PERRIS

Words & photos: Scott Toepfer SoCal’s favourite short track

CALIFORNIA IS A great many things to its residents, but to racers of all types it is a place of history and speed. As deep as that history is, dirt ovals keep disappearing, and Southern California only has a couple of places left for the public to go fast and turn left. Car tracks remind motorcyclists that ‘You are lucky to have a race at all’. It is very true, we are lucky to have anyone willing to pony up the cash to host an event or series for a ragtag bunch of loonies trying to outrun ‘progress’.

One track still holding out for the motorcycle contingent is Perris Raceway. Not to be confused with the larger, half-mile Perris Speedway at the other side of town, which allows a single professional AFT race each year. Little Perris has a long history of bringing the pros and the amateurs together for quick laps and a feeling of community. It’s currently the only track with a proper motorcycle race series schedule in Southern California.

I first attended a Perris event in 2013, or maybe 2014. I’d run out of fun in the hooligan/outlaw classes at Ventura on my street-legal 441, and bought my first Triumph [as featured in SB38]. I went to Perris for practice, and ran laps until my body could take no more punishment. I made mistakes, took advice, made more speed, slid around, slid too far around, kissed the plywood wall, and found a love for the place. Nowhere I had ridden before had allowed me to run as many laps as I could handle, on a track immaculately prepped and open to allcomers.

Professionals would also come to practise, and to race for outlaw purses whenever the schedule allowed. Nicky Hayden would come and ride and say hello to everyone in the pits. NICKY FREAKIN’ HAYDEN! Surely he would have somewhere ‘more important’ to be. But no. The track is a magnet for fun. The top riders of our sport

(clockwise from top left) Cody Kopp, son of former US #1 Joe and a future champ in the making, getting some framer seat time; Bush Bros’ barrio hooligan; How many rider meetings has this place seen; 2019 X Games Best Whip gold medalist Tyler Bereman getting his turn left kicks; Don Galloway did a 3400-mile round trip from Edmonton, Cananda to race his Panther; The night before the AFT race across town and Brandon Robinson is tearing it up; Bereman on the fence; The heart and soul of SoCal short track; Mom and Dad are still the biggest sponsors in the sport

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(this page) The Savage Customs CRF450 framer Stace Richmond races. The Savage crew travelled from Washington state (opposite) Pit bike, iPhone, GoPro, smile

(clockwise from top left) Do you take trade-ins?; Racers, including Go and Masumi of Brat Style, check grid positions; Rotax framers make us smile. #10 is a Knight; Scott Jones and his XG750 hooligan

would show up and duke it out with the locals, risking their careers and livelihoods to swap paint with roofers and carpenters as the sun went down and the lights turned on. These were magical moments. Those summer afternoons gave us sweat-and-dust-caked faces, tons of laughs and let us pretend there were no limitations. Over the years, I would visit when I could. Sometimes to race, but more often to spectate. As one of the few holdout racetracks, I knew I needed to give it my support as well as revel in the vibe. I would wander the pits, saying hello to friends eagerly cutting tyres or getting geared up for their turn on the track, indulge in the track food and always be tempted to swig from the cleverly hidden front-seat bottle of Fireball. Despite being one of the few havens of our sport here, the track itself has come under a lot of scrutiny. Neighbours’ complaints have led to restriction of exhaust decibels, which in turn has left some racers out. But in all honesty, Perris is the place still holding out for motorcyclists. I recently heard Chris Carr mention that being a young flat tracker in California is more difficult than in his amateur years, when he could race two or three times a week. Ventura has shut down motorcycle racing save for a single memorial race, and Willow Springs hinges upon Eddie Mulder’s willingness to hold racing for a single weekend of the year. So many people think of Southern California when they think of flat track, but it can feel pretty grim for the current community at times. I am sure the almighty dollar has squeezed tracks all around the country in the same way, but it makes these nights at Perris all the more important to cherish.