����� ����� �������� �� CHRIS MALKIEWICZ Joey Crown on board his Monster Energy Kawasaki in the Super Mini class LORETTA LYNN AMATEUR NATIONALS (Hurricane Hills, TN) | Aug 03 INSIDE: Moto Musings Michigan Mafia Hits the Hills Battle Creek Puts Money into the Moto Becker Chronicles The Beane Report – The Pointy End of the Spear Other Division News & Updates CROWN IN COMMAND PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID ROYAL OAK, MI 48068 PERMIT #792 10450 Enterprise Dr. Davisburg, MI 48350 September 2014 Michigan’s Motorsports
Transcript
����� ����� �������� �� CHRIS MALKIEWICZ
Joey Crown on board his Monster Energy Kawasaki in the Super Mini class
LORETTA LYNN AMATEUR NATIONALS (Hurricane Hills, TN) | Aug 03
INSIDE:Moto Musings
Michigan Mafia Hits the Hills
Battle Creek PutsMoney into the Moto
Becker Chronicles
The Beane Report –The Pointy End of the Spear
Other Division News & Updates
Joey Crown on board his Monster Energy Kawasaki in the Super Mini classJoey Crown on board his Monster Energy Kawasaki in the Super Mini class
CROWN IN COMMANDPRSRT STD
US POSTAGEPAID
ROYAL OAK, MI 48068
PERMIT #79210450 Enterprise Dr.Davisburg, MI 48350
September 2014
Michigan’s Motorsports
2 September 2014 – Michigan’s AMA/D14 Motorsports News
5 min. from I-94/ Blue Water Bridge! 2203 Wadhams Rd • KIMBALL810.989.9050
2014 MX / ENDURO
CLEARANCE EVENT
MX
EN
DU
RO
PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT!!
Now Offering Extended Service Contracts for ALL Bikes!
CALL FOR PRICING ON THESE AVAILABLE DEMO MODELS! .... LOW HOURS / MILES! 2014
500 EX-C2015
450 SX-F2014 1190
ADVENTURE2014 1290
SUPER DUKE
September 2014 – Michigan’s AMA/D14 Motorsports News 3
PLEASE RECYCLE.This publication is printed on recycled paper using soy-based inks.
OCTOBER 2014MATERIAL DEADLINES:Materials need to be submitted by the following date. Sorry, but late submis-sions are subject to prevailing space and time restrictions and may, if neces-sary, be left out of the deadlined publi-cation until the following edition.
Advertising & Editorial:Due SEPTEMBER 25
SPACESpace is reserved in every issue for ev-ery division in the District. Please, pro-mote your sport by contributing stories and photos about your events, past and/or upcoming. This is FREE adver-tising for your division. Take advantage of it!
When submitting a story or photo please ensure to include event dates and locations, and photos MUST in-clude captions. Event results are al-ways nice to include as well.
For detailed information on submission policies for editorial content and adver-tising, please go to www.D14News.net.
DELIVERYThe delivery goal of District 14 News is normally around the middle of the month. However, due to varying factors of submissions, printing, and mailing, there is no guarantee the newspaper will reach readers by a specifi c date in the month. It is recommended and good practice to think at least 1 or 2 months ahead when promoting special events or other time sensitive dates. For example, if your special event is in August, you should consider promoting that event no later than the July edition.
Wow, yet another month gone in a blink of an eye! Cooler weather is undoubtedly on the horizon, which means we only have a couple more months of warm(er) weather racing to take advantage of. I wonder if the Ice Racers are starti ng to get antsy yet? Their 2015 season will be here before we know it. I have a favor to ask – if you don't see coverage of your division here on these pages this month, or any other month, please ask your division leader, "WHY?" I'd like to know too! To this month's contributors who took the ti me out of their busy lives to write about their division, I really do hope you know how much I appreciate what you do. You are a great example to others of what dedicati on really is. Thanks for all you conti nue to do for District 14 and your division!
DON’T WAIT!Ensure continued
delivery of the
District14 News direct to your
home mailbox &
SAVE TIMEAT SIGN UP! Complete this form & send in
your membership dues today!
Important!Keep a Copy Before Mailing
mail to:HEATHER SOENKSEN
3155 Prescott Dr, Howell MI 48843
Michigan’s Motorsports
a few words from the editorStarting Lines
Don’t have your card in 30 days? Call 517-775-5897 to fi nd out where it is.
MEMBERSHIPAPPLICATION
$15 – REGULAR MEMBERSHIP
$30 – Two (2)-Year MEMBERSHIP
$45 – Three (3)-Year MEMBERSHIP
Must be AMA Member; includes Competition Card and Newspaper Subscription. All memberships are non-refundable.
Please check ALL riding disciplines that apply: Road ______ATV _____MX ______Ice ______Hill ______
Must be AMA Member; Must have One (1) Full District FamilyMember; includes Competition Card Only. Your card will expire one-year from the issue date.
Indicate Name of Member with Full Membership:
Name
AMA#
$40 – CANADIAN MEMBERSHIP
Required if you have Canadian Residence. Must be AMA Member; includes Competition Card and NewspaperSubscription.
Your card and newspaper subscription will expire one-year from the issue date.
$6 – LOST/REPLACEMENT CARD You must have previously been issued a card that has not yet expired, otherwise your privileges to compete in theDistrict could be forfeited completely.
Indicate your AMA# or your Original District#:
AMA# DISTRICT#
You must be an AMA Member to join District 14PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY and fill out COMPLETELY to receive your paper and membership card.
Name: First Middle Last
Address: Apt.#
City: State: or Canadian Province: Zip: If you have a Canadian address, you must choose “Canadian Membership” above!
County: e-mail:
YOUR APPLICATION WILL NOT BE PROCESSED WITHOUT THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION
AMA NUMBER: ( all 6 digits or temporary number from application ) EXPIRATION DATE: DISTRICT 14 NUMBER: (all numbers or write NEW/RENEW)
BIRTHDATE: PHONE: ( home / cell )
I understand that this membership is for the right to participate in a District 14 points paying event and I am required to follow theBy-laws, policies and procedures of District 14 Club Council as well as the applicable policies of the participating promoter.
Signature Date:
Attention D14 Members: Your copy of this application may be used to sign-up in AMA/District 14 Events for 60 Days. If you have not received yourDistrict 14 Membership card in 30 days, contact District 14 Membership Administration with information as to where you purchased your membership.
DISTRICT 14 MEMBERSHIP ADMINISTRATION INFOto find the current contact info, visit us on the web at www.ama-d14.org
For Club/Promoter use only - must have club and event date name for credit - ALL sold applications must be turned into Membership Administration within 14 days of purchase.
Club / Promoter Name & Charter Number Event Date
D14 Membership App10.26.2013 Rev. 10/2013COPIES: White = D14 Admin Yellow = Club/Promoter Pink - Member
SEPTEMBER 2014 - D14 NEWS
Bring your copy of this completed form with you to EVERY race until you receive your card!
To this Month’s Rockin'
Contributors
‘Til next ti me . . . take care, STAY cool, but mostly, be sure to enjoy the ride 'cuz it all goes by in a blink.
– In order of appearance – Chris Malkiewicz, Steve Baginski, Gregg Mur�hy,
Team Freelin, SpeedPunksImages.com, Bar� Newman, Mark Becker, Talon Soenksen, Steve Beane, and last, but not least .... Shannon Visger
4 September 2014 – Michigan’s AMA/D14 Motorsports News
2014 District 14 Board of Directors & Division ChairsPRESIDENT
September 2014 – Michigan’s AMA/D14 Motorsports News 5
33 Motosports Pk .................989-889-1785Baja MX ......................................989-871-3356Battle Creek MC................... 909-806-5149Bent Wheels CC .................... 248-626-3140BigAir Motocross ..................231-578-3828Boulis Racing ......................... 810-686-7083Bulldog Riders MC ............. 248-284-5570Cadillac MC ............................ 231-884-0996Flint MC .................................... 810-687-4284Freelin MX ................................ 989-761-1301Goshen IronHorsemen ... 574-514-1894Grand Kankakee TR ............ 219-221-0900Grattan Raceway ................. 616-788-4454Hill & Gully Riders ................708-261-3433H&L Racing ............................ 989-415-2808I-96 Speedway ...................... 616-642-0555KnuckleBusters Rider’s Club ...... 989-287-0120Lansing MC ............................. 517-763-9406Lucky Thumb MC ................ 810-404-2895
If your Charter is not listed, you need to submit a Charter Application and $25 Charter Fee. If your application is
currently pending, your listing will appear once your status has cleared. If you believe this information is incorrect, please verify your status with the D14 Secretary, Heather Soenksen at 517-775-5897 or via email [email protected].
2014 DIRECTORYCHARTER CLUBS & PROMOTERS
All D14 membership and charter registrations/renewals, address changes,
card replacements, missed newspapers and other membership related issues
should be directed to the MEMBERSHIP ADMINISTRATOR:
MI Off Road Events ............ 517-896-9757Muskegon MC ....................... 231-733-9856NAAS ...........................................989-871-3356Ogemaw Hills Bike Week .......989-312-1312Owosso Kart Speedway ... 810-691-5781Plymouth Blackhawks .......574-904-3006Para-Dice M/C ........................616-893-3542Polka Dots MC ...................... 989-205-8807Port Huron MC ...................... 810-327-1062Portland Trail Riders........... 517-294-6161S.O.R.E. ....................................... 989-370-6791Tri-City Motor Speedway ..... 989-550-8403Tri-City Travelers ................. 989-501-0911Twin Bay Trail Riders ......... 231-645-7905UP Sandstormers ................ 906-228-7010Valley Motocross ..................517-881-8756Valley Trail Riders ................ 989-890-1411White Lake Racing .............. 989-621-8701White Trash Racing ............. 989-274-7243
4185 Blood Road, PO Box 65 • Metamora, MI 48455
810.678.2617
MATT CROWN RACING{ Suspension + Performance }
Over 25+ Years Providing Support to Local & International Riders!
Over 30+ Years Racing Experience!
Complete Line of SUSPENSION SERVICE
from Beginner to Pro!
PRIVATE & GROUPMX TRAINING!
UPS DAILY ... Quick Turn Around!!
MCRSUSPENSION.COM
6 September 2014 – Michigan’s AMA/D14 Motorsports News
LORETTA LYNN'S AMATEUR NATIONALS(Hurricane Hills, TN) | AUGUST 03Story and photos by Chris Malkiewicz
To most, Lorett a Lynn is a country singer and a coal miner’s daughter. In the world of motocross it’s the holy grail of all amateur races. With all the top sponsors watching every race, it becomes more of a job interview than anything else. The best riders in the world meet on one batt le ground to prove they are the next up and coming rider. All of this pressure either makes or breaks these riders and their family that helped get them there. Through all the great accomplishments and heart breaks, just being on the line at Lorett a’s is a success in itself. Michigan provided a large amount of riders this year and even brought home a couple championships. John Grewe stood a top all with a championship in Senior 40+ and 45+. John was sharp all week and put in consistent podium fi nishes to earn his ti tles. Another outstanding rider from Michigan was Timmy Badour with two second place fi nishes. His fi rst race in the Two Stroke class landed him the holeshot and a moto win. However he had to batt le through an illness at the end of the week to hold on for his podium results. Bart Newman worked his way to a third overall in the Masters 50+ class. Bart even surpassed many 45+ riders that were on the fi rst gate drop. One of the more unsung locals at Lorett a’s was Marshal Welti n. His fourth place fi nish in the Open Pro Sport class really turned some heads. Marshal batt led it out with all the top riders such as Aaron Plessinger, RJ Hampshire, and Chris Alldredge. His results in 250 A would’ve had him in the running for a ti tle had there been no bike issues in the second moto. Marshal sti ll managed to get on the podium fi rst moto and earn a top fi ve fi nish in his last race. This year all of the Michigan riders put in the hard work, and along with their families, sacrifi ced a lot to get to Lorett a Lynn’s. With many fi nishing in the top ten and some others experiencing the heart breaks of racing. To know that they are among the fastest riders in the country is already an accomplishment in its own. You all made Michigan a competi tor for the years to come. Congratulati ons to our local racers this year!
Michigan Mafia Hits the Hills
Marshal Welti n cruising to a podium fi nish
September 2014 – Michigan’s AMA/D14 Motorsports News 7
MORE PHOTOS on page 10 & 11Austi n Dodd on his site lap before the race
Joey Hale jumping into a top 15 fi nish
Ashton Hayes on the podium aft er a tough Schoolboy moto
Ashton Hayes showing his speed in the corners of Lorett a's
8 September 2014 – Michigan’s AMA/D14 Motorsports News
VINTAGE MX
WE FINALLYRETURNED
TO BIG AIR MX
BIG AIR MOTOCROSS (Newago, MI) | August 03Story by Steve Baginski Photos by Gregg Murphy & Steve Baginski
Where has this season been going? It seems to me that we just started summer and we are already closing in on the last few races of the season. To kick off August, we made another return to a track that we have missed for a few years as we headed to Big Air MX on August 3rd. The weather was perfect but it was a litt le wet in practi ce aft er the heavy rain aft er the previous days racing. The track dried up by the ti me racing started and it made for a fun track with some great racing. There were a few injuries by two Vintage racers in other classes and I wish them a speedy recovery. Colin Cook went down during his fi rst Non-Current moto breaking his hand. Eli Hovorka had a good morning then while racing in the aft ernoon, his thrott le stuck. He managed to walk off the track but the next morning was he broke down and went to the ER. Aft er some x-rays and MRI’s, it was diagnosed as a broken back.
early on, but was riding hard and pulled a slight gap to hold on to fourth. Ryan was sti ll learning the track with this being his fi rst trip as he ended up fi ft h. As we were lining up for moto two, Colin was not on his bike as I had seen him crash while he was in Non Current and I was in 30+. He said his hand and ribs were very sore. It
He has had a successful surgery and has started his long recovery but is in good spirits. I know this is a big injury to come back from, but he is a good strong kid and I believe he will be back in 2015.
The Innovati on class was up fi rst with Colin Cook grabbing the holeshot. I was second mixed in with the other drop. Eli Hovorka was a close third just ahead of Jeff Doneth and Ryan Baeder. Colin was able to gain a few bike lead real quick and I was hoping to be able to give him a fi ght for the win. Aft er a few laps of me doing the two larger jumps on the track, I caught up to his rear wheel. With the white fl ag waiving, coming in to the fi rst turn corner, he went wide and I saw my opening. I went to the inside and made the pass. I was hoping to gain some distance as I approached the big triple. But when I took off I heard him on the gas and knew he had now jumped it as well. I knew then that it was going to be a fi ght for the win. As we were catching a rider from the fi rst drop, I was checking the ti ming towards the barn triple and knew it was going to be close. As long as that rider
was doing the jump, I could as well and hopefully keep the lead. When we came out of the corner and I heard how hard he was on the gas, I knew he was jumping it and followed him. Colin had not jumped it and it was all the gap I needed to hold on to the win. He was a close second with Eli rounding out the podium. Jeff had a fi ght
Colin Cook was going to be a threat for the Innovati on overall unti ll a crash in his other class
resulted in a broken hand ~ photo by Gregg Murphy
Lance Shelton looked to have the Transiti on overall win unti ll a few corners from the end of moto two
~ photo by Gregg Murphy
September 2014 – Michigan’s AMA/D14 Motorsports News 9
BIG AIR continued on page 19
wasn’t until later that night I found out he had broken his hand. I am sure he will make a full recovery and be back on the bike in no time. When the gate fell, I had a better start getting the holeshot with Eli in second followed by Jeff then Ryan. I rode well with a small tip over on the last lap but luckily didn’t stall. I was back up and going just ahead of the other class leader. I would go on to another moto win. Eli rode great all alone in second as Jeff picked up his speed even more. He was getting used to the track and a few bike changes between moto’s helped a lot. He held on to round out the podium with Ryan taking fourth.
The Transition guys were next with Mark Cook getting a great start followed by Lance Shelton, George Mekjian and Joe Sangster. Lance was on the gas and going to be tough to beat even if he was on a 125. Mark was close enough for the entire race but Lance rode mistake free. Joe found his way passed George early on and held on for third. Lance had a good ride and would take the first moto win with Mark slowly closing the gap in second. For moto two, Lance was off with a great start while Mark and Joe were stuck in the pack of the other class. Lance was riding great but Mark was determined to keep it close as they pulled a little gap on Joe in third. The race for the win and the overall came down to the last few corners when disaster struck for Lance. As he was leading and on his way to the overall, his bike started sounding funny and the just stopped him on the second to last straight. He jumped off the bike and looked to see his axle nut missing and a derailed chain.
As he was quickly resetting the chain he saw Mark go by. He tried his best but just got it going to finish in second. Luckily it didn’t happen on a jump and he was so close to
the finish. So Mark’s hard charging paid off big as he won the second moto and the overall. Lance was extremely upset as the win was in his sights and had to settle for second. Joe rounded out the podium in third.
Mick McCauley made his debut with a podium in moto two~ photo by Gregg Murphy
Steve Baginski (194) making the pass for the Innovation lead over Colin Cook (90) while placing Ryan Baeder (861) a lap down ~ photo by Gregg Murphy
Bryan Hoeldtke was smooth all day taking another 1-1 in Evolution ~ photo by Steve Baginski
10 September 2014 – Michigan’s AMA/D14 Motorsports News
LORETTA LYNN continued from page 7
Timmy Badour exiting the Ten Commandments
Timmy Badour showing some style for the fans
Timmy Badour proud after taking the holeshot and a moto win
September 2014 – Michigan’s AMA/D14 Motorsports News 11
John Grewe leading his race and taking home two championships
Christopher Blackmer trying to maintain a top 10 ride through the deep sand
Marshal Weltin hanging with the top riders in Open Pro Sport
Tyler Delaney catching a breath over the Kawasaki jump
12 September 2014 – Michigan’s AMA/D14 Motorsports News
Be sure to visit these websites often during the season and o -season to make sure you’re up to date on the latest and greatest!
CHAIRPERSON ....................Bob Miller VICE CHAIR – MX................ Neil Sutfin = Michigan State Championship Race SEPTEMBER 07 Battle Creek MC ........BattleCreek 13 Open Practice................ Portland 14 Portland Trail Riders ....... Portland
enduro CHAIRPERSON .................... Bill Smith VICE CHAIR.................... Mark Beltinck SEPTEMBER 06 Baby Bear FES .............. Fairview Singletrack Off-Road Events (S.O.R.E.)
07 Grizzly Enduro ..................Fairview Singletrack Off-Road Events (S.O.R.E.) 14 MUDDOBBER NATIONAL ENDURO Muddobbers MC .........Matthews, IN 28 Travers City FES ........Traverse City NOVEMBER 01 Turkey Gobbler FES ...New Paris, IN Riders MC (Backup Date) 02 Turkey Creek ......... New Paris, IN Riders MC (Backup Date)
flat track CHAIRPERSON ..............Robert Brinker VICE CHAIR.....................Andy Nichols SEPTEMBER 06 ST ..................... I-96 Speedway 13 STATE CHAMPIONSHIP ST .......... Owosso Kart Speedway
14 STATE CHAMPIONSHIP TT ......... Owosso Kart Speedway 15 RAIN DATE – State Championship ST ...........Owosso Kart Speetway 21 RAIN DATE – State Championship TT ..............Owosso Kart Speedway
hare scrambles
CHAIRPERSON ................ Mark Becker VICE CHAIR..................Neal Soenksen VICE CHAIR (ATV) ............ Dan Brendel SEPTEMBER 21 Valley MX ......................Stanton 28 BattleCreek MC ........Battle Creek OCTOBER 05 Portland Trial Riders ........Portand 12 33 Motorsports .................... Mio NOVEMBER 09 Plymouth Blackhawks ....Culver, IN
hill climb CHAIRPERSON .................... Tom Ruid VICE CHAIR....................Roger Bibbler SEPTEMBER 13 Timber Ridge (tentative) .....Gobles 19 Muskegon MC ..............Bridgeton 20 Muskegon MC ..............Bridgeton 21 STATE CHAMPIONSHIP Muskegon MC ..............Bridgeton
road CHAIRPERSON ..................Terri Sweet VICE CHAIR ................. Jim Charlebois SEPTEMBER 20 Toys for Tots ABC Harley ................. Waterford 28 Tri City Turkey Run Crump Fox ...................... Linden
OCTOBER 05 Color Tour & Steak Fry Para Dice ..............Grand Rapids
motocross CHAIRPERSON ............... Kreg Bigelow = Vet Series - Max Points All Vet Classes
= Fall Series – Max Points All Classes SEPTEMBER 01 Baja Acres ...............................Millington 06 Big Air MX .................... Newago 07 Big Air MX .................... Newago 07 Battle Creek MC .......Battle Creek 14 Portland Trail Riders ....... Portland 14 Cadillac MC ...................Cadillac 21 Polka Dots MC ...............Midland 27 Freelin MX .................Brown City 27 Big Air MX .................... Newago 28 Freelin MX .................Brown City 28 Big Air MX .................... Newago OCTOBER 04 Great Lakes Grand Prix ....... TBA 05 Great Lakes Grand Prix ........ TBA 11 Valley MX ......................Stanton 12 Valley MX ......................Stanton 12 Bulldog Riders ..............Millington 18 Freelin MX .................Brown City 19 Freelin MX .................Brown City 25 Baja Acres ...................Millington 26 Baja Acres ...................Millington
vintage mx CHAIRPERSON ............. Steve Baginski SEPTEMBER 20 Polka Dots M/C ..............Midland OCTOBER 11 Bulldog Riders ..............Millington 26 Baja MX ......................Millington
Remember to visit
AMA-D14.ORGfor the latest updates in your division!
September 2014 – Michigan’s AMA/D14 Motorsports News 13
FreelinMX will host their 5th Annual ROCKtober Fall Festi val October 18/19. This is that perfect ti me of year, cool weather and fall colors. The racing is always HOT as racers put on that last big push of speed towards the Michigan State Championship points. Expect extra acti viti es at this race as it is that ti me of year for Ghosts, Goblins and Pumpkins, plus events surrounding this special Halloween Fall Festi val. Everyone is welcome to parti cipate in Trick-N-Treati ng Saturday evening. Make sure to stop by the front gate as treats will be available to anyone who dares to take the walk down the driveway. We encourage all campers to parti cipate and bring treats to hand out. We will have a pumpkin carving contest. FreelinMX will have pumpkins/candles on hand to give out to anyone interested in parti cipati ng. You will need your own carving tools. We love to see all the costumes so bring them and plan on showing off your style Saturday night. This includes a costume for your 4-legged family members as there will be a separate Pet Costume contest. This race will also be part of the District 14 VET series. This series is separate from the Michigan State series and gives MAX points to just the VET classes. Riders must parti cipate in a minimum of 5 races to be eligible for year-end awards. Year-end awards will be awarded up to 3rd place provided the minimum races are met in a specifi c class. We look forward to this 2014 racing fi nale. The season has been terrifi c due to a great bunch of racers, families and spectators. We couldn’t ask for more. Team Freelin works hard to ensure that you have a fun and enjoyable ti me every ti me you visit. You deserve it! For more informati on visit FreelinMX.com, check us out on FaceBook, email at [email protected] or call 989.761.1301.
FreelinMX – October 18/19
gho¤ s,goblins & pumpkins
Story by Team Freelin Photos by SpeedPunksImages.com
Talk about scary!
Cutest couple
Lil Miss Cowtails
A dog's life
14 September 2014 – Michigan’s AMA/D14 Motorsports News
BATTLE CREEK MC (Battle Creek, MI) | August 09-10Story and photos by Bart Newman
One of the oldest compe-tition Motorcycle Clubs in the country resides right here in the mitten state and during the second weekend in August the Battle Creek Motorcycle Club went to work show-
ing the riders why they have been around so long. Great weather and a great track welcomed the crowd to the BCMC battle grounds as day one of this fun filled weekend got underway on time first thing Saturday morning. Greg Keagle was a double moto winner in the Vet ranks while Tres Mckee also grab a pair of wins only Mckee split his up nabbing the Supermini win in the morning program and the Schoolboy 1 in the afternoon program even topping the 250F’s in a combined moto aboard his 100cc 2-smoker. Keagle pulled double duty running both the 35+ and 40+ motos locking down four win in four tries for his efforts as no one could match his corner speed and high fly-ing antics try as they might. Jeff Senske and Dan Bass fol-lowed Keagle across the line in both motos in there respec-tive classes but it was clear to see that Keagle had the track and his scooter dialed in and would not be denied the days victory. In Saturday’s Super-mini action it was Tres Mckee (1-1) all the way leading the class from the drop of the gate
Battle Creek M/C puts Money in to Moto
Cole Ughetti #191 placed inside the top ten in the “Money Moto” with a solid ninth and won the 14-24 class on a sunny Sunday afternoon at the BCMC
Tres Mckee #672 took to the air at the Battle Creek M/C and never looked back grabbing big wins on both days in the Supermini class
Racer Josh Lobretto and future racer Zane Lobretto enjoy some father son time before the afternoon action gets underway.
September 2014 – Michigan’s AMA/D14 Motorsports News 15
BATTLE CREEK continued on page 21
dour, Josh Lo-bretto and Jar-ett Pesci began there climb to the front. Four laps in Lorenz was flying high and his lead was growing with each pass-ing laps. The fight between Morris and Ba-dour was hot and Morris had his hands full with Badour who is com-ing off some impressive rid-ers at Loretta’s house and rid-ing with a ton of confidence. At the halfway point Badour had moved in to second trail-ing Lorenz by 18 seconds a strong push by Pesci had car-ried the Magic KTM rider in to third and now Morris had his hands full of Lobretto who was clicking off blue collar fast laps one after another reeling in Morris. The finish order was set when the white flag came out as Lorenz took the win going away earning $1400 an hour for his efforts Badour was second to cross the line knocking down $1000 an hour while Pesci was the last man on the podium, pocketing $700 an hour not a bad days work for the top three. Lobretto was fourth as Morris, Peterson, Trenton Beyer, Lucas Lowe, Ughetti and Travis Thompson rounded out the top ten. A shout out to the elder statesmen of the crowd goes to Chris Lueth, after running and winning both the 35+ and 40+ classes in the am program lined up with the kids for the half hour money race and scored a solid eleventh aboard his KTM pretty darn good for a rider spotting the field 15-20 years…
The Non-Current class was a big one as 12 riders went at it for the win. Jacob Wa-then (1-1) has spun a couple laps around the BCMC track and it showed as the Athens Michigan lad had his YZ in the pipe all day winning both motos. Trevor Vanthomme (2-2) was second in both motos but a duel with Justen Robinson (3-8) in moto one and podium guy Paul Kelly (4-3) in moto two. The cool factor in this class was father and son going head to head as the youngster Brandon Duve (5-5) put it to dad Dave Duve (9-6) in both motos but as the two came off the track in moto two it was ear to ear grins from both riders although I think Brandon’s was just a wee bit wider. Battle Creek M/C has two more events on tap you won’t want to miss another MX week-end with a practice day on Saturday September 6th and there final MX of the year on Sun-day September 7th. If you’re looking for a little woods thrown in for fun give the award
Luke Apostol #762 wheels in to the whoops with the gas on and his eye looking forward for the next victum
as this second generation rider takes away second overall with a sweat seconds moto runner up finish
to when the checkered flag flew. Mckee was on a rail all day long nailing holeshots and running strong laps as a ton of friends and family lined the fences at the BCMC to cheer on their hometown speedster. Logan Mears (2-2) and Hunter Wellman (3-3) were in a heated battle over second throughout both motos but in the end it was Mears who would claim the runner up spot in both races and in the days overall standings topping Wellman in each moto.
Sunday’s weather was near perfect and the track was spot on and ready to roll with the am program getting underway without a hitch. In the 85C class it was Hunter Well-man (1-1) making the days victory his with a double moto win aboard his trusty KTM. In the runner up spot it was second generation racer Luke Apostol (3-2) who bettered his fist moto score by one over. Xander Brooks (2-4) was the last man on the box after a strong first moto while Robert Denney (7-3) and Matt Peterson (6-5) made up the bal-ance of the top five.
The afternoon racing started off with the biggest race of the day the Battle Creek Motorcycle Clubs annual “Money Moto” with $2500 up for grabs a large contingent of fast and money hungry riders made their way to the gate for this one moto money show-down. The gate drop with a clang and the race was on, Jerry Lorenz, Cole Ugetti and Eddy Morris shoulder to shoulder while Broc Peterson tried to sneak up the inside to steal the holeshot money way from the front runners. Lorenz would not be denied and crossed the strip with a bike length to spare with Morris and Ugetti in tow. This was bad news for the 20 rider field because Lorenz was at a different speed than the rest of the boys in the race and it wasn’t long before it was clear to see that the race for first was over and the battle for the podium spot was now the focus. As the first couple laps rolled on Timmy Ba-
Brandon Duve was the king of the Duve house hold at least on the track this day staying ahead of dad Dan Duve in both
Non-Current motos on this fine day
16 September 2014 – Michigan’s AMA/D14 Motorsports News
POLKA DOTS conti nued from page PB
ATV SCENE
September 2014 – Michigan’s AMA/D14 Motorsports News 17
of myself as a trail groomer for the seri-ous riders. There were a few wet spots but nothing that was overwhelming. The trail had great flow but was difficult to follow in some areas. Now, before I start whining about arrows keep in mind, I’m color blind so arrows are a mere suggestion to me. I can’t drive my truck down the road with-out drifting. So staying on course is never an option but rather a concept for me. It has become a weird game of sorts that al-ways keeps me laughing.
Each new restart or section became easier since the sun was drying out the trail. One of the districts young guns was riding 2 rows behind me. After losing trail in each section, Alex Good would come roosting up to pull me along. It is so much easier to follow a talented rider than to rely on my failing eyeballs. Alex proved to be my savior. His young reflexes and skilled rid-ing made it easy for me to leech of his tal-ent. My day was getting more fun knowing that no matter how far I strayed from the trail, Alex would be along in 2 minutes to guide me through.
Gas stop was at a large gravel parking lot with no shade anywhere. We had to navi-gate an impromptu moto course. It was easy to slide out in the corners. Once I left that the trail became more to my lik-ing. Every section was relatively short in length but tall on required skill. I think af-ter this section is when the drama unfold-ed. We approached a gated road and was told to go back. The land owner or farmer leasing the property denied access. So an easy reroute was employed. Now the dra-ma begins. I was riding along a dirt road as instructed and saw an arrow to my right. An individual (a local or club member, no idea) pointed us to follow that arrow. That proved to be a huge error. By doing so, we had bypassed the actual restart which was only another 100 yards down the road. I knew that I had a brainfart 2 miles into this section. I remembered this fast, sandy Pine section from last year. We were rid-ing it in reverse but it was just as much fun. Since I never went through a restart I figured, “Oh well, it’s still awesome trail and I don’t care about points anyways”. When I rolled into the end check I was in-terrogated about what was happening. I explained the situation and was told to go back and re-ride the section to avoid dis-
vtrbarkbusterenduroValley Trail Riders (Bentley, MI )
August 03
I have decided to step out of my comfort zone and ride an enduro. It’s been a while since I endeavored to ride a “civilized” race. If you haven’t been keeping score I prefer to ride the more crude and simple events (much like my demeanor). The Val-ley Boys, as I like to call them never disap-point. These characters know how to put on a fun event. And, I’m biased.
This write up will be slightly different than my “normal” clean, sanitized hare scram-ble reports. I had the honor of being Joe Average racer. No worries and no respon-sibilities. I rolled in Saturday afternoon with no concern about setting up scoring, worried if I had enough rider reps and/or scoring personnel, and a general attitude of “me time”. It”s good to be an egoma-niac narcissist. I did poke my head into the clubhouse and made a feeble attempt to be helpful. If the Enduro chain of com-mand actually asked me to do something I would have responded with some techni-cal time-keeping nonsense about my bike was in need of a calibrated computer to complete my impact survey of soil analy-sis. Or whatever woods riders do to pass the time. I decided it was time to sample my cache of malt beverages. I was not se-rious at all about this event. My only goal was to have fun and assist any downed riders. Essentially, I paid $50 to have an organized trail ride.
I set up camp in the new White Trash Ab-duction trailer. Once I completed that all consuming task I ventured to sign up. I was greeted with a long line of riders. It was ad-vertised as 6:00 pm and it was 10 minutes past the hour. I was expecting the same prompt service as our hare scrambles but alas, that was not the case. No matter, I knew that the early minutes were never in demand. Those enduro guys like to strat-
egize the perfect row (minute) in order to secure some mythical advantage. My take on this is very basic. The first minute and last minute are for the real men, anything between is suited for drag queens and as-piring figure skaters. I ended up on row 5. Minute one had 3 riders already. Jerry Pekel, Tom Densmore, and Tina Flegel (the good looking one) made up my preferred row. I wanted to ride by myself this day so opted for row 5. No one else selected my row so my “strategy” was looking good. Last year I rode with Tom and Jerry (car-toon reference) on row 1. It was epic fun.
I was given a paper backing with my row assignment and a sheet of paper with some type secret code. It has been a while since I had to digest all this useless info. I decided to employ the KISS method of problem solving, disregard all nonessen-tial info and focus on what really matters. Boots, helmet, bike topped off with all fluids, and a positive attitude to have fun no matter who I had to piss off (just kid-ding). So many things to keep track of and so little desire to do so. I felt as though I was back at work. I was informed that key time was at the club house. Key Time? I forgot to bring a watch. I use to get into these events with all gadgets, bells , and whistles. Now I decided that those items were meant for the girly-men. Real men ride by how the sun sets on the horizon. If there’s daylight, you ride until it’s dark. Knowing the time of day seems like some-thing a woman would be concerned with. Yes, this was going to be a fun ride for me.
I lined up at the start and surveyed my crowd. The group of riders near my minute seemed like they have done this before. I introduced myself and inquired their class and skill level. I like to know what riders are fast and which ones share my atti-tude. This is referred to as establishing the “Pecking Order”. It is a rite of passage that takes place at every enduro. I was anxious to get going. I was waved off at 10:05 am. I rode about 2 miles of the club property which proved to be challenging. They had a hare scramble 2 weeks prior and I was on memory ride mode. I had to concentrate to ride arrows and not memories. Once off the property I was greeted with slick tall grass with an inch of slime on top. It was great trail but being an early rider always makes it more interesting. I like to think
THE BECKER CHRONICLESby Mark Becker #184, Hare Scramble Chairperson
qualification. I gave a wry smile and stated matter of factly, “ No thanks, I prefer to focus on what’s ahead.”
Through all this chaos young Alex Good de-cided on his own to re-ride the section to stay in the points chase. At that very mo-ment this young boy earned his Man Card. A true stand up performance. Well done. I on the other hand played the white trash card and started dreaming up all kinds of lame excuses. We rolled into the next re-start and was shocked by the number of riders waiting there. Throughout the day I was accustomed to being amongst the first riders at all the restarts. I rolled up on at least 15 riders patiently waiting. Their rows ranged from 15 to 25. They told me that they completely bypassed the entire last section. We shared a laugh together and figured the club would have to toss that section. No one was upset. I think we collectively agreed that stuff happens and there’s no point crying about it. So that was the big point of contention which turned out to be a non-issue. Enough said.
I remember at the riders’ meeting that we were to stay clear of the farm fields. Toward the end we had to skirt a corn field. As I rode the ever narrowing path of corn I came out to a freshly plowed field. I went into panic mode. I knew I was not supposed to be there. Another rider came against the flow pointing me back. As it turned out we were supposed to make a hard right into the woods near the end of this corn field. I know I wasn’t the only guy to make this error.
My last section was fun but the heat of the day was wearing on me. Young Alex had already ridden more than anyone else but still soldiered on. We pushed each other in the last section. I could tell he was ex-hausted but he still was riding well. Early minutes are looked upon as the worst choice at these enduros, but I maintain they are more fun. I came up on a baby fawn deer which you would never see on the late rows. There is a sense of broth-erhood among the early rows; riders tend to help each other. In the end, we’re all in this together. Ride smart, ride hard, and ride early. Semper Fi
CHRONICLES continued on page 25
18 September 2014 – Michigan’s AMA/D14 Motorsports News
ENDURO conti nued on page 24
NATIONAL ENDURO RACE REPORT
ROUND 7 (July 27) of the Nati onal Enduro Series was held in the litt le town of Cross Fork Pennsylvania. The drive here was short compared to the other nati onals at only 8 hours. The drive to race site was on a prett y winding road but had beauti ful scenery to look at. Once there we unloaded and got set up for the race. On Sunday morning my dad and I got the bikes prepped and geared up for the riders meeti ng. We were assigned row 31 which was supposed to be Charlie Mullins' row, unfortunately he was sti ll out with a wrist injury Time to go racing. The fi rst test started with the traditi onal grass tracks. I had on crash in test one where I didn't see a ditch and nosedived into it. I got back up and conti nued on. I got an okay ti me in that test and rode down the road to the second test. Dad did a quick suspension tweak soft ening both the front and rear to deal with the unlimited rock supply. The second test was my favorite of the day. I had one crash into a tree at the beginning but other than that it was awesome. It had a mix of fl owing trails for PA, roots and the ever present rocks. The suspension tweaks helped,
thanks to my best mechanic in the world. Aft er test two we got gassed up and ready for test three. Test three was prett y rocky but fast and fl owing throughout. Test four was a very rooty test with random rock
gardens throughout. Did I menti on PA has no lack of rocks, every shape & size. I had one small ti p over but got back up. When Pro Zach Ingram past me from the row behind I latched onto his rear wheel unti l the end of the test. Test fi ve was my worst test. It started out great and I felt like I was fl ying through the open trail. Then coming into the end of the secti on a sti ck
went into my bike and knocked the carb boot off the engine. I did not know it was almost the end of the secti on because I didn't see a tenth marker before the check which was just down the hill I was on. Not knowing this I waited for my Dad who had to get the sti ck out and put the carb back on. Thanks dad you are the best, now if you just were right there with me it would be even bett er. Before that litt le incident I was sitti ng second by over 2 minutes but because of that I ended up forth in B200 by only 4 seconds and 19th overall. All in all it was a awesome race and an awesome place to ride. Hope to see you at the next round in Grand Juncti on Colorado. Hopefully I can come away with a W and move up to fi rst in series points.
ROUND 8 (August 10) of the 2014 Nati onal Enduro series was held in Grand Juncti on Colorado. Aft er the short, LOL, 26 hour car ride we fi nally arrived. We got there Friday night so we had Saturday to look
around, sign up, choose ti res and test some jetti ng. We asked Chris Galt and Coy Masti n about ti res and Dad and I discussed it. I chose a knobby while dad ran a trials ti re. Turns out the dirt was prett y good and the knobby was a bett er choice. The race site started at about 8,000 feet of elevati on with some nasty cliff s, hills and dust. We headed back down to our hotel for the night so we could rest for the next days race. Its race ti me. Test 1 was a learning experience but was fun. It was very dusty because we were out in the open a lot and this is a high
desert area. It only gets about 9 inches of rain a year in the lower areas. We ran a mix of single track, which in some cases were real cow trails and open ATV trails that were very dusty. When you could see the ATV trails had cool jumps that were actually water diversion bars. Not so fun if blinded by dust. At the end was a rocky uphill that was fun and where Cody Webb passed me,
bummer. Test 2 was an A/B only secti on so there weren't as many lappers to pass. There was some scary riding in that secti on involving some side hilling along ravines and cliff s. Saw the guy that had said, "Don't fall off the ravine!" wrestling his bike back up the ravines drop off . The end had a really long uphill with some steep rocks at the end. There was supposed to be an easy line but I never saw it so I went up the pro rocks and did it cleanly. Test 3 was more open on some fun fl owing cow trail and through some nice refreshing creeks. Really fast but also very dusty in the open with some cows spectati ng in spots. Test 4 was my best test. I did not get passed by the pro on the row behind me and won the test by a minute. It
had some virgin trail along with nice single track cow trail, fast and fl owing. Test 5 was the last test for me and was prett y short. It had some cool side hills with big boulders. Nearing the end of the test I hit a root on a side hill and smacked my head prett y hard on some rocks. My front end was hanging off the edge of the hill with about a 30 foot drop off . Dad caught me there and helped me drag it back up. I ripped through the rest of the secti on to make up some of the ti me I lost. I ended up winning the secti on and winning the B200 class with a 6th in the overall B. Dad got to ride the fi nal 10 mile A/AA secti on and said it started with a huge rocky downhill on the edge of a cliff . Turned into a downhill rock fi lled sand wash then some open dusty ATV trail and fi nished up with a mile or so of ti ght technical rocky hillclimbing that was
Story and photos submitt ed by Talon Soenksen
September 2014 – Michigan’s AMA/D14 Motorsports News 19
The last three classes were all out next with Kevin Stone grabbing the holeshot. The next few were Evo riders with George Mekjian leading the way. Ray Brooks and Bryan Hoeldtke were second and third with the second Iron Man rider being Rick Stone. Derek Brooks was back just ahead of Mark Havalda and returning Mick McCauley. Randy Stone was next followed by Brian Briggs and his son Nolan was out in Schoolboy. Kevin was all excited and way over jumped the first tabletop landing at the bottom of the hill. He was a little startled, which let the rest of the pack bunch up and start making passes. The top three Evo riders were first to strike with George leading the way. As the second lap was coming to an end, Bryan was out front with a nice lead. Ray had moved into second with Derek in third as Kevin was still leading Iron Man. Mark was next with Rick all over him as they pushed each other. Mick had a slight bobble letting Randy move up a spot. The top three were staying the same as George pulled off after having some minor bike and track issues. Bryan had a decent lead and would go on to win another moto. Ray was riding great and took home another second place ahead of his son Derek. Mark was battling hard with the Iron guys finishing fourth. Kevin accepted the challenge from Mark on the last lap and it was enough of a push to keep on the top of the podium. Rick was close at the finish in second as they pulled a little gap on Randy in third. Brian rode well to fourth as Mick recovered from his crash but could only manage fifth. Nolan was out as well and is becoming part of the group in his first ever year racing. He’s still learning the tracks and gets faster as the day goes on. Kevin was at it again with another holeshot. Ray was a close second and in the overall lead a few turns later. Bryan was running third and taking a look back at Derek and Rick. Mark had a slight edge over Mick, Randy, Brian and a few seconds back to Nolan. Bryan was the first to start lap two with Ray and Derek picking up their battle. Kevin had a slight edge over Rick who was being hounded by Mark, Mick and Randy. As the race went on, Bryan was on cruise control out front as the battle for second was getting close. Ray had a little lead over Derek, but at the start of the last lap it was less than five seconds. As they dropped out of sight, it was down to half that. When they came over the last jump leading to the finish, Ray had a slight edge and would take the position and second overall. Derek had a lot of momentum but just could not make the pass and settle for third. Mark rode
even better this moto and was close to the top three in fourth. Kevin had to fight all the way to the finish again and would take another moto win and his first overall of the season. Rick rode strong but a few too many jumps for his liking forced him to settle for second. Mick turned his day around with a third in moto two but his first moto fifth put him back in fourth overall. Randy crossed in a close fourth placing him on the final step of the overall podium.
As I am writing this, we only have four races left and getting even closer to the end of the season. I can’t believe it is going so fast! Our next race is at a new track for all of us at 33 Motorsports Park in Mio on Labor Day weekend. The points and website are
currently up to date so feel free to check them out and let me know if you see any errors. For any other information please check out www.michiganvintagemotocross.com. Thanks for checking in and I hope to see you at the races.
ReSultS – Big AiR MX 8/3/14:iron Man: 1. K. Stone (Suz); 2. Ri Stone (Hsk); 3. Ra. Stone (Kaw); 4. M. McCauley (Hon); 5. B. Briggs (Hod) evolution: 1. B. Hoeldtke (Yam); 2. R. Brooks (Suz); 3. D. Brooks (Yam); 4. M. Havalda (Suz); 5. G. Mekjian (Mai) ��innovation: 1. S. Baginski (Hon); 2. E. Hovorka (Hon); 3. J. Doneth (Hon); 4. R. Baeder (Kaw); 5. C. Cook (Kaw) transition: 1. M. Cook (Hon); 2. L. Shelton (Yam); 3. J. Sangster (Hon); 4. G. Mekjian (Hon) Schoolboy innovation: 1. N. Briggs (Hod)
BIG AIR continued from page 9
Brian Briggs taking the checkers in iron Man ~ photo by Steve Baginski
Nolan Briggs continues to improve every race out in his first year of racing ~ photo by Steve Baginski
Derek Brooks hounded his dad all day long as he rounded out the evolution podium~ photo by Gregg Murphy
20 September 2014 – Michigan’s AMA/D14 Motorsports News
The Beane ReportStory and photos by Steve Beane
The Pointy End of the SpearRiding Beta's New 350 Factory with the Toledo Trail Riders
The Toledo Trail Riders aren’t shy about their love for motorcycles, nor their af-fection for riding at their home base, Maumee State Forest. With that in mind I wasn’t surprised to learn that they were planning a Labor Day ride on the sandy soil of MSF, just south of Swanton, Ohio, and I immediately made plans to join them.
I had been itching to find the right occa-sion to break out the new Beta 350 Fac-tory that was prepped and ready to go, and this seemed like just as good of a time as any. Besides getting a chance to ride it myself, by passing it around to the Toledo Trail Riders I was sure to garner some hon-est feedback on the new bike from a vari-ety of A and B class riders, most of whom had previous 4 stroke experience, and all but one of whom was now two-stroke mounted.
Straight off the truck the 350 Factory gar-nered a lot of attention. I’m not alone in thinking that it’s one of, if not, THE sexi-est dirt bikes ever created. The Italians weren’t content to bolt in their latest four-stroke power plant into a carry -over bike and call it a day. They threw the red anod-izing stick at their latest “Factory” offering, with red Marzocchi PFP forks (with black DLC coated lowers), axle pulls, reservoir caps, spoke nipples and axle blocks, and when they were done with that they black anod-ized the triple clamps, bil-let footpegs, shifter and rear brake pedal. Topped off with a fresh red, white, and blue motif and you have a truly stunning motorcycle.
Despite being a hard-core and die-hard
two stroke rider, I knew after only a few tenths of a mile that Beta had created a fantastic dirt bike. While not as light side-to-side as my regular 2stroke 250RR, the 350 Factory was very agile without being darty. The dry sand was preventing a true evaluation of cornering prowess, but the first trip down the back-stretch on the east side revealed an incredible ability to track straight and gobble up big whoops. Some of that may be attributed to a plush 4 stroke rolling feel, and some to the Mar-zocchi and Sachs suspension, but there is no doubt that the Italian bike can handle the big hits. Rock and root absorption evaluations will be reserved until the sus-pension breaks in, but MSF doesn’t serve up much in the way of high-frequency trail content anyway.
Picking a speed was easy, as the newly revamped 350cc mill refused to buck or chug, instead going as fast or slow as my right hand dictated. The power lacks the snappy feel of a two-stroke, but the revs seem to go on for days. Shifting, while not entirely optional, was certainly discretion-ary. When it came time to slow down the relatively low level of engine braking was a pleasant surprise – it was certainly less than the 2014 KTM250 XC-F that was also present - but the speed of the bike was deceptive, and consequently the front and
rear brakes got used heavily. The 260mm front rotor delivered lots of stopping con-sistent power, but as is somewhat com-mon the rear protested and faded in the face of re-l e n t l e s s pedal drag-ging by some rid-ers.
The over-all level of power seemed to fall some-where be-tween a 250 and 300 two-s t r o k e (of which there was a particu-larly strong GasGas 300 present), but the linearity and breadth were eye-open-ing. One rider purposely drove the bike deep into the corners to try to “drown the engine” but commented that his efforts weren’t rewarded. The new six-spring clutch metered the power beautifully in
the corners, and shifts were con-sistent with or without the clutch.. What wasn’t there was equally im-pressive – the FMF Powerbomb and Q Stealth mute the exhaust note, and the overall package exhibited the fewest vibrations I’ve ever experi-enced when wringing the neck of an off-road bike.
As is an unfortunate but familiar oc-currence at MSF, we didn’t have the trails to ourselves for too long before the quads and side-by-sides showed up*, and after a couple laps of play-ing ‘dodge the caravan’ it seemed like a good time to wrap it up. Nev-ertheless a number of the TTR guys got to sample the new Beta 350 Fac-tory and offer their comments on its performance. They ranged from “it’s
the lightest, most flickable 4 stroke I’ve ever ridden” to “that’s the smoothest bike I’ve ever thrown a leg over” to “great sus-pension” to “wow, is that thing quiet” to
“that motor just won’t quit, from the very bottom to the very top”. Everyone com-mented on the smooth, broad power, and one rider said he preferred the off-idle smoothness that the FCR carb provided over the snap of his fuel-injected 250F.
A good day? You could definitely say that. I got to ride with my buddies south of the border, and we all got to share the first 50 miles of an exotic and imminently capable off-road bike’s life._____________________________* (Besides being one of the few “forests” with very few trees, the seven mile long Maumee State Forest trail represents almost one-quarter of the public riding mileage in Ohio. To make matters worse its open to quads and side-by-sides as well.)
PlusOnePerformance is the purveyor of fine Ital-ian (Beta) and Spanish (GasGas) dirt bikes. Hunt us down at a Family Enduro, D14 hare scramble, or even at a ride day like that hosted by the To-ledo Trail Riders. For that matter, come and join us for a ride in the Michigan woods, or catch up with us at www.afterhourscycle.com. Lovely to look at, better to ride
Smooth, fast, and quiet, with just a bit of jewelry to spiff it up
September 2014 – Michigan’s AMA/D14 Motorsports News 21
winning BCMC Hare Scramble track a try on Sunday Sep-tember 24th either way a good time is sure to be had.
RESULTS – Battle Creek MC 8-9-14: 125 B/C: 1. Beans Tilma (Yam); 2. Brandon Taylor (Hon); 3. Charles Boley (Ktm); 4. Jose Serbantez (Suz); 14-24: 1. Trenton Beyer (Kaw); 2. Ja-mie Discher (Kaw); 3. Cody Campbell (Hon); 4. Dylan Lorenz (Yam); 5. Raymond Thrasher Jr (Hon); 250 A : 1. Lucas Lowe (Ktm); 2. Trenton Beyer (Kaw); 250 B : 1. Bryce Libtow (Hon); 2. Caleb Kebler (Ktm); 3. Ty Woodard (Kaw); 4. Garrett Hunter (Kaw); 250 C: 1. Pierce Soule (Yam); 2. Raymond Thrasher Jr (Hon); 3. Justin Mcdonald (Hon); 4. Thomas Lindsey (Hon); 5. Chase Wilkins (Kaw); 35+: 1. Greg Keagle (Hon); 2. Jeff Senske
45+: 1. Bart Newman (Hon); 2. Dan Vanthomme (Ktm); 3. James Mckittrick (Kaw); 4. George Kelley (Hon); 5. John Love (Kaw); 50 4-6 JR: 1. Christopher Ramirez (Ktm); 50 4-8 SS: 1. Christo-pher Ramirez (Ktm); 2. Markeis Clemons (Cob); 50 4-8 TRAIL: 1. Cayden Pettengill (Hon); 50 7-8 SR: 1. Logan Lockwood (Cob); 2. Reed Dickinson (Ktm); 3. Ty Denney (Ktm); 50+: 1. Bart Newman (Hon); 2. Rod Seibert (Yam); 3. Joseph Wathen (Ktm); 4. Gary Saya (Hon); 5. John Love (Kaw); 60+: 1. Donald Wier (Yam); 2. Ed Shively (Ktm); 65 7-11: 1. Cameron Martin (Ktm); 2. Hunter Robbins (Kaw); 3. Logan Wellman (Ktm); 65 7-9: 1. Trevor Sen-ske (Kaw); 65 BEGINNER: 1. Logan Lockwood (Ktm); 2. Stephen Elliott (Kaw); 85 9-13: 1. Noah Willbrandt (Yam); 2. Konnor Visger (Ktm); 85C: 1. Hunter Wellman (Ktm); 2. Luke Apostol (Yam); 3. Xander Brooks (Yam); 4. Robert Denney (Yam); 5. Mat-thew Peterson (Kaw); 85 JR 7-11: 1. Noah Willbrandt (Yam); 2. Konnor Visger (Ktm); 3. Cameron Martin (Ktm); MINI SENIoR 12-15: 1. Beans Tilma (Yam); 2. Logan Mears (Hon); MoNEY MoTo: 1. Jerry Lorenz (Yam); 2. Timmy Badour (Hon); 3. Jarett Pesci (Ktm); 4. Josh Lobretto (Kaw); 5. Eddie Morris (Hon); NoN CURRENT: 1. Jacob Wathen (Yam); 2. Trevor Vanthomme (Hon); 3. Paul Kelley (Hon); 4. Brandon Duve (Suz); 5. Alexander Wood (Kaw); oPEN A: 1. Jarett Pesci (Ktm); 2. Eddie Morris (Hon); 3. Josh Lobretto (Kaw); oPEN B: 1. Thomas Hatfield (Kaw); 2. Jamie Discher (Kaw); 3. Austin Visger (Ktm); 4. Cody Caldwell (Yam); oPEN C: 1. Austin Cary (Yam); 2. Tyler Palmatier (Yam); 3. Cody Eddington (Kaw); 4. Nathan Ophaug (Hon); SCHooL BoY 1: 1. Richard Reickel (Yam); 2. Tres Mckee (Kaw); SCHooL BoY 2: 1. Richard Reickel (Yam); 2. Hunter Barber (Unk); 3. Cur-tis Hanson (Ktm); SUPERMINI: 1. Tres Mckee (Kaw); 2. Logan Mears (Hon); 3. Hunter Wellman (Hon); 4. Matthew Peterson (Kaw); TRAIL BLAZER: 1. Madison Pettengill (Kaw); VET C: 1. Doug Lindsey (Kaw); 2. Travis Symmes (Hon); 3. Charles Young-love (Yam); WoMENS SR: 1. Kennedy Kebler (Yam).
(Kaw); 40+: 1. Greg Keagle (Hon); 2. Daniel Bass (Suz); 45+: 1. Gary Saya (Hon); 50 4-8 SS: 1. Markeis Clemons (Cob); 50 4-8 TRAIL: 1. Cayden Pettengill (Hon); 50 7-8 SR: 1. Logan Lockwood (Cob); 2. Reed Dickinson (Ktm); 3. Ty Denney (Ktm); 4. Carter Craig (Ktm); 50+: 1. Joseph Wathen (Ktm); 2. Gary Saya (Hon); 3. Brian Heightchew (Yam); 60+: 1. Ed Shively (Ktm); 65 7-11: 1. Cameron Martin (Ktm); 2. Logan Wellman (Ktm); 65 BEGINNER: 1. Cody Delisle (Kaw); 2. Logan Lockwood (Ktm); 85 9-13: 1. Noah Willbrandt (Yam); 2. Konnor Visger (Ktm); 85 C 10-15: 1. Hunter Wellman (Ktm); 2. Xander Brooks (Yam); 3. Logan Wellman (Suz); 4. Robert Denney (Yam); 5. Brock Zehr (Hon); 85 JR 7-11: 1. Noah Willbrandt (Yam); 2. Kon-nor Visger (Ktm); 3. Cameron Martin (Ktm); Mini Senior 12-15: 1. Logan Mears (Hon); 2. Beans Tilma (Yam); 3. Tres Mckee (Hon); NoN CURRENT: 1. Cole Ughetti (Suz); 2. Cody Younglove (Yam); 3. Blake Gentz (Yam); 4. Kristopher Boyd (Yam); 5. Joshua Haemelinck (Suz); oPEN A: 1. Lucas Lowe (Ktm); oPEN B: 1. Jamie Discher (Kaw); 2. Bryce Lib-tow (Hon); 3. Cody Campbell (Hon); 4. Austin Visger (Ktm); 5. Cody Caldwell (Yam); oPEN C: 1. Blake Gentz (Yam); 2. Austin Cary (Yam); 3. Nathan Ophaug (Hon); 4. Kristopher Boyd (Yam); 5. Steven Reimer (Yam); QUAD 16-29: 1. Andrew Hartwell (Yam); 2. Adam Wilson (Hon); QUAD 30+: 1. Tony Wroblewski (Hon); 2. Brendon Holtz (Suz); 3. Jacob Hill (Yam); 4. Chris Conleey (Yam); 5. Larry Seeley Ii (Hon); QUAD 40+: 1. Brendon Holtz (Suz); QUAD 50 LTD SToCK: 1. Cashton Carpenter (Drr); 2. Gage Isham (Drr); QUAD 70 PRoD: 1. Gabriel Martens (Cob); 2. Easton Ur-banek (Cob); 3. Cody Roth (Drr); QUAD 90 MoDIFIED: 1. Blair Miller (Yam); 2. Andrew Maurer (Yam); QUAD B: 1. Andrew Hartwell (Yam); 2. Tony Wroblewski (Hon); 3. Adam Wilson (Hon); 4. Mike Caron (Yam); QUAD C: 1. Dylan Mercure (Hon); 2. Jacob Hill (Yam); 3. Chris Isham (Hon); QUAD SCHooL BoY JR: 1. Jacob Nixon (Yam); 2. Chase Seeley (Cob); QUAD SCHooL BoY SR: 1. Drew Mercure (Hon);
QUAD YoUTH oPEN: 1. Blair Miller (Yam); SCHooL BoY 1: 1. Tres Mckee (Kaw); SUPER-MINI: 1. Tres Mckee (Kaw); 2. Logan Mears (Hon); 3. Hunter Wellman (Hon); TRAIL BLAZ-ER: 1. Madison Pettengill (Kaw); VET C: 1. Doug Lindsey (Kaw); 2. Travis Symmes (Hon); 3. Charles Younglove (Yam); WoBBLER 50 CC BEG: 1. Samuel Zanber (Yam); WoMENS SR: 1. Kennedy Kebler (Yam);
RESULTS – Battle Creek Motorcyle Club 08/10/2014: 125 B/C: 1. Beans Tilma (Yam); 2. Brandon Taylor (Hon); 14-24: 1. Cole Ughetti (Suz); 2. Travis Thompson (Yam); 3. Jacob Jones (Hon); 4. Dylan Lorenz (Yam); 5. Stephen Turchanik (Yam); 25 +: 1. Jerry Lorenz (Yam); 2. Josh Lobretto (Kaw); 250 A: 1. Tren-ton Beyer (Kaw); 2. Justin Brusseau (Yam); 250 B: 1. Bryce Libtow (Hon); 2. Jordan Willis (Yam); 3. Caleb Kebler (Ktm); 4. Jacob Shum-way (Yam); 250 C: 1. Chase Wilkins (Kaw); 2. Raymond Thrasher Jr (Hon); 3. Justin Mcdon-ald (Hon); 4. Hunter Cimini (Kaw); 5. Kennedy Kebler (Yam); 30+: 1. Justin Brusseau (Yam); 35+: 1. Chris Lueth (Ktm); 2. Greg Keagle (Hon); 3. Dan Kraska (Yam); 4. Ronald Rickert (Ktm); 5. Jeff Senske (Kaw); 40+: 1. Greg Keagle (Hon); 2. Aaron Apostol (Ktm); 3. Dan Kraska (Yam); 4. Dan Duve (Suz); 5. Dan Vanthomme (Ktm);
Jerry Lorenz #881was a dominate force taking the win going away in the BCMC “Money Moto” and was rewarded handsomely for his efforts
BIG AIR continued from page 15
Chris Lueth turned in double no triple duty winning both the 35+ and 40+ classes in the morning this just missing a
top ten spot in the afternoon money moto against the kids
Jacob Wathen #801 sprays dirt all over the field in the Non-Current class nailing down two convincing
wins and the overall at Sundays BCMC event
22 September 2014 – Michigan’s AMA/D14 Motorsports News
Vintage MXReturn Winners to
Top the Podium
CADILLAC MOTORCYCLE CLUB (Cadillac, MI) | August 16Story by Steve Baginski | Photos by Shannon Visger and Steve Baginski
Let the driving begin for most of us. The beginning of the season was relati vely close to everyone. The last race was to Big Air, now we are at Cadillac and the next race is up to M-33 in Mio. I skipped heading out on Saturday due to the amount of rain that was coming down. They received a lot of rain but I knew it was going to create some great conditi ons for Sunday. When I fi rst hit the track, I was right and the conditi ons were perfect. The dirt and weather were going to be great for some up North racing. Our turnout was a litt le low but there was some great race acti on!
The Innovati on and Evoluti on classes were fi rst out in two drops. Chad Morehouse grabbed the fi rst start with be a few bikes back real quick. Kris Gillett was screaming his 125 in third with Jeff Doneth in fourth. George Mekjian was fast again off the start followed by Ray and Skyler Brooks. Mark Havalda was on a borrowed Iron Man bike from Mike Poirier followed by Randy Stone. My problems started quickly going into the second turn. When I shut off to make the turn, my thrott le was stuck wide open. Luckily I was able to get it shut off before a major crash. I kept going and when it did it again aft er the big step up, I pulled over to check it out. Chad got away, Kris made an easy pass for second and Jeff even yelled at me as he passed! All the other racers from Evo also made it passed before I got going again. Ray and Skyler were out front as George slipped to third. On lap two, Chad was keeping a slight edge over Kris with Jeff sti ll in third. I was slowly making my way forward as Skyler made the pass for the lead over his dad. George was also in third with Mark riding well on his borrowed bike. As the race went on, I made it up to third as Chad and Kris were batt ling for the lead and catching me. Skyler was sti ll holding on to the lead in Evo as Mark was slowly catching George. As I was coming towards the fi nish, I also saw Chad coming and gave him plenty of room to put me a lap down. Kris was closer than I thought and had a good view as he was trying to catch Chad. He would run out of ti me and fi nish a very close second as I rounded out the podium a lap down while Jeff rode well to fourth. Out front in Evo there
George Mekjian was another double class racer, he had some good batt les and fi nished on the podium in three of four motos
~ photo by Steve Baginski
Richard Laughlin made his Vintage debut taking the top spot in Iron Man ~ photo by Steve Baginski
September 2014 – Michigan’s AMA/D14 Motorsports News 23
VINTAGE MX conti nued on page 25
Vintage MXReturn Winners to
Top the Podium
over in the same corner as I did and had trouble restarti ng his bike. Chad was then able to get away and take another moto win and the overall. I held on to second for second overall while Jeff took over third from Kris aft er his problems. Ray and Skyler conti nued their batt le with no more than a few seconds separated them all moto long. However this ti me, Ray led the enti re race and took the moto win and the overall. Skyler earned his 2-2 and Mark rode well enough to take over third from George aft er his problems. And with them swapping moto positi ons, Mark was able to steal the last step of the podium from George. Randy would get his problems fi xed but only manage fi ft h.
The other three classes were once again out together with George Mekjian getti ng another good start. Austi n Visger was out on another diff erent bike in second with Ray Brooks bringing out his Tm for the fi rst ti me this year. Richard Laughlin made his return getti ng into the lead early. Kevin Stone was loving his hand made sand ti re while Richard Stone was running third. Randy Stone was out in fourth with Brian Briggs ahead of Mike Poirier. Nolan Briggs was at it again in the Schoolboy class on his fi rst real sandy track. At the start of lap two it was Austi n out front with Ray in second with a very small lead over George. Laughlin was out front with a small
was a change as Ray was able to make the pass for the fi rst moto victory. Skyler kept it close as George held on for third. Mark was on the gas and closed the gap a litt le towards the end but had to sett le for fourth as Randy crossed in fi ft h. For the start of moto two, my bike seemed to be fi xed but it was Chad quickest once again with the holeshot. I was a close second with Kris on my rear wheel. Jeff was also quick off the gate in fourth. The Evo start went to George once again on his Maico. Ray was a close second with Mark slipping into third just ahead of Skyler. Randy was slow out of the gate and not in the fi rst turn at the same ti me. Me and Chad had a great batt le going unti l the third lap when he took the inside of a turn and I went to the outside. I hit the soft berm and went down and my foot got stuck under the bike. I was waiti ng to hear Kris go by but later I found out he made it only a few turns before some thrott le issues of his own forced him to pull off . I remounted as quickly as possible and held on to second. George came around and ti pped Chad Morehouse (82) was on the gas from the start of practi ce ~ photo by Shannon Visger
Austi n Viger was on top of Transiti on in both motos ~ photo by Shannon Visger
Kevin Stone faught hard but slipped backto third in the second Iron Man moto ~ photo by Shannon Visger
Richard Stone fought hard in both motos and earned his second place in moto two and second overall in Iron Man
~ photo by Steve Baginski
24 September 2014 – Michigan’s AMA/D14 Motorsports News
ENDURO conti nued from page 18
SEPTEMBER 2014 – by Steve Beane
Many of you may remember Fred Klipple. Fred raced dirt bikes, MXers primarily, for 40 years or so. On greeti ng him aft er a parti cularly nasty race day at Portland, Fred spoke these ti meless words – “If you’re going to ride in Michigan, you’re going to get wet”. I think of Fred every ti me I’ve got water on both sides of my googles, my toes are squeegying liquid inside my sodden boots, and the only dry part of me is the roof of my mouth.
The recent Indiana MX Nati onal would properly qualify as a “mudder”. Don’t know what a “mudder” is? Watch the Indiana Nati onal!
No matt er how fi rmly you think your grips are att ached to your bars, rain will separate rubber from aluminum. Glue them. Safety-wire them. Glue AND safety-wire them on. I only menti on that because I had to help a buddy wire his grips on in the down-pour that was August 16th.
Some of my best riding memories are of riding in the rain. Sure mud is hard on chains and sprockets and brake pads, but as long as you don’t take yourself too seriously you can have some incredible fun when the skies open up.
Excessive moisture can also make a fantasti c track or trail fantasti cally diffi cult. It wasn’t raining the day Batt le Creek hosted the Nati onal Hare Scrambles, but everybody I talked to sped up going down the hills … when they applied their brakes! Turning the bars wasn’t much help – you just had to hope your front ti re ended up on the right side of the tree you were accelerati ng towards.
Trey Canard slayed a dragon in Tooele Utah recently. Aft er four years of trying, and against incredible odds, he put his Honda CRF450 on top of the box in both motos at the season-ending MX nati onal.
Speaking of Canard, he and his google guy were on their game in Indiana – in one moto Canard wore a pair of Roll-Off -equipped goggles over top of a second set
of tear-off equipped Scott s. When he ran out of fi lm on the fi rst set he reached up and tossed them, leaving the second set to off er clear vision.
Congratulati ons to KTM and their superstar 450 MX duo of Ken Roczen and Ryan Dungey. Sure Canard and Tomac were able to steal moto and even overall wins (and don’t forget Stewart’s big day at High Point), but it was never in questi on that one of the two Orange Riders would take home the crown in the big-bore class.
Jeremy Marti n won Yamaha’s fi rst 125/250F crown in decades … the tuning-fork brand had been shut out since Jeff Emig’s ti ddler days. Star Yamaha teammate batt led to the last moto of the season before surrendering second place in the series to veteran Blake Baggett on the ProCircuit Kawasaki.
If you haven’t yet, consider donati ng to the Elizabeth Scott ISDE team as they prepare for this year’s Argenti nian six-day enduro. Team manager and all-round good guy Paul Bucher is sponsoring a club team whose average age is roughly 76 years old. I made that part up – it’s closer to 50! Go to AmericanMotorcyclist.com/racing/internati onalcompeti ti on/isde and get it done.
As a purveyor of two reasonably exoti c off -road bike brands – Beta and GasGas – I’m all for moto-diversity. I was nearly giddy when Beta’s fi nished 1st and 5th in the recent Tennsessee Knock-Out extreme endure. Three KTMs, a Christi ni, and a Yamaha fi lled out the top seven. At the Aveyronaise Classic Enduro in France the top ten included four Shercos, a pair of Betas, two KTMs, a Yamaha (the winner’s ride), and a Kawasaki!
It may not always be sunny, but the PlusOnePerformance/aft erhourscycle.com crew loves riding the great outdoors rain or shine! Join us on one of Michigan’s excellent ORV trails or at a D14 hare scrambles or enduro .We even provide trail-side tuning and set-up assistance.
fun. This was defi nitely the coolest race I have ever parti cipated in and was a unique experience. It wouldn't be possible without my parents, God, or my sponsors.
ROUND 9 (August 31) of the Nati onal Enduro Series was held in Union, South Carolina on Labor Day weekend. That was the good part about this race because I didn't have to do anything Monday morning. Sorry this race report was a litt le late but since school has started I have had lots of homework and sports to do. The race was extremely hot, mid 90s and dusty and since we were on row 82 the track was kind of rough. We had a good nights sleep the night before and we were ready to race. While getti ng geared up I forgot my under liner for my pants that I put on under my knee braces so aft er some improvisati on we were race ready. The fi rst test was tons of fun and had some fun uphills and downhills. I ended up being the fastest on my row so would
lead the rest of the day. I came through with a good ti me and was ready for test two. Test two was fairly open and fun with some parts that reminded me of some of our local D14 races. Test three was similar to test two but had some ti ghter secti ons as well and also some rutt ed and rooty secti ons that were a blast. Test four was fun and had some nice fl owing pines. I had a litt le ti p over in a corner but sti ll fi nished alright. Test fi ve was the last test for B riders and was fairly ti ght. At the end of the test there was some rocks that I don't think anybody expected which added to the diffi culty with the heat. It seemed like they empti ed a couple semis of soft ball ball size rocks and just randomly scatt ered them on the trail. Once I got fi nished up I checked the scores. I got a solid second in B200 and seventh overall. I was happy with my place parti ally because I gained valuable points towards the championship. I hope to do well at the fi nal round in Indiana and win the nati onal championship in my fi rst year of B class.
Thank you to all that support me and help get us to the races. I hope to have your support next season! Thank you: MSR, GALFER, MOTOREX, LAKE CYCLE, SAFETY FIRST MOTORSPORTS, ACERBIS, SKORBORZ, ENDURO ENGINEERING, TWIN AIR, GAERNE, FACTORY CONNECTION, LEATT, RENTHAL, EVS, FMF, POWERSPORT GRAPHICS, 100% GOGGLES, GOD, AND MY PARENTS.
September 2014 – Michigan’s AMA/D14 Motorsports News 25
POLKa DOTSHARE
SCRAMBLEPolka Dots MC (Midland, MI )
August 17
The total number of entries says it all: 175 riders got to experience one of the best tracks in the state. I don’t know who is responsible for the track grooming and lay out but those person(s) deserve our thanks. This is the easiest write up for me to do. This club has positioned itself as the premier track. The breakdown is as fol-lows: 77-3hr, 80-2hr, and 18 mini. There were 19 teams which is a record this year.
The moto track was picturesque. It was tilled to a perfect 6” of loamy tractioniz-ing soil. I walked across the track and sank a few inches into a cushion of comfort. It was watered perfectly as well. I can’t think of anything to find fault with. The club members are always great to work with and the riders followed the course with no drama. The twist was that we ran the entire moto track in reverse. Natural-ly, all the jumps were reworked to make it safe. As awesome as the MX track was, I don’t want to take anything away from the woods section. This was mostly in re-verse as well. What surprised me the most was what a great flow this track had. It has always been great but this year seemed to set a new standard. All clubs/promot-ers are faced with using the same piece of real estate year in and year out. This is a monumental task of keeping the riders happy. Polka Dots has somehow found a formula that works well. I suspect this club puts in many hours of labor to pull off this event. If you are falling off the power curve, I really like this track.
The weather was outstanding all weekend. I think we had about an 80 degree day to test our suspension. This track requires a plush set of boingers. The woods are so soft and swampy that braking bumps and
VINTAGE MX continued from page 23CHRONICLES continued from page 17
rough chop develop after one lap. I pre-rode saturday on my fat tire bike and no-ticed how rough it was already. Another great item I want to point out is that the trail was well established. Meaning that club members took the time to “burn” it in for the throttle twisting “M” riders. It was easy to follow and well marked.
The start was too close to scoring so we had to bypass that on the first go around. After that it was like clockwork. My awe-some scoring crew reported no issues and no drama. Thank you to them and to the riders. Makes my day when I don’t have to be the “chairman”.
So now I will share some of my drama. My start was my norm, slow to respond and at best 4th into the first corner. I’m really missing my 2-stroke but the yellow tanker does have a few redeeming qualities. My first lap proved to be exciting. I made a few passes (clean with no contact) and settled into a brisk pace. I launched over some of the jumps not because I’m an expert moto guy but rather I got sucked into peer pres-sure. The very thing your parents tell you not to do. Jumping is a science that I have no formula to apply. It scares and excites me at the same time. I liked physics even in school. They make sense and they can’t be argued. Launching your $8000 dirtbike over a 45 foot gap at a speed that will break all major bones in your very frag-ile body will over-ride any sense of logic about physics. Some riders even have the ability to make mid-air corrections. My style is more like Russian roulette. There is a one-in-six chance I’ll take a head shot.
Once I entered the woods I felt more at ease. My bike felt more comfortable slam-ming through the trees and choppy ter-rain. Speeds are slower which makes me feel safer. I’ve never been a fan of high speed anything. I closed the gap on first place rider Mark Smith. However, there was a rider between us. So I decided to have a little fun. I started bellowing all kinds of nonsense about you’re holding up progress and my grandma can ride faster than this. I failed to realize that the poor rider between us was part of this collat-eral damage. My intent was to rattle Mr. Smith and not this guy between us. My apologies unknown rider. Of course, Mr. Smith being a salty dog veteran was not
concerned at all of my lame attempt of head game antics. No matter, he eventu-ally made a bad line choice and afforded me my opportunity to go by. Sometime later he got by me on the moto track (no surprise) but I wasn’t too worried because I had his number in the woods. Joe Mapes also had a turn leading that day. He even-tually pulled out for unknown reasons. That enduro-cross section was super technical and was my eventual undoing. I lost so much time through there for the simple fact that my short legs can’t handle that 180 degree right turn with the log. The spools also proved problematic for me. I should have taken the by-pass since in the long run it would have been faster for this guy. That’s racing, always have an excuse ready as to why you didn’t win. Enough said.
On a side note, have you ever had this problem? My helmet got hooked onto my neck brace on the left side. I have been racing for 30 years and never experienced that level of gut-wrenching panic induced fear like that. It happened just before the big double as you exited the woods. Hav-ing my head restrained like that did not sit well with me. I will re-evaluate the wear-ing of neck braces now. That was unac-ceptable. My drink system hose lays on the right side by the way.
I think I was the last guy to make it through that bottomless trench near the end of the woods section. The club did a great job of re-routing that and also the ditch crossing before the start of the MX track. Now, that double-double jump was too much fun. I always looked forward to that part of the track. I remember years ago that was a bit taller and steeper. It was almost at a level of do-or-die. The club made the necessary adjustments and now has become a trademark item of the track. Again, well done.
Mototally will have all the drama laid out in lap times complete with excuses (not really). Since our season is in the home stretch now I will have a mid-season re-port in next month’s paper. How’s that for timely work? That’s sarcasm for the read-ing impaired. I will leave you with this last quote, “Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason. “ Mark Twain.
gap back to Kevin and then Rick. Randy was holding down fourth ahead of Brian then Mike. With the white flag waiving the big change was that we were missing Randy. He had some bike issues but luckily he was close to the finish and didn’t have far to push to get back to the pits. Austin came around with the moto one victory with a nice lead over Ray in second. George was equally gapped back in third. Laughlin was fast from the gate drop and even put Brian, Mike and Nolan a lap down and between him and Kevin in second. Rick held on to round out the podium. When the gate fell for moto two, George once again was first through turn one. Kevin was second with Austin and Laughlin fighting for third. Ray and Rick were next just ahead of Big Mike, Brian and Nolan. Randy stalled as soon as the gate dropped but finally got it started and was off to catch the pack. At the start of lap two it was Austin once again out front with George not far behind just ahead of Ray. Laughlin had taken over the lead in Iron as Kevin was holding off Rick. Austin was holding on to the lead and looking good and so was George until just after the finish jump. He went over the inside of the turn after and tipped over. Ray was close and took over second and was hoping it would take him long to get going. He was up quick and didn’t stall his bike and was on the chase. Kevin came around as the new leader in Iron and Rick was even in second. Laughlin came next and was on the gas after an obvious tip over. Randy was up to fourth and looking great Brian had a nice lead over big Mike. As they started the last lap, Austin was out front with a nice lead while George was closing quickly on Ray in second. Laughlin had retaken the lead as Rick took over second just after the finish jump. When the race came to an end, it was Austin with a nice lead as the fight for second was going to go all the way to the finish. Ray would barely be able to hold on to second with George in second. Laughlin would pull a few bike lead on the last two laps as Rick would stay ahead of Kevin for second. They also swapped positions with Rick overtaking second from Kevin. Randy would hang on to fourth in the second moto but his first moto DNF would drop him to sixth. Brian had a good ride in fifth for fourth overall just ahead of Big mike in fifth overall. Nolan was once again getting more comfortable in the sand earning another victory.
VINTAGE MX continued on page 26
26 September 2014 – Michigan’s AMA/D14 Motorsports News
DIRTWISE conti nued from page PB
VINTAGE MX conti nued from page 25
One of D14’s Largest Kids’ Track for the Youngsters
with a pavilion nearby
21758 Waubascon RoadBattle Creek, MI 49017
ClubHouse 269.964.0778General Info 269.729.9691
GPS Coordinates: Lat. 42.3879N Long. 85.2108W
LOCAL SPONSORS: Custom Connecti on Motorsports George Danke Motorcycle Company • JT Cycle
Katz Well Drilling • Seyberts Kubota Kings • Shortys Cycle
For 2014 MX Classes & Rules visit D14MX.com
BATTLECREEK MOTORCYCLE CLUB
• Traditional, yet very modern & pristine club.
• Plenty of parking & camping on lush grounds.
• Track is one of the state’s best with little dust and plenty of good racing.
• Very safe track design.
• Plenty of personnel to help with sign up, safety, parking, & rider assistance. safety, parking, & rider assistance.
Gates open at Noon on Friday prior to races. 7 a.m. sign up with Practice at 9:00 a.m.
Racing approx. 10:30 a.m.
SINCE 1928!
SATURDAY09.27
Open MX Practice
SUNDAY09.28
Hare Scramble
We are now headed to M-33 Motorsports Park for our Labor Day weekend race. Then we take a few weeks off and come back on Saturday September 20th when we go to Polka Dots. Then we fi nish up the season in Birch run with the penulti mate round at Bulldogs on Saturday October 11th. Then we fi nish up the season at Baja for the Annual Monster Mash Weekend on October 26th. For any other informati on please check out www.michiganvintagemotocross.com. Thanks for checking in and I hope to see you at the races.
RESULTS – CADILLAC 8/16/14Iron Man: 1. R. Laughlin (Suz); 2. Ri. Stone (Hsk); 3. K. Stone (Suz); 4. B. Briggs (Hod); 5. M. Poirier (Yam); 6. Ra. Stone (Kaw) Evoluti on: 1. R. Brooks (Suz); 2. S. Brooks (Yam); 3. M. Havalda (Suz); 4. G. Mekjian (Mai); 5. R. Stone (Kaw) �� I nnovati on: 1. C. Morehouse (Hon); 2. S. Baginski (Hon); 3. J. Doneth (Hon); 4. K. Gillett (Kaw) Transiti on: 1. A. Visger (Yam); 2. R. Brooks (TM); 3. G. Mekjian (Hon) Schoolboy Innovati on: 1. N. Briggs (Hod)
Ray (015) and Skyler Brooks (468) were never far apart in both motos ~ photo by Shannon Visger
Ray Brooks brought out his Tm 250 to do batt le in a second Vintage calss fi nished second in Transiti on
~ photo by Steve Baginski
September 2014 – Michigan’s AMA/D14 Motorsports News 27
NingXia Nitro is an all-natural way to increase cogniti ve alertness, enhance mental fi tness, and support overall performance. Its benefi ts are derived from a wide range of powerful cogniti ve enhancers, including a proprietary blend of pure black pepper, nutmeg, vanilla, chocolate, yerba mate, spearmint,and peppermint essenti al oils: Combined with these therapeuti c-grade essenti al oils, Bioenergy Ribose® improves physical performance, speeds up recovery, and increases overall energy reserves. Other supporti ve ingredients, such as B vitamins, green tea extract, choline, and Korean ginseng, are added to sharpen the mind and invigorate the senses. NingXia Nitro is a simple and convenient way to become more focused, support mental acuity, and enhance physical performance.
Primary Benefi ts• Increases mental fi tness, cogniti ve alertness, and physical acuity• Enhances athleti c performance and endurance• Boosts energy and serves as a daily pick-me-up
Who Should Use This Product?• Individuals looking to increase physical performance and endurance• Individuals interested in improving focus• Individuals looking for a convenient, on-the-go pick-me-up
Suggested Use• Consume NingXia Nitro directly from the tube or mix with 2-4 oz. NingXia Red® or 4 oz. water to enhance physical performance, lift mental fog, or anyti me you need a pick-me-up. Best served chilled. Shake well before use.
Did You Know?• NingXia Nitro contains 40 mg of naturallyoccurring caff eine per serving.• NingXia Nitro is sweetened by coconut nectar that is tapped from the trunk of the coconut tree.• NingXia Nitro contains Bioenergy Ribose®, a form of d-ribose that has been clinically tested for its ability to increase energy, endurance, and aerobic acti vity and is currently used by the Olympic athletes.
28 September 2014 – Michigan’s AMA/D14 Motorsports News
TECH-CARE SUSPENSION SPECIALIST
Custom Building, Developing & Servicing Racing Suspensions for OVER 25 YEARS!
248.666.46516971 M-59 • WATERFORD MI 48327
TECH-CARE.COM
Stop in or call to speak with one of our friendly Tech-Care Suspension Advisors!
For fast service, use our website order form!
SHOWA, KYB, WP, OHLINS& FOX Our technicians will select the proper
spring & valving for your weight & ability.
Specializing in...
30 DAY WARRANTY ON ALL VALVING & SEAL REPLACEMENTS
We stock KYB WORKS PARTS from spring collars, to stock and works spring sets... Check our website Tech-Care.com for pricing!
SHOCK SERVICESOIL CHANGE... disassembled & cleaned $79.95REBUILD... plus parts $134.95REBUILD & REVALVE ... to racer’s weight & ability + parts $149.95LOWERING & REVALVE... to racer’s spec. $149.95
FORK SERVICESOIL CHANGE... disassembled & inspected $79.95REBUILD... replacement of seals, bushings & oil $99.95REBUILD & REVALVE... to racer’s weight & ability + parts $149.95LOWERING & REVALVE... to racer’s spec. $149.95
$29.95
MADEIN THEU.S.A.
Not valid with other offers. With coupon only thru 10.31.14
Adjustable Suspension Links
IMPROVE HANDLING
Fitting most current bikes... Honda, Kawasaki,
Yamaha, Suzuki & KTM
Not valid with other offers. With coupon only thru 10.31.14
call for available sizes & colors
$99.95
FORKPUMP
DIGITAL GAUGE!
BAR MOUNT KITS
Pants, Jersey& Glove COMBO!$74.95ONLY
SPECIALIST SPECIALISTustom Building, Developing & Servicing Racing Suspensions for OVER 25 YEARS!
Specializing in... We stock
DIGITAL GAUGE!
$59.95Complete!
2013 & 2014 CRF450 & KXF450 NEW!
ON ALL VALVING & SEAL REPLACEMENTS
BAR MOUNT KITSHonda / Kawaski
Oversized bars with solid upper clamp. Prevents bar twisting.
SOLO II MX GEAR
NEW!
74.95
call for pricing & stock availability.call for pricing & stock availability.
All grips come with throttle tube vulcanized to the pipe
both sides & shipped to you!
Also Available – Fox, JT & Shift Gear
clamp. Prevents bar twisting.clamp. Prevents bar twisting.
$199.95Call for fi t on your application.
RM-85 Starting at $129.95Lowers & softens your mini.
Not valid with other offers. With coupon only thru 10.31.14
MOST LINKS
ustom Building, Developing & Servicing Racing Suspensions for
