Thaxton
Dominates
Ohio Hard
Enduro Debut
T
he inaugural round of the Ohio
Hard Enduro Championship
Series, presented by Lancaster
Sportcycles, opened in Sugar
Grove, Ohio, March 14-15, launch-
ing the state's first dedicated
hard enduro championship. The
new seven-round series, held
entirely in Ohio, was created to
give riders a competitive prov-
ing ground closer to home while
continuing to grow the sport at
the grassroots level. Round one
proved that there is already real
interest in the idea.
The event took place at the
COCR Motocross property, a
scenic 100-acre venue overlook-
ing the Hocking River. Torrential
rain during the week threatened
to leave the course saturated, but
strong winds in the days before
the race dried much of the terrain.
Riders faced freezing tempera-
tures for the morning Amateur
race, but they experienced clear
skies and mostly favorable condi-
tions throughout the day. The
course combined dry, loose soil
with tacky woods sections and
a few muddy pockets that kept
things interesting.
Nearly 90 riders lined up for
the Amateur race on a roughly
4.5-mile course that featured
much of the property's elevation,
wooded single-track and scenic
overlooks. New sections opened
on the second lap, including the
aptly named "Slip-n-Slide," a short
WIND
IN THE
P32
Maverik Thaxton
was the overall
winner in the
debut of the Ohio
Hard Enduro
Championship
Series.
PHOTOS:
STEPHANIE VETTERLY
Bentlee Bredekamp ran
away with the overall
Amateur victory.
