Trikefest 05Well Trikefest has come and went again this year, and let me tell you, it just keeps getting better and better. We doubled in attendance from last year. Had a whole lot of new faces, and trikes too. The camadrie and fellowship was great, the racing was intense and off the scale on the fun factor. NOTHING compares to banging bars with another guy for a couple laps. Or stalling it in the first corner and having to work your way back through the pack. Seeing freaksfix hauling around on the MX track with his little hardtail B&S powered trike had everyones sides hurting from the laughter. It was just an awesome experience all in all. I can't wait for the Trikefest Photo CD and video to be done, so all the people that werent there will be able to realise and see all the awesome times we have there. Theres truly nothing else like it. Keep watching the site for more information on when that will be available. If you have some pictures you'd like to submit, contact TimSr on the message board. I'm working on my own write up of the time, similiar like to what I did last year. But, until then Here is Derrick Adams' excellent and accurate write up of the event and the weekend in general. Enjoy! If you were thinking that 3 wheelers were extinct, you were dead wrong.TrikeFest 2005 If you were thinking that 3 wheelers were extinct, you were dead wrong. At least one week a year these forgotten machines fall on southern Indiana like a swarm of killer bees. “Trike Fest” or so it’s called, is hosted by one of the largest dedicated 3-Wheeler websites on the internet. www.3wheelerworld.com/oldsite started this event in 2000 as a way for people to join together and share in their common addiction with the ATV’s of the past. Coming into its 5th year, “Trike Fest” has doubled in attendance every year with more venturing out every year, to see what all the commotion is about. The 5th annual “Trike Fest” was held at Haspin Acres in Laurel, Indiana. Haspin Acres is a top notch facility for the avid off-roader, offering hundreds of miles of trails, 2 motocross tracks, dirt drag racing, and on site camping. The owners and staff have extended a warm welcome to the annual event, and work diligently to provide a safe and fun environment for all off road activities. There is truly something for everyone at this park. This year “Trike Fest” proved to be the best yet, with record attendance and more scheduled activities than ever. Enthusiasts from as far as Germany, Canada, and all over the United States came together for a fun filled weekend of hot weather and even hotter action! Drag Races First up was Friday nights Dirt Drag Races. After a mid-day thunderstorm put a halt to the hill climb competition earlier in the day, participants were left with more of a mud strip than a dirt strip. The crowd soon found out it would take more than a little mud to slow down this large gang of speed junkies. Amazingly, some of the participants jumped on their machines and tirelessly made pass after pass to dry out the track. After 45 minutes or so, the track was drying out and racers were lining up. There were trophies on the line for the top 4, so everyone was watching each other closely. After an hour or so of constant grudge racing, run-offs were started to find out who would be on top. On this day it would be a pretty even match up between 2 stroke and 4 stroke machines. Because of track conditions the torque of the mighty Honda 350X’s were making serious ground on the high revving 2 strokers. Although a whole slew of fast drag bikes made there way to “Trike Fest” this year, only a handful of high horsepower machines braved the track conditions to participate. One main contender was the Honda CR500 powered trike of Bill Golightly. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to anyone, he got it stuck in a mud pit and missed the eliminations. In the end it was the highly modified Honda 250R of Jason Hall taking the win. Motocross Races Saturday was set to be the most exciting day of the Weekend with a whole array of 3 wheeler MX races. The racers all gathered together for a riders meeting at the small MX course and everyone was grouped into there prospective classes. Although these races are just for fun, there was some very stiff competition present. Everyone knew it was slated to be some of the best 3 wheeler MX races since the 1980’s. They were right! As the 4 stroke open class was lining up at the starting line, curious on lookers began to gather everywhere. Apparently when you group together over sixty competitors, all on 20+ year old 3 wheelers, you get some attention. It seemed as if everyone in the park had gathered to watch. Even the Haspin Acres staff had come out of the main office to see the action! Other than a few minor spills the races all went well. Haspin’s newly revamped MX course made for a challenging race for most classes, with a huge straight away filled twin doubles, a table top, and a triple. The 4 stroke open class was filled with excitement as a whole line of Honda 350X’s and one lone 200X took to the track. Amazingly, Andrew Benniger took the win on his modified Honda 200X! Charging hard thru the jumps he was able to get by everyone and take the class win. In the non suspended class it was more like a group of circus performers than a motocross race, as these guys pushed the limits of their antique unsuspended trikes. Although, not a very fast race, it was certainly entertaining, leaving most spectators sides aching from all the laughter. The mini quad class was next up, and one of the most fun to watch. This class was created for the kids to compete in. Although the class was filled with mini quads, there was one lone 3 wheeler, a highly modified Yamaha Tri-Zinger. This kid was nothing short of amazing to watch! Hanging his trike sideways thru the turns and going like gang busters thru the straights. Although his older brother, Jacob took the win on his Suzuki LT 80, Brandon Hall earned himself the “Trike Fest- Best in Show” award later that night, for the great entertainment. Mid size suspended class was intended for any trike that had front and rear suspension but did not fit well into the more performance oriented classes. This class was filled with mainly Honda 200X’s and Big Reds, although a few other models competed as well. Andrew Benniger also swept this class, with his careless riding style and mighty 200X. Honorable mention would definitely go to Tim Keister who rode his Big Red to a 2nd place finish in the class, riding it like a thoroughbred and not the work horse it was designed to be. It was decided because of the number of participants to split the 2 stroke open class into 2 separate classes. 2 stroke novice and 2 stroke advanced. This was done in hopes of preventing injuries on the track and it worked perfectly. 2 stroke novice ran first with undoubtedly the closest racing of the day. Don’t let “novice” fool you, these guys were FAST! Side by side racing was the norm in this class, with tires rubbing in every turn. Tyler Wlodyka was able to break away from the pack and secure the win aboard his Yamaha Tri-Z, in one of the best run races of the day. This left only 2 stroke advanced. Expecting to see the best of the best in this class, everyone was paying close attention. At the first turn it was a tightly packed slew of trikes starving to get out in front. In the end it was Flyin’ Brian Chilenski on his Honda 250R that came out on top, taking the lead in the first turn and never looking back. Brian managed to hold off the relentless charge of Brandon Robinson, also on a 250R, in one of the hardest ran races of the day. Awards Ceremony Saturday evening brought everyone together for a photo and group supper. Delicious warm food and great conversation were plentiful. As the evening came to a close everyone gathered at the pavilion for the awards ceremony. As a special surprise this year, CT Racing donated tons of products which were given away as door prizes. A special Thank You is extended to CT Racing, as this was a huge hit with the attendees. Awards were given to all the top finishers in the MX and Drag races as well as other plaques and trophies for various things thru-out the weekend. This is definitely the place to be if you are still holding on to that old 3 wheeler, or just want to reminisce about the days before quads existed and trikes ruled the world! |
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