REM GLEN HELEN MOTOCROSS RACE REPORT: PRESTON TILFORD BRINGS A KNIFE TO A GUNFIGHT AND WINS 450 PRO CLASS AGAIN


Vance & Hines sponsored Preston Tilford won the 450 Pro class.

The 450 Pro motocross class was intense as Vance & Hines Preston Tilford showed up with his YZ250F and signed up for the 450 Pro class on it. It was no surprise, since the Loretta Lynn motocross-bound Tilford did the exact same thing last week. Why would he chose to race the big bike class on his small bike? Three reason: (1) The 250 and 450 Pros are grouped together at REM motocross and start on the same gate?thus, he is racing with the 450s anyway. (2) The 450 Pro class is bigger than the 250 Pro class?thus there is more money to be made on pay back. (3) Racing the 250 improves his training because he has to ride harder. At Loretta Lynn he will race both the 250 Mod and 450 Mod Pro classes.

Surprisingly, Tilford toughest competition didn’t come from the 450 Pro ranks, but from two AMA National competitors, DR.D’s Mark Tilley and MXA‘s Dennis Stapleton. Both had turned 30 years old and decided to race the Over-30 Pro class (which also started on the same gate as the 250 and 450 Pros).


MXA’s Dennis Stapleton (24) spent the day testing the 2012 Kawasaki KX450F.

Stapleton holeshot both motos on MXA‘s 2012 KX450F and led for a couple laps before Tilford came steaming passed?then Stapleton and Tilley engaged in a duel to see whose body would give out first. Tilley held on longer.


Brandon Peterson went 8-7 in the 450 Pros.

Second overall in the 450 Pro class went to Armando Aguilar (4-2) with Brian Nelson (2-4) third, Chris See (3-5) fourth and Brett Hottel (6-3) fifth.

The 250 Pro class was a tie between two-stroke-mounted Billy Musgrave and KX250F rider Damion Tackett. Tackett’s 2-1 beat Musgrave’s 1-2.

THE OVER-50 EXPERT WAR


Randy Skinner?future Over-50 Expert winner or is it all in his past?

The Over-50 Expert class had an intense battle for the win. Up front Greg Nelson, Dave Eropkin, Gary Jones, Ron Lawson and Randy Skinner fought hard for the lead in moto one. Speedway racer Randy Skinner looked like he was on the way to his first win in a long time, but MTA’s Greg Nelson caught him near the end for the first moto win.

In the second Over-50 Expert moto, Dave Eropkin crashed on the first lap (he got up and was okay). LightSpeed’s Willie Amaradio took the second moto win, but the overall went to Nelson’s 1-3 over Amaradio’s 4-1 and Skinner’s 2-5. Dennis Boulware would have been fourth, but he was penalized a lap for cutting inside of the first turn cones on the start (which jumped him from about eighth to third on the start). In the end, Boulware ended up tenth overall.


We don’t think that this is how you are suppose to do this, but who are we to question a four-time 250 National Champion? Gary Jones stretches before getting down to business testing MXA‘s 2012 KTM 250SX two-stroke.

Additionally, since REM uses two-wave starts, they have a rule that states that if any rider from the second wave is found sitting on the concrete after the first gate leaves, they will be penalized one lap. The Over-50 Experts are the biggest violators of this rule (as about half of the Over-50 Experts had squeezed themselves up onto the gate with the first wave of Over-40 Experts). They got away with it this week, but will be severely punished in the future.


REM is hilly, but this S-turn multiplies the slighter slopes of the lower level by three. Billy Musgrave (32) is coming down on the far left, while Brett Hottel (76) is just starting to make the first of the esses on the bottom right.

THE REST OF THE BATTLES

Over-40 Novice. Dirk Davidow is back at the front after a long time off of the podium. Davidow went 1-1 in front of the 2-3 of Scott Noseworthy, 5-4 of Jacob Heidegger, 8-2 of J.D. Obbards, 6-5 of Joe Hernandez and 3-9 of Ernie Becker.


John Basher turned some fast lap times on the 2012 KX250F. How fast? Fast enough to win the 450 Novice class on 250.

450 Novice: MXA‘s John Basher pulled a “Tilford” by racing a 2012 Kawasaki KX250F in the 450 class. It worked out for him also, as his 1-2 beat the top five of Daniel D’Agostino (3-1), Sheldon Proscelle (2-3), Corey Snyder (4-4) and Mark Taylor (5-5).


Patric Longo (78) gets the rear of this KTM 250SX stepped out just past the finish line.

250 Novice: Patric Longo used a 1-2 to bested the top ten of Justin Lee (3-1), Cody Melendez (5-3), Gunnar Johnston (4-4), Brendon Crow (2-6), Anthony Perez (6-5), Dale Julien (9-7), Stephen DeRose (8-8), Logan Obbards (7-10) and Brandon Sussman (10-9).

Over-50 Novice: Steve Sussman’s 2-1 tied Mitch Evans 1-2, but Sussman got the victory. Michael Mosca was third with Craig Johnston, Brian Martin, Bob Sullivan, Ken Larson, Gary Scott, Mike Catalano and John Tookey rounding out the top ten.

Over-40 Intermediate: The top three riders in this class tied on points with 4 apiece, but the victory went of Bryon Friday’s 3-1 over Scott Lindley’s 2-2 and Alan Julien’s 1-3.


Scott Noseworthy (57), Joe Pena (911), Ernie Becker (42), J.D. Obbards (122), Bret Anderson (19), Lex Rowland (714) and Dirk Davidow come through the sand section. Photo by F. Stop Fitzegerald

Over-60 Expert: Lyle Sweeter went 1-1 in front of a top five that included T.V. Holmes (2-2), Ray Pisarski (3-3), Bill Seifert (5-4) and Jody Weisel (4-5).

250 Beginner: Gavin Todora was the class of the field with a 1-1. The top five was filled out by Rudy Renka, Lee Pattison, Sinjin Lloyd and Evan Renka. Jason Potter was sixth overall.


Jakob Heidegger came from Liechtenstein to go 5-4 in the Over-40 Novice class.

REM races again next Saturday, July 30 (before taking a week off for the Lucas Oil Offroad Championship…which takes over the whole park on August 6). For more info go to www.remsatmx.com

Photos by Ernie Becker

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