NHHA Newsletter - 2019 Race Season Comes to a Close With 69th Annual Check Chase 🏆

October 14, 2019

Source: https://nationalhareandhound.com/news/

Argubright Takes Home the 2019 Championship!

October 14th, 2019 - The KENDA/SRT AMA National Hare & Hound Championship Series presented by FMF wrapped up the 2019 race season in Lucerne Valley for the 69th Annual Check Chase hosted by Checkers MC. Jacob Argubright closed up a tight points battle and took home the 2019 AMA National Hare & Hound Championship title amongst several others for the season finale.

YOUTH

Racing began early Saturday morning for the Pee Wee class. TJ Wasson & Maddix Park got out front as soon as the banner dropped but it was Levi Shade who would come through the scoring chute in the lead, to remain there for the entire race. Maddix Park would race in a 2nd OA position ahead of TJ Wasson. While racing for a podium spot, Wasson was also racing close ahead of Brody Vogler but it was Wasson who would finish this race in a 3rd OA spot on the podium. The Pee Wee podium was topped by Levi Shade next to Maddix Park in 2nd and TJ Wasson in 3rd.

The following race would see the Micro Mini and Girls classes as well as a few championships to be wrapped up in each class. Although Brennen Watson had wrapped up the championship a bit early, Caleb Tate was not going to let it get away easy without one last battle during the season finale. The two racers came through the scoring chute almost within seconds of one another every lap of the race, Tate even stealing the lead a few times. But it was Watson who would take home the win for the day with Caleb Tate finishing 2nd and Malcolm Pearson finishing 3rd to round out the Micro Mini podium. Brennen Watson would be our 2019 AMA National Hare & Hound Micro Mini Champion.

In this same race, Ari Myrdal and Allie Stambaugh found each other battling it out through the entire race for the top spot on the podium, both slightly ahead of 3rd in class Jordan Ramo. Myrdal would take home the win in this class next to Stambaugh in 2nd and Ramo finishing 3rd. Ari Myrdal would also take home the 2019 AMA National Hare & Hound Girls Championship title after a hard fought season.

The Jr. Girls class saw a well deserved podium from Addison Myrdal, Jacie Levie, Sara Conaway after all 3 girls fought hard each race for a spot on the podium. This races podium saw Addison Myrdal on top next to Jacie Levie in 2nd and Sara Conaway in 3rd after swapping for 3rd with Mikaila Grover several times. Addison Myrdal also took home the 2019 AMA National Hare & Hound Jr. Girls Championship title.

The last youth race of the season would see the Big Wheel race, per usual. Our 2019 AMA National Hare & Hound Big Wheel Champion, Otto Pearson would unfortunately miss out on this race leaving the last OA 1st place spot of the 2019 season up to another fast racer. Lane Forbes and Aidan Benavidez would start off the race with a battle on the bomb run as the banner dropped, but it would be Forbes who would finish the race in the lead to finish the season stronger than ever. Aidan Benavidez raced closely behind Forbes to continue the battle that was started off of the start while Max Shapiro was swapping places with Carter Rayburn for a 3rd OA finish. Lane Forbes would remain in the lead for the remainder of the race to finish in the top podium spot next to Aidan Benavidez in 2nd and Max Shapiro in 3rd.

Lane Forbes was also awarded with the Cody Kurtz Selfless Racer Award for the Youth for his sportsmanship, kindness to all racers, selflessness, and bravery. Lane is always sure to not only be kind to all but also makes sure he shows continued sportsmanship to his fellow racers. We congratulate and thank Lane Forbes!

BIG BIKES

With several championships on the line for the season finale, the pits were running anxious Sunday morning. The banner had soon dropped and 3Bros/SRT/Husqvarna backed Dalton Shirey was the first racer through the hole shot flags. Off-Road Support's Jacob Argubright was not far behind Shirey, battling for 2nd OA with 3Bros/SRT/Husqvarna backed Ryan Smith.

The pits were anxious as most of them had not heard how their racer had done on the start with the start of the race located nearly an hour from the pits. We soon received word that the first racers had come through the second check with Shirey still in the lead and Argubright battling it out with Factory Beta's Joe Wasson. Argubright and Wasson have remained close in points during this season, being tied in points at the end of the first half of the season to continue their battle after the summer break.

Coming through the pits in the lead, Shirey was racing slightly ahead of Argubright who remained in 2nd closing out the first loop. Wasson came through the pits and headed out onto loop 2 in a 3rd OA position, ready to battle it out some more to secure a higher spot on the podium.

For the Pro 250 class, Factory Beta's Zane Roberts came through the pits in the lead with Daemon Woolslayer and Nick Stover coming in shortly after, the two battling it out for their podium spot. Corbin Mcpherson would race in a 4th in class position in the Pro 250 class this race after wrapping up the championship in the 250A class.

In the lead for the Women Pro class off of the first loop was Brandy Richards - who was also in the lead in points for the championship in the Women Pro class. Not far behind her was Factory Beta's Morgan Tanke in 2nd and Rachel Stout in 3rd, all 3 heading out onto the second loop ready to finish strong.

As we were down to the minutes awaiting our race leader, the nerves were amplified. At the pace he was racing, Argubright just needed to finish the race to take home the championship. Dust appeared and the finish line anxiously awaited to see who the leader would be.

Off-Road Support's Jacob Argubright crossed the finish line in the lead of the race and would take home the 2019 AMA National Hare & Hound Championship, a hard earned win after several years in the making and a hard fought season. Coming across the finish line shortly after was Factory Beta's Joe Wasson who would take home 2nd in points, only 15 points away from the championship, after fighting hard alongside Argubright all season. Both racers showed their continued sportsmanship with each other at the finish line, setting an awesome example for classes and racers below them.

The Pro podium would see Off-Road Supports Jacob Argubright on top next to Factory Beta's Joe Wasson in 2nd and 3Bros/SRT/Husqvarna backed Dalton Shirey in 3rd.

The Pro 250 podium would see Factory Beta's Zane Roberts in 1st next to Corbin Mcpherson finishing in 2nd and Daemon Woolslayer in 3rd. Woolslayer would also take home the 2019 AMA National Hare & Hound Pro 250 Championship title.

The Women Pro podium would see an unexpected finish as Brandy Richards would take home the OA win next to Rachel Stout in 2nd and Factory Beta's Morgan Tanke taking home a DNF after suffering bike difficulties near the finish of the race. Well rounded racer, Brandy Richards, would also take home a well deserved 2019 AMA National Hare & Hound Women Pro Championship title.

Loop 1 finishers would see a podium topped by Cordis Brooks next to Larry Engwall in 2nd and Lane Forbes in 3rd. The Masters 60+ class podium would be topped by Cordis Brooks in 1st, Larry Engwall in 2nd and Kirk Heintz in 3rd. James Miller would be our 2019 AMA National Hare & Hound Masters 60+ Champion.

The Vet A class would see Kris Keefer finishing 1st in class next to Thomas Pira in 2nd and John Levie in 3rd. John Levie would also take home the 2019 AMA National Hare & Hound Vet A Championship title.

The Senior A class would see a 1st place finish from Paul Krause next to Brent Farrell in 2nd and Steve Montana in 3rd. Paul Krause would also take home his 7th Championship title as the 2019 AMA National Hare & Hound Senior A Champion.

The Pioneer 70+ class would see Larry Barlage on top in 1st next to Greg Seda in 2nd and Richard Denninson in 3rd. Larry Barlage would take home the 2019 AMA National Hare & Hound Pioneer 70+ Championship.

The Open A class would see a class win from Forrest Minchinton, finishing with a broken foot, next to Phil Pira in 2nd and Brandon Krause in 3rd. The 2019 AMA National Hare & Hound Open A Championship title would go to Patrick Miller.

The Open B class podium was topped by Cody Dingwell next to Travis Eynon in 2nd and Luis Castillo in 3rd. Jared Prosser would take home the 2019 AMA National Hare & Hound Open B Championship title.

Lastly, the Women A class podium would see Kari Erickson on top next to Liz Karcz in 2nd and Ashlee LaCharite in 3rd. Ashlee Gage would take home the 2019 AMA National Hare & Hound Women A Championship title.

Liz Karcz also took home the very special Cody Kurtz Selfless Racer Award for the Adult classes. Liz has been racing with National Hare & Hounds for quite some time, always continuing to show us the most selfless acts on and off of the race course. Not only has she shown this glowing characteristic through National Hare & Hounds but also in every off-road race that she has competed in. We thank Liz for her continued sportsmanship, kindness, selflessness, and glowing personality. It is appreciated by more than she knows.

The NHHA would like to send a huge thank you to all of our racers, teams, sponsors, clubs, and friends and families who support our race series. We could not have completed 2019 without any of you! While the 2019 race season was especially awesome, we are ready to get started on the 2020 race season and look forward to seeing you all there.