WNYOA 2014 Race Season Opener

04 May 2014
Mazourek Farms, Newfield NY

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In what is easily the most anticipated hare scrambles event of the year for Central Upstate NY off road racers, round 1 of the 2014 season got underway at Mazourek Farms which is located almost dead center between Ithaca and Horseheads off of route 13.  A typically huge turnout of racers of all ages and sizes showed up starting on Saturday afternoon when the gates opened up for camping.  A persistently wet and cool spring has refused to yield to more moderate temperatures and has resulted in muddy conditions for the last couple of MX races held in the area as well as season ending winter series races.  This weekend would prove to be no different - and would prove disastrous to at least one of the premier events of the day.

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The early races for the kids got off without issue and more or less on schedule (running slightly behind - but again - first race of the year ....  ) and the little ones toughed it out and had some good racing.  The usual army of parents were out in force to help provide extra horsepower and traction where it was needed in the wet and muddy conditions.  The way that the pee wee's and mini's were running at this venue actually allowed for me to wander between both courses ( the pee wee's always run on a smaller, shorter course - some of the little ones are as young as 4 years old!  For real...  :)  ) so I tried to shoot a little of both.  Obviously I couldn't catch the start's of both ... 

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The race that everyone chomps at the bit for, this year in particular, is the AA/Pro class Big Bikes race.  The field is stacked with local talent for this upcoming race season and a high number of fan favorites and contenders were in fact present.

A huge (as in massive - 300+ bikes) bottleneck in one section of the course at about 4 or 5 miles in from what was reported, ultimately resulted in this event being red flagged and called.  There was a LOT of controversy over this and much hand wringing and finger pointing . . .  very unfortunate and not the way everyone wanted to see the season get started.  Mother nature dealt everyone a tough blow in the days leading up to the event and even the night before with a torrential down pour . . . 

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The event promoter and organization quickly huddled and apparently did some quick course changes as the other premier event of the day gathered in the start field - the Big Quads.  A HUGE crowd of fans and spectators were lining the start area and down through the first two or three turns - 3 and 4 deep in places.  Some people had even climbed up into trees looking for a good vantage point - but was this race going to happen or was it going to be called?  Ultimately it did happen and fortunately was able to run it's allotted time.  There was a very serious crash injury to a racer who had to be airlifted to an upstate hospital in Rochester - the latest news is that he is conscious and talking, and his doctors expect a full (albeit lengthy) recovery.

Round #1 is in the books and Round #2 (Victory Mountain) is happening on May 18 in Richford.  Hopefully mother nature will start to cut us some slack with the rain and let conditions dry up some....

Photography enthusiasts:  Some of these were taken with my trusty Nikon D700 and some with the new kid on the block, the wonderfully surprising little Fuji X-T1.  Can you tell which is which?  The Fuji is in no way, shape, or form a contender to the Nikon for full on sports shooting - the Nikon will run circles around it BUT - as I learn it, and as I figure out how to work around what it does and does not do well, I continue to be amazed at just what a wonderful little thing it is...   my older D300 is seriously being considered for retirement.