BAJA Movie Trailer

 Take a look at the early days of Baja. It is still an enchanting place to ride. Just ask #33.

The Rise and Fall of Maico!

If you raced in the 70's and early 80's you saw plenty of Maicos. The German open class racers were considered among the best if not the best stock bike you could ride. In the early days there were lots of jokes about Maicos breaking but if you knew what to watch for they were solid machines. The starting line at the Nationals were usually filled with privateers riding Maicos. I owned several and consider the 1981 Maico 490 the best MX bike ever made. Sadly the brand could not sustain itself and fell by the wayside.

Here is a brief history.

Road Trip to the IOTMX Nationals

Half way through the OTMX International motocross series are two of the most fun and scenic races on the calendar. With the races back to back this year and the California summer going through one of its notorious hot spells ( 110+ in Sacramento) it seemed like a great time take advantage of the schedule that allows us 40 and older racers to escape to the Northwest and ride the national track at Washougal one weekend and then the fabulous track at Agassiz in British Columbia the next.

With July 4^th falling on a Thursday this year it made for a great travel day and we were able to arrive at Washougal with enough time to set up the motor home and enjoy a barbeque and then check out the neighbors who surround the track personal fireworks displays.

Friday was a great day to get the feel of the track and watch as the promoter’s crew of seasoned track preparers work their magic. With the AMA motocross national two weeks after the OTMX race it allows the Huffman’s to check their improvements and allows us to race on a seriously prepared track. Lots of new top soil was excavated from the back side of the track and moved into the areas in need of a little more traction. The result was one of the best Washougal tracks in memory.

Saturday arrived with a cloud cover that lasted until after 1 PM. As a result of the cloud cover very little water was needed to be added during the day and the track surface remained good throughout. None of the famous Washougal slide for life brought on by a recently watered hard pack section. The surfaces did get very rough especially the areas before the new step up jump by the starting line and the straight going up to the big step up jump on the backside of the track.  All and all it was just a great track that any motocross rider would love to get a chance to race on. The competition was great also. The only unfortunate incident I witnessed was the second turn crash in the 50 expert race that took out Carl Chadwick and John Kocher. It was a scary moment with bikes flipping around in a crowded pack of riders. Similar to some of the wrecks at this year’s Tour De France only with more force.

Sunday was more of the same. Cloudy until 1 PM and then picture perfect weather for the rest of the day. Over 300 riders participated over the weekend and all seemed to have a great time.

As we were going on to BC we stayed over at the track until Monday. After departing Washougal we had a few days to kill and it gave me a chance to make up for the work my wife did getting the motor home ready for the trip. Oregon and Washington have some great beaches. We especially liked the one at Cape Disappointment camp ground on the Washington side of the Colombia River. Nice camp ground and lots of roads to ride bicycles on. Just the trick to work out the kinks in your leg muscles after five hard motos over the previous weekend. Another side trip I suggest you consider is checking out Victoria on Vancouver Island. Lots to see with great seafood restaurants and chocolates at Bernard Callebaut.

Another Thursday travel day had us arriving at the track in Agassiz in the late afternoon. Amazing BC weather made the travel great and made it worthwhile to check out Minter Gardens which are located near the freeway off ramp to the track. The track itself backs up to a wooded mountain side that creates an exceptional back drop to one of the great OTMX tracks on the circuit. No doubles, but a series of well-designed table top jumps create the best moto roller coaster I can imagine. For those who have not been to the track it was the one that Honda used to film the Come Ride Us TV commercial several years ago that featured Jeremy McGrath doing a nac nac.

Friday was a good opportunity to work out the legs with a bicycle ride to Harrison Hot Springs where we were able to enjoy the natural hot springs and then walk the art and crafts displays set up along the lake. Just a pleasant day that also allowed the riders to relearn the track by walking the circuit several times while Don Tochers crew finalized preparation for the race.

More amazing weather greeted us Saturday. Having experienced some of the local liquid sunshine in the past this year actual had a small amount of dust. The race itself went off very smoothly. Mark Kastner continued his winning ways in the 50 Master class and Brian Sharp made a clean sweep of the 50 Expert class. Both put in flawless rides, but everyone who competed came away better for the experience as the track was just plain fun. Again it had some nice table tops, several tall bowl turns and serious straight away that kept you entertained all day.

I know I will back next year if the schedule follows this year’s pattern. I suggest you consider the trip as it is both relaxing and allows you get the moto fix we all need.

Barry Chandler - Sierra OT Club

#16

WORCS Round 6 Pala

Yamaha Won't Build It...But Mikey Will

Have a look at what could be if only Yamaha would build it. Mike Harper long time D36 rider has been waiting for Yamaha to build a better two stroke. He loves two strokes but just got tired of waiting so he started building his own. We caught up with him out testing his newest addition to his Yamaha YZ 250.

Here's what Mike had to say after riding his new creation. Somtimes it doesn't pay to wait for the factory to build what you want. You just have to build it yourself.

Mikey did!

Be Thankful For Our Freedom! Happy 4th

Mammoth Mountain MX Vet Class

Doug Dubach #15 went down hard in one of his moto's at Mammoth. He hit the ground hard and according to reports suffered a broken collar bone, 10 broken ribs and got a chest tube to help with the fluid in his lungs. He'll probably be in the hospital for a few days. Sometimes moto is tough on the body!

We wish him a speedy recovery!

Race Prep .....Robbie Bell Style

John Penton Story.... Coming Soon

Getting the Shot!

113 in Amherst Township on Thursday.

That’s the holy grail for moviemakers, the moment when it all comes together for those flawless scenes that will look good on screen.
It was all coming together Thursday afternoon for members of the small Southern California film crew shooting footage for a feature-length documentary about pioneering motorcycle-maker and off-road racer John Penton.
Despite the 90-degree weather, no one was complaining.
Instead, they loved the scenes of Penton’s son, Jack, standing in for his dad, riding a restored, deep-blue 1958 NSU Maxi in and around a small creek in a heavily-wooded area off state Route 113.
“This nails it,” Todd Huffman said.
Huffman is a producer for Pipeline Digital Media, the Fullerton, Calif.-based company making “The John Penton Story” in locations ranging from John Penton’s wooded farmland in Lorain County to Austria and Italy, where the motorcycle legend developed his famed Penton motorcycles and accessories with equally passionate motorcycle enthusiasts and manufacturers.
The scenes filmed Thursday were recreations intended to be seen as audiences listen to various interviews, according to Huffman.
As Huffman gave Jack Penton instructions for a shot of him riding down the creek bed, cinematographer Jimmy Cook positioned a mini-camera on a rock at the edge of the creek just ahead of where Penton was to ride the NSU out of the water and up an embankment.
“I love this stuff,” Cook said.
Cook also loved the tall trees, filtered sunlight and greenery all around him.
“In Southern California you have two hours in the morning and two in the evening to film because the sun is just too much,” Cook said.
The younger Penton wore blue jeans and a jeans jacket, along with a helmet, leather vest and red kerchief that were John Penton’s trademark apparel.
The kerchief hid Jack Penton’s mustache.
“John never had one, but he would have pulled it up for bugs and weather,” Huffman said.
“This is just like what Dad did,” Jack Penton said between takes.
“Enduro was typically 50 to 500-mile races usually run on wooded trails and backwoods roads,” Jack Penton said.
A cylinder secured to the bike’s handlebars contained a detailed timetable that would give 1950s riders distances between designated points, as well as instruct them when and where to make turns.
The NSU Jack Penton rode was found covered in animal droppings in a chicken coop by Jeff Borer, an Amherst man whose father, James, enjoyed off-road riding with John Penton.
Jack Penton wore the elder Borer’s vintage helmet and leather vest for filming.
Jeff Borer bought and restored the now-rare bike, which belonged to John Penton at one time. Penton recognized the machine from photos, Borer said.
With his brothers, John Penton opened an Amherst motorcycle shop in 1950.
Shortly after, Penton began his lifelong love affair with off-road riding, or Enduro, as the sport is formally known.
Penton competed in and eventually won numerous Enduros, including contests in Michigan, Georgia, Florida and Ohio.
In 1958, Penton broke the world speed record when he rode a BMW motorcycle from New York City to Los Angeles in just over 52 hours.
His passion for off-road motorcycling eventually led to the creation of the lightweight, smaller Penton motorcycle inspired by the NSU and built in the 1960s by Austrian manufacturer KTM.
Penton motorcycles wound up revolutionizing the sport, according to Jack Penton.
KTM, one of the world’s largest motorcycle-makers, later acquired the rights to the Penton brand. KTM operates a dealership in Amherst.
John Penton is looking forward to seeing old friends when he and Jack and the film crew head to Austria and Italy in a few weeks.
“In 23 years (of trips to Europe) I never stayed in a hotel,” Penton said. “It was always in the homes of people I knew and worked with. You wouldn’t believe the trust that was involved.”
“It was also an era of real hospitality,” Penton added.
Huffman expects the film to be ready for a limited theatrical release in 2014.
It is already being advertised on the company’s pdmtv.com/productions/ website.

JGRMX - Muddy Creek

Here's a look at how JGR goes to the races. Very impressive!