Iowa ATV Hare Sramble Series
Montezuma, Iowa
Fun Valley - Round 1
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Montezuma, IA - The Iowa ATV Harescramble
Series kicked off its 2008 season this past weekend
at Fun Valley where rain and mud created havoc for
many riders, but lucky #7, Zac Johnson, endured
the rain and mud to pick up the first pro win of
his career.
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
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