SERA Hare Scrambles, Final Round
November 22, 2009
Story and Photos by Steve Bruhn

Hare Scrambles is Not Just for Kids

Frank Davis, 42, #3, won the AA class.

Tyler Carter, 17,  waiting for the start.

Vet rider Frank Davis of Trussville, AL won the final round of the 10-race Southern Enduro Rider’s Association (SERA) Hare Scrambles after passing high school senior Tyler Carter in the AA class.

About 120 riders raced the damp 13-mile track in 16 different classes. The staggered start was on wet grass, and plenty of riders took a spill in the beginning and had to catch up.  Three laps took about 2 hours.

Carter led the start and most of the race, but veterans didn’t let him get away. Steve Nicholas, in his 14^th year in the AA class, slipped in the grass on the start but caught up and took the lead when Carter made a mistake. He made a mistake as well, then Frank Davis, who had been in sight of the leader for most of the race, took advantage of a Carter mistake for the win.

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This round was organized by the North Alabama Trail Rider’s Association (NATRA), in West Point, TN, about 40 minutes north of Florence, AL. NATRA also organizes an AMA national enduro at the same location.

Hare scrambles families stay busy in the south with both scrambles and enduros. Some do dozens of events each year. Even though the economy has slowed things a little, there is still a lot of racing.

Podium Profiles, a Closer Look at the Top Three in AA:

Nicholas

 Steve Nicholas of Mobile, AL finished third in AA and travels with his family in a Gearbox rig full of bikes. “I have been riding AA for about 14 years. I’m one of the veterans,” he said. “I fell on the second turn in the slippery grass. I just felt it out for a little bit and got into the lead about halfway through, then fell and one of the guys passed me. Then I fell again and the other guy passed me so I was in third. On the second lap I was about 20 seconds down and pushing really hard to catch them. I thought I could do it because they were in sight. I wadded up in the back on the third lap and that was it. The track was about medium, not too bad, about what we would expect.”

Nicholas is on the road most weekend to race. “I have a Gearbox trailer and we put about 10 bikes in that thing every weekend and head out. We did the whole SERA series and some of the GNCC races,” he said, “I finished second overall for the series, so this was a good year for us. I took my son to race those GNCCs. He’s 12 years old and in the junior class. He wants to be a woods race. He have him home-schooled now and we want to chase the GNCC series next year in 12-13 modified class. We will be ready to go in February. Hopefully it will make him a better rider. Those young kids are flying out there. We do SERA enduros too, about 30 races a year.”

Carter gets the holeshot.

Tyler Carter of Stanton, AL finished second after leading most of the race, and wants to work up to GNCCs. “I’m still a senior in high school. “[The track] wasn’t that bad. It was a little slick, but I like the slick stuff. It was a lot of fun. Hare Scrambles is what I mostly do. I have been running the SETRA Hare Scrambles and just finished up the SERA series. I have done the whole SERA series and I’m going to so the whole SETRA series. I used to do motocross when I was a kid, but I just decided I would stick to the woods. Hopefully I will work my way up to the GNCCs.”

Carter

“I got the holeshot and led for about half the first lap, said Carter, “I made a mistake and Steve Nicholas passed me. I got back up and got behind him and passed him back right before the end of the first lap. I led the whole second lap, the wrecked on the last lap and Frank Davis passed me and I finished second. The track was rocky and rutty. There were a lot of hills and roots, but it was fun. It was a mixture of fast and tight, it was good. I could have gone another lap. I enjoyed it.  My next race will be the [Little Brown Jug] SETRA round in South Carolina.”

Carter

The winner, Frank Davis of Trussville, AL is the senior in the AA class, and stays in it because he has two children that race too. “This is my 11^th year,” he said, “I started racing when I was 31. I’m the oldest guy in the AA class. This is my first win this year. My kids enjoy it, and while I am here, I am going to race. I have a 6-year old that races in beginner/peewee, and a 10-year old that races in intermediate. We used to do hare scrambles and enduro, but with these economic times, we scaled it back to just hare scrambles. I’ve done all of the SERA hare scrambles and another Alabama series, so maybe 20 races total this year. Normally we are on the road 30 weekends a year, but this year we scaled it back to about 20. Attendance is down. This is the last hare scrambles of the year the championship was already sewn up.  Tyler and I were racing for overall, 4^th or 5^th. I had a good time.”

Davis 

“I got lucky, the young kid I was racing made a mistake on the last lap! That allowed me to get by him,” said Davis, “Normally I can’t beat him, but today I held on to the end. He’s a friend of mine’s son, he’s 17 and I’m 42 (laughs.) I have a 2009 KX450F. It just has suspension mods and a big tank. I was second off the start, then actually let a friend of mine by because he has been beating me. I let him by so he and Tyler could battle. He made a mistake and I was feeling pretty good, so I didn’t let him by anymore. I hung on to Tyler’s back tire for about 2 ½ laps. I just tried to hang on to him and it paid off. He made a mistake and just lost the front end in a slow corner. I got around him and was able to hold on until the end.”

Davis after 3 laps, and 2 hours of racing.

“This is a typical nature race,” said Davis, “It has a little bit of everything. It has some rocks, some slippery dirt, some good dirt, tight woods, and wide open 5^th gear fast-as-you-can-go stuff.  The track was 13 miles long. I like the longer courses myself.”

Davis.

Photographer Larry Mayo of Huntsville, AL wants to make sure people are ready...

Results:

AA:

1) Frank Davis, Kawasaki, 2) Tyler Carter, KTM, 3) Steve Nicholas, KTM, 4) Josh Scott, Kawasaki, 5) Damon Hallmark, Yamaha

Open A:

1) Troy Shumate, Yamaha, 2) Chris McMillian, Yamaha, 3) Kevin Deloach, KTM

A Lite:

1) Tyson Ezell, KTM, 2) Russell Harper, KTM

Vet A:

1) Jeff Cowan, Yamaha, 2) Adrian Gervais, Suzuki

Senior:

1) John Wiser, Husaberg, 2) Jason Coffman, Yamaha, 3) Todd Lovett, Honda, 4) Damon Brown, KTM, 5) Dwight Rudder, Honda

Open B:

1) Christopher Pilkinton, KTM, 2) Chase Peeler, KTM, 3) Chris Contrell, Yamaha, 4) Matt Griggs, Suzuki, 5) Matt Gorham, KTM, 6) Robert Jacks, Honda, 7) Scott Robinson, Yamaha, 8) Bill Leak, KTM, 9) Mack Walters, KTM, 10) John Powell, KTM, 11) David Melton, KTM, 12) Laine Cantrell, Yamaha

B Lite:

1) Dalton Little, KTM, 2) Hunter Walters, KTM, 3) Jonathan Seales, KTM, 4) Ryan Patridge, KTM

Vet B:

1) Chad Maddox, Honda, 2) Tom Killian, KTM, 3) Justin Ridley, Yamaha, 4) Timmy Konig, Honda, 5) Willie Niblett, Kawasaki, 6) John Huggins, Yamaha, 7) Ted Anz, Husaberg, 8) Jason Copeland, Suzuki, 9) James Phipps, KTM, 10) Robbie Clark, KTM, 11) Jason Brasington, KTM, 10) John Powell, KTM, 11) David Melton, KTM

Senior C:

1) Scott Bowers, KTM, 2) Myron Graves, KTM, 3) Mike Thurman, KTM, 4) Rick Peeler, KTM, 5) John Denton, KTM, 6) Jamie Wyatt, KTM, 7) Mark Donovan, Husaberg, 8) Tom Dwelk, Kawasaki, 9) Robert Norfleet, KTM, 10) Todd Craddock, Yamaha, 11) Phillip Fields, KTM, 12) Roger Bates, Husqvarna

(At least this guy kept his goggles on!)

Open C:

1) Austin Toon, KTM, 2) Ben Donovan, KTM, 3) Brandon McLain, KTM, 4) William Crowder, Yamaha, 5) Eric Farrell, KTM, 6) Charles Foote, KTM, 7) Tyler Shumate, KTM, 8) Tillman Gardiner, KTM, 9) Brian Randolph, KTM, 10) Robbie Williford, Suzuki, 11) Bean Pierce, KTM, 12) Josh Gann, Yamaha, 13) William Rakestraw, KTM, 14) Chad Iverson, KTM, 15) Nolan Rhodes, KTM, 16) Michael Wade, KTM, 17) Brian Sticklin, KTM, 18) Jason Wilcoxson, KTM, 19) Jesse Howard, Yamaha, 20) Donald Bowling, Honda

C Lite:

1) Cole Johnson, Other, 2) Jason Donahoo, KTM, 3) Hunter McCalister, Kawasaki, 4) Josh Glover, KTM, 5) Scott Allums, Kawasaki, 6) Gerald Pearson Jr, Honda, 7) Colton Pearson, Yamaha

Junior:

1) Blake Clark, KTM, 2) Steve Nicholas III, KTM, 3) Lance Hoover, Yamaha, 4) Jacob Davis, KTM, 5) Beau Burnett, Yamaha, 6) Jared White, KTM, 7) Neal Ousley, Yamaha, 8) Colin Mott, Yamaha, 9) Keith Gann, KTM, 10) Zach Brown, KTM, 11) Devin Stokley, Yamaha

Super Senior:

1) David Ridgway, Yamaha, 2) Trent Hall, Yamaha, 3) Chris Sparks, KTM, 4) Steve Roberts, KTM, 5) Steve Ezell, KTM,

Masters:

1) Phil Williams, KTM, 2) Gary Copeland, KTM, 3) John Montoya, KTM, 4) Randell Robinson, Yamaha, 5) Kenneth Graham, KTM, 6) Homer Rakestraw, Yamaha, 7) Curt Comer, Gas Gas

Gold Masters:

1) Ronnie Cicero, KTM, 2) Gerald Pearson, Honda, 3) Phillip McMillian, KTM

Beginners:

1) Barry Finch, Kawasaki, 2) David Breaux, Kawasaki, 3) Noah Mitchell, KTM, 4) Paul Qwick, KTM, 5) Jeff Gann, KTM