kevin worrell

MOTO
INE
MAGAZ
WINTER 2013 EDITION
THE OFFICIAL NEWSMAG OF SOCAL OTMX, INC
SMOOTH AND FAST:
DAN BERG
2012 SOCAL CHAMPION
KEVIN WORRELL
THIS ISSUE FEATURES:
MORE JOHN CRAFT
THE “CHILLER” COLUMN
2012 SEASON RECAP
ASK LAWNDART
2012 SOCAL INTERNATIONAL
AND MUCH MORE!
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2012 SoCal International at The Glen
Story by Photoman
Photos by Chilson, Photoman
page 3
Ask LawnDart
Advice by LawnDart
page 6
Chiller’s Column
Mark Chilson
page 7
Adventures of a Limey Pome
John “Crafty” Craft
page 9
Mr. Smooth: Dan Berg
Story by Owin Wright
page 11
WMN Racing--The International
Debbie Matthews
Heather Majcherek
page 13
Waving the Flag (part three)
Story by Owin Wright
page 15
Interviewing the Champ
Kevin Worrell, #1
Article by Photoman
page 21
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Thanks for checking out our club magazine,
MotoSoCal. The editor expresses appreciation
to those who submitted articles. The quality
is excellent, and the hope is that the articles
provide enjoyment for you, our club members
and whomever else reads this online magazine. Photos are from the Photoman and Mark
“Chiller” Chilson. Owin Wright provided the
photos for “Waving the Flag.” Photo processing was completed by MotoPhoto LLC.
The intent is to provide quarterly issues of the
MotoSoCal Magazine. Winter, Spring, Summer
and Fall issues, to be exact, with this being
the Winter 2013 issue.
Editor:
Rich Stuelke
Article Contributors:
Mark Chilson
Paul Lax
Debbie Matthews
Heather Majcherek
Rich Stuelke
Owin Wright
Photographers:
Mark Chilson
Rich Stuelke
2012 SoCal International
at “The Glen”
The Moto-Gods were indeed smiling upon
the fabulous Glen Helen racing facilities the
weekend of October 20-21. The skies were overcast; the temperature in the 70s, and the flags
were straight down. These perfect racing conditions were augmented by a near perfect track
prep; the soil was a rich, uniform dark brown that
beckoned to the riders. Very light sprinkles Saturday morning only added to the perfection of the
track. Great racing was in store for the 14th annual
SoCal OTMX International at The Glen, and 185
riders responded to the call. They were not disappointed!
Saturday provided a special treat for the
racers and spectators as 2002 125 Supercross
West Champ Travis Preston took to the track for
some exhibition riding. Travis has lost little speed
over the years (he is now in his early 30s), and he
wanted a little track time before the MTA World
Veteran Championships (upcoming in early November). His ultra smooth, controlled style made
it appear he was floating around the awesome
Glen Helen National Track, and everyone marveled at his control and speed. He will be a force
in the 30 Pro Class at the World Vets.
As always, the IOTMX race formats include
a five-moto format run over two days (three motos
Saturday and two motos Sunday). It is also tradition that the 60 Novices, and the 70+ Classes
run the first motos (this class runs a four moto format; age has its benefits!). The Simonizer, Barry
Simon, parlayed three seconds and a first into an
overall win over Ron Clawson’s third, two firsts
and a second. Barry won on the better last moto
finish! Steve Moore from Washington swept the 60
Novice class with four wins. SoCal’s Kirk Muraoka edged out Bruce McCormick for second on a
better last moto finish, too! Don Nelson took the
70+ Class, with Chuck Ramsey, Sr. cruising in for
second.
The Amateur 60 class has been a mainstay
at most of the IOTMX races this year. Gary Colbert
from Bishop, LA Chapter, was the surprise winner
over Sierra’s Dennis Palmer (who has been running away with the 60 Novice class all year). Gary
won four of the five motos, with Dennis taking the
win in moto 3. Oregon’s Joe Anderson (who always has a big smile on his face) took his 250 KTM
to third overall ahead of SoCal’s Bob Cooke and
Paul “LawnDart” Lax. The 60 Expert Class was
won by a very fast Ken Morris (SoCal) over Alan
Cheever and Dickie McMillan. Gary Willison, still
on the comeback trail after a lengthy layoff, won
four of the five motos (Ron Dugan took moto 3) for
the 70 Expert Class win. The 60 Master Class was
the fastest group in race two, and was completely dominated by SoCal’s Lyle Sweeter on his fast
Honda. Gary Chase (from Washington) and Jimmy Harris (from Oregon) could only watch as Lyle
steadily pulled away for the win in each moto. Bill
Maxim was actually close in motos one and two,
but had a getoff in moto three that detuned him for
the balance of the weekend. Don Toussaint from
Idaho also rode very well in the 60 Master Class.
Race three brought the Expert 40 and Masters Classes to the gate. Except for Travis Preston, these boys were among the fastest riders of
3
Lawler (SoCal). Goodman, from Arizona, pulled
into third ahead of Sierra’s Ed Marchini, who held
off Sofka for fourth (he had caught his foot in a rut
and injured it). Going into the last moto, Lawler
and Goodman were tied for the overall with Sofka
within striking distance. Lawler put on the ride of
the weekend to take the moto win (and the overall), with Christian taking second and an injured
Sofka, Jr. taking a well-earned third. They finished
overall in that order!
The 40 Amateur and 50 Expert classes gated in race four. Michael Young, SoCal, has run fast
and at the front of the 40 Amateur Class in IOTMX
events all year. This was no exception, as he rode
fast and consistent for the overall over a game but
less-consistent Mike Swyden. Mike won three of
the motos, but a fifth-place in moto one kept him
from the overall. Rafael Rivera also was in the hunt,
but an eighth place in moto four put him third on
the weekend (and for sure the fastest of the over- the podium for the weekend. SoCal’s Craig Hamil40 bunch!). Josh Heckman from SoCal took the 40 ton rode consistently (with two moto wins!) to take
Expert class handily, with three seconds and two the 50 Expert Class over SoCal’s Will Harper (who
firsts over the five motos. In the Master B class, had four seconds). Central Valley’s Andrew Smith
Kevin Worrell had already locked up the IOTMX won three of the motos, and looked like a sure
Championship, which was a good thing since Kev- class winner until he ran into problems moto five
in crashed hard at CompEdge two weeks before and finished 12th. He still managed a third overall
and had rib injuries. Dean Adkins (Sierra) stepped for the weekend. Carmen Ogino from Sierra and
in where Kevin left off and swept all five motos for Mic Rodgers from SoCal rounded out the top five.
Great racing and a comeback effort put Kent
th over Jonathan Pike (LA Chapter). The Master Class found Jonathan Rhodes (SoCal) on the top Reed at the top of the podium in the 50 Amateur
podium step, with Central Valley’s Brett Miller sec- Class. It looked like a Lance Sloane runaway in
ond and SoCal’s Todd Mitchell third. Kevin Bar- the beginning, as Lance pulled 2-1-1 moto scores
da was actually the fastest of all the Master Class on Saturday. But Lance was unable to make the
riders, but Kevin had to work on Saturday (he gate on Sunday. Reed’s 4-4-3 motos put him in
coached his women’s track team at a SoCal re- fifth position after day one. Kent at his Wheaties
gional championship on Saturday) and could only the next morning, and found some speed. He took
show his skills on Sunday. He ran away with both
motos!
Perhaps the most competitive class of the
weekend was the Master 50 class. In moto one,
Kurt Sofka Jr pulled the holeshot and flew to a hotly-contested win over Steve Lawler, Craig Christian and Doug Goodman. Moto two saw Sofka
again pull another holeshot, but swap big-time in
the roller section, allowing Lawler and Christian by
(who went 1-2). Sofka dropped back to fifth! Moto
three again had Sofka taking the win over Christian and Lawler, with Goodman again fourth. Moto
four was a barnburner, with Christian (from the Sierra Chapter) pulling off the win over a very close
4
both Sunday motos for the overall win. Arizona’s
Jerry Smith rode consistent and fast all weekend,
with just a fourth in moto three keeping him from
the overall. SoCal’s Dee Vondracek finished third
with inspired riding on his KTM!
(2-2) and Ian Andre (3-3). The Intermediate Class
was won by Justin Minch over Chris Frank and
Daniel Mills. Casey Casper took the Expert Class
over Troy Armstrong (the fastest rider was actually
MTA’s Brett Hottel, but he had a DNF moto one!).
Eduardo Jimenez Jr. won the support beginner
class. The Mini Cass was won by Jacob Macrae
over Jo Taylor and Kendall Ward.
The ladies put on quite a show on Saturday.
Winners included Kimberly Bussing (Beginner
Class), Nicole Dorsey (Novice Class), Oregon’s
Marne Proctor (Women’s Vet Class), and Hope
Searcy (Intermediate Class). The Expert Women
put on quite a show, with Tatum Ski turning some
very fast, stylish laps and taking the win handily
over Shelby Ward and Sarah Troxel. It was amazing watching Tatum whip her Honda over the start
finish straight jumps!
The story of race six was the Stoltenberg
Brothers! Gary took the overall win with four firsts
and a second on his Honda, but Chris was perhaps the outstanding rider of the weekend with
two seconds, two thirds, and a big win in moto
three to jump him into second overall behind his
brother. Tony Clements ran a fast, consistent race
(four fourths and a third) to take the last podium
spot. SoCal’s Joe Landis swept all five motos in
the 50 Novice class on his Suzuki. Roy Crull took
second overall; the popular Chucky Cook (Roy
and Chucky are both from SoCal) taking third.
There were a myriad of support races over
the two days, including a Womens’ Invitational
event. Highlighted riders included support novice
rider Chet Fair who went 1-1 over Dalton Zahrt
IOTMX races usually have social events
Saturday after the first-day motos. Participants
enjoyed an early-evening dinner (catered by Glen
Helen’s Snack Shop!), and the famous SoCal Club
raffle. There were many raffle winners who walked
away with some quality items provided by the
many SoCal sponsors including O’Neil, Yoshimura, AME, Shock Therapy, LightSpeed, Scorpion,
Hinson, Dubya, and of course, MTA, the major
sponsor of the SoCal OTMX. This story ends with
how it began. . . the track was perfect all weekend.
The last moto on Sunday provided the same rich,
brown dirt that greeted the riders on Saturday,
providing outstanding traction and great racing all
weekend. We can’t wait for the 2013 edition of this
great event!
5
ASK LAWNDART
Advice on Anything from an
Expert on Nothing
Dear Lawndart,
Sometimes I wonder what really motivates a group
of mature adults to get up at 4 a.m. to go out and
race motocross. Wouldn’t it make more sense for
us all to be making reservations for 6:00 a.m. tee
times?
Signed,
Al W.S. Hook
Dear Lawndart,
Dear Al,
I was looking at the SoCalOTMX message
board recently and saw the limeys talking about
You ask a very good question. Some would something called “bubble and squeak.” They
certainly consider us a curiosity. But there is a real seemed to be suggesting it as a menu item for
reason for this activity. It is something beyond the one of our meetings. Do you know anything about
need to compete or the moments after the gate the ingredients or what it tastes like?
drop when we all feel like we’re kids again. There
is something beyond that and it is really known only Signed,
to those of us who race the dirt tracks. On a good I.L. Eatanythingonce
day, on a somewhat dusty track, we can load up
and head home with the assurance that we have Dear I.L.,
special moments coming that not everyone gets
to have. And we all know what that is. Boogers.
You may have mis-read the post. You need not
worry about it showing up from the kitchen at
Yep, practice and race all day, especially in summer Keno’s as dinner for one of our monthly meetings.
when tracks tend to stir up a lot of dust in spite of “Bubble and squeak” is not a menu item. Rather,
the best efforts of the water truck, we have a real the term refers to sounds emanating from our Vice
opportunity for nasal trophy hunting. You just can’t President after a trip to Taco Bell.
get that from playing golf. Forget those people we
see everyday while driving to work, picking their
noses as though the
glass in the car was
opaque. What are
they getting? Kind
of soggy little blobs?
Can’t compare with
the nostril nuggets
that we can mine for
after a day of racing.
And that’s special.
Lawndart
6
Chiller’s Column
and how soon getting on the gas when exiting,
braking skills, braking points, late and hard
braking when, where and how hard and how
(words from Mark Chilson) long being on the brakes, shoulders and arms,
elbow position, body position and where they
are on the bike at all times. Squeezing the
bike, gripping onto the bike with your knees
during whoops and sand sections and braking
and cornering. One big factor I have learned is
pre leaning the bike over and setting yourself
up into the corner. I believe this is a huge
difference in having fast corner speed and
being able to flow smoothly thru the corner. It’s
amazing how many riders don’t do this! Lately,
missing not being able to ride, I have even
started practicing my Moto skills without even
being on a bike. I find my self when driving late
braking into corners and at stop signs, brake
checking tailgaters and driving wide fast line
Vicious circle, It seams once you have tasted through fast corners and inside lines when being
Motocross it runs in your blood. There is no
getting it out of your system by blood transfusion
or time away from the sport. Once you have it you
have it for life. You just want it more and more
of it. People who have never thrown a leg over
a Motocross bike, you cant really fully explain
everything that it is and does for one’s sprit
and soul and your life. Everything that you do,
you can somehow relate it back to Motocross. I
have been injured and unable to race for nearly
1 year. A non Moto related injury. I would have
rather been hurt when racing or practicing, at
least I could share a over exaggerated bench
racing story! Since I have been hurt, all that I
want to do is watch Moto on TV, go to the races,
take pictures of Moto and talk about what I cant
do yet. The one really good thing for me is I’ve
been analyzing everyone’s style and technique followed. Even when shopping, my shopping cart
as well as speed. I have learned a lot from the somehow power slides its way around corners in
last year of watching you ride and race. I have the store narrowly missing displays and other
been the one viewing you from outside the berm shoppers carts, keeping focused on what is in
camera in hand. Being so close it’s almost like front of me. I’ve even thought about bringing
watching in HD slow motion, especially when I some numbers and throwing on my shopping
can go view the pictures I have taken. Which by cart! Anyone want to race to the check out
the way everyone has been saying are getting line? Somehow I just don’t think it’s me that
really good lately. So while Mocking my buddies does this??As I wait for the Doctors approval
riding styles and lack of technique and Carefully that I’m good to go, all my bikes are prepped
watching higher skilled riders technique’s, I’ve and spotless. Meticulously detailed ready to go
been learning. Observing Throttle control thru waiting for me to throw a leg over one. They
sections how late you are on the gas entering have all been personally Modified “Factory” built
7
to my liking, from seats, cut sub frames, turned
down hubs, spokes to custom one off hand made
aluminum brackets, clevis’s, axle blocks, wheel
spacers, linkages, radiator lowering brackets to
all non weight bearing bolts drilled and hollowed
to save weight and give that trick subtle “you’ve
got to much time on your hands” look. I have
nothing left to do to them but wait to go ride
and Jump back into the vicious circle we call
Motocross. I can tell you it’s a lot better to be
in the middle of the circle than on the outside
looking in!.We have all been there before at one
time from some type of injury to something
keeping us off a bike. I have heard it and have
even said it myself “I’m Done I’m going to give
it up! But it doesn’t take long before something
inside changes. Your Moto buddies talk about
how great it is, You hear a bike start up, see
someone going to the track with a bike, Your
latest Moto magazine shows up at your door,
That Something in your blood changes and your
back anxious to Moto again. It’s a life style
and there’s no getting out and I thank God for
that!! I’m so Looking forward to lining up at that
starting gate again with my friends. I still have a
few months to go but I’ll be the one having that
huge Malcolm Smith smile under my helmet. But
Somehow this time I think my friends are going
to be repaying the favor and laughing at my lack
of skills and speed, Giving me Pit boards like
“Are you still in first? 1 down 4 up! and “ Are
you using the front brake when accelerating?
and Goon rider on track Watch out! Oh it’s you!
I Cant wait to be back, I’ll be the one with the
four digit number on his bike screaming like a
four year old on his first roller coaster ride!
See you at the Races.
Editor’s Note: Mark Chison suffered a workplace
injury and has been unable to ride. He spends his
time taking photos (until he can ride again!).The
photos in this article are all Chlson photos from
the 2011 United States Grand Prix at Glen Helen!
8
Adventures of a Limey Pome
(the sequel)
Since the original Adventures of a Limey Pome
were published in the club magazine I’ve literally
been inundated with no requests for a sequel.
So here it is.
I was a member of the St. George Motor Cycle
Club and once a year we raced Short Circuit in
Griffith, about 350 miles west and a bit south of
Sydney.
This was our Ridgecrest.
On one epic occasion I drove out there on Saturday and met up with the lads at the track early in
the afternoon. We left our bikes and set off to go
wine tasting, it was free in those days.
The Griffith economy is in the grape, or so we
thought, but more of that later, and there are many
wineries. At the time Australia was still recovering from “the six o’clock swill”. The pubs closed
at six so there was a stampede at five o’clock out
of work into the nearest boozer, there to consume
as much beer as possible before they closed at
six. I never experienced this personally but I heard
of crowds 8 or 10 deep at the bar with bar maids
pouring as fast as they can from hoses, the front
row passing beers back and money being passed
forward from the recipients behind. It must have
been an amazing sight.
The licensing laws were
very restrictive, including
dry Sundays, the pubs
looked like public toilets
and the “Mod” revolution
was in full swing. Young
people had some disposable income and they
wanted to spend it in their
own way. Some clever sod thought of the wine
bar. As long as you don’t serve beer or hard liquor
you’re not subject to the harsh licensing laws. The
wine bar was a natural singles bar, very trendy,
open until late in the evening, cool décor and soon
places called “The Grape Escape” and “Alexander
the Grape” and similar names were proliferating
like rabbits. This was the booming niche market
for the nondescript house wines from the Griffith
wineries.
I said we went wine tasting.
Not really.
The first place we set foot in Jimmy Driscoll asked.
“Do you have and sherry?” “Yes.” Replied the
young lady. “We have 7 varieties.” “Line ‘em up.”
Said Jimmy. And that’s how it went for the rest of
the day.
Wine tasting? No.
Getting plastered on free plonk? Abso-damn-lutely.
That evening the Griffith club, our hosts, had a barbeque with more free wine. I don’t remember what
we ate, I don’t remember getting back to the motel. I do remember being violently sick and waking
up with a monumental headache.
Have you ever had to start a CR250 Elsinore,
which has no real muffler, with the Mother of all
hangovers? I have.
It’s not a joyous experience.
But it was race day and I wasn’t going to have time
to worry about a hangover.
Each class had four heats with the qualifiers going
to one of two semi finals and the qualifiers from
there going to the final. I rode three classes and
made the final in all of them, so nine races. Then
they had a run whatcha brung, our club against
their club race which I was included in, so ten races.
But, I wasn’t done.
Rod Baron, one of our sidecar boys was without
his regular passenger, his brother, who was in England buying a C.C.M. Rod had recruited somebody to substitute but the guy had never been a
racing monkey before and after a few practice laps
9
they came into the pits. The substitute monkey,
looking a bit pale and shaky, but weren’t we all, got
off muttering something about Armageddon. He
must have meant “I’m a gedden outta here”, because he wandered away never to be seen again.
I didn’t want to see Rod unable to race, so I volunteered. I’d been a motocross monkey but that’s
nothing like Short Circuit. If you’ve ever seen sidecar speedway you’ll know that they go around the
track clockwise, the opposite way to the bikes.
That’s because physics dictates that you should
have the heaviest part, the bike, on the inside of
the corner for maximum stability.
I blame Sir Isaac Newton for this.
But the Short Circuit boys think they know better and they go counter clockwise the same as
the bikes. A Short Circuit sidecar is like a roadrace kneeler with the fairing removed. It’s as low
as possible, the rider drapes himself over it, they
attached a sprocket to a car wheel so that they
could get a fat, square section tire on the back and
the fuel and oil tanks were mounted in the sidecar
for better weight distribution. The monkey spends
most of his time laying down or hanging as far out
of the sidecar as possible with the hope that the
thing won’t flip and catapult him into the next county.
So, I get on this contraption for the first time as
we go out for our heat race. The flag dropped,
Rod pinned it and dropped the clutch. I hung on
for dear life. As we approached the first corner I
flung myself enthusiastically to the left as my pilot
pitched it sideways. My face was about an inch off
the ground at something approaching the speed of
light, but I couldn’t see anyone in front of us.
We won.
It was the same story in the final.
Then they had a handicap race and of course we
started from the back, but Rod navigated through
the field and we won again.
This is fun.
Friggin’ scary, but fun.
Then they had
a Le Mans start.
The rider sat on
the line with the
bike in gear and
the
monkeys
lined up 10 yards
behind. When the
flag dropped we
ran, threw ourselves on the chair and hung on.
The rider dropped the clutch.
We were leading this race too when the 650 Norton motor handgrenaded and a rod came through
the crankcase.
I started the day with a monumental hangover,
had 14 races and went home exhausted.
Now that’s racin’.
But remember that I said the Griffith economy was
in the grape or so we thought?
Well, it wasn’t.
It was in between the grapes.
You see somebody figured out that those tall
grape vines were ideal to hide the pot plants that
you could grow in the space between the rows.
There was so much marijuana growing between
the vines everywhere that the Feds. busted the
whole damn town.
And all they gave us was cheap plonk.
John Craft is back!
After getting a
knee replacement,
Crafty is once
again roaming the
MX tracks with the
Old Timers on his
KX. John’s colorful
past comes to life
in his ‘Adventures
of a Limey Pome”
articles! See the
last NewsMag for
part 1 of this series!
10
g
r
e
B
n
Da
oth
o
Mr. Sm
It’s funny, but you hear the same
thing from almost everybody at almost any track.
Riders and spectators alike standing on the side of
the course, or maybe sitting in folding chairs with
a good view of the steep downhill. At the bottom
of the downhill are some hairy breaking bumps
leading into a tight right-hander, followed by a quick
table-top, then a tight right which is slightly offcamber. Coming out of this mess the track levels
out onto a sweeping left-hand barrel roller. The
kind where the rider can exit with a lot of speed to
clear a big table, before disappearing from view. In
morning practice this section is tricky. After the first
couple of gates the ground is getting chewed up
as the lines dry and harden. Many riders struggle
for control, sacrificing speed to stay upright. Then
the masters punch off the line for their first moto.
All eyes are on the track as “The Fast Ones” show
the rest of us how to race a motocross bike. By
the time the pack gets to this section, he’ll have
the lead. It doesn’t much matter where he started.
And people will comment, always saying the same
things. Doesn’t matter if they’ve never seen him
race, or if this is an every-weekend event, it’s
always something like …”How does he go so fast
and look like he’s not even in a hurry.” Or “He just
blew by 3 guys in that section and never missed a
beat!” Stuff like that.
Meet the featured rider, Dan Berg.
Dan has been around the So Cal motocross
scene since bikes had 2 shocks. In a couple of
months he’ll hit his 50th birthday, but the 50 Masters
don’t have to worry. The race director can’t even
consider putting him in that class. He’s just too
darn fast. The fact is there won’t be many 50 yearolds in the country that can run with him when
he turns over the 5th decade. And yes indeed, he
never looks like he’s trying all that hard, while he
pulls monster gaps on the field.
Dan started ridding in 1968 on a Bonanza
mini. It only had 3 and a half hp, but that was enough
for a 5-year-old. By 1973 and the age of 10, he was
ready to race, and entered his first event at Trojan
Speedway ridding a Yamaha 60 JT1. He took 3rd
overall. (In the interests of full disclosure, it should
be noted there were 3 entrants). As he put it, “I got
my ass kicked”. He did learn, however, that most
valuable of lessons; being a winner would take
dedication and hard work. And so he did.
By the early 1980s he was winning. He
had a job and income to support his racing, and
was good enough to turn pro in Sept of 1982. He
was nineteen years old. His first pro race was at
OCIR and he started a long winning streak aboard
a Suzuki RM 465 Full Floater. He found a home
racing in the open class against such notables
as Bruce McDougal and So Cal’s own “Factory”
Dave Europkin. To sharpen his skills even further,
he went through Warren Reid’s motocross school.
His big break came when he met Greg Zittercough.
Dan credits much of his success to time spent
working with Greg Z, who prepped his bikes and
coached him from track-side. It was classic, oldschool ‘take-the-seatoff-and-ride-‘tll-it-hurts’
training. He learned to
ride WFO for a full 30
minutes and still be
able to maintain control
for a last-lap charge.
This is when he
developed that ultrasmooth, flowing style
where there rider stops
fighting the bike; The
classic “Becomes-OneWith-the-Machine” sort
11
Dan Berg
Mr. Smooth
of thing. It’s a style which is often associated with
riders like Marty Tripes and David Bailey, and
Damon Bradshaw. (He hears this often). And with
this style came the championships.
Dan won the Number One plate in CMC’s
open class in 1986, 88, and 89. In late1989 he
suffered a bad crash at Marysville when he
swapped, wide open in 5th gear. He spent a couple
weeks in an ICU while Kenny Zart kept him stocked
with apple sauce and Twinkies. He returned to
win the CMC 250cc championship in 1990, and
the open class again in
1991.
One of the most
impressive
things
about “the Bergmister”
is the amazing depth
of
knowledge
and
experience he has
about motocross. This
becomes evident when
you travel around with
him at different events,
and he seems to know
everybody. As a Honda
factory
test
rider,
he spent time with Rodger DeCoster, Jeremy
McGrath, Ron Turner and Dave Miller. One day at
Glen Helen, your humble author was chatting with
legendary 125 speed demon Brian Myerscough,
who was running the starting gate. Dan ambles up,
and the two start laughing and shake hands like
old friends. Turns out, they are. (Should‘a known!)
Indeed, as one might expect, these ultra-fast guys
do mostly know one-another. Witness another
conversation between Dan and So Cal’s very own
cruse missile, Kevin Barta. K-Bar is one of the very
few age-range guys who can run with Berg (and
will even pull away). Turns out they used to race
Golden State events and had some fun back in the
day. “Yeah, Dan used to beat me. Still would if he
backed off the spumoni and worked out a little”.
Dan smiles…”I’m not eating turnips and tofu just
so I can keep up with you”. The 50 novices in the
crowd retreat to our pits and check tire pressure
for the 14th time. Theirs is a conversation (and a
world) we don’t much relate to.
One of the more impressive things about
Dan is just what a genuinely nice guy he is. To
many folks, he does not seem so at first. There
is just something about the real fast ones that
make other riders apprehensive. To be that fast,
they must be some sort of mean and scary, right?
On top of that, Dan is a big guy. And he sort of
carries a gruff, tough, mountain-man countenance
about him much of the time. Some years ago our
very own Vice Pres, Truk 610, asked Factory Dave
“Hey, what’s with Berg? He seems angry all the
time. Does he ever smile? The guy scares me!”
Turns out, nothing could be farther from the truth.
Dan is one of the most likable, easy-going people
around. He has a sharp sense of humor and a
profound grasp of what is practical, vs what is only
theoretical. He’s quick to call ‘B-S’ on that which
is. Indeed, the more you get to know him, the
more you find a brightly educated and worldly guy.
(Literally ‘worldly’)… He spent a year traveling in
Europe, wrenching for a Swiss rider competing in
the MX World Championships in the mid 1990s.
This author has been more than once impressed
with Dan’s great base of detailed knowledge in
(and love of) world history.
Perhaps the one thing most endearing
about the Bergmister though, is his willingness to
help his fellow racers. If a rider gets jammed up with
anything even remotely connected to motocross,
Dan is there with help and advice. All you have
to do is ask, and you will get the benefit of a life
of experience, many years dedicated to mx. And
one with so much success to show for it. Or, just
find a good spot where you can see most of the
track. Then watch for
the big guy going real
well, but not really
trying that hard. At
first you won’t think
he’s so fast…keep
watching. As
he
passes rider after
rider, then pulls away,
and does so with the
ease of an On Any
Sunday trail ride,
well…you’ll
know
what we all know…
that’s Dan Berg!
12
WMN Racing
Women’s Motocross International
By: Debbie Matthews and Heather Majcherek
Sik Sails to Victory
Racing began under cloudy skies and a light drizzle,
but that didn’t dampen the spirit of the large field of
competitors from 6 States (AZ, CA, ID, NV, WA, UT)
in WMN Racing’s Women’s Motocross International,
held at the famous Glen Helen Raceway in California.
The event boasted over $100,000 in prizes for all the
participants, long motos and featured 6 classes for the
lady riders from Mini to Pro as well as a very popular
Vet class which had several riders entered who raced
the very first Women’s National in 1974!
At the drop of the gate in Moto 1 of the Pro class
Nadine Logan (Kaw) grabbed the initial holeshot but
was quickly dispatched by X Games Medalist and
Worcs Champion Tatum Sik (Hon). Sik wasted little
time establishing her dominance over the strong field
by steadily increasing her lead each lap. While Sik
raced away to an uncontested win, equally impressive
was the Pro debut of Shelby Ward (Kaw). Shelby rode
a very strong consistent race latching onto Sik‘s wake
to claim second in the first moto, with Sarah Troxel
(Kaw) in third. The real battle was for fourth between
Logan, Heather Lockwood (Kaw), Marsha Allen (Hon)
and Staci Woodrum (Hon). Logan would bow out on
the 3rd lap with brake problems, but this only seemed
to intensify the battle. Charging hard from 7th on the
opening lap following a first lap crash to finish fourth
was Marsha Allen. Lockwood eventually settled in 5th,
but was under attack on the last lap by a hard charging
Woodrum. Woodrum closed to the back wheel of
Lockwood but at the checkers Lockwood held the
advantage. Not far off the pace was Hope Searcy (Suz)
who finished 1st in the Intermediate class.
Moto 2 was again dominated by Sik who took the
holeshot and never looked back. Amber West (Ktm)
grabbed 2nd out of the hole but was under immediate fire
from Ward, and Troxel. On Lap 2 West yielded to Ward
and Troxel and by Lap 4 lost another position to Allen.
Ward rode a solid race in second all the way to the flag,
but Troxel closed to within striking distance in the final
laps, but was unable to make the pass. West and Allen
meanwhile were engaged in a heated battle swapping
the position every lap with West beating Allen to the
flag, followed by Searcy (Int) and Lockwood, while
Woodrum would DNF.
In Amateur action, Nicole Dorsey (Yam) dominated
the Novice class with a wire to wire win in Moto 1
over Mandi Jo Taylor (Kaw), Emily Tieskoetter (Suz)
Jessica Daniel (Hon) and Haley Rogers (Yam) who had
a tight battle that was decided on the final lap. Dorsey
and Taylor battled all moto, with Taylor moving into
2nd on the white flag lap. Daniel would finish third,
followed closely by Tieskoetter, Rogers, Rowlan and
Taylor Giorgio (Hon). Erika Werner (Yam) punctured
her radiator on the opening lap and would be done
for the day. On the final lap, Taylor secured the spot
for good over Daniel, Tieskoetter, Rogers, Courtney
Rowlan (Yam) and Taylor Giorgio (Hon).
Moto 2 had Rowlan with the holeshot. Rowlan looked
strong out front but slid sideways while launching
over a jump and executed a near perfect “Chadapult”
impression, ending her bid for the win early. Tieskoetter
eagerly took over the point position only to succumb
to Dorsey the next lap. On the last lap Dorsey staked
her claim with an aggressive pass for the double moto
victory over Tieskoetter. Daniel also got nipped for
13
17 YAM SUP Michelle Krieger 3 3
11 YAM SUP Heather Majcherek 4 4
374 HON SUP Kelsey Landis DNF 5
third on the last lap by the hard charging Taylor and
finish 4th for the moto, followed by Rogers and Giorgio.
The Beginner class was consistent both motos with
Kimberly Bussing (KTM) taking the win over Jaden
Glaza (Hon), Michelle Kreiger (Yam), Heather
Majcherek (Yam), and Lelsey Landis(Hon) . Vet and
Mini action also had identical moto scores with Marnie
Proctor (Kaw) dominating the Vet class over Michelle
Kreiger (Yam), Lori Payne (Hon), Denise DeVines
(Suz) and Cathy Silva (Hon), while the Mini class was
sol property of Mand Jo Taylor over Kendall Ward.
Womens Novice
551 YAM SUP Nicole Dorsey 1 1
171 KAW SUP Madi Jo Taylor 2 3
372 SUZ SUP Emily Tieskoetter 4 2
193 HON SUP Jessica Daniel 3 4
124 YAM SUP Haley Rogers 5 5
277 HON SUP Taylor Giorgio 9 6
622 YAM SUP Courtney Rowlan 6 DNF
555 YAM SUP Erika Werner DNF DNF
Womens Vet
1253 KAW OR Marnie Proctor 1 1
17 YAM SUP Michelle Krieger 2 2
58 HON SUP Lori Payne 3 3
60 SUZ SUP Denise Devines 4 4
216 HON SUP Cathy Silva 5 5
Womens Intermediate
253 SUZ SUP Hope Searcy 1 1
Womens Expert
972 HON SUP Tatum Sik 1 1
294 KAW SUP Shelby Ward 2 2
920 KAW SUP Sarah Troxel 3 3
407 HON SUP Marsha Allen 4 5
189 KTM SUP Amber West 7 4
68 KAW SUP Heather Lockwood 5 6
39 HON SUP Staci Woodrom 6 7
192 KAW SUP Nadalie Logan DNF DNS
Nikki Dorsey - “Women’s International at Glen Helen
was the most fun race I’ve ever been too! It is awesome
having every class for girls, not just novice, or women.
I want to say thank you for all the cool presents and
awards at the end you guys are great and really care
about our sport!! I can’t wait for the next one!! Thanks
for such an amazing event! :)”
Nadalie Logan- I’m alright. Got a concision, might have
broken my finger, and I’m sporting a sweet black eye
but I’m good! Lol I will defiantly be there next year, the Thank you to our 2012 Sponsors- WSMX (Women’s
School of Motocross), Racers Machine, MX Sports
track was great!
WMN Racing is to be commended for putting on such
a wonderful event for the ladies. If you missed it, be
sure to mark your calendar for next year, you will be
glad you did!
2012 Womens International results
Mini
171x KAW SUP Jo Taylor 1 1
25 HON SUP Kendall Ward 2 2
Womens Beginner
131 KTM SUP Kimberly Bussing 1 1
11x HON SUP Jaden Glaza 2 2
Nutrition, Advocare, Protect All, Bobster Eyewear, Scott
Goggles, Powermadd, Pro Wheel, Bell Helmets, The Helmet
Man, Belgium Budder, Mx Belt Buckle, Rudy Project, No
Toil, Six Six One, Tag Metals, Sunline, Royal, Flitron,
Minibike Springs, Factory Effex, Mx Bonz, PMP Sprockets,
RB Components, SDR, Pit Posse, BRM Offroad Graphics,
Risk Racing, Striker Hand Tool, FMF, Thede Photography,
Decal Works, Liquid Performance, Works Connection,
Boyesen, Moto Mingle, Moto Concepts, Helix Racing
Products, Mika Metals, DT1 Filters, Pivot Works, Hot Rods,
Hot Cams, Cylinder Works, Vertex Usa, Hyper Racerwear,
Feed The Machine, AXO, Sunstar, Ryno Power, IronHorse
Werks, My Lucas Oil, IgY Nutrition, Acerbis, LiveWire
Energy, and ZANheadgear.
14
WAVING THE FLAG
Part 3 by Owin
Wright
First-things-first… got to call my buddy Rob. He
got me back into this, and the last thing he said
was “I don’t want to hear any more talk about ‘you
might be ridding again’. Just call me when it’s a
done-deal” So I call him. “It’s a done deal…when
do we go ridding? I’m free this weekend.” After
he stops laughing, he starts in with my education.
“Buddy, you bought a racing bike. It’s got a red
sticker and can’t be ridden anywhere locally until October”. Are you freaking kidding me? I get to
stare at this thing for a month before I can ride it?
I had some choice words for the California Tree
Hugging and Clean Air Hand-Wringers right about
then, to be sure. Whatever… I waited 27 years,
The Beginning of the End
three more weeks wouldn’t kill me. Besides, turns
The next morning I sat in the garage, semi-dumb- out there was much to do before my first ride, anyfounded. I had done it. Yep, I had really pulled the how. I really did need the time. So…
trigger on this one. I kept the promise…a promise
I installed the slip-on pipe that morning. It gave
I had made 27 years ago. I smiled as I sipped on
my morning mug of coffee and stared at her. As
clear as you please, I could see that father and
son driving away down the street I grew up on,
with my highly modified and much beloved AT3
Yamaha in the back of their truck. The 300 bucks
in my hand didn’t even begin to compensate for
what was lost. It was November, 1977. I was out
of the dirt-biking business, and there would not be
a come-back any time soon. But I would be back.
That was the promise I made right then and there,
standing in the middle of Roundhill Drive, age 17.
I would come back!
Oh yeah, ‘a promise kept’ I thought out loud. It
was September, 2004. Sitting there in front of me
was a brand-spanking new 2004 CRF 450. Scattered around the garage were the hastily deposit- me a chance to get to know the bike mechanically.
ed remains of last night’s dirt bike shopping orgy. I was stunned. Every where I looked, it seemed
New gas cans, trailer hitch bike carrier, bike stand, like NASA designed and built the thing. Never
after-market slip-on exhaust system, tie-downs,... mind the aluminum frame and Formula One four
jeez, the stuff was everywhere. Inside the house stroke engine. Most of the bolts were dished out
there was more. All the ridding gear and paper to save weight! I mean, that’s strictly works-type
work. Last night was a fuzzy blur. Not too many stuff, you know? (Or at least, it was…). And it was
times in a person’s life where one can drop into big! Yes indeed, she was a big girl. Throwing a leg
a ten thousand dollar shopping spree in a single over the saddle took a conscious effort. My feet
night. Sort of disorients you, leaves you spent the just made it to the ground. I wondered how shorter
next day, if you know what I mean (pun intended). guys managed the height. I started her up with the
Now, where to begin?
intent of taking a few easy passes up and down
15
the street. As it warmed up, I blipped the throttle
easy, then a little harder. The damn thing revved
faster than any 2-stroke I had ever been around.
The exhaust howled with a nasty, snarling kind of
tone. I remembered the sales guy telling me about
the 53-4 h.p. the thing would have with the pipe installed. I didn’t believe him at the time. Magazines
and several conversations with other riders confirmed that it was, indeed, an accurate number.
Hmmm…over 50 h.p. and it revs like this. And it
weighs what…230 lbs. or some-such? Sure, take
it up and down the street a few times. Hey, it’s not
like you haven’t been on a bike in more than 25
years. I shut the thing off and rolled it into the back
yard. No one ever got hurt taking pictures of their
new toy as it sat quietly on a stand.
The magic day finally arrived. October 1st was
a Friday. And if that was the first day I could ride
back into dirt biking, then by gawd that would be
the day! I called in sick to work, loaded 3 days
worth of camping and ridding gear into my trusty
Ford Expedition, and pointed the whole kitancabudle toward Soggy Dry Lake, where it had
all started so long ago. Though many years had
passed, I was surprised to be able to drive right
out to ridding area with out so much as a glance
at a map. The way there had been safely tucked
into my head for all this time, and as I approached
the lake bed on the old dirt road, I wondered at
how very little had changed. I chuckled to myself,
‘It’s the desert, you idiot. Deserts don’t change…
at least not in time measured by the passing of
man’. I moved to the north-east edge of the dry
lake, found a nice fire ring, and set up a proper
base of operations. This is something years of
camping and hiking experience can bring into a
real art form. When I was done there were several
tables set up for both riding gear and camp life
(cooking, CD music player, etc). It was going to
get pretty warm, about 90 degrees, so I had several awnings tied off from the truck’s roof rack to
tent pools, attached to ground stakes. (No stinking
easy-ups for this outdoorsman!) Shade was plentiful. When all was done I stood back, impressed.
It was a camp fit for the occasion. Too bad Rob
wasn’t going to be there. He and his wife had a
prior obligation that weekend and couldn’t make
the scene. I was bummed about that. So was Rob.
He had strongly counseled me to wait a couple of
weekends until he could join me, but there was no
Waving the Flag
chance I’d put this weekend off. Years later, sitting
around another camp fire, he remarked this was
his first real indication how committed I was to a
dirt-biking comeback. He was surprised I’d gone
out alone on my first ride. It wouldn’t be the last
time. What he didn’t know was I had spent much
of my life stepping out on solo adventures. A week
backpacking deep in the High Sierras alone was
something I did from time to time. It’s not that I prefer to go it alone, but waiting for other folks to line
up their schedule with yours can burn up a lot of
opportunities. So I just sort of evolved into something of a lone operator, out of practical need. This
weekend was no different. As it turned out, I would
be far from alone, anyway.
With all the supporting details attended to, there
was no getting around it. Time to ride! It only took
about 30 minutes to climb into all the new ridding
gear. And that, after I had put all the stuff on at
home a couple of times. Fully clad, I felt like an
Imperial Storm Trooper as I approached the bike.
How was I gonna’ be able to ride with all this stuff
on? Oh well, climb aboard and light her off. As
I raised a leg over the seat, the extra weight of
the big, plastic boot caused me to hook my toe
on the rear fender and damn near fell over right
there. It would have looked just like the tricycle
guy on Laugh-In, but I saved it, along with some
dignity. The bike started on the 3rd kick. That’s
when things started getting real. I let her warm
up, grabbed the clutch, and tapped down for low.
A little throttle and we’re off, ridding a motorcycle
16
Waving the Flag
for the first time in 27 years. I was quite pleased
with myself. No stalling, no crazy stuff, just pulled
away out onto the lake bed. Take her easy on the
rpms, short-shift through all 5 speeds and everything is fine. I was impressed with how it was all
still very natural, clutching, shifting up and down,
and braking. It’s true you know… you never forget
how to do something you really love, no matter
how much time goes by. So I rode around that flat
lake bed for 10 minutes, then went back to camp
for an equal cooling-off period, ‘cause that’s what
the owner’s manual said to do. Three of those and
I could start to boogie with the thing.
The sun was getting a little warmer, but all in all, it
was a fine day. I kept checking the fuel level in the
tank, but it never moved. After the third break-in
cycle, I was convinced the bike was getting about
264 mpg. Now it was time to get off this dry lake
and do some real dirt biking. Before hooking off
into any serous desert, I rode over to a group of
4-wheelers whose camp was a little ways from my
own. I told them I was a dirt biker long-time-gone
and now returned, was out here alone (because I
couldn’t wait), and could they please keep half and
eye out for my return, in case I didn’t. Now, these
guys were extremely cool and it was my great good
fortune that they be camped near-by. They proceeded to tell me that I had picked a hellava weekend to come back to Soggy. It was opening day
for all ORVs, and San Bernardino County Search
and Rescue was throwing its annual Opening Day
Festival. By night-fall, there would be about a thou-
sand or so ORVs camped all over the place, live
bands, a mobile stage and dance floor, organized
rock crawls, hill climbs, rescue classes, and so on
both day and night through Sunday. Wow. This
particular weekend being alone would not only not
be a problem; it would not even be possible. I had
hit the good luck jackpot. The guys said they’d be
happy to keep an eye out for me. Much reassured,
I headed for the nearest dirt roads and trails. It
was about here things got a little goofy.
I pointed the Honda north toward an area where
the lake turned back to desert and a beat-up dirt
road defined my trail. It was real rough. Erosion had
made the ground strange, hard and very bumpy,
as if the land couldn’t decide whether it wanted
to be open desert, or continue as part of the lake
bed. I wasn’t going that fast, and it tossed the bike
around a lot. I remembered to stand up, but oddly
that didn’t help much. I cleared the odd section
and took off up some trails. There were woops everywhere and I couldn’t begin to manage them.
I slowed down even more and searched around
for some single track, but nothing really worked.
The bike wallowed in soft dirt or sand, and went
wide or threatened to pitch me off the high side in
any turn. It wouldn’t power-slide no matter what
I did. What it would do was go forward in a big
hurry. Arm stretching, eye watering acceleration it
had no problem with. It seemed like the motor was
hooked directly to the ground, like there was zero
wheel-spin, which explained why I couldn’t get it
to slide. Oh, the brakes worked mighty well, too.
The front one almost threw me over the bars the
first time I really grabbed it. I tried this and I tried
that, but all-in-all, I had to admit that it was just
not working. It was nothing like the fun I remembered… Nothing at all! As I road back to the camp,
an icy ball started to form in the pit of my stomach.
Could this be happening? Is this for real? Did I just
make a ten thousand dollar mistake?!?! People
change. The world turns, and time goes by. Things
aren’t always like you remember. The home-coming queen from high school you bump into at the
airport 20 years later… She’s shaped like a pair,
ugly as a mud fence, and married to some junkbond salesman. I put the bike on its stand, made
a sandwich and grabbed a beer. Sitting in my favorite old camp chair, I stared at the Honda and
thought hard.
No! I refuse to accept this. I freak’n-well remem-
17
waving
the flag
ber how much fun ridding a dirt bike was, those
memories are real, and I have the finest one
available sitting right in front of me. It’s me! I’m
the weak link here. Get back on that sucker and
do it like you remember. So I did. I checked the
gas again. I had only burned about a pint or less.
I brought ten gallons. Running short of fuel would
not be a concern.
This time I headed east, up a valley well remembered from the old days. My family used to make
our camp in this big rock formation that stands as
kind of island, in the middle of that rising valley.
There were a number of good trails and I just happened to pick one that was not overly rough. As
I started up the long rise, I sort of spoke a little
encouragement at myself…’Get your act together.
You know how to do this! Remember. Stand on the
pegs; crouch down low, the DeCoster Crouch. Remember. Yeah. Center your weight and grab the
bike with your legs. Rock and roll with the terrain.
This sweetheart has a foot of suspension travel at
both ends. Use it! Yeah, now feed her some throttle and let’s see what she’s all about!’
There are moments which can profoundly change
a person’s life. In an instant, the very essence of
who and what we are, and why we are, can rightthere-and-then be utterly redefined. What occurred
next, for me, was just such a moment.
Heading up the valley trail I short-shifted around
3rd gear and let the motor pull under a good
throttle. The slight rise made the front end light
as it skipped over the bumps. I kept my weight
centered as the bike built speed and rpms. I was
immediately aware of how much more stable the
bike felt when I properly attached myself to it.
Time for the afore-mentioned, life-affirming moment. The engine hit the heart of its power band,
but unlike before, I didn’t back off the throttle. For
some insane reason I gave it
more. At the very instant the
bike exploded forward under
full power, the ground fell gently away. The trail dropped a
short distance into a wide,
shallow, dry stream bed that crossed the valley.
The trail dropped, but the front end didn’t. Without
any deliberate intention on my part, that beautiful red sled flew into that depression and carried
the front wheel 2 feet off the ground all the way
across! Any bumps or ruts disappeared under the
rear suspension like special effects in a movie.
As 3rd gear wound out and the front end came
back down, I tagged 4th almost unconsciously
and nailed the throttle. There was a long, gradual
climb on the other side of the dry wash. The bike
ripped up and out with the front end coming up
again at the crest of the rise. I held the throttle
steady for a few moments more, then backed off
all together when I realized bike and rider were
doing almost 60 mph. My heart was pounding in
my throat, alpha waves were flashing through my
brain at about the 70-megawatt level, and if I’d
have taken a blood sample right then, it would
have read 50% pure endorphins. Ridding up that
valley on that particular trail, with a force of will
and faith in great memories, it all came together.
This was why we ride dirt bikes. And I’m back,
doing it again!
I turned around, went right back down to the
dry lake, and shot up the valley again. About six
times. Each time was better than the last. I was
working with the bike and all the cool stuff was
sparkling again. Damn! It was just like it was, and
it was a stone-cold blast!
On the last repeat up the valley I kept going until I hit the rock island and the old family camp. I
rolled into the middle of the site, shut the bike off,
and looked around. It was just as I remembered
from so many years ago. My buddy Jack and I put
our tent over there. Mom and dad put the big tent
here, and the neighbors (with the Hodaka) put
their camper over there. Yeah, it was memory-city
18
Waving the Flag
sitting on that bike in that old camp. I even looked
over a section of rocks we used to practice trials
ridding on. I let myself soak up the sun-bathed
nostalgia for a little while, then fired up my Honda. We circled the camp a couple of times before
heading back down the valley. Got about 30 yards
and my beloved new toy up and quit running. I
mean, it just died right on the spot. “What-the hey!”
This can’t be happening…It’s a Honda…It’s brand
new! Everyone said the thing would be as reliable
as a falling brick! I looked down at the lake bed. It
was about a mile and a half down the valley. It was
just after noon and the temperature was getting
pretty nasty. My camp was on the far side of the
dry lake. “Come on, no, for reals?” A brand new
bike and it won’t run. What, electrical? Clogged
jets in the carb? Nothing made any sense. Then
it hit me… clogged jets in the carb meant no gas
for the engine. Something else might mean no gas
for the engine, either. I kid you not, I looked around
to make sure no one would see what I was about
to do. I’m in the middle of the freak’n desert and I
look around because I know what’s about to happen, and I’m just hopping I can keep it to myself.
Yep, I unscrew the gas cap and look inside…bonedry. Yes indeed, I was having so much fun, was so
overwhelmed with good-time juices and feel-good
memories, that I lost all track of time and ran the
damn thing right out of gas.
I was lucky. There was just enough slope in that
valley that I could coast the bike almost all the way
down. I did have to push the bike across the lake
bed. My new friends in the 4-wheeler camp where
true to their word. They spotted me with binoculars and actually came out in a jeep to check on
me. Great guys. “Break down?” They ask…’nope’,
says I. Then I tell them…” You know, I read the
owners manual cover to cover, twice. It says what
gas to use, and where to put it. But no where in
there does it say you have to keep putting gas in
the thing”! We all had a chuckle and they towed
me back to camp. An hour later and I’m dumping
fuel into my bike for another ride. I hear a bunch
of car horns go off, cheering and clapping, so I
look over in the direction of the racket. About a
half ‘dozen of these clowns are waving gas cans in
one hand, beer cans in the other, cheering my refueling efforts, and laughing their arses off! I took a
bow and did a perfect 9-count waltz with the empty
gas can. You had to be there…
The sun was setting late Sunday afternoon. I
was heading down the highway, on my way home.
It had been an incredible weekend. I had ridden
until I was so sore I could hardly hold on to the
bike. I was invited to join the 4-wheelers for dinner
Saturday night, and those guys were truly off-road
characters. I couldn’t thank them enough for their
hospitality and camaraderie. I was awash in reflection. Dirt biking was indeed the coolest thing
I had ever done, and now I was doing it again. I
thought of the fun I’d had, the incredible rejuvenation of spirit, and how much I’d learned my first
time out. I was equally aware of how much I had
yet to learn. My ridding skills were next to zero, but
that was to be expected. Ability would change with
time and practice. And time and practice would be
all I was about for the next several years. Indeed,
everything else would fall by the wayside. Dirt biking had returned as my life’s cause, and I marveled at the clarity of my commitment to the sport
once again. Driving home as that sun set, another
thought twinkled in the back of my mind. I had to
be careful with this one. People had warned me…
things had changed in the past 25 years; “take it
easy on this one”, were the words they said. But
I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It was out there,
waiting for me, just like Soggy Dry Lake. I’d have
to be patient. I’d have to be very careful. I’d have
to get my ridding skills well advanced from what
they were that first weekend, cruising home from
my first ride in 27 years. But as sure as I’d come
back to ride the desert, to be a dirt biker again, I
would find my way back to the source. The summit, the panicle of any dirt biker’s universe… Yes,
I would the next return in my own good time. The
source…
Motocross.
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Kevin Worrell
2013 SoCal OTMX #1
Kevin Worrell: Interviewing the Champ!
Kevin Worrell has earned the number one
for 2012. He will run the big #1 on a red number plate throughout the 2013 season. I had the
pleasure of sitting down with “Pigpen” at Keno’s
in Anaheim for a couple of hours to delve into
his history, and what makes Kevin tick! First of
all, we ordered dinner (it was on me as a reward
for his hard work). What did he order? Keno’s
famous fried chicken dinner, of course! Me, I had
a club sandwich.
Kevin grew up in the town of Corona, right
up the 91 from Keno’s. He basically has lived
there his entire life, aside from a brief stint in Orange. He attended Washington Elementary and
Rainer Jr. High as a youngster, later moving on
through Corona High School until his graduation
in 1983. Kev didn’t mess around with college or
“higher education.” He went straight to work. His
chosen professions were (and are) auto repair
and machining.
Kevin’s first motorcycle was a 1973 Hodaka Ace 100. He was one of those thousands who
received their off-road baptism on a Hodaka. His
Corona High School buddy, Roger Kokos (who
also races with our club but is currently recuperating from injuries) and Kevin rode all over the
Corona area, as back in the 70s there was plenty of open land there, and the authorities were,
by choice, lax, giving riders like Kev and Rog the
opportunity to ride locally.
Ah, those were the days!!!
Kevin started racing
around 1979. His first real
race bike was a used 79
KX 250. He raced a lot at
the tracks we all knew and
loved. . . DeAnza, Arroyo,
Carlsbad,
Saddleback,
and OCIR! He attended
the Carlsbad MX School
in 1981. From 1986 until 1996--a span of 10
years—Kevin was off motorcycles. In 1996 Kevin
acquired an 82 YZ490
and started riding again. He later picked up an 86
CR500, which became one of his all-time favorite
bikes. He resumed racing (desert racing) in 2004
on a CRF450X. In October of 06, he was racing
D-38 when he had a major crash and crushed five
vertebrae. It took a full year to heal up. But like all
of us, Kevin was not done racing despite his injuries!
Toward the end of his recuperation period,
he jumped on the Net and did some surfing for
potential racing organizations. He discovered the
Old Timers, and since the meeting place was right
down the road from Corona, he decided to show at
a meeting to check it out. At the Wednesday meeting, he liked what he saw and heard. The next day,
Thursday, he bought a CRF250, and on that Friday broke it in at Milestone. SoCal had a race at
Milestone on Sunday, and Kevin was there with
his new bike. No, he did not win!
His first breakthrough race came at AV
Motoplex, where he won the 40 Novice class. He
moved up to the 40 Amateur class. Gaining speed
and confidence every week, he soon moved himself up to the Expert class (at one of our Ridgecrest races).
Kevin’s memorable races tend to be recent
ones. His famous mud race with Randy Blevins
came to mind (he followed RaceDog the entire
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Kevin Worrell: Interviewing the Champ!
Interview and photos by the Photoman
race but never was able to get around him), as
did his overall win at a Glen Helen race (the warmup before the International) where he beat Doug
Goodman.
Kevin now enjoys Master class racing, mixing it up with Alan Burtt, Nick Waters, Steve Piattoni and Truk. One of his great memories was running elbow to elbow with Sofka and not worrying
about being punted off the track! Kevin mentioned
his gratitude to Factory Dave Eropkin for showing him the ropes of setup and preparation, and
to Dan Berg for advice on riding ruts and turning
techniques. He also mentioned by name Steve Piattoni and Kurt Sofka for giving him help and encouragement. Another major influence on his success has been Nick Costello at ProValve.
Kevin also thanked all the club sponsors
who support us—they are on the sponsors’ link
on the website—and to Corona Motorsports and
MTA.
Pigpen mentioned that his #1 plate conquest was certainly not easy. He had to fight
through injuries the last five races of the season.
He credits Truk610 with saving his #1 plate efforts
at the last Hillside race. Kevin went down hard,
and was going to pack it in when Kurt encouraged
him to get up and finish; it turned out to be one of
the critical finishes that helped solidify the championship. That injury carried through the last three
races, but Kevin gutted it out and took the crown.
What is in the future for Kevin? He indicated he has been a full-time racer for the past five
years. This year culminated in the IOTMX M-B
championship as well as the club M-B championship and the overall #1 club position. That is quite
an accomplishment for a single season! Kev indicated he won’t be getting after it as much for 2013,
although he will be sporting the #1 plate and plans
on making the majority of the club races. At this
point he is not planning on hitting the IOTMX circuit. Kevin indicated he plans to enjoy a few other
activities, like fishing, during the coming year. He
plans on just enjoying himself! He noted that he
derives more enjoyment and satisfaction from rac-
ing now than when he was young. He has more
friends, is more mature, and running in the expert/
master divisions gives him more satisfaction that
he ever imagined!
Kevin was a pleasure to interview and
talk with. As I paid the dinner check, Kevin expressed thanks to all the club officers and workers
that make our races happen. He gave thanks for
the Board, and for the signup/scoring ladies. He
voiced appreciation for the club giveaways, and
again thanked his sponsors. He told me his Mom
(who passed away last November) had always
been one of his biggest boosters, and mentioned
how is brother, Bill, was also a great supporter.
Kevin gave thanks that he can still do “this motocross thing.”
My opinion: Kevin is not only a very worthy
racer to carry the #1 plate, but he is an honest,
down-to-earth super nice person. I am very honored to have him as a fellow racer and a friend!
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