REM MOTOCROSS RACE REPORT: WHERE THE ELITE COME TO COMPETE
REM has a concrete starting pad. The riders who are good at it, take their time on the concrete and then pour the coal to it once they hit the dirt. Val Tamietti (31), Robert Reisinger (96) and Dave Eropkin (811) demonstrate.
PHOTOS BY DEBBI TAMIETTI
To the average motocross racer it is had to imagine the scope of what happens every weekend at Glen Helen. If you are used to your local track holding one motocross a week and maybe only racing from April until October (because of cold weather), Glen Helen would be a revelation. This Saturday there were four races at Glen Helen on the same day (and the National track was open for practice).
REM raced on their hillside track, the AME Summercross Night Race mini series was on the Stadiumcross track, there was a Stacyc race on Glen Helen’s special track for electric balance bikes (with amazingly large turnouts ) and an Old School Scrambles was on the truck track—the park was packed, and got more packed as the off-road riders rolled in to camp for Sunday’s SRA Grand Prix cross-country race (which will have to work around the AME Summercross Day race, another Stayc race and day two of the Old School Scrambles series).
The REM track is built around a series of steep hills. The dirt varies from hard-pack, to loam, to sand. Former 1980s Saddleback Pro Luc De Ley moves some sand around.
Of all of these races, REM has been racing at Glen Helen for 30 years on the same spot as the 1970s Arroyo Cycle Park — most famous for the first-ever 125 National Championship (won by Ray Lopez with Marty Smith, on a Monark, second). REM has built a reputation for a super efficient program that manages to hold long motos and moved through them fast enough for the races to be over by 2:00 p.m.
The first turn at REM is a miniature version of the National track’s steeply banked Talladega bowl turn —only to the left. In this start, Dave Eropkin uses the high outside line to grab the holeshot as Robert Reisinger (96) and Val Tamietti (31) hug the inside. Jim Hanson (83) and Fred Nichols (56) swing wide.
The fans rooted for their favorite riders by using orange traffic cones as megaphones at the drop-off over the paved road. Randel Fout (78) said that it was really loud.
Jody Weisel (53) and Randy Skinner (54) stopped in practice to watch the competition come down the steep downhill with the step-down jump in the middle of the hill.
Sean Lipanovich (505) won the 450 Pro class with a 1-1 sweep.
J.P Alvarez (192) hung with Lipanovich in both 450 Pro motos, save for when a crash in the first moto cost him 15 seconds.
Tyler Nichols (55) was second in the 450 Intermediate class behind Geza Simon, but ahead of Chase Kanzel
THE EMERGENCE OF THE ONE-NINE-TWOS
We are never sure what bike Randy Skinner will be racing. He rode practice and one moto on a KTM 450SXF, but then switched to the #192 GasGas MC450.
Kent Reed (192) is just temporarily using 192 until he can get his normal 491 number plate backgrounds printed. Photo: Debbi Tamietti
J.P. Alvarez (192) banks his 192 Kawasaki off the wall.
It is funny to see Jody Weisel (53), the motocross racer most closely associated with the number 192 (it was originally his AMA Road Racing number from 1972) racing next to another rider with his number.
AND THEN CAME THE EIGHTY-THREES
Over-65 Expert winner Bob Rutten (83) split moto wins with Jim Latendresse (565) as Lance Sloane (124) tags along in their draft.
Ron Lawson raced Dirt Bike Magazine’s 2022 KTM 250SXF with number 83 on it.
Jim Hanson (83) is flanked by Fred Nichols (56) and Jim Sendelbach (55). Amazing as is sounds, all three #83s (Rutten, Lawson and Hanson) were in the same race. But since REM is scored by transponders there was no need to add X’s to their bikes.
THE ALL-POWERFUL & AMAZING SIX-OH CLASS
This was the Over-60 Expert race in a nutshell as former Kawasaki test rider Robert Reisinger (96) dueled with former SoCal 125 hotshot Dave Eropkin (811). Eropkin won the first moto with Reisinger second, but Reisinger took the second moto.
Val Tamietti (31) continues to fly the two-stroke flag in the Over-60 Experts, but his 4-5 left him fourth overall behind four-stroke-mounted Reisinger, Eropkin and Ed Guajardo.
Fred Nichols (56) raced his Husqvarna to fifth behind Val Tamietti.
Mike Monaghan has been racing a YZ125 against the big bikes that dominate the Over-50 and Over-60 Expert classes. This week, frustrated with bad starts and losing places on the big hills, Mike switched from the stock YZ125 to a KTM 150SX and enjoyed the extra 6 horsepower to go 5-6.
Mic Rodgers (115) clipped another bike at the top of Mount Whitney and tumbled down the hill. It was a brutal crash. He posted later, “I fractured my shoulder blade…no biggie. I’ll be out for 8 weeks. Big thanks to Debbi, Frank, Jody and all the guys for looking out for me.”
The second shoulder injury came over the big tabletop heading back to the starting line, when Stephen Braseny got off hard. The Over-60 Expert race had to be red flagged and while laying on the a stretcher, with the EMTs working on him, Stephen said, “Please tell the guys on the line I’m so sorry for messing up their race.”
Luc De Ley (78) won the Over-60 Intermediate class on an Husky FC250 over Corby Reutgen and Lance Sloane. His buddy, Marc Crosby, (38) was second in the first moto, but fell twice in the second moto and could only salvage a 5th for fourth overall.
Frank Emerson (75) was fifth in the Over-60 Intermediates and, believe it or not, the class was made up of nothing but KTMs and Husqvarnas
Former Baja 1000 star Bob Rutten (83) came down from New Harmony, Utah, to win the Over-65 Expert class.
Gene Boere (62V) went 3-2 behind Phil Cruz’s 1-1, but ahead of T.V. Holmes’ 2-3.
MXA’s Jody Weisel (53) skims down the series of drop-offs that lead to the two sand sections. He is on a GasGas MC 450, which was the fourth different brand he raced this past month.
BIKE BRANDS RACED AT REM GLEN HELEN THIS WEEK
Of the eight different brand of bike raced at REM this past weekend, Three brands had over 85 % of all the bikes at REM—KTM, Yamaha and Husqvarna. If you are looking at winners only, Husqvarna won 44% (of the classes with big turnouts), KTM won 33%, Honda 11% and Yamaha 11%.
David Burrus (924) helped bump Yamaha up to 24% of the bikes at REM this weekend.
REM TURNOUT BY BRAND
1. KTM…40%
2. Yamaha…24%
3. Husqvarna …21%
4. Honda…7%
5. Kawasaki…4%
6. GasGas…3%
7. TM…1%
8. Suzuki…1%
THE 50s ARE THE STEPPING STONE OF THE GLAMOROUS 60s
Phil Dowell (23) won the Over-50 Elite class with a 3-1.
Australian Dan Alamangos (98) took the Over-50 Expert class victory with a 1-3 score.
Dan Alamangos (98) makes a move up the inside of a sideways Bill Reimer (71), while second in the Over-50 Expert class, Dean Adkins, (523) takes a chance on going around the outside.
Mike Monaghan (39) was fourth overall in the Over-50 Experts and sixth overall in the Over-60 Experts. Here, Mike and Jonny Benskin (77) enter the first sand section.
Rocky Hash (203) leads Robert Pocius (153) and Geza Simon (119) out of a sweeping downhill bend. Simon would win the 450 Intermediate class, while Hash and Pocius were fourth and sixth in the Over-50 Intermediates.
Geoff Patterson (211) chases Jim Dorsett (536) over a hump. Patterson used to be the Leatt brace spokesman, but now runs Hitch Hotel at www.hitchhotel.com.
Mike Phillips (433) and Mike Giem (726) at speed.
THE 2021 REM RACE SCHEDULE: THREE RACES IN JULY
Nathan Gomar took the 250 Novice victory in his first-ever race at REM.
2021 REM RACE SCHEDULE
July 3…REM track
July 17…REM track
July 24…REM track
Aug. 7…National track
Aug. 14…REM track
Aug. 21…REM track
Sept. 11…REM track
Sept. 18…REM track
Oct. 30…National Track Octobercross
Nov. 20…REM track
Dec. 4…REM track
Dec. 18…REM track
Becca Hughey (11) leans into her Honda CRF150 in the 250 Beginner class.
Dane Gordon won the Vet Beginner class.
REM will be racing this coming Saturday, July 3, again on July 17 and then on July 24. For more information about REM go to www.remsatmx.com or Click Here for REM’s Facebook page.
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