VMX RETURNS TO 212 MX LAND
By Steve Caro
Photography by Kathryn Caro
Boulevard, CA. Nov. 15
Although it wasn’t the proverbial “dark and stormy night”, the only element missing from that equation was the darkness as the resilient competitors of CALVMX made a triumphant return to the increasingly popular 212 MX Land in Boulevard, CA for round four of their 100% sponsored 2015 second series. Greeted with an outstanding course prepared by Austin Prida and crew, not even near continuous winds of over 25 mph were enough to diminish a great day of classic racing.
A nice cross section of machines ranging from 100cc on up to the ground pounding 500cc two-strokes filled the pit area. Included in the mix was Brian Tracy’s newly acquired 1997 Honda CR-500. Although now residing in Chicago, Tracy is racking up the frequent flyer miles as he routinely returns to California to compete in both CALVMX events and cross-country races whenever his work schedule permits. Tracy quickly proved he was more than capable of harnessing the legendary power of the big Honda as he rocketed around the smooth flowing 212 Land course.
Close racing was the norm on the day in many of the classes. In 50+ Vintage Intermediate, CZ mounted Tim McIntyre sparred with David Perrapato’s Husqvarna in both motos with only a few bike lengths between them throughout the motos. McIntyre kept his Czech machine on the pipe and emerged with two moto wins to top Perrapato’s 2-2 moto results.
Noleen Racing’s guru Clark Jones obviously wasn’t interested in close racing as he totally dominated the 50+ Vintage Expert class on his CZ. In the first moto, Jones nailed the holeshot and quickly powered his way into a commanding lead. Behind him, Mark Wood (CZ) and Brent Wilkinson (Suz) vied for the runner-up spot. At the checkers, Jones took an unchallenged win, with Wood second, followed by Wilkinson.
Jones quickly turned moto two into an exact replica of the first moto. Powering his way up the start straight, he rapidly built up a tremendous lead over the mixed field of 50+ and 60+ Vintage racers. Wood and Wilkinson once again dueled for several laps for second, with Wood putting some distance between himself and Wilkinson near the end of the moto. Jones took the overall win, with Wood and Wilkinson rounding out the podium.
Bultaco mounted Randi Perkins put in a strong performance in the 60+ Vintage Intermediate class with a two-moto sweep of the class. Returning from a recent medically mandated hiatus, Craig Walker (CZ) overcame the numbing cold winds to take second overall with 3-2 moto scores.
It was a classic example of racing for racings’ sake in the Open Age GP Race. Although scored by individual class, the combined Pro-Expert-Intermediate and Novice divisions featured two moto’s of fast paced competition. Harking back almost 30 years to the days of the AMA 500 class, the weapon of choice for the Open Age motos was the legendary Honda CR-500, with five of the roost monsters entered. Joining them were open class examples from Maico, Kawasaki and Yamaha.
The first moto for the Open Age GP’s saw former pro Scott Burnworth rocket up the starting straight and quickly build up a huge lead. Behind “Burner”, expert ranked Brian Tracy and James Lavender battled throughout the moto on their own CR-500’s. The deep-throated bark of the big two-strokes echoed off the hills as the leaders demonstrated the potency of the 50+ horsepower machines. At the finish of moto one, Burnworth took the pro class win, while Tracy held off Lavender for the Expert class win, while Maico mounted Don Hansing topped the Intermediates, with Vince Laker (Hon) the first novice.
When the old-school green flag waved for the start of the second moto, Burnworth once again powered his way into a huge lead over the combined field. Behind him, Lavender held off the hard charging Tracy as the two negotiated the sinuous 212 Land course. Midway thru lap two, Tracy made an inside pass on a downhill section of the course to take over the top spot. Lavender kept the pressure on Tracy throughout the race but was never able to get by before the moto ended. At the checkers, it was Tracy securing the overall win, followed by Lavender, with Burnworth taking the overall win in the pro division, while Hansing and Laker repeated their first moto wins to secure the Intermediate and Novice classes.
The three-wheeler classes attracted riders from as far as Arizona. The all Honda race featured both two and four-stroke machines taking on the course. Series regular Tanner Pies topped the 250 Expert class, with Jerry Nocciolo Jr. topping the Intermediates. Newcomer Angela Boland put together 2-1 moto scores to top the 250 Novice class, with Jerry Nocciolo III in second. The Stock Open Expert saw David Ham, Ed Hicks and Jeremy Knisely taking the top three spots.
Joining the three-wheeled ATV’s was the Norton/Wasp sidehack of Mark and Kathy Wood. The open megaphoned British twin powered rig thundered around the course in impressive style and actually led several of the three-wheeled ATV’s during both motos.
Other class winners on the day included Tim McIntyre adding to his win total with the overall in Vintage Sportsman 250 Intermediate with Patrick Irvin (Bul) and David Perrapato (Husq) joining him on the podium. Chase Fryslie (Yam) put together a 1-1 tally to take the Vintage Sportsman 250 Novice class followed by Marty Eisen (Yam). Dion Davis (Husq) joined the list of winners with the overall in GP-1 250 Intermediate, as did Kitty Hoole (Yam) in Women’s Expert, while Kathy Wood (CZ) took the gold in the Women’s Intermediate class.
CALVMX concludes it’s 2015 season on December 13 at their unofficial home, Cahuilla Creek MX Park in Anza, CA. Several class championships are still up for the taking. As always, the club offers a class for any and all machines, no matter the age, be they two or three-wheeled. A Toys-For-Tot’s drive will also be held with all participants and spectators invited to participate.
Further photos and race coverage can be found at:
Todayscyclecoverage.com