Jason Raines AMA National Hare Number One Champion Testimonial and 2009 Race Report
I have won the Hare Scrambles Championship 6 times now!! Wow, I am amazed I have been able to do this, considering where I came form in the back woods of Belfair, WA dreaming of racing a national Event and looking up to all the super fast Off-Road riders like Randy Hawkins, Ty Davis, Scott Summers, and many others. Never would I have believed I could do this, but thanks to all the support from my family, sponsors and plenty of long hours working my tail off, I have been able to live a dream.
Along with my 6 AMA Championships, I have been able to win a total of 38 National Events, have 3 ISDE Gold Medals, one Japanese national Championship, and have finished in the top 2 in the GNCC series on a few occasions. I even came within one race of wining the GNCC Championship. If not for a broken leg, the championship would have been mine, but that’s racing and I am happy with all I have accomplished and proud to have such great people supporting me like EBC Brakes!
Jason Raines 2009 AMA National Hare Scrambles Champion
Location: Battle Creek, MI
Date: September 20
Series: AMA Hare Scrambles Round 7
Results: 1 – Jason Raines
2 - Aaron Wegne
3 – Jason Greer
Championship Points:
Clinched Championship w/one round remaining
Round 7 of the AMA Hare Scrambles series took place in Battle Creek, Michigan this past weekend and riders were greeted with perfect temps and dry conditions.
The woods were a little dry, but the MX track was in perfect shape due to the hard work, prep, and watering done by the Battle Creek MC club. The club had laid out a beautiful 10 mile track that featured tight woods, an Endurocross section, open sections and even a grass track. It had a good mix of diversity and I have always loved the tracks that this club has made. They take a lot of pride in their races and the enthusiasm they have is top notch.
The race started at 12:00 sharp and I had a lucky thing happen. I was poised and ready to start when the starter counted us down from 30 seconds till take off. I saw him flinch and I kicked, but the flag hadn’t flown yet, luckily the bike didn’t start! I brought the kick starter back to the top and as I did the flag flew and I kicked again and rocketed off to the first turn. I was 2nd going into the first turn and had the lead secured by the exit of the slow sweeping, right hand first turn.
During the first lap I was riding a little conservative because half of the 10 mile loop was brand new for us, so it was covered with leaves and you couldn’t see what was on the ground. I didn’t make any mistakes and tried to keep a good flow. By the completion of lap one, I had about a 40 second gap on the rest of the field.
The second lap, the track was good and burnt in and I put in a good, solid lap. I was able to push a little harder and felt more comfortable. I extended my lead to just over a minute by the end of the lap.
The rest of the race went very good, I rode mistake free and choose good lines as the track started to get rougher and rougher. Just riding the outer edges of the track and focusing on missing the holes made the track smooth.
I wound up leading the 7 lap race form start to finish. As I crossed the finish line, the race ended up going over the 3 hour mark. I finished at a time of 3:19.
It was a perfect day and an awesome track. It always makes the 3 hours go by faster when you are having fun!
With this win, it has allowed me to wrap up the AMA Hare Scrambles Championship with one round remaining in the series. This is my 6th Hare Scrambles Championship! I believe this Championship puts me as most Hare Scrambles Championships than any other rider! I would have never imagined ever even being able to win a National Race, let alone a Championship, it is amazing where the road of life can take you sometimes. I still am amazed.
Jason Raines
www.rainesracing.com
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Congratulations on a job well done Jason! And, thank you to EBC for supporting such a good guy and his efforts…in addition to being a fan of Jason’s I am a customer of EBC as a result of their support of our sport and in particular Jason/AmPro Yamaha.
I have the privelage of calling Jason a friend that started of at one of his riding schools (outstanding experience by the way) and I can tell you he is as good of a guy as he is fast. He always has time for friends, fans, and family in between the tremendous amount of work he subjects himself to.
If you ever get the chance to attend one of Jason’s schools, or make his aquaintence at an event you will be glad you did.
Travis Shultz