2008july19

Grebenstein Loops to Overall Victory
Barona Oaks Raceway, July 19
By Steve Caro
Photography by Kathryn Caro

  Although predictions of 100-degree weather and the odious specter of gas at $4.30 per
gallon hung over the race date like a dark cloud, they had little effect on the vintage and
post vintage racers who turned out in mass for round five of the 2008 CALVMX vintage
moto-cross series.

  Round five saw the competitors returning home to Barona Oaks raceway. Once again,
the track design had changed in both layout and in direction. Deep sandy corners mixed
in with several rock strewn sections provided quite the challenge for all entrants. With the
high temperatures, the water truck driver made almost as many laps at the competitors in
an effort to keep the dust problem under control. His efforts kept the course in decent
shape the majority of the day.

  A good cross section of vintage (up to 1974) and post vintage (1975 and newer)
machines were on hand for race day. Spotted in the lineup was a rarely seen Sachs and
a great looking Hodaka Super Rat.

CONTINUE HERE >>>   Occupying space on the third stone from the Sun for a half
century was not a deterrent to good racing as John Grebenstein (Hus) and Tom Winkless
(CZ) proved in their epic two-moto battle for supremacy in the 50 Plus Vintage Novice
class. The start of moto one was almost the end of Grebenstein’s day before it began.
Dropping the clutch on his Swedish machine lead to a wild back flip off the concrete
starting pad, resulting in Grebenstein on the ground and well behind the pack. Displaying
the advantage of a two-stroke, whether it be modern or vintage, Grebenstein picked up
his bike, kicked it to life, and set off after the pack. Try doing that on a “cam and valve”
machine!

  Out in front, Winkless lead John Jackson (Yam) and Lew Sims (Yam). On the extremely
challenging rough and rocky course, Winkless maintained a steady pace throughout the
moto. Behind him, Grebenstein was in full on attack mode as he rapidly closed the gap
between himself and the pack. By the white flag lap, Grebenstein had swept into second
and was closing rapidly on Winkless. His charge came up a lap short as Winkless
crossed the finish in first, followed by Grebenstein and Jackson.

   Putting moto one’s misadventure behind him, Grebenstein grabbed the holeshot in
moto two and pulled a multi-bike lead on the rest of the pack. Winkless held the second
spot followed by Jackson and Sims. Grebenstein maintained a steady lead throughout
the moto, while Winkless put several bike lengths between himself and Jackson. At the
checkers, Grebenstein grabbed a well deserved first overall with his 2-1 scores, followed
by Winkless and Jackson.


  Vintage 250 Expert racing is a showcase for some of the fastest vintage racers in
Southern California. Moto one saw Gary Faxon (CZ) facing top rivals Brad Roysdon
(Oss), Charlie Richardson (CZ) and Gary DeForest (CZ). Real life situations have cut
Faxon’s racing to part time, but he proved it was no hindrance to his speed. Faxon
rocketed up the long start straight and immediately put a large gap between him and the
rest of the field. Behind him, Roysdon and Richardson vied for second. Faxon held an
insurmountable lead throughout the moto. Behind him, the Spanish and Czech mounts of
Roysdon and Richardson vied for second. As the moto wound down, Roysdon broke free
of Richardson and secured second place in the moto behind Faxon, with Richardson in
for third.

  Richardson made things interesting in the second moto by nailing the start and leading
the first ¾ of the first lap over Faxon and Roysdon. Never on to back down from a
challenge, Faxon pinned his throttle wide open and rocketed into first on the long uphill
straight. Behind him, Richardson and Roysdon resumed their duel for the runner-up
position.



  Faxon was not to be beaten this day. He easily clinched the overall with a convincing
second moto win. In their own tight two-moto battle, Richardson edged Roysdon for
second overall with Gary DeForest taking fourth overall.

  Racing returns to Barona on August 16 for round 6 of the series. An open invitation
stands for those members who have missed recent rounds. It’s still not too late to rack up
valuable points towards the year-end championship titles.