New Racer Guide

Competing in your first hare scramble race might seem a little intimidating, especially if you aren’t quite sure what to expect. Fortunately, you’ll find a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere at all Arkansas Hare Scramble events with an entire campground full of people willing to lend a helping hand if needed.

This guide aims to provide helpful information covering a wide range of things that you’ll need to know before entering your first race. If you have any additional questions or concerns, feel free to contact the race promoter or any series officer for more information.  Better yet, jump on our series message board and get help from fellow riders!

While this guide won’t guarantee you a podium finish in your class, it will hopefully help to ensure that your first race goes as smoothly as possible.

Homework Before The Race

A hare scramble is an off-road motorcycle race over rugged terrain, following a marked course, where riders complete as many laps as they can in a set amount of time. Courses typically have a wide variety of terrain and challenges that will vary from track to track.  Riders can expect to encounter obstacles such as trees, rocks, roots, logs, creeks and more throughout a lap. For long course classes, lap times typically range from 18 to 30 minutes depending on the track length and speed of the rider.

Know the Rules
Read the AHSCS Rulebook. Available on the series website, the rules govern all race events and provide information on a wide variety of topics including classes, course markings, etc

Know the Race Day Schedule
8:00 AM – Sign-Up Opens
8:15 AM – Peewee parade lap followed by race (15 min)
9:00 AM – Kids parade lap followed by race (30 min)
10:00 AM – Short Course/Women parade lap followed by race (45 min)
12:30 PM – Long Course Race (2 hours)
(Itinerary is subject to change at the discretion of the promoter based on weather and/or course conditions.)

Understand the Classes
If you’ve never raced before, it can be difficult to know which class you belong in. Generally speaking, new adult racers will want to start in one of the “D” classes and use the first race to gauge where they belong going forward. If you have a lot of riding experience or perhaps used to race years ago, you could give one of the “C” classes a shot.
Youth riders will probably want to start out in the “B” division of their appropriate class.

Consider Series Membership
You are not required to become an annual member to race. You might want to consider joining, however, to receive series points in your class along with various other benefits that come along with membership. Check out the membership page for more information.

Prepare Yourself
With adult “long course” races lasting over two hours, hare scramble races can be very physically demanding. A good overall level of fitness can greatly benefit you during these strenuous races.

Protective riding gear is essential to help lower the chance of injury. A helmet and riding boots are required while other protective gear such as goggles, gloves, knee and elbow pads, chest protector and a neck brace are strongly recommended. Remember to dress for the crash, not the ride.
Many racers also choose to wear hydration backpack systems to help stay hydrated throughout the race. These packs can also be useful in carrying a few small tools along with you.

Prepare Your Bike
All bike maintenance should be done well in advance so that on race day you don’t have to focus on anything other than the race itself. Here are a just few things you might want to inspect before race day:

  • Check your oil and coolant levels.
  • Make sure your air filter is clean and oiled.
  • Ensure that your brake pads have plenty of life left in them. If it’s been a while since you’ve bled your brakes, go ahead and do that too.
  • Give your entire bike a once-over and make sure all of your nuts and bolts are securely tightened.

As far as woods specific bike modifications go, you’ll find that virtually all woods racers equip their bike with a good set of handguards to help protect their hands, and a skid plate to protect their bike’s engine and frame. Heavy-duty tubes are also very important to help guard against flat tires. Many serious riders even choose to install mousse (foam) tubes in their bikes to eliminate any chance of letting a flat ruin their day. If your bike has a small, motocross-sized gas tank, you may eventually want to consider getting an oversized tank to increase your fuel range.

Make Your Checklist
There’s nothing worse than arriving at a race only to discover that you’ve left something at home. Consider adding the following to your race day checklist:

  • Riding Gear
  • Toolbox (with tire pump and air gauge)
  • Gas can full of fuel
  • Hydration pack
  • An ice chest full of water and/or sports drinks
  • Food
  • Cash
  • Pop-up canopy & chairs
  • First-Aid Kit
  • Trash Bag

Race Day Routine

On race day, arrive with plenty of time before your race is set to begin so that you don’t find yourself rushing around at the last minute. You’ll need time to find a good parking spot, unload,  sign-up to race, get geared up, etc. Gates usually open at 7:00 am and the gate worker should be able to point you to race sign-up, which is located at the scoring trailer.

Registration
After finding a good parking spot, head straight to the scoring trailer to get signed up. You’ll find the scoring trailer parked alongside the track, generally as close to the pits as possible.

You must always take your helmet with you to sign-up on race day to receive a scoring transponder and/or have your entry verified in the scoring system.

Entry forms will be available to fill out, or you can get a head start by printing one in advance from the website and taking it with you.

Present your completed entry form along with your helmet and money to the scoring personnel at the sign-up window. If you have not yet chosen a class, they can help you decide what class to enter, as well as answer any other sign-up related questions you have. After assigning you a race number, the scoring crew will provide you with a scoring transponder and show you where to place it on your helmet. This transponder will track your placement during the race and will give you the ability to see your lap times and overall race time when the race is over.

Temporary numbers will be available from the scoring team for $5.  Series regulars are expected to show up with permanent numbers on all three number plates.

Your race numbers must be very prominent and easy to read, completely covering any other number that may be on your number plates. Confusing or hard-to-read numbers may result in disqualification.

Plan a Pit Stop
If you think you’ll need to make a pit stop during the race, you’ll want to scout out an area beforehand to stash your items so that they’ll be easy to quickly access during the race. Your pit stop should take place off to the side of the racecourse so that you’ll be out of the path of other racers.
If you are unsure of your bike’s fuel consumption, plan a trail ride before race day where you can mimic the total ride time of the race. When you’re done, check your tank to see how much gas you have remaining. If it’s anywhere close to empty, you’ll probably want to stop and refuel.
You should also consider having an extra pair goggles ready when you pit, as well as anything else you think you might need.

Practice Lap
All Peewee, Kids and Short Course classes will take a site lap before their race on Sunday. Long course classes, however, generally offer no site lap on Sunday. Many promoters will offer a period on Saturday where you are allowed to practice on the race track for a fee. Check the race flyer or website for more details regarding Saturday practice for each event.
If you do get the chance to practice, please remember to ride courteously and well within your limits. There’s no need to try to impress anyone during practice. Save it for the race!

Find Your Starting Row
All classes will line up on their designated rows and take off separately in either 30-second or 1-minute intervals. To find your correct row, simply locate your class name on the signs at the starting area.

Riders Meeting
A riders meeting is held at the starting area before each race is set to begin. Pay close attention to the information and announcements that are made during this time because they may benefit you during the race.

During the Race
All AHSCS races are dead-engine starts (except for the Peewee class). When it’s almost time for your row to take off, the flagman will signal for all riders to shut off their engines. The flagman will then place the flag towards the ground and when it’s lifted, you’ll start your engine and take off towards the first turn to begin your race. Study the rows ahead of you as they take off to get an even better understanding of how the start procedure works.

As soon as you’re off and racing, you’ll be following the arrowed markers around the course. “X” markers indicate areas where you may need to slow down and pay extra close attention to the terrain or an obstacle on the track. “W” markers indicate that you are going the wrong way and have most likely missed a turn.

The race clock begins running when the first row takes off and will continue until the allotted time for each race has elapsed, at which time the checkered flag will be displayed. For example, in the afternoon long course race, the clock will begin running when the AA row takes off and after exactly two hours, the checkered flag will come out and you’ll be done the very next time you cross the finish line.
While it’s tempting to ride as hard as you possibly can from the moment the race begins, you’ll most likely have a better outcome if you pace yourself instead.

Once on course you will most likely pass and be passed by other riders throughout the race. Track etiquette says that while you should race the other riders that are in your class, you should never hold up a faster rider that has caught you from another class.

Here are some insights for passing on course in single-track sections: If you are closing in on a slower rider in a different class, you can whoop, holler or rev your motor to signal that you are faster. This alerts the slower rider to look ahead and make room for a pass.
If you hear a faster rider closing in on you from behind and they signal for a pass, choose a safe line ahead to give the faster rider opportunity to go around. If you can’t find room right away, maintain your speed until you find some room and then move over. Do not stop in the middle of the trail, just give the faster rider a little room and they will almost always find a quick way around. Often you will even hear the faster racer yell, “Thanks!” as they go by.

At the end of every lap, you’ll pass through the scoring lane.  For safety, this is a slow, no-passing zone. As you proceed through each lap, take a glance at the scoring monitor. It will display your class placement, the elapsed race time and how far you are behind the next rider in your class.

When the clock hits 2:00:00, the checkered flag will come out and the race will be over!

After the Race
When the race is completed, the results are calculated and then posted. A horn will be honked to signify the beginning of a fifteen-minute protest period. This allows time for riders to look for mistakes in the scoring or discuss any other issues that may have arisen during the race with officials. After the protest period, the awards presentation will begin. The number of awards given to each class is left up to promoter discretion, but generally, awards will be given to 1st to 3rd place in each class.

Other Things to Remember

  • Motorcycle racing is a family-oriented sport, so bring your family to cheer you on! In fact, maybe they’ll even want to race for themselves!  We have moms, dads, kids, and grandparents that race. 
  • To keep things safe for everyone, the pit area requires very slow operation of motorcycles and pit vehicles. There is no tolerance for speeding or dangerous operation of a motor vehicle in the pits.
  • Be kind to our landowners and promoters. by picking up and taking your trash back home with you.
  • This entire series is made up of people who love the sport. If you see a hard-working promoter, officer or volunteer, feel free to tell them “Thank you!” for all of their hard work.