Harris ) and any number of states between . And speaking of Six Days veteran ’ s , the buzz surrounding White Lightning has clearly made its way into the ranks of off-road royalty with multiple ISDT / ISDE alumni in attendance . Rubbing elbows with the likes of Jack Penton , Fred Hoess , Terry Cunningham , Jerry Harris , Suzy Moody , Greg Holder , Dwight Rudder , Bob Bean , Chris Graber , and Harry Heilemann certainly adds more panache to any average racer ’ s experience .
Whether off road legend , or firsttime novice , everyone stands together on race day . Such a unique and awe-inspiring aspect of this sport . Terry Cunningham provided an even more intimate interaction with riders as he conducted a free riding school following Saturday ’ s event .
The experience was very rewarding from the reports . And , if that isn ’ t enough , television ( and more ) legend Larry Maiers was on hand as well . Long before the internet made this readily accessible , Larry was the first word in competitive motorcycling news . I owe my prowess in the lost art of VCR programming to all those episodes of Motoworld I recorded in the 20th century .
Early word from those who had taken a sneak peek at the course Friday afternoon was promising . This was confirmed on race day as the course layout was exceptional .
A brief romp through a grass track right off the start served well to separate the field . The dynamic was changed quickly as the course dumped riders into some epic handlebar scrapping single track winding through a stand of pines . Single file in the early laps , but some passing lines were developed soon after .
The single track lasted for a while before opening into some twotrack sections winding through the brush of recovering clear-cut areas . Back into the woods a mix of higher speed logging roads , single track and slippery creek crossings , a blast around a hillside section of motocross track , more single track , and a return to the grass track completed a lap . Plenty of elevation changes were incorporated throughout .
Count in the monstrous gobs of traction afforded by the bright red clay and this was six miles of off-road revelry . In whole equally fun and challenging , but never too difficult . The most difficulty was found in a creek crossing following the motocross track that degraded to footpeg deep ruts , but there were ongoing mitigation efforts to ease egress through this area . The worst to be said was a touch of dust entering the conversation late Saturday , but a bit of overnight rain eliminated that concern for Sunday
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VOL . 6 ISSUE 5 - MAY 2021 // PAGE 187