Inside....

Speedway GP World Championship

4 Signature Hancock: Rain & Shine

Northeast Classic Warm-Up Race

7 Beaudoin, Fleming Nab NE Classic Warm-Up Wins

Northeast Classic Motocross Series

10 Renzland Takes Two

Southern California Flat Track Association

14 American Alien

Costa Mesa Speedway

21 Larson Tops Field at Costa Mesa Season Opener

Eddie Mulder’s West Coast Dirt Track Series

24 Bauman, Wood Jam at West Coast!

Afternoon at the Museum

28 Dan Rouit Flat Track Museum

AMA District 23 Dirt Track

31 Koch Takes Two at Cambridge TT

By Greg Hancock

Race photos by Jarek Pabijan/www.pabijan.com.pl

and courtesy of Team Hancock Racing

Page 4

Hey, everyone! Just

finished round two of the

Speedway GP World

Championship, and what a

washout that was! The

temporary track that is laid

down for this once-a-year

event at Ullevi Stadium in

Gothenburg, Sweden, was

at its best ever. The

organizers built the perfect

stage for us riders, with a

good, solid base and by far

the largest track in the

series. The straights are so

long that it seems you have

time to make adjustments

to the bike before you reach

the next corner! Okay, just kidding, but it is a

long way from corner to corner. However,

when you get there, you sure have some

speed, and it’s not hard to throw it sideways!

Had lots of fun and great weather on

practice day. The track rode awesome, and I

was feeling in perfect form.

In typical Gothenburg fashion, the

weather changed on race day. By 4 p.m.,

black clouds had rolled in, and it began to

drizzle, a light rain. It rained off and on right

up to the start of the event at 7 p.m., which

put us in for an absolute muddy, wet evening.

Page 5

From the start, it rained, making gating

an absolute necessity if you wanted to win

races. I was making the starts that the doctor

ordered and therefore finished my first four

heats with two wins and two second places

before the heavens opened. The FIM Jury

called for an emergency meeting, where they

decided it was too much rain and the visibility

for the riders had become too dangerous;

therefore they canceled the event before the

fifth round of qualifying heats.

I finished with 10 points and tied with

Australian rider Chris Holder. On a count back

of heat wins and second places, we both had

the same, but Chris had actually beaten me in

the heat where we met, so they gave the

overall win to him. Bummer – but I was shining

anyway! That’s the rule, and I am now sitting

in joint first place in the overall standings with

24 points. I am really satisfied with my riding

and, most of all, my equipment. I made good

starts, but I also had awesome speed. That’s

what it’s all about! Nine rounds to go, and the

next one is in Prague, Czech Republic, on May

28.

There was no meeting in Poland last

week, but we did have a disappointing home

loss in Motala, Sweden, last Tuesday, against

Lejonen from Gislaved. We lost one of our top

riders, Rafal Dobrucki, who crashed and broke

two vertebrae in his back, and that will put

him out for the season. We had also lost new

Polish sensation Przemyslaw Pawlicki, who

crashed and had a concussion. Tough night for

Piraterna, but one we wanted to put behind us.

Page 6

Last night, we had another away

match in Kumla, against Indianerna, where

we ran them really close at the end, losing by

only four points. Pawlicki was back in the

team but obviously still suffering from his

injury and took only one point. Not a bad

performance for Piraterna, against a tough

and full-strength team. I had 15+1 points in

another rain-soaked evening thanks to the

unsettled weather across Sweden. Come on,

summer!

Tomorrow I will travel to Mseno, Czech

Republic, for a Czech League meeting, and

then straight to Poland for practice on

Saturday and then a meeting against last

year’s champions, Leszno, in Zielona Gora on

Sunday. We then head back to Motala for the

Tuesday match, where the Pirates take on

Vastervik. It’s full gas around here!

Thanks again for all your support and

I’m looking forward to see you on TOP!

- Greg and everyone at Team Hancock Racing

1. Chris Holder; 2. Greg Hancock; 3. Antonio

Lindback; 4. Janusz Kolodziej; 5. Emil

Sayfutdinov; 6. Thomas H. Jonasson; 7. Jason

Crump; 8. Andreas Jonsson; 9. Tomasz

Gollob; 10. Fredrik Lindgren; 11. Jaroslaw

Hampel; 12. Nicki Pedersen; 13. Chris Harris;

14. Kenneth Bjerre; 15. Rune Holta; 16.

Simon Gustafsson; 17. Artem Laguta.

Page 7

By Jim Sanderson

Photos by jimsandersonphoto.com

Round three of the Northeast Classic

Motocross Series, hosted by Hurd Motorsports

at the beautiful Broome-Tioga Sports Center,

featured an added day of racing. The

Northeast Classic Warm-Up Race gives riders

a chance to pre-run the course and become

familiar with the layout and terrain, with less

pressure than they would experience on an

actual Northeast Classic race day.

Kawasaki pilot Jacob Beaudoin topped

the podium of the 85cc (9-11) class in

dominant fashion, taking both moto wins with

very substantial leads. William Agnew took

the runner-up tier with a 3-2 tally to just edge

out Dawson Driscoll, who completed the

rostrum with a 2-3 score.

Tom Lees Jr., Beaudoin, Agnew, Scott

Byron and Jean-Christophe Bujold led the 26-

rider-strong pack out of the switchback 180-

degree first turn in the opening 85cc (9-11)

moto. Beaudoin quickly got around Lees and

began to pull away. Upon completion of the

difficult front rhythm section, Beaudoin had

opened up a four-second lead over Agnew,

now in second. Dawson Driscoll was now third

after getting a top-10 start. Frank Peneno and

Bujold rounded out the top five.

Beaudoin increased his advantage to six

seconds by the start of lap two, as the top five

began to spread out with only one lap

completed.

By the start of lap three, Beaudoin’s lead

had increased to 11 seconds,

and the rest of the moto was a

real snoozer until the white-flag

lap. Beaudoin took the white

flag with a whopping 21-

second advantage. Driscoll was

now second after Agnew made

a mistake on lap four, dropping

to third. Peneno was all alone

in fourth, and Justin Beaudoin

passed Bujold to take fifth.

Beaudoin took the checkers

and the first-moto win with an

astounding 22-second lead.

Driscoll, Agnew, Peneno and

Justin Beaudoin closed out the

top five.

Agnew and Beaudoin

came out of the switchback

first turn banging bars for the

holeshot and the early lead in

the final 85cc (9-11) moto.

Beaudoin won the battle and

secured the point position by

the third turn. Agnew settled

Page 8

into second, with Driscoll dropping in close

behind in third. Ezra Miles and Cody Laughlin

rounded out the top five.

Unfortunately for the spectators, the

top five were already spreading out again as

the leaders started the second lap. Beaudoin

started lap two with a six-second lead, which

increased to nine seconds by the start of lap

three, 12 seconds at the start of lap four, and

16 at the white flag. Beaudoin took the

second-moto win with a 22-second

advantage. Agnew, Driscoll, Miles and

Peneno followed.

Jessica Saxum, Kayla

Boorom, Shannon Fleming,

Michelle Del Rio and Madison

Seguin led the start of the

opening Women’s division moto.

When the top five riders

completed the difficult and

technical front rhythm section,

Saxum continued to hold the

point position, trailed by Del Rio,

Seguin, Boorom and Fleming.

Saxum went down two turns

before the start of lap two,

handing Del Rio the lead. Seguin

inherited second, Fleming third,

Boorom fourth and Lauren

Coleman fifth.

On lap two, Fleming diced her way into

the lead in the front section after first passing

Seguin for second and then Del Rio to secure

first. Seguin then made the pass on Del Rio,

taking second; Del Rio was displaced to third.

Fleming quickly began to pull away and

took the white flag with a nine-second lead,

which increased to 14 seconds at the checkered

flag. Seguin, Saxum, Coleman and Del Rio

completed the top five.

Tyann Bapp, Saxum, Del Rio, Boorom and

Fleming led the start of the final Women’s

division moto. When the leaders emerged from

the front section, Fleming was at the point,

followed by Bapp, Saxum, Del Rio and Boorom.

Fleming had a seven-second advantage by

the start of lap two. Saxum passed Bapp, taking

second in the front section; Bapp was displaced

to third, while fourth and fifth remained

Page 9

unchanged.

Fleming’s lead remained at seven

seconds at the start of lap three, and Saxum

held a solid second. Then Del Rio made the

pass on Bapp, taking third. Bapp was going

backward, now displaced to fourth. Boorom

was all alone in fifth.

Fleming’s advantage increased to 10

seconds at the start of lap four, 17 seconds at

the white flag, and more than 20 seconds at

the finish. Saxum, Seguin, Del Rio and Bapp

followed.

Fleming (1-1) topped the podium. Saxum

(3-2) took second and Seguin (2-3) third.

1. Travis Mecking (KTM); 2. Jacob Henry (KTM);

3. Dominic Grenga (Cob); 4. Ty Lepicier (KTM);

5. Alexander Colavecchio (Yam).

1. Dominic Grenga (Cob); 2. Travis Mecking

(KTM); 3. Sebastian Balbuena (Yam); 4. Bryson

Vandunk (Cob); 5. Cadin Vandunk (Cob).

1. Trevor Schmidt (KTM); 2. Hunter Layton

(Cob); 3. Ty Lepicier (Cob); 4. Connor Sawyer

(Cob); 5. Garrett Cox (Cob).

1. Brian Burghesani (KTM); 2. Blair Nauta

(KTM); 3. Ayden Nyland (KTM); 4. Kyle Savvas

(KTM); 5. Tom Lees Jr. (KTM).

1. Jacob Beaudoin (KTM); 2. Dawson Driscoll

(KTM); 3. Ezra Miles (Yam); 4. Jared Buccheri

(KTM); 5. Scott Byron (KTM).

1. Jacob Beaudoin (KTM); 2. William Agnew

(Kaw); 3. Dawson Driscoll (KTM); 4. Frankie

Peneno (Kaw); 5. Justin Beaudoin (Kaw).

1. Frankie Peneno (Kaw); 2. Gabe Gutierrez

(Kaw); 3. Shannon Fleming (Kaw); 4. Eve

Brodeur (KTM); 5. Ryan Treveliese (Suz).

1. Jeremy Smith (Yam); 2. Coty Schock (Yam);

3. Colton Camp (Kaw); 4. Hunter Hankle

(Kaw); 5. Zach Johnson (Kaw).

1. Jeremy Smith (Hon); 2. Schae Thomas

(Suz); 3. Coty Schock (Yam); 4. Colton Camp

(Kaw); 5. Ryan Sluiter (Kaw).

1. Kyle Dillin (Yam); 2. Brett McMichael (Yam);

3. Zachary Putman (Hon); 4. Kevin Tompkins

(Yam); 5. Mike Maksymiw (Yam).

1. Josh Emmi (Hon); 2. Matt Babbitt (Kaw); 3.

Mitchell Dougherty (Hon); 4. Ryan Zimmerman

(Hon); 5. James Doolittle (Suz).

1. Jesse Pierce (Suz); 2. Scott Carpenter

(Suz); 3. Jon Borrello (Yam); 4. Kevin

Tompkins (Suz); 5. Sean Ballard (Hon).

1. Kyle Dillin (Yam); 2. Michael Giovanniello

(Yam); 3. Richie Trevelise (Hon); 4. Carlton

Stark III (Hon); 5. Tyler Deane (KTM).

1. Mitchell Dougherty (Hon); 2. Ryan

Zimmerman (Suz); 3. Matt Babbitt (Kaw); 4.

Josh Emmi (Hon); 5. David Disciullo (Kaw).

Page 10

By Jim Sanderson

Photos by jimsandersonphoto.com

The third round of the Northeast

Classic Motocross Series had the largest

turnout of the series so far, and was hosted

by Hurd Motorsports at the beautiful Broome-

Tioga Sports Center in upstate New York. This

event was also round 15 of the prestigious

AMA Racing Pro-Am Motocross Series, which

surely had an effect on ride turnout for the

Pro and Expert classes, as some 45 riders

signed up for the extremely competitive 450

Pro/Expert division. The last time there was a

full gate of Pros at Broome-Tioga was in 2006,

for the final AMA Motocross National held at

this world-class facility.

Yamaha pilot and rookie Pro/Expert

rider Luke Renzland topped both the 450 and

250 Pro/Expert podiums. Renzland carded a

pair of perfect 1-1 scores despite having some

serious competition to contend with.

Matt Babbitt, Ryan Zaveral, Jay Weller,

Mike Voorhees and Ryan Zimmerman led the

start of the first 450 Pro/Expert qualifier.

Zaveral passed Babbitt on the back side of the

National Hill, taking the lead; Babbitt was

relegated to second. Weller, Voorhees and

Zimmerman rounded out the top five. Zaveral

and Babbitt engaged in a battle for the lead

that wouldn’t be decided for good until the

1. Zachary Lang (Suz); 2. Cody Sawyer (Kaw);

3. Kraig Riese (Yam); 4. Jay Grisham (Yam);

5. Brandon Aldrich (Kaw).

1. Richie Trevelise (Hon); 2. Jeremy Roberts

(Hon); 3. Marko Novosec (Kaw); 4. John Roys

(Kaw); 5. Corey Longdon (Kaw).

1. Shannon Fleming (Kaw); 2. Jessica Saxum

(Yam); 3. Madison Seguin (KTM); 4. Michelle

Del Rio (Kaw); 5. Lauren Coleman (Yam).

1. Jesse Pierce (Suz); 2. Jon Borrello (Yam);

3. Kevin Tompkins (Yam); 4. Scott Carpenter

(Suz); 5. Sean Ballard (Hon).

1. David Disciullo (Kaw); 2. Jesse Deryke

(Kaw); 3. Zachary Lang (Suz); 4. Marko

Novosec (Kaw); 5. Cody Sawyer (Kaw).

1. Sonny Nighman (Kaw); 2. Justin Murray

(KTM); 3. Frank Eckel (Yam); 4. Dave

Terwilliger Jr. (Yam).

1. Ryan Coe (Yam).

1. Frank Eckel (Yam); 2. Darryl Smith (Hon);

3. Gene Nighman (Kaw).

1. Todd Saxum (Yam).

1. Darryl Smith (Hon).

1. Leonard Groves (Yam); 2. Cyle Ellison

(Kaw); 3. Stephen Kenyon (Hon); 4. Dave

Terwilliger Sr. (Yam); 5. Michelle Del Rio

(Kaw).

1. Gene Nighman (Kaw).

Page 11

last lap. Meanwhile, Zimmerman caught and

passed Voorhees to claim fourth; Voorhees

was displaced to fifth.

Only two bikelengths separated

Zaveral and Babbitt at the start of lap three.

The top five remained unchanged until 4 ½

laps in, when Zimmerman lost the front end

of his Suzuki at the base of the National Hill

and went down. Voorhees and Daniel Rucker

inherited fourth and fifth.

Babbitt finally made the pass on

Zaveral on the back side of the National Hill a

half-lap before the checkers; Zaveral was

relegated to second. Babbitt took the win four

seconds ahead of Zaveral. Weller, Charles

Bright and David Discuillo completed the top

five.

Mitch Dougherty, Josh Emmi, Renzland,

Michael Sottile and Michael Fowler led the start

of the second 450 Pro/Expert qualifier.

Dougherty and Emmi continued to run one and

two at the start of lap two. Brian Ricci passed

Sottile, taking fourth, after dicing his way into

the top five after a less-than-stellar start;

Sottile was relegated to fifth.

Dougherty had a four-second lead at

the start of lap three but then experienced

mechanical difficulties on the following lap and

unfortunately was forced to take a DNF. Emmi

inherited the lead, with Renzland, Bright, Ricci

and Fowler in tow. Renzland reeled in Emmi

and made the pass for the lead with less than

a lap to go. Renzland took the win. Emmi,

Sottile, Bright and Fowler followed.

Zaveral and Babbitt led the start of the

final 450 Pro/Expert moto. Renzland, Justin

Murray and Pete Schachtler rounded out the

top five. Zaveral had a measly two-second

lead on Babbitt at the start of lap two, but

less than a half-lap later he had only a 1 ½-

second lead on Renzland, who was now in

second. Babbitt was displaced to third.

Renzland continued to close on Zaveral

and made the pass for the lead on lap three;

Zaveral was relegated to second. Babbitt,

Murray and Zimmerman rounded out the top

five.

Renzland pulled away and started lap

four with a four-second advantage that

increased to five seconds at the checkers.

Zaveral, Babbitt, Zimmerman and Sottile

closed out the top five.

Renzland (1-1) topped the podium.

Zaveral took second and Babbitt was third.

Dougherty, Emmi, Andy King, Renzland

and Mike Roseto led the start of the opening

250 Pro/Expert moto. Dougherty and Emmi

were battling for the point position as they

descended the National Hill after half a lap.

Page 12

The top five remained unchanged until

lap three. Dougherty continued to lead, with

Emmi in second, but now Renzland was only

a bikelength behind Emmi, in third. Renzland

continued to pressure Emmi and made the

pass for second on the back side of the Hill;

Emmi was displaced to third.

Renzland quickly began closing on

Dougherty but couldn’t reel in the Honda pilot

until lap four. Renzland was the first to

appear at the top of the National Hill after

passing Dougherty on the back side.

Renzland quickly left Dougherty behind and

continued to gap the field, taking the win

with an 11-second lead. Dougherty, Emmi,

Sottile and Babbitt rounded out the top five.

Zaveral, Renzland, Emmi, Dougherty

and Voorhees led the start of the final 250

Pro/Expert moto. Zaveral was doing all he

could to hold off Renzland at the start of lap

two. Renzland got around Zaveral on the back

side of the Hill and took the point; Zaveral

was relegated to second. Dougherty, Emmi

and Voorhees rounded out the top five.

Renzland opened up a four-second

advantage at the start of lap three. That lead

increased to eight seconds on lap four and,

finally, 11 seconds at the finish. Dougherty,

Zaveral, Sottile and Babbitt completed the top

five.

Renzland topped the podium with

another perfect 1-1 score. Dougherty’s

consistent 2-2 rides took second, and Sottile

rounded out the podium with a consistent 4-4

tally.

Page 13

1. Travis Mecking (KTM); 2. Dominic Grenga

(Yam); 3. Jacob Henry (KTM); 4. Sebastian

Kulesza (KTM); 5. Alexander Colavecchio

(Yam).

1. Dominic Grenga (Cob); 2. Travis Mecking

(KTM); 3. Alexander Goss (KTM); 4. Carter

Van Houten (Cob); 5. Sebastian Kulesza (Cob).

1. Ty Lepicier (Cob); 2. Hunter Layton (Cob);

3. Connor Sawyer (Cob); 4. Garrett Cox (Cob);

5. Zackery Poor (KTM).

1. Brian Burghesani (KTM); 2. Danny Congdon

(KTM); 3. Kyle Savvas (KTM); 4. Brad Bicsak

(KTM); 5. Ayden Nyland (KTM).

1. Ezra Miles (KTM); 2. Scott Byron (KTM); 3.

Jacob Beaudoin (KTM); 4. Bryce Moore (KTM);

5. Anthony Grenga (KTM).

1. Jacob Beaudoin (Kaw); 2. William Agnew

(Kaw); 3. Frankie Peneno (Kaw); 4. Ezra Miles

(Yam); 5. Jean-Christophe Bujold (KTM).

1. Hunter Hankle (Kaw); 2. T.J. Albright

(Kaw); 3. Cody Laughlin (Kaw); 4. Gabe

Gutierrez (Kaw); 5. Ryan Daly (Suz).

1. Coty Schock (Yam); 2. Jeremy Smith (Yam);

3. Trentin Herrington (Kaw); 4. Colton Camp

(Kaw); 5. Zach Johnson (Kaw).

1. Coty Schock (Yam); 2. Colton Camp (Kaw);

3. Jacob Beaudoin (Kaw); 4. Scott Stone

(Kaw); 5. Ryan Sluiter (Kaw).

1. Kevin Tompkins (Yam); 2. Brett McMichael

(Yam); 3. Zachary Putman (Hon); 4. Todd

Maksymiw Jr. (Yam); 5. Angelo Curro (Yam).

1. Luke Renzland (Yam); 2. Mitchell Dougherty

(Hon); 3. Michael Sottile (Hon); 4. Josh Emmi

(Hon); 5. Matt Babbitt (Hon).

1. Jon Borrello (Yam); 2. Scott Carpenter

(Kaw); 3. Elliot Phelps (Yam); 4. Kevin Uebrick

(Kaw); 5. Sean Ballard (Hon).

1. Kyle Dillin (Yam); 2. Michael Giovanniello

(Yam); 3. Richie Trevelise (Hon); 4. Owen

German (Hon); 5. Amos Hughes (Suz).

1. Henry Tumilowick (Kaw); 2. Kyle Burgess

(Yam); 3. Alex Hughes (Suz); 4. Joshua Banks

(Kaw).

1. Luke Renzland (Yam); 2. Ryan Zaveral

(Hon); 3. Matt Babbitt (Hon); 4. Michael

Sottile (Hon); 5. Jay Weller (Hon).

1. Scott Carpenter (Kaw); 2. Kevin Uebrick

(Kaw); 3. Elliot Phelps (Yam); 4. Dana Krause

(Kaw); 5. Zachary Lang (Suz).

1. Michael Mann (Kaw); 2. Jeremy Roberts

(Hon); 3. Owen German (Hon); 4. Richie

Trevelise (Hon); 5. Amos Hughes (Suz).

1. Kyle Burgess (Yam).

1. Sonia Williams (Hon); 2. Casey Hubbell

(Hon); 3. Jessica Saxum (Yam); 4. Lauren

Coleman (Yam); 5. Eve Brodeur (KTM).

1. Jesse Pierce (Suz); 2. Jon Borrello (Yam);

3. Sean Ballard (Hon); 4. Kevin Tompkins

(Suz); 5. Kevin Hicks Jr. (Kaw).

1. Kevin Tompkins (Yam); 2. Todd Maksymiw

Jr. (Yam); 3. Brett McMichael (Yam); 4. Mike

Maksymiw (Yam); 5. Kevin Hicks Jr. (Kaw).

1. Daniel Rucker (Kaw); 2. David Discuillo

(Hon); 3. Zachary Lang (Suz); 4. Kevin

Uebrick (Kaw); 5. Matthew Abbuhl (Yam).

1. Justin Murray (KTM); 2. Mike Dougherty

(Hon); 3. Gaylon Dickson (Kaw); 4. Frank

Eckel (Yam); 5. Chris Snyder (Kaw).

1. Scott Lindholm (Hon); 2. Ryan Coe (KTM);

3. William Staelens (Suz).

1. Gaylon Dickson (Suz); 2. Frank Eckel

(Yam); 3. Darryl Smith (Hon); 4. Chris Snyder

(Kaw).

1. William Staelens (Suz); 2. Joey Martin

(Yam).

Page 14

1. Lawrence Vandunk (Yam); 2. Alex Short

(Hon); 3. Harold Cory (Yam); 4. Todd Saxum

(Yam); 5. Matt Hicks (Hon).

1. Gaylon Dickson (Kaw); 2. Gene Nighman

(Kaw); 3. Eric Hameister (KTM); 4. Stan Nepa

(Hon); 5. Jeffrey Burnett (Suz).

1. Mylo Goff (Kaw); 2. Jeff Kunzwiler (Hon);

3. Jim Croft (Suz); 4. James Demko (KTM); 5.

Todd Saxum (Yam).

1. Gene Nighman (Kaw); 2. Stan Nepa (Hon);

3. Jeff Kunzwiler (Hon); 4. Wade Barney

(Hon); 5. Kevin Amo Sr. (KTM).

Story by Jamey Blunt

Photos by Janice Blunt

Seventy-three-degree temperatures

greeted the 81 riders who rolled through the

front gate for round four of Southern

California Flat Track Association racing at

Perris Raceway. The midafternoon weather

didn’t last through the 16 heat races; by the

time the first of the 15 main events staged, a

cold wind was caressing the spectators in the

bleachers. Despite recent shoulder surgery

just the previous week, Freddie Edwards still

piloted the blade to scrape the racing surface

flat and smooth, and as the water came back

to the racing surface with the sun’s setting,

the water truck wasn’t called to action. Lucas

Oil had the crash wall lined with new white

flags as well as their banners and once again

had products for the class winners. Principals

from Today’s Cycle Coverage made the trip to

Perris with give-aways for fans, riders and

crew members alike, which was a big hit with

the kids (who love T-shirts and stickers).

Travis Petton IV is fast becoming a

force to be reckoned with. Petton pulled triple

duty, contesting all three of the Youth classes.

In the 50cc main event, Petton launched his

KTM off the line to lead by more than a full

second at the completion of the first lap.

Courtney D’Arignon ran second, with his

brother Toby in third, but it was the Walters,

Aiden and Ethan, who drew much of the

attention, riding their Honda 50s with training

wheels still attached; the crowd cheered every

time they entered a corner and put their

machines on three wheels. Drake Bondio ran a

lonely fourth, stuck in a no-man’s-land, with

the Walters’ show going on behind him. By lap

three, Petton was into lappers, and he easily

cruised home to the victory.

Page 15

Justin Hanson led the 85cc-100cc field

into turn one. This class is the largest of the

Youth classes. Monica Gil ran in second, with

Alyssa Flores in third. Sean Heeney left the

line in fifth but was on the move by the

completion of lap one. On the second trip

down the back straight, Heeney shot up to

third, and Gil had taken over at the front on

the exit of turn two.

With two laps remaining, Heeney

passed Hanson in turn one for second.

Meanwhile, Gil had a five-bikelength gap at

the front. On the last trip down the back

straight, Heeney pulled close to Gil, but Gil

was unshaken and rode mistake-free, holding

her line like a Pro all the way to the checkered

flag. Heeney had to settle for second, but he

can have a little comfort knowing he had the

fastest lap of the race, at 16.79 seconds.

All Frank Flores wanted for his

birthday was to race at Perris. This was

his ninth birthday, but leave it to his

sister Alyssa to spoil his party. She took

the victory, over Frank and Travis

Petton, in the 65cc class. Frank put in a

great ride anyway and wouldn’t have

wanted the win handed to him

unearned.

The smallest bike in the field in the

Classic Vintage 250, 500 and 750 contest was

Bruce Reynolds’ Bultaco 250. At the start,

Reynolds shot to the front, with the Triumph-

mounted trio of Jeff Apple, Jim Ottele and

Page 16

James Kohls in second, third and fourth,

respectively, and Harley-Davidson pilot Joe

Pape in fifth.

Entering turn three for the second

time, Ottele put a wheel under Apple to take

away second and locked his crosshairs on

Reynolds. But Apple wasn’t giving up: He

attempted to run it under Ottele on the next

run through turn one, where he tucked the

front end and tipped over. This in turn gave

Ottele a love tap, and he went down in turn

two. At this point, Reynolds, who now had a

big gap, saw the red flag come out to stop

the race. A single-file restart was in order, but

now Reynolds would lose the entire gap at

the front for which he had worked so hard.

On the restart, Reynolds nailed it and

stretched his throttle cable an inch longer,

wanting to get away. Pape quickly moved past

Kohls and into second, while Ottele quickly

moved past Lenny Rodriguez and Kohls and

up to third. Apple was left sitting there, as it

took a little longer to get his fire relit, but

within a lap he was up to fourth.

A lap later, Reynolds had a full-straight

cushion, while Ottele moved past Pape for

second and Apple followed suit for third.

Reynolds also posted the fastest lap of the

race at 16.33 seconds, taking the overall win

with ease. Ottele finished second (and first

500-750), with Apple third and Rodriguez

making a push on the run to the stripe past

Pape for fourth.

It has been said that Valentino Rossi,

Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa and the like are

aliens, with powers and abilities far beyond

those of mortal men, able to bend steel

handlebars with their bare hands. But

Americans have a few aliens among us as well.

John Kocinski may well actually be a strange

visitor from another planet, as his ability to race

a motorcycle is other-worldly. Kocinski showed

up at Perris with yet another configuration of

his Knight-framed Honda, with the goal of

breaking the overall track record on a vintage

motorcycle more than 30 years old.

Launching from pole, Kocinski entered a

time warp, in which Joe Steffen, Nick Armstrong

and Jim Wood could only hope to see a

blurry image. In the main event, the

tower had Kocinski clocked at a 14.42-

second lap, but questions were raised,

as Kocinski’s own crew had him clocked

at a 14.27-second lap in his heat race,

which would indeed have given him the

overall track record. Whichever time

one goes by, there is room for error, as

the times are clocked by hand with a

stopwatch; but this is all moot, as all

the old times will soon be erased and

started anew when the track’s

transponder is finally in place, hopefully

by the next round. Nevertheless, one

thing is certain: Kocinski was the fastest

rider of the night and did in fact better

his own track record!

Page 17

Vince Graves sat on pole in the Super

Senior Over 60 main event. But it was Dennis

Kanegae who read starter Rudy Gil perfectly

and led the pack into turn one, with Graves

running second and Ron Moore third. On the

first lap, Graves took the lead away from

Kanegae between turns three and four and

led the rest of the first lap. Moore stuffed a

wheel up under Kanegae on the next run

through turn one and got some orange paint

on his red Honda, only to have Kanegae take

the position back on the exit from turn two,

getting some red paint on his orange KTM.

Back in fourth was David Molitor, with

DeWayne Jones running fifth.

By the third lap, Graves was pulling

away, while Kanegae and Moore swapped

paint, banged bars, and threw dirt at each

other. Graves posted the fastest lap of the

race at 15.22 seconds, and Moore took

Kanegae to the wall in turn three on lap four

to advance up to the second-place position.

On the next trip through turns one and

two, second place was decided when Kanegae

made a mistake that gave Moore a six-bikelength

gap that Kanegae couldn’t close. Moore then put

in a 15.87-second lap – not fast enough to gain

any ground on Graves at the front. When the

checkered flag waved, Graves had a three-second

cushion for his victory over Moore, with Kanegae

a lonely third, Molitor fourth and Jones fifth.

Page 18

One of the largest fields is the Bomber

class, and more than half of the entrants

were within a half-second of one another in

lap times. Riding back-to-back races, John

Lundgren, who had just won the Vet Over 35

main, was hoping for a double victory on this

night. However, Danny Perkins had something

to say about that, and he led the pack into

turn one. Heat-race winner Travis Petton II

dropped in behind Perkins down the back

straight, with David McNeeley third, Scott

Sivaldue fourth, Brad Rudy fifth, and

Lundgren back in sixth.

On the second run between turns

three and four, Petton made a miraculous

save of a highside, which still dropped him to

third, behind McNeeley. At the front, Perkins

was inching away, and he turned the fastest

lap of the class, at 15.29 seconds, on lap

three.

The next time through turns three and

four, Petton pulled out of the race, and Keith

Bradford, who’d been flying off of everyone’s

radar, was somehow up to third. By lap four,

Perkins had a three-second gap, and

Bradford, Sivaldue and Lundgren were all in

contention for third. It came down to a run to

the stripe out of turn four for the final podium

position, with the finishing order a long-gone

Perkins followed by McNeeley, Bradford,

Sivaldue and Lundgren.

Wes Powell and Jim Wood hit turn one

side by side in the Senior Vet Over 50 main

event. Exiting turn two, Wood took the lead,

while Joe Steffen slotted in at third. At the

completion of lap one, Powell and Steffen were

tied for second at the stripe, with Larry Earhart

back in fourth and Jim Ottele in fifth.

By lap two, Wood was clear at the front

and Powell was securely in second. Earhart ran

it up under Steffen for third on the exit from

turn two but couldn’t make the pass stick.

Lap three was Wood’s fastest, at 15.36

seconds. Earhart made his pass work on this lap

to take third from Steffen. On the next exit from

turn two, Ottele shot past Steffen for fourth and

set off after Earhart. On the next lap, in the

same turn, Ottele used the same maneuver and

secured third, over Earhart.

With a lap and a half left, Powell was

within three bikelengths of Wood but just

couldn’t close the gap enough to make any kind

of attempt at passing the leader. At the

checkered flag, Wood went wire to wire for the

win, with Powell second, Ottele third, Earhart

fourth, Steffen fifth and Danny Stinson sixth.

Bill Wright has the starts figured out, as

he usually leads the pack into the first turn in

the Open Amateur class. But it was a short-lived

time at the front, as Nick Gil took over the

Page 19

position on the exit from turn two to lead

down the back straight, with David McNeeley

following Gil past Wright as well. The front

three gapped fourth-placed Harly Legowski as

Gil posted his fastest lap time of 15.52

seconds on lap three. McNeeley dropped off of

Gil’s pace as the field stretched out, with the

finishing order set at Gil, McNeeley, Wright

and Legowski. The highlight of the race,

however, came on Gil’s victory lap, when he

missed the checkered-flag handoff from the

starter – Nick’s father, Rudy Gil. Sometimes it’s

better to slow down.

Only five riders braved the cold winds

to contest the 20-lap Pro main event, with

newcomer Jon Nunes making the trip from

Salinas to Perris to give the money race on the

quarter-mile oval a try. Jim Rosa led from the

line into turn one, with heat-race winner

Nunes in second and Ian Foulds (making a

return to the Pro class after a bad crash last

year) in third. Brandon Bates, who hasn’t seen

much seat time of late, slotted in at fourth,

with Cycle World’s Mark Cernicky in fifth.

On the second trip through turn two,

Rosa had a big bobble and left the door open

for Nunes, but Nunes could only close the gap

and then take Rosa wide to the wall in turns

three and four for the lead.

By lap four, Cernicky was past Bates for

fourth, but he made a mistake in turn two that

allowed Bates back by. At the back of the race,

Bates and Cernicky were holding each other up

while fighting over fourth, passing each other

repeatedly. Meanwhile, Foulds was finding his

rhythm, and he went past Rosa for second on

the exit from turn four on lap five.

At the front, Nunes put in a 15.18-second

lap, his fastest, as Foulds and Rosa settled in. At

the halfway point, with 10 laps complete, Foulds

seemed to find some extra speed, and he upped

the pace, setting the fastest lap of the race at

15.12 seconds. For the last half of the race,

Foulds mixed up his lines, looking for a way

around Nunes, and even giving several love taps

to Nunes’ rear wheel. Then, on the exit from

turn two on lap 16, Nunes almost threw it all

away, but he saved it, although this made

Foulds check up and allowed Rosa to rejoin the

fight for the win. Now Foulds had Rosa tagging

his back side while attempting to find a way

past Nunes.

At the white flag, Foulds actually led

across the stripe by a foot, but he was on the

outside, so he dropped back into second in turn

one. At that point, Bates was off the track,

having gone down between turns three and

four, leaving Cernicky safe in fourth.

The last lap was anyone’s race, as all

three front-runners were close enough to win.

Nunes was the smartest and protected his

position, making Foulds and Rosa take a high

line, from which they got a good drive but just

couldn’t get enough for a pass to the stripe.

Nunes won it, with Foulds second and Rosa

third, all within two-tenths of a second of one

Page 20

another. On his victory lap, Nunes looked

happy, having recovered some of his glory

from his racing years back in the 1980s.

Round five of Southern California Flat Track

Association action at Perris will be on June

11, with rumors of a doubleheader

beginning to circulate.

1. Travis Petton IV; 2. Courtney D’Arignon; 3.

Toby D’Arigonon; 4. Drake Bondio; 5. Aiden

Walters; 6. Ethan Walter.

1. Alyssa Flores; 2. Frank Flores; 3. Travis

Petton IV.

1. Monica Gil; 2. Sean Heeney; 3. Justin

Hanson; 4. Travis Petton IV; 5. Alyssa Flores;

6. Jaycee Jones; 7. Frank Flores; 8. Dee

Kilroy.

1. Billy Katkov; 2. Mark Cernicky.

1. Nick Ottele; 2. Corey Bauman; 3. Patrick

Madore; 4. Sean Heeney; 5. Joe Melton; 6.

Tom Sahli.

1. Nick Gil; 2. David McNeely; 3. Bill Wright; 4.

Harly Legowski.

1. Jon Nunes; 2. Ian Foulds; 3. Jim Rosa; 4.

Mark Cernicky; 5. Brandon Bates.

1. John Lundgren; 2. Joel Kath.

1. Larkin Wight.

1. Jim Wood; 2. Wes Powell; 3. Jim Ottele; 4.

Larry Earhart; 5. Joe Steffen; 6. Danny Stinson.

1. Vince Graves; 2. Ron Moore; 3. Dennis

Kanagae; 4. David Molitor; 5. De Wayne Jones.

1. Mel Stoner; 2. Peter Toroian; 3. Allan Girdler.

1. Bruce Reynolds.

1. Jim Ottele; 2. Jeff Apple; 3. Lenny

Rodriguez; 4. Joe Pape; 5. James Kohl.

1. Michael Fritz; 2. Steele Fredrich.

1. John Kocinski; 2. Joe Steffen; 3. Nick

Armstrong; 4. Jim Wood.

1. Rick Logan; 2. Monte Roberts.

1. Keith Bryant.

1. Richard Hanson; 2. Ryan Reed; 3. Joe

Melton.

1. Danny Perkins; 2. David McNeely; 3. Jim

Ottele; 4. Scott Sivaldue; 5. John Lundgren; 6.

Brad Rudy; 7. Dane Kane; 8. Steele Friedrich;

9. Travis Petton.

Page 21

By Elaine Jones

Photos by Jim Thorn

For the 43rd year, Costa Mesa has

played host to speedway racing at the Orange

Country Fairgrounds, and Saturday night was

the season opener on the infamous Bullring.

The program was a full one, as the

granddaddy of speedway racing in the United

States is Costa Mesa, and everyone wants to

get on the oval. It had been a long day for

promoter Brad Oxley, as International

Speedway hosted an Amateur Day, and

keeping the track together was a task in itself.

Thanks to the marine layer, he caught a break,

and a solid track greeted the racers.

It was an all-Scratch program, with

three rounds of heads-up racing culminating in

two semifinals for the top 10 in points, paring

then down to five for the richest race of the

night, the Scratch main event.

The top guns were on hand, and the

first round shook the players out of the trees.

All the winners in the first round went wire to

wire. “Flyin’ Mike” Faria, coming off his Spring

Classic win the week before, led things off and

looked on his game and ready to take a repeat.

Josh Larsen doesn’t race on a regular basis, but

it didn’t look like that, as he took an easy win in

the second heat. Bobby “Boogaloo” Schwartz,

the textbook speedway racer, continues to

amaze, and he won the third heat. Rookie

Michael Raines looked like he had been doing

some serious practicing during the winter, and

he finished off the first round of heat races with

a win.

The second round is where everyone

gets down to business, as they now know what

the track is about and where the best lines are

to be found. Faria again led things off and was

right where he wanted to be, in front from the

get-go. Charlie “The Edge” Venegas parlayed

his second from the first round into a win in the

second round. Larsen and Schwartz went at it in

the third heat, and Larsen, with a great gate,

was able to hold Schwartz at bay to the

checkered flag. “Nasty Nate” Perkins closed

things out by winning the final heat of round

two.

There were two riders with perfect

scores, Faria and Larsen. Schwartz and Venegas

were each only one point back, and Jimmy “Li’l

Animal” Fishback was only two points back.

There was one more round to go.

As the night progressed, the track

developed a blue groove. This makes the starts

crucial, as once a rider is off the groove, his

chances of getting up close and personal with

the wall increase tremendously. For a lot of

riders, the third round of heats is do-or-die time.

Faria again led things off. The other

riders had been telling him he was going to be

evicted on this night, so he’d better pack his

bag; they were not going to let him win two

weeks in a row. Those threats didn’t seem to

intimidate him too much, as he again got the

gate he needed to go wire to wire, and he was

perfect on the night and ensured a spot in the

semis. Fishback got the ride he needed, and

Shawn “Mad Dog” McConnell would also move

on with his second-place finish. (McConnell

really had to fight his way up the ladder after

Page 22

an accident-filled first heat ride.) Schwartz

was back on top in his final ride, and “Battlin’

Buck” Blair clawed his way into the semis with

an eighth in overall points. Rounding out the

heats was another picture-perfect ride for

Larsen. But Faria and Larsen still had not

gone head to head.

There was a run-off for two spots in

the semi, between John Marquez, “Fast Ed”

Castro, Mike Bloom and Tyson Talkington. The

top two would move on and the other two

would on to their trailers. It came down to a

battle between Marquez and Castro, and

Castro got Marquez on the white flag to take

the win. Marquez would still move on,

though, and the semis were set.

The first semi had Faria on the pole,

with Schwartz in two and Perkins in three.

McConnell and Marquez were in four and five,

respectively. Faria and McConnell got off

together, but it was Faria who shot into the

first corner in the lead. McConnell settled in

behind him and was content to take the

second spot and ensure himself a place in the

main. Schwartz and Perkins were headed to

the last-chance qualifier .The night was over

for Marquez.

The second semi had Larsen on the

pole, with Venegas in two and Fishback in

three. On out, it was Blair and Castro. When

the gate came up, Blair outgated the field and

took the lead. The groove was becoming

more pronounced, so everyone was being

very careful, and Larsen settled in behind

Blair and followed him home. They would

meet again in the main. Fishback and

Venegas got ready for the last-chance, and

the night was over for Castro.

The LCQ would be a main event

anywhere, anytime. Schwartz drew the pole,

with Fishback in two, Perkins in three and

Venegas in four. The first try at a go saw the

red flag come out for what the referee called

an “unsatisfactory start.”

They lined up again, and this time it

was Venegas who jumped too quickly and

broke the tapes. He was done, and he headed

to the pits.

The third time was the charm, and it

was Perkins who got the call and went out on

top. Schwartz was off second, but Fishback

was on the move and he got him on the

white-flag lap. But no one was catching

Perkins, and he would be the final rider in the

main.

They rolled to the line for choice of start

position for the Scratch main event. Faria chose

the pole, with Larsen in two and Blair in three.

On the outside, it was McConnell and Perkins.

They loaded in, the light went green, and

the tapes came up. Larsen exploded out of the

gate and took the lead, with Faria right behind

him. Unfortunately, when the blue groove takes

over, it really does hamper the ability of the

riders to mix it up, and all they can do is hope

the guy in from of them makes a mistake. At this

level of racing, these guys just don’t make

mistakes, and the win went to Larsen. Faria was

second. Perkins was third and Blair finished

fourth. McConnell’s bike went away with one lap

in the books and he would have to settle for the

fifth.

Larsen had said when he signed in that

this would be his first and last ride of the season.

One might wonder, given his night, if he’s

rethinking that statement…

Page 23

Aaron Fox and Dylan Black went at it

in the Support main. Fox had the lead for the

first two laps, but Black took control when

the white flag came out, and he took it to

the checkered. Fox was still there for second,

with Rich Brock and Rudy Laurer third and

fourth, respectively.

Chris Jones seems to be just as

comfortable on a skinny bike as he is on a

sidecar. He went wire to wire to win the

Support B main event. Following him home

were Mike Salyer, Norman Graham and Dillon

Osborne.

Lots of Junior riders were on hand, and

these guys are painting a very rosy picture for

speedway’s future. They started things off

with the Youth Division One 200cc class. Top

honors went to Dillon Ruml.

Sebastian “Big Daddy” Palmese was the

winner in the Youth Division Two 200cc class.

The brother act continued in the

Junior 250cc contest when Max Ruml

went wire to wire, followed by Samuel

Ramirez and Dillon Ruml.

Page 24

1. Josh Larsen (Jaw); 2. Mike Faria (Jaw); 3. Nate

Perkins (Jaw); 4. Buck Blair (Jaw); 5. Shawn

McConnell (GM).

1. Dylan Black (Jaw); 2. Aaron Fox (Jaw); 3. Rich

Brock (Jaw); 4. Rudy Laurer (Jaw).

1. Chris Jones (Jaw); 2. Mike Salyer (Jaw); 3.

Norman Graham (Jaw); 4. Dillon Osborne (Jaw).

1. Dillon Ruml (Hon); 2. Kurtis Hamill (Hon); 3. Broc

Nicol (Hon); 4. Hayley Perrault (Hon).

1. Sebastian Palmese (Hon); 2. Michael Wells (Hon);

3. Maverick Malloy (Hon); 4. Gino Scopellite (Hon).

1. Max Ruml (Jaw); 2. Samuel Ramirez (Jaw); 3.

Dillon Ruml (Jaw).

By J.M.

Photos by Marsha Stacey

Every motorcycle enthusiast’s dream

comes true once a year at the West Coast

Moto Jam, held in the picturesque Sonoma

Wine Country. Premier venue Infineon

Raceway hosts four different disciplines of

racing over three days in one location. AMA Pro

Road Racing included Superbikes, Supermoto

USA, AHRMA Vintage Motocross, and rounds

two and three of Eddie Mulder’s West Coast

Dirt Track Series.

Page 25

For this second annual event, grassy

parking lot number 14 was turned into a wider,

smooth, full quarter-mile cushion, thanks to

racer and track-prep guru Gary Ritchie from

Santa Maria, California.

Friday’s open practice gave those who

traveled to Sonoma the opportunity to break in

the new racetrack, and it even drew the likes

of legendary local rider Dave Bostrom, father

of famous dirt-trackers-turned-road-racers Ben

and Erik Bostrom. Erik even came over and

wanted to mix it up with his dad, but he

arrived too late in the afternoon to make it

happen. National number seven, Sammy

Halbert, was also at Infineon to make his

debut in the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200

road race, but he made time between road-

race practice and qualifying to make dirt-track

practice as well.

Saturday’s round two started under

cloudy skies and with some wind, but while

the 16 heat races and the 15 main events

were being run, the weather held.

When the riders lined up for the final

race, the K&N Filters/ Digger Helm Open Pro

main event, Briar Bauman and Mikey Martin

were one and two, with wins in their heat

races. Jimmy Wood, Kayl Kolkman, Bronson

Bauman and Garrett Stout finished out the

front row. Over the course of the 20-lap race,

Briar was able to hold off Wood to pull off the

win, with Halbert rounding out the podium from

his second-row start. Keeping Halbert honest

was Kolkman, who finished a close fourth.

Martin finished fifth.

After a good

downpour during the night,

Sunday’s skies loomed gray,

but once again Gary Ritchie

was armed for the fight and

ridded the track of the

dense, wet mud to make it

perfect!

Page 26

After the 14 heats had been whipped

out, among sporadic sprinkles of rain, Mulder

decided to run the Motion Pro/ Digger Helm

Open Pro main first. The front-row lineup was

Jimmy Wood and Sammy Halbert, after their

heat wins, in the first and second slots,

alongside Briar Bauman, Kolkman, Bronson

Bauman and Stewart Barber Jr.

At the wave of starter Fred Allen’s

green flag, Wood decided he’d had enough

second-place finishes in the series and rode in

front from wire to wire to take the checkers.

Briar, hot on his tail on the number-38

machine of Lloyd McGregor, made a valiant

effort to keep on Jimmy’s rear wheel, but

Briar’s tank-slapper coming out of turn four

gave Wood the breathing room he needed.

Right behind them was another close battle,

between Kolkman and Halbert. Kolkman edged

out Halbert for third. (Halbert was on his

Yamaha DTX bike, a backup, after his framer

wouldn’t start for the main.) Bronson Bauman

came home fifth.

1. Mike Lampe (Hon); 2. Tyler Butler (Hon).

1. Nolan Reitz (Kaw); 2. Tyler Butler (Kaw); 3.

Hunter Stanley (Hon); 4. Mike Lampe (KTM);

5. Evan Souza (Suz).

1. Allison Stacey (Hon);2. Clayton Williams

(Hon); 3. Evan Souza (Hon); 4. Nolan Reitz

(Hon).

1. Jason Craven (W-R): 2. Dorrey Ingoglia

(Hon); 3. Chris Baker (Hon); 4. Lloyd

McGregor (Hon); 5. James Abrams (Hon); 6.

Robert Bush (Hon); 7. Steve Sandman (Yam).

1. Steve Craft (Hon); 2. David Nicholson

(BSA); 3. Bob Scally (Tri); 4. Allan Malm

(Hon).

1. Tim Thomas (BSA); 2. Jack Alexander

(Hon); 3. Herb Wolff (Tri); 4. Fred Berger

(Tri); 5. Dave Cheney (Hon); 6. Tim Rott

(Bul); 7. Ted Hubbard.

1. Damon Coca; 2. Marcus Fragoso (Hon); 3.

Dominic Monaco (Hon); 4. Allison Stacey

(Hon).

1. Paul Ott (Yam); 2. Will Ott (Yam).

1. Jim Lundgren (Hon); 2. Perry Smith (Hon);

3. Randy Brunelli (Hon); 4. Steve Craft (Hon);

5. Dave Cheney (Hon); 6. Allan Malm (Hon).

1. Robert Bush (Tri); 2. David Nicholson

(BSA); 3. Shawn Culp.

Page 27

1. Jason Craven; 2. Jeff Gonzales (Yam); 3.

Gary Ritchie (Yam); 4. Jim Lundgren (Yam); 5.

Steve Sandman (Yam); 6. Mike Fowler (Yam);

7. Shawn Culp (Yam); 8. Ron Long (Yam); 9.

Tim Lampe (Yam).

1. Clay Van Deren (BSA); 2. Fred Berger (Bul).

1. Chris Rudy (H-D); 2. Jack Alexander (H-D);

3. Isaiah Canales (Tri); 4. Herb Wolff (AJS).

1. Bronson Bauman (Hon); 2. Chris Podergois

(Hon); 3. Dominic Colindres (Hon); 4. James

Monaco (Hon); 5. Shane Hegarty (Yam); 6.

Dillon Allen (Hon); 7. Michael Inderbitzen

(Hon); 8. Austin Williams (Hon).

1. Paul Ott (Bul); 2. Chris Baker (Hon); 3. Erik

Fleming (Hon); 4. Marcus Fragoso (Hon); 5.

Damon Coca; 6. Robert Bacosa Jr. (Hon).

1. Briar Bauman (Hon); 2. Jimmy Wood (Suz);

3. Sammy Halbert (Yam); 4. Kayl Kolkman

(Kaw); 5. Michael Martin (Hon); 6. Bronson

Bauman (Suz); 7. Garrett Stout (Hon); 8.

Shane Hegarty (Yam); 9. Chris Podergois

(Hon); 10. David Bush (Suz); 11. Dominic

Colindres (Hon); 12. Cole Crowley (Hon); 13.

Stewart Barber Jr.; 14. Ryan Foster (Hon); 15.

Dillon Allen (Hon).

1. Nolan Reitz (Kaw); 2. Clayton Williams

(Kaw); 3. Hunter Stanley (Hon); 4. Tyler

Butler (Kaw); 5. Evan Souza (Suz); 6. Mike

Lampe (KTM).

1. Allison Stacey (Hon); 2. Clayton Williams

(Hon); 3. Nolan Reitz (Hon); 4. Evan Souza

(Hon).

1. James Abrams (Hon); 2. Jason Craven (W-

R); 3. Chris Baker (Hon); 4. Robert Bush

(Hon); 5. Gary Ritchie (Yam); 6. Shawn Culp

(Rtx).

1. Steve Craft (Hon); 2. Allan Malm (Hon).

1. Tim Thomas (BSA); 2. Jack Alexander

(Hon); 3. Herb Wolff (Tri); 4. Tim Rott (Bul);

5. Dave Cheney (Hon); 6. Fred Berger (Hon);

7. Ted Hubbard.

1. Clay Van Deren (BSA); 2. Fred Berger (Bul).

1. Chris Rudy (H-D); 2. Jack Alexander (H-D);

3. Isaiah Canales (Tri); 4. Herb Wolff (AJS).

1. Marcus Fragoso (Hon); 2. Damon Coca

(Hon); 3. Dominic Monaco (Hon); 4. Allison

Stacey (Hon).

1. Paul Ott (Yam); 2. Will Ott (Yam).

1. Randy Brunelli (Hon); 2. Jim Lundgren

(Hon); 3. Perry Smith (Hon); 4. Steve Craft

(Hon); 5. Allan Malm (Hon).

1. Robert Bush (Tri); 2. Shawn Culp.

1. Jeff Gonzales (Yam); 2. Jim Lundgren

(Yam); 3. Gary Ritchie (Yam); 4. Mike Fowler

(Yam); 5. Shawn Culp (Yam); 6. Tim Lampe

(Yam).

1. Bronson Bauman (Hon); 2. Chris Podergois

(Hon); 3. James Monaco (Hon); 4. Chris

Baker (Hon); 5. Michael Inderbitzen (Hon); 6.

Marcus Fragoso (Hon); 7. Erik Fleming (Hon);

8. Austin Williams (Hon); 9. Damon Coca

(Hon); 10. Paul Ott (Bul); 11. Shane Hegarty

(Yam).

1. Jimmy Wood (Suz); 2. Briar Bauman (Hon);

3. Kayl Kolkman (Kaw); 4. Sammy Halbert

(Yam); 5. Bronson Bauman (Suz); 6. Michael

Martin (Hon); 7. Garrett Stout (Hon); 8. Chris

Podergois (Hon); 9. Stewart Barber Jr. (Hon);

10. David Bush (Suz); 11. Ryan Foster (Hon);

12. Shane Hegarty (Yam); 13. Dillon Allen

(Hon).

Page 28

Story and Photos by Dennis Suter

Even with the threat of rain, the 20th annual Open House at the

Dan Rouit Flat Track Museum saw its largest turnout ever. Fortunately,

the showers held off until about 2:15 p.m., and the crowd had plenty of

warning, so by then the pop-ups were down and the show bikes loaded

for their ride home.

Page 29

One of the highlights of the event was the news from Trailblazers president Keith

Mashburn that Rouit was invited to next year’s Trailblazers Banquet in April, to be inducted into

the Trailblazers’ Hall of Fame. It was a very emotional moment for Dan, hearing that he will be

inducted into the Hall of Fame that includes so many of his boyhood heroes.

Filmmaker

and author Peter

Starr presented

Dan and Kathy

Rouit with a copy

of his new book

Taking It To The Limit. Starr

himself was also

inducted into the

Trailblazers’ Hall of

Fame this year.

Page 30

The outside display of bikes

was down this year, but that was to

be expected, as the forecast for rain

was well known. Tom Hensley

brought the Munro Special – “The

World’s Fastest Indian” – again this

year, and Glen Pierce displayed “The

Harley Eater,” a twin-carbed, 1928

Indian Scout, which Sammy Pierce

raced.

The large crowd of

motorcycle enthusiasts in

attendance enjoyed some good

food, camaraderie, and the special

items on display inside the world’s

only exclusively flat-track and

speedway racers’ museum.

For more information, visit the

museum’s website at

www.vft.org/rouit.html

Page 31

Story and Photos by Tim McBride

GNC National number 68, Josh Koch,

piloted his Last Minute Boyz/ Jeff’s SOS/

General Engineering-sponsored Honda to a

pair of Pro-class victories during the opening

round of the AMA District 23 dirt-track

season held at the Norseman clubgrounds.

The two 450 Pro heats were won by

Koch and Pro Sport hotshoe Conner Anderson.

Koch pulled the holeshot in the main event,

followed by Anderson and National number

29, Jake Mataya, as well as Conner’s younger

brother Cole Anderson and Zach Zemanovic.

Mataya slid his Delano Sports Center Kawasaki

past Conner Anderson for second place near

the halfway point, but with two laps

remaining, Mataya crashed while exiting turn

two. Koch then raced on to the checkers

uncontested. The Anderson brothers, Conner

and Cole, filled out the podium. Zemanovic

finished fourth. Mataya recovered quickly

enough to salvage fifth place in the 11-rider

field.

Ironically, the Open Pro starting gate was

decided with only one heat race, which featured

12 riders. Conner Anderson scored the heat-race

win, ahead of Zemanovic, who put in a

surprising performance to finish second, ahead

of Koch. Mataya was also in the hunt, but a

brake problem forced him to retire early.

It took three tries to get the Open Pro

main event under way. The first attempt came

to a halt when Cole Anderson crashed heavily

while entering the high-speed section of turn

one. After being checked out and correctly

answering the customary questions from

the ambulance crew – i.e., What is your

name? What is today’s date? Why are you

so fast? – the youngest of the Anderson

siblings wisely retired, sporting some nasty

road rash.

The red flag flew for the second time

when Rich Delak and Cole Fealy tangled in

turn three. Both of these stoppages came

while Conner Anderson was enjoying the

lead.

The third attempt at a start saw

Conner Anderson up front again, but this

time Koch gated well and held the inside

line while racing into the first turn, and that

is where the race was basically decided on

this dry-slick track.

“Conner didn’t want me to have that

one,” said Koch afterward. “I felt his handguard

bouncing off my leg.”

Zemanovic took advantage of the

situation and settled into second, behind Koch,

and the duo quickly put some distance on the

rest of the field. Conner Anderson then settled

down and reeled in Zemanovic late in the race

and made the pass for second, but he could

not catch the fleeing Koch. Mataya finished

fourth, ahead of Dustin Paul, who put in a solid

fifth-place run.

Page 32

“I wasn’t going to make that last

restart easy for him [Koch],” Conner Anderson

said afterward. When asked about

Zemanovic’s performance, he explained, “I’ve

seen that happen before, when some people

come back from the off season and get really

fast.” When prodded about his sudden need

for speed, the reserved teenager simply

replied, “I just decided to step it up a notch.”

The 50cc Mini Shaft class heat race saw

third-generation speedster Preston Langland

and Amelea Hauer perform a photo finish,

with Langland garnering the narrow victory.

The main event, however was won by the

“First Little Lady” of D23, Hauer, when

Langland briefly pulled off the track with

mechanical problems. Lucas Logue and

Jeremy True garnered third and fourth,

respectively.

“His [Langland’s] heat-race win was

pretty close,” explained Langland’s race-bike

tuner (and father, of course!) Verdeen

Langland, “so I changed the main jet, hoping

to give him a little more top end, but it didn’t

work. At least we tried.”

Transplanted motocross racer/ ice-race

promoter Jake LeClair got his season started

on a high note by piloting his WholshsotMX-

sponsored Honda to victory in the 450 A class.

Heat winner Dustin Paul crashed after a tangle

with M3 Racing’s Mac McGrew. Tony Hauer

finished third. Paul recovered to garner fourth.

Page 33

The four-wheel division saw a familiar

face in the winners’ circle, in the form of Nick

Allen, who won the Pro-Am and Open Pro

classes. The Pro-Am main saw Allen edge

Andy Wendorff and Matt Ernhart. The Open

Pro contest was a little more dramatic.

Longtime quad kingpin Ben Bettis was out

front and cruising during the opening laps, but

a steadfast Allen and Wendorff found their

way past him by race’s end. Ernhart stopped

Allen’s chances of a three-peat by winning the

Vet Over 30 main event.

1. Amelea Hauer (Yam); 2. Lucas Logue

(Hon); 3. Jeremy True (Yam); 4. Preston

Langland (Yam).

1. Dahne Barbee (Cob); 2. Ty Valland (KTM);

3. Nick Lindberg (KTM); 4. Amelea Hauer

(Yam); 5. Lucas Logue (Hon).

1. Nate Minster (KTM); 2. Jackson Lindberg

(Cob); 3. Jacob Anderson (Yam); 4. Dahne

Barbee (Cob); 5. Nick Lindberg (KTM).

1. Joshua Fedder (KTM); 2. Reece Valland

(KTM); 3. Nate Minster (KTM); 4. Mark Ryan

Kincs (Yam).

1. Riley Drew (Yam); 2. Dylan Witt (Hon).

1. Jeremiah Lindberg (Yam); 2. Joshua Fedder

(KTM); 3. Riley Drew (Yam); 4. Reece Valland

(KTM); 5. Zach Bailey (Yam).

1. Jeremy Kanne (Hon); 2. Carla Lofgren

(Hon).

1. Adam Popp (Yam); 2. Curtis Lofgren (Yam);

3. Bruce Forbes (Yam); 4. Dan Bailey (Yam).

1. Elliot Darsow (Suz).

1. Josh Koch (Hon); 2. Conner Anderson

(Hon); 3. Cole Anderson (Hon); 4. Zach

Zemanovic (Hon); 5. Jake Mataya (Kaw); 6.

Cole Fealy (Hon); 7. Cale Langland (Hon); 8.

Travis Henrichs (Yam); 9. Dan Jacobson

(Hon); 10. Rich Delak (Hsk); 11. Gunnar

Barbee (Suz).

1. Jacob LeClair (Hon); 2. Macintosh McGrew

(Hon); 3. Tony Hauer (Suz); 4. Dustin Paul

(KTM).

1. Josh Koch (Hon); 2. Conner Anderson

(Hon); 3. Zach Zemanovic (Hon); 4. Jake

Mataya (Kaw); 5. Dustin Paul (KTM); 6. Rich

Delak (Hsk); 7. Travis Henrichs (Yam); 8. Cole

Fealy (Hon); 9. Dan Jacobson (Hon); 10.

Gunnar Barbee (Suz); 11. Cale Langland

(Hon); 12. Connor Anderson (Hon).

1. Cole Anderson (Hon); 2. Macintosh McGrew

(Hon); 3. Jacob LeClair (Hon); 4. Elliot Darsow

(Suz).

1. Tommy Minster (Yam); 2. Dan Bailey (Yam).

1. Steve Drew (Yam); 2. Dave Darsow (Hon);

3. Joe Blackwell (Yam).

1. Verdeen Langland (Hon); 2. Wade Wessels

(Hon).

Page 34

1. Ron Bystrom (Hon); 2. Tony Hauer (Suz);

3. Adam Popp (Yam).

1. Ron Bystrom (Hon); 2. David Darsow

(Hon); 3. Steve Drew (Yam); 4. Bruce Forbes

(KTM); 5. Bill Brooks (KTM).

1. Lee Ganske (Yam); 2. Curtis Lofgren (Yam);

3. Jeremy Kanne (Yam).

1. Zane Laney (Yam); 2. Emik Hauer (Yam);

3. Cole Zeug (Yam).

1. Zane Laney (Yam).

1. Ben Jenkins (Suz).

1. Josh Abraham (Yam).

1. Clint Zueg (Yam); 2. Shannon Logue (Suz).

1. Nick Allen (Yam); 2. Andy Wendorff (Hon);

3. Matt Ernhart (Hon); 4. Ben Bettis (Yam); 5.

Jeremy Messner (Hon); 6. Keith Saumer

(Suz); 7. Jordan Lokken (Yam).

1. Nick Allen (Yam); 2. Andy Wendorff (Hon);

3. Ben Bettis (Yam); 4. Jordan Lokken (Yam);

5. Keith Saumer (Suz); 6. Matt Ernhart (Hon).

1. Matt Ernhart (Hon); 2. Nick Allen (Yam); 3.

Clint Zeug (Yam); 4. Josh Abraham (Yam).