2 Brothers Racing Vintage Motocross Team Is Based in Franklin County
By Karen Cernich, Feature Writer The Missourian - emissourian.com
It had been more than 35 years since Terry Larson, Union, had lined up his 1974 Hodaka 125cc Super Combat motorcycle in a race, but in fall 2011 when he and his brother, Mike, discovered the sport of vintage motocross (VMX), the two dusted off their old bikes, pulled on their gear and took off.
By the end of 2012, the brothers had each won their class in Missouri VMX Championship, and now three years later they have built one of the most recognized teams in the industry.
Last year, 2 Brothers Racing Vintage Motocross swept all three classes in many of the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) events, including Diamond Don’s Riverport Nationals, considered the “super bowl” of VMX.
The 2014 race attracted 1,165 riders from all over the world — Canada, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa . . . — and 2 Brothers Racing swept the 100cc division (a first for riders on the same bikes and the same team) as well as a couple of races in the 125 classes and in the open classes.
“We dominated in the 100cc and 125cc classes throughout the year, finishing with 14 national No. 1 motocross and cross-country titles in AHRMA and AMA (American Motorcyclist Association) Vintage series,” said Larson, who manages the team.
And this year 2 Brothers Racing is looking to expand its race schedule even more.
“Our goals are to defend our titles and to increase our skill levels in other classes,” Larson said.
The team’s next race will be June 27-28 at Sky High MX Park in Old Appleton, Mo., between Perryville and Cape Girardeau on Highway 55.
Vintage Motocross has two classes — vintage, which is bikes from 1974 and older, and post-vintage which is 1975-’83.
With 2 Brothers Racing, vintage also describes many of the riders. Of the 10 members, six are in their 50s or older. The two youngest are youth riders, ages 12 and 11, sons of two of the team members.
Larson is the only team member from Franklin County. Others are from O’Fallon, St. Louis, Jackson and even as far away as Dripping Spring, Texas.
All of the bikes that the team members ride are Hodaka, a brand that was manufactured in the ’60s and ’70s.
“These are all bikes that have been refurbished,” said Larson. “They were found in barns, wherever. We actually have one on our team that was found buried in the ground in Ste. Genevieve.”
The 2 Brothers Racing team competes in both AMA and AHRMA races all over the country. Last year the team put more than 13,000 miles on its trailer driving to races as far away as New York and Texas, said Larson.
The team races in between 10 to 13 national races a year, plus local races. In 2014 the team attended 27 events, Larson noted.
Motocross to Drag Racing to Vintage
Larson started his racing career in 1972 racing out of South County Hodaka in St. Louis. Later that year his father, Richard Larson, opened his own shop, Arnold Cycles.
Larson’s two younger brothers raced mini cycles all over the country, and he raced AMA District 18 races throughout the Midwest.
“Our father opened the shop basically because of us,” Larson remarked.
Then in 1976 Larson had a really bad accident, and decided he was finished with motocross racing. He was engaged to be married, and it just seemed like the right time.
To feed their need for speed, the brothers got involved in drag racing.
“We raced sand funny cars and alcohol funny calls,” Larson recalled.
But in 1992, he decided to sell his car and quit drag racing too.
Nearly 20 years later, in 2011, a phone call from his brother Mike got his racing motor running again.
“He said, ‘They’re racing vintage motocross.’ There was a national event in Bourbon. I didn’t even know they were doing that,” said Larson.
“We went out there and within 15 minutes we’d met a bunch of people we used to race with, and they were all, ‘Oh, the Larson boys are here. Are you guys going to ride?’ So in 2012, we bought some bikes. I actually had one of my old bikes from the ’70s. We called ourselves 2 Brothers Racing, and got back into it.”
In some ways, it felt like they had never left.
“It was fun. Our wives said when we were at that race in Bourbon we were like two kids left overnight in a candy store. We were ooing and ahhing just seeing all the old bikes,” Larson recalled.
“We got our father involved in it again. He’s 80 years old. He’s gone to almost all of the races with us.”
The more the brothers won, the more they were recognized, and it wasn’t long before they decided to expand the team.
“We figured the more riders we had on the team, the better presentation for our sponsors, and we ended up picking up all of these sponsors in 2014. We ended last year with 14 national titles, so we are going for 15 this year,” Larson said with a laugh.
This year, ARHMA featured Larson’s brother Mike on the trophies it handed out at races.
Highly Recognized Team
The 2 Brothers Racing VMX team includes the Larson brothers, Terry, age 60, and Mike, age 55, O’Fallon; along with Brian Miller, 54, Lee’s Summit; Tim Borgfield, 53, and Reed Borgfield, 12, Todd Rapp, 47, and Jordan Rapp, 11, all of Jackson; Greg Pacini, 60, St. Charles; Laurie Shelton, 39, Dripping Spring, Texas; and Kevin O’Brien, 58, St. Louis.
The team’s only female rider was added this year, and so was the national cross country champion, O’Brien.
The team members, who mostly live in various places around Missouri, don’t practice together. They meet at the races and correspond through Facebook, said Larson.
The team’s mechanic is Dave Rozier of Hodaka Dave’s Vintage Services in Berger.
In Franklin County, people may start to recognize the team’s logo. The team wants to be involved in the community, said Larson, noting the team is currently Business Partner of the Month with U.S. Bank in St. Clair. The team has a display featured in the branch’s lobby.
Riding Vintage Vs. Modern Motocross
The main differences between vintage and modern bikes are suspension and power on the bikes, said Larson.
“Our bikes have only 4 inches of travel in the back and 7 in the front. That means the amount the bike can move up and down on the shocks,” he explained. “Modern bikes probably have 10 or 12 inches in back, and 14 to 18 in front. So they can jump more and higher.”
The vintage race tracks are simpler for that reason.
“We couldn’t do these modern tracks with our bikes. They’re just not set up for it,” said Larson.
Vintage tracks have smaller jumps and more flat areas, he said. It’s more about turns and twists.
Vintage races are in natural outdoor settings, like the side of a mountain or on a ski slope compared to modern motocross courses which are built using heavy equipment inside stadiums.
While the bikes and the course may be as they were in the ’60s and ’70s, the gear the riders wear is all modern.
“Back then all we had were chest protectors, open face helmets and a mouth guard,” said Larson.
There are no cash prizes for winning vintage motocross races, although winners do receive plaques, trophies and ribbons. There are entry fees to pay, but really the travel costs are the biggest expense, said Larson.
Life Comes Full Circle
Terry Larson moved to Franklin County from Arnold back in 1996. He and his wife own 28 acres near Birch Creek Golf Course in Union. He built a small motocross track on his property, which he thinks annoys many of the golfers, but his track was there before the golf course, he said, smiling.
Larson is retired from a career as an operations manager for an automotive company. Vintage motocross racing is now his main hobby, just as it was when he was a kid.
In fact, the thrill is the same.
“We feel like we’re still kids,” Larson remarked, grinning.