‘OMA‘O — The Sunday two-man hare and hound race was not designed for just anyone, said Ron Victorino of the Kaua‘i Moto-X Association. “The race is for people who already know what they’re doing out on the course,” he said.
‘OMA‘O — The Sunday two-man hare and hound race was not designed for just anyone, said Ron Victorino of the Kaua‘i Moto-X Association.
“The race is for people who already know what they’re doing out on the course,” he said. “It’s unlike the usual poker run that is open to anyone.”
During the race, teams of two riders alternate working through a course that snakes through trails, curves and uphill stretches to accumulate as many laps as possible in a four-hour span.
Victorino said Bertram Almeida worked hard to create the course that was broken down into two legs. During the first leg that started with a downhill, riders wound through trails that came close to Kaumuali‘i Highway in a segment estimated to take about 10 minutes at full throttle.
The second leg that started in the transition area where riders would transfer, took riders into a more gnarly area of the foothills of Mt. Kahili, at one point, the A Class riders straddling a naked ridge.
Due to its nature, Victorino said about 50 riders representing 25 teams competing in three divisions tackled the course set up through the courtesy of numerous land owners and lessees in ‘Oma‘o on a one-day permit.
Of those, the B Class, or intermediate and advanced riders, had the greatest participation.
Starts were determined by using a real shotgun that could be heard over the din of revving motors with the A Class getting a 10-minute start over the remainder of the field.
During the race, teams of Kaua‘i Moto-X officials served as course marshalls, both stationary and roving, and troubleshooters stood by with all-terrain vehicles to move into the trails and haul out stricken rides.
Weather also played a major role in the enjoyment of the event, Victorino said, noting that during the last poker run, it rained and the ground was soft resulting in a lot of the younger riders getting stuck.
“This race went well with a lot of smiling faces,” Victorino said. “The riders said it was a really fun race.”
KMXA event
July 26, 2009, at ‘Oma‘o
A Class (Expert)
1. Karl Ramirez, Kekoa Estrella
2. Chava Greenlee, Phillip Pembrook
3. Billy Ruman, Grayson Gonsalves
4. Ryan Rutt, Wendell Packard
5. Peter Ricciardi, Jonathan Medeiros
6. Michael Fitzgerald, Makali‘i Andrade
7. Clyde Rogers (single rider)
B Class (Inter./Adv.)
1. Paul, Chance Daly
2. Chris Silva, Travis Talbo
3. Ricky Ewing, Woody Graefe
4. Matthew Oliver, Daniel Hurtado
5. Corey Kaui, Robby Silva
6. Richard Anama Jr., Geiston Dwight
7. Nicholas Lucas, Kapa Moke
8. Geordan Gray, Allen Dynes
9. Randall Osakoda, Acey Soares
10. Ryden Taclolan, Chris Villabrille
Master Class (40+ years)
1. Keola Sheehan, Barry Simmons
2. Dave McCleary, Jeff Guest
3. Roland Good, Al Stiglmeier
4. Douglas Allen (single rider)
