Each Father ’ s Day weekend , from 1974 through 1993 , the little town of Davis , West Virginia played host to an off-road race , which has become the stuff of legend . So , what was this event ? Was it really that big of a deal ? “ Legendary ” status seems like a pretty lofty claim , right ? Well , you may have attended , or actually competed in , one of the nineteen Blackwater 100 ’ s which took place over the course of the event ’ s history . If so , you remember full well just what an amazing experience The Blackwater was . If not , following is our attempt to put into context the impact this event had on the sport of motorcycling in general , and the offroad racing community in particular .
In 1971 , a musician-turnedrace promoter named Dave Coombs went to see Bruce Brown ’ s nowclassic movie , On Any Sunday . As might be expected , Dave thoroughly enjoyed the film , especially the segment which featured The Elsinore Grand Prix . Dave was fascinated with the idea of an off-road race covering a variety of terrain and including a section which ran through a town . Those thoughts germinated for some time , while Dave carried on with hosting Motocross races near to his home in Morgantown , West Virginia . Then a couple of years later , Dave was approached by the pastor of a church located in the small town of Davis , West
Virginia , who proposed that Dave might create a local event there , which would bring much needed revenue into the area . Dave visited Davis , located in the northeastern part of the state , and immediately saw the potential for a challenging cross-country event there , as the surrounding terrain featured plenty of hills , water , rocks , and mud . 1974 then saw the very first Blackwater 100 , so named for proximity to West Virginia ’ s Blackwater Falls State Park , and to the event ’ s distance – one hundred miles . Yep , from its inception , The Blackwater was not a timed event , but rather covered a full one hundred miles , with laps varying year to year , typically four , twentyfive-mile loops or five , twenty milers . That first running was generally quite successful , although it was held entirely outside of Davis , and did not include Dave ’ s hoped-for run through town .
In ’ 75 however , Dave fulfilled his true ambition for the event , and managed to arrange with the town of Davis for the race to be included in Davis ’ annual Alpine Festival , and in turn to be started right on the main street of town , for riders to pass through town at the completion of each lap , and to finish accordingly . This was a big hit for both riders and spectators alike , and most all the participants greatly enjoyed not only the uniqueness of racing through
ON THE PEGS // PAGE 116