Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128009
Feature Old Highway 40 Motorcycle Days Trax, all within eas y walking distance, and they delivered. Arriving at the Donner Ski Ranch , there was plenty of convenient parking , and as promised , it was easy to get around to all the events. With thr ee or fou r events going on at all times, the only hard pa rt of the weekend was dec idi ng what to wa tch w hen. The ma in parking lot in fro nt of the lod ge was the center of activity all weekend, starting wi th the Super IT on Satu rday and moving on to the Battle Trax event Su nday. A (very) short walk took you to three of the four trials sections, and a shuttle bus provided convenient transportation to the fourth, and most excit ing, section at the spectacu lar Rainbow Bridge. After watching the fourth section, you could stay and watch the road racers come up around and over the Rairibow Bridge on thei r way to the top of the p aved h ill Irnb, The d irt hillclimbs were going on all day, with amateu rs on Saturday and the Pros Su nd ay. The deck of the lodge provided p rime viewing of the w ho le h ill , as well as food and beverages. If you wa nted a closer loo k at the hillclimb action, you could rid e a chair lift to the middle or top of the hill. The view fro m the top was spectacular with Donner Lake and the town of Truckee in the distance, and By Doug Karcher NORDEN, CA, AUG. 14-15 he Old Hi gh way 40 Mo torcycle Da y s re turn ed to Donn er Sk i Ranch for th e ir seco nd annual even t, thi s yea r with new events a n d a n e w s po nso r . T he event drew over 5000 spectators to this scenic ski reso rt on the su mmit of Donner Pass, near Truckee, Ca lifornia. Bu ell American Motorcycles and area Buell Dealers wer e the br and spo nsors for the weekend, and it was not hard to tell. Everyw here yo u looked ther e were Buells. They ra ced th e p a ved hillclim b a n d competed in the Batti eTrax events. Area d ealers were also on hand with demo bikes and to answer ques tions . The promoters promised a weekend of exciti ng and varied motorcycle competition including Trials, Super IT, Dirt Hillclimb, Paved Hillclimb and Battle '" '" '" G; .s:> E Gl Ci. Gl en 14 Donner Party: In an effort to get some mainstream exposure for trials, a Supertrials competition and exhibition were held at the Old Highway 40 Motorcycle Days. With the event's namesake in the background, Geoff Arron (above) balances to a win. Organizers also Included a Superb lkers-sty le Super TT event, in which A.J. Herrera (right) topped the Premier class. you could even watch the paved hillclimbers as they completed their ru ns up the mountain. Work on this year's eve nt started the d ay the last straw bales were picked up from la s t y ea r 's e ve n t. Donner Ski Ranc h proprietor Norm Saylor and Ma rketing Director Todd Repsher (who also races and han dles the mark eting duties for Ha ngtown) bega n making plans that . wou ld make this y e a r' s Mo to rcycle Days an eve n better event than last yea r. No rm 's son Lance was responsible for much of the course work, placing over $12,000 worth of straw bales that wou ld help protect th e hillclimbers . O the r members of the Ski Ranch 's staff, as well as a lot of volunteers, including the Ski Patrol, contribu ted to make the event a success, and judging by the spectator com ments, it was just tha t. "This is the be s t undiscovered (motorcycle) even t aro u n d ," sai d two g uys w ho tr av el ed fr om Id a h o . "We ca n' t be lieve that it wasn' t advertise d more. If we hadn' t read abo u t it (in an America n motorcycle publication ), we wo uld never have known about it," said a couple from British Co lumbia who made this the destina tion and focus of their summer rid e, and plan to return nex t yea r.