Iowa ATV Hare Sramble Series Montezuma, Iowa Fun Valley - Round 1

IATVHSS Series - Links Race Results

Fun Valley, which the racers decided to rename “Mud Valley” over the weekend, is usually a favored track for many that race the IATVHSS series; however, this weekend, what was to be a harescramble, turned into more of a mud bog. “It was really, really wet out there,” said series organizer Andy Kyner. “The morning classes had it the toughest. There were at least 30 quads stuck out there.”

The track itself is a combination of tight woods, a few open areas, off-camber sections and a motocross course. Unfortunately, the weather had made some parts of the 5+ mile course so bad that certain sections had to be cut out, which shortened the track to about 4.5 miles.

As the AA (pro) class began to line up, track conditions were still wet, but improving. All though many racers found it hard to get traction off the line, Derrick Schrock didn’t seem to have any problems hooking up and taking the holeshot. Schrock was followed by Can-Am’s Duane Johnson, Carson Coffman, Bradley Burrows and Zac Johnson.

“I was feeling really good out there and had a groove going,” said Derrick Schrock. Unfortunately for Schrock, he ended up having wheel issues and was forced to DNF for the opening round. “I’m really looking forward to the next round at Fort Dodge. I’m hoping to finish in the top 3 for sure!” Derrick concluded. Duane Johnson also was unable to finish the race as the thick heavy mud that caked on his bike took its toll and caused is machine to overheat.

Jason Gudde was having a little better luck out in the mud than Schrock, despite getting a back of the pack start. “I never get good starts,” said Gudde “But I did pass about 4 bikes before heading into te woods on the first lap.” Jason soon caught up to the leaders and kept pace for a couple of laps before making his move. “I picked some better lines going up some of the hills and through the mud and got by a couple of guys,” Jason explained. All of Jason’s efforts paid off for him as he took 2nd place crossing the finish line.

Despite the mud and ruts that developed over the track, Zac Johnson really showed he has what it takes to handle the rough stuff. “I think my favorite part of the track this time was the finish line!” Joked Zac about the track conditions. Even with the unfavorable conditions, Zac came out of the hole in 4th place and began to work his way to the front. Once in the lead, Zac put a big lead on the rest of the pro class. “I was the only pro to get an extra lap in,” stated Johnson. His extra lap also caused him to run out of gas on the track, but his lead was great enough to still earn him the win for the day. “I’ve been racing the pro class for 3 years and this is my first win, so it feels pretty good!” said Zac excitedly. As the rest of the weary racers crossed the finish line, it was Jason Gudde in 2nd place, followed by Carson Coffman in 3rd, Josh Eaton in 4th and Shawn Hohneke rounded out the top 5. Bradley Burrows made his Pro class debut in 6th with Daniel Prindle, Kevin Tinsley, Daniel Schaeffer and Kyle Watson wrapping up the top 10.

Even though the weather wasn’t the best for the season opener, it didn’t have any negative effect on the community spirit and volunteer involvement that surrounds this series. “There were a lot of volunteers that were out there helping us get bikes off the track and just helping out in general,” stated Andy Kyner. “Even the track owners were out there helping the racers wash the mud off their bikes when they came of the track.”

Kyner hopes that the weather cooperates a little more for the next round in order to boost their numbers back up to the anticipated 300 racers they were expecting for round 1. “The weather did impact our attendance a little bit. We had a total of 263 racers, but we did see quite a bit of growth in several classes including the Women’s class, B class and the Utility class,” Andy said. “We had 18 riders in the Utility class and 37 riders in the B class. We also had quite a few in our new First Year Racer class as well,” he concluded.

The next race of the IATVHSS will be held at Mineral City Speedway in Fort Dodge, Iowa on Sunday May 25th. The Mineral City Speedway is situated at an old strip mine and features a sandy, but rocky soil with wide-open sections and tight trails as well. To find out more information about IATVHSS events or to pre-register, you can visit www.iatvhss.com.

www.iatvhss.com