THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 23, 1996 TAG: 9605220198
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY ALLISON T. WILLIAMS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SURRY LENGTH: 106 lines
THE DRIVER OF the mud-splattered motorcycle hunched over the handlebars and crouched to avoid the leafy, low-hanging branches of the sapling.
Then, with a sudden burst of speed, the biker jumped his roaring machine across the small stream that sliced through the woods.
``This is definitely the tightest course we've ever had,'' Chuck Honeycuttsaid, cutting the bike's engine as he stopped where fellow members of the Tidewater Dirt Riders Association were waiting. ``Perfect.''
The organization's president had just completed the first trial run on the 8-mile trail winding through the woods of Slade Park in Surry County. It took Honeycutt and a half dozen other club members two days using axes, machetes and rulers to build the trail followed by the more than 100 riders from across the state who competed in last Sunday's Hare Scramble Series.
The aptly-named Hare Scrambles are closed racecourses that hug the natural contour and terrain of the land, said Isle of Wight motorcyclist George Greer. He is head of the Virginia Championship Hare Scramble Series, an organization that works with the state's five regional dirt bike racing groups to sponsor Hare Scrambles.
Each year, between April and November, 12 Hare Scrambles are held across the state: six in the flat lands of the state's eastern region and six in the mountains. Riders competing in all the races earn points for finishing times and stand to win awards at a January banquet.
The wide variety of terrain found in Virginia makes for challenging Hare Scrambles, Greer said. For example, riders in last weekend's race found a flat course with obstacles coming from brush and streams.
Many of those same riders are likely to compete next month when the New River Valley Dirt Riders sponsors a Hare Scramble in Pulaski. Riders will find different sorts of natural obstacles - namely, steep mountains - that will require a different riding technique.
The Tidewater Dirt Riders doesn't just give its members the chance to ride motorcycles, Honeycutt said. The club, and even the sport itself, promotes family values and teaches riders sportsmanship and self-reliance.
``It's just you and your machine out there,'' Greer said. ``Your outcome in the race is based solely on your proficiency at the wheel.''
It's common to see men riding neck and neck trying to win the Hare Scramble, Honeycutt said. But as soon as the race is over, the winner will be the first to congratulate the man behind him.
The organization hosts a benefit ride each Jan. 1 to raise money for someone in need - regardless of whether the individual is a biker, member Alyson Williams said. After members agree on who the project will help, they recruit sponsors who pay them for making the ride. All of the money raised is then turned over to the beneficiary.
``A lot of effort goes into the benefit ride as well as all our other races,'' Williams, 24, said. ``All our races are nonprofit and all the work is done by volunteers.''
Williams, an accountant for the city of Chesapeake, and her brother, Andrew Williams, a Portsmouth policeman, grew up in Tidewater Dirt Riders. Their father, Bob Williams of Chesapeake, was one of the small group of men searching for somewhere to ride their motorcycles who helped form the group in 1976.
``In the beginning, we would pass the hat to collect money to cover our expenses,'' Bob Williams said. ``If we didn't collect enough money the first time, we kept passing the hat until we came up with enough money.''
Today, the organization has more than 100 men, women and children on its membership roster, said Williams. He believes that figure will continue growing as the generation of children who have grown up in the Tidewater Dirt Riders pass into adulthood.
The Tidewater Dirt Riders Association caters its races to match the cresting wave of family participation the group has experienced in recent years, Honeycutt said.
In addition to the men's Hare Scramble, the group sponsors pee-wee races for children up to age 12, junior races for children between the ages of 12 and 16 and a women's race.
After several years with just a couple of young riders, the club's pee-wee class is booming right now, Honeycutt said. He estimated that 15-20 children ride in the pee-wee and junior Hare Scrambles.
``It gives me a good feeling to see the kids competing on the course,'' said Greer, whose own two sons, George Jr., 24, and Jason, 16, also grew up in the organization. All three men have been state Hare Scrambler champions in their respective divisions.
But development all over Hampton Roads is jeopardizing the sport for future generations of riders, Greer said. Every few years, the Tidewater Dirt Riders have had to move further out due to increased development.
``Progress is killing us,'' Greer said. The group is having to move again, this time due to a change in ownership and rules at Slade Park.
The group is hoping to rent a 200-250 acre parcel of wooded property somewhere on the outskirts of Hampton Roads to use for weekend riding and occasional Hare Scrambles.
Family membership in the Tidewater Dirt Riders Association cost $36 per year. In addition to races, the organization sponsors three family-oriented social activities a year.
For information on membership or leasing property to the organization, call Honeycutt at 925-0233. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo on cover
Staff photo by MICHAEL KESTNER
Jason Balonis charges through a mudhole during a recent race at
Slade Park in Surry County.
Kyle Honeycutt is protected by a helmet and racing goggles. The
Tidewater Dirt Riders has races for pee-wee and youth racers as well
as some exclusively for women.
Brandon Nero gets in some warm-up time before a race at Slade Park.
Greer by CNB