Stapleton wins again

By Suzanne Howie

Round 7 of the CMA Hare Scramble series took place Sunday in St. Thomas, ON, beneath much welcomed clear skies. After the soupy mud race in Oshweeken, riders and spectators were happy with the pleasant weather.

The track itself was a lot of tight, single lanes twisting through trees, up and down hills and through the water, forcing riders to time their passes properly or risk being ejected off the course by another bike.

After three hours of pounding from the morning classes (an hour for Youth, and two for Novice A and B, Vet, Super Vet and Ladies), the soft soil gave way to deep, slippery ruts and rugged roots. The rear tires dug deep into the loamy terrain, at some points forming ruts that were over a foot deep. The roots were just as nasty, as bike after bike wore down the soil, exposing the nastiness hidden beneath the forest floor.

The tight woods sections were off set by wide open grass sections and a motocross track that was incorporated into the loop.

Off the start, Aaron Wilkins pushed his #48 KTM to an impressive holeshot and kept it pinned, gaining precious seconds on the points leader Jake Stapleton and second and third place, Brian Wojnarowski and Mike Vandenhoek.

The three riders battled hard, with each one taking his turn at the front, middle and rear of the three-man pack. Eventually Stapleton’s speed and Wojnarwoski’s smoothness, and more bad luck caught up to Vandenhoek.

Wilkins faded, and Stapleton checked out, taking a commanding lead over the rest of the pack. "Wojo" rode through the ruts and roots into a solid second place.

With Vandenhoek out of the running, his bike dead at one of the water crossings, and Wilkins fading from his early lead, Chris van Hove was in a good place to take the last spot on the podium, finishing in a solid third place.

Wilkins held on for a fourth place finish. Tyler Linton rode his #7 Honda to a fifth place finish, managing to stave off Wilkins in the points chase.

The next round is in Wilberforce on Aug. 31. With only two rounds left in the series, the battle for third is heating up. Linton is less than five points off, and with Wojnarowski off to Greece for the ISDE, the 12 points gained from second place is up for grabs.