2009 Spark Plug Enduro

May 1, 4:22 PMPortland Motorcycle ExaminerBen Baucum

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Making their way over icy interstate, 153 brave racers congregated to the Tahuya State Forest for the Spark Plug Enduro. The event was produced by the Bremerton Cruisers Motorcycle Club and covered nearly 80 miles for the long course, 60 for the short. Heavy rains the day before had scattered by Sunday morning, leaving patchy pleasant clouds stretched over a large background of blue. Perfect spring riding weather and not a drop of rain all day.

At earth level conditions were less than ideal. Overhydrated soil left bodies of water across the surface of the ground ranging in size from puddle to pond. Tahuya's terrain is mostly flat and has thick forest vegetation. Aqua crossings were frequent and unavoidable. Bikes were coated the color of heavily creamed coffee within the first quarter mile of racing.

Racer moral wasn't drenched until much later in the course where enthusiasm seemed to be exchanged for despair as the number of checkpoints increased. Goggle free faces expressed how each human was enduring the elements. Folded back radiator shrouds and misaligned handguards were the bikes plea for a new pilot.

The short course contained a variety of conditions. Some two track and some single, but there was always a constant theme. Turns. Corner after corner of bermed, banked, off camber, rutted, rooted, tight and wide. They may have outnumbered the puddles. Racer's toes rarely touched top gears as the straights were as rare as a confirmed Sasquatch sighting.

The long course linked another section of the Tahuya trail system. Tight single track picked on already pooped racers with even more turns and technical obstacles. It contained less liquid traversing than the more open short course, but by this time racer's boots were storing more fluid than camel humps. The frequency in changing direction made it difficult to get into a good flow as did the whooped out straight sections that were no wider than an XR. "The last 10 miles were brutal," said a tired Husky pilot Jake Metteer.

First time enduro racer Sonny Briston added that the Spark Plug was a great experience, "even with my crashes and that I had to wrench on my bike on the trail, it was a very enjoyable way to spend the Sunday."

Good racing on beautiful day over a tough course. The BCMC hosted and directed a well organized route through the Tahuya maze.