| Ahrma Regional Vintage Motocross |
| Argyle Park has been around for a long time. It is one of the most conveniently located tracks for Mxers and Vmxers in the North Bay area. I personally like the track. Argyle is what it is though, with the dirt there you can only do so much with it as it is a mixture of Clay, Sand and medium to large sized gravel. Located not to far from Power generating windmills and just to the east of a Military Airbase, wind is always a consideration in the condition of the track at any given time. How so? Excavation Equipment work the track to loosen the hard pack. The sand, gravel and clay Separate the sand being the lightest of the mix comes to the top. This is where the WIND has it's fun making a fine dust screen. At this point for the safety of visability they water the track, which to their credit does take care of the dust but then the clay component comes into play and it's wet. Wet clay is the most challenging surface I, as an intermediate vmx racer have encountered. Too much weight to the rear the front end goes away. Over do the weight placement on the front end and the rear end takes a vacation. So why do I like this track? Because it has heart. It fights you back, making you adjust continually. This track is a course that your first moto you run an inside line maybe, by the end of the day that line is history. Either it is too rough or too slippery from watering. So you either change lines or sometimes you just have to Bonsai your original line, connect the dots with what you've salvaged from being all "out of shape" and try to stay ahead of the guy behind you. The rider challenge is do to the SOIL more than any other factor of Argyle. |
| I have three stories from the event. My favorite is that of fellow" Napkin" (local slang for a person from Napa) Rookie Mx Racer Gene Imrie #93G. He stalks the earth for 69 years, races flattrack, TT, and just about everything else to do with motorcycles since his first race in 1958. Yeah 50 years competeing on every kind of bike all over Northen California. Then at 69 he has the nerve to try for the first time, Motocross at Argyle. Below is a picture of Gene and his first motorcycle. |
| Story 2. The Youngest and Oldest. As part of the riders meeting VMXR awarded DVD prizes to the racers at both extreme ends of thier racing careers. Will Hilgenberg 16 & Harland Bast 72 |
| The thrid story is one of gratitude. While staging for one of my last races of the day Harland Bast comes up and thanks me for the DVD awarded him for being the oldest rider in the event. That's when I thanked him for something I've owed him thanks, for over 20 years. When my wife and I were first dating in 1986 she had two young sons 3/5yrs. On Saturday nights we would all go down to the Napa fairgrounds and watch Speedway racing. One of the top dogs back then was Harland Bast. For hours, Harland and his competitors entertained us with thier nerve and skill. To them it was fun to us it was the best show in town. The kids, even now, when they talk about someone who can really handle a bike will say " He rides like Harland Bast or something" So there behind the start gate at Argyle park in the windy aftenoon sun, I heartfully thanked Harland for all the thrills and entertainment he gave us back then. |
| The whole Bast family has my admiration. Even the youngsters I hold a high amount of respect for as Top Notch competitors and sportsman. Last year while competing in an Ahrma Regional at Carnegie. The track was tight with very few places to pass. I missed a shift on my CZ 125 and Shane Bast made a clean pass on his Husky in a kind of tight spot but it was clean. After the moto he came all the way down to the other end of the pits to ask me if I felt he had cut me off. That was enough for me to make him a respected competitor in my mind and one that I could trust at speed and in bad conditions. |
| Harland and Harland returning from Tech inspection at Argyle 6/28 Harland Jr. raced speedway back then too |
| Shirts and Jackets showed local flavor. The stories were good. If you set somthing down it had to have something heavy on it or it was gone! |
| June 28 2008 |