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through eighth positions. Blackwell held
his pace and hung out around the fifth. place position.
At the end of the second lap, Jarrett
pitted to exchange goggles and gloves.
"I was a little sUTj?ri ed by how soon
so many of us pitted," Jarrett said. "I
was soaking wet and very cold."
Jarrett is accustomed to racing in the
warmer rainy and muddy conclitions in
the GNCC, and this was his first experience racing in the cold snow.
Stavish and Jarrett began to pull further ahead of the pack by the end of the
third lap, and they took turns exchanging first and second place.
The course began to get very rutted
in various sections, and the faster riders
we.I;e occasionally getting stuck behind
the slower lapped riders, who were
stalled in seat-deep mud, blocking the
only line along portions of the course.
The 2+2 Racing Team crew (the event's
organizer) kept a close eye on the trouble pots and quickly made minor
reroutes as needed.
Blackwell was steadily working his
way toward the front of the pack. After
the race, he said that - at that time - he
realized it was time to start "pouring it
on" when he pitted after lap four.
"I passed Matt coming out of the pit
and thought Jimmy was still out in front
of me," Blackwell said.
Blackwell hadn't noticed that Jarrett
had also stopped to pit.
Blackwell began to extend his lead
over the others early in the fifth lap, and
Jap-ett and Stavi h began swapping the
second- and third-place positions back
and forth. Elsewhere, Kohler and Pat
Garrahan settled into consistent and
comfortable paces, continuing on in the
fourth- and fifth-place positions.
"It was a thrill going from 85-degree
T-shirt-and-shorts weather one day to
being bundled up and riding in the
snow the next," said Kohler, who made
it to Wilseyville after riding the previous
day in the Best In The Desert race in
Laughlin, Nevada. "I knew whoever
didn't drown out their bikes would be
the winners today."
Pat Garrahan, who has ridden the
last nine Wilseyville events, was another
rider who was racing in snow for the
first time.
"It was plenty challenging figuring
out which lines to choose and where to
find traction," he said. "Sometimes it
was easier to ride to the side of the
course i.n the fresh snow. My hands
were dry, but they were so cold, whenever I hit a bump, they flew off the handlebars."
Blackwell said he had a little trouble
on the sixth lap where the course was
narrow and there was only one line
through the deep, slushy mud. He carne
up on two slower riders and one of
them tried to move over so Blackwell
could pass, and the other rider slid on
the mud and into him, knocking Blackwell down.
"I fell twice on that lap," Blackwell
said. "Thankfully, those were the only
two times for the whole day."
Blackwell held a good lead near the
end of the seventh and final lap, when
he got stuck in the mud on a fire road,
where the best line wasn't the best
choice anymore.
"I thought the others were close
behind, so 1 stood my bike on its rear
wheel, aimed it straight up, and it took
everything I had to get it out," Blackwell
said.
His lead, however, was substantial
enough, and he easily rode in to take the
overall victory. He completed all seven
laps in one hour and 57 minutes.
Stavish, meanwhile, passed Jarrett
one last time before the finish to claim
second, ju t 12 seconds before Jarrett
rolled through the final check. Jarrett
captured thlrd. Kohler crossed the finish
line six minutes later in fourth, and Pat
Garrahan followed 36 seconds la ter for
fifth.
The 2+2 Racing Team's weekendlong event marked the 50th running of
cross country racing on the Schaad
Ranch near Wilseyville, California. On
Saturday, the AMA's Roger J\nsel presented owner John Schaad with a special
plaque honoring his generosity and
commitment to the sport and commended him for hosting those 50 events on
his 750-acre ranch.
Saturday's events began with a 1974and-older Vintage-class race that ran for
45 minutes and covered a 3 'I,-mile
course of virgin trails, designed by 2+2
event coordinator George Hendrix and
his trail crew.
Several "old-timers," including legendary Dick Mann on his 1969 BSA,
took a blast into the past and entertained the spectators. He took the Over
6O-class win, finishing fourth overall.
"Today was like a taking a big, giant
step back in time for many of us," said
Mann, who talked about the first time
he came to Wilseyville in 1974. ''It's just
that I don't ride as fast anymore."
The ovice race was also held on
Saturday, and 147 riders navigated a 9mile course for an hour and a half in
nearly ideal conditions. A few mud bogs
and one particularly slick uphill (after
"Boston Gulch") provided the riders
with a few tough obstacles, but most of
the course was damp and offered great
traction.
eM
Wilseyville Hare Scrambles
Wilseyville, California
Results: February 20-21, 1999
O/A: 1. Doug Blackwell (Yam); 2. Mathew Stavish
(Hon); 3. Jimmy Jarrett (Kaw); 4. Erik Kohler (Yam); 5.
Patrick Garrahan (KTM).
AA: 1. Doug Blackwell (Yam); 2. Mathew Stavish
(Hon); 3. Jimmy Jarrett (](aw); 4. Erik Kohler (Yam); S.
Patrick Garrahan (KTM).
A O/A: 1. Robbie Zimmerman (Yam); 2. Craig
Wesner (Kaw); 3. Eric Mashbir (Suz); 4, Mark Kerling
(Yam); 5. Roderick Kreiss (Kaw).
A 125/200: 1. Robbie Zimmerman (Yam); 2.
Roderick lVei.. (Kaw); 3. Scott Sherbert (Hon); 4. Loren
Higley (Yam); 5. Todd Zil