Round One: Pipestone
By Jamey Kabisch, photo by Ethan Strauser
More than 210 motorcycle racers
raced at the Pipestone OHV
Area from all parts of the region
the weekend of April 16-17, 2011.
There were five races over two days,
and off road racers from age six to
74. Most racers were from Montana,
with adjacent states making up
roughly 30 percent of the field.
The 50cc class of four-eight-year olds
featured three Big Sky residents,
Flynn Kabisch, Kyan Smit
and Mazie Schreiner. This group
of riders rode on an established
half-mile trail through the woods,
making as many laps as possible in
a 35-minute race. The kids wore
ear-to-ear grins and were exhausted
when the checkered flag dropped
after intense racing.
The youth and novice classes took
to the trail later on Saturday, attacking
a six-mile lap. The youth race
consisted of five separate classes,
and the riders rallied as many laps as
they could muster within the hour
limit for the race.
The number of riders that participated
Sunday were more numerous than
the Saturday events, as these were
intermediate and expert races. The
course layout changed and included
more difficult single track sections for
this race.
The Intermediate Class, or B Class,
raced for two hours Sunday morning
and was plagued with bottlenecked
areas as riders struggled
to make it through the difficult
course. The leaders during the
Intermediate race were able to clock
in five laps, which was roughly 50
miles.
The Expert riders tackled the course
for 2 1/2 hours, and the leaders lap
times were astonishing compared to
the previous race. Cameron Weaver,
Open A rider and Bozeman resident,
cut four minutes off of the
best Intermediate rider’s lap times.
Only Weaver and Michael Slawson
of Bozeman were able to make it
around the course seven times in
the allotted 2 1/2 hours.
Cameron Weaver was crowned
champion of the first round of
Montana XC Series and the Pipestone
XC.
Full results and a race schedule can
be found at montanaxc.com.
Big Sky Youth Finishers
include:
50 cc
3rd Mazie Schreiner
5th Kyan Smit
9th Flynn Kabisch
65 cc
2nd Harrison Schreiner
85 cc
2nd Bridger Babcock
3rd Charlie Johnson
Ken Birgfeld
