REM GLEN HELEN: THE KIDS ARE GETTING OLDER EVERY DAY

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Photos by Debbi Tamietti, Jon Ortner and Dan Alamangos

danceramiMatt Cerami styles his way to the 250 Intermediate victory. Photo Dan Alamangos

Motocross is a lonely pursuit. A motocross racer is alone in his thoughts—even if those thoughts are rattling around in a helmet at 20 feet up. Motocross is mental, until things get hairy, then it is reflexes and luck.

heitdebFord Heit grabs a handful of throttle and gets the front end light. Photo Dan Alamangos

Even though a motocross racer is alone on his bike, he is surrounded at all times. A motocross racer is packed like sardines into the starting gate, jammed and crammed in the first turn, and constantly encroached upon by other motocross racers of unknown mental stability—then he returns to the pits where his little parcel is an obstacle course of bike stands, awning and ice chests.

mullennixdebConner Mullennix was second in the 250 Intermediate class behind Matt Cerami. Photo Debbi Tamietti

The one place that a motocrosser is not alone—is in the thoughts of his friends and family. They ride with him. Enjoy the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. They might even feel the pain of a crash.

danrobertsonStilez Robertson was third in the 250 Intermediates. Photo Dan Alamngos

This week at REM, many riders thoughts turned to Chuck “Feets” Minert. He was an REM Glen Helen regular. But, that wasn’t always so. Before he settled into becoming an REM specialist,  Feets was a star of epic proportions. He raced in Europe, he raced dirt track bikes, he raced road races, he won the Catalina Grand Prix in his hey-day, he appeared in “On Any Sunday,” he was a man of the motorcycle world.

dubachdebCarter Dubach won the 85 Intermediate class, while his dad did some prep for the upcoming World Vet Championship on November 5-6. Photo Debbi Tamietti

In his later years, Feets became a part of the REM family. He raced every week and he raced as his kids grew up, he raced with his grandson, he raced with old competitors from the 1970s and he raced with men who were 40 years younger than him. But, nothing lasts forever—not motocross stardom or life. Feets passed away last week and he was on the minds of his friends as they gathered on the same field that Feets had raced on for so many years.

bsadebNo BSA is not being resurrected. Photo Debbi Tamietti

But, what goes around come around, and just as Chuck Minert had been a teenage prodigy back in the old days, new hopefuls rise in the same way—only 60 years later. Will they achieve the laurels of this AMA Hall of Famer? Will they race until they are 83 years old? Will they be liked by every person they meet? Will they love the sport—even after the limelight has moved on to the next generation? We hope so, not just for their sake, but for the health of the sport of motocross. To live the life of Feets Minert would be a life worth living.

minertdeb-1These guys wore these T-shirts to honor BSA factory rider Feets Minert. Photo Debbi Tamietti

Pursuing that potential at this week’s REM motocross were a host of young riders. Some you’ve heard of and some of haven’t. But Tanner Basso, Conner Mullennix, Carter Dubach, Braden O’Neal, Matt Cerani, Stilez Robertson, Ford Heit, Mikayla Neilsen and other youngsters all came to REM as one stepping stone on the path to a bright future.

danreisinger6D Helmet’s Robert Reisinger took the win the Over-50 Expert class and the Over-40 Intermediates, both with perfect 1-1 scores. Photo Dan Alamangos

But, don’t forget the old guys, for which REM is most famous. They too were teenage dreamers. Many of them raced the AMA Nationals or Supercrosses—some even traveled abroad to grow their racing resumes. And while, they may not be households names—they are still out on the track doing what they love. Tony Amaradio, Jon Ortner, Robert Resinger and others stood on the cusp of stardom, earned National points and had sponsored rides. And that is admirable, but what is most noteworthy is that they are still enjoying racing their motorcycles decades after their shot at the big time passed.

cincottadebSometimes a guy just wants to slide around a corner. David Cincotta (861) demonstrates. Photo Debbi Tamietti

You gotta love the juxtaposition of weathered vets and peach-fuzz-faced kids—one group hoping to get a shot at the big time and the other content in getting a shot at racing one more time before they get too old.

danstartThe charge of the heavy brigade: Westly Peterson leads the charge with Lance Northcutt (22), Bobby Madden, Jody Weisel and Gene Boere (62) in pursuit. . Photo Dan Alamangos

Thus, the life cycle of motocross is played out weekly all around the world—in tiny little backwater tracks and in the brightly lit stadiums. But for our money, the REM is the place to be for a people watcher.

crosbydebMarc Crosby almost has a radioactive glow as the sun reflects off Glen Helen’s strangely tinted dirt. Crosby would go 2-2 behind Gary Stoltenberg’s 1-1 and in front of Greg Iorio’s 3-3 in the Over-50 Novice class. Photo Debbi Tamietti

danbassoTanner Basso (727) took the 450 Pro win in front of Dominic Desimone. Photo Dan Alamangos

randeldebRandel Fout (192) spent seven months recuperating from a broken leg that his doctor let heal the old fashioned way—why didn’t he plate it? It was already plated and the doctor thought that taking the old plates out and putting new ones in would weaken the bones.  Photo Debbi Tamietti

dandowellPhil Dowell heads down the roller coaster section of the REM track. It consists of four consecutive jumps, tabletops and drop offs—and riders have been known to whiskey throttle into the water tank at the end of the straight. Photo Dan Alamangos

ortnerdebJon Ortner had to eat the roost off Luther French’s KTM 450SXF in both motos. Jon fell in the first moto and ended up 4th, but came back to win the second moto. However, his 4-1 couldn’t beat Luther’s 1-3. Photo Debbi Tamietti

ortnerwesWes Dean (577) went 6-9 in the Over-50 Novice class. Photo Jon Ortner

jodydebA heavily bandage Jody Weisel was true to his word that he would race 7 days after slashing his left arm in a big get-off last Saturday. You can see the bulging bandages under the left arm of his jersey in this photo. Photo Debbi Tamietti

REM races again next Saturday, October 8. For more info go to www.remsatmx.com

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