Capodice, Holder, Brough, Ward survive Fox Valley Hare Scramble.

by trackman 6-15-2008 Photos by Brett

After a weeks worth of rain the Fox Valley crew worked a track up between rains which was suited for the conditions. Early morning Sunday many were focused on the computer screens watching radar. Starting an hour late for last minute changes to accommodate the rains that came in the wee hours of the morning the course was set for the Quads. We saw 20 entries in the event, wrestling their machines through 8 laps, with 10 out of 20 eventually finishing all 8 laps. 
John Mccarrens (76) burned up the first lap, turning a 2:38 lap time, followed 0:30 later by Dean Black. Following on their heels were Chase Pavelonis  and Chris Bretwieser separated by 0:03. Coming in number 5 was Andre Topper, on the gas, but a little off the pace - now trailing by 0:00.
One rider dropped out sometime before the end of lap 2, with 19 riders completing lap 2. John Mccarrens was still in the lead at the end of lap 2 riding well, doing his best, but with a smaller lead than on the previous lap.
The action on this lap centered on Brad Holder, moving up from number 20 to the number 2 spot - and on Chase Pavelonis dropping 16 places - from number 3 to number 19. Pushing to gain another spot was, Chris Bretwieser finishing lap 2 in third place - behind by 0:27. Pushing to gain another spot was, Forrest Burkitt finishing lap 2 in fourth place - behind by 0:04. Swim (325) was still rolling along in fifth place, trailing by 0:17.
John Mccarrens kept the lead at the end of lap 3 on the gas, and opening the lead on Holder riding in second place.
The largest swings in rider position on this lap centered around  Pavelonis, moving up from number 19 to the number 16 spot - meanwhile Paul Schultz dropped 12 places from number 9 to number 12. Could it be this easy ..... Forrest Burkitt seemed to ghost through the checkpoint in third place. OOPS - we've had a swap in position as  Bretwieser slipped from the number 3 spot to fourth, trailing by 0:13. Trailing by only 0:18, Roger Swim was riding hard, watching as things came unglued behind - but that's their problem .... thinking "my job" is to whittle away at the lead and move up a notch to claim the fourth place spot.
At the end of lap number 4, John Mccarrens still had the lead, followed 0:49 later by Holder. The second place rider was closing the gap.
One rider dropped out sometime before the end of lap 5, with 18 riders completing lap 5.
Lap 5 had Mccarrens still in the lead, followed by Holder.
The movers on this lap were Brad Holder, heavy on the throttle able to move up 1 places from number 2 to number 1 - meanwhile Mccarrens fell off the pace and dropped from number 1 to the number 2 position. John Mccarrens wasn't ready to toss in the towel and came through the checkpoint in second place - with 0:03 separating the number 2 spot and the first place rider. Forrest wasn't ready to toss in the towel and came through the checkpoint in third place - with 0:35 separating the number 3 spot and the second place rider. Trailing by only 1:56, Swim was riding hard, watching as things came unglued behind - but that's their problem .... thinking "my job" is to whittle away at the lead and move up a notch to claim the third place spot. Spectators were seeing some brilliant riding as they watched Chris Bretwieser come through the gates in fifth place, trying to eliminate a 0:01 deficit.
At the end of lap number 7, Holder still had the lead, continuing to set the pace on the track.
 Trailing by only 2:15, Swim was riding hard, watching as things came unglued behind - but that's their problem .... thinking "my job" is to whittle away at the lead and move up a notch to claim the third place spot. Chris Bretwieser was having an incredible ride, running a strong fifth, only 0:31 off the pace of the fourth place rider. At the end of lap number 8, Brad still had the lead, continuing to set the pace on the track. John Mccarrens was already feeling the length of the race, but blew through the chutes in second place, looking for that second wind. Coming in third was Burkitt. Riding in fourth place, Swim was doing his best to reel in that number 3 spot. Coming through the checkpoint in fifth, Chris Bretwieser was thinking - "Step aside folks, I'm on a roll." At that point there was only 1:10 separation between the number 5 spot and the fourth place rider.
In the end it was a great race with 2 different leaders, but it was Brad Holder taking the win, able to hold off John Mccarrens, proving to be a just a bit stronger, and a bit faster - with an average speed of 16.68 MPH.

After the Quads got through drying up the course it was time for the 85's and 65's on the east side to try their hand at the hills left in the course. The course was well marked and ready. Rains were holding off at the moment and was getting hot and muggy! We had 9 entries in the 85 class, wrestling their machines through 9 laps, with 2 out of 9 eventually finishing all 9 laps. The scoring team held up well throughout the event, recording 66 entries at the checkpoint.
Travis Ward burned up the first lap, turning a 6:40 lap time, followed 0:29 later by Cody Fortham. Coming in number 3 was Jake Seibert (319), on the gas, but a little off the pace - now trailing by 0:18. Nolan Schuhler was looking good cruising through the checkpoint with only 1:22 separating him and Grant Bodmer riding in the number 5 position. Ward was still in the lead at the end of lap 2 riding well, doing his best, but with a smaller lead than on the previous lap.
The largest swings in rider position on this lap centered around Devon Frederick , moving up from number 7 to the number 6 spot - meanwhile Ternes dropped 7 places from number 6 to number 7. Cody Fortham was having an incredible ride, running a strong second, only 0:23 off the pace of the first place rider. Our number three rider was Jake, behind by 0:50. Spectators were seeing some brilliant riding as they watched Nolan come through the gates in fourth place, trying to eliminate a 1:04 deficit. Pushing to gain another spot was, Bodmer finishing lap 2 in fifth place - behind by 2:38.
Jake was already feeling the length of the race, but blew through the chutes in third place, looking for that second wind. Nolan turned up the throttle, and came through the checkpoint in fourth place. Grant claimed fifth place, trailing by 2:51.
Ward (351) was still in the lead at the end of lap 4 riding well, doing his best to ensure the lead didn't change for the remainder of the event.
The action on this lap centered on Mitchell Ternes, moving up from number 7 to the number 6 spot - and on Devon dropping 1 places - from number 6 to number 7. Cody Fortham came through the checkpoint in second place, saying - "Step aside folks, I'm on a roll." At that point there was only 0:02 separation between the number 2 spot and the first place rider. Cody Fortham (304) refused to sit back - it's not over until it's over - and was in second place, trailing the first place rider by 0:01. Jake Seibert refused to give an inch and came through the gates in third place. Nolan Schuhler was starting to wonder how long this event was going to be - but still rolled through the checkpoint in fourth place. One rider dropped out sometime before the end of lap 6, with 8 riders completing lap 6.
We watched as two riders made the largest gains (and losses) on this lap - with Cody Fortham, moving up from number 2 to the number 1 spot - meanwhile Ward dropped 2 places from number 1 to number 2. Jake maintained his position on this lap - holding the number 3 spot, trailing by 4:55. Meanwhile Nolan held onto the number four position. Mitchell  was already feeling the length of the race, but blew through the chutes in the number five spot - looking for that second wind.
Lap 7 had Cody still in the lead, followed by Ward. The third place position belonged to Seibert, doing some killer riding, but still behind by 6:52. Schuhler was giving it everything to capture third place, but this lap ended ended still holding onto fourth place, trailing by 3:40. Lap 7 had fifth place rider Mitchell Ternes running well, but still behind by 3:42.
At the end of lap number 8, Fortham still had the lead, continuing to set the pace on the track. Ward kept a cool head and staked a claim on second place, but with a 0:04 disadvantage. Jake was riding hard, watching as things came unglued behind - but that's their problem .... meanwhile thinking "my job" is to whittle away at the lead and move up a notch to claim the second place, just 10:37 ahead. Although consistent with the game plan - it was time for Nolan Schuhler to make a move since a fourth place finish wasn't going to snag that 1st place trophy.
We had a new leader at the end of lap number 9, with  Ward taking the lead away from Cody. In second, Fortham falling,  knew the throttle had to stay open if there was any chance of eliminating that 1:18 disadvantage. In the end it was a great race with 2 different leaders, but it was little Wardy taking the win, able to hold off Cody, proving to be a just a bit stronger, and a bit faster - with an average speed of 19.07 MPH  This was almost a reverse of what happened in the first race, in May in which Cody prevailed.  Looks like it will be a close battle for the series overall win!

12 65CC riders twisting throttles in unison, dropping the clutches and screaming to the first turn - determined to finish 8 laps. Of those who started, 3 out of 12 eventually finished all 8 laps. Jarred Hall burned up the first lap, turning a 8:36 lap time. Rachel Goutish was looking good cruising through the checkpoint with only 0:07 separating him and Mason Schuhler riding in the number 3 position. Dalton Brough (133) and Riley Schuhler were next through the gates - separated by 1:30.
Rachel Goutish was the first to arrive at the checkpoint on lap 2, giving us a new leader on the track. 

Jay Hall with shovel in hand made some course adjustments for the class, one bent wheel this month was enough!
The largest swings in rider position on this lap centered around Brough, moving up from number 4 to the number 2 spot - meanwhile Jarred Hall dropped 5 places from number 1 to number 5. Lap 2 had second place rider  Brough running well, but still behind by 0:22. Mason  kept a cool head and staked a claim on the number three spot, both with a 0:15 disadvantage. Engine screaming, Riley flew through the checkpoint in fourth place, trailing by 2:00 on lap 2. Rolling through the gates in fifth place was Jarred Hall, treating it like a rental - but still trailing by 0:41.
Rachel Goutish kept the lead at the end of lap 3 on the gas, and opening the lead on Mason riding in second place.
Rachel Goutish was still in the lead at the end of lap 4 with the rest of the pack picking the track debris from their goggles and chest protectors.
The movers on this lap were Jarred Hall, heavy on the throttle able to move up 2 places from number 6 to number 4 - meanwhile Riley fell off the pace and dropped from number 4 to the number 7 position. Lap 6 had third place rider Mason running well, but still behind by 0:32. Our number four rider was Jarred Hall (150), behind by 6:21. Our number five rider cranked it up, but Josh Seibert on the trusty Honda was still behind by 0:30.
At the end of lap number 7, Dalton still had the lead, continuing to set the pace on the track. In second, Rachel Goutish knew the throttle had to stay open if there was any chance of eliminating that 1:50 disadvantage. Mason was starting to wonder how long this event was going to be - but still rolled through the checkpoint in third place. Coming through the checkpoint in fourth, Josh Seibert was saying "Hold the Phone" - I'm still in the game. There was only 7:00 separation between the number 4 spot and the third place rider. We'll need to watch this one close .... our fifth place rider, (BEACH RONNIE) had furrowed brows, and was clearly stalking the fourth place rider - behind by 0:23.  Dalton kept the lead at the end of lap 8 on the gas, and opening the lead on the second place rider. Rachel Goutish was displaying true grit on the course, ripping through the checkpoint in second place, with a 2:18 disadvantage. Mason was feeling the effects of the course, thinking it might help to get in a few workouts at the local gym before the next event - but still held the three spot - trailing by 0:08.
In the end it was an awesome race with 3 different leaders battling to the end, but it was Dalton Brough that claimed victory over the efforts of Jarred Hall, and Rachel Goutish..

Big bikes were on the line. Never did we make up that hour late start, but the drying helped out the kids races and worked well. However all the "tough" stuff was put back in for the premier bike classes of the day. About 45 minutes into the race the clouds opened up and the survival the fittest was on! Off Cambers became this days version of a "slip and slide"!  Riders were struggling, then coming thru the woods, a 1982 Suzuki 125. No typo here it was an old turd and the guy was hauling.  Shane Klimek (197) for what ever reason decided to not get his newer machine muddy?  Who knows but he rode that trusty steed well and looked like he was on a rail.  Matt Capodice won the event & overalled it but this reporter notices the obvious, and that was that old Suzy. Check out that remote reservoir, you pay extra for that on today's machines!

The big bikes started with 107 riders twisting throttles in unison as their class left the starting line, dropping the clutches and screaming to the first turn - determined to finish 6 laps. Of those who started, 16 out of 107 eventually finished all 6 laps. The scoring team held up well throughout the event, recording 418 entries at the checkpoint.
Matt Capodice wasted no time setting the pace on the first lap - turning a 4:22 lap time. Jesse Keith (das bomber103) and Bren Raschke were next through the gates - separated by 0:01. Robert "bubba" Johnson  was looking good cruising through the checkpoint with only 0:01 separating him and Radek Bahnik riding in the number 5 position.
We lost 9 riders by the time we'd reached the end of lap 2, with 98 completing lap number 2.
 Capodice kept the lead at the end of lap 2 on the gas, and opening the lead on the second place rider.
The movers on this lap were Tony Spizzirri, heavy on the throttle able to move up 18 places from number 89 to number 71 - meanwhile Robert Orr fell off the pace and dropped from number 54 to the number 91 position. Spectators were seeing some brilliant riding as they watched  Raschke  come through the gates in second place, trying to eliminate a 0:50 deficit. Jeremy Ott  kept a cool head and staked a claim on the number three spot, both with a 0:12 disadvantage. Bubba was having an incredible ride, running a strong fourth, only 0:16 off the pace of the third place rider. Although consistent with the game plan - it was time for Brad Fabrizius to make a move since a fifth place finish wasn't going to snag that 1st place trophy.
We lost 9 riders by the time we'd reached the end of lap 3, with 89 completing lap number 3.
At the end of lap number 3, Capodice still had the lead, followed 1:07 later by Raschke.
The largest swings in rider position on this lap centered around KEAGAN SCHMIDT, moving up from number 52 to the number 41 spot - meanwhile BRYCE OLSON dropped 55 places from number 31 to number 55. The third place position belonged to ROBERT JOHNSON, doing some killer riding, but still behind by 0:24. Trailing by only 0:19, Hall's Cycles own Jay Hall was riding hard, watching as things came unglued behind - but that's their problem .... thinking "my job" is to whittle away at the lead and move up a notch to claim the third place spot. Brad claimed the number five position, trailing by 0:11.
We lost 19 riders by the time we'd reached the end of lap 4, with 70 completing lap number 4.
Lap 4 had Capodice still in the lead, followed by BREN RASCHKE.
The action on this lap centered on 50+ rider Gary Peterson, showed the kids how it's done,  moving up from number 37 to the number 15 spot - and on PAUL MITZELFELT dropping 41 places - from number 25 to number 66. ROBERT bubba  kept a cool head and staked a claim on third place, but with a 0:35 disadvantage. Thinking about spending a little more time at the gym in preparation for a workout like this, Brad still owned fourth place - trailing by 0:24. Wow - we have us a race - our fifth place rider, (JAY HALL 150) has stopped messing around and is clearly moving on the fourth place rider - behind by 0:05.
We lost 32 riders by the time we'd reached the end of lap 5, with 38 completing lap number 5.
Capodice was still in the lead at the end of lap 5 riding well, doing his best to ensure the lead didn't change for the remainder of the event.
We lost 22 riders by the time we'd reached the end of lap 6, with 16 completing lap number 6, one would have thought it became the monsoon season!
At the end of lap number 6, Capodice still had the lead, continuing to set the pace on the track.
The action on this lap centered on (dont' knock me off my bike) Tim Reid, moving up from number 19 to the number 10 spot - and on Fabrizius dropping 4 places - from number 5 to number 9. Riding like a 'possessed' person - Bubba was ripping through the checkpoint - but still in second place, and trailing by 4:09. Riding in third, Jeff Snedecor was doing his best to claim second place. Our number four rider was "Vintage" Shane, behind by 0:46. The fifth place position belonged to Jeremy Ott, doing some killer riding, but still behind by 1:07.

The big bike event had to be shorten by about 15 minutes as the lightning was popping and raining harder. Riders were laying on the hills one would thought it was a yard sale. Riders were talking about the survival towards the end and others were happy to get to the truck.  Next event 7-27-2008 for the 3rd round of the Fox Valley Hare Scramble series. Bonus points for this next round.... don't miss it.