A
Mile at the Fair
July
28, 2013
Cal
Expo – Sacramento, CA
Story
by Karen Gould
Checkered
Flag Photography
Riders Meeting
Practice
2 Vince
Holt 33 Ron
Long 46 David Deveau
10 Scroogy 12 David Ehrhart
49x Mickey Alzola 76 Mike
Wayne 87 Lawrence Bertand
49x Mickey 14 Ted
Hubbard 9L Victor McBee
50 Jack Latimer 72
Steve Liberty
Mickey Alzola
Modern 750 start 9 Victor McBee
47 Jerry Bland 8 Dan McDougall 24
Robert Hansen 44 Robert Bush
Jim Monegan
33 Ron Long 2 Vince Holt
Eddie
& Jodi Mulder and their team made the
trip to Sacramento once again this year to make dreams come true for
amateur
riders. On the famous mile long track, smooth and well groomed by
Dennis
Pearson and Craig Scroggins, the riders enjoyed the same dirt as the
GNC pro
riders the night before where Bryan Smith took home his third trophy
belt
buckle and Shayna Texter celebrated her second Sacramento Mile
win. Sunday was perfect from start to finish at the
Sacramento
Amateur mile. With the sights and sounds of the California State Fair
in the
back ground and the weather mild, riders and spectators alike had a
great day.
A
big thank you to several sponsors of the
Sacramento Mile that stepped up to help make this event possible. Scott
Dunlavey/Berkeley Honda-Yamaha generously
donated several pit bikes for use at the track, and on board again this
year,
Triumph of North America. Digger Helm
and Rod Lake, long time supporters of the West Coast Dirt Track Series
along
with K&N Filters, Motion Pro, Barmett Clutches and Specialty
Fabrications, all
as Premiere sponsors. Others included A&A
Racing who
donated 2 tires and provided non-stop service to the riders.
www.TodaysCycleCoverage.com and
S&S
Off Road Magazine, who bring news of the WCDTS events out to the
public,
Brown’s Cycles, Maxima Racing Oils, Works Performance, Coventry Spares,
Tuff
Plates and many more. At each event there are water bottles, hats,
T-shirts and
other goodies all provided by the sponsors, shared with the riders
during the
award ceremony.
Thanks
go to the riders as well. One hundred
and fifty plus entrants rode 17 heats and main events with such care
that the
ambulance never moved from it’s parking spot. Without the invitation of
Circle
Bell Motorsports and Bob Bellino, racing the mile at Cal Expo would not
be
possible.
Race
day started with the usual, tech
inspections to be sure the riders and bikes are safe for the day’s
events
followed by a rider’s meeting. Eddie’s custom of honoring fallen riders
was
carried out once again with a moment of silence for AJ Herrera who
recently
passed away. He then announced the order of practice, where to find the
event
postings and how the day is planned. Seasoned riders and past pros were
joined
with many that were riding the mile for the first time. Walking the
pits the
excitement could be felt as last minute adjustments were being made to
equipment. Leathers, were hanging on easy ups that had been recently
cleaned in
preparation of the days races and the pits were filled with riders and
their
families, sharing food, stories and their excitement.
Right
on schedule practice took place. A couple
of seized motors and mechanical mishaps brought the golf cart and
trailer out
to get riders and bikes back to the pits. Competition in many classes
was close
with heat races determining rider placement on the main event starting
lines.
Classes included 250cc Open, through unlimited cc Vet, Vintage, Senior,
Novice
and more. The West Coast Dirt Track Series finds a class for every
rider that
shows up. Eddie’s love of racing is unquestionable at his events.
The
first main event on the track included 8 Senior Vintage
riders. Familiar faces on the track, Jim
Monegan aboard a 1972 Honda 481, Steve Craft on the seat of his 1974
Harley XR
750 and Kenny Theibaud powering a 1974 Yamaha 750 battled for position
through
the third lap when Thiebaud left the race broken. Monegan and Craft put
on a
show turn to turn until Monegan was able to pull away and take the
win..Don
Galloway from Canada captured the third position followed by Victor
McBee.
Twelve riders took their places on the line for the 35 and
over Vet A
main. Steve Liberty showed Tom Horton the fastest way around this big
track
taking over the lead in the first lap. Vince Holt followed them to the
checkers
and Wade Boyd moved into the fourth spot in the last lap leaving John
Lundgren
to finish fifth. The Vet B included ten riders. The top three
finishers, Ron
Long, Jack Jones and AJ Neelings maintained their one, two, three
positions
from flag to flag.
In
this writers opinion the race of the day was
the Senior Novice/Super Senior class. I’ve been attending and
photographing
Eddie Mulder’s events for more than ten years. During those years I
don’t
remember ever not seeing #49, Mickey Alzola at the races. Alzola had a
long
history of precision stunt driving for many movies in Hollywood
including Jack
Knife, Mega Force, Steel Yard Blues, The First Last Race and many more.
Alzola
raced sprint cars from 1977 through 1987 and since then has raced
motorcycles
for more than twenty five years. He was a five time rider of the Pikes
Peak
Sprint Car class. Today before racing began Alzola told me that
all he
could do any more was have fun. When the riders came to the starting
line in
the 50 and older novice/riders over 60 class. Alzola was aboard
his 1966
Eddie Mulder SpecialTriumph. Only one other bike was older than the
Alzolas.
Fred Berger was piloting his 1965 Triumph 650. Also in the class was
Ted
Hubbard, a cancer survivor riding another Eddie Mulder
Special Yamaha 540.
The starter threw the green flag and Canadian D-Dan McDougall got the
hole shot
on his 74 XR Harley Davidson 750. Mike Wayne on top of a 1971 Yamaha
750 took
the lead from
McDougall
in lap three. Behind them Alzola was
on the move. Moving from the
sixth
position in lap one to third by lap four. Alzola was gaining ground.
With only
two laps remaining Lawrence Bertrand had captured the second postion
riding a
1973 Triumph 750. The white flag lap gave Alzola time to capture second
and by
the checkers, it was Alzola for the win. Wayne
had recaptured the second spot and Bertrand rounded out the podium. I
don’t
know the age of Alzola, maybe 73, but I know that he still “has it”,
the
enthusiasm and determination to win races along with a huge smile and a
delightful personality.
After
finishing third in the Vet class Holt came
back to win the Senior Open
class in
front of Wade Boyd and Ron Long. Holt powered his 2000 Rotax 660 the
first four
laps in the lead giving it up to vintage road racing champion Paul
Germain on a
Yamaha 750 in lap four and regaining the lead in white flag lap to take
the
checkers first. Wade Boyd twisted the throttle in the final lap to
finish second
followed by Long on a Rotax 600. Germain finished sixth.
Donnie
Darrah worked the track and his 06 Honda
450 hard riding the SeniorB Main Open main event. Don Galloway was not
having
it riding his 74 Yamaha 750 in front four of six laps. Darrah rode laps
four
and five in front but at the end of the race it was all Galloway
followed by
Perry
Smith
mounted on a Honda 450.
Maybe
the guy most proud of himself this day was
Craig Scroggins. The guy driving the blade earlier in the day to groom
the
track, Scroggins was not to be beat on his track during racing.
Competing in
the Sr Open C event Scroggins who said today would be his last mile
race got
the hole shot from the start. David
Ehrhart took that lead for laps two and three but Scroggins was
insistant and
tenacious riding the final two laps to the finish in front. Lance
Harris,
PHD and Jim Monegan followed Scroggins to the checkers. Monegan
was back
on the track to win the Modern 500 class in front of Horton and
Galloway. Jake
Latimer took Victor McBee and LloydMcGregor home in the 750 modern
class.
Allison
Stacey and Kimi Valentine were competing
with the boys in the 250 Open class. randon Green and Sean Heeney were
first
and second but Stacey proudly took the third place on the podium.
Thirty six
riders entered the Open Amateur class. Broken into A, B and C mains,
determined
by placement in the heat races. One rider captured my attention when he
shared
that this day was his 29th birthday and the first time he had ridden a
mile.
Happy 29th birthday Andy Wallace. Wallace didn’t finish in the top
three but
did capture the fourth position in the Open Amateur B main behind
Heeney, Boyd
and Chris Ryan. Davis Fisher, Dylan Morin
and Vaughn McCafferty were the top three in the Open Amateur A main and
Holt
captured his second victory of the day in front of Scott Anderson
and
Robert Curry in the C main.
Promoter
Eddie Mulder wishes to thank each and
every person who attended this spectacular event for their cooperation
and
support. The program went off flawlessly, the ambulance never moved and
there
was great racing, camaraderie and fun all weekend. Racers came from all
over
North America and Canada for their chance to ride on the famous
Sacramento
Mile. The WCDTS final two 2013 events will take place at Willow Springs
on the
3/8 mile banked cushion October 19th and 20th .
For more information on
Eddie Mulder’s
Dirt Track Series go to: http://www.eddiemulderswcvdts.com/schedule.html
Results:
Senior
Vintage
1.
Jim Monegan; 2. Steve
Craft; 3. Don Galloway;
4. Victor McBee; 5. David Krohn; 6. D-dan McDougall; 7. Rick
Villanueva; 8.
Kenneth Thiebaud; 9. David Atheron; 10. Robert Hansen; 11. Mickey
Alzola; 12.
Lawrence Bertrand; 13. Greg Lightfoot; 14. Peter Thomson
Vet
1.
Steve
Liberty; 2. Tom Horton; 3. Vince Holt; 4. Wade Boyd; 5. John Lundgren;
6. Paul
Germain; 7. Robert Morris; 8. Roger Andree; 9. Kenneth Holland; 10. Joe
Johnson; 11. Chris Baker; 12. Robert Bush; 13. Peter Lee; 14. Jeff
Corcoran;
15. David Deveau
Vet B
1.
Ron
Long; 2. Jack Jones; 3. A.J. Neelings; 4. Chad Valker; 5. Joe Brown; 6.
Roert
Settler; 7. Justin Barnett; 8. Chris Larson; 9. Brad Raymond; 10. Zane
Amaro
Sr.
Novice, Super Senior
1.
Mickey
Alzola; 2. Mike Wayne; 3. Lawrence Bertand; 4. D-dan McDougall; 5. Herb
Wolff;
6. Victor McBee; 7. Maury Austin; 8. Fred Berger; 9. Ted Hubbard; 10.
Don
Rasmussen; 11. Peter Thompson; 12. John Deatherage
Classic
500 750sv
1.
Tom
Horton; 2. Chris Rudy; 3. Rodd Lighthouse; 4. Allen Brugger; 5. Roy
Taboda
Senior
Open
1.
Vince Holt; 2. Wade
Boyd; 3. Ron Long; 4. David
Deveau; 5. Gene Fitzsimmons; 6. Paul Germain; 7. John Lundgren; 8.
Lloyd
McGregor; 9. Joe Johnson; 10. Roger Andree; 11. Peter Lee; 12. Robert
Settler
Senior
Open B Main
1.
Don Galloway; 2.
Donnie Darrah; 3. Perry Smith;
4. Greg Lightfoot; 5. Bud Riddle; 6. Nick Theroux; 7. Robert Curry; 8.
Mike
Fowler; 9. Dave Keil; 10. Barry Hiatt; 11. Brad Raymond; 12. David
Valentine
Senior
Open C Main
1.
Craig Scroggins; 2.
Lance Harris; 3. Jim
Monegan; 4. Tim Skov; 5. Ray Turner; 6. Tim Lampe; 7. MikeRankin; 8.
Rick
Villanueva; 9. David Ehrhart; 10. Peter Thomson
Modern
500
1.
Jim Monegan; 2. Tom
Horton; 3. Don Galloway; 4.
Steve Craft; 5. Mike Wayne; 6. Mark Jensen; 7. Thad Wolff
Modern
750
1.
Jake Latimer; 2.
Victor McBee; 3. Lloyd
McGregor; 4. Robert Hansen; 5. Jerry Bland; 6. D-dan McDougall; 7.
Robert Bush;
8. Maury Austin; 9. Steve Liberty; 10. Perry Smith
250 Open
1.
Brandon Green; 2. Sean
Heeney; 3. Allison
Stacey; 4. Clayton Williams; 5. Kimi Valentine
500
Support
1.
Ron Long; 2. Don
Galloway; 3. Jack Jones; 4.
Robert Hansen; 5. Jeff Corcoran; 6. Perri Turner; 7. Mike Fowler; 8.
Jeff
Gonzales; 9. Jim Lundgren; 10. Robert Morris
500
Support B Main
1.
Terry Graham; 2. Gary
Ritchie; 3. Barry Hiatt;
4. Justin Barnet; 5. Jack Harwood; 6. Dillon Allen; 7. Mike Keith; 8.
Gene
Fitzsimmons
Open
Amateur
1.
David Fisher; 2. Dylan
Morin; 3. Vaughn
McCafferty; 4. Tony Souza; 5. Allison Stacey; 6. Adam Hernandez; 7.
Andrew
Luker; 8,. David Bush; 9. Caleigh Ryan; 10. David Deveau; 11. Kale
Fish; 12.
Damon Coca
Open
Amateur B Main
1.
Sean Heeney; 2. Wade
Boyd; 3. Crris Ryan; 4.
Andy Wallace; 5. Laramie Bystedt; 6. Kenneth Holland; 7. Beau Thompson;
8. Sam
Cullon; 9. Cody Van Dyke; 10. Brian
Schmeltz; 11. Chris Baker; 12. Nick Theroux
Open
Amateur C Main
1.
Vince Holt; 2. Scott
Anderson; 3. Robert Curry;
4. Dillon Allen; 5. Darrell Beardsley; 6. Brad Raymond; 7. Mitchell
Green; 8.
David Valentine; 9. Keith Eusebio Jr; 10. Chris Geilfuss; 11. Zane Amaro
|