TWMX August 27, 2015 By Casey Davis
Glen Helen Raceway is world renowned for it’s natural elevation changes, it’s unique obstacles such as the long start straightaway sand Talladega, but it’s notorious for it’s roughness. The San Bernardino facility houses one of the most brutal tracks in the United States and that’s exactly what’s in store for the 2015 Monster Energy MXGP of Glen Helen. On September 20th, the Grand Prix circuit will visit the infamous racetrack, as some of the world’s fastest racers from all over the world finish out the 2015 GP series. We caught up with Glen Helen’s own Lori Bryant to see what the spectators have to look forward to and what the riders have in store once they line up for the final round of the world championship.
Do you have any special plans for the 2015 Monster Energy MXGP of USA, which will be held here at Glen Helen Raceway?
The layout for GP will be the same as it was for the National. Youth Stream will be bringing out their Sky Box and their pit lane, which also serves as a VIP area. We’re actually moving around the start gate right now to fit everything over there. They also bring in their own VIP area, which will be two giant structures. I think it took about four semi trucks to move everything out here from Texas. Monster Energy is coming in to bring out their massive two story structure that they’ve had at Supercross, as well. Like I said, the layout for the track will be about the same on the notion that we’re going to see what the European lap times were compared to the lap times at the National. The Holeshot Club VIP tickets have been our biggest seller and that package includes two days of VIP treatment-In-N-Out burger will be out serving up some burgers, breakfast, lunch, dinner and all drinks will be catered and those people will have access to every point on the track for spectators for the whole weekend. All of that information is online at glenhelen.com.
You mentioned that the layout for the track will be about the same as the National. Will you introduce any big jumps or possibly a new hill climb for the racers?
We might keep the table top hip jump that’s in the back, were as at the National the racers sort of went around it and in that little valley back there and then back up that short but steep hill. We will be building up the Troy Lee Designs turn so that it’ll be more visible for spectators. Talladega will be built up a little more, as well. We might build up the finish line jumps, too. The rally towel section will either be sand or a gnarly whoop section; that’s still up in the air right now. That section will be pretty close to the 24 hours of Glen Helen sign. To spectate from that section, guests can buy a rally towel for five dollars and they’ll be able to watch the action from very close. We all know how loud the European spectators like to be, so this gets them pretty close, which allows them to cheer on their favorite rider by waving their rally towels.
For the MXGP of Glen Helen, all of the hills will be incorporated into the racetrack.
The FIM and the AMA are obviously two completely different organizations when it comes to regulations for the racetrack. As far as the track goes, have you had to deal with any restrictions? Maybe shortening a jump or slowing down a straightaway?
When the FIM met with us a few weeks ago, they inspected the track thoroughly and came to the conclusion that Glen Helen is completely fine. They never asked us to change anything! We run races nearly every weekend, whether it’s on the main track or the REM track and we know how to go about organizing things of that sort. Basically, they’ve seen and been to our races before and they were happy with what we handled everything. However, they do have some regulations that we don’t meet, but they’re not being really strict about it. For example, Glen Helen is notorious for the long start straightaway, and apparently it’s too long for their regulations, but they said they don’t have a problem with it. I do know that they have particular rules with race fuel and things of that sort, and that’s why Team USA’s MX of Nations team will be out here racing at the GP so they can become acclimated with whatever the FIM will make them do to their bikes once they head to France.
Talk about the grooming of the racetrack for the GP. Will it be a whole lot different than it usually is at the National?
The normal morning track prep will be the same as the National. Glen Helen is obviously known for it’s roughness, but if something becomes dangerous or it’s beginning to put riders at risk of crashing, then we will step in between motos and correct the problem. MX Sports and Youth Stream absolutely want a rough and rugged track, though. That’s what this place is known around the world for! We don’t plan on touching the track in between races otherwise. We might run into an issue with the water, though, since it’ll be in the middle of September when the temperatures will be extremely high. We plan on heavily watering the hills and the majority of the track a few weeks in advance to ensure there will be plenty of moisture in the dirt. Maybe it’ll even rain in September (laughs).
Do you know which American teams and/or racers will attend the GP?
Yeah, the ones I can confirm right now are TLD/Lucas Oil/Red Bull/KTM, Monster Energy/ Pro Circuit/Kawasaki, Dean Wilson from Red Bull/KTM, Josh Grant from Monster Energy/Kawasaki, Rockstar Energy Racing/Husqvarna, Yamalube/Star Racing/Yamaha and possibly Justin Barcia from autotrader.com/Toyota/JGR/Yamaha. All of the teams I mentioned will be fielding their entire list of riders if they’re not injured. Also, a bunch of privateers have asked to participate. We’re going to have a fan appreciation night, which will be held at Chaparral Motorsports on Friday night. It’s a good time for the fans to meet their favorite riders, get autographs and some pictures, as well.
Glen Helen Raceway is undoubtedly in the heart of the Southern California MX community and a lot of the riders that you mentioned actually grew up riding Glen Helen on a weekly basis as amateurs and even after they turned pro. Do you think they’ll have a home court advantage so to speak?
Yeah, absolutely. The first year the European guys came out here, they didn’t believe that we planned on sending them up Mt. Saint Helen and the wind played a huge factor, too, as a lot of the Euros opted out of doing a large step-up jump. The second year was a completely different story since it rained. The Americans had zero advantages in the slippery conditions and the Euros flew by the US guys as if they were standing still (laughs). Since we plan on running the hills, some of the Euros like Antonio Cairoli, Tommy Searle and Max Anstie that have been here might have a slight advantage, though.
Do you have any standout memories from the last two GPs that visited Glen Helen?
I love my American riders and they’re great because they’ve supported Glen Helen all these years, but seeing the European riders for the first time interacting with American fans was a cool thing. They really make it a point to visit with fans and interact with them any chance they get even in between motos. Some of these guys are world champions and you wouldn’t even know it by the way they treat their fans.
Are you expecting a rather large turnout of spectators?
That’s what we’re hoping for, but in the past the turnout wasn’t what we expected it to be. The National always sees the biggest crowd. I grew up with the USGP people and that’s how the older motocross crowd grew up, as well, but the interest in the Grand Prix races has seemed to die down in the US. I’m hoping that today’s younger crowd will catch on to what the European guys are capable of and how fast they can go. Those guys are just as good as the Americans and they can put on a great show. We’re almost looking at the GP as a preview of what’s to come for the 2017 MX of Nations, as it will be here at Glen Helen. If I were a fan of the sport, I’d absolutely be here to check out the action of the GP, but to also maybe catch a glimpse of what’s to be in 2017. Those European fans can get pretty loud at the MX of Nations, so the Americans are going to have to step up their craziness come 2017 (laughs).
Visit: glenhelen.com