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the brutal history of off-road motorcycle racing there is one event that
is recognized as the toughest of the tough. Since 1994 United Off-Road
Racing promoter Bill Gusse has been creating diabolical courses through
the countryside of Morrison, IL, for what is billed as the toughest race
in America. Named after event sponsor Moose Racing, the 2005 course covered
35 miles of peat bogs, swamp and forest per lap on trails designed above
all else to be punishing to riders and equipment. The two-day event had amateur riders compete on an easier nine-mile loop, which many riders used as a practice and bike tuning session. Weather reports were ominous Saturday night, warning of brutal storms and torrential rain Sunday. The weather held off despite the threatening skies, and what could have been the toughest Moose Run ever became what Shane Watts described as “…an extremely enjoyable event.” That does not mean the race was easy, with some amateur riders taking nearly five hours to complete the 35-mile course. Morgantown Yamaha’s Justin Williamson, who went on to finish fourth, described the Moose Run track saying “I like Bill’s (Gusse) races because they’re so gnarly. When you least expect it there’s a log…there are logs everywhere. Really big logs. You’d be going straight down a hill and there’d be a big log angled sideways. I don’t know how we did some of those logs…just pin it and launch the bike I guess.” Creek crossings deep enough to require walking the bike through and logs three feet in diameter lurking around every corner made the track a test of endurance, trail savvy, and determination. 2004 OMA Champion Jimmy Jarrett rode his Moose/Andrews Suzuki/Maxima/Wiseco RM250 to victory, narrowly beating Cycle Hutt KTM/Moose rider Shane Watts. Watts missed a turn leading onto the motocross section, and explained in an understated way “I just wasn’t looking far enough ahead and thus missed the turn.” Brian Garrahan took the lead briefly on the second lap aboard his NorCal Suzuki/Rentonline.com/Maxxis/Moose RM250, but Watts blasted his 200 KTM into the lead by the time the trio entered the final motocross section. “It was pretty much a trail ride until we got near the last motocross track,” Jarrett said. “It just came down to that, and luckily for me everything worked out.” A mere two-seconds separated Jarrett and Watts at the finish, with Garrahan trailing 27 seconds back for third. Garrahan earned the tough guy award for his come-from-behind podium ride. “I was stoked with third because I watered out in the first river crossing,” he said. “At first I was hoping to get top ten, then I started catching people and thinking I might get top five. When I was leading I thought ‘hey, I might actually win this thing’. With all I went through, third was great.”  |
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Parts Magazine
Volume 12 #8
Parts Magazine Index