For Immediate Release:
Nolen Claims Boston Mountain Victory in Arkansas
Pettigrew, Arkansas (September 2, 2012)– There’s a special placein south Madison County where some of the state’s mightiest rivers are born and that’s exactly where the best cross country dirt bike racers were this Labor Day weekend (Sept 1st – 2nd).
The racecourse known as Boston Mountain is the birthplace of the mighty White River that supplies water to nearly all of northwest Arkansas. At the top of this mountain water spilled to the south pours into the Mulberry River known for its white water rapids and to the north the mighty Kings River that drains the eastern half of the County before it makes its way to fill Table Rock Lake. Therace wasdual sanctioned by the Arkansas Cross Country Series (AXC Racing) and the Arkansas Hare Scramble Championship Series (AHSCS).
The pro purse included a $500 payout. The course featured anine-mile circuit on the mountain. A graph of the elevation profile for the course looked about like an EKG readout on a 16 year old boy who was just to get to second base on a Saturday date. Race promoter Danny Ellis has been hosting a race at the course since 2007. He’s refined the course every year and in 2010 it was voted race of the year by ATV racers. It’s clear Ellis was excited, “I’ve built a few great tracks this year but this one was the best yet!”
In the motorcycle pro class the points chase has been tight. Trent Keen from Fayetteville and Yamaha racer, Eli Bieschke from Harrison have beenbattling each other for the series title. Going into the 8th round Bieschkewas just three points behind Trent Keen. Meanwhile Fort Smith’s Parker Nolen mounted on his #1 plated Yamaha was a few points behind the leaders. Nolen is theAHSCS 2011-defending champion.
On the start Bieschke (21) got the hole shot for the race lead followed by Trent Keen (14) and Bryan Vaughan (30) Andrew Judy (17) Brad Warren (2) and Parker Nolen (1). Nolen’s start wasn’t as stellar but when asked about how he got around he said, “Congrats to Eli for owning the start! When we lined up, I noticed that every bike was a two stroke, except for my Yamaha 250F. I knew I had my work cut out for a hole shot. I made the decision to click the bike up into second gear for the start to help gain traction and speed. When the flag dropped, my bike started first kick and I was off the line in last place down the starting stretch. It took a while for my bike to get up to speed; however, I was able to maintain that speed around the first right hander motoring past Judy,Warren, and squeezing Vaughn out in the second corner with Keen and Bieschke still out front. The next couple of corners, I set up to overtake Keen and made a long sweeping pass on the inside of a long sweeper, and then I took off after Bieschke. I stayed on Bieschke through a few corners until he swung wide on a ninety and saw the opportunity to square it up and take advantage before entering the woods.”
Pittsburgh, Texas racer Bryan Vaughn of Full Circle Racing, kept his head down on his #30 KTM and raced hard. On the 1st lap he was in 3rd but movedup to 2nd on lap 2 getting around Trent Keen. Vaughn was stoked, “I made it by Trent after coming from the back after a crash on lap 1. He kind of got kicked sideways on a long rocky uphill and I was able to sneak by him.”
Once Vaughan got by Keen,he stayed consistent and finished up the racein 2ndplace on the podium behind Nolen.
Nolen’s fitness and preparation for this race showed. Once he got the lead he kept up the pace and put more than 5 minutes into the field by race end. After race when asked what he did over the summer break to prepare he said, “I followed a vigorous training schedule consisting of Mountain Biking and practicing motocross. I took every opportunity to improve my endurance and speed. I went into this race concentrating on being smooth, strong, and consistent. Although I made a couple of mistakes the first lap, I put my head down and went to work.”
Parker Nolen (#1) on his way to 1st place.
Bieschke kept up with his pace and rounded out the final spot on the Pro Podium in 3rd place 3 minutes behind Vaughan.
It was clear that Keen did not have his usual pace and fell to 4th place in the race. He was mounted on a different bike for this race. When quizzed about the situation Keen reported, “I had been working 10 hour days for almost three weeks and I pulled a 12 hour shift the Saturday before the race, I was pretty beat Sunday when I woke up to start the day. Besides that matter, there was also the new bike, with basically stock suspension. I wasn't expecting the best ride. I was ok for about four miles into the first lap but then the arm pump was almost unbearable. Bryan out pulled me on a steep uphill because of my struggle to maintain a grip on my bike.” He still holds a narrow two-point margin over Bieschke and four points ahead of Nolen in the series points chase.
Nolen likes his chances to reclaim the title but knows it won’t be easy. “Due to a couple of mechanicals during AHSCS races, I have been trying to play catch up all year. There are four races remaining with only one throwaway. Right now, I have to concentrate on making the bike last, conserving myself, and finishing races to reclaim my title.”
The Beech Grove Bandit race will be 9th round of series on September 22nd & 23rd near Cass, Arkansas. It’s another tough course with technical climbs and rocky conditions. Keen has plans to get AHSCS series sponsor, Factory Connection to improve the stock suspension so the racing at the next round should be another close one.
Place / Bike# / Rider / Make / Division1 / 1 / Parker Nolen / YAM / AA
2 / 30 / Bryan Vaughan / KTM / AA
3 / 21 / Eli Bieschke / YAM / AA
4 / 14 / Trent Keen / YAM / AA
5 / 2 / Brad Warren / KTM / AA
6 / 169 / Jamey Mooney / HON / A Sr
7 / 60 / Justin Riley / YAM / A Open
8 / 109 / Jordan Dobbs / KAW / A Vet
9 / 167 / Layne Smith / KTM / A Sr
10 / 77 / Jake Hines / KTM / A Open
Photo Credits Tim Mulhern, Cody Wiggins, & Josh Cook
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