• Husqvarna Motorcycles Made In Sweden - About 1988 and older

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King Ferry NY Vintage Qualifier

Richard Colahan

Richard Colahan

Husqvarna
AA Class
This was my first trip up to ride the King Ferry NY event...just didn't give it much thought last year...although only a few hours away.

Based on the number of entries perhaps I'm not alone...

This is a great event...apparently very much unappreciated...and also perhaps under promoted. I'm not convinced enough folks know just how good this is.
Could it also be mis-understood based on it's "Qualifier" title? I've talked with more then one potential entrant that dismissed it because they didn't know what a "Qualifier" is.
I's not complicated: it's basically a closed course Start Control enduro. No secret checks, no timekeeping, no tags needed.

Simply put: If you enjoy riding a Vintage or Post-vintage bike on great trails...with no stoppers...no ignorant stick farms...no un-climbable hills...then this is the event for you.

And it finishes up with a great 4 lap race...divided up by classes...on a really fun grass track. Yes...even when there's a bit of dust!

In just the past 2 weeks...there have been 2 AHRMA events that must go on any Vintage dirt bike fan's calendar for next year...especially those on the US east coast:
> The Vintage Enduro at McKee's in WVA
> The King Ferry NY "Qualifier"

We have these bikes to ride them...these are the events you don't want to miss!
 
I was one of the people who brainstormed the idea of having ISDT style races other than the Reunion Ride at the end of the year, and it turned into the series we have now. The AHRMA Qualifiers are the highest attended cross country races on average, but I think this race is just too far away for most "regulars" to go. The heart of the AHRMA CC community is in the Ohio, Illinois. Indiana, Kentucky, Arkansas, Tennessee area. Even living in Atlanta I can make most of those races with an 8-10 hour drive, NY is another 6-8 hours farther which means another day of vacation. Qualifiers are my favorite format of vintage CC racing by far, I would love to go to the NY and Michigan races, especially since Rose City Mich was the location of a real Qualifier for many years but its just too far to even consider it.

As for the Enduro, I didnt care for them when they were the standard format, and time has not changed my mind on that, but I understand that lots of people are nostalgic for them.

If you really want to talk about a dont miss event, its the ISDT Reunion Ride, which is at a different location each year. The Reunion Ride format is exactly like the Qualifier but lots of real ISDT/ISDE vets come and participate right along with all of us mortals. One year I raced Jack Penton in my class, one year I had Fast Freddy Hoess. One year I had Carl Cranke on my row, another I had Jeff Fredette, and another year I had Drew Smith on the row behind me and Geoff Ballard in the row in front. In addition you have current ISDE racers riding their modern bikes and you have older vets like John Penton or Malcolm Smith or Dick Burleson or Preston Petty just hanging out. If you have never been to a Reunion Ride, you need to make it to one, you will want to go every year.
 
I've ridden both NY events so far. Last year and this year. They are a blast!! Lots of nice trails and long connector trails with plenty of time before the next test. Check in/out. We had fast Freddy hoess and Drew Smith there both years. I can't make the rest of the series because of time. Like kartwheel says, it's a lot of drive time. You guys are lucky that you can make them in 8 hours. I'm 8 hours from ohio! I did ride 2 reunion rides and they are way cool too. Next year the RR will be in NY so make your vacation plans now. It's only an hour from my place.
 
I'm a member of Cayuga County Riders and with AHRMA pulling the plug on paying Qualifier Series points for this event, on just the Wednesday before it.... The club feels this hurt attendance. Club is looking at doing an enduro Saturday and XC race Sunday next year, like West Virginia.
 
I think that advertising more about there vintage and post vintage it should take off even more it sounds like many owners of this old iron just maybe interested just keep the tracks simple like they once were.

Do they sell dvd's of these vintage races.? I'd buy them. I have older videos of the dam good races.
 
Norm, why did they not pay points for this event? Are you talking about AHRMA National points or the Qualifiers? The Qualifiers are not really an official thing, its something fun the CC people do outside the official AHRMA National series points.
 
I'd be very surprised if AHRMA National CC series points were NOT awarded...we'll know in the next few days when Becky Hayes posts the Mototally results.
 
qualifier points (which don't exists as brian said....just a year end at ISDT RR trophy hand out).....NATL points will be awarded....put it back in neutral guys
:thumbsup:
 
If CCR does a vintage enduro, it will more likely be Start/Restart Format like the National Enduro Series, not a time keeping event. This is how their District 4 Enduro Series modern event is done. Not that different, except, one day and no... Gold, Silver and Bronze.
 
The Qualifier series is kind of confusing. How it happened was the Reunion Ride had rotated to a different location each year, and In 2009 several clubs showed interest in doing Qualifier events on the years they were not hosting the Reunion Ride. It was a short jump from there to saying "Hey, we should have a Six Day series with the Reunion Ride and the two Qualifiers". And from there, the next thing you know we had added both individual awards and team awards for 3 person teams. This was all being done "off the clock" so to speak, the awards were not sanctioned by AHRMA, and there is no official AHRMA championship for winning the series, it is all done by the Cross Country community just as a fun thing.

Add on top of that the fact that for a 2 day Qualifier, they are scored as two separate rounds for AHRMA National points as if it was two days of hare scrambles format, but the Reunion Ride is scored as a single event for AHRMA points purposes and it can be very confusing.
 
KW68, Many thanks for the 2 posts giving the background info on the ISDT-Q "informal" series.

Certainly the ISDT RR is a VERY special event each year for all of the reasons you describe. I was fortunate enough to ride the 30th Anniversary ride in MA in 2003.

I guess it remains to be seen if the ISDT -Q "informal" series continues in it's present form or not.

I'll say this: regardless of the configuration that the CCR group decides for next year...no doubt in my mind that the 2 day King Ferry event is one to attend!
Great group...great trails...many thanks to the CCR folks.
 
I think what probably happened with the Qualifier points is, I cant remember the exact rules we came up with, we had a minimum number of entrants before the scoring would be done, we did not want to have 1 or 2 or 3 teams at an event being given points by default. The first year in 2009 we had I think 25 or 27 teams, the last few years I think it was under 8 or 10.
 
I believe the Qualifier was held, but points for the Qualifier series were not paid, probably because of not enough entrants.
 
they did teams...there were 5. there will be no year end qualifier award as there is no Michigan round. All good stuff Brian.

break

No idea what you mean Bigbill?
 
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