AVDRA NW, District 3

By Guy Coulston

I think God must have been in the Port –o- Potty. It’s the only thing I can come up with for what happened. Big Daddy Ric Tipton and I were side by side into the first turn, a right – hander, literally bar to bar when, all of a sudden the Racin’ Rev, Thom Green makes a banzai move up the middle. Problem was there was no middle, sorta like a forced meat sandwich. Well ol’ Thom went down right in front of me and I swear, there was no place to go, except right over the Rev. I ran over a Reverend. I looked down and his eyes were open and he was rollin’ around, he must be okay I told myself as I hauled you know what out of there. I guess Thom figured if Moses can part the Red Sea, certainly I can part a couple red Maicos. Maybe you ride just a little differently when you’ve got God on your side. What he didn’t count on was the Lords brief absence, that and bangin’ bars with a couple heathens made for a bad outcome. Hit and run on a reverend, man I’m goin’ to hell.

If you missed Bodnar Ranch this year brothers and sisters, repent now, get down on your knees and pray, pray that Dirk Williams and the rest of that crazy Pacific Northwest crew forget how much work it is. Pray they only remember the fun we had and do it all again next year! Oh, and we can’t forget to thank the Bodnar family for allowing us to come over and tear up their yard! Never happen down here in CA!

A few weeks before Bodnar we were at Argyll Park in Dixon. Mike Sexton had an awesome track laid out, great prep and a good time was had by all, well, almost all. It was the first event for new member Jim Henderson and he was riding well all day, hanging out at the back riding a loaner bike that he was not really familiar with just sorta getting his feet wet. Jim’s a good rider and was getting faster by the lap. He was just starting to feel comfortable on the Maico when he spotted another rider just in front of him. Along with the smell of that two stroke, he got a little whiff of competition but, just about as fast as it takes to recount, that odor turned to dust. He hit the ground pretty hard, breaking his toe, bone in his ankle, tail bone, broken back, bruised internals, and torn ACL. Jim’s a tough guy though; his only complaint on the way home was that “sitting was a little uncomfortable”. He’ll have ACL surgery at the end of October after most of the other stuff has a chance to heal and he’s already looking forward to next season. 

We’re also sad to note that past District 36 Blue Plate #5 Gary Morris passed away. He was one of the local fast guys along with Dave Coupe, Donnie Cantaloupi and others. He was planning on racing with AHRMA Post Vintage in 2008. Our condolences go out to the Morris family.

Thanks as usual to our series sponsor Tony Milner at Honda/Yamaha Sportscenter in Yuba City. Tony’s been with us for a few years now and we need to make sure we show our support, that means go by and spend some money!

See ya next season!

By Guy Coulston

The end is near! The end of the season that is. We’ll be back at Argyll Park in Dixon CA once more, then on to Bodnar Ranch in the Pacific Northwest to partake in Dirk Williams and Friends three and a half day motorcycle madness. There’ll be cross country on Friday, PV on Saturday, Vintage (on a different track than PV) on Sunday. Also, the PV track will be available to ride on Sunday and, on Monday morning the PV track will be open for those last minute die-hards to get a little fix in before the trek home. Free micro-brew and a BBQ to round out the festivities. We’re very lucky to have guys like this willing to go to so much hard work and sacrifice their free time for many months just so we get to have a little fun. The best way to show your support of AHRMA is to show up and race so, lets hope the turnout makes it worth doing it all again next year.

The last race of the year is also a National. Held in Tulare CA at one of the most “aromatic” locations, right next to the sewage treatment plant, this is another of our “Civil Wars”. Mark Arsenault, southwest coordinator along with his “Johnny Rebs” will be up to do battle against northwest coordinator Ric Tipton’s “Yanks”. I think the score is tied at 1-1 so we’ll see what happens. Don’t tell anybody but, we’re trying to talk Dave Coupe into coming down and riding 14 or 15 classes, matter of fact I think I heard he’s gonna ride two bikes at the same time, (two words; duct tape), those boys from the south aint gonna know what hit ‘em! This will be a two day event with a northwest regional on Saturday and the national on Sunday.  

Jay Blevins has graciously offered to man our website. Jay’s site address is: post-vintage.com. This will replace the current site, northwestpv.com. Jay’s site looks a lot better than our current one and his will have much more content and be more up to date. He’s got a forum up with different sections so we can keep those rabble rousing vintage people segregated from the go slow with funny looking helmets guys and the why can’t we all just get a-long travel dudes. Pick yer poison, lots of good stuff here, check it out!

Thanks again as usual to our very excellent sponsor; Tony Milner at Honda/Yamaha Sportscenter in Yuba City.

By Guy Coulston

No races to report on since our last column as we’re taking a short summer break. This has been a challenging year for our coordinator with track management changes, closures etc. Riverfront Park, one of our regular venues went through a change of hands with the previous promoter, Charlie and Mike Sexton leaving. Mike re-surfaced at another local track, Argyll Park in Dixon where we had our first race there as was reported last month.

Another of our regulars and one of everyone’s favorites, Honey Lake has had to cancel our upcoming race on September 15^th. Fortunately we were able to schedule a make-up date at Dixon on the September 16^th. Honey Lake is having some of the problems a lot of tracks in California have experienced, namely, lawsuits from private individuals over sound. You can read more of their plight at: http://www.lassennews.com/News_Story.edi?sid=4102&mode=thread&order=0.

Our last National of the season will be held at Tulare October 28. Last year we had a regional on the Saturday before so as to make it a two day show. This year coordinator Ric Tipton is trying to do the same. It hasn’t been confirmed yet so watch the website; www.northwestpv for an update. Don’t forget to pre-enter by October 12.

Thanks as always to our generous sponsor Tony Milner at Honda/Yamaha Sportscenter in Yuba City CA.

By Guy Coulston

We’re blessed in the northwest. Great weather, tracks and selfless people who are willing to devote their time working for the riders so we can come out on Saturday or Sunday and for those all too brief few hours, leave the work week, the honey-do list and all those other nuisances that keep us from the real reason for being; racing motocross, where we get to sling dirt and mud in the faces of our friends and laugh about it later. Don Garner’s one of those guys. July 1^st we had the pleasure of racing at the Rogue Valley MX track in Medford Oregon. Rogue Valley was one of those tracks that had ventured into the dark side. A double and triple jump extravaganza that leaves the track littered with bodies, broken bones and busted bikes. Fortunately, new sensible leadership at the track opened the door for us and in walked Donnie. Donnie worked many, many hours (he’s a heavy equipment guy) designing the track, bringing in dirt and moving it around.  He also worked with the new promoters to get us on the schedule. The result was good and not so good. The good part was the track. The soil is great up there, mucho traction everywhere; even in spots it looked unlikely. The jumps could be jumped or rolled whatever your level of comfort was. The promoters made us feel welcome; they even went so far as to give Northwest PV coordinator Ric Tipton a handful of free practice passes, (if anyone is interested in these, just contact Ric).

The not so good was the turnout. It was a bit of a last minute deal, so I think that had a lot to do with it, but once word gets out what a great place this is to race, the turnouts will improve.

Thanks again to Donnie for all your hard work.

July 15^th we raced at another new venue for us, Argyll Park in Dixon CA. Argyll has been around for a long time but, just recently came under the leadership of Mike Sexton. Charlie Sexton, along with Mike were previously the promoters of Riverfront Park in Marysville, a track we raced at numerous times throughout the season. Mike recently took over the reins at Argyll and has reworked the track to make it friendly for every level of rider. The dirt’s good here although it does get a little sketchy by the end of the day as where the track is located, the wind pretty much blows all the time. They do try and keep it wet but Mother Nature just does her thing, (she’s probably not much of a motocross fan. The location is pretty central, the Bay Area guys and Sacramento Valley riders can come up the morning of, race and be home by dinnertime. We may have one more race here before the end of the season so watch for updates at www.northwestpv.com.

Thanks again to our sponsor, Tony Milner at Honda/Yamaha Sportscenter in Yuba City. Go buy something from Tony and tell him AHRMA sent you! 

The two day Post Vintage and Vintage National was another great weekend of racing at one of the best tracks in the Northwest, Honey Lake, located on the eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Milford CA. Larry and Lise Wosick always provide unsurpassed hospitality, track prep, personell and just an all – around great racing experience. The weather was a little sketchy as we rolled in on Friday with rain, lightning, high winds and even a wildfire across the road from the track but, by Saturday morning all was well and we enjoyed a great day of blue sky racing. Hopefully you’ll be able to read all about it in this issue of Vintage Views.

The race was dedicated to Danny “Magoo” Chandler as the AHRMA Legends of Motocross Honoree. A different legend is honored at each of the MX Nationals. Most, if not all of you know Danny’s story and how he was injured at the Supercross in France in 1985. What many don’t know about is Danny’s continued efforts to educate people about rider safety. Danny has been promoting safety through his MX schools, talks with youth groups such as his recent Youth Safety Day at Foresthill High School, and his website, www.dannymagoo.com. He’s also partnered with Try Lee designs and you can get select TLD gear through Danny’s site. Also, a special Troy Lee helmet deal is available for AHRMA riders through Danny. Northwest PV coordinator, Ric Tipton has some of these to purchase at the tracks, they are $235.00 for a Troy Lee helmet, $35.00 of which goes to Danny’s rider safety program. They’re very cool looking helmets, and the price is significantly discounted to benefit this worthy cause.

July 1^st we’ll be in Medford OR., our first race at a new venue for us, Rogue Valley MX.

Thanks to Donnie Garner for his help putting this race together.

July 15^th takes us to another new track, Argyll Park in Dixon CA. It will be our first race there, and the first race with the former Riverfront Park promoter Mike Sexton. It’s great to see Mike back in action again. He and his uncle, Charlie Sexton have supported our program for years so let’s do likewise and show up for this one.

Thanks again to our series sponsor, Tony Milner at Honda/Yamaha Sportscenter in Yuba City. Tony sells new Hondas and Yamahas but he’s an old bike guy at heart just like us. He and his mechanic “Hollywood Matt” worked on Big Daddy’s bike for quite a few hours after the race at Honey Lake

Thanks to everyone for showing up and. See ya at the races!

There’s a new Marshall in town!

Honey Lake’s in high desert country, about sixty miles north of the Reno NV, (little sin city) on highway 395. Located at the base of the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, weather, wind and rain are always unpredictable. Friday afternoon, as we traveled up 395, dark clouds were gathering in the distance, but summer rain showers are not uncommon in this part of the country. Little by little the rain came, not the little drops we’re used to but big, fist sized drops and then, came the lighting, next, the wind, maybe fifty mile an hour gusts. As we reached the track, just across the highway on a bluff overlooking the lake a wild fire caused by the lightning was raging. So, as the smoke from the fire rose into an enormous, brown cloud, mingling with the grey, rain soaked skies and the dust storm sandblasted our eyeballs the occasional flash of lightning lit the scene and presented us with a very surreal image.

We always pit with Ric Tipton, northwest P-V coordinator and the rest of the Maico Mafia. They’re always easy to find, just look for the herd of 8-10 Maicos all lined up in a nice, neat row. All the usual suspects were in attendance, Brian “Skidmark” Essary, Donnie Garner “The Kid”, Keith “The Iceman” Geddis, Tracy “Officer” Kehoe, Colton “Boo Boo” Bear, Steve “ J-Lo” Parker, Dave “2-Door” Coupe, and of course, Ric “Big Daddy” Tipton. As we huddled behind Big Daddy’s trailer doing our best to keep out of Mother Nature’s way, we had to wonder, what kind of weekend are we in for? Better to head into town and wait this thing out at our 5 – star accommodations, the cheap sleep motel. Besides, Big Daddy said he’d “have a little talk” with Mother Nature, sorta straighten things out. Well, all I know, Saturday morning the sky was filled with sun. Now, Big Daddy could straighten out a head of kinky hair with so much as a look but this? I guess it pays to know people in high places.

And a great day it turned out to be. With over 150 entries, the only smoke in the air this day was 2-stroke exhaust.

In the 40+ Expert class, one usually dominated by Coupe, George Marshall put everyone on notice. In the first moto, Marshall pulled the holeshot, just in front of another guy who’s been coming on strong lately, Donnie Garner. Coupe got tangled up in the first turn with another former pro, Donnie Cantaloupi. Somehow Coupes’ front brake cable snapped and was flailing around. Coupe being Coupe, somehow managed to come from last to second with no front brake passing a lot of very fast guys in the process. So, that’s how it finished, Marshall with the win, Coupe in second and Donnie Garner in a very solid third. In the second moto, Marshall again pulled another holeshot. “The second moto, I pulled a gap and thought I had some breathing room, so when I caught some traffic 5 turns from the finish I wasn’t too concerned because I didn’t know Coupe had snuck up on me. Just as Coupe was catching me, the rider in front of me was getting a little squirrelly and rather than crash or getting run off the track, I thought better be safe and back off and follow him through the tight right/left downhill turn before chancing a pass. But just then Coupe made a pass around the outside which became the inside of the next turn. I was now blocked by the lapper and my only choice was to go around the less desirable outside line. Coupe now had the lead with just two turns to go, he protected them well and all I could do was finish on his rear wheel”. Garner finished with another strong third just a few bike lengths behind the leaders. Coupe had the overall with his 2-1 finishes but the real story is Marshall’s very real challenge of a guy we all think as almost superhuman. As Marshall said “It was great to be in such a close race with Dave as he usually just clears off and the real race is for second”.

In Marshalls other race, Ultima 500 he had another two holeshots and went two for two for the overall against Southern Cal fast guy Rick Doughty. Rick was heard to say that George was showing the poise of a pro racer.

The largest class of the day was the 40+ Intermediate class with 14 entries. The next black stripe candidate Brian “Skidmark” Essary took the first moto in convincing fashion with Don Hutchinson placing second. Skidmarks’ rear hub exploded in another of his motos so wasn’t able to start the second moto so Hutchinson took the overall with another second, this time coming in behind Tim Devlin.

In Grand Prix 500 novice action, Andrew Shaffer, whose shaping up to be the man to beat in this class won both motos over Michael Domamchich. Point’s leader Shaffer’s been giving some of the Intermediates fits at times this season so look for another yellow stripe next year!

AHRMA’s been dedicating its motocross nationals to different past champions and this race was dedicated to Danny “Magoo” Chandler. Chandler was a local (Northwest Region) boy so it was fitting this race was in his honor. Magoo is the only rider ever to win all four motos of the Motocross Des Nations and the Trophy Des Nations. Danny was injured in a Paris Supercross in 1985 and has committed himself for the past twenty plus years to rider safety. Danny was on hand all weekend signing autographs, talking about safety and just being an inspiration to all of us. I encourage you to go to his website www.dannymagoo.com and see what he has to say about safety. It’s a message that needs to be heard. We all have a responsibility to the next generation of riders to promote and practice safe sensible riding and racing.

It was a great weekend of racing at one of the, if not the best track on the West Coast. Thanks to our hosts Larry and Lise Wosick, they are always gracious and professional and always make us feel welcome.

Cold, baby! That was Competitive Edge a few weeks ago. It was the only thing I could think of to describe the place. That was until we we’re able to hit the track for practice then, things started to warm up a bit. After the first race, it was obvious the racing would be hot even if the weather wasn’t. This is another new venue for us and most everybody agreed it was a great track. The facility currently has six different tracks to suit all levels and ages of riders. There is even a supercross track designed by Dirt Wurx to mimic the 2007 Amp’d Mobile Supercross Series layout for Atlanta. Thanks to Dave Boydstun and Southwest Coordinator Mark Arsenault for keeping things moving.

A week later we we’re at Honey Lake, Larry Wosik’s track in northeastern California. Honey Lake is always one of our favorites, it’s a very natural terrain layout, challenging but, perfectly suitable for our older bikes and older bodies.

The first weekend in May, we had a last minute addition to our schedule, Riverfront Park in Marysville. Riverfront Park has been one of our mainstays for the past few years but, with the change in track management earlier this year our future there has been up in the air. We had an invite from the Sierra chapter of the Old-Timers so we used it as an opportunity to see what was up with the “new” track. For one thing, it was longer. The additional section, at least in some places was like an old cow trail. Not bad early on but, by the end of the day, the hard pack ground was rife with large square edge potholes. Ouch! We had a fairly small turnout but not bad considering we had about a weeks notice. A couple riders went down hard, both in the first turn. Charlie Yamada broke his collar bone. Fortunately, he had a buddy riding with the Old-timers and was able to get a ride home, he just had to wait until his buddy was finished racing. Hey, we have priorities! Good thing Charlie’s a tough guy. Well, that and a few Vicodin help.

Todd “Crash” Kohlmeister went down as well in what I have to say was one of the most spectacular crashes I’ve seen. I just happened to look back as we entered the first turn as it was obvious something was up. What I saw was Todd’s body in sort of a cartwheel position. He looked like an airplane propeller, rotating in mid-air. I saw at least a couple of rotations before he touched down, then maybe a couple more. It was apparent he was unconscious as he made no attempt to catch his fall. It’s probably why he was not seriously injured. Serious being relative, of course. It seemed he was unconscious for at least a couple laps as he didn’t seem to move as we came by. It took about fifteen or twenty minutes to get him loaded on the meat wagon and on the way to the hospital. Fortunately we heard a little later he was just bruised and banged up but nothing too bad. Thanks to all the guys who helped these two out, Keith Geddis, Steve Parker, RicTipton, and many others.

June second we’re off to our next national at Honey Lake. It’s always a great turnout, so don’t miss it!

Thanks to our coordinator Ric Tipton for hanging with all these years, keep it up buddy! Thanks as well to Jay Blevins for manning the sign-ups, results, points and his website and forum: www.post-vintage.com. Let’s all remember to help old Jay-Bone out at the track. Handling sign-ups and race order doesn’t leave much room to get your gear ready to race, even for a studly guy like Jay. Thanks to Steve Parker for helping to keep our tax dollars at work, work being a very relative term when you’re talking about Parker.

And, as always, thanks to our sponsor, Tony Milner of Honda Yamaha Sportscenter in Yuba City.    

This year, as in years past we will name someone “Sportsman of the Year. The dictionary defines “sportsman” as someone who acts in a “sportsmanlike” manner. In other words, clean, fair, sporting. For the first time though, the trophy will be named for someone: 

Ivar “Pops” Elstins. “Pops”, as a lot of people knew him, was a true sportsman. Pops came to this country like many others seeking refuge from tyranny and oppression.

The Team!

Elstins was born in 1937 in the small Baltic nation of Latvia. Latvia has a long history of occupation beginning over four thousand years ago. Germany, Poland, Sweden, Russia all occupied Latvia until 1918 when Latvia was able to declare independence. It was short  lived though as the Russians once again wrested control of the country in 1940. Shortly thereafter, the Germans invaded and Latvia was once again under German rule. It was during this time that, Ivar’s father, one of the heads of the Latvian railroad, fearing internment in a German war camp, escaped to the United States in the hopes of making enough money to send for his family. Unfortunately, things became worse in the war torn country and the Elstins family were sent to the German camps to sit out the war.  Before the end of WW2, Russia again invaded Latvia and after heavy fighting with the Germans, Latvia was once again under total Soviet rule. The post war years were especially hard as Soviet rule was characterized by systematic repression and genocide. Over one hundred twenty thousand Latvians were imprisoned in Soviet concentration camps (or GULAG). Over one hundred and forty thousand took refuge in the West. Over forty thousand rural residents were deported to Siberia. As the Germans retreated and the Russians advanced, the Elstins joined the other one – hundred forty thousand refugees and began their long journey to the west. It took almost six years, traveling through Europe before the family was able join the elder Elstins in America.

Finally, in 1951, fourteen - year old Ivar and the rest of his family were able to come to the U.S. After the requisite stop in Ellis Island, their first home was in Washington D.C. Shortly afterward they moved across country to Albany CA and its large Latvian community. It was around this time young Ivar met and married Maria, a young girl from Italy Within a few years, the family had grown to five. Ivar was able to find work as an “apprentice” operating engineer, starting at the bottom as an “oiler” eventually moving up to “journeyman”, working on many of the Bay Area landmarks like the Dumbarton and San Mateo bridges. They lived briefly in Concord, but as things got busier in the Bay Area, the decision was made to move to someplace smaller and quieter. They finally settled in Benicia, located on the shores of the San Francisco Bay.

Ivar was always interested in cars, motorcycles, anything with a motor. But it was the mechanical side of things that intrigued him. They had some family friends that were into motorcycles and Ivar had two young sons. We all know what that means. One day he brought home a ’67 or ’68 Yamaha 55 step – through. That was all it took. How many of us have had a similar experience with those bikes? Honda 50s, (the ones with the toaster tanks), step – throughs, trail nineties etc. If our parents only knew what they were getting into. But Ivar embraced his son’s enthusiasm. After Steve, the older of the two sons, started showing signs of speed, a real bike was in order. The Yamaha DT1 served the purpose and Steve was able significant progress with that bike and then the 125 sachs pictured here. Steve eventually raced the 250 support class in the Trans – Am Series as a privateer. At about the same time Craig was tearing it up in the mini – bike class locally. That didn’t last long though, by fourteen, Craig was already on an open class bike.

In the late seventies through the early eighties, the family got involved with speedway racing. The picture here show Ivar, Steve, (with the hat), and Craig in riding gear at Indian Dunes circa 1979 with their speedway bike.

Ivar, like a lot of parents of kids that race, was the team driver, mechanic and sponsor. Unlike others though, instead of always buying the latest, trickest foo-foo, Pops figured out how to work on the bikes, fabricating parts, learning tricks to make the bikes faster, rebuilding motors, porting etc.  Says Craig “ Pops would work on bikes sometimes until one or two in the morning, drive us to the races,  take care of things at the track, drive home Sunday night, sometimes not arriving until two o’clock Monday morning, go inside, grab his alarm clock and go back out and sleep in his truck so he wouldn’t be late for work”. It was this type of dedication and sacrifice that defined Ivar Elstins. Selflessly willing to take a back seat role to his sons accomplishments, but certainly responsible for their on track successes.

Like a lot of young racers, riding motorcycles soon took a back seat to making a living and raising their families, but Ivar’s enthusiasm for the sport never waned. In 1998 or ’99, Ivar found himself at Sears point for an AHRMA race. It was here that the love for the sport was rekindled. He recounted his experience to Craig, encouraging him to “check this AHRMA thing out”. It took a little badgering, but before long Ivar was building CZs and Huskys for Craig. As soon as the Post-Vintage series was started, Ivar and Craig who both loved that era decided to concentrate on the long – travel bikes. Again, as before, Ivar would pile the bikes in his old Dodge van, drive to the races with his now grown son Craig and grandson Jimi, work on the bikes and quietly support the boys however he was able.

Most of us can understand the draw of racing. From the first time you sat on a bike and couldn’t think of anything else thereafter, to the adrenaline rush you feel at the start and through the first turn, the satisfaction of racing side by side, lap after lap and taking the checker completely exhausted (some of us more than others).  We could not enjoy this special sport without the help and support of others, those that give freely, that expect nothing in return except our best effort. Ivar was that guy. He lived the American dream. He came to this country, knowing little or none of the language, worked hard, raised a family and never complained. He passed on these traits to his sons and they to theirs. Ivar Elstins truly lived the life of a “Sportsman”

So it is then, that the “Sportsman of the Year” trophy shall be forever known as the “Ivar Elstins” trophy

Ivar Elstins – 1937-2006

.

Honda/Yamaha Sports Center AHRMA Northwest Post Vintage Series

The Yanks Even The Score!

By Guy Coulston

TULARE CA, OCTOBER 21, 2006,

Round nine of the series was held at Tulare Cycle Park in Tulare CA. Twice a year the north and south regions meet somewhere in the middle of the state to do battle. This event was billed as the second battle of the “Civil War”. The Northwest region, led by Ric Tipton faced off against Mark Arsenault’s troops from the south. The first battle took place earlier this year in Taft CA., with Arsenault’s rebels besting Tipton’s Yankees.

The format on Saturday was a little different as the experts were to race two ten - lap motos instead of the usual five laps. It’s more challenging than it seems, as the average age of these guys is about forty – three years. Clearly, the class of the day was young Pat Foster on a nineteen seventy four Maico four forty with seven inches of suspension travel up front and just four in the rear. This was one of the premier open class bikes of its day, but today Foster would be racing against bikes that were part of the suspension revolution that started in the mid seventies. As a matter of fact, most of Foster’s competition were on bikes with closer to eleven inches front and back. Again, the old adage, “Ten percent bike, ninety percent rider” was never more true as Foster was able to gap the field by more than ten seconds midway through his motos. In the first moto, Ralph Foster the elder, led the pack into the first turn but, by the end of the first lap, young Foster had assumed the lead with Todd Kohlmeister on a nineteen eighty-one Maico in hot pursuit. Lurking just behind in third another youngster, Jared Lange patiently pursued Kohlmeister until lap six when Kohlmeister bobbled and Lange pounced. But Kohlmeister’s a racer from back in the day and there’s something to be said for experience. Lange’s second place was short lived as just two laps later Kohlmeister got around Lange for second and held that position until the checker. In moto two, young Foster didn’t waste any time getting out front as he led from wire to wire. Anytime Foster took to the track this weekend, the race was always for second. In this moto, in second, Joseph Gonzalez also on an eighty-one Maico four – ninety, tried as those who had come before to de-throne young Foster. It was not to be, Gonzalez, always a fast and consistent racer grabbed second place from the start and remained there for the ensuing ten laps.

In plus sixty intermediate action, Joe Simas, on a clean nineteen seventy-five CZ took both motos for first overall. Simas, who was pitted against the eighty-two Honda of Jim Patterson and the eighty-four Husky of Joe Clanton led from wire to wire to capture the win. It was very impressive as again, it was a bike from the short travel era against bikes with fairly modern suspension. Simas, rode smoothly, consistently and virtually error free. More proof to the old adage.

The North was able to redeem itself as the winner of the second battle of the “Civil War”. Congratulations to Tipton’s Yankees, but I’m sure Aresenault’s troops will be back next year for more!

Thanks to our series sponsor: Honda Yamaha Sportscenter of Yuba City. If you’d like to find out more, go to www.AHRMA.org or: www.northwestpv.com.

“Let’s do ten laps”! Hey, who untied Parker? “Let’s see a show of hands, who wants to do ten laps”? We’re at the riders meeting when Parker unleashes phase four of his diabolical plan to win every moto he’s entered. Wear ‘em down, leave ‘em gasping, choking and begging for mercy. Phase three was not to say anything until the riders meeting. That part was almost foiled when, one of his paid lackeys started wailing for the free brew he was promised, at nine o’clock in the morning! See, Steve figured it this way, starting at about Red Bluff; he’d stop at every corner, offer the resident cardboard artist a two day vacation in Sunny Oregon and all the free beer you could drink! Then, once at the track, he’d bring his collection of swill jockeys to the rider’s meeting to help sway the vote in his favor. It was more for insurance than anything because he knew none of us wanted to look like wussies when asked if we would like to do ten laps. That was phase two. Phase one was getting the first day of deer season moved up a week so all the volunteer flaggers wouldn’t be able to come. See, up here, deer season’s sort of like working at the post office, “neither rain, nor sleet nor snow or darkness of night shall keep the postman from blowing the hell out of anything that moves”! Hey, just kidding! Then see, when Dirk Williams made his plea for volunteer flaggers, Steve, being the Good Samaritan he is, offers up his snockered crew. Now this is the good part, every time Parker comes around one of “his” corners, if anyone was in front of him, one of his lager lunatics would waive the yellow flag, the guy in front would slow down and Steve would make his pass. Later, if there was a protest, his juice junky would simply say “I was just scratchin’ my head”. Brilliant! This is a good lesson for all of us, it’s not always what you do on the track; preparation is the key. A good scheme is worth at least ten hours on the treadmill!

All kiddin’ aside, the event so loosely described above was the first annual “Dirk Williams, Bodner Ranch, Trial, Cross Country, Post Vintage, Vintage Extravaganza”! Dirk and his crew put on one of the best events of the year. On their first try! There were trials and cross-country on Friday, post-vintage on Saturday and vintage on Sunday. Free camping, free beer, top-notch BBQ on Saturday night, the vintage tractor club (very appropriate) ran a concession all day every day with “real” food, and all the lying you could stand every night. The only part of the “Parker scheme” described above that really happened of course, was the ten lap bit. And some of us had back to back motos. Oh well, time to suck it up. We outsmarted him though, when the track guy came around after the first set of motos and asked how many laps we wanted to do for the second set, we looked around warily to see where Parker was. He was nowhere in sight! We’ll do five. Done.

The best thing Dirk did for this event was finding the landowner, John Bodner. I have not met anyone that was not affiliated with old bikes so enthusiastic about them. Here’s a guy who opened his home to us, let us come in and tear it up, helped us even, and then invited us back next year. The guy is a saint! Thank you sir, can we have another!

This is the kind of event I think most of us had in mind when we joined AHRMA. Thanks again and again to Dirk and all the others who worked endlessly to put on this event.

By the time you read this, we will have completed our season. It was a little challenging this year, the weather at the beginning of the season didn’t cooperate so, a few races had to be cancelled, a couple races were cancelled by the promoters but, we had some great races, a new venue in Taft, we went back to an old track at Sandhill, and the above race at Bodner’s. All told we had a great time. So, we have to thank the people who make it happen: First and foremost, Ric and Sam Tipton. Without their enthusiasm and passion we would not be here. It is a thankless job, I wouldn’t do it if you paid me, and they do it for free. So from everybody, thank you guys. We appreciate everything you do and hopefully, you hang in there for the long haul. It’s safe to say, Post-Vintage is alive and well in the Northwest thanks to Ric and Sam.

Also, to our sponsor Tony Milner of Honda/Yamaha Sportscenter in Yuba City.  It’s hard to find a motorcycle dealer who supports the Vintage – Post –Vintage program. But Tony’s one of us, he’s been coming out to a few more races this season and deserves our support. Also, our trophy guy who comes out and customizes our trophies on site! Great work

Unfortunately, I just heard, the young lady who has been our trophy girl and starter was in an auto accident and sustained some pretty serious injuries. She’s a real sweet girl and we hope she has a speedy recovery.

Craig Elstin’s father passed away recently. Mr. Elstins was a big supporter of PV. I’m sure many of you have seen him at the track with Craig and his son Jimi. Our condolences go out to Craig and his family.

See ya next year!

Honda/Yamaha Sports Center AHRMA Northwest Post Vintage Series

Zoom Zoom Zine!

By Guy Coulston

MARYSVILLE CA, SEPTEMBER 9, 2006,

Round ten of the series found us back at Riverfront Park for a two-day event. The post-vintage bikes (bikes built 1975 through 1983) went out on Saturday with the vintage bikes (1974 and older) hitting the track on Sunday.

On Saturday, in the biggest class of the day,+40 Intermediate, moto one, Chris Glanz on a Honda led the pack into the first turn. Right behind, on a Suzuki, Charlie Yamada led third place Gregg Chass, on a Husqvarna. On the second lap, Honda rider Mike Zine snuck past Chass to move into third. Meanwhile, Yamada had his hands full trying to keep sight of Glanz. By the third lap, Zine was right behind Yamada, patiently waiting, knowing the track with it’s multitude of lines would give him ample opportunities to pass. Then on the fifth and final lap, Zine slid past Yamada to take over second.

In moto two, Yamada hit the first turn in front. In second was sprint-car legend Jimmy Sills, out for his first season of motocross and already one of the fastest intermediates. Unlike the last moto, Glanz was down in fifth and Zine was down in seventh after the first lap. Sills stalked Yamada for five laps, but Yamada used the first moto as practice, this time out he was serious and no matter how hard Sills tried, and you know this guy knows what it takes to win, he couldn’t get by Yamada. Further back, a good race was shaping up for third and fourth. After the second lap Zine, now up to fifth was pursuing Glanz, the winner of moto one, in third. On lap three Zine moved past Glanz into third. Still moving up, Zine got to within striking distance of the leaders just as the checker flew. That’s the way they finished, Yamada first, followed by Sills and Zine.

In somewhat of a coincidence, these three met again in a different class, GP 250 Intermediate. This class is for 250cc bikes built 1978 through 1981. Even better, all three were on Hondas.  Zine rides like young AMA motocross lights champ, Ryan Villopoto, he gets lukewarm starts, but he’s always able to battle to the front. Moto one was no exception. In ninth place overall and second in his class, Zine moved up steadily through the pack getting by Glanz into first in class and fifth overall, only beaten by a couple experts and Sills, in another class. Speaking of Sills, he’s proof that two wheels or four, dirt’s dirt. He also won his first moto in the Ultima 500 class, for bikes built 1982 through 1984. At the end of the first moto it was Zine, Yamada then Glanz.

 In the second moto, Glanz got out first in his class with Zine again buried back in the pack and Yamada right on his tail. This time, Glanz just held off the charge and finished in first. By virtue of his first and second Mike Zine was the overall winner with Glanz in second and third respectively.

A big thanks to Snap-On Tools for the contingencies and to our sponsor; Honda Yamaha Sportscenter of Yuba City. If you’d like to find out more, go to www.AHRMA.org or: www.northwestpv.com.

AHRMA Northwest Maico & CZ, Speed & Sport Post Vintage National

Honey Lake MX

By Guy Coulston

MILFORD CA, MAY 3, 2006

Round eight of the AHRMA Post Vintage National series was held at one of the premier tracks in California, Honey Lake MX. Owned and operated by former factory racer Larry Wosick, Honey Lake is known for being a genuine GP style track. With over four hundred vintage and post vintage bikes on this weekend, Honey Lake was true “old school motocross”.

Along with the familiar Japanese brands of Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki were the now defunct but once powerful European makes such as Maico, CZ, Bultaco, Montessa and Husqvarna (Husqvarnas are no longer manufactured in Sweden but now, in Italy).

In one of the age group classes, + fifty expert, Dennis Spence dominated both motos on his Maico over rival Honda pilot, Steve Parker. At the end of the track’s long fifth gear start it was Spence leading into the first turn with Parker right behind. By the end of lap two, Parker was able to get by Spence and the two battled wheel to wheel for the next two laps with Parker just able to hold off Spence. Spence was patient, stalking Parker, knowing that it was unlikely the other expert rider would make a mistake. At the end of lap four Spence’s patience paid off when, in one of the sections he was just a little better, he was able to get under Parker for the lead and just held on at the finish. In moto number two, again it was Spence into the first turn just ahead of Parker. These two put on a great show for the next five laps with Parker trying different lines, moving inside and out, anything to get past Spence. But Spence kept his cool and the lead for the second moto win and the overall.

In the + forty intermediate race it was Brian “Skidmark”Essary going two/one over Jeff Clausen’s one/two for the overall. Essary on a Maico and Clausen on a Honda packed up and said goodbye to the rest of the field. Essary led the first lap with Clausen suffering a bad start down in fourth. But by the end of the second lap, Clausen was right on the rear wheel of Essary. Clausen caught Essary by surprise and snuck by on lap three, holding off Essary for the win. In moto two, it was Clausen with the hole shot and Essary down in fourth. Essary patiently started picking off riders and by the end of the fourth and penultimate lap was right on Clausen’s rear wheel. This time it was Essary’s turn to sneak by Clausen on the last lap for the moto win and the overall.

Essary was also successful in the GP five hundred Intermediate class going one/one for the overall.

In the +forty expert class, Don Garner, on a Maico went an impressive one/two for the overall. What made it impressive was that Garner had to beat former factory pilot Dave Coupe. Coupe rarely makes a mistake or loses a moto, but Garner has been showing impressive speed lately and was right behind Coupe when Coupe made an uncharacteristic mistake. Garner grabbed the lead and held it until the end. In Moto two, Coupe got out first and stayed there until the end with Garner right behind. No mistake this time but Garner, with the one-two finish took the overall.

During the trophy presentation, after receiving the last of his two first place trophies, “Skidmark” Essary presented Northwest coordinator with a custom Honda mini 50, painted in Maico red with Maico decals. Said Ric, “Yea I’ll go out with a Honda, as long as she’s dressed like a Maico”!

Perfect ending to a perfect day.

Honda/Yamaha Sports Center AHRMA Northwest Post Vintage Series

The South Will Rise Again!

By Guy Coulston

TAFT CA, MARCH 26, 2006,

The second round of the Northwest series was held as a combined Northwest /Southwest Region race aptly dubbed “The Civil War”. The race was held at a new venue for us, Honolulu Hills Raceway in Taft CA. This is a first-rate facility. The track was challenging; more of an old style GP track design with plenty of uphill/downhill, long straights, great dirt and mucho fun! North and South coordinators Ric Tipton and Mark Arsenault worked together to bring us this first battle of what promises to be a long “Civil War”.

In the first race, Southern boy, Scott Brophy, on a Maico, led the first lap with Honda mounted Northerner, Steve Parker hot on his heels. By the second lap, Parker had moved past Brophy for the lead. Brophy pushed Parker for the next three laps of the five lap contest, but on the last lap, Parker was able to put a couple lappers between himself and Brophy and that’s the way it ended with Parker taking the win. In the second moto, Dennis Spence, on a Maico, got out first just ahead of Brophy. Parker, with a bad start was back in seventh.  It looked like it would be all Spence and Brophy but, Parker was up to fourth by the second lap. Parker moved up another place in each of the next two laps but, could not get close enough to Spence to take over first and that’s the way it ended with Spence in first and Parker in second.

Another impressive ride this moto was Intermediate Ed Reyes on a Husky. Reyes got out of the gate in third place in a field of twenty two which included quite a few experts. Reyes was able to hold his position for a long lap, dropping just one place by the second and another couple by the race end. Pretty impressive considering how many experts he had to beat.

In race two, Southern boy and holeshot expert, Randy Lewis, on an Ossa (a Spanish brand), got out first in both motos and led the first lap but, it was fellow Southerner and Yamaha 125  rider, Expert Jared Lange, who moved into first by the second lap in both motos to take the win.

In race three, the north was able to redeem itself thanks again to Steve “Zinger” Parker who led from the wire in both motos. Challenge in moto one came from Maico man Todd Kohlmeister. For the first two laps, Kohlmeister kept Parker honest then, on lap three, Keith Geddis, putting on an impressive ride, moved from fifth place to second just edging out Scott Brophy. Brophy and Geddis put on a spirited but clean race, with Geddis holding on to the second spot.

As always we want to thank our series sponsor, Tony Milner of Honda/Yamaha Sports Center of Yuba City. Tony came out to race with us this weekend, (winning his class). Thanks Tony.

At days end it was the “South” led by Arsenault showing Tipton’s boys from the “North” that indeed, “The south shall rise again”!  

For more info and how you can get in on the fun, go to www.ahrma.org.

Honda/Yamaha Sports Center AHRMA Northwest Post Vintage

Gibson the Giant Slayer!

By Guy Coulston

FERNLEY NV, SEPTEMBER 17, 2005,

Round fifteen of the series was held at one of only two power sucking sand tracks we race on each year. The track is out in the middle of the desert so it allows for an infinite number of track designs. Each year something is added or taken away making it a challenge and never allowing anyone an advantage.

This year, Steve Gibson was out to prove the old adage, “It’s not the bike, it’s the rider”. In moto one of race three, Gibson, the lone one twenty five rider, on his late seventies Honda, went off the line with eighteen others. In the drag race to the first turn, Gibson beat not only every two fifty, plus, five of the big open class bikes. By the second lap Gibson put two more open class Maicos behind him and by lap five, Gibson had left three more of the “mighty four nineties” wondering just what Gibson had for breakfast! What was even more impressive was that this track, with it’s deep sand should have been a tough one for the small bore bikes but Gibson, an expert rider didn’t let the sand slow him at all. In a textbook example of “how it’s done”, Gibson kept the throttle twisted, almost never letting off, railing the outside of the berms, keeping his momentum and speed up, allowing him to pass bikes with twice as many ponies. In the second moto, only six of the open class bikes could make it through the first corner ahead of Gibson. By the end of the race, Gibson had even managed to get by two more five hundred cc bikes, piloted by a couple of very fast expert riders, (they asked me not to mention their names), I don’t blame you at all guy’s!

In race five, the open age class, first moto, Steve was again up against a field of bigger displacement bikes. Amazingly, Gibson got through the first turn in second and stayed there all through the first long lap. On lap two Gibson made a small mistake which let four bikes past. No big deal, by the end of the third lap he was back in third place and moving up on second, another expert on a Maico 490, Marvin Newton. These two were never more than a couple bikes length apart for the next two laps as Newton barely hung on for the moto win. In the second and deciding moto, Newton slid through the first turn just ahead of Gibson but, by lap two Gibson had found a way past Newton. These two battled for the next three laps, Newton pulling up to Gibson on some of the faster sections but, just as you thought he was going to make the pass Gibson would hit a corner at full throttle, never letting up. Just when you thought it was over, right before the checkered flag, Gibson has bike trouble, slows, jumps off the bike and pushes it across the finish line. That’s what it took for Newton to get past, right at the line, and it was still close!

Thanks to all the guy’s who came out early on Thursday and watered the track, drove the heavy equipment and made it a great weekend for all of us! Russ Wyant, Ric and Sam Tipton, (that’s Samantha, and yes, she was dragging a water hose around the track on Friday, doing sign ups on Saturday, scoring the race, tallying the results, and then, after the race, cooking a feast for all of us, that my friends is a volunteer).

We have to thank our sponsors for making our season possible, without them we’d just be out trail ridin’! Honda Yamaha Sport in Yuba City 530-673-2674 and Principal Mortgage Group, Matt Itamura, mitamura@pmgloans.biz.

As always thanks to Ric and Sam Tipton, volunteer race coordinators extraordinaire!

Old bikes = big fun. Check out the website; www.ahrma.org/northwest.