Jason Raines |
2008 AMA National Hare Number One Champion |
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Jason Raines East/West Hare Scrambles Shootout Race Report |
| This years AMA National Hare Scramble Series was split like the lites SX series and there were 3 Championships up for grabs. They had a West Champion, an East Champion and then came the East/West Shootout that determined the Overall National Champion. I won the Eastern AMA National Hare Scrambles Championship and Brian Garrahan won the Western Series Championship. To qualify for the east/west shootout a rider had to ride at least 3 points paying races to be eligible to compete for the 'Overall' championship. So on to the race......The shootout was located in Davis Oklahoma on the Cross Bar Ranch which is in the dead center of the U.S. and the course featured a little of everything for riders of both coasts. It had wide open grass tracks, horrific rock gardens , tight, technical woods and fast flowy woods. It was a good test for both the western riders and the eastern riders and at the end of the day it would definitely tell who the best overall rider in the country was. The course was the longest I had ever ridden in a Hare Scramble event, it was 23 miles and our lap times hovered around the 1 hour and 9 minute mark. It was a brutally long lap! It was a windy 75 degree day and the sun was high in the sky. The track was a little on the dry and dusty side but the wind kept the dust moving so it was a perfect day for racing. At the riders meeting they went back and forth not knowing what our lap times where going to be so they just decided to make it a straight 4 lap race regardless of time so when I finished the race I had raced for 4 and 1/2 hours!! My Am-Pro, FMF, Yamaha WR 450F fired on the first kick and I rocketed off to a great start. I rounded the first turn in 3rd position. I had Nate Kanney and Tony Joiner right in front of me and I was in perfect position to see what the pace was like and get comfortable with the Oklahoma track. As we ripped through the open fields before heading into the woods I felt like it was going to be a god day, I was calm and comfortable right away so I decided to make my move towards the front quickly. In the first section of woods we went into I made a inside pass on Kanney and then set my sight on the local favorite Joiner who was riding a good pace and had grabbed an amazing holeshot. I stalked him for about 2 miles and then made my move and took over the lead position. Now that I was leading I didn't know whether to get into a good pace or just push really hard and get a little gap. After a few miles I decided to run as hard as I could and see if they could catch me. I pushed really hard the next few miles and I stopped hearing them and as I was weaving through the woods I could see them getting further and further behind. That gave me a huge boost of confidence so I just kept the WR singing and trying to maintain my pace without making any mistakes. As we approached the end of the first lap I was able to put almost 2 minutes on my competitors! That pretty much set the tone for the day and I just kept that pace for the rest of the race and my lap times stayed consistent each and every 23 mile lap. I only stalled the bike twice the entire race and never fell. It was a picture perfect day and I my bike worked excellent and floated over the rough terrain with ease. It was one of those days where no matter what I did nothing could go wrong. At the end of the 4 lap 4 1/2 hour race I was able to widen the gap on second place to a 8 minute interval! The race was brutal and was very intense because of the pressure of having a winner take all event, but just like last year when the Hare Scramble Championship came down to the last race of the year, when it is time to perform the WR 450 and I can rise to the occasion! This marks my 5th National Championship and I am really proud and surprised at the same time because no way did I think I would ever be able to be in this situation. 10 years ago I was just a kid from Washington with a dream that someday I would hope to compete on the east coast. Winning was never a thought, I just wanted to line up with my heroes and be able to say that I did! I can't thank you all enough for al the thoughts and great support you have given me that made this possible for me and my family. Have a great day, talk to you soon! Race Day Results 1- Jason Raines 2- Nate Kanney 3- Tony Joiner My 2008 Results-Hare Scrambles Eastern AMA Hare Scrambles Series- Won Championship AMA National Hare Scrambles Overall Championship- Won Championship |
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