After the finish of an Enduro, say the 54-year-old Jackhammer ‘Sprint’ and the 4-year-old Li’l Hammer ‘Family,’ enduro’s by the 119-year-old Oakland Motorcycle Club – both coming up October 17th / 18th. – the riders really feel like they accomplished something. They all come back to the finish area, collect their cold drink, wait around for the results to be posted and generally like to talk and laugh with other riders or with us, the promoting club members. Their minds are clear and there’s always lots of talk about certain sections, features, speed averages, or perhaps a fall or mistake one might have made. Myself, as the Off-Road Chairman, of the O.M.C., my duty as Referee, was to see if there were any protests, complaints or otherwise and secondarily, to congratulate the riders as they come in. O.M.C.’s icon, the 54-year-old steel Jackhammer, welded to a 1/2′ thick steel plate, and recently powder coated in the obligatory Orange and Black, will be there at the finish, and I’ll be there to get a photo of them with or without their award plaque near or on the pegs of that teeth-chattering air tool. Stonyford OHV, in No. CA, is a pretty hard-scrabble area to run enduros, with rocky, loose rutted uphill’s, gnarly, steep downhills, lots of tight single track, creek crossings, dust, tree roots – large and small – hard manzanita bushes, doug firs and pine trees all over, etc., etc. Definitely a fitting name; The “Jackhammer.”
I bring up the Jackhammer here, because it was one of the first money-making public District 36 Competition events that the O.M.C. puts on.
It gave them enough in savings back in the early 80’s – along with a couple of senior members mortgaging their homes! – to purchase the old battery ware-house that in a couple years’ time became our Club Hall, in Oakland. All by the blood, sweat and tears of the O.M.C. members. Not to be confused with a Club-“House,” (LOL! – inside joke) O.M.C. does put on larger events these days – the Sheetiron Dual Sport, primarily – but because the Jackhammer was an original public event started back in the 70’s, I chose this one to focus on.
To put on two enduros like these, takes literally a cast of 40 or more people. Our course set up guys spent weekend after weekend out at the Stonyford Off Highway Park, riding the course, measuring with their ODO’s and entering mileages in small note-books or their smart-phones, taking pic’s of specific areas that will be speed test checks, parts of trails that will need more work, or re-routing and clearing trails (with chain-saws attached to their bikes) hanging ribbons – to identify routes – and this takes numerous weekends to build a 100 mile A/B/C course. On the week before the events, usually around Tuesday or Wednesday, we O.M.C.’ers start showing up in our RV’s, camp trailers, vans and trucks to help the helpers. It’s all volunteer work, no one is being paid. Final course markings (arrows, dots, “W”s (wrong way), high skill areas, danger arrows) all go up these few days. Pre-assigned duties in weeks of previous O.M.C. meetings are carried out – who brings the bikes, food, drinks, tools, time clocks, flags, arrows, ribbon, canopies, start / finish sign-up trailer, etc., etc., etc… It’s a LOT!
The races go off Saturday and Sunday morning at 7:30 and 9 A.M. respectively and the riders come back in about 6 – 8 hours tired, happy, clear headed and are so eager to tell their story, good or bad. When I used to ride enduros, back mostly in the 80’s, I felt the same way. My head was so uncluttered; no work worries, no home thoughts or concerns, just so glad to have endured a long, tough enduro, glad I didn’t get hurt and just wanting a cold drink. It’s a great feeling, let me tell ya.
Which brings me to “why” I joined the Oakland M/C Club. Well down into the early 80’s, I would ride this event a few times, then a long gap due to career, and then from 2000 on, their Sheetiron Dual Sport ride several times and I’d see many of these same friendly faces at sign in, and I’d think to myself – at least when I lived in Oakland – “gee, I live 10 minutes from their club hall, maybe I should see what this ‘club thing’ is all about.” So I go to a couple of their Wednesday night meetings, checked out their club with 100 + years of No. CA club history all over their rather large club hall, have fun, socialize with a bunch of like-minded folks, drink a little, laugh a lot and I come back with an overwhelming sense that; “these are some really great individuals” that for the most part, are just giving back to the sport that gave them so much. I quickly made the decision back in ’05 that yes, I can also ride with my long-time friends in an “anti-club,” taking fun from the motorcycle world, but I can give a lot back by being an O.M.C. member and helping put on four events that give riders so much satisfaction and deep-seated fun. For the last five + years I’ve been retired and live two hours away, in the Sierra-Nevada foothills, but I stay very active with this club, because of the people, and the relationships I have developed with them, that I don’t want to ever give up.
Don’t get me wrong, we O.M.C.’ers have a good amount of “self-serving” fun too, with our own 35 + club rides per year, annual steak feeds, awards banquets, outings and parties. It’s not all about that ‘giving back’ thing… …But, it is so very gratifying to return from helping at an event like the Jackhammer / Li’l Hammer Enduro’s, Sheetiron Dual Sport or our Three Bridge Run and seeing and hearing all of the positive comments from the riders – both at the event and then on socials afterwards – watching them interact with one-another and seeing their smiling faces as they pick up their class winning plaque – or heck, second or third place awards. It is equally rewarding ‘giving back‘ fun to the sport that I love, as it is ‘taking‘ it…
Balance, is what it’s all about for me. How about you?
Rubber-Side-Down,
R. Duffy Collin
Owner: DUFFYDUZZ Promotions
A.M.A. Charter Life Plus Member 954754
District 36 Competition Member 324F
O.M.C. Publicity & Off-Road Captain
IRONBUTT Member 84199
C: 510-292-9391 / duffyduzz@gmail.com / www.oaklandmc.or