24 Hours of Glen Helen

The 2013 Glen Helen 24 hr. race had a rather large turnout.  I would guess that because a couple of other local race clubs decided to co-sanction the event and count the points earned here toward their local race series. It seemed to work by the looks of the number of entries and the size the pits eventually grew to.

I was fortunate enough to get an invite from a couple of guys that were putting together a +50 Team. In our class we are allowed to have up to 6 riders and two bikes. One has to be in impound at all times during the race. If you have a problem with your race bike you can change but you must take that bike to impound to get the other bike out. So in other words, no working on the bike in impound.  You must stop the race bike and swap bikes then take it to your pit to perform any type of work. This allows sportsman to be able to complete the race in case of a major failure on the race bike, instead of just packing up and going home. It is an unbelievable amount of preparation, as well as time and money to just get to the starting line of a 24 hr race. So it is nice to have a back up instead of just going home after all your hard work.

The Pro teams on the other hand are limited to ONE bike and FOUR riders. So they have to have a professional prep, a good crew to keep the bike going no matter what comes their way and 4 really good dedicated riders. If you ride on one of those teams you will not sleep much during the event. Because if you are not on the bike then you are in riding gear standing by in the pit in case someone falls off or has a problem you are ready to hop on and go. Then when you get off you have to cool off, clean your gear for the next ride and get something to eat before you even think about sleeping. Then you get to catch a few zzzzzz’s before it is your turn again to be on deck and geared up just in case.

Our +50 team had guys with experience and it showed. Two well prepped bikes (KLX and CRF-X 450’s) both had serious lighting to ride at night in case something happened to one bike along the way. The pit was set up with EZ ups, fluorescent lights run by generator, tables for tools, tables for food. Ice chest with water and drinks. Spare parts, extra wheels, portable heaters for a cool night, quick dump can and on and on. These guys have obviously been around this block before!

Our six man team consisted of Kris Goolsby (bike owner) and obviously team captain, Doug S., Doug H., Marc, John and #33. We had a good time and enjoyed ourselves throughout the event by keeping ourselves entertained in the pit while not on the bike. Throughout the race we seemed to only have one issue with lighting on the KLX and swapped back to the Honda for the remainder of the race. I guess it was well worth Kris Goolsby taking the time to make sure both bikes had lights to race with.

I don’t have a play by play on all the things the other riders on the team encountered but I did have one thing occur that can only be described as a long shot. While I was on the bike at night in a very dusty section with a difficult uphill I encountered a couple of downed riders on that hill. As I started up and got to the downed riders it seemed they were blocking the track and I was forced to stop in the dust. It was so thick I couldn’t identify or see the other riders until the dust cleared a bit. Then I looked at the rider that was stuck on the hill and read his number plate.  #M3 with a Checkers Jersey which is the +50 team that was in second place! We were lapping them while we were both sitting on the side of a dusty hill together. I had to laugh thinking while I was trying to get up the hill that at least I know I am not being caught while he is sitting here with me!  It made it almost comical and definitely let me relax and not get my shorts in a bunch!  Besides I got going first and he was still stuck on the hill as I rode away, I hollered Whoo Hoo! as I topped the hill.  What are the odds I would get stopped next to our competition on that hill on a 10 miles course during the race? Like I said, a long shot.

We finished our 24 hours with Doug H. stopping at our pit on the last lap to allow Kris the honor of taking the checkered flag at the finish. Kris did an incredible amount of work and prep to make this whole 24 hours go as well as it did.

A big Thanks to all of our riders, Doug S., Doug H. John, Marc and especially Kris Goolsby for allowing us to use his bikes and pits while making the whole event a memorable experience.

#33

“We are often so caught up in our destination that we forget to appreciate the journey”

Idaho IOTMX A Big Hit!

Another HOME RUN!

Once again the Idaho Old-timers’ club has hit it out of the park. I was wondering what in the world could they do to improve their event from the previous year. Last year the track was excellent, the dinner superb and the Friday night potato bar was just icing on the cake.

As hard as it is to believe, they did it again. The potato bar was still open on Friday night for the early comers. The dinner was something you would expect to see at a restaurant or buffet, not a motocross with a bunch of geezers chomping at the bit. The new and improved part of the weekend seemed to be provided by Mother Nature in the form of rain during the week leading up to the event. This allowed the club to lengthen the track and run the hilly sand sections that are normally reserved for winter riding since water is usually the limiting factor. The track grew to well over two minutes for lap times and got fairly rough in the sand sections by the end of the first day. Yet everyone I spoke to was having the time of their life and all I heard throughout the pits was how much fun the track was. One of my buddies, who has acquired the aka “El Guapo” had an ear to ear grin after practice and was walking around saying, “that was the best time I have ever had on a motorcycle.” I heard the same sentiments from several others as I visited through the pits.

For those of you that did not make the trip to the Idaho round of the IOTMX series, all I can say is you made a mistake to sit this one out. There was great food, good people, a fantastic track and more fun to be had than is legal is some states.

There was some very good racing along the way. The 60 and 70 Master class is always fun to watch since these guys haul the mail at what most people consider an age too old to be riding motorcycles. Guys like Gary Chase, Bart Kellogg, Kyle Montgomery and several others ride like old pros, very impressive! Great job guys, you can play golf when you get old!!!  One rider that showed up as the new and improved version of himself was 70+ rider, Don Nelson. The guy showed up 30 pounds lighter than last year and it showed in his riding. I have never seen Don jump as high or as far as he was this weekend. I think he intends to own that #1 plate!

A big Thank You to the Idaho Old Timers for going the extra mile to make the weekend such a success. 

#33

“Live your Life…..Forget your Age”