Kris Schamp
For those of you who didn't receive the email I sent out yesterday, here are some updates about the upcoming Porltand MTB Short Track series at PIR....
Greetings OBRA racers,
On Monday June 22th, we are kicking off the fifth edition of the Portland Mountain Bike Short Track Series. This year, we are expanding our fun Monday night series to seven races, all held on on the infield of Portland Int'l Raceway, just a couple miles from downtown Portland.
In short-track tradition, racers will do multiple 3-5' laps on an awesome course that includes a bumpy dirt track on the motocross course, fast grassy flats, and a twisty section of fun singletrack under the trees. The compact course makes for a very spectator-friendly race. More details and some great action videos of last year's series are posted on our web site. If you haven't watched these, you should check them out!
http://www.portlandracing.com
Here are a couple other updates that I thought you might be interested in:
1) Get your 2009 Series Pass now!
Our popular Series Pass is currently on sale. If you pre-register for the whole series, you get to race all seven races for the price of six! Junior riders who pre-register for the whole series get an even better deal: they get to race all seven races for the price of four (a little more than $5 per race!). For more info on how to purchase a series pass click here. The series pass deadline is June 12 (this Friday), so don't wait too long!
more info: http://www.portlandracing.com/registration.html
2) *NEW* Online registration:
For our racers' convenience and to alleviate the lines at registration on race day, we now offer online registration for single races. Each week - until end-of-day Friday before the race - you will be able to register for the next upcoming race. And it will save you $5 off the day-of-race fee. So be smart and pre-register!
3) *NEW* Online Series Race Waiver & Registration Form:
Tired of filling out a paper waiver before each race? Regardless whether you pre-register or register for your race(s) on race day, all you have to do now is fill out our online series waiver form from the convenience of your home and you're all set for the whole series. It will also make life at our end much easier, as we don't have spend countless hours deciphering hand writings and entering racer info by hand. You can find the online waiver at:
http://www.portlandracing.com/regform-09.php
4) Categories and Race Schedule:
We have 17 categories this year and will be using the new USA Cycling MTB categories. Please familiarize yourself with the new categories and age groups at http://www.portlandracing.com/info.html. The weekly race schedule will be almost identical to last year's, except that the Cat 2 Men Master 45+ will race in the same heat as the Cat 2 Women and Singlespeed categories.
5) Upgrading:
Folks who raced last year in the Beginner, Sport and Expert Men categories and podiumed (i.e. top-3 finish) in 3 or more races, or who ended top-3 overall, will have to upgrade. Beginner racers who had at least one top-3 finish are also asked to upgrade, so the "real" beginner get a chance of placing. The upgrade rules do not apply to junior racers.
6) Points:
For each race, points will be awarded 15 deep in each category. All races will count equally, though only your six best races (out of seven) will count towards the overall series standings. The final series points will count towards the Oregon BAR (Best All-Around Rider) ranking. Since we are racing for seven weeks, the final results will count as one set of BAR points.
7) Women and Junior Clinics:
To encourage the participation by women and junior riders, we will be featuring FREE clinics each week where novice women and junior riders will be able to hone their riding skills and pick up some race tips from seasoned and pro-level mountain bike racers. The clinics will be held from 5pm to 5:45pm at the race course. You don't have to register in advance, but you do have to be a racer and have signed a series waiver. More info will be posted on the web site.
8) *NEW* free trial night next Monday (6/15)!
That's right, next Monday we'll host a FREE short track trial night, from 5pm through 7pm at PIR. This is your change to check out the course, get all dialed in and ready to go! You will also be able to register for your first race (or the full series), pick up your series race plate, and get tips from expert riders.
9) Volunteers:
We are still looking for volunteers to help out with set-up, registration, lap-counting and course marshaling. If you (or your friends, partners, kids, etc.) are interested in helping out - and get to race for free - just shoot me an e-mail. We are also still looking for a non-racing volunteer to help out as a crossing marshal at the PIR race track. That one is a paid volunteer position.
That's it for now. We are looking forward to seeing you all next Monday at our free trial night or on Monday June 22th, when we kick off another fun season of short track racing. And don't forget to mail in your series pass registration by Friday to save money and time on race day.
Cheers!
~Kris
kris@portlandracing.com