EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW: WORLD VET MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP

Tom White is the founder, sponsor and announcer for the World Vet Championship. He also won the Over-40 World Championship in 1990.

The World Vet Motocross Championship celebrates its 32th year at Glen Helen Raceway on November 5-6, 2016. Dubya Wheels is the title sponsor, but there is a bigger story behind Dubya and the World Vet Motocross  Championship. Tom White, who owned White Brothers back in the day, sponsored the first World Vet in 1984, and actually founded the event and sponsored it for the first 26 years. After selling the White Brothers, the new owners gave up the sponsorship, but Tom wanted to keep the race moving forward, so he had his daughter and son-in-law’s company, Dubya Wheels, become the title sponsor in 2014. And they are back for 2016 bigger than ever. Here is the schedule of events for the most important Vet race in the world—start making plans now.

Thursday, November 3: Thursday will feature an open practice from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The 2015 Dubya World Vet Motocross Championship wants to give out-of-state and out-of-country riders as many chances as possible to adapt to the track — while riding with AMA National Pros and 16-year-old kids. It’s a wild day. Smart World Vet racers skip riding on Thursday and stand back and watch the mayhem.

Friday, November 4: Friday offers a special practice, limited to riders who have pre-entered the 2016 Dubya World Vet Championship. This practice runs from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. On this day the vendors will be setting up shop and the Glen Helen/Troy Lee Museum will be open in the afternoon.

worldvetschedule

 
Doug Dubach.                                                                   Gary Jones.

 
Pete DeGraaf & Pete Murray.                                      Rex Staten.

 
Zoli Berenyi, Sr.                                                                  Lars Larsson.

Sunday, November 6: Sunday is the official World Veteran Motocross Championships day. All the same classes that ran on Saturday will race again on Sunday—only this time it is for all the marbles. The exception is the Over-40 Pro class (who named their Champion on Saturday). The big classes on Sunday are the Over-30 Pros, Over-50 Pros and the Over-30 Pro Women. Although former Women’s Wolrd Champion Steffi Lauer is the odds on favorite in the Women’s race, the Over-30 and Over-50 Championships are an unknown quantities. The level of talent is much higher in 2016 than in any year previous.

Sunday at noon: The Edison Dye Motocross Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented for the 19th time. Initiated to honor individuals who have made a positive contribution to our sport, the award has been received by Edison Dye, Roger DeCoster, Jeff Ward, Joel Robert, Torsten Hallman, Bruce Brown, Feets Minert and John DeSoto (among others). This year the 2016 Edison Dye Motocross Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Lars Larsson. Lars was the Swedish Grand Prix rider that Edison Dye brought over to demonstrate Husqvarna motorcycles, before anyone in America had ever heard of them, and showcase the sport of motocross, before anyone in America had heard of it. Lars stayed on after his Husqvarna gig ended and formed Thor racing with buddy Torsten Hallman. Lars had a storied motorcycle racing career and is still racing at 75 years old. Lars is a former Over-60 World Champion and a two-time Over-70 Champion.

Over-50 Pro class added: In recognition of the growing number of riders over the age of 50, the 2016 World Vet Championship will be adding an Over-50 pro class to the schedule on Sunday.

Entries: Pre-entries, post-entries: Pre-entries will be accepted up until November 5. Pre-entries are $45 per class ($35 for second class). Post entry is $50 for first class and $45 for second class.

Age rules: It doesn’t matter if you will be 40 the next day, you cannot race in the 40 class until you are 40. Cheaters are frowned on—especially in the Pro classes (where true ages are easily verified). The same goes for the Over-25 and on up classes. No exceptions. No cheating. Bring your driver’s license to sign-up when you check in (and you must check in regardless of whether you pre-entered or not). No driver’s license — no race for you.

Class jumping: Riders can ride in their age appropriate class and are then eligible to move down one skill level for every ten years (for example, an Over-50 Expert can race the Over-40 Intermediate class). Old riders can ride in younger classes, but young riders cannot ride in older age groups. This system works like this: An Over-60 Expert can also race the Over-50 Intermediates and the Over-40 Novices—he could also ride the Over-30 Novices and Over-25 Novices.

Scoring: Scoring will be by transponder and you must bring your driver’s license to sign-up to prove that you are the right age before transponders will be handed out. No driver’s license—no race. There is no charge for the transponders, but you must leave a form of identification (driver’s license or credit card) to insure that you bring the transponder back at the end of the day. Pre-entered riders must check in along with post-entry riders post entries. For more info or to pre-enter go to www.glenhelen.com

Who can race? The 2015 World Vet Championship does not require membership, licenses or special paperwork. If you show up, you will be allowed to race. It is the original Vet race and titles have been won by many famous motocross racers — including Gary Jones, Rex Staten, Jeff Ward, Erik Kehoe, Warren Reid, Kent Howerton, Torlief Hanssen, Alan Olson, Rich Thorwaldson, Ron Turner, Feets Minert, Kyle Lewis, Casey Johnson, J.N. Roberts, Lars Larsson, Eyvind Boyesen, Pete Murray, Andy Jefferson, Zoli Berenyi, Ryan Hughes, Pete DeGraaf, Kurt  Nicoll, Travis Preston and Doug Dubach.

Why is Saturday a warm-up race? Why is Saturday considered a warm-up race for the Dubya-sponsored World Vet? Because riders come from 20 different countries and almost every state in the union to race, and the extra day allows them to learn the track, the dirt and the massive Talladega start before the big day on Sunday. Many World Vet regulars race Saturday’s race at a reduced pace, then only ride one lap of practice on Sunday morning, so that they are raring to go for their Sunday class. The Saturday warm-up race lessens the advantage that Glen Helen locals have. It is no surprise that foreign and out-of-state riders need time to get used to the roughness, elevation and size of Glen Helen—it is a tough track that gets rougher with each lap and each day. Only the Over-40 Pros are racing for a World Vet crown on Saturday, November 7.

World Vet Championship titles: Any rider who wins his class on Sunday—regardless of the skill level can claim to be a World Vet Champion (with the caveat that they are the “Over-40 Novice Champion,” etc). However. The true World Vet Champions, the ones that will be recognized for posterity, are the Over-30 Pro, Over-40 Pro, Over-50 Pro, Over-60 Experts and Over-70 class.

Skill classes: The skill levels at the World Vet are Novice, Intermediate and Expert (plus the three Pro classes). There are no Beginner classes. After the Over-40 title is decided on Saturday, the Over-40 Pros can race on Sunday in the Over-40 Expert class, but with no purse. The Over-30 Pros can race on Saturday in the Over-30 Expert class, but with no purse. The Over-70 class is the only class with no skill divisions.

LAST YEAR’S TOP FIVE

worldvetmorais
Ryan Morais.

Over-30 Pro
1. Ryan Morais (KTM)…2-1
2. Tonni Anderson (KTM)…5-2
3. Kris Keefer (Yam)…4-3
4. Arik Swan (Kaw)…3-4
5. Billy Jurevich (Kaw)…8-5

worldvetnicoll
Kurt Nicoll.

Over-40 Pro
1. Kurt Nicoll (KTM)…2-1
2. Doug Dubach (Yam)…1-2
3. Gordon Ward (Yam)…3-3
4. Mike Reefman (Yam)…4-5
5. Danny Tollet (KTM)…5-6

worldvetdubach
Doug Dubach.

Over-50 Expert
1. Doug Dubach (Yam)…1-1
2. Kurt Nicoll (KTM)…2-2
3. Kevin Foley (Hon)…3-3
4. Ed Foedish (Kaw)…4-4
5. Pete Murray (Yam)…6-5

worldvetdongrahn
Don Grahn.

Over-60 Expert
1. Don Grahn (KTM)…2-1
2. Pete DeGraaf (KTM)…1-2
3. Rick Johnson (Hon)…3-3
4. Will Harper (KTM)…5-4
5. Jim Latendresse (KTM)…4-5

worldvetcoleman
Roque Coleman (51) and Lars Larsson (56).

Over-70 Expert
1. Roque Colman (Yam)…1-1
2. Bart Kellog KTM)…2-2
3. Nobuhiro Furuta (Yam)…4-3
4. Lars Larsson (Hus)…3-5
5. Bruce Hoover (Hon)…5-4

2016 DUBYA WORLD VET SCHEDULE

worldvetfirstturn

FRIDAY: NOVEMBER 4
Friday Practice: 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ($25 per bike)

SATURDAY: NOVEMBER 5
Gates open: 5:30 a.m.
Practice: 7:00 a.m.
Racing: 8:30 a.m.
All Classes +25 and up race!
Feature Purse Race +40 Pro!

SUNDAY: NOVEMBER 6
Gates open 5:30 a.m.
Practice: 7:00 a.m.
Racing: 8:30 a.m.
Feature Purse Races +30 Pro and +50 Pro
Edison Dye Lifetime Achievement Award: 12:30 p.m. (in museum)
Gate Fees: $20 per weekend, $10 per day
Entry Fees: $50 post, $45 second class (no memberships required)
Info: www.glenhelen.com

EDISON DYE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNERS (1997-2015)

hannaahdyelifetime
1997 …Roger DeCoster
1998 …Rick Johnson
1999 …Edison Dye
2000 …Torsten Hallman
2001 …Bruce Brown
2002 …1981 MX Des Nations Team: Chuck Sun, Danny LaPorte, Johnny O’Mara, Donnie Hansen
2003 …Gary Jones
2004 …Jeff Ward
2005 …Stu Peters
2006 …Joel Robert
2007 …Bob Hannah
2008 …Brad Lackey
2009 …Tony DiStefano
2010 …Broc Glover
2011 …David Bailey
2012 …Marty Smith
2013 …John DeSoto
2014 …Feets Minert
2015 …Dave McCoy
2016 …Lars Larsson

WORLD VET CHAMPIONS (1986—2015)

worldvet88_90_97
1986

30 …Randy Rodriques (ATK)
40 …Alan Olson
1987
30 …Gary Jones (Hon)
40 …Alan Olson
1988
30 …Rex Staten (Hon)
40 …Alan Olson
50 …Ron Way
1989
30 …Warren Reid (Kaw)
40 …Alan Olson
50 …Ron Way
1990
30 …Rex Staten (Hon)
40 …Tom White
50 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.
1991
30 …Rex Staten (Hon)
40 …Alan Olson
50 …Ron Dugan
1992
30 …Rex Staten (Kaw)
40 …Gary Jones
50 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.
1993
30 …Doug Dubach (Yam)
40 …Gary Jones
50 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.
1994
30 …Doug Dubach (Yam)
40 …Kent Howerton
50 …Alan Olson
60 …Fred Sessions
1995
30 …Doug Dubach (Yam)
40 …Kent Howerton
50 …Alan Olson
60 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.
1996
30 …Erik Kehoe (Hon)
40 …Mike Webb
50 …Gary Dogget
60 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.
1997
30 …Doug Dubach (Yam)
40 …Ron Turner
50 …Alan Olson
60 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.
1998
30 …Doug Dubach (Yam)
40 …Ron Turner
50 …Rich Thorwaldson
60 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.
1999
30 …Doug Dubach (Yam)
40 …Ron Turner
50 …Hideaki Suzuki
60 …John Berkezewski
2000
30 …Doug Dubach (Yam)
40 …Pete Murray
50 …Hideaki Suzuki
60 …George Spearing
2001
30 …Doug Dubach (Yam)
40 …Jeff Ward
50 …Ike DeJager
60 …Lars Larsson
70 …Feets Minert
2002
30 …Doug Dubach (Yam)
40 …Andy Jefferson
50 …Gary Jones
60 …Eyvind Boyesen
70 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.
2003
30 …Spud Walters (Hon)
40 …Doug Dubach
50 …Gary Jones
60 …J.N. Roberts
70 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.
2004
30 …Ryan Hughes (Hon)
40 …Doug Dubach
50 …Gary Jones
60 …Hans Hansson
70 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.
2005
30 …Ryan Hughes (Hon)
40 …Doug Dubach
50 …Brent Wallingsford
60 …Alan Olson
70 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.
2006
30 …Casey Johnson (Yam)
40 …Doug Dubach
50 …Kim Houde
60 …Terry Sage
70 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.
2007
30 …Doug Dubach (Yam)
40 …Doug Dubach
50 …Pete DeGraaf
60 …Bill Maxim
70 …Mike Dobbins
2008
30 …Kyle Lewis (Hon)
40 …Eric Sandstrom
50 …Toon Karsmakers
60 …Thorlief Hanssen
70 …Jerry Harpole
2009
30 …Doug Dubach (Yam)
40 …Doug Dubach
50 …Pete DeGraaf
60 …Bill Maxim
70 …Jimmy Redwine
2010
30 …Ryan Hughes (Hon)
40 …Doug Dubach
50 …Pete DeGraaf
60 …Bill Maxim
70 …Feets Minert
2011
30 …Ryan Hughes (Yam)
40 …Doug Dubach
50 …Pete DeGraaf
60 …Gary Chase
70 …Lars Larsson
2012
30 …Ryan Hughes (Yam)
40 …Doug Dubach
50 …Pete Murray
60 …Gary Jones
70 …Lars Larsson
2013
30 …Travis Preston (Yam)
40 …Doug Dubach
50 …Doug Dubach
60 …Gary Jones
70 …Bart Kellogg
2014
30 …Travis Preston (Yam)
40 …Doug Dubach
50 …Doug Dubach
60 …Brent Wallingsford
70 …Gary Chase
2015
30 …Ryan Morais (KTM)
40 …Kurt Nicoll
50 …Doug Dubach
60 …Don Grahn
70 …Roque Colman
2016
30 …???
40 …???
50 …???
60 …???
70 …???

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