ADVENTURE TRAIL MAKES APPEARANCE AT DIRT RIDER 2005 24-HOUR TEST

Annual happening attracts OHV industry folks as well as "land-use activists" handpicked by the BlueRibbon Coalition

       What was once a small gathering of test riders, magazine editors and their pals has now become an annual early-season "big event" in the world of dirt biking. Several hundred folks now converge every year on the site of the Dirt Rider Magazine 24-Hour Torture Test. The draw includes many legendary riders from years past, top motocross and off-road racers from today, and a slew of special "guests" courtesy of the BlueRibbon Coalition and Dirt Rider.

        The guests have to meet a certain criteria as "OHV land-use activists" and in return get a chance to ride for 24 hours on the same course with the legendary riders, magazine test riders, and editors. In addition, the guests get to participate in a fun Poker Run, complete with prizes at the end of the first night. As the event grows every year, more and more OHV industry displays show up. The staging area at the I-5 Motocross track where the 24 was held looked like a miniature Supercross event with about a half-dozen huge factory semi-haulers and many more box vans on the ground.

HIGH INTEREST IN ADVENTURE TRAIL

       "Because the pits were populated with so many OHV activists and industry people, the interest in our new NOHVCC Adventure Trail was quite high," reported NOHVCC Communications Director Steve Casper. "In fact we made many connections with folks who are interested in getting a set of our new Adventure Trail posters for their own events and businesses." The high-performance NOHVCC sound system was also utilized by the DR staff, with the NOHVCC semi serving as event headquarters.

WHO'S WHO OF OFF-ROADING

       When was the last time Dick Burleson, Jimmy Lewis, Gary Jones, Mike Bell, Danny Laporte, or Scott Harden gave you a little bump in the corner as they roosted on by? Those are just some of the legends who participated in the 24-hour grind in the mountains and desert of Southern California. The course consisted of a freshly groomed motocross track and then wound out to several long trail loops in the surrounding Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area. Current pro riders who participated included Bobby Bonds, Mike Kiedrowski, Juha Salminen, Russell Pearson, Elmer Symonds, Kurt Caselli, Homero Diaz, Brian Garrahan, Mike Lafferty, Johnny Campbell, Steve Hengeveld, Ty Davis, Rodney Smith (in a full-leg cast), Glenn Kearny and Ryan Young.

       To qualify as a guest, DR and BRC asked that riders put in 25 hours of volunteer work doing things such as trail maintenance, cleaning up riding areas, writing letters to politicians or some other activity to promote and protect OHV recreation on public lands. To prove their worth trail volunteers had to submit a "Trail Resumé" that documented what they did; phone logs, letters from the Forest Service, other land agents, and club officers where they have donated time to fix trails, walk precincts, and attend land agency meetings.

WHICH BIKE WON?

        So which dirt bike won the shootout? You'll have to pick up the May issue of Dirt Rider to see whether it was the Honda, Yamaha, KTM, Husaberg, Sherco (yes, Sherco), Gas Gas or Husqvarna that was standing tallest at the end of the torture test!

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