REM GLEN HELEN MOTOCROSS RACE REPORT: STEVE TOKARSKI TURNS PRO & TONY AMARADIO WINS TWO CLASSES

Glen Helen’s REM races are a strange juxtaposition of styles, desires and goals. Since it is the biggest weekly industry get-to-together in the sport (where the people who worked for the manufacturers, aftermarket, race team and magazines come to race), it has an informal atmosphere that is hard to match. Where else could you find Jeff Ward toiling in the sun on the minicycles of sons Aryton and Alain; or a true-to-life motorcycle importer, TM Motorcycles Pete Vetrano, actually out racing the product he sells (that doesn’t happen at Honda, Yamaha Suzuki or Kawasaki); or the largest field of Over-50 riders at any local race in America (in fact 30 percent of the riders at REM this weekend were over 50 years old).

But it isn’t just old codgers plying the trade they learned back in the 1970s when they were 17?it is a new batch of teenagers hoping to make a name for themselves so that can still be racing when they are 50.

THE YOUNG GUNS

Steven Tokarski hasn’t raced in almost four months (and the last time he raced he was an Intermediate). He made his return to racing and his Pro debut at REM this weekend.

V&H’S Steven Tokarski: Steven Tokarski was hired by Vance & Hines to win the 250 and 450 B classes at Loretta Lynn’s in 2011. Unfortunately, Steven got injured just before Loretta and couldn’t race. Rather than stay a B-rider, Tokarski decided to step up to the Pro class?and raced his first-ever 250 Pro race at Glen Helen’s REM races this week.

As you would expect at REM, Tokarski faced a tough challenge from a veteran racer from the AMA Nationals. Tony Amaradio (on the far side of 30-years-old) and long retired from AMA competition, was the 450 Pro winner, but with the Pro classes starting on the same gate Tokarski and the wily veteran had to race each other. Tokarski managed to come from behind and run Amaradio down in the first Pro moto with the 250 Pro win going to Steven Tokarski (with Steven Simpson and Jered Thomas rounding out the top three). Amaradio won the 450 Pro Class in front of Erik Meyer. Tony would come back later to win the the Open Expert class (a free class that pros can race to prepare for an upcoming series). Erik Meyer was second in that class also.

Erik Meyer was second in four motos.

In the second Pro moto, Tony Amaradio didn’t waste any time with the youngsters. He got to the front and rapidly pulled away. At the point in the moto where Tokarski had closed on the him in the first moto, Amaradio opened the gap up at the rate of a second a lap. When the day was done, Amaradio took the 450 victory and 250 winner, Steven Tokarski, was glad to win his first-ever 250 Pro race (and also get in his first race since being injured back in July).

Justin Jones broke the rules, but he did it because he wanted to challenge himself.

Dirt Bike’s Justin Jones: Tokarski may be moving out of the Loretta Lynn B-class, but Justin Jones wants to move in. Looking for a ride for next year, Jones has been on an aggressive racing program. Last week he won the 450A class at the WORCS race (which transferred him to the WORCS’s Sunday Pro Support class ?where his finished second overall). This week, Justin signed up in his regular 450 Intermediate class, but when he found out that the Intermediates were going to start in the second gate (behind the Pro class), he decided to go with the Pro gate. Jones was immediately disqualified from the 450 Intermediate class, but he didn’t care. He wanted to test his speed against Amaradio and Tokarski. And Justin had speed?borrowing a CRF450 after his ignition fritzed out?he worked his way past Tony Amaradio to take the lead before being caught by Steven Tokarski near the end of the first moto. In the second moto, still racing in the first gate, he finished third overall behind Amaradio and Tokarski. Jones didn’t get scored, but he got to race with the fast guys. The 450 Intermediate class win went to Blake Novelich, who started on the right gate.

Mitch van De Mortel won the 250 Intermediate class on a YZ250 two-stroke.

Mitch Van De Mortel: It was a big two-stroke day at REM, as lots of riders showed up with their trusty but rusty ring-dings…the fastest of which was Mitch Van de Mortel. Mitch easily swept to the 250 intermediate class in front of a top five of James Leon (2-3), Ryan Surratt (4-2), Chris Zobel (3-5) and Myles Potter (6-4). Van de Mortel then came back to win the Open Intermediate class in front of Italian Lorenzo Brogi.

In other two-stroke news Paul Timmerman won REM’s special 125 Adult “A” two-stroke class in front of a field that included Steve Lawler (2-1), Cary Brown (3-3), Randel Four (4-4), Gregg Schellack (5-5), Jeff Lambson (6-7) and John Reeves (9-6). In the 450 Novice class Mark Taylor two-stroked his way to a 1-1 sweep on his Kawasaki.

Ayrton Ward (797) won the 85 Expert class.

Alain Ward (701) won the 85 Novice class.

In the minis, Aryton Ward won the 85 Experts, Alain Ward took the 85 Novices, Matt Bynum swept the 150cc Advanced class, while Matthew Bailey (85 Beginner), Caden Payne (65 Beginner), Landen Lowell (85 Intermediate) and Desiree Rey (150 Beginner) filled out the podiums.

AS FOR THE OLD GUYS

Mitch Evans (4) leads Kent Reed in the Over-50 class.

The World Vet Championship is only a month away and while the focus there will be on the Over-30 and Over-40 Pro classes, the real battle might well be welling up in the Over-50 Expert class. Each week at REM the number of half-century rider increases and different winners seen to come out of nowhere (well, actually they come out of the past). This week the victor was former Pro Jon Ortner (1-1), Ortner was followed in by a top ten of Dave Eropkin (2-2), Dennis Boulware (3-3), Willie Amaradio (4-4), Randy Skinner (5-6), Randel Fout (7-5), George Kohler (6-7), Mike Monaghan (8-8), Pete Vetrano (10-9) and Larry Boulware (9-11).

Former Saddleback Pro Bob Marino won the Over-50 Intermediate class with a 1-1 in front of a top five of Bob Collins (3-1), Michael Mossa (2-3), Mitch Evans (5-4) and Jeff Lambson (6-5).

Brian Underdahl went 1-1 in the large Over-50 Novice class. Kent Reed used a 3-2 to grab second from John Bradley (2-3). Don Wallace’s 7-4 edged out Brian Martin’s 5-6. George Garcia had a 8-5 for sixth. Seventh through tenth were John Tookey, Bob Barnett (YZ125), Donnie Quanstrom (CR500) and John Reeves (YZ125).

The MXA gang was missing a few of its regulars because the Musgraves had to go to the Chaparral parking lot sale, Dennis Stapleton was at the Dodge Nationals and John Basher was getting married. But, in what looks like an orange formation, Ray Pisarski (32) was testing the 2012 KTM 125SX, Jody Weisel (269) was racing a big-bore 2012 KX250F and George Kohler (22) was doing suspension testing.

In the Over-60 Experts, Tom White used two holeshots to gain a quick advantage over KTM 125SX-mounted Ray Pisarski. Jody Weisel went 3-3 with Bill Seifert and Chuck Minert rounding out the top five.

Dan Alamangos was fifth in the Over-40 Intermediates on a KTM 150SX. The Aussie wasn’t alone on his two-strokes as an amazing 25 percent of the racers at REM this weekend were on two-strokes (including Randel Fout, Mike Monaghan, Larry Boulware, Cary Brown, Travis Irving, Mitch Van De Mortel, Tim Sharp, Bob Barnett, Donnie Quanstrom, Paul Timmerman, Steve Lawler, Mark Taylor and others).

In the Over-40s, Greg Pierce swapped moto wins and seconds with Rob Engel in the Over-40 Experts. Bryan Friday swept both Over-40 Intermediate motos in front of Ron Shuler, Mike Phillips, Todd Huegel, Dan Alamangos (KTM 150SX), Cary Brown (YZ125) and Gregg Shellack (CR125). Mark Taylor owned the Over-40 Novice class on a KX125 in front of Timmy Klimco, Braden Larsen and Sinjin Lloyd.

This weekend at Glen Helen there was a Lucas Oil Offroad Short Course Championship race on the car track, a two-day OTHG Nationals on the USGP track, REM on the REM track on Saturday and a Vintage race on the REM track on Sunday.

October is a busy month at Glen Helen, but not for the REM regulars. Next week, October 8-9, is the 24-Hours of Glen Helen Endurance race and a two-day Auto Rally (so, there is no REM race). The following weekend, October 15-16 there is an Old Timers International National (so, REM is off that weekend also). The next weekend, October 21-22 there is the Hammer King Baja buggy race which uses the whole park (so, no REM race on that weekend). REM does return on October 29 for its annual Octobercross event (formerly the Commotion-By-The-Ocean). On this weekend REM will race on the World Vet Championship track (which is on November 5-6). Lots of Vet racers will show up at REM to get a preview of the World Vet track layout?which will be completely different from the current design.

For more info, go to www.remsatmx.com