The “Secrets of the Ozarks” Cross Country Chase will bring more than 100 antique motorcycles and their riders to the listening area this weekend.
The race, which is open to motorcycles manufactured between 1930 and 1960, began Tuesday in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and will conclude Saturday afternoon back in the Show-Me State. The riders will finish Friday’s fourth stage in the Twin Lakes Area, stay the night, and then head back out on the road Saturday morning.
The Cross Country Chase takes competitors on a five-day, 1,340-mile trek through the Ozarks. Along the way, the riders’ endurance, navigation skills, speed and knowledge are all be tested.
Riders complete an average of 250 miles a day during the race, navigating the course on their own. No support crews are allowed, so riders must pack everything they might need to the race — tools, parts, luggage — on their motorcycles.
Each of the race’s five stages are timed, with competitors being rewarded for managing their time throughout the day and maintaining certain speeds. Chase officials provide competitors with a navigation map each morning giving turn-by-turn directions based on mileage for that day’s section. It is up to the riders to make it to the next checkpoint without going off course or getting lost.
Competitors also complete quizzes each stage covering aspects of the route they just completed and American motorcycling history, with their test scores counting towards a rider’s final score.
The race has three classes, based on each motorcycle’s age and characteristics. There are cash prizes for all class winners plus an overall winner and a cash prize for the top quiz score. Commemorative banners for class and overall winners are also awarded.
A nine-stage Chase event is scheduled for September that will take riders from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, to Key West, Florida.
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