When it’s Memorial Day weekend its also time for vet racers to grab their bikes and visit Northwest Nevada.

The OTHG (Over The Hill Gang) Nationals second round of the series was held at the Fernley Lions Club’s Motocross track in Fernley. It’s a Memorial Day weekend tradition that draws local riders as well as those in California chapters.

Layne Kolbet, president of the hosting Reno chapter said there were 266 veteran riders on hand. And there were also good fields of younger riders that competed in supporting races.

All the vets rode in two motos on Saturday then on Sunday there were another pair of motos. A rider’s finishing average determines their final class finishing position.

And in several classes it’s an “us VS them,” as the locals work to defend their turf at the Sandbox, as the track is known.

One local that won three out of his four motos in the 45+ Intermediate Class was Chris Dyer. In fact in his last moto he had such a huge lead it was like he raced into another area code.

After finishing, and sweeping the weekend he said, “I actually got a start for the first time this weekend and was able to ride my race. Most were mid pack starts and took second place in the first moto. It was smooth sailing the whole way, track’s in really good shape considering we’ve had that many people out there.”

Then he thanked his girl friend for her support this weekend.

In another race a pair of chapter members pulled off a one-two overall in the 58+ Novice class. When the third and four motos began Ted Griffen was on point but not for long as Brent Allen would find a way to pass and take the lead.

Even though the final race was close Allen made a sweep for the weekend while Griffen with a third and three second place finishes was in the runner up spot.

“I did it, survival of the unfit,” Allen said after taking the final checkered flag. “I knew he (Griffen) was pretty darn close and I was pushing pretty hard. The track is doing its typical Fernley thing, it’s pretty rough but it’s good fun, a good workout.”

Then he thanked his family, friends and everyone that helps him out.

Several of the races combined classes so while there was an overall victor others would score class wins within that race.

One of them was Reno chapter’s Tony Fagundes, who topped the 45+ Expert Division although he didn’t score the overall victory in his multi-class motos.

“Number One, four in a row, that was a workout,” he said. “The track’s really good, it’s a little choppy but you’ve just got to find lines. I didn’t get a good start, kind of muddy, had to pull a tear off but it is what it is. I actually had more fun picking people off.”

Then he thanked  KCH Cycle Sports, Butch and Scott Stillmock for training, as well as his wife and three kids.

At one time the Sandbox was the House of Stillmock. Well on Sunday it appeared that Scott, who was the only 38+ Master rider, would retain that title but he eventually faded with possible arm pump and the first one to the finish line was 30+ Master rider Ronnie Raymond.

The fifth race combined the 30+ Novice class with the 38+ Novice class. Oddly enough the older riders were the fastest of all and the final two motos came down to a battle between one of Reno’s racing moms and South chapter’s Mark Ellis, who was the overall winner for the weekend.

When the gate dropped on their third moto Ellis was hounded by Sedanna Losey but managed to hold on and reached the checkered flag first.

Their next meeting in the weekend’s final moto was way different. Losey got the drop on Ellis at the start and he had to play catch up.

Then they had a place-swapping duel until Losey got a firm grip on the lead and roared away to the victory. Behind them another Reno chapter member, Matt Sorhouet, who pulled off a sweep in the 30+ Novice Division.

After the win Losey said, “The track, they groomed it so it was pretty hard but it was good and rough. I’d like to thank Moto Source, my trainer from Double Diamond Athletic Club Shalie Thorwaldson and my husband for helping keeping the bikes going.

Despite the victory Losey ended up third due to an issue with her bike that dropped her to an 11th place finish in the weekend’s first moto.

Then the overall weekend winner, and second in this moto, Mark Ellis from the South Chapter said, “She been on me all week other than the first moto. The first moto I won, don’t know what happened to her but in the second moto she just put it to me quick and I knew I was outclassed.

“I came out this morning got a good jump, kept her off me, I finished first then in this race I had nothing for her. She was just on it but it was a good weekend. I need to get in shape, that’s what I need to do.”

Then he thanked all the Over The Hill guys for putting on these races.

The 30+ Novice class winner was another Reno member Matt Sorhouet, who swept all his motos.

After the race he said, “I went four for four for the weekend and four for four hole shots. I need to thank my wife, my cousin, my buddy Shawn and everybody else that’s kind of helped me get here.”

Another Reno chapter member that won his class, 58+ Expert was Joel Ellis, who unfortunately didn’t stop for an interview. The overall winner in that combined race was 52+ Expert race Ron Horner from the Sierra Chapter.

The first moto in the final set had three classes in it, 45+ Master, 52+ Master and 58+ Master. Right from the gate drop Troy Cardiel was on a mission and left everyone to eat his dust.

Behind him there other battles as Randy Blair won the 52+ Master class overall while Chris Cumbo was the 58+ Master overall winner although Steve Parker won that final moto.

But up front Cardiel, from the Sierra Chapter, capped his weekend with a victory earning him the first place trophy for the weekend.

“I took two seconds yesterday and two first places today so that gives me the overall,” he said. “The track’s great right now, they just got finished grooming it so it’s wide open. I just want to thank my wife, my kids and TCR.”

 

The women were separated into a pair of divisions, “A” and “B.”

In the B Division the overall was Chelsea Lee who used a pair of wins Saturday plus two runner up finishes Sunday. So even though Theresa Stephens won the third and fourth motos she wound up second in the overall standings.

One of the Reno chapter members racing was Denise Schwartz, who finished 7th in the B division and many times is one of the medics at motocross events. The other, who finished eighth overall was Patricia Holland.

Up front in the A division the final moto came down to a race between Kimmie Raymond and Tammy Horner. At the gate drop Horner got the jump and stormed away to claim the victory while points leader Raymond ended up a solid second, which earned her the weekend’s overall victory.

After the race Raymond, who rides out of the Bay Chapter, said, “The track was really gnarly, had some big puddles, got a bad start and had to hang on to second. But that’s okay, I’ll take it.”

Then she thanked her husband Ronnie Raymond for his help.

The largest single group of vet riders was in the 45+ Novice Class as 24 riders filled the starting gate. Up front however Kris Wolfe, from the South Chapter, was on a mission after winning the first three motos.

On the gate drop he was off and running, leaving everyone in his dust. At the end Danny Shelton, from the South chapter and Bay chapter rider Mike English ended up second and third.

After taking the checkered flag and out of breath Wolfe said, “Yes I’m excited, I’m tired, those guys are so hard, they’re such tremendous athletes and I just want to thank everybody in Reno. Everybody made me fell like at home, I’m happy for the win and I’ll be an Intermediate the next time you see me in Reno.”

At the top of the age chart Tommy Pearl, from the South Chapter was the 65+ A winner while the B winner Reid Franke was from the same chapter.

In the final tally of class victories both Reno and the Sierra chapters were tied with eight. Next was the South chapter with seven class victories while the Bay chapter had five.

There were support classes and the biggest was the Beginner class that had 25 riders listed although on Sunday a bunch didn’t ride their third moto. All the support classes are listed in the Result section of this article.

Over all the weekend not only had good weather but the medics weren’t needed very much. On Saturday one rider was transported while another was taken by their crew to be checked.

On Sunday there were only minor injuries to a few riders.

In the end Reno chapter president Kolbet was pleased and expressed his appreciation for the support from the City of Fernley, which also included a grant to help with expenses.

Now racing is over at the Sandbox until a fall schedule is organized. And Kolbet allowed the Sandbox Grand Prix will happen but in the winter, “When we don’t need to water as much.”

For the OTHG members they get the summer off until Labor Day Weekend when the next round of their series will be held in Hollister, California.

OTHER RACING NEWS

• On Tuesday right around 2:15 p.m. I’ll be on the Teresa’s Garage radio show. You can listen it at 1180 AM, KCKQ, or stream the show live at, amm.streamon.fm.

This weekend NASCAR was home in Charlotte, North Carolina. In Saturday’s Xfinity race Brendan Gaughan started 17th and ended up 10th.

Sunday was the Coke 600, the longest race of the season and Kyle Busch didn’t have good luck as he started 16th but was in a wreck and ended up 33rd. Older brother Kut started 13th and finished sixth.

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If you’re into the riding lifestyle or race a motorcycle Reno Motor Sports is a great place to go. They have about everything a rider could ever want and even had a full service shop.

The website is, www.rms-renomotorsports.com.

If karting is your thing then you’ll want to check out Nevada Kart Sport, the only full service kart shop in our region. Karting is a very cost effective way to get into 4-wheel racing.

The shop’s website is, www.nevadakartsport.com.

RESULTS

Over the Hill Grand Nationals – Round 2

Fernley Lions Motocross Track – May 28/29

Overall Class Results:

65+:

+ A: 1. Tommy Pearl, 2. Duane Quick*, 3. Herbert      Allen.

+B: 1. Reid Franke, 2. Jim Patterson*, 3. Russ Greenfield, 4. Perry Black, 5. LeRoy Francard, 6. Tom Molloy*, 7. Bob Kosovilka.

58+:

+ Novice: 1. Brent Allen*, 2. Ted Griffen*, 3. Steve Erieg, 4. Steve “Viva Las Vegas” Mizi, 5. Ben Paris, 6. Linda Thomas, 7. Don Martin, 8. Michael Nitkin, 9. Jim Jensen, 10. Harry Bradwell, 11. Ron McGinnis.

+ Intrm: 1. Vincent Gonzales Jr., 2. Mark Stirling, 3. Chris Talbot, 4. Garry Castillo, 5. Tim Williams, 6. Nick McKinnon.

+Master: 1. Chris “Super Corn,” Cumbo, 2. Steve Parker, 3. Terry Huffer, 4. Steve Law.

+ Expert: 1. Joel Ellis*, 2. Tim Alarcon, 3. Mike Subocz, 4. Eric Watt, 5. Michael Bulter, 6. John Traverso, 7. Mike Wilson, 8. Jim Collins, 9. Bruce Ashmore.

52+:

+ Novice: 1. Brad Huffer, 2. Chris Ober*, 3. Greg McRea, 4. Richard Vandyk, 5. Dennis Foster, 6. Steve Machado, 7. Lonnie Paschal, 8. Tony Schwartz, 9. Guy Eatchel, 10. Mark Cross, 11. Vince Fausone, 12. Chuck Wallace, 13.      Kerry Wallace, 14. Jeff McCollum.

+ Beginner: 1. Jeff Mitchell, 2. Michael Clark, 3. Ed Nessen, 4. Ginny Hopper.

+ Intrm: 1. Brad Putnam, 2. Charles Baldwin, 3. Bill Lea, 4. Peter Mayforth, 5. James Skelly, 6. Jim Tappen, 7. Joe Lozowski, 8. Michael Guiso, 9. Jev Velez, 10. Darin Lundquist.

+ Master: 1. Randy Blair, 2. Tim Tynan, 3. Craig      Christian, 4. Randy Law, 5. Dean Adkins, 6. Robert Austin, 7. Robert Roehik.

+ Expert: 1. Ron Horner, 2. Doug Goodman, 3. Dave Mozingo, 4. Dave Blunk, 5. Gary Plaatje, 6. Ron Thornton, 7. Kevin Kearney, 8. Steve Tanti, 9. Dan Jones, 10. Michael Renner, 11. Richard Cervantes, 12. Greg Kamholz, 13.      Richard Smith, 14. Allen Rudd*, 15. Gilbert Chich*, 16. Will Coates.

45+:

+ Novice: 1. Kris Wolfe, 2. Danny Shelton, 3, Mike English, 5. Monte Hand, 6. Sean Jackson, 7. Larry Mulock*, 8. Brian Miller, 9. Todd Sauls, 10. Carson Green, 11. Bob Woebbeking*, 12. Kim Kinslow, 13. James Hopper, 14. Sean Donahue, 15. Gary Hatfield, 16. Steve DeLuna, 17. Rich Hurtado, 18. Travis Hilbish*, 19. Jeff Stephens, 20. Bob Ress, 21. Tim Kamholz, 22. Sean Anderson, 23. Scott Lean, 24. Michael Thomas.

+ Beginner: 1. Steve Rasmussen, 2. Blake Johnson, 3. Fred Biagini, 4. Sean Orr, 5. Dominic Lawrence.

+ Interm: 1. Chris Dyer*, 2. Keith Brockmann, 3. Mike Maciel, 4. Chris Leone*, 5. Chris Ow, 6. James Hendricks, 7. Rob Muehleisen, 8. Trey Brosious, 9. Mark Pearce, 10. Paul Schoep.

+ Master: 1. Troy Cardiel, 2. Kevin Williams, 3. Eric Tyler, 4. Steve Nelson, 5. Matt Drury.

+ Expert: 1. Tony Fagundes*, 2. Eugene Spoor, 3. Shawn Freiling, 4. Brent Workman, 5. Mark Flinders, 6. Gary Pash, 7. David Ornelas.

38+:

+ Novice: 1. Mark Ellis, 2. Kevin Pate, 3. Sedanna Losey*, 4. Bruce Mayhood, 5. Lisa Glynn, 6. Christ Trelut, 7. Craig Owens, 8. Andrew Jones, 9. Geoff Ostermen, 10. Missie Dutton, 11. Rich Harrington, 12. Dennis Mathews.

+ Master: 1. Scott Stillmock*.

+Expert: 1. Jason Garcia, 2. Jeff Neumann.

30+:

+Novice: 1. Matt Sorhouet*, 2. Rick Ortiz, 3. Ben Edwards.

+ Beginner: 1. Travis Buss, 2. James Farley, 3. Robert England.

+ Master: 1. Ronnie Raymond.

+ Expert: 1. Tadd Whitmire, 2. Joel Slaughter, 3. Garrett Law, 4. Walker Martin, 5. Ryan O’Sullivan

Women:

+ A: 1. Kimmie Raymond, 2. Tammy Horner, 3. Charlene Spoor, 4. Connie Talbot, 5. Lynn Velez, 6. Kristen Whitmire.

+ B: 1. Chelsea Lee, 2. Theresa Stephens, 3. Ashley Yetter, 4. Camie  Allred, 5. Shannon Tamayo, 6. Cathie Marlow, 7. Dennis Schwartz*, 8. Patricia Holland, 9. Betsy Lawrence, 10. Beverly Baldwin.

* – Reno OTHG Chapter members.

National Support Classes:

+ 65cc: 1. Chase Cannizzaro, 2. Connor Gaarentstroom, 3. Carson Holman, 4. Landon Wilkins, 5. Landon Martin.

+ 85cc: 1. Dylan Thorwaldson, 2. Trevor Hargett, 3. Hayden A. Fagundes, 4.  Branden Neuman, 5.  Angelena Garcia, 6. Madison Garcia, 7. Gizele Spoor, 8. Connor Johnson.

+ Beginner: 1. Drew Nelson, 2. Matt Wilkins, 3. Kevin Bussey, 4. Colton L. Scudder, 5. Cory Sego, 6. Larry Owens, 7. Chance Lambert, 8. Ashtyn Shepard, 9. Zach Howell, 10. Cece Nelson, 11. Jason Joanelly, 12. Caden Nelson, 13. Ryan Haverson, 14. Gavin Nelson, 15. Danny Martin, 16. Hayden Losey, 17. Tyler Spoor, 18. Sierra Koch, 19. Hope L. Stillmock, 20. Matt Hain, 21. Ethan Law, 22. Michael Jensen, 23. Devin Donahue, 24. Ryan Matthews, 25. Max Lawrence.

+ Novice: 1. Tim E. Trainor, 2. Jaron W. Thompson, 3. Kyle Brink, 4. Dylan Thorwaldson, 5. Sean Botelho, 6. Jesse Mulock, 7. Swade Malloy, 8. Nolan Blair, 9. Aaron Arrate, 10. Brent Mayhood, 11. Blake Horn, 12. R.C.      Muehleisen, 13. Mike Haisten.

+ Expert: 1. Nolan A Rudd.