Stateline SuperMoto Challenge
Buffalo Bill’s Casino Resort
Story and Photos by Don L. Schneider
For me, there is a first for everything in motorsports. I had never been to a SuperMoto motorcycle event, personally, in my career. I had seen it on TV and YouTube, but it just did not sound or look like something I was ever going to try.
Well, after Debi “Smgranny” Johnson from Washington State contacted me on Facebook and asked if I would make the trek to Primm, Nevada, to watch and maybe take a few photos at the sixth annual Stateline SuperMoto Challenge, I listened. She told me it was the most fun motorcycle event in the world. I took her up on her offer if she would help get me some riders’ profiles and photos for Today’s Cycle Coverage. I called TCC to discuss the possibilities of gaining some great media exposure for the riders and the event. When I found out the series promoter was Lee Collins from the Pacific Northwest – a man I have known for 30 years – I agreed to check things out.
This was the best decision I have made for a while. (Thanks, Debi.)
I have to say that Lee Collins and his crew did an excellent job of laying out the track, which was a combination of asphalt and dirt. Yes, that sounds way different than the indoor Supercross races I had been amped about watching this year from California to Arizona, from Texas to Georgia. Those are all “dirt only.” And the Outdoor National Motocross Series is all dirt tracks. So to take a motocross bike and slap slicks on them and race on blue-groove, hard asphalt and then on a third of the track comprised of dirt with double and triple jumps and tabletops – I thought, “What in the world…?”
Upon driving into the entrance, I met Chris Rhoads, who gave me a wristband and said he had been watching my posts on Facebook and saw the first story and photos on www.TodaysCycleCoverage.com.
Then Jon Anderson, who had been following my progress, also on Facebook, as I traveled to the event, met me at the gate and shook my hand, too. I felt like a celebrity for a few moments, and that’s always a nice feeling. Thank you, Chris and Jon; your hospitality will never be forgotten.
I asked where I could locate Lee Collins, and they guided me over to the announcer’s tower, where I saw longtime announcer (and my friend) Scott Heaton. Lee, all smiles, met me with a handshake. It truly was turning out to be a wonderful day. Then Anderson returned, having walked to the pits to find his “travel road-trip warrior,” Debi Johnson, who approached with a big hug and smiles. She introduced me to Chris Anderson and Ron West and Joe Jardine. Then Kelly McArthur and Tom Hart were introduced.
I had a very positive sense of being in the right place, and I hoped it was at the right time, too.
After all this, there was a tribute memorial event celebrating the life of Anthony Hart, the son of Tom “Pop” Hart, a man who has dedicated his time and money to motocross, Freestyle FMX, and Supermoto. Pop is a 63-year-young icon of this motorcycle sport who has had a passion for motorcycles his whole life, and a man who raised his two sons on his own since Anthony was only 5 months old and Carey (of Hart and Cunningham fame) was just 18 months of age. Pop shared a lot of this information with me, and as a father myself, I could not endure his pain. I have great respect for the grace he showed all the riders, families, staff and friends that day.
“I believe in the three F’s – Friends, Family and Fun,” Pop said. “I raised my boys and have good memories. Memories are good days – so many good days with Anthony, my son, my friend. Carey went off on his own after Anthony passed and it hurts he hasn’t come back.”
He said those words with tears streaming down behind the sunglasses. I gave him a hug and a handshake, thanking him for hosting this event.
I had heard Pop had raised another $5,000 from last year toward the Pro purse, trying to gain rider support, which was low by any standards when there was a $15,000 purse advertised. Concerned about the event covering costs, I also spoke to the promoter and his wife.
In a tragic accident – one that will never be forgotten in the SuperMoto community – Tom’s son Anthony Hart lost his life racing his motorcycle in a National Supermoto event in Connecticut on August 8, 2008. The family was devastated. Some people wouldn’t blame Tom for not wanting to be involved in racing ever again, but he knew how much his son loved the sport. Tom has come forward to make sure the Pros and Amateurs will come and enjoy one of the largest SuperMoto events in the United States. In memory of Anthony, Tom has added money to the Anthony Hart Pro class.
“I am contracting for three more years and will be adding another $5,000 to the purse,” Tom said. “The next three years [there] will be a $20,000 purse, and I hope the riders will come to this sunny, warm and beautiful place, Primm, Nevada, just an hour from Las Vegas, the ‘Entertainment Capitol of the World.’”
“We at WHR Motorsports and Stateline Supermoto Challenge wanted to do whatever we could to keep Anthony’s memory alive,” said Collins. “For the last four years, we have renamed the Pro class the ‘Anthony Hart Memorial Pro class.’ WHR will keep that name as long as we have the race in Stateline. If you have a chance, say ‘thanks’ to Pop Hart. The Anthony Hart Pro-class purse will be $20,000 per year for three more years.”
I had arrived just in time to watch the Beginner class’ main moto. That was the class in which Debi Johnson, Jon Anderson and Chris Anderson were competing. Coincidentally, these were also the three riders we focused on in the lead-in story last month.
Earlier in the morning, Debi had finished third in the heat race, and that put her in the front row for the main. There were 14 riders in the main, and she was the only woman on the grid.
As the race unfolded, Hunter Brooks thumped his Honda CRF250 into the lead, ahead of Robert Dixon, aboard another Honda CRF250. The duo held Debi at bay the entire moto as she sped around in third. Joshua Helganz, Ryan Mahadoon, Joseph Giovanannetti and Jon Anderson just could not find a way past the big KTM 450 of Johnson.
One would be hard-pressed to say one didn’t have a great time listening to Scott Heaton doing color commentary as the bikes hit fourth and fifth gear wide open past the finish-line flagging area.
As the premier Anthony Hart Memorial $15,000 event was getting ready to stage, I found a place by some speakers so I could listen and video a little bit. Then I saw number 73, Steve Drew, on the front line and ran out to watch Lee Collins make sure the 21 riders were all ready for the green flag to wave. I saw Steve wave at me, and I truly felt blessed; I had not seen him for 10 years, back when we raced the 4-Stroke Motocross Nationals. I had been reading about Steve Drew’s career in SuperMoto for years but never had any thought about attending one – until now.
In all honesty, when the green flag waved, the sound was epic. It brought back those memories of 40 Pros twisting their wrists to the throttle stops as the gates dropped for motocross. It was similar to being at a drag race with Nitro Funny Cars again. The rush was almost more than I could stand – I had goose bumps, and the hair on my arms was standing up. I was really in the thick of it now.
Joey Pascarella was the man who never backed off heading into turn one at around 70 miles per hour. Gage McAllister was inches behind in second. Dustin Hoffman was holding Steve Drew in fourth. Mayhem happened in turn two as about seven riders went down on the asphalt. Staff and medics sped to the scene, but as quickly as they went down, all the riders were back up and retwisting their throttles to the max. It was a race of races, one that had the screeching and tire sounds that, for me, were eye-popping. I could not imagine the speeds these guys were going, leaning the bikes down at an angle, surely close to falling but not.
About five laps into the race, Pascarella went just a bit wide into turn two, and McAllister outbraked him and sped up the right inside and took the lead. Drew had made hasty work of Hoffman back in the dirt section. (I did not make it out to that section of the course, but I had seen bunches of photos posted by Cindy Hayes, the fifth rider we’d featured in that lead-in story, who had made the trek from Canada and deserved the long-distance award.)
Needless to say, impressive speeds and control were seen in that moto. I shook my head many times, while announcer Scott Heaton was keeping the crowd entertained (and it was a great job of announcing, indeed). As much as the positions changed throughout the pack, from about sixth place back to 21st, the top five remained the same. McAllister took the win by only three seconds ahead of Pascarella. Drew held third, about seven seconds up on Hoffman and Ryan Keams.
Roger Bare was the other rider profiled in that prior story. Roger succumbed to a crash during practice on Friday morning, prior to the Team Race that his group from Washington State had pre-entered. In manly fashion, after injuring his ankle, he took off his boot and wrapped his leg in electrical tape.
“It’s all I could find,” he said. “I went out and we were winning the race all the way up to the last two-minute mark and got passed in the dirt. I just could not jump the doubles and tabletops. I let our team down, and I felt bad, but I tried as hard as I could. I had not been down here to Primm in a few years and was so excited to make the flight down here, as the Brown family trucked my Husaberg down and I flew. I want to personally thank them. I usually ride the Over 35 Vet, Unlimited and Intermediate classes, finishing midpack, and love this stuff.”
I encourage anyone who reads this story to head out to a SuperMoto event near you. It’s quite an experience, and one not soon to be forgotten. I doubt if I will be throwing a leg over one of those beasts in the near future myself; I would rather keep golfing after I turned 50.
After the Pro moto came to a close, I went out to say hello to Steve Drew and catch up on old times. I located his pit area, and his two teammates were there, too – the same two riders who took first and second. I had no idea the trio were all on the same team.
All the mechanics were already cleaning up the bikes and riders were all bench-racing. I took some photos and then put my arm on Steve’s shoulder as he turned and smiled and gave me a huge hug. I was speechless at the moment and was so proud of him. I had the feeling I was there for a reason. It was a perfect moment in time. We shared memories of races gone by. We talked about riders he remembered and the team owners he rode for in the 4-Stroke Nationals, Gary Breedlove and Barry Noblitt. The riders we talked about included Shaun Highland, Mike Healey, Craig Decker, Rusty Holland, Dustin Nelson, Scott Myers, Scott Sommers, Donny Schmidt, Mike Young and Lance Smail. We talked about the huge events at Washougal, Washington, and Albany, Oregon, and Boise, Idaho, and Sacramento, California, and Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California.
In those days we had 400-pound KTM 620s and 360-pound Husaberg FC501s and Honda XR600s and ATK 500s as we started the trend of four-stroke motocross. Steve Drew was a part of that craze. In 2006 through 2008, he was asked to jump into SuperMoto along with Travis Marks and the late Anthony Hart, backed by “Pop” Hart. It truly was a day of remembering where we started and considering where we are today. This author was very fortunate to have been asked to attend the event.
Thank you to the staff of WHR Motorsports, Tom Hart, and above all Debi Johnson. This event will be forever in my memory. Until next time, keep the rear tire from breaking traction and keep thumping. You are such a great group of people.
Please spread the word and keep SuperMoto going in your state.
Follow Stateline SuperMoto Challenge at StatelineSM on Twitter and Stateline Supermoto on Facebook.
Buffalo Bill’s Casino Resort
Primm, Nevada
Results: April 11, 2015
PRO CLASS (with Payouts): 1. Gage McAllister ($4,000); 2. Joey Pascarella ($3,000); 3. Steve Drew ($2,300); 4. Dustin Hoffman ($1,550); 5. Ryan Kearns ($1,150); 6. Jake Thompson ($850); 7. Tim Velasquez ($650); 8. Eric Stump ($450); 9. Brady Tausan ($350); 10. Josh Jackson ($250); 11. Nicky Reimer ($200); 12. John Brown ($100); 13. David Dymond ($50); 14. Cal Collins ($50); 15. Chris Morgan ($50).