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/513714
VOL. 52 ISSUE 20 MAY 19, 2015 P147 town entry was accepted and it was all we could think about for months leading up to the race. We loaded my meticulously prepared RM250C into my Dodge van and headed north for the legend- ary track, nestled in a sandy quarry in Plymouth, California. We talked all the way there and neither of us could believe we were actually going to Hangtown. We may have been a bit giddy, but we were also realistic and agreed that anything in the top 20 would be all right with us. I'm not sure what place Eli Tomac figured would be all right with him in his 2010 Hang- town debut, but I know he was as surprised as everyone else was when he traded moto wins with Christophe Pourcel, going 3-1 for the overall win in the 250 class. Tomac has come a long way in the five years since then, because no one was sur- prised when he ran away and hid in both motos on Saturday, this time in the hotly contested 450 class. 1978 was a significant year for the Hangtown National, because it was the last time the race was held at the Plymouth venue. In 1979, it moved to its present location, Prairie City OHV Park in Rancho Cordova, formerly known as Mc- Gill's Cycle Park to the locals. I have been to nearly every Hangtown National between my race debut in 1978 and Tomac's win on Saturday. I've seen Danny "Magoo" Chandler pass me, endo in a mud hole right in front of me, then get up and pass me back a lap later. I was lucky enough to race the last race at the old venue and the first race at the new venue. In 2005, I competed in a "crossover" race with other industry folks and some extreme athletes. I've seen many cool things happen at Hangtown, but nothing as cool as watching my friend, Kevin Bridges, get married there on Saturday. Kevin is a proud member of the Dirt Diggers North, a small NorCal motorcycle club of just 26 members. They are a bit of a motley crew and a couple of them might seem a little rough around the edges, but somehow or other that band of brothers has promoted the longest-running AMA National Motocross race on the sched- ule, the Hangtown Motocross Classic. It truly has earned the title classic. It takes months of hard work by the club, with the help of hundreds of volunteers to pull off an event of this mag- nitude. It also requires meticu- lous planning and precise tim- ing, especially with live TV. Any sane person would agree that tossing in a podium wedding ceremony for a club member could bring with it a certain amount of chaos. Nope, not on this day. The 46th running of the Hangtown Motocross Classic was as smooth as Tomac's riding style, from the perfect weather to the perfect wedding, it was as cool as it gets. Standing on the podium with Glover, Hansen and Cantaloupi, watching our friends, Kevin and Pen- ny exchange vows was an awesome experience for all of us and hearing Kevin say, "Hell, yeah!" during his marriage vows made me prouder than going 17-16 for 19th overall back in 1978. Also, unlike the guys I just mentioned, it also happened to be the only time I ever stood on the podium at an AMA National. Some things are just worth waiting for. Thanks, Kevin! CN IT WAS A MAGICAL PLACE, LESS THAN 500 MILES FROM WHERE I GREW UP IN RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA, BUT IT SEEMED LIKE IT WAS ON ANOTHER PLANET.