With two Hoka Hey Finishes under my belt, the thought of a third, makes it impossible to go a day without thinking about it. Yes. I'm in. The Hoka Hey has shown me a new way to live. There's nothing like riding through the night and feeling the sun rise on your face as you beat back your own demons with a fist full of throttle. Riding the Hoka Hey will make you aware that you are stronger than you ever thought you were. Some of you have been training for this all of your life....you just didn't know it. I hope that you find the Hoka Hey and that Hoka Hey finds you.

Mark E. Hodge # 348

Come Visit the Hoka Hey Booth at Bruce Rossmeyer's Destination Daytona!!!

We are almost finished setting up here at Bruce Rossmeyer's Destination Daytona for Daytona Bike Week! We are looking forward to seeing our riders as we always do at this great event.  This year we have a booth near the Outlet Center, on the blacktop. IT'S GOING TO BE ANOTHER GREAT RIDE THIS YEAR, COME JOIN THE ONE AND ONLY TURE MOTORCYCLE CHALLENGE!

The Spirit of Hoka Hey

Here is just a taste of the adventure that awaits you on the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge.

The Spirit of Hoka Hey

A feature length documentary about the challenges faced by our indigenous people and an 8 part mini-series about the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge and it's participants are being created by David Roma and the Movement Group.

Destiny? Or Free Will?

So often in life, circumstances are beyond your control and you have to deal with them in the best way you know how.  The question then becomes whether you will adapt?  Or attempt to overcome?

In the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge, you will be faced with any number of situations that will make you ask these same questions of yourself.  You will learn whether you have the courage to plunge headlong into untested waters; the strength to confront seemingly insurmountable challenges or the drive to continue the quest in spite of brutal physical elements.  Exactly, what kind of a person are you?  Take the Challenge and you will find out. 

One Life – One Ride… The journey is yours to take!

Changes for the Good

As we get out and speak with people about this year’s Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge, we’ve gotten a very positive response to the changes we’re making to the event.  Everything from the prize structure to the shorter distance and the fact that we will be keeping the route entirely within the U.S. have gotten a lot of support from the potential riders we’ve met out on the road.

As many of you know, nobody took home the prize money from the 2011 Challenge but, even though the 11 contenders from this year’s event were disqualified for various rule infractions, the skill and determination of these Challengers is without a doubt what puts them in the category of the World's

Most Elite Long Distance Riders!  Unfortunately though, there could be no official recognition for finishing placement and – with the exception of $100K paid to reimburse the contenders for the inconvenience and expense of their trip to AZ for interviews & polygraph tests – no money (or motorcycles) was awarded in 2011. 

As a direct result of having a prize structure for finishing placement, there has been a misconception that the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge was a speed race and this opinion has taken the focus away from what the event was intended to be.  The Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge was intended to not only test a rider’s stamina and endurance, but their mental capacity to follow directions and adapt to any situation.  In fact, the exact length of the routes and the number of participants were withheld for the sole purpose of keeping the riders guessing. 

In order to return the event to this original objective, we have removed the incentive for speeding by not offering to recognize finishing placement.  The prize money will be fifty percent (50%) of the money brought in through entry fees split equally by all riders that arrive at the finish line within a window of time, having followed the driving directions we provide and having hit all of the checkpoints.

An additional benefit to this approach is that, by removing the incentive for riders to speed, the organization will have no need to police their speeds with GPS or polygraph tests this year!   In order to be eligible for a share in the purse, contenders will simply have to certify that they did not receive a ticket for a moving violation during the course of the event. 

These changes were brought about with the hope of bringing the focus back on the ride.  This puts riders in competition with the road, their bike and their own demons –  NOT in competition with the other riders.  Riders will learn their own strengths and weaknesses.  They will face fear and will have to determine if they have the courage and resolve to push forward.  In the past, many of our riders searched deep within themselves and found the strength to persevere when they thought they had nothing left to give.  The majority of our participants measured up to our expectations and we salute them – whether they made it to the finish line or not. 

We are offering you a Challenge in 2012 and we intend to deliver. 

Anything else is just a race.

Announcing the 2012 Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge

Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses, yearning to breath free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,

Send these, the homeless, tempest tossed,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

Inscription on the base of the Statue of Liberty

As Americans we hold that Liberty is a moral and political right in which human beings are able to govern themselves, to behave according to their own free will, and take responsibility for their actions.

The Romans held that Liberty is a goddess who guides the hearts of men and inspires them to courage and hope for the future; she secures their freedom and fights with them to protect her blessings. She celebrates the victory of men and women over the limitations of their own life and allows them to break the chains that hold them.

The primary tenants of the Declaration of Independence are "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness..." As such, we recognize that there are no entitlements - the world doesn't owe us anything and we have to work, sweat and scrape to get what we want and need.

That we have gotten ourselves to this place in the world is no accident. We have had the freedom to choose how we live our lives. Now, will you choose the safety and security of your easy chair? Or will you join us this August 5th, 2012 when we embark on the 3rd annual Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge?

This year's event will begin in Las Vegas, NV and travel LESS THAN 6,000 miles to end in New York, NY. Hoka Hey 2012 will take riders along some of the most scenic roads in the lower 48 United States.

Keep an eye on our website (http://www.hokaheychallenge.com/) for more information and applications.

The question now is...
What will you do with the choices that are before you?

Awards & Recognition

The Hoka Hey Challenge 2011 was a great success with the World’s Top Riders competing in a 14,000 mile cross country event. The course took them through 48 states and 2 Canadian Provinces and ended in Cape Breton, Canada.

This year, the Hoka Hey went high tech and utilized GPS tracking devices to monitor the riders to insure compliance with the prescribed route of navigation. All finishers complied with the route but the top riders had to submit to polygraph exams for further scrutiny into their compliance of the many rules.

Because of the fact that the 2010 event did not utilize US Fleet Tracking to obtain information about the rider’s speeds and location; the Organizers had to rely on local law enforcement as the primary means of enforcing speeding violations. The Organizers relied on the issuance of a speeding ticket or moving violations, along with the polygraph examination to qualify the 2010 winner. In this 2011 event, the information provided by US Fleet Tracking specific to the 11 contenders could not be ignored by the Organizer’s of the Challenge. After the final validation had been completed, even though the 11 riders who finished within the allotted time frame have accomplished something that no other rider on earth has done, they could not be awarded prize money. The situation was discussed at length at a Contender’s meeting and consideration was made for the fact that the Contenders had to incur significant additional expense to travel to Mesa, AZ for the mandatory polygraph examination. There was an offer made and accepted to help offset their expenses for the mandatory travel. One contender was not able to be present for the event and another intends to seek other remedies. In the end, these elite riders were celebrated on stage as the winners of the event and were recognized as the greatest riders in the world!

A number of the Hoka Hey Challengers were on hand to celebrate the winners and enjoy festivities at Chester’s Harley-Davidson, Mesa, AZ during their annual Rocktoberfest. Chester’s Harley-Davidson was the starting point for the Challenge and on Saturday, October 8th, 2011 Chester’s welcomed the riders back with a ceremony to honor all the brave men and women, who fought the elements to complete the grueling 2011 Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge. Everyone present enjoyed 11 Rock Bands, a poker run and a spectacular concert by Paul Rogers of Bad Company which brought everyone to their feet!

Thanks to all that made the 2nd Hoka Challenge a great success! Especially the folks at Harley-Davidson Motor Company and US Fleet Tracking, proud sponsors of the Hoka Hey.

The 2012 Hoka Challenge is scheduled to run next August. The course will be LESS THAN 7,000 miles, to afford more riders the opportunity to participate. The anticipated total ride time should be 12 days or less. The route will once again take those who love to ride through the back roads of America. Applications will be available on the website in November. Please check our website for updates www.hokaheychallenge.com