“Grumpy”
BY
BRANDICE SANDS
sweaty, nausea overwhelms you. Banner drops and adrenaline pulls you off the line. This is desert racing.
Why we do this . . . A
brisk breeze hits your neck, the roar of engines surround you, an aura of race fuel fills your helmet. Your hands
Almost every week of the year, we load up one night and the next night hit the road just after work. We partake in antics with friends while the kids run, dig, and climb from daybreak on. We eat like minimalists but enjoy some of the most valuable friendships we could ever know. To us the desert is “Cheers”, the place where everybody knows your name and if they don’t they’d like to. We struggle to race. The economy, politics, and threats to close the open lands we all
Andy & Erin Vandenberg
grew up on. We are a race team, made up of close friends. We have learned to find sponsors in this economy. We continue our part, although not enough, to keep our desert clean, and to share our experience with those who have contemplated the idea of racing. We are a team of amateur racers, not pros, but men (and wives) who share similarities with every man. We are Vector Powersports, sharing some descriptions of our riders and the experience with racing desert. Brian Nasif is a general contractor out of Upland. He rides the MX, SRA, Grand Prix and Desert. He rides as an expert and has had the pleasure to race with his wife Lisa, sons, and daughter in multiple races throughout 2010 and now this year. Brian is a second year official in the So Cal MX Series and now race coordinator for his club So Cal MC. Brian tells me why he loves the desert series, “Racing desert provides a much more family friendly atmosphere. It’s where I taught my wife and kids to ride. It feels like home. Sure I race a lot of motocross and GP stuff but it’s not the same. What I find in the desert is a lot of real people who love to ride and race regardless of how fast they are. Everyone of them would stop to help if you were in trouble. The same cannot be said for some of the other types of racing.” Justin Shultz is a 29-year-old Vice President to a high end insurance brokerage agency in Newport Beach. Justin is an expert rider and competes against some of the top riders in the nation in the National Hare and Hound Series. He frequents the night race circuit, as well as the 24 hour, MX, Grand Prix, and Desert series. “I started in the desert and have loved it ever since! It’s you and the bike competing mainly. It’s a self accomplishment to finish some of the races. It’s all about heart.” Justin juggles a full schedule with meeting clients, playing in a softball league, and riding each weekend. He rotates between his van and trailer to lay his head during races. His dedication is unsurpassed and his drive to contend compels
Jason Houghton
many to try out his lifestyle. Jason Houghton is an Adaptive Physical educator in the Inland Empire. This single father of two has recently purchased a new home and has finally recovered from a long, painful wrist injury he received during a major crash last season. For Jason, racing began after we had frequented Ocotillo Wells for years. The guys would all play for hours at the same jump and hit it a few more feet each time. Eventually, clearing 70 and 80 foot jumps. They knew they were all fast but hadn’t pondered actually racing. Our group of friends would go camp together but many times Jason’s family and ours would find ourselves having no one else wanting to venture out as often as us. Jason came with us to the races one weekend and was hooked. He was known as the “cherry picker” throughout his entire run as a beginner. I think it even surprised Jason how fast he was! Jason tells me, “I like racing Desert, because it is like riding with your buddies on steroids!” He has now moved up to the V8
position as an amateur for this season. Billy Courtney is a 32-year-old construction foreman. Billy and his wife, Michelle, make desert racing worthwhile at every event. There are no better people I have ever known. Michelle stands at the beginning of two mile long bombs, nerves on edge as she watches Billy take the line. Billy begins the year with a #2 plate in the Vet Expert class and with that, is a key in the recent launch of Vector Powersports. His wife is always by his side reassuring his strengths on and off the course. Billy has helped run trail lines for some of the most notable races District 37 has ever seen. He is fast and has a distinguished style to reading the desert. His riding abilities give you an eye opening look at what is possible in desert racing. Steve Roberts is a contractor in Apple
Valley. Steve has three kids and a beautiful wife. He comes into the season as the 3 time #1 plate holder in the vet expert class riding a YZ 250. Besides being faster than most, he is
24 S&S OFF ROAD MAGAZINE - MAY 2011 -
www.SS-OffRoadMagazine.com Garrett Severen
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