Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/1546340
38 Trail Rider www.TrailRider.com This year, Brian and Lisa and the crew made a big change in the motocross program. The course was again laid out in the familiar and well-suited field below the family home, but this year the direc on of travel was reversed from the last several itera- ons. The alternate flow was a unique experience with the approach to some of the characteris c el- ements of the course completely different, such as the two down and up chutes on opposite corners of the track and a new short uphill start with a le hand turn into an off camber straightaway rather than the usual right hander. The cross-country course u lized some very familiar turf from recent years with a few welcome addi ons and alter- a ons. The biggest plot twist for 2026 was the weather. Based on the history of the event, which inter- es ngly took Candytown's place on the schedule in 2020, a be ng fellow would lay some mon- ey down on very hot and humid. O en mes it seems that Ashcra 's late June date is wri en on Mother Nature's calendar as the date to crank the thermostat up for the summer season. But, for 2026 she dialed up rain…and plenty of it. Satur- day morning's motocross prac ce sessions were decent, the rain hadn't really impacted the course yet, and the forecast was sugges ng that any rain would be short-lived. By the me racing started, so did the rain, and despite the hope for a reprieve, that "short-lived" thing must have been a joke. It didn't take long before the normally hardpacked cow pasture was churned up into a pure mudder. The up/down sec ons were removed from the ac on quickly as they become nearly impossible to navigate, and while the rest of the course was slick, it was s ll a fun me and made for some incredible spec- ta ng watching the top riders s ll pinning it and finding trac on where mere mortals were spinning and sliding. Sunday's weather was significantly be er, but with the majority of the loop lying on the base of the mountain, runoff from the previous day's deluge ensured that day two riders would get their share of slimy stuff as well. The course was, as always, fun and flowing, and it is always a blast to dip into the sinkhole sec on near the end of the lap in front of a large crowd of spectators. The slippery-ness seemed to change as the ground went through several phases. The first few laps of the morn- ing's Vintage race were be er than expected, then a er ge ng torn up a bit, it got worse. Some drying occurred during the early Post Vintage race and condi ons im- proved slightly before the ruts started to act as channels draining the terrain above. Once the mountain's mois- ture found these paths, the slick increased and the slop factor jumped an order of magnitude. And those roots! A challenge for sure, but s ll a good me. Thanks Ash- cra 's…on top of your game yet again!