words by : Juney Shober photos by : Larry Mayo , Lynne Davidson , & Rob Fox
Southeastern Trials Riders Association returned May 1 & 2 to Stovall Mountain in Elora , Tennessee for the first time since the early 2000s for Rounds 5 and 6 of the 2021 season . The event was organized by the Huntsville Trials Club and hosted by 1981 AMA / NATC National Trials Champion and current AHRMA Executive Director , Curt Comer along with his wife Dewanna . Over 60 riders were greeted by beautiful weather all weekenda welcome change from the rain and mud at the previous event .
The event broke the mold of typical STRA events , with riders completing 4 loops of 7 sections each , rather than the typical 3 loops of eight . Some riders ’ endurance was tested by the extended format , while others relished the opportunity to take an additional run through each section . Champ ,
Expert , and Advanced classes were faced with the additional challenge of a Double Section , in which the end of 7 led directly into section 8 with no break or reset . Overall , riders seemed to appreciate the new challenges . Another departure from the norm was a return to having dedicated scorers ( volunteers from the Huntsville Trials Club ). This freed up competitors to enjoy riding all weekend .
The sections were well laid out , allowing riders multiple pathways between over and through the limestone and trees . The difficulty of the sections was spot on across classes with no riders escaping the weekend totally clean and a good spread of points across each class . Alan Shirley was the lone contestant in the Champ class , while other classes had as many as 13 riders . While
VOL . 6 ISSUE 7 - JULY 2021 // PAGE 163