Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/1521336
June 2024 15 The Blue Slope course was tame for the most part. At least that's how it looked to the spectators on the other side of the yellow ribbon. Chocolate-col- ored dirt, mostly bare of roots and rocks connected two large sec ons of smooth grass track. But those who've raced this event in previous years know that on the outskirts of the property treacherous swampy areas await. There were a handful of each of these sec ons, ever-changing, lap a er lap with only one good line through them. These sec ons would greatly benefit the top riders and be the demise of many others. Tyler Rocha was one of the riders who unfortu- nately found out the hard way just how deep those mud holes were. A er a slow first lap in fourteenth, Tyler started pushing his way through the pack and picking people off one by one. It was looking to be a strong start to the season for the seven- teen-year-old. Un l halfway through the second lap, Tyler buried his bike to the seat, where he spent the next hour with course workers tugging away before finally freeing the orange machine. At the end of the day, it was JDay usual Cody Williams who came to take his first NETRA win. Michael Bloom led early un l bending his chain guide through one of the many deep ruts and throwing his chain. He would remount to finish second on the day. Just eight seconds behind him was Adam Lewis, who traded paint with Bloom in the final corners before the finish. Are these the tans that will take charge early and command from the front? Two weeks later the series would return to Buell Farm. This year the Nutmeg Scramblers dubbed it "The Cow Pa y Classic" and righ ully so, it's the first thing you see (and smell) when entering the property. Year a er year this is one of the toughest tracks on the circuit. Filled to the brim with relentless boulder fields and manure, it is truly a classic New England hare scramble. Those with silky smooth riding styles and an extreme love for all things rocks tend to pros- per at this event. With rain in the forecast for the last half hour it was sure to be an exci ng race. Adam Lewis got off to a hot start, grabbing the hole- shot early and leading the first lap. But there was danger lurking at the back of the pack. Two- me NETRA champion Nick Kordana decided to make an appearance on a YZ 125.