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
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
“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
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