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8
TH
ANNUAL SOCAL VINTAGE MX CLASSICJune 3, 2017 // Glen Helen Raceway // Presented by 100%W
e know old dudes can still
go fast, but how about old
bikes? Fortunately for the
motocross bikes of yester-
year, fast is a relative term—especially
when you can line up alongside machin-
ery of similar eras and sizes. Scott and
Debbie Burnworth’s 8th Annual SoCal
Vintage MX Classic presented by 100%
was the recent setting for vintage racers
and their classic machines to once again
vie for bragging rights. The main track at
Glen Helen Raceway (sans the big hills)
were the proving grounds to unleash the
speed of everything from the 100cc Works
Revenge class to the 500cc two-strokes.
Former GP star Kurt Nicoll was an hon-
ored guest and fi rst-timer at the 2017 Vin-
tage Classic. Burnworth extended an inviteto the Brit when he saw him at Glen Helen
racing REM aboard his early-nineties Kawa-
saki KX500. Nicoll gladly accepted, which
made for a stacked 500cc two-stroke class,
which also included Sean Collier and his
venerable KX500 and Shaun Kalos, who
made the trek from Arizona with his Honda
CR500. Fans were ready for an epic three-
way battle of big-bores, but the trio became
a duo when Collier injured his knee in prac-
tice. Kalos and Nicoll didn’t disappoint with
their battles throughout the day in the Revo-
lution Expert class, though.
Another honored guest was Larry “Su-
permouth” Huffman, who was “slicker than
a mayonnaise sandwich” on the mic, calling
the race action from the booth along with
Rick Lake. Huffman, a regular at the annual
SoCal Vintage MX Classic, was honored
with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Despite his duties as race promoter,
Burnworth also found the time to get out
on the track. “I entered three classes,” hesaid. “I just do that to relieve the stress of
the day! I get out there and kinda check
out for a little while, do a couple motos. It
was a great time.”
Burner went bar-to-bar with Kalos
in the 100cc Works Revenge class and
had another tight battle with Greg “Zeke”
Landers in the Vintage Expert class. De-
spite missing the start of the second 125
Revo class, Burner charged through the
fi eld to take the win.
True to old-school form, the event
doesn’t end when the bikes are parked.
The Vintage Classic’s after-party might
be considered the “third moto” of the
day, as many stick around for the free
BBQ and the adult refreshments that in-
evitably follow the racing.
“We had a good time, and now we’re go-
ing to have another great time,” Burner said
at the trophy ceremony. “We have a killer mu-
sic setup with DJ Gary Faxon, and everyone
lets loose. That’s half of the race.”RIDERS’ MEETING