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2017 Kurt Caselli Memorial Ride Day

Mark Kariya | December 12, 2016

2017 Kurt Caselli Memorial Ride Day: Family, friends and fans gathered once again at Glen Helen Raceway Park to remember the late, great Kurt Caselli with the 4th Annual Kurt Caselli Memorial Ride Day moved for the first time from Friday to a Saturday.

2017 Kurt Caselli Memorial Ride Day

2017 Kurt Caselli Memorial Ride Day
The traditional tribute lap capped off the 4th Annual Kurt Caselli Memorial Ride Day; just a fraction of the participants is seen in this shot near the finish. PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK KARIYA

Combined with the regular REM motocross races running elsewhere in the facility, it made for a very full house, but things went smoothly with attendees able to take advantage of a full day of activities—from full access to the prepped MX track to a fun, technical off-road loop (with both easy and hard options), a short yet challenging enduro-style special test where hopefuls had three shots to see how they stacked up to eventual winner Taylor Robert (yes, this year’s overall individual winner at the ISDE), plus a the always entertaining Kurt Caselli Foundation (KCF) Team Challenge, an awards ceremony, raffle and the traditional tribute lap around the motocross track to cap things off.

2017 Kurt Caselli Memorial Ride Day

2017 Kurt Caselli Memorial Ride Day
From left: Taylor Robert, Angel Uruchima, Nancy Caselli, Quinn Cody and Sarah White stand beside the framed and autographed jersey that Robert donated. Uruchima had finished his graduate work and caught a red-eye out of New York on Friday, fully intending to take that ISDE jersey home and his $2600 bid won that opportunity.

“This year, we wanted to make the effort to move it to Saturday so that we could get everyone here—all of Kurt’s fans and friends and family—because a lot of people have a hard time taking off [work] on Friday this close to the holidays and everything,” KCF board member and former KTM teammate Quinn Cody explained.

“So we moved it to a Saturday [this year] and I think it was hugely successful. We got a bigger group of people. It wasn’t as much of an industry event. We wanted everyone, all the [non-industry] people who support the Foundation to come out and enjoy the event.”

2017 Kurt Caselli Memorial Ride Day

2017 Kurt Caselli Memorial Ride Day
KCF board members (from left) Antti Kallonen, Sarah White, Nancy Caselli, Carolyn Caselli and (far right) Jon-Erik Burleson awarded Rachel Gutish with a $2500 scholarship. EnduroCross/GNCC/ISDE racer Gutish is a junior at DePauw University in Indiana whose application was chosen from dozens of submissions.

GNCC champ Kailub Russell (along with Russell Bobbitt, Trevor Bollinger and Kacy Martinez who were just some of the bigger names attending) missed the last two Ride Days so this was only his second time to participate. After finishing third behind winners Ty Renshaw/Taylor Robert and runners-up Jeff Loop/Blayne Thompson in the KCF Team Challenge, he observed, “I know the first year was probably the toughest one [emotionally] because it was right after Kurt’s accident. I think everybody’s attitude and outlook on the event’s changed a little bit—the feeling’s a little bit different, I guess you could say. We’re here to enjoy the day and remember Kurt.”

MARK KARIYA

2017 Kurt Caselli Memorial Ride Day

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New riding apparel? Nah. Sean Finley’s just getting ready for the KCF Team Challenge, where two-person teams see each rider exchange boxer shorts as well as the bike at the end of each lap. Finley and teammate Jesse Ziegler didn’t pose a challenge to eventual winners Ty Renshaw and Taylor Robert.
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The KCF Team Challenge podium (from left): third-place Kailub Russell and Max Vohland, winners Ty Renshaw and Taylor Robert, and runners-up Blayne Thompson and Jeff Loop.
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The new enduro test featured a short but tight sprint-style timed special test for those looking to see how they stacked up to ISDE champ and eventual winner Taylor Robert, Russell Bobbitt, Kailub Russell, Kacy Martinez and others. Nick Stover was second-fastest after his three tries with Dalton Shirey and Braydon Bland tied for third—4:43 to 5:15 to 5:19.
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First-time attendee Joe Boisvert from Idaho is likely the first person in the four-year history of the Ride Day to take a Harley around the tribute lap, reportedly bypassing only one hill. Was it because of the bike’s Rekluse clutch or what?
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