Mountain bikers will be the main event at Portland International Raceway (PIR) tonight when the Mountain Bike Short Track Series kicks off. The series will continue each of the next six Mondays through the end of July.
Organizer Kris Schamp says given the event’s popularity he’ll keep the racing format the same as previous years. Racers and spectators love the motocross-style courses (which change each week) with their double-jumps, roller-coaster whoop sections, sharp turns, berms, and even a bit of singletrack.
the Short Track series.
New to the series this year are skills clinics each week for novice junior and women riders. Schamp has lined up semi-pro Patrick Wilder to lead the juniors and pro racer Sue Butler and the Sorella Forte team to teach the women’s clinics. There’s more information on the clinics here.
Schamp also hopes to bring the racing and advocacy communities closer together by offering a $10 discount on race fees to anyone who signs up as a member of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) at the event.
Schamp says members of the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association (OBRA) should join forces with the BTA; “I personally think there is a lot of potential here for the BTA to reach out to recreational and competitive cyclists and for those cyclists to step up and become bike advocates.”
Read about my experiences at Short Track Racing in 2006 (great) and 2007, (not so great) and browse my Short Track racing photos.
More information on the series at PortlandRacing.com.