Almost holeshot

For those of you who are familiar with Offroad Junkies (which is likely the majority of you) then you know Charkie always posts a survival guide for each of the GNCC rounds. Well, I’ve decided to go out on a limb and give it a shot for the Brown Jug NCHSA this coming weekend.

The Brown Jug NCHSA race is the same track that SETRA raced the Little Brown Jug Hare Scramble at years prior. Basically when they moved on to a new location, Vance Earl was able to get the land to use for a NCHSA race. This race is in Union, South Carolina. If you’ve been to the Big Buck GNCC, then you’re familiar with the type of terrain there. The Brown Jug track is kind of north of the town of Union while Big Buck is south of town, so yes, Union has 2 offroad races in a year, one on each side of town.

The Brown Jug race is promoted by Vance Earl. Many of you already know who Vance is, for those who don’t, he’s a bit of a legend in the southeast with multiple NCHSA and Mid-East championships to his credit, he also helps the R2W Racing team consisting of GNCC XC1 rider Kenny Gilbert, as well as Robby Norwood, Robby Austell and Nic Pienaar. For the record, all of those guys are pretty fast.

The Brown Jug event was introduced to the NCHSA for the first time in 2008, however a few riders were already familiar with the track from the SETRA races there. What can you expect out of the track? Well, overall it will be a mid speed track. By that I mean, it won’t be wide open but don’t expect it all to be tight either. There’s usually a couple of short sections that many would consider tight. All in all the track is mixed really well and is usually really fun.

It’s going to be hot. How do I know? It always is. It’s South Carolina in the middle of July, it’s always hot. The Weather Channel is saying 90 degrees for a high on Sunday. With the humidity, that will probably feel more like 100 degrees, so hydration is key at this race. Make sure to start hydrating in advance, and don’t forget to bring your Camelbak.

Parking is usually pretty tight at this track, so if you can get away with only bringing a truck, do it.

Off the start, the first turn tends to feel pretty sandy and theres usually more than 1 person that will go down, so be careful on the start. Not to brag but I do believe I had a pretty good start there last year, and luckily didn’t eat it. 

Once you get out in the woods, some of the trails can get pretty beat up,  especially in the fast sections. You’ll also want to keep an eye out for developing whoops. Last year I nearly went over the bars on a straight because I wasn’t paying attention to how big a couple of the whoops are. While parts of the track can get beat, you never know what will be added in though. There’s still land to work with there, so there could be new trail added, you just never know. There’s a small motocross track that you usually run. None of the jumps are big and it’s a good landmark to measure with because it’s usually only around a mile from scoring. It’s also a cool place to show off for your buddies or goon it up, your choice.

There won’t be any huge elevation changes out in the woods but there’s typically 2 or 3 hillclimbs that are pretty fun. Last year one hill ended up getting really silty and proved to be a challenge for some riders. If that’s the case again this year, just keep on the throttle and you’ll be fine.

That’s basically it. If you don’t have any plans for this weekend come on out and race. Directions and other info are at www.nchsa.org

If you have any other questions about the race, just let me know and I’ll do my best to answer them.