by Hugh Fisher
Darren Lingafeldt and Jay Pool have been neighbors in Mountain Island for eight years. They’re businessmen. Pool is a sales executive at Siemens Medical, and Lingafeldt is president of Nexjen Systems in Charlotte, an engineering firm.
If you’re one to believe in stereotypes, men in their 30s and 40s who go to work in shirts and ties often spend their spare time on a golf course. But these guys decided to follow a different track – on the back of a dirt bike, cross-country. They’re hare scramble racers, an off-road racing series with thousands of participants of all ages nationwide.
A race can draw as many as 300 competitors, slogging it out across creeks, through mud and over hills to see who can make the best time. It’s a physically-challenging form of racing, but it’s something both men enjoy. “At 48 years of age, hare scramble racing gives me an opportunity to compete in a sporting activity with other like-minded guys my own age,” Pool said.
But they weren’t satisfied with just competing. The two neighbors decided a year ago to place in the top three of their respective classes. Throughout the year, they trained hard and practiced as much as they could. And their determination paid off: Lingafeldt won the Vet C class for men 35 and up, while Pool placed second in the 45+ Senior C class. “Racing dirt bikes through wooded mountain trails requires sharp focus and steely concentration,” Pool said. “The world goes away for 90 minutes, and your entire being is focused on racing.”
Both men grew up riding motorcycles. Pool started racing bikes in Kansas as a young man, even racking up some wins, but when his parents separated, he had to give up the sport. “Years later, much older, and in a different spot in my life and career, I found myself seriously entertaining the idea of acquiring a dirt bike for off-road recreation and exercise,” Pool said. Lingafeldt encouraged him, and the two became riding buddies. After riding for about a year, Pool said, he’d lost weight and had more energy and greater endurance. “And my ride skills had reached a point where I began to think about competing again,” he said.
Hare scramble courses aren’t for the faint of heart, although racers of all ages compete. Courses can be as long as 8 miles through the woods, filled with obstacles – up and down steep hills, around trees and at high speed across fields. Unlike most races, there’s no set number of laps to finish. Instead, racers try to run as many laps as they can in 90 minutes. Competitors are classified based on skill, engine size and age. Each class starts the race at a different time. “On the shorter courses, maneuvering around slower racers adds to the considerable challenge,” Pool said. Taking part in hare scramble races kept both men busy and challenged them physically.
“About every two weeks you knew you had a race to run and you couldn’t ignore it. That in itself is a big motivator,” Lingafeldt said. In addition to keeping their bikes running, staying in good physical shape is a must. Their training regimens include weight-lifting and running. They also had to get enough rest and stay hydrated, especially before hot-weather races. That’s because hare scramble racers have to be ready for just about anything. There’s no telling what challenges a race course might hold. Unlike road races where the route is known in advance, there’s no preview of a hare scramble course, Lingafeldt said. “You see it for the first time on the first lap, as fast as you can go, surrounded by competitors with the same idea.” When the flag drops, he said, there are a lot of unknowns. For Pool, the excitement of a race is a great way to relax. “The daily grind of work and responsibility are momentarily forgotten when trees, dirt, dust, mud, rocks and other motorcyclists, all moving at high speed, require 100 percent of your attention,” Pool said.
Both were pleased to reach their goal this past year. But 2011 will be different. Lingafeldt and his wife, Courtney, welcomed their first child, Harper, two weeks ago. “For me, this represents a big priority shift,” Lingafeldt said. “I plan to spend more time at home this year.” But he still plans to run a limited number of races, in addition to his recreational rides with Pool, to keep up with the friends they have made. “You compete in a relatively dangerous sport with these guys and that builds a strong bond and a level of mutual respect,” Lingafeldt said. “They become part of your life.” “The reward is more than winning,” Pool said, “It’s a deep sense of accomplishment and shared interest with others.”
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Walt's work experience has included development of systems for board level testing, failure diagnosis, and repair. He has an excellent track record for documentation of test and repair procedures for ISO 9000 certification, which will improve Nexjen Systems' ability to deliver systems to our clients that integrate into and enhance their quality assurance efforts.
Walt's position at Nexjen Systems includes hardware and LabVIEW software design and integration to meet customer requirements for test, measurement and automation.
Please join us in welcoming Walter to the Nexjen System's Team!
Nexjen System's LLC is a system integration firm specializing in customer-defined test, measurement and automation systems. As a subsidiary of Jenkin's Electric Company (est. 1907), Nexjen Systems builds on a long-standing reputation for providing quality technical services to manufacturing and R&D companies in many industries.
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]]>Nexjen Systems designed and implemented the life cycle test cell solution with a tiered control design based on NI LabVIEW and LabVIEW real-time software with EtherCAT hardware components to test up to 20 products in each room simultaneously. The 20 test cells were distributed throughout a test room and required over 150 control and DAQ Channels. Darren Lingafeldt, President of Nexjen Systems said, “The high channel count and installation requirements made this a perfect opportunity for a distributed control solution. The EtherCAT platform made it possible for our technicians to do a majority of the system assembly and test at our site thus minimizing the installation time and effort at the client site.”
Nexjen Systems was able to provide the client with accelerated testing and evaluation for their products and meet an aggressive deadline. “We were given the contract for this project in late March 2011. We had all 60 test cells up and running by July 2011 for the official opening and press tour. The project success is due to the good relationship between Nexjen and the client and the ease of integrating the EtherCAT platform. NI Systems engineering also supported the effort with a reference architecture that led to an elegant and scalable LabVIEW/LabVIEW RT implementation using Scan Engine Technology”, said Darren Lingafeldt.
Nexjen Systems is a system integration firm specializing in custom-defined test, measurement and automation systems. As a subsidiary of Jenkins Electric Company (est. 1907), Nexjen Systems builds on a long-standing reputation for providing quality technical services to manufacturing and R&D Companies in many industries. www.nexjen.com
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]]>Zak Kistler [Senior Project Engineer] received his Certified LabVIEW Developer (CLD) certification. Zak has significant experience with LabVIEW design and development and also is a LabVIEW Professional Instructor at Nexjen’s NI certified LabVIEW teaching facility.
Walt Barfield [Project Engineer], Andrew Covian [Engineering Intern] and Mike Stewart [Project Engineer]; received their Certified LabVIEW Associate Developer (CLAD) certifications, indicating that they have LabVIEW development experience and can read and interpret LabVIEW code.
Nexjen System currently has two LabVIEW Architects, four Certified LabVIEW Developers, three LabVIEW Associate Developers, one TestStand Architect and four Certified Professional LabVIEW Instructors. Please contact us for any LabVIEW development or training services you may require. http://www.nexjen.com/services/test-software-consulting
Please join us in congratulating Zak, Walt, Andrew and Mike!
Nexjen Systems, LLC.is a system integration firm specializing in customer-defined test, measurement and automation systems. As a subsidiary of Jenkins Electric Company (est. 1907), Nexjen Systems builds on a long-standing reputation for providing quality technical services to manufacturing and R&D companies in many industries.
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For more information on Nexjen Systems, LLC:
]]>TEAMSESCO’s Charlotte operation will significantly enhance our existing system integration services, with new, experienced engineers with certifications in UL® 508A control Systems, UL®698A and 698B Hazardous Locations and will add new, specialized services including: UL® Control Panel Fabrication, Start-up Assistance, PLC Programing, HMI Interface, Drive Commissioning, Field Service and Troubleshooting.
We appreciate your business and look forward to continuing to serve you in the future. Should you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 1-800-797-0825.
]]>Philippe Wilhelm joins Nexjen Systems as Control Systems and Senior Engineering Manager with over ten years engineering experience and a Bachelor of Science – Electrical Engineering degree from the University of NC at Charlotte. Philippe’s work experience includes engineering solutions and design for custom electrical control systems using AutoCAD, programming and troubleshooting PLC and HMI code for a wide variety of manufacturing companies, and designing systems for Hazardous Location Class I, II Div. 1,2.
Aric Cowart joins Nexjen Systems as a Project Engineer with over five years engineering experience and a computer engineering degree from Clemson University. Aric’s work experience includes design and implementation of SCADA systems for a hydraulic pump test stand, programming and testing of industrial automation controls, creating AutoCAD drawings, and troubleshooting and repair of mechanical systems.
Please join us in welcoming Philippe and Aric to the Nexjen Team!
Nexjen Systems, LLC.is a system integration firm specializing in customer-defined test, measurement and automation systems. As a subsidiary of Jenkins Electric Company (est. 1907), Nexjen Systems builds on a long-standing reputation for providing quality technical services to manufacturing and R&D companies in many industries.
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