AZOP Takes Over Cinder Mountains For Brutal Race

Hail, rain and fog at the Cinders

Here are the race highlights of the UTV classes at the 2018 Cinder Mountain Hare Scramble, presented by Moto Race Tire and Star Lightbars.

VIDEO | 2018 AZOP Cinder Mountain Hare Scrambles

AZOP 2018 Cinder Mountain Hare Scramble | Story and Photography by Jonathan Barrett

UTVVideos condensed the story and added photos we grabbed from the video: For the full race report from Jonathan Barrett with all the classes and more stunning photos of the dramatic weather, visit AZOP on Facebook.

The Cinder Mountains near Sunset Crater in Flagstaff, Arizona offer some of the most unique OHV trail systems and terrain in all of Arizona. The volcanic sand can be found nowhere else in the Southwest and was the eighth stop in the Arizona Offroad Promotions championship series.

With only one day of racing, the racers came to battle in the 88-mile race across the tight trails and wide-open mountain ranges that this area had to offer. Presented by Moto Race Tire and Star Lightbars, the event was full of food, vendors, and plenty of play.

The Bomb Start

When the big bikes hit the starting line, it was like a scene from a movie. 128 bikes all in one line, eagerly anticipating the drop of the green flag. This race is the only race of the year to offer the National Hare and Hound-style bomb start, a quarter-mile drag race into a tight first turn. The nearby storm was just behind them, roaring thunder every 30 seconds or so, with lightning in the distance.

There was a thick tension in the air, the smell of race fuel in the nostrils of each spectator watching this once-a-year event. As the marshal got into position, all bikes cut silent. The dead engine starts are a favorite for some and a dread for others. With some fingers prepped on the start button and a multitude of feet on kick starters, the green flag dropped. A thunderous roar filled the air as all 128 bikes roared to life and slammed into first gear and took off. The Blud Lubricants/ZR1 Suspension Honda of Wyatt Perry had a rough start, coming 15th off the line and into the dust. With so many bikes all next to each other, the visibility was down to zero.

The Sky Opens Up

As the end of lap one came near, the weather struck the race course hard as a torrential downpour accompanied by a massive hailstorm hit all at once. While most riders were hitting the faster sections of the course, one-inch balls of hail started pelting them mercilessly.

“The hail was absolutely insane!” Perry stated after finishing. Also chiming in on the hail was Austin Bott, a 125-250cc B rider: “People around me quickly began to slow as it became difficult to see and fairly painful as temps hit mid 50s during the storm and the hail felt like huge rocks getting thrown up.”

The ATVs took to the course following the maelstrom of bad weather the bikes had to endure, racing in cloudy weather and lots of mud. Without a constant rain, the quads had an easier time seeing in the cinders sections, but the mud was brutal in the dirt sections.

UTV Classes on Sunday

Sunday would bring 42 UTVs lined up in the lake bed for the most grueling race of their season. With 13 pros lined up, it would be the Can-Am of Christopher Blais hot on the trail of Cole Freaday passing the halfway mark of lap one, with Sean Lynch and Tom Wilson hot in tow.

Freaday would break a joint in his car and give the lead to Blais, ending his day after one lap. At the end of lap one, Lynch would have the lead with Blais 10 seconds behind him and Wilson one minute behind Blais. Lap two had Lynch and Blais still battling through the miles of whoops and tight trees, with Lynch still holding onto the lead. Lap three saw Blais take the lead away and hold it until the checkered flag, ultimately landing him first overall. Lynch finished right on his bumper in second with Wilson finishing two minutes down from Lynch. Unfortunately, the hot streak of James Moore and AWC Racing came to an end with a mechanical failure costing him his day on lap one.

Chase De Sousa Dias took home gold in the 900cc class with Evan Striplin, Travis White and Clay Winiecki behind him. In the 1000cc Non-Turbo class, the ATD Automotive female racer of Hailey Hein would win, beating Barry Bennett in second and Mike Nieves in third, the only Polaris RZR RS1 on the course. The 1000cc Turbo class had the promising Kali Kinsman dominating the class and on track for a victory, until five miles from the finish she would break a tie rod and end her day on the side of the course. Neil Carse took the win in class, followed by Greg Geiser and Craig Hein. Top 10 finishers are Christopher Blais,Sean Lynch, Tom Wilson, Neil Carse, Greg Geiser, William Bedlion, Craig Hein, Mike Knightly, Chase De Sousa Dias and Garrick Lastra.

UTV170 Class

In the UTV170 class, Lucas Johnson put the hammer down on the rest of the class, taking home first, followed by Ashton Stowell and the Hisun Strike 250 of Ian Kowalski, who clipped a tree and still managed a podium finish. The rest of the class went to Vincent Riccitelli, Rhiannon Brinkerhoff, Rhyland Stowell and Jaxen Gibson.

UTV570 Class

The UTV570s took on the big course and showed their prowess with Grace Vinagro taking first, followed by Riley Hein, Blayne Rockhill, Landen De Sousa Dias, Kasyn Matthews and Ellie Koester.

The 2018 Cinder Mountain Hare Scramble was an exciting one, complete with hail, rain, fog, and lots of action. Next round goes to Prescott Valley, Arizona for the Lynx Creek Hare Scrambles August 18-19th.