Jeff Melik : Race Report ECEA Enduro Series - Foggy Mountain Enduro (19/07/2011)

This weekend the ECEA endure series traveled to Blain, Pennsylvania to the Susquehanna Off-road Riders, Foggy Mountain Enduro. This race was formerly on the National circuit and is known for its rocky technical terrain. This year’s event turned out to be much different than I have ever seen as the club opted not to run the rock strewn mountain sides and kept the course in the faster less challenging woods.  Dust was the biggest obstacle of the day as the lack of rain left the trail loose and powdery.              
            Foggy Mountain was also the debut of my new 300 Race model. With no chance to ride or do any testing on the bike prior to the race I sprung the forks and set out for a little race time testing session. My day didn’t start off the way I wanted. I chose to go with a trials tire on the rear and this proved to be a big mistake. The fast trail and the worn out bib mousse in my rear tire made things a little sketchy. Luckily I had a conventional tire mounted on another wheel and was able to get them switched after the first test. The second test went a little better for me but when it was over I found that all four of my front axle pinch bolts had decided to go missing. Luckily the axel decided that it was happy in my wheel and after scrambling some bolts form some people’s fanny packs I was off again. The rest of the day was a little less eventful which is the way I would rather it be.
            When the score cards were posted I was thrilled to see that I marked the first race on the Race Model with a win. I can’t say enough good about the new Marzocchi 48mm forks that come on the Race. The stock valving is extremely good and well suited for enduro racing. They worked well on everything from rocks and roots to big high speed g-outs.