Observations from the World Vet Championships
NOVEMBER 8, 2007
Merge Racing Technologies
By Steve Matthes
Photos by Trevor Greaves

It’s the off-season people and Griffiths was on me to put something up for you people despite me not really having enough time lately. I had some buddies of mine from Winnipeg come down for the WORLD Vet Championships held at Glen Helen raceway. I capitalize WORLD because it’s a pretty big deal apparently.

Last year I raced and vowed to never race there again. Why? Because it was expensive and there was no track prep done to speak of. The crew at Glen Helen thinks that dropping the blade on the tractor and just smoothing the track out is sufficient, however, all that does is fill in the huge crater holes and the first time you hit the hole, it reappears. The crew does a great job at the AMA national, there is no reason they can’t do it again.

It’s called a Vet WORLD Championship, there are 70-year-old guys racing people! The track ran the huge Mt St Helen hill and the crew had to stop and groom it a few times because the older riders simply couldn’t make it up the hill. There’s no need for that, in my opinion.

To top it all off the track was a series of switchbacks where all you could do was follow the guy in front of you from inside to the next inside. It was a very easy track that didn’t allow any passing really.

Did I mention the flaggers? No? Well, the kids they hire are given a yellow shirt, a flag and a hose. They said use the hose to water the track in their section and I think they all got together and had a “who can make the track the most dangerous” contest. They would water the crap out of the hard packed slippery sections that made the first lap a dicey proposition. Some of the guys also liked to water while you were racing and would spray you in the face now and again. Good times……

Anyways, enough bitching. I took some of my friends to some good tracks on Thursday and Friday. We hit up Competitive Edge and the new track in Riverside called Milestone raceway, both were very rider friendly and great prep, with multiple tracks for the riders to choose from. I know Glen Helen likes to maximize their revenue, but they should think about not practicing Thursday, Friday and then having a nothing race on Saturday that doesn’t count towards your WORLD Title status. The track would be better for it.

Oh did I mention that if you wanted a copy of the race order, you were charged $1? Yes, that’s right-your $40 dollar entry per class and $20 gate fee was not quite enough to get you a copy of the race order.

Ok, sorry, I said I would stop bitching. And that’s it…..

So last year I went in the +30 B class and got smoked, it wasn’t a lot of fun riding around in the back of the pack and I just wanted to race with people, I really don’t care how I do just have some good racing y’know? I should’ve known that I would be in trouble when, on a split start between the A and B classes, only about 8 guys took off in the A class. It appears that a WORLD Title is a bigger draw than I thought.

If the crew at Glen Helen really cared about this race, don’t you think that they would check your driver’s license when you sign up? I’m sure there was rampant cheating going on, they really didn’t care how many classes you signed up for or how old you were--they really just wanted the cash.

Ok, ok, that’s all the complaining I’m going to do…..

So I hadn’t ridden in three months or so. It gets to be eight million degrees here in Las Vegas so the desire to ride isn’t very high. Because of my sucki-ness last year, I entered the +30 C class this year because I figured that there would be sandbaggers and like I said, I just wanted to race with dudes.

So what happened? I went 1-2 for 2nd O/A on Saturday! Oops! So much for that theory. I used to race pro and can ride a bike decent, but that was like 200 pounds ago and combined with my lack of riding, I figured that I wouldn’t win the C class but me and the guy who won were wayyyy out in front. On Sunday, I switched to the B class and prepared to get beat down again.

On Saturday I was on the line when a rider behind me asked if I was Steve Matthes from Racer X. He then went and complimented me on my writing and how funny I was and he reads it all the time. Then he proceeded to ask me if I ever raced pro. I told him I did but that was a long time ago and I am now the size of a baby huey etc etc. He again said that he really enjoyed my writing and because of that “I won’t tell anyone you’re sandbagging.”

So anyways on Sunday, I was about 15th in the first moto when I got a chunk of Glen Helen down my throat while going up the uphill. That really sucked and when I went down the next straightaway, I threw up in my helmet! I guess I’m a mouth breather. So I finished 26th or something in the moto and after 4 straight days of riding, I bowed out of the 2nd moto. My hands were hamburger, it was too much for me. You can now flood my inbox with emails calling me names, I deserve it.

Now comes the photo section! My buddy Trevor “Sexy tight T-shirt” Greaves took all of these photos and he’s not a professional so take it easy. There were a ton of Albertans there but him and I didn’t really know any of them, so no pics of them here. Look for RXC to feature this race in an upcoming magazine and I’m sure you Albertans will make it in there.

 

Here is Stacey Groening cutting it loose in the +35 Novice class. He went 10-18 on Sunday and when we were cheering him on, he swapped and almost took all of us out! Thanks pal.



 

Look at Winnipeg’s Ian Blair carving up the Glen Helen soil! Ian came down and bought my old KX 450, hence the #15 on his bike. Blair went 19-DNF as a nasty second moto crash left him with four broken ribs for the 30-hour drive home. Sorry to hear about that Ian, get well soon and no refunds on the bike!




 

Here is Rob “Bobby” Gaudet racing down one of the massive hills! This is a rare photo as he only practiced for an hour or so before re-injuring his foot/ankle and pulling out for the weekend. Check out the old-school Scott facemask and open face helmet. You go Bobby Gaudet!!!





Here is Sun & Snow’s Danny Winistok, Danny went 8-DNF on Sunday after crashing on the uphill. Some guy took out his front wheel and Danny cart wheeled up the hill! Did you know that in 1982, Danny led the Austin Manitoba CMA Pro National until the last lap when his throttle cable broke? Who was he beating? None other then Ross “Rollerball” Pederson!!! Imagine how different Danny’s life could be if only if that stupid cable had held together?



 


Look at #103 Ron “Ronnie Painkin” Balcaen attack the track here. Ron was switching between his trusty 250F and Greaves’ 450. The hills made the 450 work pretty good but he got his best finish on the 250F getting a 5th in the +35 Novice class in the second moto on Sunday.




 

Here is Randall Klassen getting busy on his clutch-less CRF450. Randy once again dominated the Novice classes bringing home another title to the province of Manitoba. See you in “B” next year, Randy-bo Bandy!




 


Here is the incredibly neat Mark “call your mom” Robitaille blasting into a turn. Mark went 13-9 on Sunday and also bought every incredibly neat bolt on item for his bike at Chaparral on Saturday. He even bought things that don’t work on his bike! Mark may not have the speed to win, but he won the “most entertaining guy off the track” award. Myself and Curt Wyatt were the judges.



 

Look at Curtis “Crooked” Wyatt leaning his Yamaha YZ450F through this turn. Absolutely pushing himself and his motorcycle to the limit, Curt’s bike was my old Yamaha that I sold him a few years back, hence the #15 backgrounds, once again. Yes, I am a stalker. Curt looks like he is all buff but it’s just his 661 under protector, he’s not strong at all really.




 

Well, well well--look who decided to grace Glen Helen with their presence this year. None other then Lawrence “High-Flyer” Hamm!!! With a month or so of heat and “Helen” training, the big number eight-seven was a force to be reckoned with. Lawrence went 4-4 to grab the last spot on the box and once again, show everyone that he has lost NOTHING from his plaque filled glory days of Manitoba racing. Lawrence’s plan for Glen Helen was a lot like his plan when he dominated many Fargo Arenacrosses against the mighty Bill Stork. Line up on the inside, get the start and check out. Look at how tiny his clutch lever looks with those massive grizzly bear hands of his.



 

 




Here is a shot of me on my way to the first moto C class victory!! Notice the form…elbows up, foot out, attacking the track. Also please notice the similarity between myself and a circus bear riding a bike. God, I have to hit the treadmill. I blame all of you readers as I’m so busy thinking of funny things to say that I just don’t get enough exercise. So there….



 

No, he’s not from Manitoba but Doug Dubach cleaned up again in the plus 30 pro class. After a good battle with Craig Decker in the first moto, he took advantage of a Decker mistake to ride off with the overall on the day. Pretty impressive for a 44 year old who sits behind a desk most of the time. However, I think most of the credit goes to his lucky number.