Rocky Mountain Tracking

Out of roughly seventy-five motorcycle riders competing in the 2011 Hoka Hey Challenge held on August 5^th, only eleven qualified for potential prizes.  The Hoka Hey, in its second year, is a challenging 14,000 mile motorcycle race starting in Phoenix, AZ and ending in Nova Scotia, Canada. The course traverses 48 states and 2 Canadian provinces.  The event features strict rules and guidelines, with racers asked to follow a specific course.  Deviation from this course results in losing a chance at winning cash or prizes, although the rider will still receive recognition as a racer.

This year’s race featured the use of GPS tracking devices to assure that each motorcycle followed the course to the letter.  Not only could event organizers track the whereabouts of the participants, friends and family cheering them on from home could check on their progress at any given time using the official Hoka Hey website as well.

Despite the addition of the devices, racers were subject to a polygraph exam in Mesa, AZ, upon completion of the event.  This is due to the fact that although the device let officials know how fast the racers were traveling at any point, they had no way of knowing what the speed limit is in any given location.  The rules explicitly state that competitors must obey all laws throughout the event.  The polygraph assures that rules and laws were obeyed, and officials checked along the course route to see if any speeding tickets or other forms of moving vehicle violations had been issued.

There are many ways to be disqualified from a shot at winning prizes, including using a sidecar, carrying a passenger without a doctor’s note stating a driver is disabled in some way, having friends or family meet you anywhere along the way that is not an authorized checkpoint, and even sleeping in a hotel room.  Participants are asked to only sleep outside, in a tent, unless a doctor’s note is provided.

2011 Hoka Hey riders met on October 8^th in Mesa, AZ, to celebrate their amazing accomplishment together.  It is interesting to note that even though 11 riders qualified to win prizes, not a single rider actually took a prize home.  The only thing they received was compensation for their expenses when traveling to take the polygraph.

Organizers of the challenge plan to modify the course for 2012, shortening it by half the distance, to allow more riders the chance to compete.  Applications will be available on the official Hoka Hey website at some point in November.

Article Written by Khristen Foss