REM GLEN HELEN MOTOCROSS REPORT: AUSSIE WINS 450 PRO CLASS, SOUTH AFRICAN WINS VET INTERMEDIATES, SWEDE WINS 250 INTERMEDIATES & YAMAHA WR450 WINS VET PRO

Normally the foreign riders in SoCal go home for the summer (no need to stay in California when its nice back home), but with the Australian National Motocross Championship taking a six-week break, Aussie Daniel McCoy came to SoCal looking for more racing and riding. McCoy is currently ninth in the Australian Championships. McCoy was joined in the United Nations by fellow Aussie Dan Alamangos, 250 Intermediate winner Swede Kristoffer Palm and double class winner South African Alan Julien.

Steven Tokarski. Photo: Mark Chilson

Pete Murray won the Open Expert class, the first moto of the Over-50 Experts and the most roost ever from a YZ125 award. Photo:Ernie Becker

450 Pro: McCoy got the competition he was looking for in the first 450 Pro moto as Vance & Hines’ Steven Tokarski shot into the lead and was never headed. McCoy had to work his way through Bill Lea, Dennis Stapleton and Lee Witt to get to second. The moto finished with Tokarski first, McCoy second, Witt third and Lea fourth. Stapleton was racing the Vet Pro class, but finished fifth overall.

MXA is building a Yamaha WR450 project bike. It is a YZ250F frame with a WR450F engine tucked in (it is the pre-2010 YZ450F engine, but equipped with fuel injection and electric start). With minimal mods, it went from the same bike we raced at the GNCC a couple months ago to a motocross bike on Saturday. Photo: Mark Chilson

In the second moto, McCoy got the drop on the start and he and Tokarski started a cat-and-mouse game that looked like it could go either way. After three laps of nose to tail racing, Tokarski suddenly pulled to the side of the track with a mechanical problem. It was easy sailing after that for Daniel McCoy.  Second overall went to Dennis Stapleton, who was racing MXA‘s Yamaha WR450 enduro project bike. Stapleton actually came from the back and passed his way up to second on a WR450 that only had the headlight removed and stiffer springs installed. Stapleton, however, didn’t count in the 450 Pro results, so second went to Bill Lea with a 4-2 with fellow Northern Californian Lee Witt third with a 3-3. Witt and Lea came down from up north to test their fitness on the very tough REM track. Witt, although he finished third, was the only rider to double out of REM’s lower section by turning a step-up into a step-up over a second jump down the track.

Dan McCoy (65) didn’t get the best start in the first moto and had to work his way up to second place. Here he uses every inch of track in pursuit of Bill Lea (100). Photo: Mark Chilson

Alan Julien (7) is chased by Kevin Worrell (also number 7) in the Over-40 Intermediate class.  Photo: Mark Chilson

South African Alan Julien won two classes on Saturday. Julien went 1-1 in the Vet Intermediates (in front of a top five of Rowan Trefz, Pat Lopez, Vance Freeman and David Dipietro). Julien then returned three races later to sweep both motos of the Over-40 Intermediates. Gary Bowman (2-2), Ian Fitz-Gibbon (3-3), Bret Anderson (5-5), Phillip Wurster (4-6), Dean Adkins (7-4), Mike Gee (6-7), Dan Alamangos (12-8), CT Falk (11-9) and Sam Ramirez (10-14) made up the top ten of the Over-40 class.

Arizona’s Ed Foedish (326) is caught in an MXA sandwich as John Minert (19) and Willy Musgrave (13) play bookends. Photo: Mark Chilson

Over-40 Pro: You couldn’t ask for a better race than the Over-40 Pro class as Arizona’s Ed Foedish and MXA‘s Willy Musgrave engaged in two very intense motos. Foedish led virtually ever lap of both motos with Musgrave on a YZ250F never more than 50 feet behind him. But, Foedish didn’t get to lead the last lap in either moto…as Musgrave used superior downhill speed to make up for the lack of uphill horsepower against Foedish’s KX450F.

THE REALLY BIG CLASSES

MXA tests bikes by racing them and our WR450 project bike got a workout at REM as we raced it in as many classes and with as many test riders as possible. Here, John Basher (23) holehots in front of Rudy Renka (6), Robby Gilbert (726) and Randel Fout (52).  Photo: Mark Chilson

The old guys dominated the classes and the turnout as the four biggest classes of the day were the Over-50 Intermediates, Over-50 Novices, Over-40 Novices and Over-40 Intermediates.

Over-50 Intermediates: Last week Mike Monaghan came from the back of the pack to win the Over-50 Intermediates on a Husqvarna CR144. This week he came from the back to win on a 2012 Yamaha YZ125. His main competition this week was the same rider as last week. Randy Skinner holeshot both motos and led for the majority of the motos until Monaghan arrived at the front. The final results were Mike Monaghan (1-1), Randy Skinner (3-2), Paul Fitz-Gibbon (2-4), Brian Allen (4-6), George Kohler (6-5), Joe Sutter (9-3), Owen Fitzsimon (8-7), John Caper (7-9), Mike Phillips (5-11) and Pete Vetrano (11-8).

LightSpeed owner Willie Amaradio raced the bike of 2011 Two-Stroke World Champion Austin Howell to second overall in the Over-50 Expert class. Over-50 winner Randel Fout was also two-stroke mounted.  Photo: Mark Chilson

Over-50 Novice: With a full gate of riders the battle for supremacy in the Over-50 Novices has been very intense this year…and even though the honor of victory is eventually getting moved up to the much tougher Over-50 Intermediate class, every rider has been giving it his all. Mike Brownfield’s 1-2 took the win over Jeff Scott’s 4-1. Brian Underdahl (3-3), Terry Varner (5-4), Ian Pederson (7-6), Paul Chaffee (6-7), Michael Mosca (2-13), John Tookey (10-8), Brian Martin (9-9) and Steve Surber (8-10) rounded out the top ten.

Pasha Afshar (L7) and Kenny Safford (101) look like models in an AXO photo. Safford finished third in the Over-40 Novices, while last week’s winner, Afshar, ended up ninth.  Photo: Mark Chilson

Over-40 Novices: Mike Borowski went 1-2 to beat Joe Sutter’s 5-1. Famous AXO and Alpinestars designer Kenny Safford was third with a 6-3 in front of John Maldonado (2-7), Gavin Antill (4-6) and Gary Harada (3-8).

Over-40 Intermediates: This was the second class that Alan Julien won.

Brian Stoner (749), Tom Hinz (92), Ernie Becker (23) and Billy Seifert rise above one of REM’s many hills in the Vet Novice class. Photo: Mark Chilson

Notable others: Matt Bynum (250 Novice), Braden Larson (450 Novice), Adam Dichter (Vet Beginner), Bill Nagy (450 Beginner), Tyler Weyman (125 Novice), Randel Fout (Over-50 Expert), Ray Pisarski (Over-60 Expert), Ciaran Heit (85 Expert) and Kyle Heit (85 Beginner) were all winners.

This photo may look tilted, but it’s not. Cary Brown (93) is on the flat section, while Ron Lawson (2), Braden Larson (21) and Brian Stoner are transitioning from on camber to off camber. Photo: Mark Chilson

REM races again next Saturday June 9. For more info go to www.remsatmx.com