The infamous Corkscrew was back. At one time the corkscrew had five circles to it, but the riders got dizzy, so it was reduced to three. It still got your head spinning.
It’s not easy to get four- and six-man teams to agree to ride for 24 hours in 100 degree weather. But, at the 13th Annual HYR 24 Hours of Glen Helen 40 teams lined up for a shot at a sleepless night and the grimy glory of making it to the finish line. They were, however, happy to here that next year the race will be moved to the cooler climes of October.
The Johnny Campbell Racing team will have their photos plastered on the Glen Helen scoring tower for another year. Here, Tim Weigand is in the saddle.
As expected the JCR team of Johnny Campbell Racing won the overall with David Kamo, Colton Udall, Tim Weigand and Ryan Dudek at the controls. The JCR team completed 70 laps of the 20-minute course during the race. The beat the only other Pro team in the 40-bike field (the Connor Penhall Memorial team of Brandon Peterson, Kurt Samuleson, A.J. Madrid and Jake Watts). The Connor Penhall Memorial team was entered to honor the late Connor Penhall who died in a traffic accident earlier this year. The Connor Penhall team ended up fourth overall with 63 laps logged.
The start of a 24-hour race wouldn't seem at that important, but don't tell that to the riders. They try to get the holeshot. The race starts in waves – this is row three.
The surprise of the race was the Dirt Bike Magazine team of Justin Jones (son of Gary Jones), Jon Rice (grandson of John Rice), Robby Goolsby and Jordan Borowski–they finished second overall (67 laps) and even led in the middle of the night when JCR had some chain issues in the dark. They won the Industry class overall.
Glen Helen's Bud Feldkamp came out to watch the race before heading to Germany for a two-week bike ride with Chaparral's Dave Damron.
The Dirt Rider Magazine team of Chris Denison, Adam Booth, Kris Keefer, Chris Burnett, F. Walker and Ricky Yorks was third overall–six laps down to JCR and three laps down to Dirt Bike.
To get to the Corkscrew the riders have to come down Mt. Saint Helen, turn right, do the Corkscrew and then cross the bridge. Lap times are over 20 minutes.
The Ironman class, for solo riders who attempt the 24-hour marathon by themselves, was won by Brian Adams. Adams completed an amazing 50 laps all by himself. Brian logged a phenomenal 18 hours in the saddle. Michael Allen was second, in the five-bike field.
For more info go to www.glenhelen.com
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