Northeast Region Update

Northeast Region Update WORDS: BOB CLOSE PHOTOS: SARAH LANE, RICK COWER

Greetings racers, families, and friends—an apology from this volunteer Scribe for the delay in pushing out our Northeast event update. In this issue, we’re going to cover the Vermont State Line Riders XC, the Allen’s Farm XC/MX event, and Bear Creek Sportsman’s Club XC/MX weekend. AND we want to say thanks to Joshua. Next month we will cover our Fall schedule. By this time, you should be into bike teardowns, or maybe even bike shopping as we hurdle towards the end of a great—If slightly weather challenged—2021. So come on in from the garage, or stop your FB marketplace/Craigslist searches, and enjoy!

State Line Riders XC, North Pownal, VT 17th

Warm, sunny, and wet! Somehow, someway, the weather gods put a pause on the constant stream of storms that embraced the New York/Vermont border leading up to the weekend of the State Line Riders event. Many riders drove thru rain even to reach the event on Saturday and were pleasantly surprised to find blue skies enveloping the surrounding, beautiful Green Mountains, with the temperature reaching the low 80s. But that same forecast kept many riders away so under 30 entries signed up to hit the hills and fast three-plus mile course laid by our hosts. That course proved challenging and muddy in more than a few places, but lots of elevation changes also promoted lots of drainage, making some of the course pretty darn fast and navigable. And yes, it is Vermont. Lots of rocks and roots! In the Vintage XC race, it was not surprising to find 2021’s new Northeast fast guy and Expert Darrell Wassil take home his first Vintage Overall and Sportsman Open Expert win on a super-fast Ossa Phantom 250 he’d just taken delivery of. He claims he is still working out the kinks, but you would never know it watching him. Jay Danek grabbed the Classic Expert win on his trusty Penton Six Day. The age classes were ruled by Joe Chodnicki’s Can-Am in 50+ Intermediate and Merritt Brown in 60+ Intermediate, with Post Vintage Novice (and great videographer—see below) John Mathewson paying the Northeast a visit and claiming that award. Steady Dave Salmen took the Sportsman 200 Intermediate win on his MX175 and Bob Young took Premier Intermediate on an Ossa Pioneer.

LEFT: Race 9 hits the Allen’s Farm first turn hard with Historic 250 EX winner Tim Jackson (10) leading Dave Scheffer (15), Ray Charneski (719), Darrell Wassil (21B), and Rob Clare (126); pc Sarah Lane ABOVE: Jay “Countershaft Sprocket” Lane (55L) gets some air on his CZ 250. Old man Brett Darrow (82j) shows prodigal son, Eric Miller (083) the way home in Allen’s Farm PV XC action; pc Sarah Lane BELOW: Mike Sciochetti (27), Darrell Wassil (21B), and Dave Bost (33) lead Race 1 into Turn 1 at Allen’s Farm. Mike Blackwell (970), Bob Frederick (36a), Rob Keiser (93), and Steven Perratoro (513) give chase; pc Rick Cower

It was The Darrell Show again in the Post Vintage race, as he took Overall and the Post Vintage 200 Expert on his Yamaha IT, but this time Rik Smits and Dale Sonnenschein gave chase (and provided a great race between themselves) with Rik ultimately second overall and first 50+ Expert on his awesome Maico GS400. Rik beat Dale and three other experts in the race’s largest class. Tony Yannitelli’s Maico GS was also making noise and going fast as he claimed Post Vintage 50+ Intermediate. Dave Salmen headed back out for Race 2 and claimed Historic Open Intermediate on his Suzuki PE250. Maybe the most entertaining race of the day was the father and son duo, Brett Darrow and his son Eric Miller. They each won their respective classes (Pre-Modern 200 Intermediate for Eric, Post Vintage 200 Intermediate for Brett) but it was close for a couple laps and the Young Gun prevailed. Shout-outs to Steve Sevensma for his PV Open Intermediate and Jim McCarthy for taking the Post Vintage 60+ Intermediate trophy. And, that is all there is to report for State Line BECAUSE the skies opened up Saturday Night and the rain never stopped. Sunday morning our dedicated MX crowd and campers woke up to an MX course that was mostly underwater. Turns out there was one more challenge on Saturday, no photographers to record the excellent racing. But, visiting AHRMA racer John Mathewson created an excellent video of the action that day. Check out the action here on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=LVpbA1ZY8uU

Our Northeast Region has been going to Allen’s Farm for a long time and it remains a favorite. Located in north central PA about 30 minutes south of the PA/NY border, it is surrounded by beautiful, very hilly countryside that dairy farmers and several of our Northeast racers (Tim and Mike Ferguson, Jay Lane) love to call home. Best known for their excellent, technical, and natural motocross course, they can also lay out a heck of a cross country course throughout that hill and dale and did so for this year’s 2021 weekend with a three-mile plus loop that held up very well considering all the rain the Northeast region had off and on for several weeks mid-Summer. Our thanks to Jay Lane, Jim McCarthy, Jay Danek, and Jeff Oakley for getting the XC course ready. 40 racers showed up for sunny skies and coolish weather (upper 60s) and enjoyed the Vintage and Post Vintage Cross Country action on Saturday. Now that Mike Ferguson was on his “home” turf, we thought he would show Darrell Wassil how to get around these parts, but Wassil’s “new” skunk-works Ossa Phantom were not to be denied for the Overall and first Sportsman Open Expert, with Mike bringing up second in both categories. The next most interesting battle was between first place 60+ Intermediate Jay Lane (taking full advantage of his course knowledge!) and first place 200 Sportsman Intermediate Rick Ketcham. Back and forth they went for four laps with Rick coming out on top after Jay launched his CZ (Jawawanna-be) 250 and then lost his countershaft sprocket near the end of the race. Congrats to our Post Vintage 200 and Pre-Modern Open Novices Mike Giambone and Allan Linville for their class wins. Please keep coming! With a target on his back, the Post Vintage racers were led off the line by Darrell Wassil from their dead engine start. Wassil remained fast and furious for six laps—even with one or more now crashes that seem to be part of his style—and took first overall and first Post Vintage 200 Expert. Rik (He Who Is Tall) Smits once followed him home for second Overall on his beautiful Maico (and first 50+Expert). Eric Miller was first Intermediate overall on the day on his Yamaha as well as first Pre-Modern 200. Not surprisingly, we had six riders battling for the Post Vintage 200 Intermediate win and “old man” Brett Darrow beat Dustin Loss and Kenny Block to the finish in a parade of Yamaha IT200s. It warmed up into the 70s for Sunday’s racing, but there was a morning shower that – ummm… nurtured a few muddy spots on the upper part of the multilevel Allen’s Farm MX course. The rest of the course was in excellent condition (our thanks to local yokels Tim, Mike, and “Mikey” Ferguson for MX course preps!) and just shy of 100 race entries were recorded when the action began. Race 1 was a mix of Post Vintage age classes, as well as

Historic 500 and Ultima 250 with the bottom line being they were all experts and possibly offering the fastest racing of the day. Mr. Wassil, riding a beautiful Maico was first to the line in both motos, beating out Dan Perrotto for the Post Vintage 40+ Expert win. Rob Clare’s Maico AW400 brought home the gold in Historic 500 Expert and Mike Blackwell won Ultima 205 Expert. Bob Frederick and Ray Charneski won the Post Vintage 50+ and 60+ races, with Charneski swapping moto wins with Jay Danek, but coming out on top in the all important second moto. 13 racers lined up for Race 2 in all kinds of classes. Overall winner was first place PreModern Intermediate Jim Bell on his Honda CR250, with Brett Darrow following and winning Post Vintage 40+ Intermediate. Joe Sephton led four 50+ Intermediate guys to the finish line. Karl Faruzel and Marc Kalipolites continued their Battle of the Post Vintage 100s, with Karl claiming both motos. Kelly Pearce won the Post Vintage Women’s Intermediate after Jana Schneider—who won Moto 1— experienced a DNS for Moto 2. Race 3 was the first Vintage race on the day with Paul Wawrynovic bringing the bacon in Vintage 60+ Expert on his CZ, Merritt Brown doing the duty in Vintage 60+ Intermediate on his Maico, and fast man Chris Miller winning 50+ Intermediate after splitting moto winds with Roger Kelly, both Ossa-mounted. Race 4 was our Novices Only race (in accordance with our AHRMA rules/handbook) and congrats to the half dozen racers who showed up/signed up, with a special mention to Brandon Scott for beating out Mark Hufnagle in a Battle of the RM125 Suzukis for the GP 125 win. Race 5 may have been our fastest group of riders on the day (no offense to our Next Gen and Pre-Modern crowd!), and it was certainly the most exciting, with a mixture of GP and Ultima displacement bikes. Once again, Darrel Wassil proved fastest beating out Rob Clare for the GP 250 Expert win on his Maico. Saying that the Intermediates brought up the rear would not be fair as they were going for it. Dustin Loss pulled out a win in the GP 250 Intermediate class, after splitting moto wins with Craig Curry. And Colby Shore beat three out three other fast guys in Ultima 500 Intermediate over Jim Bell and Vince Snyder (a nod to Mr. Snyder, who won the first moto but was a DNS for the second). Race 6 is Where the Buffalo Roam, I mean the Next

LEFT: Marc Kalipolites (992) chasing 1st in Sportsman 100 while Lee Curry (10) does the same in ESS 500 at Allen’s Farm MX; pc Sarah Lane ABOVE: 50+ Expert Mike Sciochetti (37) leads 60+ Expert winner Doug Van Horn (629) in the PV XC race at Allen’s Farm; pc Sarah Lane PV Women’s Intermediate Jana Schneider (802) showing the guys how it’s DONE in Race 2 at Allen’s Farm; Karl Faruzel (607) is right behind her; pc Rick Cower Chris Miller (68c) is all business on his Ossa SDR during Allen’s Farm Vintage XC; pc Sarah Lane

Generation and Pre-Moderns roamed, with 10 bikes firing off the line. Experts Tim Jackson Boyd Toner took the Pre-Modern 500 and 250 Expert trophies, Henry Ahnert and Sam Wall the Next Gen 250 and 125 Intermediate gold (foam boards mind you). Race 7 was our fastest pre-1975 racing on the day, with Darrell Wassil collecting his third first place on the day in Sportsman 250 Expert on an Ossa Phantom that belongs in his living room (but we’re glad he races it). Rob Clare was second fastest overall (and first Sportsman 125 Expert) on his very cool Honda CR125 Elsinore. I’m going to mention Lee Curry’s ESS 500 Expert win, just because the Curry Compound is MY favorite place to hang out on race weekends. And Devin Trexler was The Man, beating out three other riders on his Honda CR250 for first place Sportsman 250 Intermediate. Race 8 was our second all-Novice race on the day, and what is most important to mention is that we have enough racers and interest to do two Novice races on the day! Rob Bruzek gets the most recognition for beating out Bob Bolt and Mick Gentilesso in Post Vintage 60+ Novice, Richard Knepp grabbed first place in Vintage 60+ Novice. Look, at this stage I need to apologize, but Darrell Wassil led everyone home again in Race 9, winning GP 500 Expert over three other riders. Fast guy Tim Jackson gave Darrell a run for his money while winning Historic 250 Expert on his Bultaco and Dave Salmen grabbed the Historic 250 Intermediate win. And—wait—attention for a special announcement: Ed Roman brought home the Post Vintage 70+ Intermediate win! Kudos to Henry Ahnert for his GP 125 Intermediate win and Joe Sephton for picking up his second class win on the day in Historic 125 Intermediate on his Red Rocket Honda CR125. Now, back to that fastest race of the day argument again. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Next Generation Experts and Intermediates lined up for the final (Race 10) on the day and put on a show, that is all I am saying. Congrats to Brian Teague for his Next Gen Open Age Expert win, John DeBalko for his Next Gen 50+ Expert win, Sam Wall for his Next Gen 40+ Intermediate win, and Ryan Collins for his Next Gen Open Age Intermediate win! And a final thanks you to our host family and property owners Jim and Kelly Allen as well as Dave Jennings and his Jennings ATV and Cycle in Tunkhannock, PA, a longtime sponsor and supporter of our Northeast series and this event.

“Let it Rain, let it rain, let your love rain down on me!” I just couldn’t get Eric Clapton’s song out of my head as the Bear Creek Sportsman Club event approached. I’ve had to mention it with each of these race weekends and I hate to mention it again, but it has been wet up here at times in the Iroquois Confederacy. And this wonderful Catskill Mountains hilltop and surrounding properties were not spared. Once again, the club laid out a heck of a challenging four plus-mile XC with a little bit of everything (and a lot of challenging things). Once again, the skies parted, and the sun shined down on Saturday to reveal all the water and mud holes we needed to avoid. Forty of our best racers showed up to do battle in the Vintage and Post Vintage XC races and battle they did. Wait... what happened to 2021’s fastest man in the Northeast Darrel Wassil? He was a no-show, apparently the stars did not align for this Labor Day weekend, and he was forced to do a trail ride (on horses… oh, the horror!) with his wife and family. Well then, let’s divide the gold evenly amongst the rest of us, shall we? Expert Mike Ferguson took full advantage of Darrell’s absence and overalled the Vintage XC on his Penton 250 Hare Scrambler (as well as Sportsman Open Expert), with Dale Sonnenchschein finishing second overall and first Vintage 50+ Expert. First Intermediate overall and local native son Otto De Jager rode his Ossa sort of a Phantom to first 60+ Intermediate with your humble author (that’s me, Bob Close) grateful for his second in that class. Thoroughly humiliated by Otto’s performance was Intermediate Rick Ketcham, who just managed to finish in front of Dave Salmen for the Sportsman 200 Intermediate. The Vintage 50+ Intermediates were very fast on the day with Jay Parkins and his XL250 grabbing the win over Joe Chodnicki in Vintage 50+ Intermediate on his Can-Am and who rode a heck of a race. Finally, a shout-out, Greg Peet on his Honda for a win in Post Vintage 50+ Novice (I need to check—I think he might have finished behind De Jager!) and Next Gen Open Novice Allan Linville. About one hour later the Post Vintage XC racers took off in two lines and an honorable mention to anybody who went out there for a second race (De Jager, Salmen, Chodnicki, and Sonnenschein). The Vintage racers had really, uh, loosened up a few areas and the dirt was not exactly getting tacky. It was getting sloppier! But off they went, and the first guy back was none other than Rik Smits on his big bore Husqvarna, which meant he also captured first in Post Vintage Expert 50+, beating Dale Sonnenschein, who came home second overall. There were actually five fast guys signed up for that class. Can-Ammounted Phil Theo topped four other riders in the Post Vintage 50+ Intermediate class. Keith Vanderwalker’s KDX took home gold in the always competitive Post Vintage 200 Intermediate while Andy Rider’s beautiful Bultaco Matador won Historic Open honors, besting a very tired (ironman) Dave Salmen and Bob Young. Rain greeted our very dedicated MX racers, families, and friends on Sunday, but they still signed up and 67 entries were logged, with our intrepid Northeast Coordinator organizing seven races on the day. Everyone’s bikes started clean but that is not how they finished. Race 1 was all Post Vintage, mostly age groups, and Rob Clare borrowed Merritt Brown’s AW400 Maico and grabbing the Historic 500 Expert win and overall, and Mike Sciochetti taking the Post Vintage 50+ Expert trophy. Tony the Tiger Yannitelli beat Rik Smits for the Post Vintage 50+ Intermediate win, both on their Maicos. Race 2 was Next Generation and Pre-Moderns and there were all kinds of racing, especially with five sign-ups for Next Gen 250 Intermediate. Zach Possinger beat all comers, but he was given a break when Henry Ahnert won the

LEFT: Karl Faruzel’s YZ100 (607) in front of Colby Short’s Suzuki (90c) and Russ Van Norman (168) in Race 4 at Bear Creek MX. BELOW: Keith Mitchell (68u) gets his on his Ossa 250 SDR in Race 3 at Bear Creek MX.

Bob Close (567) on the pegs - briefly - at Bear Creek Vintage XC. all 3 images: pc Sarah Lane

first moto but could not start the second one. Still, well earned, Zach! Ryan Collins grabbed the silver medal in that group. Brian Ashcroft won the moto overall and was first Next Gen 500 Expert, and Brian Teague was first in Next Gen 125 Expert. Race 3 was our first Vintage moto on the day and Devin Trexler’s Honda 250 Elsinore beat all comers, as well as finishing first in Sportsman 250 Intermediate in front of three other class competitors. Race 4 had 15 guys at the line, making it the largest race of the day and very entertaining with some of the best racing in the afternoon. Almost all were on GP era bikes, with Rob Clare taking the overall and GP 125 Expert on his Honda CR125, and Mike Sciochetti grabbing another first place foam board for GP 500 Expert. Intermediates were where the action was at with Colby Shore beating out Randy Grove and Rick Smits for GP 500 Intermediate and Henry Ahnert turning around his luck in this class and grabbing the GP 125 Intermediate win over Russ Van Norman and Mike Randall. Race 5 was organized for our Novice competitors, and they provided some great racing with Matt Hutton proving most consistent in the conditions and winning the Historic 250 Novice on his Suzuki RM250. Race 6 was another Next Generation special, but also had four sign-ups for 97-99 Twostroke Intermediate with that win going to Trevor Badgely on his Suzuki. We gotta say it was well-earned because he split motos with Josh Fisher. Four guys also did battle in Next Gen Open Age Intermediate and Zach Possinger (is that a cool name or what?) earned his second first place foam board on the day, also riding a Suzuki! Race 7 was the potluck class, mixing Historic, Post Vintage, Ultima, and—wait for it—and ESS 250 intermediate class that Dave Salmen raced his early seventies CZ in and won! Jerry Doster beat Merritt Brown for the Vintage 60+ Intermediate win and Dave Scheffer’s always immaculate Harley Davidson 250MX won Historic 250 Intermediate. Finally, Karl Faruzel not only races 100s, he loves to race his Ultima fourstroke-eligible Honda and he won the Intermediate class, besting Colby Shore’s fourstroke Suzuki DR. Our Friends of AHRMA Northeast Facebook page had lots of muddy bike pictures and lots of smiling faces. Thank you to the Bear Creek Sportsman Club for another great weekend in the Catskill Mountains! A final thank you to our Northeast region leadership (Merritt and Ed), and volunteers. You can go to the AHRMA Northeast link at the bottom of AHRMA’s website to see all the results and flyers for our upcoming events

(https://www.ahrma.org/ahrmanortheast-region/).