The Covid Crusher Extreme: Race Recap

What a day!

The third SEER race of our hard enduro SRT/ SEER series is in the books!

Despite difficult times, SEER was able to put on a race at the Hollytree Offroad Park in Alabama. We extended our online registration and had an online rider’s briefing to take additional safety precautions.

A combination of lots of rain in the week leading up to the race and an extra downpour on race morning made some areas impassable. Several last minute changes, like moving the start area due to the rising creek, kept the course workers busy. Due to additional heavy rain during the race the trails got extremely slick and deep ruts formed.

95 riders from 17 different states were eager to get to the start line in Alabama, after months without much offroad activity. Riders from Texas to Wisconsin found their way to the Covid Crusher Extreme.

Some of them have never tried a hard enduro race before. Oh well, they got an extreme version for their first experience.

The waves of Gold, Silver and Bronze class riders started off with a two minute interval between the rows.

Other than a few Gold class riders crashing in the second turn off the start VIDEO, the majority of the riders left without any issues.

The riders had to conquer several very technical areas along a trail not allowing any rest between the sections. Gold and Silver riders shared the same, difficult track, and the Bronze riders got to bypass some of the most extreme parts.

Within the first minute all riders got to ‘Nico’s Valley’, a brutal rocky uphill creekbed. Half-way through the lap the racers were challenged with ‘Meltdown Mountain’. This was the most difficult part of the race, a steep uphill made of mud-covered rocks.

The third section ideal for spectators was ‘Copperhead Creek’, a pretty steep creek bed. Next to the pits, everybody got to watch riders making their way down into the creek bed, called ‘The Drop’.  

Without any chance to recover between the most challenging parts of the trails, many racers were exhausted after two hours. The white flag was shown after 2:55 hrs of riding time. Which meant the riders got the chance to complete another lap, as long as they could finish within the cut-off time of 4:00 hours. Many racers were brave and fought until the last possible minute.

The current SRT-SEER series leaders, Nick Fahringer and Quinn Wentzel provided a breathtaking battle. For hours, they raced close to each other. Frequently they had to show their excellent riding skills by having to pass other riders being stuck in difficult terrain. Nick Fahringer ended up winning the Gold class and Overall, with Quinn Wentzel second and Chuck DeLullo third.

The field in the Silver class was 27 racers, and the podium winners were Davis Jackson, Steve McNeal and Nathan Taylor. The largest class was the Bronze class with 42 racers and Wes Kelley, Chris Evans, and Jimmy Rose finished 1-2-3. Two female riders braved the conditions and battled in the Bronze class.

Check out the complete results HERE

Superb sportsmanship was shown by all racers in the difficult conditions. Many riders helped each other including the top pros.

The spectators got their money’s worth. Several accessible spots close to the paddocks made it easy for them to follow the race.

Official race pictures from Larry Mayo HERE

And the racers who came for an extreme experience went home satisfied. We got tons of great feedback on social media. If you have not done already, join our group ‘SEER-South East Extreme Riders Association’ on facebook.

See what other racers had to say about the race HERE

It looks like everyone is excited to try the next SEER challenge, which is going to be the Sasquatch Extreme GPS. A GPS guided event in Tennessee with a 40 mile loop on June 20, 2020.

Find more information and registration details for the Sasquatch GPS Extreme HERE

Our races would not be possible without the support from our sponsors and the many volunteers helping us! Thank you!

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