CALIFORNIA CITY, CA

California City Motocross Park hosted both the South and Valley Chapters of the Over The Hill Gang. The track was 30-percent better than the last time the Gang raced here in 2009. Two tight sandy S turns and more doubles have been added. Though the day was warm and mild, clouds rolled in later in the afternoon. The Valley Chapter guys probably thought it was cold; those boys are used to the triple-digit temperatures in Bakersfield, California. The two Valley Chapter guys who seemed to dominate in the Over 45 Novice class were Ed Turney (191V, below) and Tim Wilson (69V).

When the gate was dropped by longtime board member and past president Jim Pierce and sexy starter girl Su Cumbo, Chris Parrett took off with the lead. Joey Escobar moved from fourth place to second after doing a double in the back section of the track on the first lap and then did it two more times to maintain second place. On the third lap, Escobar closed the gap on Parrett to five seconds. Wilson moved up and tried different lines to pass, which pressured Escobar.

"Then I just stopped doing the double," Escobar said later.

Dennis Foster was running a distant fifth, but he jumped past Mark Condon, who elected not to do the double. Turney stayed at the same pace as Foster and flew past Condon as well.

Foster closed the gap on the three front-runners near the end of the race. Foster could see them; they were within striking distance. Foster was the point man, with Turney right behind him. When Foster closed the gap to a second, Turney made his move in the S turns, passing Foster. Later on that lap, Wilson passed Parrett in the second set of S turns and then pulled away.

On Turney's days off, he goes out to remote areas and rides for three or four hours. So at this point, Turney was not tired. He passed Escobar on the double and then Parrett through the whoops. At this point, Wilson was just ahead. Turney jumped the tabletops further than Wilson and got close enough to be within earshot.

"Ed yelled at Wilson a few turns before the checkers, and Wilson moved over," Cindi Turney said afterward. "My husband came from ninth place and won!"

"I shook [Wilson's] nerves by yelling at him," Ed said. "Wilson rode a hard race. I got by him."

Rich Sigle got the holeshot in moto two, and he was way out front. Sigle swapped where the transponder line was buried. Foster closed in and passed Sigle two turns later. Turney, in fourth, was on Wilson but slammed into the face of the third double. Turney recovered like lightning and passed Wilson by the end of that lap. Foster went on to win. Turney tallied second, which garnered the overall victory.

Results

BEG: 1. George Kudzma; 2. Jason McIntosh; 3.Ginger Escobar.

NOV: 1. Buddy Burns; 2. Steven Bishop; 3. Danny Warrer.

INT: 1. Frederico Santano; 2. Bob Baron; 3. Brian Larrick.

EX: 1. Mark Pledger; 2. Bob Burns; 3. Dennis Spence.

45+ NOV: 1. Ed Turney; 2. Dennis Foster; 3. Tim Wilson.

SUP: 1. Marcus Valenzuela; 2. Quinn Davis; 3. Ryan Yearta.