On The Pegs December 2019 - Volume 4 - Issue 12 | Page 147

On The Pegs
VOL. 4 ISSUE 12 - DECEMBER 2019
147
By Christy Williams Richards
Photos by Terry Meek/https://www.txtphoto.com/motorsports
Pat Smage won his second straight Super Trial in Luckenbach Texas on Oct 18
and 19 to sweep the season. The series, only 2 rounds for 2019 but expanding to 4
rounds for 2020, consists of several events over a weekend (or in this case, a Friday-
Saturday). Smage dominated all of them.
The format for the Super Trial was Qualifying consisting of 6 sections ridden twice
on Friday, with all riders moving on to the Pro Shoot Out on Saturday. The Qualify-
ing score would determine starting order for the Splatter Wall competition later
that night as well as the Pro Shoot Out on Saturday. Qualifying scores would also
follow the riders into the Shoot Out, as a “first loop” kind of score, with the Shoot
Out score added to it. The Shoot Out would be the same 6 sections, and one addi-
tional grand finale section. In addition to all the excitement of Qualifying and the
Splatter Wall Competition (which didn’t contribute to the riders overall Super Trial
results), the Shoot Out was a knock out competition, where after the first 3 sec-
tions two men, 1 woman, and 1 youth rider would be “knocked out”. Only 6 men,
3 women, and 2 youth would move on to section 4. After the next 3 sections, one
more male and female rider would be knocked out, leaving 5 men, 2 women, and
2 youth to move onto the grand finale. The knock out format means every ride is
very important, right from the start.
Leading a packed Pro class of eight men, a four competitor Women’s Pro class,
and the all new Super Youth class, Smage said of Qualifying: “Qualifying here in
Luckenbach for the Super Trial went really well for me, I had a lot of fun in the sec-
tions. They were pretty tight, pretty technical, with some lines that were clean or
5. Luckily the first loop I cleaned most of them. {After coming off an obstacle in a
section} I came around to do it again, we have different rules in the Super Trial, so
I was able to try {the obstacle} again, and get a 2 instead of a 5, so that was kind of
cool to have that opportunity, something different from the nationals. I also had
a mistake in section 1 on the second loop, which I cleaned on the first loop… so
I used my “mulligan”, which is another new thing which I’ve never used before ,
never had the opportunity in a national, so it’s kind of fun to have something dif-
ferent like that to think about and have a chance to fix a mistake. Overall, I had a
great time, the sections were tough but rideable and enjoyable.”
The Super Trial event, which combines traditional observed trials with a specta-
tor-pleasing show, has a few tricks up it’s sleeve. As Smage mentioned, there are
a few different rules from the NATC nationals. One of them, used to his benefit,