REM GLEN HELEN MOTOCROSS RACE REPORT: KYLE CUNNINGHAM COMES WITHIN ONE LAP OF WINNING; SWEDES CELEBRATE A 1-2 FINISH IN 450 PRO

On Mar 10, 2011 Last updated Mar 23, 2014

DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing’s Kyle Cunningham came within one lap of winning the 450 Pro class. He took it in stride because he came for the practice not the money.

The best practice for racing?is racing. DNA Shred Stix’s Kyle Cunningham decided to prepare for the AMA Motocross Nationals by getting in some outdoor racing while the 250 West is on its forced break. Cunningham faced a field of foreign motocross riders in the 450 Pro class. In the end Cunningham was the class of the field, as he easily won the first 450 Pro moto and was safely on his way to the second moto victory, when he ran into trouble on the last lap. When his bike wouldn’t restart, Kyle was forced to push his bike back to the pits, while two Swedish riders fought over the victory.

Swedish rider Mats Akerbloom is a big boy, but he can fold himself into some tight spots.

Mats Akerblom had finished second behind Cunningham in the first 450 Pro moto, with countryman Niclas Gustavsson in third. In the second moto, Gustavsson passed Akerblom for second place and when Cunningham dropped out?the overall win was Niclas Gustavsson’s.

Niclas Gustavsson won the 450 Pro class at REM (thanks to Cunningham’s misfortune). They grow them big in Sweden because Akerblom and Gustavsson dwarf their 450s.

REM’s “125 Adult A” class has attracted a lot of interest lately and this week saw a new winner. Australian Steve Butler, who many motocross fans will remember as Jeff Emig’s Yamaha mechanic and the Yamaha team manager, swept both motos. Butler, who works in Yamaha’s testing department, pulled away from a top five of Larry Laye (2-2), Dirt Bike magazine’s Ron Lawson (4-3), Gregg Shellack (3-4) and Brian Pappalardo (5-5).

Yamaha’s Steve Butler (6) negotiates his way down REM’s version of Carlsbad’s famous Devil’s Drop. Butler jumped all the way to the bottom several times, but admitted that his bike and body couldn’t take the beating, so he backed it down.

OTHER WINNERS

Billy Musgrave got off his familiar KTM 150SX for this week and switched to a YZ250 to win the 250 Pro class.

Ben Hallgren went 1-1 in the 250 Intermediates.

Tom White paired two holeshots with two moto wins to go 1-1 for the Over-60 Expert gold in front of a top five of Ray Pisarki, Lars Larsson, TV Holmes and Bill Seifert.

Scott Williams used a rare 3-2 to snatch victory in the Over-40 Intermediates away from Bryan Friday (6-1) and Joe Melton (1-11).

Dirt Bike’s Ron Lawson rode his KX125 to third in the 125 Adult a class and then used it against a pack of 450cc bikes in the Over-50 Expert class?where he got sixth place. Lawson (on the inside line) and Swede Marius Bakken (74) fight for position.

Mark Donaldson, Paul Crouch, Jr. and Mark Moore had a good battle for the Over-50 Intermediate win?with Donaldson’s 2-1 besting Crouch’s 3-2.

Gary Harada’s 3-1 bested Cortney Smith’s 2-2 and Mark Romero’s 1-3 in the Over-40 Novices.

Kelly Brown won the 250 Beginners, while Noah Hickerson took the 125 Novices and Frank Anderson the 250 Novices.

Chuck Sun won the Over-50 Expert class on MXA‘s KTM 350SXF.

The biggest classes of the day were the Over-50 Experts and Over-50 Novices.

Former AMA 500 National Champion Chuck Sun won the Over-50 Expert class, but it wasn’t as easy as it sounds. In the first moto Dave Eropkin built up a big lead, while Sun pushed his KTM 350SXF from a mid-pack start. As the laps wound down, Eropkin started to get arm pump on the super well-prepped REM track (helped by a warm, but cloudy sky). On the last lap, Sun caught and passed Eropkin to take the first moto victory. Eropkin was second, Tim Murphy third, Steve Pfafff fourth, Willie Amaradio fifth, Mike Monaghan sixth, Ron Lawson (on his KX125) seventh, Mark Hall eighth, Marc Crosby ninth and George Kohler (on a 2011 TM MX450Fi) tenth.

The TM’s have arrived…at least the first shipment. George Kohler (71) and Mike Monaghan raced them at REM and claimed that the bikes were impressive.

In the second Over-50 Expert moto, Chuck Sun ripped a holeshot and pulled away. Eropkin finished third in the moto behind Steve Pfaff, but got second overall for the day, with Pfaff third. The rest of the top ten overall was filled out by Tim Murphy (3-4), Willie Amaradio (5-5 on a YZ250 two-stroke), Ron Lawson (7-6), Mike Monaghan (6-11, Mike flat landed the new Devil’s Drop and crashed in the second moto), Randy Skinner (11-7), George Kohler (10-8) and Marc Crosby (8-10).

Ian Pederson used a 1-2 to win the Over-50 Novice class, while former Carlsbad racer D.R. Clement went 3-1 for second overall. Mitch Evans got third with a 2-3, while Gary Scott (4-4), Arold Schreuder (6-6), Don Wallace (8-5), Brian Martin (7-7), Dennis Smith (3-14), Owin Wright (9-8) and Joe Hammer (5-134) rounded out the top ten.

The Swedes have also arrived. In this photo Kyle Cunningham leads Thomas Skarsbo (909), Mats Akerblom (3) and Niclas Gustavsson (1) through a Glen Helen gulley. When you add in riders like Magnus Markestad, Espen Molund, Marie Pettersson, Marius Bakken, Lars Larsson and Frans Andersson you have a Swedish party.

REM races again next Saturday, March 19, at Glen Helen. For more info go to www.remsatmx.com