Rain might have dampened spectators’ interest in watching the Tenfour Briggie-X Endurocross event last Saturday, but it also caught the attention of the right people.
“The Pacific Northwest Motorcycle Association (PNWMA) really likes what we’re doing and they’ve asked me to consider making it part of a bigger series,” said Briggie-X co-founder Steven Patterson. “Hope actually has the best venue out of anywhere for this kind of activity.”
Patterson said Hope could play a part in the PNWMA’s races. He believes they drew the attention of the PNWMA because they proved themselves capable of hosting an endurocross event.
“The very fact that we managed to get one off the ground and actually held one was the biggest thing,” said Patterson. “It’s a relatively new format, so not a lot of people have the experience and expertise of putting course together.”
Patterson explained that designing a course requires a “flow,” which requires consideration of factors such as speed, space and height of obstacles and jumps in designing a course.
New this year is the Mini Briggie race, meant to introduce the sport to the next generation of riders.
“One of our goals is to stimulate a riding community in Hope,” said Patterson. “A lot of our racers are families… it just adds so much more to be able to offer something for the whole family.
“And let’s face it, everybody loves watching the kids.”
Rider attendance was “excellent” and top Canadian rider Trystan Hart also came to participate, according to Patterson.
“It was really exciting to watch him. For anybody that came down and saw him ride it was just unbelievable,” said Patterson.