The Kaua‘i Motocross Riders Association’s annual Labor Day races kick into gear Saturday at the Wailua Motocross Track.
The two-day event will feature more than 200 racers from across the Hawaiian Islands, KMRA president Paul Medeiros said.
“You’ll have the fastest riders from the Big Island, Maui, Kaua‘i and O‘ahu competing all here on Kaua‘i,” Medeiros said.
He said he expects both days to excite fans who can make it down to the he track.
Saturday afternoon features a double dose of action.
While motocross races such as the Keiki divisions and the amateurs compete on the track, across the street more action will be taking place in the mountains.
The 57th annual Hare and Hound Race will pit riders against a grueling up-hill trail. The course winds through miles of thin trail through the mountains. The riders all go in at the same time and the winner is the first one out. Medeiros said the course will take the riders more than four hours to complete.
“It’s a really rigorous race,” Medeiros said. “We’ve had volunteers working on the trails for over four months straight. It’s a fun race to watch for the fans because you can just look and see all of the riders on the mountain.”
Another fun event to watch, Medeiros said, will be Saturday’s adult pit bike race. This race features small 50 cc bikes, usually meant for kids, with grown men racing around the Keiki track on them.
“We’ll have guys from Maui and O‘ahu showing up with these pit bikes that they’ve put $8000 to $9000 into,” Medeiros said.
While Saturday is meant for fun in games, the real action takes place on Sunday. All of the expert competitions take place on Sunday, with the highlight coming at the end of the day. Following the running of the expert, veteran and masters races, the Island Team event will take center stage.
This event is a relay race on dirtbikes. Four man teams from each island will compete to be named the best motocross island in Hawai‘i. Each team will have a 125 cc expert, 250 cc expert, Open, and veteran rider as members.
“This event is the best of the best racers,” Medeiros said. “Honolulu has been hanging onto the trophy for the last few years so everybody will be competing to bring that trophy back to their island.”
Following all of the races, there will be a banquet dinner and concert at the track. Admission to the races is $5 with children under 12 getting in for free.
• Tyson Alger, sports writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 237) or by emailing talger@ thegardenisland.com. Follow him on twitter.com/tysonalger.
