Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1538859
Big Bear Hosts "Inaugural" GP E very once in a while, the motorcycle racing gods smile on us… the clouds part and the shifting chamber of commerce tides allow for an unlikely event to take place. Much like the Catalina Grand Prix, the an - nouncement of the Big Bear Grand Prix prompted hundreds to sign up for what could be a too-good-to-be-true, one-and- done event. Entries sold out in less than 48 hours, and 700 rac - ers, not knowing what to expect, trekked into the mountains to escape the August SoCal heat for a weekend getaway. Put on by the Swap Moto Race Series, the event drew a moto - cross crowd, but by all indica- tions, this was a true off-road race, more like a hare scramble format. Long, rough uphill drags, off-camber switchbacks and a "woods" section that even put riders down a log drop gave plenty of motocrossers a crash course in off-road racing. The Pro race even featured a Matrix- style log section and a small log pyramid in front of the spectator area. There was no penalty for going around the log obstacle other than the vocal disapproval from the sizeable crowd. The Pro race was topped by Justin Hoeft ahead of Josh Mosi - man and Colton Aeck. Dustyn Da- vis and Blayne Thompson rounded out the top five. Sam Pretscherer topped the 250 Pro class, with Cody Simpson and Dustin Pulliam joining him on the podium. For the Vet ranks, the Big Bear Grand Prix drew former stars such as Jeff Matiasevich and Mike Metzger. Unfortunately for Metzger, he suf - fered a broken ankle in the e-bike race after attempting to send the finish-line jump. "The crowd had me all pumped up, and I sent it over the finish-line double but came up short," Metzger said. Although he attempted to power through the weekend, he wasn't able to line up for the 50+ Expert event. The 2025 Big Bear GP was optimistically called the "inau - gural" event, and for being a first-ever motocross race at the Bear Mountain Ski Resort, the event seemed to go off without a hitch. From packing all the rac- ers and vendors into the resort area to shuttling in spectators from a remote parking spot, races ran on time and dust was kept to a minimum. A 15-minute delay was called for lightning in the area, and some rain touched down at several points of the weekend, but for the most part, Mother Nature cooperated. As for the course itself, as Ty Davis said, "The track was gnarly. All in all, the race was great, and they did a great job with what they had to deal with." While racers, fans and the industry enjoyed a memorable weekend, the future of the event is in the hands of locals and the community. Were they as im - pressed? If we see an announce- ment for the second annual Big Bear GP, we'll know the answer to that. We also know now that we'll have to sign up even faster for it. Jean Turner WIND IN THE P46 The Bear Mountain Ski Resort hosted the inaugural (hopefully) Big Bear Grand Prix. PHOTO: JEAN TURNER