Round number 9 of the GNCC/combined Round 5 of the AMA National Hare Scrambles Series kicked off in Somerset, PA on fourth of July weekend. The conditions were fast and rocky, in true Mountain Ridge style.
The start of the XC1 class offered up 17 of the fastest off-road racers in the world. As they lined up Jason Raines took the inside line with fellow teammate Barry Hawk who hasn't lined up for the start in over 3 months coming off an injury at the Big Buck GNCC in Union, SC. As the pack took off it was both the Yamaha boys in the top 5 around turn one. As the first lap was well under way and each rider jockey for position within the rocks and the dust Barry fell back a few spots trying to get loosened up and Jason had let Red Bull KTM's David Knight and Suzuki's Paul Whibley slip by him.
As the race went on Barry got back in the groove and quickly passed Suzuki's Jim Jarrett and Charles Mullins on the 2nd lap. At the start of the 3rd lap things just started coming together even more, moving past Husqvarna's Glen Kearney, Jason Raines and Paul Whibley. When he charged into the pine trees knowing he was only 10 seconds out of the top 3 he had every thought focused on getting to them. When Barry collided with a tree knocking him off is bike and letting the 10 second gap go along with another position, he got back up and tried to salvage what was left of the race.
Meanwhile Jason Raines went from 5th to 8th due to a couple of crashes and one stalled engine in a rocky section of the course about 4 miles out. On lap 4 is when Jason wasn't going to let the race end there, he charged back by Husqvarna's Glen Kearney in the woods and came around the finish barrels for the last time, head down and not ready to quit. When Jason came up on Suzuki's Charles Mullins he had the surprise of attack on his side and quickly moved passed. When the last lap was coming to an end Jason still had the drive to charge hard, he came up on fellow teammate Barry Hawk; after passing him he rode hard to the finish making this his second 5th place finish overall of the year.With this event also being a points paying AMA National Hare Scrambles event, Jason was able to extend his points lead in that series, as well as make up valuable points on the riders in front of him in the GNCC points chase.
The XC2 Pro Lites class had Team Am-Pro Yamaha's Thaddeus Duvall taking the win but not before having to work for it off the start. Thad started off the race in 6th place behind Kailub Russell and Andrew's Yamaha/Monster Energy rider Dustin Gibson. He quickly moved up to 2nd place behind Kailub on the end of the first lap and moved into the first place position on lap 2 of the race. Thad kept the lead and gained over a minute on second place who was now Dustin Gibson. When the race was on the last lap Thad made a mistake that cost him a tumble on the ground but no positions were lost, he rode to the end earning him the top podium spot once again in the XC2 Pro Lites class.
Joseph Scherer also had a great ride in the Open A class. With a top 3 start he was in the hunt for first place, but not before a crash in the rock section slowed him down a bit. Joe recovered quickly from the crash and was back in the race finding himself moving past several A class riders who had started ahead of him. On the second lap Joseph got a pit board that said only 45 seconds out of first place, so with pushing hard and making good line choices Joe moved within only 17 seconds of first place. He made his move on the 4th lap and gained the number 1 position. Joseph kept first place until the end and became the 2nd Overall amateur for the day!
Ryan Belue had a tougher day then the rest, with a dead last start of the line he knew he had to get to the front to battle with Ted Mullins who was leading the 4 Stroke B Lites. With Ryan and Ted switching the lead around the half way point Ryan had all the confidence he could take the lead for good and ride to the finish. Brake problems would soon end that fate and Ryan would have to make an extra pit stop to try to fix the problem. When the rear brakes could not be fixed Ryan had no other choice than to go out and do his best. He road the last two laps with no rear brakes and finished a respectable 3rd place for the day.
Walker Fowler won the School Boy (13-15) during the Saturday ATV race, but still is not ready to ride bikes until after the summer break.
The fans were unbelievable at this race and all of Team Am-Pro Yamaha would like to thank them for their support and energy during the 3 hour race. One spot on the track was like the tour de-france! There were so many people cheering and pushing us through the rocks, it was awesome! Thank you for keeping us going!