Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Birth of a Classic.... The PCGP

1978

Back in the Day, many, many years ago a few members of the Polka Dots MC would meet most afternoons in a small motorcycle accessory shop (MPC) in Citrus Heights, CA. They would get into discussions about all things motorcycle. They would solve all sorts of problems concerning dirt riding/racing. Actually, mostly they just drank beer. One afternoon the subject was the boring state of D36 Cross Country races. Most of the Cross Country races were tight woods courses or desert races with little spectator viewing, even the club’s premiere event Wilseyville was mostly out of sight of spectators. This was prior to WORCs or GNCC style races. The guys wanted more intense racing, more open to spectators to see. They wanted to attract some of the fastest, best known riders in N. CA.

After many weeks of intense discussions they finally decided to seek an outside perspective and they needed someone new to buy the beer so they contacted the boys at Hi-Point. Dave Duarte and Bruce Young encouraged the boys to keep working on their idea and offered Hi-Points help if they ever settled on a format. Bruce even bought more beer. After several more weeks of debate a general format was agreed upon. The race would encompass a variety of terrain, something to appeal to all types of riders. There would be some tight trails for the enduro riders, some open plains for the cross country guys, a real motocross section and even a quarter mile section of pavement.  The Polka Dots wanted a real test of strength, endurance and riding skills so the decision was made to make this a three hour race. Thus, thirty five years ago the “Prairie City Grand Prix” was born.

The first race development was hectic and of course there was some controversy. Some District officials were less than enthused about the PDMC offering prize money and bringing motocrossers to the event. True to his word Bruce from Hi-Point was very helpful. Hi-Point supplied a bundle of contingency prizes and Bruce introduced the Polka Dots to a money sponsor (Capital Coors). Hi-Point even brought famed Team Honda off road rider Bruce Ogilivie to the race. Personal invitations were sent to the top five D36 riders in Enduro, Cross Country and MX. Almost all showed up for the first PCGP. There was of course a little pre race trash talk… moto guys would never last and CC guys couldn’t jump. The turn out was huge and the racing intense. All the trash talk proved to be wrong, the CC guys could jump and the moto guys did last. Spectators loved the event, they could see lots of action and the racing was close. No one had ever seen a rider lay on the tank of a 440 Maico in 5^th gear down a quarter mile of pavement. The real surprise was the strength of the moto cross riders in finishing a three hour race. Take a look at the names on the perpetual trophy and you will find names like Donnie Cantaloupi, Eric McKenna, Danny “Magoo” Chandler and Jerome Heiburger. In fact motocross riders won for the first ten years of the PCGP with seven of those victories going to Eric McKenna!

 Over the years the format of the event has evolved and today the Polka Dots MC promote one of the most popular cross country events in CA. The 2013 event has a very special sponsor, Motorcycle Performance Center.  Since the birth of the PCGP thirty five years ago in the back of that tiny shop MPC has grown into one of the premiere KTM shops in the country and they have returned to sponsor what they helped start all those years ago.

Eric & RJ

One of the great things about our sport is the people you meet and the bonds you form. You can be thousands of miles from home, waiting in the start area for your time to start at one of the most famous off road races in the world. Through the hundreds of spectators standing around you spot a familiar face, someone you have not seen in twenty years. Two old warriors meeting again to race. A differnent circumstance from back in the day but a race is a race. They swap stories, laughs, good feelings and then it is off into the desert to compete for their teams in the Baja 1000. The dirt riding community is special!

 

2012 Baja 1000 - short video

When you hear the words Baja 1000 what do you think about. I used to get this mental picture of guys ridng 100 mph thru open desert or racing along the beach. I've come to understand a thousand miles of Baja gets you a little of everything. Here is a short video of an early section of the course, around the 65 mile point. If you look closely at about the 3:30 mark you will see #33 blast by on the Class 50 wining CRF450 (#501x).

JCR/Honda Wins Baja 1x

FLY Congratulates JCR/Honda: Baja 1x Champions

 

FLY Racing would like to congratulate JCR/Honda team riders Colton Udall, David Kamo, Timmy Weigand, Johnny Campbell and the rest of their crew for taking a hard fought Baja 1,000 win; and along with it, the SCORE Baja 1X motorcycle title—for the 16th consecutive year! FLY Racing couldn’t be more proud to be a part of the Johnny Campbell Baja effort. Great job, team, from all of your friends and supporters at FLY Racing!

2012 World Vet Championship

TERRY DORSCH RIP

This article appeared in Cycle News #45. It was written by Larry Lawrence. I am reprinting it because not all of you subscribe to Cycle News.

Terry Dorsch, former AMA National number 22, and best known as a Triumph rider and for earning a podium finish at the Ascot TT National in 1973, passed away on Wednesday, November 7 from injuries sustained in a street bike accident on the Angeles Crest Highway in the San Gabriel Mountains north of Los Angeles, He was 63.

Dorsch, a native of Tujunga, California, emerged on the AMA Grand National circuit in 1971. A Triumph support rider, with the pedigree of AMA District 37 Champion and several National amateur wins, he had a solid rookie expert season in '71, earning four top-10 finishes, including a season best fifth at the Corona (California) Half-Mile National. At the end of the season, Dorsch won a special made-for-TV event called, the Race of Champions, held at the San Jose Half Mile. His rookie performance made him one of the nation's leading up-and-coming racers, and earned him his national number 22.

"We were in the same class of riders turning expert in '71," said former Daytona 200 winner, Don Emde. "Terry seemed to get faster as the years went on, and by '72-'73 he could race with anybody. And the whole way he made friends and gained the respect of everyone in the sport. It's a big loss for his family and the sport.

Throughout the 1970s, Dorsch was a consistent qualifier at AMA Nationals. He was especially adept on TT tracks. In the middle of the 1973 season, he strung together an impressive string of TT results, scoring three-straight top-five finishes at Castle Rock, Peoria, and including his one and only AMA Grand National podium in the Ascot TT on July 21, 1973. In that race he finished just behind David Aldana and Kenny Roberts.

"That was a great race and a great memory for him," said fellow racer and friend John Hateley. "That was sort of a famous race, because I think that's the one where Aldana won on a Norton and then the thing caught on fire."

Dorsch was a regular on the National circuit, from the early-to-mid 1970s, before he began scaling back on his efforts. He scored his final National finish, a ninth at the Ascot TT, in 1977l. He raced Triumph most of his career, with a few rides later aboard Yamaha's and Harley-Davidson's.

During his racing career, Dorsch made many lasting friends. Dorsch's sister, Cheryle Carmitchel, said, Hateley, Gene Romero and Gary Scott were among his best buddies from that era.

"He had that charismatic, almost-movie-star type attitude with the hair to match. He was very meticulous about how he dre4ssed and looked," Hateley said. "That's part of what made Terry who he was."

Dorsch drifted away from racing and it was Hateley who convinced him to come back to mingle with fans, new and old, at some of the racing reunions in recent years. "Terry was a little shy about that," Hateley explained, his voice cracking from emotion. "He didn't think anyone would remember him. They did, one of my lasting memories of Terry will be at Pomona this year where people were coming up happy to meet him and he was signing autographs. I'm glad he got to experience that."

Dorsch died riding in the hills he loved and had ridden since he was a youth, both on road and off.

"It's a terrible shock to us," Cheryle said. "He had just gotten that Grand National history book that just came out and he was really pumped about that. And he'd attended those legends reunions this summer. We all grew up around racing, so he was thrilled to be a part of it again.

"It was one of those perfect days and he went out to ride his Triumph and lost it in a turn and hit a guardrail. Some construction workers saw the accident and were able to talk to him. Like an old racer, he'd figured out his injuries and told them where he was hurt. But they had no phone reception, so they had to drive off the mountain to call 911. They took him in a helicopter, but his internal injuries were just too much. We're all going to miss him so much."

Dorsch is survived by his wife, Jennie, his son, Walter, who is also a racer, his sister, Cheryle, and his mother Vickie.

The family is planning a private funeral service. Gene Romero and John Hateley are also planning to put together a memorial gathering for Dorsch at a yet to be determined time and place.

Donations can be made in Dorsch's name to: Victory Junction    http://www.victoryjunction.org/index.php

Baja 1000 Begins Thursday 11/15/2012

#33 Poses for pictures before the start of the 2012 Baja 1000. 

 

Matrix Concepts & 1.7 Cleaning Solutions Expands

Matrix Concepts and 1.7 Cleaning Solutions has completed the move into their new corporate headquarters in Valencia, California. The new address is 20810 Industry Dr., Valencia CA 91355.  

 The new facility is 16,000 sq ft. and houses all administrative, product development, marketing, sales, customer service, and warehousing departments. A new customer showroom will be completed by December 1st that will display the complete line of Matrix Concepts and 1.7 Cleaning Solutions product. In celebration of the move we would like to give everyone 10% off at www.MatrixRacingProducts.com for the rest of November, just enter coupon code, "NEWBUILDING".

Matrix Concepts is based in Valencia, California founded in 2009 and is used by the top MX/Off-road race teams in the world and offers a complete range of track/garage necessities that include personalized off road motorcycle Stands, Loading Ramps, Tie Downs, Tool Boxes, Utility cans and Worx Mats. For more information on Matrix Concepts products, visit: MatrixRacingProducts.com

Successful Off Road Season!

FLY Racing GNCC 2012: Season of Reign

To say that FLY Racing offroad racers had a fantastic GNCC season would be an understatement; winning the XC2 Pro Lites championship for the second year in a row and dominating the class with 8 podium sweeps in 13 rounds. The FLY crew went all-out at the final round of the 2012 GNCC series to show its support and capture its ATV and Motorcycle team riders in their element at Loretta Lynn's Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. A big thank you to every one of the FLY offroad racers out there for giving us a season to remember!