February 27, 2021 saw a repeat of history along with new milestones at the MetroPrint Nevada Hare Scrambles.
Jump back in time to 1986 where the very 1st motorcycle event was promoted in Laughlin, NV by a local club, Southern Nevada Desert Racers (SNDR) whose members included Keith and Lee Pearson. The event is called the European Hare Scrambles where racers compete on one race course in the morning and a completely separate course that afternoon. It was instantly recognized as one of the toughest events of its time due to the technical terrain with steep downhills, rocky uphills and cactus fields all pieced together by the equally tough Pearson brothers. Every year the Pearson duo would make the event more difficult and challenging.
In 1999, another duo of Pearson names would emerge from Laughlin in the Hare Scrambles event but this time not as a promoter. Nick and Russ Pearson, sons of Lee Pearson, both with Blazing Red Hair would Team up and win overall beating some of the best riders in the industry. The following year, the Millennium would see the Pearson name on the top step of the podium but this time it’s Nick and his 16 year old cousin David Pearson, sons of Lee and Keith, taking the Overall Honors.
Over the next 14 years, the Pearson name would stand in the Overall position an astonishing 9 times!
Fast forward to the present 2021, and the Pearson name showed up in various classes at the MetroPrint Nevada Hare Scramble. Tuffy, Axle, Maggie, Otto and Malcolm, who all call Lee dad and Max whose father is Nick. There was a very high chance of the Pearson name again making history and that it did.
Being 1st off the line in the Open Pro class, the 3X GasGas team of Axle and Tuffy Pearson took the early lead. They were followed by the 7X Husqvarna team of Danny Copper and Ryan Marshall. At the end of Lap 1, the 3X team was feeling right at home in the rugged Laughlin terrain and never looked back. At the end of the 102 mile race, the 3X team had a Finishing Time of 3:27:12, earning them 1st in class and Fastest Overall Time for the weekend. The 7x team finished with a time of 4:11:51 putting them 2nd in class.
In the 399 Pro class, 88Z Husqvarna team of Otto Pearson and Vernon Zerkle were in a tight race with the 55Z KTM team Matt Canepa and Thomas Jones from the beginning. Early on in the race it looked like these two teams would battle the 3X team for the Overall win but ultimately would not gain enough ground to make up the time difference. They did however race each other back and forth, lap after lap with the 55Z team getting a slight lead on the last lap over the 88Z team. At the checkers, the 55Z team finished 1st in class with a time of 3:42:28 while the 88Z team finished 2nd in class with a time of 3:43:48
In the Women’s class, the 25W KTM team of Shania Stevens and Maggie Pearson set out on their own history as they are the 1st Women’s team to compete in the Women Only class at the Hare Scrambles event and finished with a time of 4:40:20 good enough to take home the class victory.
Rounding out the Pearson entries were the 12 and 13 year old Max and Malcolm Pearson with Jesse Stewart aboard their 254 KTM in the 399 Amateur class. They were racing against the slightly older 14 and 15 year old team of Dylan Tondreau and Matthew Vendetti who rode the 298 Husqvarna. The race was on with the young guns bike 254 right on the heels of the old timers on 298. Halfway through lap 1, the young guns’ 254 KTM machine suffered a mechanical problem that ended their day early. That allowed the old timers 298 Husqvarna team to smoothly sail and cross the finish line 1st in class with an elapsed time of 4:48:30.
The Ironman classes show where the true competitors are, these riders have to complete the event solo, no swapping riders or rest at the end of a loop. They had to push through 102 miles of the tight and technical terrain. In Pro Ironman the 1st place podium winner was 95M Taylor Stevens, riding his Husqvarna. He takes the win with a time of 4:06:31. Coming in second in Class was 16M Zach Myers on his KTM. They both pushed themselves to the limits to see who could bring home the win.
The competition heated up in the Expert Ironman class as these racers battled back and forth over 2 laps, completing a grueling 68 miles. As excitement built and anticipation grew, it was Sam Jones on the 722 who came through the checkered flag first, taking the win with a time of 2:58:15. Coming in shortly after was one of the women solo riders, 713 with a time of 3:03:17, Krista Conway riding her Beta. This class had some exciting stories before the green flag was ever dropped. Bets were taken asracer Ashley Ross battled against her Fiancé Dave “Korndawg” Martin for the first time, seeing who would take home the title of fastest in the house. After a back injury in August of 2020, Darian Hickey conquered the rough course solo. She picked one of the toughest courses to make her comeback and competed in the largest class of the weekend.
The day ended with Quads battling it out on their own technical 10-mile race course that tested their agility. The Utility Quad class not only showed that the larger size quad can maneuver tight spaces but they can dominate. 1A Don Higbee and Jeremy Gray overalled the Quad race on their Can-am and won with a time of 2:39:51 beating the next quad to the finish by just over 9 minutes. The Romans family showed up and gave it their all to not only win but to dual it out against each other in the Quad Expert class. Both Father and son duos ran their Yamahas to their max with 844 Jason and Austin Romans beating 845 Alan and AJ by 10 minutes.
All Photos Provided By: Eric Minks, Dirt Nation
We’ve all had that race where you encounter problem after problem. Where you’ve had to push past the brink to come back and finish the race. This award is for just that. G1 Products is proud to present the first ever Perseverance Award, to Jason Letellier and his co-rider, Joshua Jones of the L2D Motorsports Team. They had a more extended day than most. Jason, riding in the Dual Sport Class, went down early in the race, leaving the riding to his co-rider Joshua Jones, who did not intend to 'Iron Man' the event. He had to push through the exhaustion to the finish. As we were told, Joshua was beat, tired, and just barely able to hold the bike up while leaving on his last lap just before the cut-off of the race. The determination to finish vs. giving in proves worthy of G1 Products presenting the Perseverance Award to these guys. Congratulations. Their Team will receive a medium, AKA; Moto-Mat FUEL MAT.
All of our incredible racers had to push themselves to get through the tight terrain of Laughlin, NV. We heard some great stories from the day but a favorite was two racers playing paper, rock, scissors to see who would conquer the hills of Laughlin first. Every racer gets to leave with bragging rights, those that were the first to podium at the inaugural Legacy Racing Associations, Metroprint Nevada Hare Scrambles most of all. They will be the ones to say they were the first.
We want to share a huge thank you to our Staff and Volunteers. We are a great team, working together for the success of Legacy Racing Association. Another huge thank you to the Las Vegas BLM field office and Clark County COVID Task Force for their help in making our event possible. Last but not least thank you to our Title Sponsor, Metroprint Nevada, they are an amazing group of hardworking people who create whatever it is we ask of them.
Final results are up at LegacyRacing.net. Come join us for our next event, Baja Nevada, May 12-16, 2021.
Become a part of the Legacy Racing Association series today. Join us in May for Baja Nevada, and help us build a lasting legacy together.
LEGACY 2021 Schedule
BAJA NEVADA
May 12-16, 2021 – Alamo, Nevada, to Pahrump, Nevada
Cars, Trucks, UTVs, Motorcycles, Quads
Point to Point race, approximately 600+ miles.
DIRT REBELUTION
September 24-26 – 2021 Cedar City, Utah
Motorcycles, Quads, UTVs
Loop race, approximately 100 miles
BATTLEGROUND
Date and Location TBA, 2021
Cars, Trucks, UTVs
Loop race, approximately 250 miles
About LEGACY Racing Association
Liz Marshall and Donald & Kristy Jackson have directed and coordinated Off Road racing events at the highest level of competition for nearly two decades. Their years of experience as Race Operations’ Manager and Event Coordinator have resulted in an enviable track record of safety, communication, and race support. Their passion and knowledge will facilitate a seamless beginning to the inaugural season.
More Info:
info@legacyracing.net Call or Text: 702-575-8979
www.LEGACYracing.net
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