MXA WEEKEND NEWS ROUND-UP: DEBBI GOES TO ITALY

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A PERSONAL NOTE ABOUT FEETS MINERT

chuckfeetminertfaceFeets at the young old age of 83.

The MXA wrecking crew was proud to have known Chuck “Feets” Minert, who passed away this past weekend at the age of 85. To most of the young kids at the track (and Feets considered anyone under 60 to be a kid), he was just an old codger in jeans riding around the racetrack. But, he was so much more than that.

Feets was one of the best motorcycle racers in America in the 1950s and 1960s—a career that was highlighted by winning the Catalina Grand Prix in 1956. That guy in the jeans was a factory rider for BSA and he is the only American motocrosser to have a motorcycle model named after him—when BSA produced the “Catalina Scrambler” in his honor. He was a genetic phenomenon. Feets raced the 500 Pro class at Saddleback Park, Indian Dunes and Escape Country into his 50s and kept right on racing up to the age of 83 (before shoulder surgery ended a race career that spanned 2500 races).

feets023_2Feets as a young man—with a couple thousand races left to go.

He loved motorcycle racing so much that he didn’t want to stop. When all of his contemporaries had hung up their leathers decades earlier, Feets kept right on racing. He raced his first race in 1947 and his last one 66 years later. He was a wealth of knowledge, who understood the inner workings of a four-stroke engine better than almost anyone—because he had raced them longer than anyone. He won two World Vet Championships in his 70s. To the MXA wrecking crew he was just one of the gang—he was quick witted, honest to a fault and incredibly humble. Feets was incredibly gracious and nice to everyone he met, but he never wanted any fuss made over him, and turned down honors and awards in the droves over the years because he enjoyed what he had achieved during his Pro career, but didn’t think it was a big deal. Even as death came to his door, he swore Jody Weisel to secrecy about his failing physical condition. He was a private man and didn’t want people fawning over him.

Every motocross racer should remember Feets Minert, not just because he was a famous factory racer whose picture appeared in BSA advertisements, but because he was a man who so loved motocross that he wouldn’t quit. Racing was his life—and even as an “old codger in jeans riding around the track” he loved every minute on his bike. To learn a little more about Chuck “Feets” Minerts click here.

SPAIN PULLS OUT THE BIG GUN FOR THE 2016 WORLD VET CHAMPIONSHIP

garciavicoworldvetJavier Garcia Vico will ride the Over-40 Pro class with support from Mike Alessi.

The 2016 Dubya USA World Vet Championship is only 5 weeks away and already the pre-entry ranks have been bursting with foreign riders heading to Glen Helen on November 5-6 (plus there will also be practice sessions on November 3-4 to help foreign and out-of-state racers learn the big hills of Glen Helen). The latest news to break in the Spanish press is that multi-time Spanish National Champion and former Grand Prix racer Javier Garcia Vico plans to contest for the Over-40 Pro title against Kurt Nicoll and Doug Dubach. Garcia Vico will be joined by a contingent of Spanish racers led by Dr. Joaquim Sunol and music empressario Xavi Costa in the Over-50 class. For more info about the World Vet Championship or to pre-enter, go to www.glenhelen.com.

THE WAY WE WERE: BEFORE HONDA WAS BIG

truckamericanhondaHonda didn’t always have a fancy race team, fleet of 18-wheelers and a giant compound. Back in the day, Honda operated out of a store front with a pickup truck parked in front.

 

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DEBBI TAMIETTI GOES NATIVE — INSIDE THE MAGGIORA MXDN CROWD

dtwhereswaldoWhere’s Waldo? Breathing room? Yes. Walking room? No.

Debbie Tamietti has shot AMA Nationals and Grands Prixs before, but when she went to the MXDN at Maggiora, Italy, she found herself on another planet. Amazingly, she fit right in. Debbi was welcomed warmly by every group of fans she met—no matter what country they were rooting for. Here is what she had to say about the experience and the photos she shot.

“Italy was such a fun, crazy, interesting, story-filled time. I decided to shoot from the perspective of a spectator. It was a challenge since you could hardly walk anywhere. There were walls and walls of people. I did have a VIP pass and a Press Pass, so I could get anywhere except the track. So, I squeezed through people and pulled open links in the fence and stuck my lens through.  And I had more fun than ever. So, here are my favorites photos from the weekend.”

dtdebbiirelandDebbi with her new Irish friend.

“The first guy I came upon at the track on day one was from Ireland. He said MXA is his favorite magazine and that he respected Jody Weisel more than anyone in the industry. He said that he read the REM Report every week religiously. Then he said, “Wait! Are you Debbi Tamietti?” And he wanted a pic with me. Pretty funny.”

dtirelandObviously, Debbi has an affinity for Irish motocross fans… at least this guy said he was from Ireland, but how could she be sure?

dtsmokeflagsIt takes a dedicated fan to carry around a ten-foot pole with a flag on it for eight hours. Note the guy holding the yellow track marker like it’s King Arthur’s sword.

dtsmokeSmoke bombs are popular with Euro race fans, sometimes the smoke obliterates the track from view. The colors signify the nation’s flag. This is the Italian flag in smoke.

dtdecosterThis guy showed up in a funny costume.

dtchiansawsAt least they removed the saw teeth from the chain saws before revving them like maniacs every time a French rider came by.

dtfrenchwigWigs were big at this year’s MXDN.

dtbritishmailMailboxes weren’t the most popular costumes to wear, but these four Brits would accept mail up until 2:00 p.m.

dtomarabailyrjJohnny O’Mara (left), David Bailey (center) and Ricky Johnson (right) were honored guests on the 30th Anniversary of their win at Maggiora back in 1985.

dtswedesThe Swedes threw the best party in the pits—if you like herring. Not Herlings. Herring.

dtforestpixiesThese forest pixies are from France. We aren’t quite sure why they have their Puma skin suits on backwards though.

dtunclothedThere is always one guy in every crowd who doesn’t want to show favoritism to any nation. So, he stripped down to his skivvies and wore his shirt as a hat, but had the decency to move his fanny pack to the front.

dtdutchBased on the color, these are either runaway MXA test riders on holiday or Dutch fans.

dtskinsuitsgbYou can always count on the staid and conservative British fans to show the most decorum.

dtamericnansThe Yanks have arrived.

WE KNOW WHAT YOU ARE THINKING — DID DEBBI SHOOT THE RACES?

dtalexmartin5Sure she did. Here is Alex Martin on his way to 2-3 score in the 250 class (which were 9-9 overall scores against the 450s).

dtfinsih-lineRomain Febvre (1) and Tony Cairoli (40) went 1-2 in the first moto. They were close.

dtcooperwebbcoolingCooper Webb (4) must have learned something from racing against Christophe Pourcel in the 2015 Nationals. What did he learn? To take a fan to the starting line on a hot day.

dtfrance-sIf you score each class individually the French went 2-3-4 with Febvre 2nd in the 450 class, Paulin 3rd in the Open class and Benoit Paturel (2) 4th in the 250 class.
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WHAT’S LEFT OF THE 2016 RACE CALENDAR

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2016 REM MOTOCROSS
Oct. 1…………………………..Glen Helen, CA
Oct. 8………………………….Glen Helen, CA
Oct. 15…………………………No race (24 Hours of Glen Helen)
Oct. 22………………………..Glen Helen, CA
Oct. 29………………………..Glen Helen, CA (World Vet warm-up)

2016 TEXAS PRO CHALLENGE
Oct. 1-2……………………….Tyler, TX

2016 GEICO ENDUROCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
Oct. 1…………………………..Denver, CO
Oct. 22………………………..Everett, WA
Nov. 5………………………….Boise, ID
Nov. 19………………………..Ontario, CA

2016 SPANISH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Oct. 2………………………….Calataya, Zaragoza (Final)

2016 MONSTER SMX RIDERS’ CUP
Oct. 8…………………………..Gelsenkirchen, Germany

2016 MONSTER CUP
Oct. 15…………………………Las Vegas, NV

2016 AMA SUPERMOTO CHAMPIONSHIP
Oct. 22………………………..Tucson, AZ

2016 REM OCTOBERCROSS
Oct. 29…………………………Glen Helen, CA

2016 DUBYA WORLD VET CHAMPIONSHIP
Nov. 5-6………………………Glen Helen, CA

BIRTHDAY BOYS: DAVE THORPE IS 54

David-THorpeSept. 29…Dave Thorpe 1962
Sept. 29…Ricky Dietrich 1987
Oct. 1…Bobby Kiniry 1985
Oct. 1…Jon Ortner 1961
Oct. 1…Dana Wiggins
Oct. 2…Victor Sheldon
Oct. 2…Jim Neese
Oct. 3…Grayson Goodman 1971
Oct. 3…Kinney Jones
Oct. 4…Jeremy Garges
Oct. 4…Nathan Watson 1995
Oct. 4…Ryan Sipes 1984
Oct. 5…Danny Chandler 1959
Oct. 5…Ake Jonsson 1942
Oct. 5…Johnny Marley
Oct. 5…Randy Valade

 

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MXA PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: FROM ADAM DUCKWORTH

duckworthfeetsminertBritish moto-journalist Adam Duckworth, who visited Saddleback Park many times as a kid, and saw Feets Minert race, came back 35 years later and shot this photo of a fan giving Feets a BSA Catalina Scrambler T-shirt as a present.

feetsrampadmaduckworthAdam was impressed that Feets’ loading ramp dated back to 1970, so he shot a photo of it. The MXA guys always joked that it was made with a piece of wood from Noah’s Ark.

MXA PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: REM GLEN HELEN T-SHIRTS

remthirtsghDo you race at REM? Do do you want to race at REM? Do you want to look like an REM racer? Are you too far away to make it to Glen Helen on Saturday? SoCal’s popular REM races at Glen Helen happen virtually every Saturday of the year and the locals can get REM T-shirts at sign-up, but if you’d like to have one of your own—in small, medium, large, extra large and extra-extra large you can get them in the mail. The shirts retail for $20 and to place an order click here.

USED IT, ABUSED IT, TESTED IT: GAERNE SG12 BOOTS

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The popular Gaerne SG12 has been updated with a reshaped toebox, more durable wear patches on the top and sides and a record breaking price tag. Thanks to its incredible durability and reputation for long lasting performances, the SG12 may be able to justify its high price.

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VERDICT: This is not a cheap boot, but is is a high-quality boot. The interior is plush and inviting. The panels that contact the frame offer exceptional grip and the rubber prevents four-stroke pipes from cooking our legs. Some testers complained about the heel being tall, but this wasn’t a consensus. $619.99  — www.gaerne.com or (800) 426-0213.

MXA AD OF THE WEEK: OFFICIAL DRINK OF THE 1979 AMA NATIONALS

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USED IT, ABUSED IT, TESTED IT: SKF FORKS SEALS/DUST WIPERS


With one of every motocross bike made in our test fleet, the MXA test crew gets tired of blown forks seals. Which is why we replace the stock seals with SKF seals (they come stock on KTM’s and we rarely blow a KTM fork seal). SKF seal kits consist of a new oil seal and a new dust wiper. SKF’s self-lubricating rubber compound not only enables them to keep the oil in, but to reduce static friction (stiction) by a significant amount. Plus, we blow twice as manyKayaba PSF air fork seals as we do coil spring fork seals.

VERDICT: Nothing is more frustrating than looking down at your fork leg and seeing oil oozing towards your front brake rotor. A modern upside-down fork requires complete disassembly to replace a fork seal. In MXA’s opinion, modern fork seals are lightyears better than seals from a few years ago and SKF is better than any other modern seal. It is highly likely that a 2013-era fork seal would never leak or wear out if dirt wasn’t introduced into the equation. It’s not a matter of keeping the oil in, as much as the dirt out — thus the dust wiper. $35.99 (one seal and wiper)— www.innteck-USA.com or (866) 252-8772.

JIMMY MAC’S FEETS MINERT TRIBUTE

jmacchuck1 jmacchcuck3 jmacchcuk2You can read more about motorcycles and mountain bikes at www.jimmymacontwowheels.com.

98 DAYS UNTIL SUPERCROSS STARTS

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2017 AMA SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Jan. 7…………………………Anaheim, CA
Jan. 14………………………San Diego, CA
Jan. 21………………………Anaheim, CA
Jan. 28………………………Glendale, AZ
Feb. 4……………………….Oakland, CA
Feb. 11………………………Arlington, TX
Feb. 18………………………Minneapolis, MN
Feb. 25………………………Atlanta, GA
Mar. 4………………………Toronto, ON
Mar. 11………………………Daytona, FL
Mar. 18………………………Indianapolis, IN
Mar. 25………………………Detroit, MI
Apr. 1…………………………St. Louis, MO
Apr. 8………………………..Seattle, WA
Apr 22……………………….Salt Lake City, UT

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$25,000 TEXAS PRO CHALLENGE THIS WEEKEND AT SWAN

2016-texas-pro-challengeFor more info go to www.swanmx.com.

WORLD VET MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP ON NOV. 5-6

WORLDVET2016Now that the young guy’s Championships are decided, all eyes will turn to the older set at the 2016 Dubya-sponsored World Vet Championships. There are Pro class for the Over-30, Over-40 and Over-50 racers. Expect the competition to be intense. For more info go to www.glenhelen.com

GRAN FONDO SANTA CLARITA: 20, 60 & 100 MILE LOOPS ON OCT. 22

GRANDFONDACLARITALots of cycling stars and even more motorcycle guys. For more info go to www.granfondosantaclarita.com

REM GLEN HELEN GEARS UP FOR THE LAST 9 RACES OF 2016

remlastnine2016There are 9 races left in REM’s 40-race points paying schedule. They are Oct. 1, Oct. 8, Oct. 22, Oct. 29, Nov. 12, Nov. 19, Dec. 3, Dec. 10 and Dec. 17. The missing weekends are filled by the 24 Hours of Glen Helen (October 15-16), World Vet Championship (Nov. 5-6) and Day In The Dirt (November 26-27). For more info go to www.remsatmx.com or www.facebook.com/remsatmx/?fref=tsv

ROUTE 66 VINTAGE SCRAMBLES AT ROY ROGERS RANCH ON NOV. 20

Route66OldSchoolVintageScramblesFor more info click here.

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE & GET MXA FOR FREE: NOT TRUE, YOU WILL ACTUALLY MAKE MONEY

mxanovember2016coverInterested in getting a new bike this year? The November 2016 issue of MXA will be on the news stands soon and has test of seven bikes that you could own—including the 2017 KTM 150SX, 2017 Suzuki RM-Z250, 2017 Yamaha YZ450F, 2017 Husqvarna FC450 and 2017 KTM 250SXF. Plus, if you subscribe now you get a $25 gift certificate from Rocky Mountain ATV/MC which more than pays for your subscription.

Do you subscribe to MXA? You should. We know that you think that print magazines are dead and that the internet will fill the void, but most of the stuff in the current issue of MXA won’t appear on the web for several months, if at all. Luckily, you can get all of MXA on your iPhone, iPad, Kindle or Android by going to the Apple Store, Amazon or Google Play. Better yet get the Digital desktop version at https://hi-torque.com/product/motocross-action-digital-edition/ for $9.99 a year. The MXA test riders prefer the print version and not just because it is delivered by a uniformed employee of the U.S. Government, but because for only $19.99 you get 12 issues and a free $25 Gift Card from Rocky Mountain ATV/MC. That means that there is a profit to be made in this deal for you. For the Print magazine go to: http://hi-torque.com/product/subscribe-to-motocross-action-magazine/

 

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Photos: Scott Mallonee, Brian Converse, Massimo Zanzani, John Basher, Kyoshi Becker, Debbi Tamietti, Dan Alamangos, John Basher, Yamaha, MXGP, MXA, Honda

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