Getting sturted in Cross Cowntry with PVR

TEAM
Potomuc VinttageRiders
www.potomacvintageriders.
com
Gettingsturtedin CrossCowntrywith PVR
ThePotomacVintageRiderswill be startinga newCrossCountryseriesin conjunction
with the currentscheduleof'VintageandPost-VintageMotocrossevents.TheAmerican
HistoricRacingMotorcycleAssociation
(AHRMA) describes
CrossCountryasan event
of at eastonehour in durationovera coursethat is at leastthreemilesin length.
Typicallythis coursewill includessections
with woods,fiields,streamsanda shortpass
throughthepit/motocross
trackarea.Sinceit is a timedevent,thewinneris thepsrson
who completes
the greatestnumberof lapsin theprescribed
period.
Therearebasically5 differenttypesof ridersparticipating
in vintagemotocross:
1 . Thecurrentriderwho hasriddenoff-roadandcontinuedto ride sincethe 60's,
70's,or 80's.Thistypeof riderusuallyhasbikesthathe haskeptthroughthe
yearsandquiteprobablyis currentlyriding modernevents.
2 . Thereturningriderwho hasnot riddenrn20,25,or 30 yearsandwantsto find
andride the samebilketheyrodewhentheywere)/oung
The
3.
formerrider who hasnot riddenin severalyearsandwantsto buy andride
the bike "they alwayswanted"whentheywereyo'unger,
but probablydidn't have.
4. Thenewrideris a "novice"to CrossCountry,havingneverriddenandis looking
for informationon not only "what" to ride,but "how" to ride aswell.
5 . The vintageracerthatis cunentlyparticipatingin competitivemotocrossevents
but hasnot participated
in CrossCountryracing.
A11five of theseriders s.houlddo the following things to help make participating in
vintage Cross Country racing fun, entertaining,and safe.
1. Join the AMA, whir;h you can do on-line at: www.ama-cycle.com.AMA
membershipis requiredfor participation in AHRMA sanctionedevents.
2' Join AHRMA - Ge1;arulebookandREAD ITt AHfuMAmembership
is required
for participationin ,4HfuMAsanctionedevents.This will saveyou a tremendous
amountof aggravati,on
by understanding
classrules,bike eligibility,legal
modifications,
riderclassifications,
etc.,etc. Decidewhattypeof machineyou
wish to run andwhat groupyou would like to racewith. The PotomacVintage
Ridersis usinga condensed
classschedule
from whatAHRMA allows,anybike
that is legalfor AHFIJ\4Ais legalfor PVR Mid-Atlantic seriesraces.The machine
thatyou chooseasa CrossCountryracerneednot be a purposedesigned
Enduro
racer. Many motocrossandtrail bikesareperfectlyadequatefor CrossCountry
racingaslong astheyarein goodmechanical
condition.Pleasekeepin mindthat
a CrossCountrytrackis muchlongerthananMX track soreliability canbe more
importantthanovererllpowerandspeed.
Vintage- pre 1975machines
.
.
.
.
Vintage200--88-200cc--Novice,
Intermediate
& Expert
VintageOpen-- 20Icc &Larger--Novice,Intermediate
& Expert
VintageVeteran--Novice,
Intermediate
& Experton anyvintage-eligible
machinewith a riderof 50* yearsof age..
Women- Separate
Women'sclasses
in Vintagefor Novice,Intermediate,
and
Expert
Post-Vintage- 197li - 1984machines
.
a
a
Post-Vintage200--88-200cc--Novice,
Intermediate
& Expert
--20Icc
PostVintageOtrlen
&Larger--Novice,Intermediate
& Expert
Post-VintageVeteran--Novice,
Intermediate
& Experton anyPost-Vintage
machinewith a riderof 501yearsof age.
Women- Separate
Women'sclasses
in Post-Vintage
for Novice,
Intermediate,an<lExpert
3 . Join a Local Club suchasthePotomacVintageRiders. Thisis thebestway to
networkfrom peoplewho havealreadybeenthroughthe "Learningcurve"and
canhelpyou avoidthemanyobstacles.Also,sincePVR is the sponsorof the
Mid-Atlanticseriesyou will be introduced
to your fellowracers.
4 . Purchasequality safetygear:Boots,helmet,gloves,pants,pads,chestprotector,
goggles,etc. Considler
a "Camel-Back"
typewaterpack;stayinghydratedduring
a onehourraceis very important.Also rememberto buy a smalltoolkit or
fannypackto cany smalltoolsandsparesfor your bike.
5 . Chooseyour motorcyclecarefully:Somebrandshavea goodfollowing,which
meansbetterpartssources,aftermarketsuppliers,andcustomfabricators.These
popularbrandswouldincludemostCZ,Maico,Bultaco,Husqvarna,
Honda,and
CanAm. Somebran,fls,
suchasMontesa,Ossa,andevenKawasaki,havevery
few partssuppliersandlimited availabilityof NOS parts.
6 . Sign up for the proper skill level. Assessyour cunent riding skill level and sign
up for the proper class. If you haven't racedin 25 years,don't try to come out
and competewith the Expert riders (unlessyou have been trail riding regularly).
Enter the IntermediaJeclass and work your way back into shapeand speed.Don't
worry; your peerswill let you know when it's time to move up. If you have never
ridden before,feel that you areout of shape,or just don't want to ride too fast,
enterthe Novice Cla.ss.
.., .",..thatis what it's hereflor!
7 . Prepare your bike properly, Remember,25yearold parts like chains,tires,
shocks,carburetors,anything rubber, bearings,cables,and such should either be
replaced,refurbishe<l,or updatedto saveyou frorn pushing your broken bike back
from the far side of the course. This is especiallyimportant in Cross Country
racing and as mentionedpreviously, you should make sure that you have some
small amount of sparesand tools with you. Also be surethat your machine can
run for the prescribedamount of time on the fuel it carries or be preparedto pit
during the race to re:fuel.
8. Start an exerciseprogram at least60 daysprior to comingout for racing.If you
haven'tracedin ages,consulta physicianbeforestartingyour exercise
program.
But remember,
physically
cross
while
countrymaynot be as
demanding
asMX
racing,it doesrequireyou to be in shapein orderto be competitiveandthe event
is substantially
longersoit placesa premiumon endurance.
Goodcardiovascularconditioningis very important.It is alsoimportantto stayhydrated
duringthe eventandmanyracerscarrya Camel-Backtype of drinkingsystem
with them.
9. Practiceon your motorcycleprior to racing.Speakto Clubmembersaboutlocal
riding areasto refineryour skills andset-upyour bike properly. Make sureyou
takesomeridesof at leastanhourin lengthto geta feelfor how long a Cross
Countryeventis andlhowyour body reactsto spendingthat muchtime on your
bike.
L0.Comeout and havefun ! If youhaveaspirations
of beingWorld Champion,
VintageMotorcycleRacingis not thepropervenue!For mostof us,thosedays
arelong goneandprobablyneverwere. We areall hereto enjoyold bikes,the
sightsandsmellsof friendlycompetition,
to ride safe,andhavefun !
Usefulwebsites:
www.ahrma.org
wryw.ahrma-ma.org
ww w.potomacvintageri
ders.com