Racing Enterprises Motorsports

Rant 12/21/10

Motocross is a brutal, grinding, painful, journey which requires the finesse of bullfighting, precision of ballet, and ends with the elation or dissapointment of a child on Christmas morning. 

Your average motocross racer will run the gamut of these experiences in one day of racing.  Race a motocross bike over a motocross track and it will change from practice to moto one and again to moto two.  It usually begins with a groomed track with no bumps, no holes, no ruts, a loamy surface, traction everywhere, and a grin from ear to ear. 

By the time you finish the first moto it is rougher, ruttier, traction is there but you have to look for the good spots, your arms hurt, your lower back hurts, your knees hurt, you have sweat in your eyes, and you narrowly averted disaster at least 6 times. 

By the end of the second moto the once pristine track resembles a bombed out, rutted war zone, everything hurts, you’ve been pelted with clods, stones, and broken bike parts.  You burned through all your tear offs and qualify for a seeing eye dog the last 3 laps, you have averted disaster at least another 6 times, and your mouth feels like you’re sucking on a sawdust milkshake without the milk.  But, if you had a good moto, win or not you have that ear to ear grin back.  If you didn’t have a good moto it’s like the Xmas you got a sweater and socks. The only saving grace is that there will be another race next weekend just as there will be another Christmas next year. 

I watched a youtube video this week that someone posted on the internet.  Pardon the language but this asshole seemed to be really proud of his moto prowess.  What he seemed to be really good at was stupid take out moves.  Several times he was passed only to cross the track to take out the racer who had just passed him.  A block pass is a thing of beauty when done correctly, the idea is that you cause the rider you are attempting to block to slow and lose his momentum thereby getting the jump on him and beating him to the next corner.  It is not called a crash pass.  If your idea of a good race is to take out your competition risking their safety as well as yours you are a stupid ass moron.  What was even worse is that this was not some untrained kid, but a vet who could ride the bike without these stupid moves.  The goal of a race is to beat your competition, not hurt them, ruin their bike, or cause them to come beat the living crap out of you after the race.  I will be honest, if this moron had done those moves to me at a race, I would have retaliated.  While I never condone violence, or retaliation, every now and then some ass spelunker needs to be taught a lesson.  Just please not at REM.  Leave that to me.  Happy Holidays.

Nothing perplexes me more than someone who doesn’t know or care about history.  History always repeats itself.  It is like thinking that your thought is the first time that thought has ever been processed.  Whatever you can think of, more than likely someone has already had that electrical impulse pass through their brain.  The difference is that some people act on those impulses and others let them pass.  There are always exceptions re; Einstein, Hawking, Gates, DeCoster.

I was perusing some local San Diego TV stations web sites the other day.  For some reason they allow anonymous no bodies to post replies to their stories.  The inane, stupid, hurtful, asinine, idiotic statements made by 99% of the people putting in their 2 cents worth makes me lose faith in humankind.  People making comments about rapes, murders and all sorts of horrible things that people do to one another, like they are auditioning for a comedy club job.  The comments aren’t funny they just show a side of people that were they not hiding behind a keyboard, would not be quite as brazen. 

Unfortunately that same mentality haunts all of the moto chat boards as well.  Engaging, thought provoking, educational cannot describe what takes place on these forums.   Many comments are made by anonymous jerk offs that don’t race, don’t ride, don’t contribute to anything in our sport but hate and discontent.  And if you actually know what you are talking about, or have a relevant contribution you are attacked for all number of things by these so called expert/MORONS.  I realize that most racers don’t post on these forums, and it is a shame because they have been taken over by idiots.  What someone new to the sport must think going on one of these sites to get information.  Wanna be FMX’rs, BROS, old sad losers, and haters of everything thinking they are being cool pretty much dominate the conversations. 

Motocross has not been around that long.  In the scheme of things the first generation of motocrossers is just now approaching that point in life where we need to worry about losing their stories, which are the history of our sport.  Reality is a bitch and the reality is there is not much written down about the short history of motocross not just in America but in Europe.  And for those history challenged among you, Motocross started in Europe.  What got me thinking about all of this from a historical aspect was REM entering its 25^th year.  25 years ago this weekend REM began.  That means that REM has been around nearly half the life of the sport.  That is if you hold to the idea that organized Motocross began in Europe after the Second World War.  Lately I have been going through stories, articles, results and anecdotes about REM over the past 25 years.  And I realized that if something were to happen to me that history would be lost.  Not that it matters much in the grand scheme of things, but I like to think that REM has made positive contributions to this sport.  Otherwise what the hell have I been doing for a quarter of a century. 

My pipe dream is that we treat each other with civility, with candor, and a willingness to do the right thing.  I think most of us are sick of the hate, discontent, maliciousness’, the cynicism, the distrust, in general how we treat each other these days.  Most of us are just trying to support our families, pay our bills, and have some quality to our existence.  As unusual as it is I’m not closing with some self deprecating humor or funny anecdote, just try to treat everyone as you would like to be treated.  RIP Rich Eierstedt 1954-2010

                   REM began 25 years ago this coming weekend.  I was about as unlikely a prospect to become a motocross promoter as there ever was.  I never intended to become a promoter, never really wanted to do something as crazy as promote motocross races.  I was very uncomfortable speaking in front of people in my own work group, let alone hundreds of racers.  I was never a salesman, never managed people, never had aspirations of running let alone owning something as complicated, time consuming, controversial, or down right unorthodox as promoting motocross.  When I began REM I was just a lineman for the phone company.  Yes, I was a racer.  Mostly CMC races all over, but Carlsbad was what I considered my home track.  I began racing somewhere around 1971, I would have started earlier if I could have.  Back then there were the 125, 250 and open classes with Novice, Intermediate, and Pro.  That was pretty much it.  It was a much simpler time.  Bikes were relatively cheap to buy, maintain, and race.  A 16 year old kid working part time could afford to race a couple of times a month if he watched his money.  Over the years I raced Carlsbad, Saddleback, Southbay, OCIR, Indian Dunes, Gorman, Ascot, Barona, and some that I can’t remember their names.  I raced all over the Texas panhandle, Lubbock, Amarillo, Hereford, Plainview, and Anton.  I raced nights, days, GPs, but mostly daytime motocross is what I enjoyed.  I pinched and saved, pieced together parts, and did everything that I could to race.  There were a couple of years when there was no money to race.  No money for anything new for the scooter or racing.  But, whenever I had a chance I was racing.  Just like most of you, I never made money racing.  I had a very short lived and unsuccessful career as a pro racer, I realized that to feed my young family I better get a job very quickly because racing wasn’t going to do it.  

Promoting literally fell into my lap.  In the summer of 86 I was approached to run races at Carlsbad.  No one else wanted to do it.  The program that was there had fallen apart, after the GP in 86 the track was supposed to close.  I had been racing pretty much every weekend for 10 years.  But I was there every time there was a race at Carlsbad.  I had been doing photos and stories for San Diego Off Roader Magazine for a couple of years when I was asked to take over.  I figured why not, it can’t be that difficult.  I can ride whenever I want to, race with my buddies, hang out.  After all, the track was going to close in a couple of months anyway.  It started out as a partnership with 3 of us, after the first race the partnership quickly became me, myself, and I. 

I have a love hate relationship with being a promoter.  I love our racers, I have met and become friends with so many great people that I never would have had an opportunity to meet otherwise.  Quite literally all of my good friends are REM racers.  And I consider everyone that races with REM part of out family.   But I hate the politics, I hate the injuries, I hate the backstabbing, I have come to hate those who think MX is just a quick way to get rich.  If I could, I would let every racer race for free.  Unfortunately I have not found a sponsor yet that would pay the bills so that we could do that.  I realized years ago, that because I never made money racing that I am conflicted taking money from racers.  I remember what it was like to spend money that I didn’t have to race.  I remember all too well trying to balance my personal life and my racing life, and trying to justify going to the races.  If you try to explain to someone who doesn’t race or who does not love a racer why we do what we do, they won’t understand.  My lovely wife who has put up with me for all these years understands.  Of course I was racing when we were dating in high school.  But, she hit it on the head when she said that nearly all racers are addicted to the sport.  And not to belittle anyone that rides dirt bikes for fun, but until you line up for a race you are just a dirt bike rider not a racer.  There is a difference that only racers understand. 

Why do I continue to promote motocross races?  I don’t have a really good reason.  Some have said that I am pretty good at it; some have said I am just an asshole.  I have always tried to put on the safest races possible, that pro or beginner can enjoy, that racers want to come to every weekend.  That fathers sons and daughters can enjoy together.  I think in a way that I am still looking for that perfect set of motos that every racer goes to the track for.  After all these years I still consider myself a racer before promoter.  Hello, my name is Frank and I’m an addict.  

Rant

I watched The Great Outdoors/A Constant War yesterday on dvd.  It tells the story of the 2005 National Championship season.  I hadn’t watched it since it was released.  It was an amazing slice of history that is just 5 years past.  It was Stewart’s first year in the premier class, RC’s first year on a Suzuki, Kawasaki’s last year of 2 strokes, and of course the infamous Alessi/Tedesco fiasco at Glen Helen.  Brooks was the team manager at KTM, Short was riding in the 125 class, as was Milsaps.  It was Dowd’s farewell tour.  It was bittersweet to watch Ernesto Fonseca constantly up front of the pack on the factory Honda 450 and to juxtapose that with what happened to him a few short months later.   The same with Doug Henry, and to think about his life changing so much in such a short time.

To watch guys like Kyle Lewis, Travis Preston, Sean Hamblin, Ryan Hughes, Broc Hepler, and many others and you see how quickly top level racers come and go in this sport.  Some are here for just a short time; others seem to last much longer.  Put it in context of a real job though, and it seems that most of them would barely be off probation in the real world when they’re given their pink slips. 

  Being a pro motocross racer is a difficult job.  But so is being a fireman, policeman, construction worker, airline pilot, stay at home mom, truck driver, ditch digger, tomato picker, business owner, mechanic, you get the picture.  Not everyone can be a professional motocross racer.  It is a lot of work, training, and talent that most of us don’t have.  But, not everyone can be a policeman, or doctor, etcetera. 

My point is most everyone works hard, and some can be consummate professionals at what they do.  The difference is people don’t pay to watch the rest of us at work.  I can appreciate that.  I watched RC do things on a motocross bike that were truly unbelievable.  He deserved his millions, he worked hard and sacrificed.  But, even as good as RC was he is gone. 

When I watched the dvd last night I noticed for the most part, a bunch of guys putting in an effort that a typical worker with an average work rating puts in.  Nothing spectacular, just collecting a paycheck.  They are pro racers, getting to travel, getting freebies, getting to race a motorcycle for a living.  And just like some people in other jobs, making excuses, not making an extra effort, blaming everyone but themselves, just waiting for their vacations or days off.  In many ways watching that dvd was like watching a bunch of guys I used to work with.

  And unless they are very good and saved all their money they will be working a job just like everyone else when they’re moment of fame has passed.  And those same guys  will probably still be blaming everyone else for their lack of success.

Rant 10-10-10

There are places that you always want to go back to.  And there are places that I would just assume I never see, feel, or smell again.  My screen saver on my laptop is a picture I took in Maui.  If you have ever been to Lahaina you know the place.  Just north of Cheeseburger in paradise along the sea wall, across from all the tourist shops.  Looking out into the ocean, there is a sailboat that is submerged several hundred feet from the sea wall.  It has been there everytime I have gone to Lahaina.  And everytime, I go I take a picture of that view.  It is someplace I love; I love the smell, the feel, everything about that one place on earth.  And I always know that somehow, someway I will return there to that exact spot. 

I used to feel that way about the first turn at Carlsbad.  On race day there was a smell to the dirt at Carlsbad that I have never experienced anywhere else.   Thinking of that first turn still brings back so many memories.  In 86, I won 28 straight motos there.  Between 88 and 98 I watched 10 Commotion by the Oceans from there.  I stood there every Saturday for eleven and a half years controlling practice.  I watched Marty Moates and his historic race and I watched Gerrit Wolsink dominate the USGP for what seemed like an eternity.  In the end due to politics, management, and a clash of personalities I could not wait to get out of there.  Now I have no urge to walk or relive what is left of the place like some still do. 

If I was to never see an operating room ceiling again in my life I would be a happy man.  There is a smell, a feel, a view to that.  Having done that 15 or 16 times now I can attest with great conviction that it is not something I will be taking pictures of, and remembering with fondness.  I have a difficult time watching Greys Anatomy and any show about the medical profession.  In fact I would give anything to never hear the words “now just count backward from a hundred”.

The starting gate at Mammoth.  On the REM computer is a photo a friend took of me on the starting gate at Mammoth.  I am all alone, just over the gate, kicking my Yamaha.  Everyone else is long gone.  Mammoth is one of the truly unique moto places on earth.  Like Maui it is also one of my favorite places on earth.  It never mattered how I did.  Just to be there in that beautiful place is a privilege.  To hang out with old friends, get up at 3am to get in line, to argue with the parking lot guys over where you can pit, watch the same guys chase away the bears later in the day, and to race in a forest is something I would do for the rest of my life.  I like that picture for a variety of reasons.  It reminds me that no matter how much money, preparation, practice, and work you put into a race it all comes down to a little bit of luck.  If you are determined, have done your homework, and are prepared you can still as they say make lemonade out of lemons.  While I started last I still passed a bunch of guys, and had a ton of fun.  At this point in my life it is way more important to have fun than it is to win. 

FLOW

Flow, the word makes me nauseas.  At the risk of pissing off several friends I offer my humble opinion, and I freely admit it’s my observation and as always I could be wrong.  If I hear the word flow used in the context of a motocross track again I may just stick my head in a barrel of U-4.  Isn’t Flow that strange looking chick in the insurance commercial?  Isn’t flow something that a woman of a certain age gets once a month?  Isn’t flow something that water and air do?  Motocross is hard.  Motocross tracks are hard.  Motocross is a closed course motorcycle race held on natural terrain featuring hills, turns, jumps, offcambers, mud, dust, rocks, and beginner racers, that was sort of Webster’s definition.  Let me repeat the most important thing I just wrote, MOTOCROSS IS HARD.  If it was easy that namby pamby guy you work with could do it.  We have become a generation of racers that due to four stroke technology feel that we have to keep up our momentum everywhere on the track. Do you want road race courses on dirt?  Bullshit!  If you want flow go race speedway! 

Motocross is about learning to beat the track as much as it is about beating your competition.  If a racer has a bad day now, or cannot master certain elements of a track they immediately go to the track has no flow card.  How about this track is tough, it’s kicking my ass today.  Rather than it has no flow.  If we take our brakes off the bikes, smooth out every bump on the track, radius all the corners for maximum speed, make long fourth and fifth gear straights, don’t use anything remotely difficult then we could achieve the vaunted title of Best in Flow. 

I got to race the 2 stroke race this year.  I forgot how much more work it is to race a 2 stroke, you actually have to use the clutch, keep the motor in the powerband, shift at the correct time, and use your brakes correctly.  You actually have to think about the mechanics of racing, body positioning, and working with the bike. 

I will admit that I love 4 strokes.  I love my 450.  But, I also liked racing open class 2 strokes.  But, the 450’s make you lazy, actually 4 strokes make you lazy.  You can leave them in third gear and ride around most motocross courses.  You don’t have to stay in the fast line; you don’t have to pay as much attention to your riding.  Not to say they are easy, but they make you race differently than on a 2 stroke.  You don’t hear too many 4 strokes burning up the clutches coming out of the corners, first their clutches wouldn’t last very long, and the 4 stroke style is to roll through the corners hoping to carry enough momentum that you won’t have to do anything but roll the throttle on coming out of the corner.  Once again tight obstacles whether they be corners or jumps are not as smooth when racing a 4 stroke, you have to work for it, and if you aren’t perfect you feel like a whale trying to navigate a slip and slide.  And there in is the problem.  A lot of you have forgotten that MOTOCROSS IS HARD.  You are not supposed to be slicker than deer guts on a doorknob all the way around the track.  You are supposed to struggle once in a while.  Go and watch a Pro race, pick a difficult section.  And you will see that even the fast guys struggle on certain obstacles.  Of course, then they will come in and tell everyone that listens, the track has no flow.

I don’t design tracks to cater to 450 four strokes, or for 85cc 2 strokes.  I try to design motocross tracks that will challenge every racer no matter what skill level, that are fun, and safe.  You notice that I didn’t say easy.  So if I pissed you off with this rant maybe I struck a nerve or just maybe it’s that time of the month and you’re starting to flow.

Pain, it is the four letter word that all motocross racers live with on a regular basis.  After you have raced for a while you begin to chuckle under your breath when you come upon a non racer and how they deal with pain.  You see them all the time at work, at the gym, at the emergency room, my back hurts, I strained my knee, my finger hurts, I cut myself I need stitches.  In racer speak that would be I hurt my back, give me something my moto’s  on the line.  I strained my knee, loan me some duct tape so I can tape this thing up tighter.  My finger hurts, just push the bone back in it won’t hurt with my glove on.  I cut myself I need stitches, if you would hurry up I can make my second moto doc! 

Regular people don’t understand.  Your family certainly does not understand.  Your boss, and your doctor do not understand.  If it is 105 degrees outside the media is telling us to stay inside, if you go outside you will surely melt or be burned to a crisp.  A motocross racer looks at it as an opportunity to get into better shape.  Heat stroke, we don’t need no stinkin heat stroke. 

If your neighbor got a blister the size of a half dollar on his hand he would probably #1. go the doctor, #2 take a week off of work, and #3 cry.  Unless your neighbor races, then he would tape it up and go race.

If a motocross racer hurts himself seriously enough to get a cast or have surgery the first thing he is thinking is, when can I race?   The second thing is I wonder if I can cut this cast down enough to moto. 

Pain is nature’s way of telling you, you’re still alive after a crash.  It is also nature’s way of telling you during the night your scab has glued itself to the sheets.  It could also be natures way of telling you that investing in a chest protector was a great idea, but why wasn’t I wearing it while being pummeled by the roost off of your buddies 450?

It’s not that we are masochistic.  But, the feeling you get racing and being a racer far exceeds the pain.  Well, most of the time.  And once you feel a little better, once the knees will move enough to get you out of the chair.  Once the back stops hurting enough to get out of bed.  Once you can peel the scab off the sheet.  Once you get the cast off, the stitches out, the fuzziness goes away in your head, the little birds stop tweeting, once you can pee without blood in your urine, once the elephant gets off your chest and you can breathe, the first thing you want to do is go race. 

I certainly don’t advocate racing injured.  And I preach safety and safety gear constantly.  I also recommend that you listen to your doctor and follow his instructions.  I also recommend taking your vitamins, eating healthy, and using sun block.  For me though, screw it all.  After 2 surgeries in 3 months, and not racing but once this year I’m sick of this crap, anyone got some pain meds and duct tape I can borrow? 

Things I hate

Prius’ in the fast lane.  I drive a lot every week.  Most of my driving is on the 15 and 215 in SoCal.  Driving back and forth to Glen Helen takes me between 1 and a half and 2 hours one way.  At least 3 times each trip I encounter a Prius in the fast lane (passing lane for you uneducated) driving at 65 mph.  God bless them for saving the environment; get the hell out of my way.   I have places to go, my gas bill runs $800 or more a month.  If I get a ticket it’s between me and my insurance company, move on.

People who call REM old school.  There is nothing about REM that is old school.  The definition of motocross is a closed course motorcycle race over natural terrain.  Old school is 3 motos, lots of dust, little regard for safety, not embracing technology, and staying with one layout until it is etched into the earth 10’ deep.  We stick by the definition of motocross because we can.  We are blessed with elevation changes so we don’t have to rely solely on jump obstacles.

Texting, everytime I get stuck at a red light because the idiot in front of me is texting I want to a.  honk my horn  b. flip them the finger  c. scream  d.shoot myself  e. run into the back of them or  f. say a quiet little prayer for them to be smarter.   

Injuries, I hate more than anything when a racer is hurt.  Whether a REM racer or any other event.  While it is part and parcel for this sport, it still sucks.  And unless you are a racer you will never understand the risk versus reward aspect that keeps us all lining up every time we can.

Drivers who are not driving.   Over the years I have seen a driver on the freeway at 70mph playing the guitar.  I have witnessed so many people reading that it is not even surprising anymore.  The best one was a Progressive Insurance car driving east on the 56 at 75mph and the employee of said company was reading some kind of report as he nearly ran me off the road, which he never even noticed.  I’ve seen makeup applied, working on laptops, masturbation both male and female,  eating cereal out of a bowl, shaving, and just about everything but paying attention to the road.

People who think they are the saviors’ of the sport of motocross.  No one person is going to save motocross.  Because it does not need to be saved.  Motocross just like curling, is a niche sport.  It does not appeal to everyone and never will.  While it is very noble to think we will get Nascar type ratings it is not going to happen.  These so called leaders of the sport act like short men with a little man’s complex.  Over the years I have seen so many people come and go in this sport who were here to make their fortune.   Some did, most did not.  The problem with making your hobby your business is it becomes a business.  And unless you are a businessman you will fail.  I never had delusions of grandeur, because from the start we were only supposed to do this for 6 months.  24 years later I’m still trying just like I did when I started, to put on the best races I can.

Idiots who insist on driving the same speed as the person next to them.  I don’t understand why someone driving 60 suddenly must speed up to the speed I am traveling as I pass them.  You are driving down the highway 2, 3, or 4 lanes it doesn’t matter when you see the dreaded cluster**** ahead.  A clump of cars from left to right blocking every lane driving the same speed.  It usually takes about 10 miles to get through these idiots.  Of course if they are driving like this because there is a CHP cruiser in their midsts then they are f’ing geniuses.

Baby kissers.  A good friend of mine used this term the other day to describe a certain celebrity in our sport.  And it hit the nail on the head.  There seems to be only 2 types of individuals spoken of on the internet.  The villains, scoundrels, Satanists, and Hitler youth loving types, those are at one extreme.  Some have described the leader of European motocross like this.  And then there are the Dudley Do Rights, knights in shining armor, Saviors of the sport, a guy I’d like to have a beer with types.  These types take every opportunity to look good in the public eye, every photo op, every move to curry the favor of the masses.  Always politicians (kissing the babies).  What I’ve found out in the past week, relating to the Glen Helen National mess is that both are literally the same.  The bad guy isn’t nearly as bad as certain people have depicted, and the good guy is not nearly what his public perception is.  It's a lot like the real world.

Really first off, this is sarcasm not to be taken seriously, and it is not to be cut and pasted onto other websites.

First off, I don’t have a dog in this fight.  Well maybe one of those oversized rat dogs that rich girls like to carry in their pocketbooks, but that is about it.  What is going on between the promoters, tracks, and the sanctioning body of the US Motocross Nationals has been brewing for a long time.  My opinion doesn’t matter much, but it is my blog.  However the following is some of my observations from helping out with the National at Glen Helen for the past 12 years.

 It is never easy to put on a race, whether a local race like REM which we try to do 42 times a year.  Just to clarify, I have promoted over 1000 days of racing.  So I know how hard it actually is.  If you think that any of the parties involved in this fiasco are in it for anything other than SMP, sex, money, and power you are living in a fantasy land.  Well, maybe not the sex but you never know.   Most of these people are good people, and they all think that they are the saviors’ of the sport.  Bottom line is you take the money and power out of it and they would all be doing something else. And if you think DC runs MX Sports check again, he is not first or second in the hierarchy.  He may be a good guy, but he is a businessman who must answer to higher ups.  Your average local race owner/ promoter who puts on races every week, who is a racer himself,  who runs races even when he loses money,  who cleans the toilets, drags the haybales, runs the tractor, carry’s a yellow flag, and helps you load your bike, has the sports back.  And I’m not talking about me.  I’m talking about the couple of hundred or so local promoters throughout our country in little places most of us never heard of that run races because they genuinely love the sport of Motocross. 

Over the years I have seen some pretty bad behavior by many of the principle players in this sport attached to putting on or running a National.  If you think, you know what it costs to put on a National then you must put one on.   Not every National has the same costs.  Many National tracks only run a couple of races a year, so they can have things like permanent fencing in place.  Most are in places where the cost of living isn’t quite as high as in SoCal.   Most are in places where the factories don’t go to test on a weekly basis.  The sanctioning fees for a National are a lot of money, I read on the internet where someone opined that it couldn’t be more than $40K.  Guess again, it’s a lot, lot, lot more.  I know the number, for their sake I won’t divulge it.  The temp fencing bill for the GHR Nat is somewhere in the vicinity of 50K.  I have no idea what it actually costs to hold a Nat, but it is way more than most of us make in 10 or 15 or probably 20 years.  The track owner not only pays for all the track expense, he also pays for things like parking, security, T1 lines for the media, hydraulic lifts for the teams, expenses for the sanctioning body, the half time entertainment, trophies, a million track staff most of which do nothing but watch the races, and so many other expenses that it would boggle the mind.  One constant whether it be a local race or a Nat is accountability.  I want to know what I am paying for, and how much it costs when I promote a race.  Same with the National promoters, they want to know how much it actually costs, and where their money is going.  I’ve been told that the sanctioning groups have been less than forthcoming with info over the years. 

 I don’t have any idea what it costs to be the sanctioning body for a Pro caliber series such as the Nats.  I know it cannot be cheap, like any business they have expenses.  And like any business they must manage expenses, and to be successful your management must be as good as or better than your non management personnel.  I have seen AMA referees speak so disparagingly of Glen Helen who was in effect paying their paycheck as to be offensive.  Criticism can be a good thing, but hatred of anything west of the Mississippi is not criticism, it is elitism.  Ever wonder why most of the Nats are in the same general area?  Just happens to be the same area where the AMA and now MX Sports is located.  I watched and listened to a former AMA Motocross Manager use profanity at a track manager.  To say I was shocked by his boorish behavior would be an understatement.  I have watched in dismay many times as a sanctioning body representative flipped out over something on the track, a banner, a fence, an obstacle, watering, flagging, a parking spot, passes for his buddies, you name it.  They almost never had a constructive suggestion, just hostility. 

When I took over the flagging responsibilities for the GHR Nat I tried for months to find a definitive guide for flagging a Nat.  I even flew up to the Washougal Nat that year to have a meeting with the AMA about it.  I was told at that 5 minute (I don’t have time for this shit meeting) that it was up to the individual promoter to take care of it.   There seemed to be no real direction from the sanctioning body about something as important as the caution flag at a National Motocross.  So I developed my own system.  And every time something is not to their liking I received the kind of treatment that you see police give the bad guys on Cops.  I won’t even go into the ambush that I got into last year the night before the National by the powers that be at MX Sport.  For three years now I have taken care of the flagging crew at the Nats, me and 75 of my friends.  It has cost me around $4000. of my own money to do it.  I have not received anything from Glen Helen for doing it other than a thank you.  It was all I expected.  I did it because racers deserve the very best protection whether they are Pros or beginners.  Not once did anyone from the sanctioning body say thank you.  The flagging crew at the Glen Helen National the past 3 years is as good or better than any National.   All I ever got from them was grief.

 Like I said I don’t have a dog in this fight.  I won’t even be at the National this year, I am having surgery on my spine instead, seems like a less painful way to spend my time.

It was my idea to start REM.  The main reason, I felt I could do a better job than what was out there.  I was racing a lot back then.  For a couple of years, 3 times a week.  I remember being at one of the biggest series back then and there being a total of 4 flagmen, (including the finish flagger) on a very long and difficult Carlsbad Raceway.   I remember going to races where there would be a crash, and injured racers would be down for the entire moto without anyone coming to their aid.   I was at a race at Glen Helen once where I was involved in a first lap crash where there were 10 bikes on the ground.  I was laying on the track unable to move from the injury to my back.  I eventually crawled to the side of the track, was able to limp back to the truck, another racer brought my bike back to my truck and loaded it for me, I then drove back to San Diego to find out I had broken my back.  Not once did a flagman, race official, track worker, or EMT come to my aid.   I remember winning a big series and getting a midget can of chain lube and a pair of white Oury grips for winning a series that spanned an entire summer.  After chasing the CMC number one plate all over California for a year I was tired of going to races, tired of not getting my money’s worth, tired of short motos, no practice, poor organization, and little or no respect for the racers paying the bills.  I’m not condemning any one organization, that’s just the way it was.

The REM business plan has always been to run safe, fun, well organized races that anyone whether pro or first timer of any age could participate in.  We have never put making a profit from racers as one of our priorities.  Unfortunately you have to make money off of racers to pay the insurance, ambulance, flagmen, scoring personnel, gas, radios, entries, copiers, computers, awards, permits, corporate taxes, state taxes, business taxes, and federal taxes.  Sponsorship money has always been hard to come by, we haven’t asked very many times for our sponsors to give us cash.  But, we do ask them to provide good stuff for our series, and product giveaways.   There are times that we have cancelled races, we know that when it rains SoCal racers won’t show up.   I personally like racing in the mud.  Not too many SoCal racers do.  You may say you will show up, but when it’s nasty you stay home.   No matter how good the conditions may be, if it’s raining 50 racers will show up.  10 will never unload their bikes, 10 will ride practice and then want their money back.  Ten are magazine or industry guys who don’t pay gate fees, entry fees, or for their bikes.  5 will break down.  That ‘s 25 racers who will hang and race no matter what the conditions are.  In the almost 2 and a half decades we’ve been doing races it has never changed.  Whether it be Carlsbad, Glen Helen, 2 strokes, or 4 strokes, recession or boom times, 50 riders.  When we cancel a race it is not because we might lose money, safety is always our number one concern.  We cancelled a race a couple of years ago because of predicted 70 mph winds.  We could not land a helicopter if we had to lifeflight an injured racer out.  We cancelled a race because the temperature was not supposed to above 44 degrees. We were concerned for our flagging crew who standing out in the cold for 5 or 6 hours might have suffered frostbite.  At Glen Helen when it is rains a lot there is a chance that the sheriff will shut down the entrance road.  What would happen if we had to transport an injured racer and there was a river running across the road?  REM is not a club, I make the decisions, I make mistakes, but I take the blame.  We are not run by committee.  There is no group voting.  We have learned from our mistakes, and we have set the standard.  More of our ideas have been copied by others than I like to admit.  But, the one idea that has not changed and really pisses me off is that safety still takes backseat to profit for way too many people in this industry.  Count flagmen, count radios, is there a staffed ambulance with a paramedic, do they make proactive or reactive changes?  Racing is dangerous stuff.  It’s all good to like the guys running the races, but when they look at you, is all they see a dollar sign?