How do you put into words a World Vet Championship and World Vet Cup of Nations weekend at Glen Helen California? First off the story doesn’t start at the registration office at the track on Friday. It started with a group trying to figure out the logistics of getting to a race. Borders closed? New covid rules every week, and pretty much everyone telling us there is no chance to cross the border. Well, we couldn’t help ourselves to try and prove all of them wrong. With blind courage, we headed south to the border with bikes in tow to convince a US border crossing guard that Vet Motocross is essential.
The first team racer (Bryan Chomyn) was sent to test the waters a sacrificial lame so to speak and surprisingly he couldn’t have done a better job. Although he had gained access he was warned to not spread the word that he was heading south on US soil. However, somehow a week later more of the team had made their way to the same crossing and we all got the same guard. The only casualty was a bag of Dave McGregor oranges that didn’t make it across. So now we know we are all heading south, some driving and some flying, but the destination was the same.
The next problem was that Team Canada still had a couple of open spots. It’s amazing how many phone calls can be made on a 26 hr drive. Finding guys already in the country, or seeing who might have a bike available to them if they fly last minute. All the phone calls lead to filling every spot we were eligible to fill. Team Canada now had three teams with three riders per team, a +30,+40, and +50 for each team.
TEAM 1
+30 Merick Groom
+40 Ryan “Skippy”Mobbs
+50 Dean Murphy
TEAM 2
+30 Adam Morrow
+40 Bryan Chomyn
+50 Dave McGregor
TEAM 3
+30 Ryan Lockhart
+40 Shane Cuthbertson
+50 Derek Sorenson
Expectations? We had all felt like we had won a race just by getting to the race so I would say expectations were respectively low. But how quickly things can change. After only a few quick meetings with the team, something became very apparent. This race weekend was bigger than us as individuals, we were there to represent Canada and everything that this great country means to us. This feeling grew larger with every supporting text, phone call, message, and shared post the team received from coast to coast. To add to this growing feeling of pride we started to gather a following in the pits. So many fans loved to share their personal connection with Canada even if it was from many years past.
This brings us to Saturday morning and our first individual motos. The testing ground of what to expect from the World Cup of Nations motos. On a side note, if you have ever ridden Glen Helen Raceway then we share a bond because you understand how challenging this track is, but if you haven’t then please consider this information. If you take the roughest moto you have raced and put that in your memory blender, then add kickers, massive bumps, monsters ruts, rocks, and huge hills to that mix, give it a quick blend and you start to get closer to what Glen Helen has to offer. This isn’t a complaint, we are Canadians so this is in our wheelhouse. I’m just trying to tell you this famous track will chew you up and spit you out. Team racer Dean Murphy knows all about it from a get-off he took on Saturday. Lucky enough he came away only looking like he was part of an 80’s hairband with black make-up on his eyes.
It’s halfway through Saturday now and they have called for the Cup of Nations Teams to head to the gate. We all had some fresh gear, Canadian bibs, flags and the support of our country begins to feed the pride in all of us even more. Most of us have never been able to represent our country in this type of way and I could see in my eight other teammates and support crew that this was something very special. The format for the Cup of Nations was that the +30 class leaves the gate first, moments after that the +40 class begins their race and then the +50 class follows. This means that all teams and age groups are on the track at the same time. Scoring is done by Olympic style with your finish position for the moto is your points added with your two teammates. The goal is to get the lowest score possible and Team Canada knew exactly what our mission was. As soon as that first gate dropped Ryan Lockhart set the bar for the rest of us with a rocket of a start. Two more gate drops and the race was filling the track with riders from around the world. The course Glen Helen sand was flying, and battles were happening all over the track as we were was fighting for every position. Team 3 was gritting their teeth and moving to the front of the pack. When the checkered flag came out and the dust settled, we all realized Canada Team 3 just went 3-2-2, followed by Teams 1 and 2 close behind. We all wanted to lift each other on our shoulders and celebrate this achievement but with just short of 1000 entries at this iconic race, the schedule keeps rolling and some of us had to head right back to the gate.
Survival of the fittest is the name of the game at the World Vet Championship, so it wasn’t until we all got finished up our individual motos on Day one that the true reality of what Team Canada had accomplished came to light. A quick look at any one of our phones just intensified the pouring in of support and love from across the country.
Sunday began in the dark and a bit slower with everyone feeling the effects of one of the roughest tracks in the world. As we all arrived at the Canadian pits something just felt different. The thoughts of a podium for Canada were on all our minds. Individual motos kept on rolling by with our team members improving on their results from the previous day. However, in the back of all our minds was the second Cup of Nations moto. With the Olympic style scoring, it only would take one flat tire, the smallest get-off, or track mishap to move Canada down the standings. The thoughts of “what ifs” had to get buried back to the back of our minds.
The starting procedures for moto 2 were the same as the day before with Newf, Merick Groom and Adam Morrow set to take the +30 gate first for Canada, and then quickly followed by the rest of the team in the next two gate drops. Everyone got away clean and pulled great starts considering the conditions. Glen Helen’s start stretch is no joke as I am sure every rider on the line got to take home some new bruises to their arms, fingers, and that little space between your helmet and goggles. The roost on the start was relentless so you did everything you could to get near the front of the pack. The race was on and being on the track with so many racers made it impossible to know where everyone stood. All you could do was to try and not think about it and just focus on the rider that was ahead of you, and also hope you didn’t see any of your teammates down on the track. As the laps clicked off the sense that something special was happening, also seeing the pure excitement of Daryl Murphy and Roger Gagne in the mechanic area cheering us on was incredible and it definitely kept us going.
As we all cross the checkered flag the results were not yet clear as Lori and her crew had to tally the points for the two days of motos. But after only a few minutes Team 3 for Canada was called up to the famous Glen Helen podium. Ryan Lockhart, Shane Cuthbertson, and Derek Sorenson had pulled it off and brought home a Silver Medal for Canada. Like all of us I have always been a proud Canadian, but getting to witness my teammates be awarded their Silver Medals while we all waved our Canadian flags was just pure joy. The pride I felt in those moments I will carry with me for the rest of my life and trust me, the champagne never tasted so good.
Of course, none of this could have happened without the support of so many, friends, family, fans, and the Glen Helen Raceway crew. With a special shout out to one particular border guard at the Carway border crossing. You may never know it but you will forever be in this group’s heart by believing that motocross was essential to us and the nation that cheered us on. ~ Canada Team Manager, Team 1 +40 ~ Ryan “Skippy” Mobbs