25th Annual DC Vet Homecoming

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -The 25th Annual DC Vet Homecoming took place this past weekend, September 26 and 27, with the ultimate tribute to the veterans of motocross and Big Dave Coombs. The legendary High Point Raceway in Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania, hosted an epic "throwback" fun-filled weekend of racing and activities. "DC" was Big Dave Coombs, one of the most influential motorcycle enthusiasts in the history of motocross and off-road racing. Together with his wife and partner Rita, from their home in Morgantown, West Virginia, Coombs was the driving force behind the creation of motocross and off-road motorcycle racing as we know it today. To honor his involvement, this special event takes place annually at High Point Raceway, a national track co-founded by Coombs.

Todd Streit turned heads with his excellent vintage look.photo: Fredrickson

On Saturday, September 26, the Grand Prix Moto-X Country race took place, featuring a mix of obstacles including a grass track, woods sections, and a motocross track. Eight-time Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) champion Barry Hawk competed in 40+ A/B, 35+, and 30+, winning all six motos. Honorary Grand Marshal Chuck Sun dominated both the 50+ and 55+ classes after traveling to the East Coast from Las Vegas, Nevada. Sunday's 25th Annual DC Vet Homecoming was fully dedicated to motocross, offering classes ranging from 65cc support to 60+ classes. Sun raced the 50+ A division where he finished 6-3 for fourth overall. During intermission, Sun switched from racer to judge as he picked the winners of the bike show and vintage contests. The Vintage Bike Show competition consisted of bikes ranging from pre-1996 to 2005. In the classic four-stroke division (pre-1996), Don Green's BSA Dick Mann replica bike stole the show, winning his class division and being voted "Best in Show."

The Vintage Bike Show took place at the Legends and Heroes setup.photo: Fredrickson

The judges were won over in the golden era (1970-1978) division by Gaylord Plants' 1973 Maico motorcycle. In the pre-modern era (1978-1982) Joseph Maliski took home the blue ribbon with his 1979 Husqvarna. LJ Talgo's 1983 Honda CR 480 rode away with the win in the modern era (1982-1989) competition. The 1994 CR 250 owned by Terry Bernard won the millennium era (1990-2005) class. In the other vintage contests, the memories were relived with Ryan Dustman's Yamaha Fox Yoko jersey, claiming the vintage race gear section, while the oldest race program was won with a 1976 Mid-Ohio Trans-AMA program. High Point memorabilia dominated two of the competitions, with James Stanley's 1981 High Point National event shirt and Paul Frey's 1981 High Point trophy. With the weekend being all about vet racers, it only makes sense for there to be an oldest competitor contest. Sixty-three-year-old Henry Hauenstein from Ohio claimed this honor. Hauenstein finished seventh overall in the 60+ division. All vintage contest winners received two all-day pit passes for the 2016 High Point National, in addition to a free one-year subscription to Racer X Illustrated.

With competitors ranging from 65cc riders, to riders 60 years and older, this year's DC Vet Homecoming was fun for all ages.photo: Fredrickson

Possibly the biggest contest was the furthest traveled competitor, who took home two VIP Super Pass tickets for the 2016 High Point National—a $400 value. Colorado's Sean Rhoten will make his way back to Pennsylvania next summer after securing this esteemed award. Rhoten placed twelfth overall (11-13) in 25+ and seventh overall (8-5) in the 18+ Support division. The weekend hosted a total of 445 riders who enjoyed the electrifying atmosphere throughout the event. Family friendly fun was generated with a mix of 1980s music, a live band, bench racing, barbecue dinner, and a swap meet. 

For more information on this past weekend's activities, please call (304) 284-0084 or visit the official website at www.racerproductions.com. Also follow High Point Raceway on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for exclusive content and to catch the latest news

Red Bull Straight Rhythm 2015

 Here is a look at what goes into a straight rhythm track.

United by Power: Episode 2

Red Bull Sea to Sky

Grand slam calls for Walker at Red Bull Sea to Sky

Can Jonny Walker finish off his perfect season by completing a Hard Enduro Grand Slam in Turkey

Will Jonny Walker make history at this year’s edition of Red Bull Sea to Sky? That’s the question on everyone’s lips as the final round of the Red Bull Hard Enduro season heads to beautiful Kemer in Turkey.

Set to carve out his own little piece of Hard Enduro history, Walker will arrive at Red Bull Sea to Sky with a remarkable season already under his belt. From Italy to Britain, Austria, Romania and back to Poland, Walker has conquered everything thrown in his path.

Kicking things off with his debut win at the tortuous Hell’s Gate in February, the 24-year-old firmly planted his KTM on the top step of the Hard Enduro podium and despite sharing honours at the Red Bull Hare Scramble, he’s yet to accept anything less than a win.

Even I can’t believe how well this year has gone – it’s been incredible. It’s not something you can plan for, you’ve just got to hope it happens.

– Jonny Walker

Team USA Prepares

By Troy Siahaan September 25, 2015 0

In an effort to drum up support and encouragement for Team USA at the Motocross Des Nations, Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. and FMF Racing proudly present “UNITED BY POWER, Episode 1.”

This video series follows Team USA at the Motocross Des Nations, as they try to bring the title back to the United States. In this first episode, we get a sneak peak at team riders Justin Barcia and Jeremy Martin as they prepare themselves and their machines for the trip to France. Check it out below, and keep it here for future episodes.

Ernee, France Day 1

2015 Edison Dye Lifetime Motocross Achievement Award!

Dave McCoy named 2015 Edison Dye Lifetime Motocross Achievement Award Recipient

By Greg Jones on Sep 23, 2015 

Back in 1968 Don Rake and some friends decided to put on a motocross in Mammoth Lakes, California. They built a world-class track 8,000 feet up in the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. Dave McCoy came along and offered the backing of his Mammoth Mountain Ski Area and the rest is history.

Every summer racers have flocked to Mammoth Mountain for this classic event. It is the oldest continuous running motocross in the USA. The track has changed a little over the years, but the fun hasn’t. Year after year, Dave McCoy was instrumental in the continuing development of the “destination” races at the annual Mammoth MX.

Many of the top racers in the world have honed their skills at this event. There have been some epic battles over the years and many racers have made a name for themselves on this track. Little did anyone of present day know that Dave created a fitness training center for dirt-bikers at his ranch in Bishop, CA. He also built a moto track right in his yard, so that everyone could ride there.

Riders like Ricky Carmichael, Jeremy McGrath, Rick Johnson, Johnny O’Mara, Broc Glover, Donny Schmitt, Steve Lamson, Gary Jones, Kevin Windham, David Bailey, Jeff Ward, Ron Lechien, Bob Hannah, James Stewart, Mike Bell, Donny Hansen and many more took the starting gate at the base of the start hill. The Mammoth MX event paralleled the early years of motocross in California. Dave McCoy was at the root of these events!

For this monumental contribution to the early years of motocross, Dave McCoy is being honored as the 2015 recipient of the Edison Dye Lifetime Motocross Achievement Award!

MXDN Warm Up

2015 Motocross Of Nations | Team USA Warm Up

Welcome to France! Jet lagged, a bit confused in general, and more excited than ever, we made it. This coming weekend is going to be heavy, and you can be sure there is a lot of coverage to come from Ernee. A lot of riders have flown in this week straight from sunny California, as the MXGP finale took place at Glen Helen. Team USA has unloaded the crates and came out to shake down the bikes in preparation for the battle to come. As many already know, the American pilots this year are team captain Justin Barcia leading Cooper Webb and Jeremy Martin in their hunt to re-claim the Chaimberlain trophy. All three have had great years in their own respect, two of the three being owners of new AMA Championship plates.

Today was a little warm up day to get a first ride on the bikes at a little track called Iffendic Moto Club. Break-in, quick adjustments, making sure they are all set up, etc. is the name of the game. Team captain Justin Barcia was the only American rider that decided to skip today, as he has put in plenty days preparing and is using this week to rest up and recharge. Cooper Webb and Jeremy Martin were on hand, and they spun a few laps to shake off the jet lag. There were easily 100 people there who must have caught word of the private track time that Team USA had set up. It was really cool to see how many fans these guys have. You can tell everyone is really enjoying themselves, and the team vibe is great. Cooper even convinced his mechanic Eric Gass to rip a practice start to see how his form was! Have a look at a little gallery to get you psyched for the weekend to come. More coverage to come, stay tuned!

Read more at http://motocross.transworld.net/photos/2015-motocross-of-nations-team-usa-warm-up/#06V3yphxtqrAMuRR.99

Insanity Defined!!!

Watch Alfredo Gómez racing on the streets of Porto

Cheered on by thousands of hard enduro fans, the prologue to Xtreme XL de Lagares was held in the historic streets of Porto, Portugal. Each rider set a hot lap, with the five fastest qualifying for a winner-takes-all showdown on the narrow urban course.

Fastest time of the day went to the race favourite and defending champion Alfredo Gómez of Spain, who got around the course in 3m 18.71s.

Coolest Races You've Never Heard Of: Enduropale

Now this is a real sand race!

This beach race pulls about 2,000 competitors and 500,000 spectators each year to northern France.

Competitors at the Enduropale© Flavien Duhamel/Red Bull Content Pool

There is no sand race in the world like Enduropale du Touquet, a three-hour “extreme enduro” held each January that sees approximately 2,000 competitors line up to race a one-off track built into the beaches of northern France. A race founded in 1975 by Dakar Rally forefather Thierry Sabine, the Enduropale, despite receiving virtually no coverage in America, is one of the largest offroad motorcycle events in the world.

While it’s billed as an enduro, at Enduropale there are no rocks, no logs, no trees; it’s nothing but sand, which is what makes it a race unique to just about any other in the world. It is not dominated by riders from one specific discipline – motocross, enduro and rally riders all compete together at Enduropale.

The venue

Le Touquet-Paris-Plage is a small beach town in northern France, actually geographically closer to London than Paris. The permanent residency is just over 5,000, though the population inflates to around 250,000 through the summer. Le Touquet is considered one of the most luxurious vacation destinations in France, where some of Europe’s richest and most powerful take some time to enjoy the sand between their toes. The town is littered with lavish hotels and 30s-style villas. Le Touquet's normal major sporting events include international competition in tennis and horseback riding, as well as stages of the Tour De France, last reaching the town in 2014. In short, this is not the standard locale for a moto/extreme enduro race.

But the race is a massive affair, the biggest event of the year in Le Touquet. The Enduropale can attract up to 500,000 fans to watch the competitors abuse themselves in the sands of the usually serene beach. Many fans take the chance to camp on the beach, improvising their own little moto-beach vacation around Enduropale.

 The stats

Track length: ~9.3 miles
Track surface: Sand, sand, more sand
Race duration: 3 hours
Number of competitors: 2,000+
Number of spectators: ~500,000
Competition level: Open entry (pros, amateurs, everyone)
Winningest rider: Arnaud Demeester (FRA) - 7 wins

The race

Riding on the beach is perfect when it’s smooth, but the sand's time as a perfectly manicured surface is short-lived. The more tires that ride over it, the more the sand is transformed; it is an ever-changing organism that eats dirtbikes for breakfast. The track at Enduropale makes the Lommel MXGP look like a playground sandbox.

Enduropale Du Touquet is the biggest beach race in the world, meaning that the track has the most tires hitting it. 2,000+ bikes equate to 4,000+ tires (and even more factoring in the quad classes), making the track is unbelievably rough in just a few minutes’ time. Though there are different classes, the unique, and insane factor of Touquet is that everyone starts at once – more than 2,000 racers sprint down the beach to the first turn, hundreds of yards away. Many riders do not make it to turn one before hitting the ground.

A combination of motocross and enduro in what might as well be quicksand in several spots, the nearly 10-mile Enduropale track is almost impossibly difficult for many racers. Traffic jams are the norm for anyone who does not start in the top 20, with bikes littering the track within the first lap. For three hours, racers do their best to win the all out brawl with the punishing track, and avoiding being swallowed by the relentless sand of Le Touquet. Each rider must also refuel three times according to race rules, so pit stops are a foreign factor to the motocross specialists.

 

The competition

The race is free of charge to compete, and completely open, which is why so, so many riders show up to do battle at Enduropale. For most, it will be their only opportunity ever to line up along the likes of Dakar Rally phenom Cyril Despres, or Red Bull X-Fighters ace Tom Pagès. The Enduropale attracts legends from all venues of offroad moto – world motocross legend Eric Geboers is one of the Enduropale’s winningest riders, taking top honors three straight times from 1988-1990.

It's an icon of motorcycle events. Of course we are professionals, but with this kind of race we like to have fun as well.

-Eric Geboers