REM RACE REPORT: WINNERS, LOSERS, NUMBER ONES, DAVE’S DOG AND VAL’S FINGER

This uphill, shot from the next hill over, is actually as steep as it looks. The mound of dirt between the up and down side of the hill is four feet tall, but is flattened out by the camera’s perspective. Photo: Dan Alamangos.

PHOTOS BY DEBBI TAMIETTI, DAN ALAMANGOS & JON ORTNER

Hollywood stuntman Will Harper takes the plunge off of Mt. Whitney to head back down to the REM track below. Photo: Dan Alamangos.

With last week’s World Vet Championship over,  SoCal’s brief fling with cold, wet and windy weather is now a thing of the past, although it did last a whole two days. The REM regulars returned to their ancestoral track on the hill above the Glen Helen National/USGP track to wait for winter to return—but as for now they were happy with the 80-degree day and bright sunshine.

This is the Stadium section of the REM track. From the upper pits and the tower most of the action on the track is visible, but there are big sections of track hidden on the other side of the hill this photo was shot from. Photo: Dan Alamangos.

This is the only REM race in November because it is sandwiched between the last week’s World Vet, next week’s 24 Hours of Glen Helen and Thanksgiving weekend’s Day in the Dirt (all of which use the complete park), bumping REM off their perch on the hill). The action was hot and heavy this weekend, especially in the Pro classes, Over-50 Intermediates, Experts and Elites and, as always, in REM’s massive Over-60 classes, where one-third of the all riders at REM were found in the Over-60  and Over-65 classes.

Here is a quick recap of the day’s events, its winner and loser with photographs by Debbi Tamietti and Dan Alamangos.

THE WINNERS

Max Groom (859) found new life in his Pro career when he got off of his Suzuki RM-Z450 and switched to a KTM 450SXF. Max and Bradley Denton (774) traded moto wins and were this close heading into the last lap of the second 450 Pro moto. Max’s 2-1 took the prize.

Tim Beatty (125) was flying. Tim took the 250 Pro win on a 125 two-stroke.

Steve Moore (45) took the Over-40 Intermediate win, while Donnie Barratt (91) was the 250 Intermediate winner.

The Over-40 Expert class was won by TM’s Ralf Schmidt. Photo: Dan Alamangos.

Ralf Schmidt (73) took the Over-40 Expert win, but was swamped in this three-line sand turn by 450 Pros Max Groom (859) and Bradley Denton (774).

Luther French (2) has a win streak going the Over-50 Elite class, but it almost came to an end when Bill Sauro led the second moto almost all the way to the checkers. Luther salvaged the overall win with a pass late in the moto to go 1-1.

Robert Reisinger (96) won the Over-60 Expert class with a 1-1 over Will Harper’s 2-2, Randy Skinner’s 5-3, Dave Eropkin’s 4-4 and Mark Barnes’ 7-5. Photo: Dan Alamangos.

Mark Crosby (54) won the Over-60 Intermediate class after switching from his normal KTM 350SXF to a KTM 450SXF for the day so that Randy Skinner could race MXA’s 2021 KTM 350XF.

Aaron Damico (933) split motos wins with Miguel Schoenborn in the 450 Novice class with the 2-1 tie-breaker going to Aaron. The Gossett brothers, Michael and Nicolas, were third and fourth.

Caleb Adams should probably be looking where he’s going instead of into Debbi’s camera lens. Caleb swept both motos of the 250 Novice class on a Husqvarna.

THE NON-WINNERS

Zach Taylor, son of former AMA National rider Rich Taylor and brother of current AMA National rider Richard Taylor, has suffered some setbacks, but definitely has the skills to be a winner.

The number is familiar, the helmet is familiar, the leather boots are familiar and the arms-up style is familiar. Jody chased down arch-rival Lars Larsson in moto one, but couldn’t catch the Swedish GP and ISDT star in the second moto of the “Riders born in the 1940s” class.

Joe Sutter (111) and Bill Sauro (311) both finished second in the Over-50 class. Joe in the Experts and Bill in the Elites.

Dave Eropkin (811) was fourth in the Over-60 Experts this weekend. Dave will only be the REM number one points rider for another two races. It is strange that no REM number one in the last 31 years has ever run the number 1 on their bikes (see the list at the bottom of this page).

Dave Eropkin’s dog Cooper tries to understand how Dave could not get that guy on the last lap.

Mike Monaghan (16) believes that having fun is more important than winning, so the former Over-50 Expert winner switched to a YZ125 and got what he asked for. Mike was 7th in the Over-50 Experts, but enjoyed himself.

The Reisingers, Robert and Nick. Photo: Jon Ortner

Randel Fout (77) on MXA’s 2021 Kawasaki KX250.

STI Tire’s Craig Peterson loves his KTM 150SX, as he shows by edging fellow two-stroke rider Nathan Broaddus over the berm, but ended up with a 7-DNF in the Over-50 Intermediate class.

Jon Ortner, a three-time REM number one and former AMA National rider, missed the World Vet Championship when he was hit on the top of his head by his surfboard fin. He came back this week to go 3-3 in the Over-50 Elite class. Photo: Dan Alamangos.

Chris Cole (45) went 11-6 in the Over-50 Intermediate class. Had he gone 6-6, which he proved he was capable of in moto two, he would have been fifth overall, not eighth.

Dan Alamangos (55) was third in the first moto of the Over-50 Experts, but in the second moto Dan collided in mid-air with Val Tamietti. Val crashed and Dan laid his bike down and ran back to see if Val was okay. He wasn’t. He had a dislocated middle finger and had hit the ground hard on his shoulder, knee and neck. Val plans to be back for the next REM race on December 5.

Randy Skinner (94) traded bikes with Mark Crosby and seemed to adapted to the 2021 KTM 350SXF very quickly as he went 5-3 for third overall in the Over-60 Experts.

Miguel Schoenborn was second in the 450 Novice class.

78-year-old Lars Larsson is a pioneer, icon, AMA Hall of Famer and a man who just wants to race his motorcycle for as long as possible. Photo: Jon Ortner

REM MOTOCROSS  NUMBER ONE RIDERS (1989-2019)
(The number one riders who are still racing at REM weekly are in bold)
1989 …Curtis Jablonski
1990 …Robert Failing
1991 …Robert Failing
1992 …Jeff Van Camp
1993 …Todd McKay
1994 …George Kohler
1995 …Alan Olson
1996 …George Kohler
1997 …Alan Olson
1998 …Jody Weisel
1999 …Dennis Boulware
2000 …Rich Eierstedt
2001 …Randy Skinner
2002 …Bengt Johansson
2003 …George Kohler
2004 …Billy Musgrave
2005 …Mark Crosby
2006 …Tim Murphy
2007 …Dennis McAdam
2008 …Dennis Boulware
2009 …Dennis Boulware
2010 …Dennis Boulware
2011 …Ray Pisarski
2012 …Randy Skinner
2013 …Jon Ortner
2014 …Jon Ortner
2015 …Jon Ortner
2016 …Tom Holmes
2017 …Val Tamietti
2018 …Val Tamietti
2019 …Dave Eropkin

REM doesn’t race again until December 5 to allow the 24 Hours of Glen Helen and Day in the Dirt to have the whole park. For more info go to www.remsatmx.com or Click Here for REM’s Facebook page.

DO YOU RACE AT REM? WANT A PHOTO OF YOU IN ACTION?  DEBBI HAS THEM

Give Debbi Tamietti a day or two to process this weekend’s REM race photos to her SmugMug account and then browse to your hearts content. You can order digital photos of yourself or friends from her page—for as little a $1.50. To look at Debbi’s REM race photos (posted in a couple days) and Debbi’s favorites photos go to www.debbitamietti.smugmug.com

 

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