REM GLEN HELEN MOTOCROSS RACE REPORT: DOES GLOBAL WARMING ONLY APPLY TO GLEN HELEN RACEWAY?

Photos by Dan Alamangos and Debbi Tamietti

Zac Commans: Zac won the 250 Pro class and, in the process, beat all of the 450 Pros.

SoCal is having the warmest winter in years, with the average January temperatures being in the 80s. It must be global warming. Meanwhile, the midwest and east have been incredibly cold and snow blown. It must be global warming. And, at the polar extremes, the once melting ice caps are now trapping ice breakers for weeks at a time in a frozen prison. It must be global warming.

Doug Dubach: Former AMA Supercross winner, factory Yamaha rider, 22-time World Vet Champion and DR.D owner Doug Dubach won the Over-50 Elite class…and not by a little way, but by a country mile.

No matter what weather pattern you are living through, none of the riders at REM Glen Helen were complaining about the fact that they were on the 80-degree side of the equation.

Toshiki Tomita: Toshiki is the current Japanese 250 National Champion and a Honda factory rider. Toshiki finished third at REM behind Zac Commans and countryman Masami Tanaka. Tomita was a member of Team Japan at the 2013 Motocross des Nations.

The normal contingent of Swedes and Aussie were joined by the Honda of Japan factory team of Tanaka, Hoshino, Tomita and Ohtsaka. And, as always there was an amazing assortment of old racers as the biggest class of the day was the Over-50 Novices won by Kent Reed. Almost as big were the Over-40 Intermediates (won by Scott Lindley), Over-60 Experts (won by Bill Maxim) and the Over-50 Intermediates (won by C.T. Falk).

Randel Fout: Since switching from a 450 to a 2014 Yamaha YZ250 Randel Fout (31) has been a force in the Over-50 Elite class. No match for Dr. D, Randel and Jon Ortner dueled to second place honors (which went to Ortner when Fout hit a lapper with half a lap to go in moto one).

Masami Tanaka: Honda of Japan’s Masami Tanaka was second in the 250 Pro class at REM and finished 8th in the 2013 All-Japan 250 National Championship.

Tom White: Named the REM “Racer of the Year” Tom White (80) leads George Kohler (66) and Lars Larsson (80) in the Over-60 Expert class. You might be wondering why the promoters allowed two riders in the same class to run the same number on the same brand of bike. The answer from the scoregirls, “We can tell them apart.” Photo: Debbi Tamietti

Carter Dubach: Carter breaks one of the golden rules of motocross?never look back. We are pretty sure that dad will explain to him why looking back is a sign of weakness and not the best way to go fast.

Yui Hoshino: Yui finished sixth in the Japanese 450 National Championship this past year and used a 1-1 to win the 450 class at Glen Helen in front of Broc Armbruster (3-2), Swede Andreas Ovgard (2-4) and Jason Ramsey (4-3).

Broc Armbruster: Broc (top) and Toshiki Tomita (317) duel for the same piece of terrain, while the rider in front of them sprays a roost that can’t seem to make up its mind which way to go.

Willie Amaradio: Do you ever wonder when you buy race products for your bike, who made them? LightSpeed carbon fiber is made by this man?Willie Amaradio. He races, his son races, his brother races, his nephew races and when they race, they use LightSpeed.

Jon Ortner: This is what the Number One rider at Glen Helen gets. Named the “Boulware Cup” after the late Dennis Boulware, Jon Ortner took the 2013 number one plate and this weekend was awards day at REM. If you’d like to order your own Number One cup, as opposed to winning it, e-mail Classique Awards at [email protected].

Willy Simons Sr. and Jr: There are advanatges to having a former professional motorcycle racer as your father and this might not be one of them. Willy Simons, Sr. urges Junior to turn it on. Photo: Debbi Tamietti

Jody Weisel: The MXA wrecking crew split in four different directions this weekend. Dennis Stapleton flew to St. Maartens in the Caribbean for a race; John Basher and Daryl Ecklund flew to upper Wisconsin for a three-hour ice race; John Ker, Travis Fant and Spencer Rathkamp went to Anaheim II; and Jody (85) came to Glen Helen to continue testing MXA’s 2014 KTM 450SXF Factory Edition III.

Will Harper: Former Indian Dunes Pro Will Harper (2-1) won the Over-50 Expert class (not to be confused with the faster Over-50 Elite class) in front of former CMC number one Val Tamietti (1-2), Dave Eropkin (3-3), Andy James (5-4), Mark Hall (6-5), Randy Skinner (8-6), Joe Sutter (4-10) and Kevin Ward (7-11). Will has a book of poetry with an interesting back story. Find out more at www.amazon.com/His-Poetry-Will-Harper/dp/0615251633

Double duty: Only at Glen Helen will you find a motocross race and an offroad truck race taking place on the same day and within rock throwing distance from each other. Glen Helen hosts motocross, cross-country, WORCS, the World Mini GP, World Vet Championship, Lucas Offroad trucks, rally cars, Tough Mudder 10Ks, The Day in the Dirt and, this May, the AMA 250/450 Nationals.

Kim Ramsell: Swedish rider Kim Ramsell is ducking Sweden’s winter months by spending time is warm SoCal. Ramsell was fourth in the 250 Intermediate class behind Conner Strait, Dylan Bolinger and Willy Simons Jr. Ramsell was joined by fellow Swedes Lars Larsson and Andreas Ovgard (plus Norwegian Mads Gregerson).

REM races again next Saturday, January 25. For more info go to www.remsatmx.com