yards, the racers had to ride ten miles of trails to get to that point. I was amazed that the first racers had traversed the course in less than twenty minutes. After watching these riders come in for a few minutes, I decided to walk the race course to get a better look at the race.

Being at an off-road event is much more laid back than being at a Supercross or motocross event. Spectators are allowed to walk around the course; since my family is thinking of becoming involved in some of these events, I took advantage of the situation. I began to cut through the middle of the course to watch how racers took different sections of the track. It also allowed me a chance to take many photos.  

When the C riders began to come towards the checkpoint, I realized that I could probably hold my own against those guys. The C class is for riders with the least amount of racing experience; it is not the fastest in the race. These riders are out to just have some fun; C class is the desert equivalent to my riding buddy Mark who races motocross. He always tells me that he does not expect to win; he is just out to have some fun and enjoy being at the race. I really think that I could enter the C class and cruise around the course with these fellow enthusiasts.

As racers began to come back into the pits at the end of the race, I noticed one gentleman who came in with a flat motorcycle tire. I overheard him tell his wife that he would have to go find a replacement tube so he could race the next day.  Evidently, he did not come prepared; he must not have brought an extra tube along to the event. I only hope he came prepared with his tire tools so that he could at change the tube on his own. This is why I carry spare tubes when we ride, so I don’t have to go beg, borrow or steal a replacement motorcycle tube.

Kid’s Race

Following the big bikes, while the promoters were registering the kids for the mini race, I took the opportunity to eat some lunch and take a short nap in the rental car.  Following the break, the kid’s races began about a quarter of mile down the road from where the adults started. There were two races being run simultaneously; I was more interested in the mini race with 50-65 cc bikes, since that is what Joey would run. 

These kids were all so excited to get out on the course to show their “stuff.”  I am sure that many of them had been there all morning watching and waiting patiently as dad, or in some cases, mom raced on the big bike course. While on my course walk in the morning, I talked to a young man who was to race in the kid’s race that afternoon. He told me that he was excited for the race to start and said how much fun he has racing. I told him about Joey and how we are thinking of letting him race. He told me that if Joey was anything like him, Joey would love to race.

As I said, there were two races being held simultaneously for the younger generation. The second track was called the maxi track. The race that I watched had early teenagers putting on quite the show. They were serious about running the course; this race was as intense as the adults earlier in the day. The kids put on a competitive show for those who were there to witness it. Many of the maxi kids will be ready to move up to adult classes anytime. 

Well, after watching the kid’s race for about thirty minutes, it was time for me to hit the road, as I had to get back to Phoenix to catch a flight. The only regret I had for the day was that I did not have time to stick around for the women’s race, to be run on the maxi course later that afternoon. That would have been something special to watch; that only reinforces the point I like to make about OHVs being a family recreational activity. 

I am not sure if Joey is ready for racing this year, but I do think that it won’t be long before he is ready to take on the other kids in his class. When I got home, I talked to him about how he needs to be able to have more bike control. He still needs to learn how to shift gears better, to brake better and overall he needs to have more control. With some work, he can get there.

Conclusion

I think that this is the type of racing I would like to spend more time around. Although I have not been around enduros much, I felt like I was at home. I could see our family taking the camper, ATV and motorcycles out to these courses in Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Wyoming and Nebraska to spend the weekend as a family. This is a great bonding experience; as I walked around the pits, I observed many families. They were there for the weekend; camps had been pitched. All seemed to be having a good time and all were enjoying each other’s company. The Parker family could very much get into racing dirt bikes or even ATVs. I am looking forward to getting more involved in the sport in the future.

James Parker

The holidays are now over and we are looking at a new year; that means it is time to start to make our riding plans for 2012. In the past week or so, I have been talking to some riding friends to see what their plans are for the coming year.  Some are going racing while others are just planning some recreational riding. Personally, I intend on simply riding more, since another obligation is starting to lighten up for me. Whether it is racing or trail riding, I will be out having fun with family and friends.

ATV

Kyler is the most serious quad rider with whom I regularly ride. He likes racing and has not slowed down in the winter months. This winter he has been running a winter hare scramble series on his four-wheeler with the Valley Dirt Rider’s Series in Berthoud, Colorado. In fact, I had invited him to ride this past Saturday at the Bijou, but he declined since he was preparing his quad for a race the next day.

Hare scramble is not the only form of racing Kyler is going to participate in this year. On January 28, he will be attending an Arenacross race in Denver at the National Western complex. This football field sized track will be a change from the vast desert-like hare scramble courses he has become accustomed to over the past year or so. It will be interesting to see how he fares in this type of race.

Once the warmer months are upon us, Kyler will be racing the Colorado Off-Road Championship Series (CORCS). This is a hare scramble type of race; so it is simple - the fastest rider in each class wins the class, and there is an overall race winner. Kyler has led his class in series points in the past; I’m sure he will be at or near the top of his class in 2012.

The event Kyler is most excited about is the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) event he is going to enter. This is The Mammoth in Park City, Kentucky on April 28 and 29. Since he decided to do this, he has hardly stopped talking about it. Not only is Kyler excited about it, I am excited for him. For many years I have watched these races on television and thought how much fun those trails would be to ride. He is not only going to get to run his ATV tires through these trails, but he is going to get to race against some of the best ATV riders from all over the country. This should turn out to be something he will remember for the rest of his life.

Motocross

My friend Mark will be racing in the Rocky Mountain Motocross Association circuit again this year. He will be piloting his Honda CRF 450R as he navigates the senior class; the senior class means he is on the north end of forty, just like me. Mark tells me that he likes to participate in the races not to win, but to just go out and have some fun. He has established quite the camaraderie with the other fellows in his class. He says that for the most part, these guys are just out to have fun and be outside. Mark doesn’t make every race on the schedule and has no sponsors.  He goes out to test himself against the other racers; also, he likes to just to be outside on Sunday afternoon.

The RMXA is somewhat of a local race circuit here in Colorado; the most that Mark will have to travel for a race will be about 150 miles one way. He usually leaves early in the morning for the track and comes back home late in the evening. He really enjoys what he does and looks forward to spring coming so that he can go racing.

Enduro

Mike, who was at Taylor Park, is looking at running an enduro in the desert near Grand Junction in late March. Originally, we thought this would be a hare scramble; however, we very recently received information that it will be an enduro. The difference being that an enduro has check points and special tests that need to be completed. The person with the fewest points wins the race. As mentioned earlier, in a hare scramble, the fastest rider is the winner.

The Grand Junction race is the event that Mike has been trying to talk me into entering. I am still considering it, since I am eligible for the senior class. The thing to remember about the senior class is that those gentlemen may be the best and fastest riders. These guys have many years of experience on motorcycles. Most did not start riding yesterday; they may have thirty plus years of riding under their belts. I keep thinking I may enjoy writing about racing more than participating. Mike keeps telling me it would be better to race; it would make a better story. I will decide in the next month or so what I want to do.

If this enduro or other Rocky Mountain Enduro Circuit events don’t work out for Mike and me, we may look at doing the same series (CORCs) as Kyler.  There are motorcycle classes offered in that series; in fact this may be the series that we put my son Joey in later this year after he has had more time aboard his new Honda motorcycle. Joey keeps asking about racing; a hare scramble may be the way for him to go since he is all about going fast.

Trail Riding

Taylor Park is on the list for this coming summer. Dave, Mike and I who were all at Taylor last summer have already been kicking around some dates. For Dave, he says there will be absolutely no racing for him; he is happy just zipping up and down the trails for recreation. It looks like this year our Taylor trip will be in July, rather than August. The reason for the earlier date is that some others who go to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally would join us in Taylor Park if the dates did not coincide. My old friend Jason, who joined us at the Bijou last week, is one of those folks. He goes to Sturgis every year on his Harley Davidson, but he would also like to go to Taylor a few weeks earlier with us to ride his Honda CRF450X.

Conclusion

It looks like my friends have some fun in store for 2012! It seems like this is going to be an eventful OHV year for my circle of riding buddies. Whether we are racing or just out trail riding, we will enjoy ourselves. With as much wear and tear is ahead of all the machines, winter maintenance will be important to ensure that we have trouble-free trips - especially a thorough check of the ATV and motorcycle tires. I’m already getting tired just thinking about it; but it will be fun!