SoCal OTMX NewsMag

Volume 13, Issue 1
SoCal OTMX Newsletter (A MotoPhoto LLC Publication)
Winter Edition 2011
g
a
M
s
w
e
N
X
SoCal OTM
S o C al Ret u rns to I- 5!
It had been quite a few
years since the SoCal Club
had sampled the wares of the
I-5 Motocross Track in Hungry Valley, Gorman. The last
time we were there, on June
22, 2008, there was a question if we would ever return.
The track operator was more
interested in practice days
than racing, and appeared to
be lukewarm to prepping the
track to SoCal‟s standard.
Fast forward almost two
years, with the track now under the US Forest Service
control, and the club decided
to give the facility a new try.
Through the efforts of our VP
in charge of Operations, Kurt
Sofka, Jr., three racing organizations experienced an
outstanding day of competition on a suburb track. The re
-organized Los Angeles Old
Timers‟ Club, the Over the Hill
Gang, and of course our SoCal OTMX Club all arrived at
Hungry Valley to do moto.
On this fine February
13th, Bruce Ashmore had a
day to remember. As he was
growing up, he was constantly reading about a great
rider by the name of Dave
gan to challenge his hero
for position. At I-5, Bruce
did the heretofore thought
impossible. . . He swept
both motos over his idol,
taking the overall win in
the 50 Master Class.
As impressive as Ashmore‟s win was, the most
impressive rider of the day
was Big Dan Berg. Dan
smoked to some very fast
laps, winning the Master A
class over a game Sofka,
Jr.
Eropkin. Bruce admired Dave,
and thought of Dave as his
favorite local pro rider. Little did
he know that, when joining the
SoCal Club, he would find himself beside his hero on the
starting gate. Bruce has always
been a fast, competent rider.
Earlier this year he sold his
2010 Yamaha and acquired a
new 2011 CRF450 Honda.
Something about this bike
suited Bruce and suddenly he
found himself significantly
faster to the point that he be-
Other Master and Expert class winners were
Randy Blevins in the Master 50B class, who traded
wins with Dan Caneva
(Randy took the overall by winning moto 2), Tom Baker, winning the Master B class over
Mark Pledger and Alan Burtt,
and Michael Cosaert, winner of
the Expert 40 class over Courtney Gannett and Larry Fine.
The Expert 50 class was
dominated by local rider (and
SoCal member) Tom Ernsdorf.
Tom stood atop the podium with
Don Faron and Chris Cumbo
taking the second and third
tiers. Fast SoCal riders Jack
Inside this issue:
Secretary’s Notepad. . . . . . . . Page 3
Kevin852 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4
Wrighty-O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 6
Ask Lawndart . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 9
VP Ramblings . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 10
From the Prez. . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 11
Rider of the Month . . . . . . . .Page 12
SoCal Club Reminders:
Transponders have an 18hour charge cycle. . . Plug
them in Thursday for a
Saturday race, and Friday
for a Sunday race. When
fully charged, your transponder indicator light will
turn to a sold green in the
charger.
Gilliam, Jeff Collins, Dee Vondracek, and Ron Verbeek were
all very competitive!
Continued page 2
PAGE 2
SoCal OTMX Newsletter (A MotoPhoto LLC Publication)
riders taking the gate. Dennis Tooman, recently moved from the Expert to Amateur
class, swept both motos over a very fast
Gary Doll (SoCal) and Gary Colbert (who
made the trip from Bishop to ride this event).
Other notables in this class were Paul Lax
and Bruce Hoover, both of whom demonstrated very fast lap times!
SoCal REtursn
to I-5 (from page 1)
The Expert 60 class was a shootout
between Lyle Sweeter, Gary Willison,
and Jim Oneal. Gary led the way moto
one with a tight win over Oneal. Sweeter
was on the gas moto two, and improved
his position from third first moto to the
win, with Oneal edging out Willison for
second. Sweeter found himself with the
overall! Steve Dunlap and Jack Kell were
also quite competitive in this class.
The Novice 50 class is fast becoming one
of the most competitive in the club. Denny
Ryan, an independent rider, swept both motos. Denny will ride Amateur the next race
he has with SoCal. Chasing Denny, with
very fast lap times, was SoCal‟s Bob
Walpert. Bob exhibited such speed and
jumping ability that will also find himself in
the amateur class soon! Don Meiner and
Tony Parsons continued their rivalry, with
Owin Wright inserting himself into the mix.
Jeff Hawthorne made his comeback
to racing after quite a few months off due
to injury. Jeff was the past president of
the LA OTMX, and was instrumental in
keeping that club organized for many
years. He rode hard to fourth overall be-
Jeff Hawthorne made a return to
racing at Hungry Valley
was Chuck Ramsey, Sr., and Richard
Lyons.
These fast 70+ riders were not the
oldest of the meet, however. John
Webb again took that honor. John, 83
years of age, took the 80+ class with 11 motos.
The Amateur 60 class was one of
the largest in numbers, with eleven
The Novice, Amateur, and Beginner 40
classes all ran in the same motos. Michael
Long took the beginner class over Gil Verity
and Ian Staton. Tim Marshall ran away with
the Amateur 40 class, with 1-1 motos over
Marc Mazza‟s 2-2 and Carlos Palomo‟s 3-3.
Danny Ramired took the Novice 40 class.
The I-5 track received rave reviews from
the racers, and plans are being made to
return to I-5 later in the year (possibly after
the SoCal Summer Night Series at Comp
Edge). Thanks go out to the I-5 track crew
for their track preparations, to Sofka, Jr. for
his scheduling efforts and his patience with
the Forestry Service, and to all the riders
who showed up to make the Hungry Valley
race a success.
Bruce Ashmore on his new Honda!
hind SoCal‟s John Bosanko, independent
rider Jim Jeffries, and SoCal‟s Kent
Reed.
Five over-70 year old riders signed up
and took the gate in the 70 class. This
class was the surprise of the race day,
with passing and dicing going on from
gate to checkered flag. Barry Simon
wound up the winner with 1-2 moto finishes, over a fast but unlucky Phil Black
(4-1), and new SoCal member Ron Clawson. Ron is from Tulare, CA, and runs
the Central Valley OTMX (Ron belongs
to two OTMX clubs). Finishing after Ron
Rich ―Photoman‖ Stuelke flies over Frink Derby in the 60 AMA race.
A Randy Blevins Photo
PAGE 3
SoCal OTMX Newsletter (A MotoPhoto LLC Publication)
Secretary’s Notepad
ARIZONA INTERNATIONAL
Or Bust
Someone once said; “Getting there is
half the fun.”
I want to meet that person and tell them
about the fun that the Old Fat Bald Guys
Racing Team had getting to the Arizona
Oldtimers International at Arizona Cycle
Park.
As is often the case with the International races, HONEST PAUL‟S MOTORCYCLE
TRANSPORT was taking other people‟s
bikes, and in this case other people, to the
event. Ken Fuelner‟s bike was loaded in the
bed of the truck and there was a place
saved in the Former Monkey Mobile for Jeff
Collin‟s orange bike. And Jeff was going to
ride to the event with myself, Bradley and
Patricia. The Dodge that usually pulls the
FMM (Former Monkey Mobile) to the races
is what they refer to as a club cab, so-called
because you sometimes need to club people to get them to ride in the smallish back
seat. In an effort to improve the customer
service, HONEST PAUL‟S MOTORCYCLE
TRANSPORT borrowed a crew cab from
Harlan‟s mom, my friend Monica.
These four door pickups are known
as crew cabs since they are more
satisfactory to the passengers,
thereby keeping the crew happy and
thus reducing the instances of mutiny on the Interstate. It‟s a nice
truck, a 2004 King Ranch Edition
Ford F-250.
Arizona Cycle Park had practice
scheduled for noon to 4 on Friday so
the plan was to arrive Friday morning, get set up, practice and be all
ready for the usual Friday night International SoCal potluck. Bradley was
coming down from his home in the
Bay Area after work Thursday, planning to arrive around midnight. I had
the trailer hooked up, everything
loaded, ready to go by about 7 p.m.
and thought I‟d just pull the rig
around in front of the house and
head it toward the freeway so when
Bradley arrived we‟d roll his bike in
and go. Jeff knew that we were
planning to pick him up between 1
and 2 a.m. I jumped in the truck (I
have to jump, it‟s a 4-wheel drive
and taller than the Dodge) fired it up,
dropped it in gear, gave it some
throttle but it didn‟t move. No problem, I
thought, must have left a wheel chock in
place. Jumped out (it‟s quite a drop for old
knees) and checked; no chocks. Simple, I
figured, the answer was MORE THROTTLE.
Now it moved, but not well and as soon as I
eased up on the throttle it stopped like the
brakes were on. Hummmm, brakes? There
are a lot of ways to see if the brakes are
locked, mine is to open up the truck, go 20
feet of so, then get out and see if there are
black marks where the locked trailer wheels
were skidding. Yep. Trailer brakes are
locked.
So, I crawled under the trailer and disconnected and cleaned all the connections on the
trailer brakes. Back in the truck, rock the rig
once in reverse, and shazamm! no problemo.
I‟d lost the better part of an hour playing with
that, but there was still time for a nap before
Bradley was due.
Midnight. Bradley arrives, we load his stuff
and we‟re off. Still on schedule for an 8 a.m.
arrival at Buckeye. Got to Riverside and
loaded up Jeff and his stuff. But the power
was out in the trailer – no lights. Checked and
it had blown the 30 amp fuse that feeds the
12v power to the trailer. No problem, we got
lots of fuses. And we‟re off. (Turned out to be
a good thing – we used 5 fuses over the weekend. I‟ll fix it before Tulare, just stick a piece
of copper wire between the fuse terminals
and watch for the smoke.)
It‟s about 2 a.m. and we‟re near Palm
Springs. A car pulls up on the left, turns on its
dome light and points at the trailer. OK, I
figure, we‟re dragging something or have a
light out or some such thing. Wrong. A check
of the right side of the FMM confirms the
cause of the pointing. The FMM is a tandem
axle, you know, 2 tires on each side. But
there was only one on the right side. On the
(Continued Page 5)
VOLUME 13, ISSUE 1
SoCal OTMX Newsletter (A MotoPhoto LLC Publication)
PAGE 4
Bardaman Speaks (aka Kevin852)!
climbing? No. Perhaps I should try partying with Charlie Sheen? But as well know
this sport just supplies a thrill that most, or
all, of us just can not find anywhere else.
That is why usually the first thing we say to
a friend after they crash is ―so when are
you back on the bike?‖
Hello All. When Rich asked me to write
this month’s article I was going to write
about how I was quitting riding/racing
for most of this year to concentrate on
my running. I have a marathon May 21st,
another marathon Oct 9th, and then
cross country national championships
Dec 10th. But After writing that article
and emailing it him I had a change of
heart. Moto kind of does that to us.
I think we all must be insane to participate in a hobby which is so dangerous.
As the saying goes ―it is not IF you are
going to get hurt, but WHEN and how
bad.‖ Yet every weekend and sometimes
during the week we suit up and go out
there with a reckless abandon. Go figure.
But try as I have I have never found anything that gives the same thrills. Skydiving? No. Bungee jumping? No. Rock
So the problem I face is running competitively is my other love and the two just do
not mix well. It is so hard to train for running at a high level if you have any kind of
small nagging injury (which is so easy to
get with MX). I will be averaging over 80
miles a week and yet somehow I still want
to squeeze in MX. So you can see how if I
twist an ankle or knee, get a bruised rib,
etc. it will negatively effect my running.
And when you spend 15 hours a week
training it seems stupid to risk it for two 20
minute motos on Sunday. Yet, there I am
at the sign up table early Sunday. Go figure.
have different skill sets, and some even
ride 2-strokes (Punk & 111), we all share
the same passion for all things moto. We
may not all agree all the time (Was
Reed’s move dirty?) we all agree that
there is no where we would rather be on
Sunday am then at the track talking
smack to our moto brethren.
So go out there and get your moto on. I
know I understand how it is more than a
hobby.
Kevin
So when trying to explain yourself to your
non-moto friends, new girlfriend (―Why
are you always riding that stupid motorcycle?‖ hahaha), boss, etc. I have now taken
the approach of just not trying. I just say
―You would not understand‖ and leaving it
at that. You have to do it to get it. And we
all know that.
So even though we all go different speeds,
Celebrity of the
Month Contest
Heather called this one. . . Although she
had an unfair advantage! She won last
issue’s contest by correctly naming famed
women’s MX champ Tami Rice as Name
that Celebrity! However, I don’t think she
added Tami’s current last name:
Greenfield!
Who is the celebrity/VIP on the right,
and what does he do? First correct answer posted on our website will receive
one of our new ―Chubbybucks‖ good for
$10 off your next race entry! To make
this one is even more challenging. . .you
also must state this racer’s current riding
number!
PAGE 5
SoCal OTMX Newsletter (A MotoPhoto LLC Publication)
S e c r e ta ry ’s N ot e pa d
front axle was a remnant of the tire that
had been there when we left Riverside.
We‟re right at the Indian Canyon exit so
its into a parking lot and time to deal
with the situation. The good news, I
have a good spare. The bad news, I left
my 4-way lug wrench in the Dodge and I
don‟t even know where the lug wrench
is on Monica‟s Ford. No problem, we got
a box of tools. Except the tools are metric, and nothing fits close enough to get
tight lug nuts off. Besides, its about 22
degrees and the wind is blowing about
22 mph. Bradley had the good idea –
call AAA.
Apparently it takes awhile to find a
AAA service driver at 2:30 in the morning, but eventually one shows up. It
took the winch on the tow truck to pull
the remaining tire carcass out from
around the wheel. But he eventually got
that clear and with the spare on, off we
go. Even with losing 2 ½ hours, we are
still looking good for arriving in plenty of
time to make practice. Breakfast in
Blythe and back on the road at about 7.
Into Arizona when I look down and the
engine temperature gauge is rapidly
moving to the peg. Pull over and pour
water in while it cools, then shut it down
for awhile to let the pressure drop, fill
the reservoir and we‟re back on the
road, probably lost another 30 minutes.
I figure the coolant must have been low
to begin with and pulling the grade
caused it to overheat. Now with the
system full, we should be good.
(From page 3)
wheel. So by 10:30 we have a replacement
truck on the way from Tucson, a brother
looking for a wheel and tire to bring to Buckeye and the AAA on the way with a flatbed
tow. Tow truck arrives, we unload bikes and
gear from the dead Ford, load it on the truck,
and with me in the passenger seat of the tow
truck, head for the Ford dealer in Buckeye.
It‟s about 11:00. The replacement truck has
to come from Tucson, about 240 miles. Now
the objective isn‟t practice, its getting there
in time for dinner.
I knew Photoman was behind us on the
road, so I called Sofka to get Rich‟s number
and called Rich to see if he would detour a
few miles to pick me up from the Ford
dealer. Rich and I arrived at the track about
2 p.m. But the FMM, the bikes and Jeff,
Bradley and Patricia are still by the road at
milepost 10. I did call Ken Fuelner and let
him know that he needn‟t rush to the track
to practice.
Meanwhile, back at milepost 10, the
castaways were making the best of the situation. Got the chairs out, made sandwiches,
sitting in the sun and drinking beer.
(Practice Friday afternoon had been
scratched from the itinerary by this time.) An
Arizona Highway Patrol officer stopped and
asked how they had picked that particular
spot to camp. Bradley assured him that the
plan was to move on before the 14 day limit
on camping was up.
At about 3:00 the replacement truck ar-
No. The FMM is heavy, and we‟re
loaded pretty well, but I know I should
be able to make more that 30 mph up
the grade. I glanced in the mirror and
saw nothing, no traffic, no highway, just
billowing whiteish-blue smoke obscuring
the freeway. Pulled off the shoulder and
well off the road and was trying to decide if it would be better to shut it off or
let it idle when Bradley advises that
along with the smoke there is a fair
amount of flame coming out of the exhaust. Easy decision, shut it down.
Now it‟s about 8:30. We‟re at milepost 10, about 110 miles from the
track. Fortunately, Arizona is not only
the Grand Canyon State but is also the
ancestral home of Laxes. I called my
brother-in-law to see if he can drive out
to bring another truck. Brad calls his
son-in-law to see if his truck is available.
I call my brother Russell and send him
in search of a replacement tire and
VOLUME 13, ISSUE 1
rives at milepost 10, they adjust the hitch (this
truck is even taller) and the FMM with the bikes
and passengers is on the road again. It did
arrive in at the track in time for dinner, sort of.
The bikes, passengers and the FMM arrived
about 6. Eighteen hours from Tunafish Canyon
to Buckeye. We pushed dinner back about 30
minutes.
I go to a lot of Internationals, but Arizona is
the one where the Laxes get together. Brother
Russell arrived Friday night with a replacement
spare. Brother-in-law Larry was driving Son-inlaw‟s truck pulling the FMM. My dad and
Brother Todd showed up Friday night in their RV
with Todd‟s 2 daughters and Bradley‟s granddaughter. My sister Susan, Bradley‟s daughters
and one more son-in-law showed up Saturday
morning. Once breakfast was out of the way
Susan and Brad‟s daughters began putting out
food and everyone pretty much munched away
all day. (I‟m not sure the chili verde burrito and
the strawberries and whipped cream really
helped my endurance in the second moto.) We
had a good campfire Friday night and again
Saturday night. Excellent bench racing with the
SoCal crew. Good racing Saturday. It rained
Saturday night like a cow pissing on a flat rock.
Got to go and play in the mud trying to get
around the track Sunday morning.
I used the replacement truck to get home.
Still have to get that back to Tucson. Status on
bringing the dead Ford back to life is $2700
and climbing.
Dinner still went on as planned!
It was all worth the effort. But in this case,
while getting there was more than half the
experience, most of the fun came later.
VOLUME 13, ISSUE 1
Wri gh t y- o
SoCal OTMX Newsletter (A MotoPhoto LLC Publication)
PAGE 6
(or the pen is mightier than the mouth!)
Editor’s Intro:
For those of you who do not frequent
the SoCalOTMX.org message board, let
me introduce to you Owin Wright.
Owin is one of our newer club members, who has brought an amazing
amount of excitement and enthusiasm
to our meetings, message board, and
events! Here is one guy who really loves
SoCal and Moto! He also is a talented
scribe, and his humor is infectious. I had
to get him to write a column for our
Newsmag, and here is his first!
Thanks, Wrighty-O!
For the True Novice
It's raining right now, really pouring.
But it's ok, because we've got a bit of
a lull in the clubs' racing calendar.
There are a couple of International
events, but my work schedule won't
permit me to make either of
these. So it's quiet now, except for
the rain. No one races in weather like
this, unless they have a factory contract and are chasing national championship points. So it seemed like a
good time to reflect on the last nine
months. Wow, it really has been that
long. You see, that's when I entered
my first race, May 22nd, at Cahuilla
Creek. For reasons I won‟t go in to
just now, it was and always will be
one of the greatest days of my life. I
will always be grateful to So Cal
OTMX, more so than I can ever convey.
I took 4th overall that day. Looking
back, I still can't believe I managed to finish on two wheels my first
time out. Which, I guess, is why I'm
sitting here typing these thoughts
out. Now seems a good time to reflect and maybe, pass on a few
things to others. To riders who just
might find themselves staring down at a
starting gate about to drop. The starter
points a warning, engines screaming,
heartbeat doing the Hawaii 5-O theme,
and they‟re asking themselves "what'nna-hell-am-I-doing-here?" Except
that...you wouldn't be, couldn't be, anywhere else.
Since that day, I've learned quite a lot
about our beloved sport. I've done about
20 races, most with SCOTMX, and a
couple with Frank and the good people
at REM. I got to the point where I could
run with the fast guys in my class, took
some thirds and seconds, won a couple
of motos, and even snagged a first
overall. Along the way I've made most
of the standard-feature mistakes a
rookie can make, plus a few idiotoriginals I'm proud to call my own. What
follows is the boiled-down essence of
what I've found, going through what has
to be the steepest part of the motocross
learning curve. My thinking is...if any of
this helps some other rookie, then that
is good. Being a teacher by nature and
profession, explaining "the way it is" to
others comes naturally and obnoxiously
to me. However, I need to be clear
about one thing right from the get-go.
These observations are for true beginner-novice mx racers. I race the 50 Novice class, and everything that follows
here is for us …the poor, awkward, goon-ridding beginners that are
just trying to figure this whole thing
out. Amateurs, Experts and Masters...why are you reading this? Go find
something else to do. Clean out the rain
gutters or shampoo your cat. There is
nothing for you here. I've seen you ride.
Armatures, you are so fast, I just stare
at my bike after a race (even a good
one) and ask
"where am I gonna'
find the 6 to 7 seconds they have on
us?" Then, there's you Experts and
Masters... Well, from a novice point of
view, watching you race is like watching
gods from Greek mythology throwing a
2-kegger on Mount Olympus . I can see
everything you do. I just don't comprehend it, and I don't expect an invitation
any time soon. Oh yeah, there are a
number of racers, who in days earlier,
were ridding in the upper classes. For
a variety of sound reasons, these
folks are ridding the novice classes
now. With many years of racing experience, there won't be much here
for them, either. That leaves just us,
the True Novices.
So you want to race, and you want
to get better at it. As with all motor
sports, what we do is intense, complex and dangerous. Because we do it
on two wheels, often airborne, and
without a steel cage wrapped around
us, it's tends to be all that and then
some. Well, here are four major elements that will pay you the biggest
dividends, if you pay them the most
attention and effort:
1. GET IN SHAPE AND RIDE.
MX is one of the most physically
demanding sports on the planet. We
all know this, but do we really do anything about it? At the 2005 Glen Helen
National, I had the opportunity to
speak briefly with The Goat,
Ricky Carmichael. It was late after the
race, the crowds had thinned, and
there he was in the Suzuki pits, just
sort of standing there. As I approached he saw I was a flagman and
actually said 'thanks' for the work we
did. I said it was an honor to flag
for him and the rest of the worlds'
best. I mentioned I was planning to
race moto in a year or two, and could
he give me the one “best thing” I
could do to be successful. He did not
hesitate..." Get in shape". I looked
down at my middle-aged burger belly
and chuckled. 'Yeah Ricky, I've heard
that from friends of mine, the ones
who don't even ride'. He smiled and
took a step toward me, saying with
genuine sincerity...
VOLUME 13, ISSUE 1
SoCal OTMX Newsletter (A MotoPhoto LLC Publication)
Wri gh t y- o
"No… no that's not what I meant. Get in
the best shape of your life. The better
your conditioning, the better you'll ride.
It helps everything. It's way more important than trick'n out the bike or anything
else. You'll improve faster if you ride as
much as you can, and get in super-good
shape."
He autographed my hat, and I said
'thanks' and wished him well. I am just
beginning to see how right he
was. Obviously, ridding is the best exercise for racing. Do it as much as you
possibly can. Time on the bike is key.
Every chance you get, ride! When
you're at a track practicing, put in as
many laps as you safely can before you
load up and go home. While other guys
are bench-racing, playing with clickers
(more on that later), or whatever, you
ride. Ride and then rest. Then do some
more laps. Don't go back to the truck
every time you rest. Pull off the course
and find a safe spot. Watch others who
are faster than you while you rest on the
bike. Then do some more laps before
you head back to the truck, take your
helmet off, hit the cooler and flop down
in a camp chair. At home try, no really
try, to get into some sort of exercise
routine. I know it's tough to find the time.
But Ricky was right...the rewards are
worth it.
2. MIND THE FIVE BASIC TECHNIQUES
Since the first practice lap I ever
rode (back in the early 70s), to this very
day, the basic riding techniques that
make a motocross racer successful
have not changed. When something
goes wrong on the track, and I'm getting
up from a dirt nap, it's always "OK,
which of ‟The Five' did I blow?" I'm lucky
if it was only one, more usually two or
three. Ask any of the fast people (more
on that later) to watch you ride and
advise, and it will always be one or
more of these five basics you're having
trouble with. Then watch them go
around the track. They do them all,
perfectly, as second nature and without
a thought. That's why they are fast and
we are not. I got so tired of other riders
telling me the same thing over and
over, I put all five into a verse. I often
chant the damn thing to myself when
I'm racing or practicing. It goes like
this:
Stand on the pegs
Grab the bike with your legs
Sit forward for corners
Elbows up
Look ahead
Now, the rocket people will look at this
and know immediately what each line
is trying to convey. But for us true novices, a little explanation is in order.
First, "Stand on the pegs" and your
thinking "Duh, were else do you
stand... on the swing-arm?" No McFly,
it means stand up and move! And not
like you were trying to order a frozen
malt at the ball game. Move your feet
on those pegs, standing just behind the
balls (of your feet) for the whoops and
rough stuff. More toward the center
of your arches for jumps. Weight the
outside peg in turns. Whatever, you'll
figure out what's best for you. You
should be standing up 75% of every
lap, and moving around on the bike.
Stand up and crouch low in the "attack”
position. Your quads will start burning.
Burning real bad. That‟s good. You're
doing it right. Now quit your whining
and get in shape. (See how this stuff
dove-tails?)
Next, "Grab the bike with your legs"
means exactly what it says. The more
you squeeze the bike with your legs,
the more control you'll have in almost
every situation. It's awkward at first,
because you're using muscles not normally used outside of freaky acts of...
well, never mind. Honestly, of all the
basics, this was the one thing that
brought me the most improvement the
quickest. Oh, and while we're at it,
what's the single scariest thing we face
on the track? That's right boys and
PAGE 7
girls...jumps. Weather it's backlooping the bike or the dreaded underwear wrecking endo, the key is
clamping the bike like you mean it
right at lift-off. Do that, and all will
be well. Fail to do this and life gets
real ugly, real fast. (This, of course,
does not include advanced techniques like big seat-bounce
launches and whips. So you experts
w h o
w e r e
t h i n k i n g
that...go finish your rain gutters).
"Sit forward for corners" again
means just that. Corners, steep uphills, and the start are pretty much
the only places you sit. When you
do, take note of how far forward the
seat goes on a modern mx bike.
I wondered about that when I first
came back to dirt bikes after being
away for 27 years. Thought it was a
real neat place to put the gas cap
during re-fueling or something. One
day, I was practicing on the vet
track at Racetown 395. After about
the 34th time I fell down, a real nice
kid on a Kawasaki came over and
pointed it out to me... that the seat
covered the whole top of the
bike. "Place to put the gas cap?' I
said. He explained I probably
should be sitting way up there, by
the gas cap, in the corners and
stuff. That way, he went on,
the other riders could get some
practice in, and the flagmen could
get some rest. I thought he was a
real nice kid.
"Elbows up". Honestly, I don't get
VOLUME 13, ISSUE 1
SoCal OTMX Newsletter (A MotoPhoto LLC Publication)
Wri gh t y- o
this one. I know we're supposed to do it.
I see the pros in photos in all the magazines do it. But I don't know why and
keep forgetting after people tell me. I
also ride off the course and fall down a
lot. Yeah, the fast people do it. Suppose
to have something to do with balance or
whatever. I'll get back to you on this
one. But „till then, we should probably
do it anyway.
"Look ahead". Next to standing up and
leg-grabbing the bike, this one brings
the most improvement the fastest. It's
real simple... A car will go where ever
you turn the steering wheel. But a motorcycle will go where ever your eyes
are looking. Look right in front of you,
and that's right where you will fall down.
Remember, when you‟re racing you
might find that you‟re kind of in a hurry.
So look where you're going to, not
where you are. I first read that in the
October 1975 issue of Dirt Bike magazine. It was true then and just as true
now. When I drop the bike in a turn, this
is almost always one of the reasons.
3. AVOID THE TECHNO DISTRACTIONS
Ricky C mentioned this, and I've always thought it sort of obvious. Yet, it
effects many novice riders and holds us
back. As alluded to earlier, modern mx
bikes are highly refined. They are the
product of 40 years of constantly advancing technology. The performance
they are capable of is far beyond a novices' ability. The idea that "I could faster
if I had a so-and-so pipe," or this tire, or
that race fuel... is just not valid. We all
do it, get caught up in the latest aftermarket mods we think are really trick
and all. It's part of the sport and keeps
the economy healthy. It just doesn't
make us any faster. Simply stated, the
bikes are so much better than we are at
this level, those trick parts are really just
a distraction, and an expensive one at
that. It goes back to ridding the bike, not
dinking around with it. Keep it in a good,
healthy state of tune. Keep the filters
clean and the chain adjusted, and ride
the thing! I know guys who mess
with clickers, re-set or change the
sag, mess with the fork height, etc.
every time they show up at an mx track.
I got news, boys...unless you've lost 70
pounds since last weekend, or your
shock blew up when you loaded the
bike into the truck, the sag hasn't
changed!
Look, get the bike reasonably well set
up. If you're 6'2", get the appropriate
bars and a tall seat. If you weigh more
than the bike, you'll need some bigger
springs in the forks and shock. Actually, suspension is the one place I
would advise anyone, no matter the
skill level, to get customized. It's a
safety thing if nothing else. I am constantly amazed at what these tuners
can do to make the boingers better for
a given rider. In this matter, go forth my
children and spend the money. Now,
after you have the bike properly set up,
don't go screwing around with it! I don't
want to hear excuses about why you
aren't getting any faster in turns. I can
see the problem. Your engine is cold.
The reason you get arm pump is not
because of unbalanced steering trail
relative to the triple clamps' polar moment of inertia. You get arm
pump because you always bring 5 gallons of gas to practice, and go home
with 4.8 gallons. Shut up about your
cool new laser guided sprocket bolts
and just ride the freak'n bike.
4. ASK THE FAST PEOPLE
Seriously, this is a complicated and
dangerous sport. Take advantage of
the very hard-won lessons of others.
Don't suffer alone. If you have a question about anything, go ask 5 people.
Take the mean average from the answers, and there is your solution.
Yeah, and don't go arguing with them,
either. One day at Glen Helen, Ron
Lawson tried to explain it to me. You
see, I wanted to move the position of
the front brake lever (rotate it up), but
couldn't because it made contact with
the throttle cable housing. “Simply rotate the throttle,” says he. I said "No
can do. It will move where the throttle
stops and starts, and I can't
change that right before a race! I‟m
used to where it is and will surely kill
myself several times if I do that" He,
and other club members tried to explain it didn‟t matter where I put the
stinking throttle. It always started and
stopped in the same place. Further,
PAGE 8
that I could actually move my hand
position when I gripped the throttle.
Apparently, I was ridding entire motos without moving my throttle hand
on the grip... ever. Told you I had
some idiot-originals. Figured it out
about two days later. I think Ron is
a real nice guy.
Motocross is a kind of brotherhood. Brothers and sisters help
each other. I'm sure I drive people
nuts with my constant questions
about what line to take in this corner... 2nd or 3rd gear to launch that
jump...what tire pressure for this
dirt... what dounuts do Rich, Randy
and Kurt like, etc. But they have
always been there to help… even
guys in my own class. Guys who
know that if I do what they say, it
will just make more competition for
them. That‟s the brotherhood.
That‟s why this is the greatest sport
on the planet. These fine folks actually enjoy seeing you get better.
Take advantage of their experience.
Make it yours. Soon enough, you
won't have to ask them about this or
that. You'll know, and it will show,
because you'll be getting faster.
This will make the fast ones proud.
Then you will have new questions to
ask. Not to worry for they will be
answered, by the experts, or masters. And that's ok, too. You see,
now you can field the rookie questions from the new guys.
So it is that the torch of motocross
knowledge is handed down from
one class to the next...from one
moto generation to another. As long
as Two Strokes howl and Four
Strokes roar, this torch shall burn
mightily. Upon final reflection, however... keep that stink'n torch away
from my bike 'cause I saw "On Any
Sunday" about eleventeen times
and it still pisses
me off they flambéed a perfectly
good Husqvarna
while I was ridding
this crappy AT3
Yamaha and...
Perhaps a story
for another time...
VOLUME 13, ISSUE 1
SoCal OTMX Newsletter (A MotoPhoto LLC Publication)
PAGE 9
Ask LawnDart:
Dear Lawndart,
Secretary’s Observations
Some of you may have noticed that I have not
been around for a few months; not at the
races, not at the meetings, not even on the
message board. It was a combination of circumstances, first medical then work-related,
but it kept me away from the races. I knew I
missed racing, I just didn’t know how much
until I got back on the bike and back on the
track at Glen Helen on January 9. As the saying goes; ―Boy, I needed that!!‖
It was really nice to see people that I just enjoy being around. I’m lucky that I like my job,
and the people I work with. But it’s not the
same as hanging around the pits with the
guys you race with. And I surely missed racing. I actually had a pretty good day, a third
and a fourth. But mostly its just the fun. And
the adrenalin rush when the gate falls really
helps clear your head of all that stuff that piles
up on a daily basis and never seems to go
away. Racing will take care of that. After 7
months away, one day’s racing was like a
mental enema. (Sorry for the unusual metaphor, but it just seemed accurate.)
Although the excitement of racing comes
back instantly when the gate drops, being in
reasonable race condition does not. By Tuesday evening I thought I had located a part of
my body that wasn’t sore, but I moved a little
and found that I had not. And arm pump; I’m
so out of shape I got arm pump putting my
gloves on.
But it was great to be back and I’m going to
try to make all the races and as many Internationals as I can this year. Also, get back to the
monthly meetings and do my job as secretary.
In the meantime – see you at the track.
Paul A. Lax, Esquire and SoCal Secretary
I seem to be having an increasingly
difficult time loading my motorcycle in
the truck after the races. Seems very
strange. When I am loading everything
up on Sunday morning I can get the
motorcycle up the ramp with no problem. But somehow, it seems to gain
weight during the day.
As first I
thought it might be my imagination,
but I’ve kept track for several weeks and
it is definitely harder to load to go home
from the races that it is to load up to go
to the races.
Can you give me some ideas on how
to handle this?
Pooped in Phelen
Dear Pooped,
You are not alone. I myself have
noticed this strange phenomenon of
motorcycles gaining weight at the race
track. My KX450F weighs just over 230
lbs on Sunday mornings, but dramatically gains weight at the track so that by
the time I leave it is as hard to push as
my Harley at 850 lbs. After exhaustive
research, I have discovered the source
of the phenomenon. When you load in
the morning the bike is lightened by a
feeling of optimism, this is the day you
will win the class – the day you will
clear all the doubles – the day you will
actually use those knobs on the sidewalls of your tires. By afternoon, no
matter how well you have done, there
will be some element of the experience
that does not measure up to your morning expectations. Just the slightest bit
of disappointment. You sort of know
that although you were sure in the
morning that you would have to be
careful not to drag the bars when you
hit the berms, when Rich’s pictures go
up none of the pictures of you will
evoke a feeling of movement.
the primary area of weight gain of the
bike. We start with atmospheric air,
mostly Nitrogen and Oxygen. But during
the pounding the tires take it breaks
down the molecules which then recombine as the tire cools to form lead.
Little known fact. I learned this from a
mailman in a bar in Boston. Real fountain of knowledge.
OK, so now that you know what
causes it, what can be done. I have discovered two solutions, either of which
will likely work for you. One, buy a
trailer. Bike trailers are typically lower
and the angle to load is more manageable. But, good trailers can be expensive,
so you might want to consider the second option, get a girlfriend or your
spouse to go to the races so they can
help you load up at the end of the day.
Don’t worry about them being willing to
push. Remember, at its normal morning
weight, you can load it by yourself, avoiding the possibly dangerous activity of
waking a member of the opposite sex
before dawn to push a motorcycle. At
the end of the day, she’ll be happy to
push it, anything to get out of the wind,
noise and dust and get home. And the
extra benefit is that you will get to use
the car pool lanes. However, do avoid
thanking her by saying ―you’re the best
carpool dummy I ever had.‖ For some
reason, this seems to irritate them. Trust
me on this one.
Lawndart
This effect, commonly referred to as
―Reality‖ is combined with another
more physical factor. I have now been
able to prove that the air in your tires is
Trust ―Honest Paul‖ for all your moto or
personal advice! Writing under the pen
name of ―LawnDart,‖ he will give you
up--front and personal replies to all your
questions about life and moto! PM him
on our website where he is known as :
PaulALax
VOLUME 13, ISSUE 1
SoCal OTMX Newsletter (A MotoPhoto
PAGE 10
R am bl ings fro m th e V ic e pr e z!
with the gas prices being so high,
carpooling is a great idea. Effectively making your gas 2 bucks a
gallon. We are all feeling the pain
at the pump. I do believe it will
come back down, may be a little
while. We do appreciate all of you
supporting the race schedule and
coming out. Thanks.
On a better note, SoCal OTMX will
be showing up very soon in a new
sign up trailer. The girls are gonna
love it. A/C for the summer. A bathroon and 18 feet of room inside.
I'm excited as they are. I even ordered with a shower. So I may
camp out with a few of you from
time to time. I am not sure where
to mount the 42 flat screen, maybe
pigpen can offer a few suggestions. Hey Pigpen?
Well here you are reading our wonderful
news mag put together by Mr Rich
Stuelke. He is certainly doing a fine job.
And with our contributing reporters, this
news mag is alot of fun to read. So here
is my contribution.
We are having great turnouts. Certainly
hope this continues. I would suggest
Our new 50 Master B class is a hit.
It seems to be working out just
fine. Very happy about that.
I am just finalizing the 5 race night
series at Comp Edge. We have
Oneal gear, MTA WEST, MAXXIS,
CTI tires, Scorpion Helmets, EKS
Brand Goggles on board already. I
am still going to try to add to the
list. These companies are outstanding. We need to support
them as they support this awesome club. And remember, as a
member you get great deals from
them. Do not hesitate to call them
to get what you need. Check out
our new T-shirts sponsor as well
from MTA WEST, "DIO VONTI".
Feb 6th. . . . Glen Helen
Cool designs.
As most of you know. We will be
having a SoCal OTMX points
scheduled race at the LAOTMX Intl'
at Comp Edge March 26-27. Followed by the new Las Vegas
OTMX Intl' at Sandy Valley MX,
April 9-10. New track. I rode it and
did all the jumps in 3 laps. What
does that tell? Be nice? Safe. Thats
what. The track was a blast. I think
you will all like it. I hope you can
join us for a fun event at a new
facility for OTMX racing.
Well, Maria is calling me downstairs. My Cinnabon must be ready.
See ya soon. Keep the rubber side
down.
Truk610
VOLUME 13, ISSUE 1
SoCal OTMX Newsletter (A MotoPhoto LLC Publication)
Blast from the Past: 2006!
PAGE 11
The SoCal OTMX Club is a non-profit organization dedicated to
the over-40 motocross racer/enthusiast. Our club meetings are
held the first Wednesday of each month, usually at Keno’s Restaurant in Anaheim Hills (91 freeway/Imperial Highway/
LaPalma
Ave).
Guests and visitors
are always wel-
We are on the web:
come at our
meetings. We
Socalotmx.org
occasionally
have meetings at
alternate
loca-
tions. . . Check our website to confirm the monthly meeting location. Our race schedule includes approximately 28 scheduled
races per year, with classes for all ability levels. We have a very
active website (socalotmx.org) that provides event information,
photos, our by-laws and rulebook, our event calendar, and an
informative and entertaining message board. Our club has
many fine supporters that are listed on our website!
From the prez:
think). Another BRAIN FART! They tell me
everything is gone and non-retrievable. AND
their system will not allow the same email
address to be recreated! Try telling your
better half you lost all her stuff! Lucky for
me, Susie P. knows to have backups. . . She
has an AOL account that has much of the
same (but not all) of the info duplicated. No
brain farts for her. . . She is too smart!
Brain farts. . . .everyone has „em. Saw
a seat fall off a light‟s rider at a major
supercross. . . . BRAIN FART! He was his
own mechanic, too! Saw JS7 wad up his
bike with a 6+ second lead on the fourth
lap at Daytona. . . BRAIN FART! We all
have had „em, for sure!
Had to fix my wife‟s email account.
“Richard” came up under the name instead of “Susie P.” There seems to be no
way to just change a first name. So it
makes sense to simply delete the sub
account and re-enter everything using the
right first name. BRAIN FART, bigtime!
When the Photoman deleted the account, all folders and saved emails were
deleted, too. Got on the phone with
UVERSE Tech (somebody from India, I
The UVERSE tech (from India) tells me
maybe I can retrieve her personal folders if
I contact YAHOO MAIL, so I call the number
she provided. A YAHOO MAIL tech answers.
. . Sounded like India again! He tells me to
contact UVERSE! Been there, done that, I
told him. So. . . he says contact AT&T and
gives me a number. Dialed it. . . and you
guessed it. . . another voice from India! This
tech says to contact UVERSE! I quickly give
him the old email address and indicate it is
an older ATT. He puts me on hold to “check
the email.” Two minutes later. . . Click and
disconnect! Frustration, to the max! So I go
online, back to UVERSE for an online chat
with a tech. Another BRAIN FART! He (or
she) is so sorry that I have this problem, but
their system cannot retrieve deleted accounts. And I am sure I am again talking
with someone from India! So sorry to have
to tell me they can not do anything to help.
But, if I call AT&T Yahoo Support, maybe
they can help since it is email!
So I give up. I will have to face the wrath
of my beautiful Susie P. She is off to her
quilting class. . . Maybe I can run out and
grab some flowers or something for her!
Brain farts can be serious. They cause
stress, and heartburn, and they are a
prime cause for grown men and women
like us have the need to MOTO! There is
nothing like MOTO to take your mind off of
you own personal brain farts! Moto is a
universal cure for all that ails us. . . see
you at the track for some therapy!
VOLUME 13, ISSUE 1
SoCal OTMX Newsletter (A MotoPhoto LLC Publication)
PAGE 12
Rider of the Month-Dee Vondracek
This quarter we honor our 2011 Number 1 rider, Dee ―Rooster‖
Vondracek as Rider of the Month. Dee has been recently bumped to
the 50 Expert class by our esteemed Race Director, Randy ―RaceDog‖
Blevins. Dee has come a long way from his first bike. . . 1n 80cc pressed
steel frame Suzy 80. His first true race bike was a 1973 Jawa CZ 125,
that he traded a Honda 350 street bike for. He used the CZ for
trail/desert riding; he did not enter any races until 1997. He rode that
race on a 1982 YZ 490!
Dee has come a long, long way since joining the club, both as a rider
and as a club member! Originally, the ―Rooster‖ was a very high-strung
individual, prone to tantrums. In fact, his ―Rooster‖ nickname was an
offshoot of
his
behavior
and his overwhelming will to win.
Some might say Dee was too competitive.. Chuck Woody, one of our
respected club elders (in the over-70
age group), was listening to Dee,
one race day, as Dee was cussing some
competitors out after an engaging moto. Dee’s demeanor left a little to
be desired. Chuck made the comment ―Dee, shut the freak up, you are
sounding like a crazy banty
rooster!‖ The name stuck. Dee was at
that moment branded forever as
the ―Rooster.‖
Since that time, with a little help
from some of the club members and his
soon-to-be bride, Dee has
morphed into one of the most likable
members of the SoCal Club. He
will go out of his way to give you the
shirt off his back if you need it!
Dee, at age 56, realized that racing, along with his two boys and his soon-to-be
bride, puts meaning and purpose into his life, and that he needs to enjoy the ride!
Dee first joined the club in 2005. Prior to that, he was riding primarily Grand
Prix races (both Big 6 and SRA). He ran into a bunch of blue jerseys during one of
the SRA events, learned about Old Timer racing, and has been with us ever since.
Dee is very proud that he raised his two boys, Cory and Cody, all on his own. At
one stage in his life, Dee experienced
substance abuse difficulties, but he is very
proud of his over 18 years sober record! His boys provided the incentive for him to
―Rooster‖ at a Glance:
Current ride: 06 Suzuki 450
Started Riding: 1968
First Bike: Suzuki 80 (Pressed steel frame!)
stay dry, and his racing continues to provide him with
incentive now that his boys
are largely grown.
One of the biggest highlights in Dee’s life is yet to
Current Favorite Track: Cahuilla Creek Vet Track
come: On May 7th the
First Race: Adelanto GP, 1997 (2nd, Beginner 40 class) Rooster will be wed to the
beautiful Vicky Levington.
Favorite nemesis: Jeff Collins (2011 #2 Rider!)
Dee also credits Vicky as a
Married: Soon to be (May 7th!)
major factor in his new, melChildren: Cory and Cody (both race with us!)
low character —she provides
perspective to keep his self
Favorite Past Rider: Jeremy McGrath
control at its best!
First joined club in 2005 at age 51!
Favorite Current Rider: Ryan Villopoto
Music: Alternative (Ozzy, Godsmack, Oingo Boingo)
Current job: Heavy Equipment Operator
Residence: Apple Valley, CA
Favorite Food: Italian
Congratulations,
Rooster—all your SoCal
brothers and sisters are
proud of you!
VOLUME 13, ISSUE 1
PAGE 13
SoCal OTMX Newsletter (A MotoPhoto LLC Publication)
Race Photos from Comp Edge January 23rd
Ray Simmons’ Old School Scooter!
Berg. . . Darrin, not Dan!
357Girl leads Pigpen
Berg. . . Dan not Darrin!
Owin Wright (Wrighty-O)
George Andrews
Chuck Ramsey, Jr!
Sweet shot of the 50 Masters’ Start!
Bob Walpert, Tony Parsons, Tim Marshall
See more SoCal OTMX photos on our website; click on the ―Race Photos‖ link on the mainpage!
VOLUME 13, ISSUE 1
SoCal OTMX Newsletter (A MotoPhoto LLC Publication)
Advertising!
1550 Melissa Court, Corona, CA 92879
Contact: Mark Hall at
PAGE 14
VOLUME 13, ISSUE 1
SoCal OTMX Newsletter (A MotoPhoto LLC Publication)
PAGE 15