REM MOTOCROSS GLEN HELEN REPORT: PRESTON TILFORD, ROBBIE BELL, SEAN BORKENHAGEN, DYLAN McKEE & JEFF LOOP DUEL; STEVEN TOKARSKI STAYS WITH PRO’S


The Over-40 Novice class lines up for a long hot haul around Glen Helen’s REM track (which is on the original site of the famous Arroyo Cycle Park of the early 1970s). Maurice Diamond (277) was second, Frank Beach (395) was tenth and Ed Helman (45) was fifth.

After two weeks off for the 12 Hours of Glen Helen endurance race and the Fourth of July holiday, REM was back in action this weekend with a classic 450 Pro race that saw Vance & Hines Preston Tilford takes both moto wins in front of the Baja racer Robbie Bell. Missing from the REM scene for a long time, Sean Borkenhagen returned to action with a 3-3. The shocker of the 450 class wasn’t Tilford, Bell or Borkenhagen, but 450 Intermediate Steven Tokarski. Suzuki-mounted Tokarski, another Vance & Hines rider, won the 450 Intermediates (they started on the same gate with the 450 Pros), but he did it by putting himself up in the front of the 450 Pro class and matching the more experienced riders pass for pass. Tokarski could have scored a top four finish if he had signed up as a Pro. Instead, Tokarski went 1-1 in the 450 Intermediates in front of Ryan Cowell, Billy Musgrave, John Minert, Kyle Wolack and Trevor Bell.


450 Pro winner Preston Tilford’s had a perfect 1-1 day on his Vance & Hines YZ450F.

Greg Pierce took the Vet Intermediate victory with Jason Fields, Scott Lindley and Shaun Hanson filling out the front of the pack.

Mechanix Wear’s John Caper had a great day, going 1-1 in the Over-50 Intermediate class. Marc Crosby was second, Frank Mierau third, Rudy Chavez fourth, Chris Corum fifth, Ray Pisarski sixth, Nick Costello seventh and Mark Moore eighth.


Robbie Bell (32) was very fast, but he wasn’t very lucky. A bad start in the first moto forced him to charge from the back to get a second. Robbie went 2-2.


Sean Borkenhagen had nothing for Tilford or Bell, but his 3-3 was good enough for third in the 450 Pro class.


Steven Tokarski got his chance to race with the Pro’s when the 450 Intermediates were put on the same gate as the 450 Pros. Tokarski ran in the top three all day (and of course won the 450 Intermediate class over Ryan Cowell and KTM 350SXF-mounted Billy Musgrave).


Willy Musgrave won both motos of the Over-40 Pro class. Arizona’s Ed Foedish was second.


Loretta Lynn Over-50 Champion Matt Tedder (10) finished second at REM this weekend. Tedder won the first moto, but three crashes in moto two handed the Over-50 Expert win to Don Grahn.

As always the Over-50 Expert class at REM was jam-packed with talent. Don Grahn used a 2-1 to take the win over Matt Tedder. Tedder easily won the first moto, but couldn’t keep his Kawasaki on two wheels in moto two. Matt’s 1-4 was still good enough for second. Greg Nelson (4-2) was third, with Randel Fout (3-5), Randy Skinner (8-3), George Kohler (5-6), Dennis Boulware (6-7), Mark Hall (9-8), Dave Eropkin (7-11) and Greg Groom (10-9) filling in the top ten spots.


The two orange-helmeted MXA riders may look like they are at the back of this pack, but they are actually working their way to the front. Jody Weisel, on a 2011 KTM 450SXF and Al Olson, on a 2011 Kawasaki KX250F, went one-two in REM’s Over-60 Expert class.

Gary Scott used a 2-2 to take the Over-50 Novice victory. First moto winner Brian Underdahl was third in the second moto, which was won by Chuck Freeman (who unfortunately had a ninth in the first moto). The top five was Scott, Underdahl, Greg Whitfield, Chuck Freeman and Terry Joell. The Over-60 Experts, who admit to not needing to win because they are all eligible for Social Security, raced on the same gate as the Over-50 Novices and Alan Olson, Jody Weisel and TV Holmes all worked their way through the youngster to go one-two-three.


With a few passes these three guys could get their numbers in the correct order. Number 44 (Mark Hall) leads number 43 (Bryan Friday), while number 45 (Fred Nichols) tries to reverse the order.

In the 450 Novice class, John Achey defeated a top five of Christian Campos, Mark Taylor, Antonio Valdez and Trevor Bell.  The 250 Novice class went to the rather conservative 3-2 of Nathan Cernicky. The moto winners in the 250 Novice class had disastrous matching motos: Andrew Silverstein went 8-1, while Dexter Griffin went 1-DNF. Second overall went to Dylan Merriam. His 2-3 tied for the win, but didn’t take the gold.


This fast Conga line heads up one of REM’s many hills. Scott Lindley (99) chases Randy Skinner and Fred Nichols.


MXA’s John Minert stretches out for maximum height on REM’s step-up (which uses the USGP triple step-up?only sideways).


Over-50 Expert Dennis Boulware (44) finished seventh overall in his class, but that didn’t stop him from racing with Over-40 Intermediate winner Bryan Friday (43).

Other winners included: Bryan Friday (Over-40 Intermediate), Scott Lindley (Over-40 Expert), Todd Heagstedt (Over-40 Novice), Todd Williamson (Vet Beginner), Willy Musgrave (Over-40 Pro), Max Tedder (85 Intermediate) and Dean Crow (450 Beginner).


Kordel Caro (672) recovered from this first moto crash to race back to seventh. Cordel was fourth in the second moto for sixth overall in the 250 Novice class (which was won by Nathan Cernicky).

REM races for the next eight weekends.

For more information and a complete race schedule go to www.remsatmx.com

Photos by Dan Alamangos.

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