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What is and Enduro and what makes it different from a Hare
Scrambles?
Hare Scrambles races start like a motocross
with everyone in an individual class starting at once, and all
the different classes starting one minute apart. Everyone
rides laps around a trail for usually two (2) hours based on
the leader. The rider doing the most laps wins, and you are
riding as fast as you can the entire time.
Enduro's start four (4) riders at a time,
one minute apart, starting at key time. Different class riders
can ride together on the same minute. Each rider races against
a pre-defined scheduled mph average and attempts to maintain a
perfect schedule throughout the event. The thing that makes an
Enduro interesting, and sets it apart from other dirt racing
events, is the timekeeping. A rider is tasked with riding a
set mile per hour average over varying terrain and given
penalty points based on his/her being late or early to secret
checkpoints along the course. Checkpoint crews know exactly
the minute and second each rider is expected to arrive at any
given mileage on the course, and they write it on a score card
that is taped to the riders front fender.
The rider at the end of the race with the
least amount of points, wins.
Enduro races usually take longer to ride
and cover more ground miles than Hare Scrambles. Since every
rider is racing against a schedule, the passing in the woods
is a bit more respectful since the guys in your class could be
spread anywhere along the course. In a perfect Enduro, if all
riders were "on time", no one would have a reason to pass
anyone. Also, in these longer events, the race promoters have
the ability to give the riders rest periods by using mileage
resets and free time.
Enduro's and Hare Scrambles are both fun,
but Enduro racing adds the excitement of having a good, hard
day of racing and riding with friends, with some cranial
exercises added.
Do I really want to invest a lot of money into timekeeping
gear?
No. You have
already bought a dirt bike with a value equivalent to a great
vacation to Disneyland for the family. You do have to invest a
little bit for timekeeping the cheapest of which are outlined
below. Luckily for you, Florida is home to the famous
Alligator Enduro, so you can lump all the family activities
together on that nest vacation trip.
TIMEKEEPING FOR
FREE
You can get by with no timekeeping
equipment for your first Enduro if necessary. Arrange to get
on a row with a rider who has timekeeping equipment.
Assuming that you are staring this cold, and you are much
faster than your buddy who talked you into this, you don't
want him keeping time for you. So, you don't have to
do timekeeping your FIRST race, just key off of a
riders who is at least as fast as you in the woods, and is
an experienced timekeeper. . . locate the elusive A rider.
At signup, you can tell them this is your
first Enduro and you would like to be on a minute with a
seasoned rider. More than likely, they will assign you a
late number so you don't get in the way too much and they
will put you on a minute with and A or B rider who can do
your timekeeping for you. If they won't do this for you at
signup, pick anyone from the row you are assigned which
might be at the same riding level as you.
You will be assigned a ROW (minute)
number, which is the number of minutes past the race start
key time that your row will leave the starting line. At the
starting line, memorize everything about the rider you are
timekeeping from and DO NOT PASS THIS RIDER ALL DAY.
It is that simple.
More than likely, you will only see that
rider a few times during the race, if you're lucky, where
the event promoter is giving the riders a breather at a gas
stop, a reset, a free time, or in a slow section, and you
manage to catch up, out of breath, wondering how late you
are. Inevitable, just as he is (and so should you be)
pulling out for the next section.
This works for your first Enduro but,
it's a good idea to at least give a little thought about
timekeeping for yourself just in case there isn't a rider of
equal ability on your minute at the next event. Consider the
next suggestion.
TIMEKEEPING FOR
CHEAP
To do timekeeping on a budget for your
next race you will need an ODOMETER, a
WATCH (or two), and a ROLL CHART given
to you at signup showing a list of possible secret
checkpoints. The watch and odometer give you the ability to
tell what mileage you are at and how much time has elapsed
since you started the race. The roll chart lists the mileage
and key time (minute) of all the possible checkpoints along
the course.
ODOMETER
You can use the mechanical odometer that comes standard on
most motorcycles, or you can buy an electronic odometer
that has a magnetic pickup you attach to your front wheel.
You can get one of these for $70.00 from
Trail Tech.
The odometer needs to be able to show
both miles, and tenths of miles, and be capable of being
advanced to a new mileage during the event to accommodate
resets. a cheap magnetic bicycle odometer runs about
$12-$50 depending on the quality, features and size. Most
Enduro riders use odometers designed for Enduro's. They
provide the rider with the ability to enter in the mileage
resets in advance of the event, which prevents them having
to watch carefully for the mileage reset markers on the
course and manually entering the new mileage marker into
their odometer. These Enduro odometers can be pretty
pricey, but well worth the money when you become
competitive.
CLOCK
You will need a watch or a clock
showing both minutes and seconds mounted to your
handlebars. Buy a cheap plastic sports watch and securely
mount it where you can easily see it while riding.
The next step up in investment is another $12.00 for a
small box with a clear cover that is durable enough to
mount on your handlebars. (An old roll chart holder with
the reels removed works best.) Get two big digit LCD
clocks mounted with Velcro®
inside that old roll chart holder for $5.00 each. Set both
at your minute, and set them up to display the time in
hours and minutes on one and seconds on the other. Two
clocks gives you a backup in case one fails. Take your row
number and subtract that number of minutes from the
current (key) time which is posted by the promoting club
and set your clocks to that time. The promoter's key time
is the master clock and is usually on display at signup
the morning of the event, so this is one of the things you
need to have time to do the morning of the Enduro before
the race starts.
ROLL
CHART HOLDER
You will need a roll chart holder which
will hold a length of adding machine tape sized paper. You
need to be able to roll the chart on a reel and look
through a window to check your mileage against your clock
during the event to make sure you are on time. You can get
a roll chart holder at any off-road bike shop. They cost
about $10-$15 depending on the manufacturer. Some have
rubber around the edges to help keep your roll chart dry,
but be sure to tape even these models as the rubber can be
easily tore off during an event. They are simple to use.
Just tape the roll chart together at the race so it is a
continuous length of paper wide enough to fit inside the
holder. Tape the bottom of the roll chart to the bottom
reel in the holder and roll the chart onto the reel. Tape
the top of the roll chart to the top reel and seal the box
with tape so it doesn't leak. As you roll down the course,
you can watch your mileage on your odometer, roll up your
roll chart, match up a mileage, and check the clock
against the roll chart to see if you are on time.
Now put this simple timekeeping system
to work. Put the roll chart in your chart holder, and make
sure you can read it easily. Find the key time clock and
set your clocks so when your minute comes up, your clock
will read :00. For example, say your starting ROW number
is 43. Set your clock 43 minutes behind the current key
time. This will ensure your personal race will start at
9:00 a.m. (or whenever the promoter has established for
key time) on YOUR clock, and your roll chart will
match your clock no matter what row you are on. Genuine
Enduro clocks are nothing but timers, so when you start
them they automatically start at zero. Set your odometer
to 00.0 on the starting line, and you are ready to go.
COMPUTERS
Some people think you have to buy a
computer to race Enduro's. This is not the case. A roll
chart, a clock, an odometer, and eyes not too blurry from
crashes and mud suffice. Many Enduro riders buy computers as
backup and enhancements so they can concentrate a little
more on the course.
If you have decided that Enduro racing is
the greatest thing, you can invest in the "all in one"
computer. These computers do all the computing and mileage
time comparison for you and you can still continue using the
roll chart, odometer, and clock system as a backup.
These small computers mount on the
handlebars and they have a single display for the rider to
reference during the event. The rider enters all the course
information, mileage advances, speed average changes, free
times, gas stops, etc. into the computer before starting the
event. A single button push on the computer during the event
can switch the display from a simple "go slower, go faster,
on time" display to a speedometer, an odometer, distance to
the next possible checkpoint, and other features.
The features of a computer depend on the manufacturer of the
computer and there are several. Some brands include
PACEMAKER,
ICO Racing, and the budget but
very capable WATCHDOG.
How do I go about entering and getting ready to ride an
Enduro?
Join the American Motorcyclist Association - You must be a
full AMA member in good standing to compete in any type of AMA
amateur competition. If you are not already a current AMA
member, you may join at the event or call the AMA Membership
Services Department at 800-AMA-Join. Keep your receipt and
take it with you to future events, as it will serve as your
proof of membership until you receive your permanent AMA card.
If you don't receive your membership card within five (5)
weeks of joining, call the Membership S services Department at
1-800-AMA-JOIN.
You will be required to agree that you will not sue the AMA or
the organizer, and at each event you will be required to sign
statements releasing the AMA and the organizer from any
indemnity.
Join your local AMA District - In Minnesota this is District
23 (click here to find your local
district) You can join District 23 by mail or at an
event. Visit the District 23 website
for more information on how to join.
All participants and spectators attending an event may be
required to pay an admission fee upon entering the facility.
Race participants normally must also pay a registration or
entry fee in addition to the admission fee.
All participants must wear a protective helmet, eye
protection, gloves, a long-sleeve shirt, protective pants, and
boots that are at least eight (8) inches high.
READ THE RULES!! It is your responsibility to
know the rules. Become familiar with the AMA rulebook. The
rulebook is published each year in the March issue of the
American Motorcyclist magazine an can also be downloaded from
the AMA web site.
Read the Enduro Basics page.
PREPARE your bike and your body for the event. Make
sure your protective gear provides adequate protection for a
challenging trail ride and will protect your body such that
you can get up after a crash and continue down the trail. A
DOT approved helmet is an absolute MUST. You cannot
compete in an Enduro without one. Good off-road boots, face
protection and good goggles for eye protection, good gloves,
good gloves, a chest protector, knee and shin guards, and a
kidney belt are also imperative if you want to minimize the
amount of groaning you will be doing at the end of the event.
If you have relatives in Egypt of the dromedary family, you
will not need water, but if you think you might get a little
thirsty in three (3) to five (5) hours of hard riding, strap
on a plastic water bottle to the back of your chest protector
with zip ties or on your fanny pack belt. Fasten a length of
3/8" tubing to the water bottle and run it up to your mouth.
All of this equipment listed is really minimum
requirements.
Your trusty metal steed needs to be exactly that. Check your
brakes and clutch for wear, lubricate all your cables and
levers well, and make sure your timekeeping equipment is
reasonably waterproof. Enduro event organizers cannot predict
the weather, so they usually route you through any water they
can find so you get some kind of bath and do not offend too
many sensitive noses coming off the trail.
Make sure you have lever guards on your bike (bark busters)
and if you can tolerate it, cut your handlebars down so they
are about 30" wide. There are typically a couple of tight
sections at Enduro's. Make sure you have plenty of gas along
in two containers, one for the main gas and one to put out at
any gas available stops along the course. Most event
organizers will make gas available stops along the course, but
you lose time stopping to gas up at anything other than an
official gas stop. Buy a fanny pack, even a small cheap one
will do to carry common tools and a spark plug.
PICK AN EVENT TO RIDE. Usually the course marshal's
(the guys who lay out the course) are grizzled seasoned riders
who enjoy hanging around the scoring table and are known to
mutter phrases like "Why do you think they are called
endurance races?" Typical Enduro's consist of a route through
wooded areas over trails, dirt roads and some paved roads.
Because some public roads are used, riders must be licensed
and their machines must be legal for highway use. If the
course covers public lands, you are required to have a spark
arrestor and your bike will have to pass sound testing. Some
are "closed course" events and only require a spark arrestor.
Events utilizing public roads may require passing a technical
inspection to make sure your bike meets the requirements of a
street legal motorcycle. Do not let this discourage you, since
this is the most fun you will ever have on a motorcycle and
well worth the effort.
HAVE FUN at your first Enduro, and just try to finish.
Whether you burn a few checks, or almost hour out with a flat
or no breaks, you will be tickled pink with yourself to be
able to say you finished the race. It's always a fun ride no
matter how you slice it, and more a test of yourself, than a
race against another rider.
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