Southern Enduro Riders Association Kids hare Scramble Series
Mid-South Winter Hare Scramble Series
Ferguson’s Shoot Out Bested the South
By: Carolyn Reed

Maplesville, AL, home to the most rigid and rooted polished trails you will find in the southeast was the hosting grounds for the Perry Mountain Tri-Sanctioned Kids Hare Scramble. Over one hundred kids from the SERA, Mid-South and some from the SETRA series were ready to kick off the New Year making it intense as the passionate youth hare scramblers were anxious for a win.
Kids lined up with new gear on new bikes and brand new goals for the 2005 race season. A major Cross Country Tri-Sanctioned Adult Hare Scramble was only hours away from beginning so the Perry Mountain crew had their work cut out for them.

Being Sera’s first event of the year, early wins were a must and none desired it more than Sera’s five-year-old, Rudy Ferguson. Ferguson bested the best of the Mid-South, Setra and Sera’s 50’s in the 4-6 year old classes. The Sera bikes looked powerless against the Mid-South KTM Juniors lined up next to them as they were sent down a 1.5-mile course full of hills, roots, grass tracks and woods. But that didn’t deter Sera hot shots, Ferguson and the 2004 SERA Beginner Pee Wee Hare Scramble Champ, Cameron Reed. Young Reed on his PW50, took bragging rights to the hole shot while Kawasaki mounted Ferguson followed him into the woods. Nailing it on the straightaway, Ferguson proved to be anything but novice as he rapidly made his way past Reed becoming the leader and the eventual winner.
Ferguson said, “The track was a little slick, fast in some places and tight in others. I love the tight stuff!” The five-year-old added his favorite part of the race was when he went down the muddy straightaway. He would like to thank his dad for all the help at the races.

Mid-South’s Cole Kirchoff was the fast cat in the bigger 50’s for the day. The Indiana boy took the lead by the second lap defeating Sera’s Steve Nicholas III. Kirchoff would like to thank P. A. Allen along with his dad for all their help.
Nicholas by no means gave the race away as he stayed only seconds behind Kirchoff rear tire locking in second. “The trail was real muddy and full of roots and I got the hole shot. It was a tough race for sure.” Nicholas said of his day.
Taking third was Sera’s Ashton Knight sporting his new KTM Senior. Young Knight, said he was a Randy Hawkins fan and has been busy riding Arena Cross in the Jackson, Mississippi area. It’s a delight to see him and his twin brother Triston back on the trails.

First Place winner in the Mini 65 Class was Mid-South’s Dylan Cox. “It was hard today, lots of roots. The start was cool, getting the hole shot”. Cody Schoettmer won second. A minute and thirty seconds behind was Sera’s Kids Intermediate Sawyer Shoemake who took third place of the twenty-six kids.

The Junior B Class held twenty-nine speedsters with local native and a Sera favorite Tyler Carter in the spotlight. Young Carter is back on track and ready to roll showing his stuff in the Mid-South series. This boy bagged a solid ride and is tough to beat no matter what series he’s running. Tanner Barley took second leaving third place for Zachary Nash.

An outstanding ride by KTM rider, Cory Buttrick in the Junior A Class went unnoticed with a score of 41:51. On the three-mile track, he put precious minutes on Jordan Ashburn and Spencer Cook (another Sera kid making tracks with Mid-South), rivals who are not easily contended with.
Thanks to The Perry Mountain Motorcycle Club for opening the New Year with a tough and fun-filled kids hare scramble. Special thanks to the Reynolds family for land usage and all their help.