About a half mile into the woods, we started losing sense of where we were. The ringing of two-stroke engines at the starting line of the cross-country race was no longer a beacon for the way out. They had become more like sirens, drawing us deeper. It was an hour-long race that wound through the deep woods outside of the Barber Vintage Festival, and we were well into it.
With cameras in hand, we tried to track each rider through the trees as they wrenched their throttles and battled for position in the narrow corridors. The sweet sound of vintage dirt bike motors resonated from every side of the course. Leaving this place became the last thing in our minds.
The riders, young and old, men and women, from novice to expert, all piloted machines no newer than 1985 through the narrow, single-track trail. Vintage dirt bikes like Pentons, Huskys, Yamahas, and Can-Ams (and even one insane Harley) all navigated between trees, through ruts, and over stumps, doing what they were bred to do.
The cross-country races at Barber were set up and organized by the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association. Craig Hayes of AHRMA’s Cross Country Rules committee explained to us, “It’s your typical ‘hare scramble’ – a dead-engine start, green flag to checkered flag race, just over 3 miles, with the riders separated by experience level. Fastest rider wins.”
“Dirt hasn’t changed in a billion years,” Hayes said when asked about riding vintage bikes versus the advancements of modern machines. “Any fast guy will tell you that it’s not the age of the bike that makes you ride fast. You just have to do it differently and adapt to the machine.”
The sweet ring of two-stokes remained in our ears long after we reluctantly emerged from the woods. Witnessing the vintage cross-country races at Barber as spectators was a highlight of the weekend for our entire crew. So long as AHRMA continues to organize these races all over the country, we hope that dirt doesn’t change for another billion years.
This article first appeared in issue 18 of Iron & Air Magazine, and is reproduced here under license.
Words by Adam Fitzgerald | Images by Iron & Air
