If you are a TW200 owner, we are going out to the final event of the AMA National Hare & Hound Desert Race to cheer on our buddy Rocco Molinari this weekend, October 12-13, 2019. (see info About Rocco at the bottom of this post.) (RACE EVENT INFO AT BOTTOM)
WHERE – MEET UP LOCATION
JOHNSON VALLEY OHV – ANDERSON DRY LAKE: Our base camp location will be at/around the pit-reg-finish area of the event. Saturday morning we will be making our way to Anderson Dry Lake and will camp somewhere within the vicinity. Rocco will be racing on Sunday morning. We will be pitting for him in this area.
DIRECTIONS
From Los Angeles/San Diego/Orange County:
Take I-15 North towards Victorville.
Exit Bear Valley Road, turn right.
Follow Bear Valley Road for 12 miles
Turn right onto CA-18, follow for 13 miles
Turn left onto Camp Rock Road
Follow race signs for specific direction to Race Site.
From Las Vegas:
Take I-15 South towards Barstow, for approx. 154 miles.
Exit 183 for CA-247/Barstow Road, turn left, continue for 33 miles
Turn left for CA-247 S, continue for 13 miles
Turn left onto Camp Rock Road
Follow race signs for specific direction to Race Site.
GPS COORDINATES: 34°33’36.75″N 116°42’22.17″W
Link to Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/cuSQxjYAaMeg7SQc9
Check-in to our Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/534177207340327/
ROCCO MOLINARI
September 30th, 2019 – Rocco Molinari (@rocco_mol), age 15 of Huntington Beach, won 1st place in his Novice 250 class and placed 45th OVERALL at Round 8 of the Kenda Tire / SRT AMA National Hare and Hound Championship Championship Series presented by FMF Racing held in Lucerne Valley, CA. This makes the second race that Rocco has competed in with his sites set for the upcoming Round-9 October 12-13th National Hare & Hound in Lucerne Valley, CA.
Molinari is racing on a 2009 Yamaha Motor YZ250F that both he and his father prep themselves. With recent sponsorship with AirFlex Industries, Rocco is looking forward to picking up a set of Kenda tires, but first, Rocco needs to secure an 18” rear hoop! We asked him how he felt about moving to new tires and Molinari stated that he is totally fine with it as he switches to different tires all the time to experiment with how they feel. Rocco said he would have no problem going into his next race on completely different tires. Molinari is currently running; Pro Circuit T4 exhaust, Renthal handlebars, Uni Filter, MOTO 9 Bell Helmet, RIDE 100% Goggles, TECH-3 Alpinestars boots and wrapped in Fly Racing gear.
You can follow Rocco on Instagram as kids these days are not on Facebook: Follow him here: @rocco_mol
He is into surfing, skating, dirt jumping, guitars, snowboarding and oh yea… riding his dirt bike in the desert! He also comes to Gustin Motorsports once a week for his heckle/work session.
CHECKERS MC: 69TH ANNUAL CHECK CHASE SEASON FINALE THIS WEEKEND!
Source: The series finale is here! Round 9 is hosted by Checkers Motorcycle Club; a club known for putting together creative loops that will test riders of all skill levels. This is a Motorcycle-only event. Youth riders will race on Saturday, and Adults will race on Sunday.
On Saturday night, TRICK OR TREATING IN THE PITS is BACK! Turn your pits into a haunted house, bring some candy and get your costumes out! There will also be Pro Autograph signing in pit row from 5p-6pm
DIRT PREVIEW
Racers of the Checkers MC Check Chase can expect to cross vast open valleys, dry lake beds, technical trails, rocky obstacles and fun flowing sand washes. The region does not typically see much moisture leading up to the event, and riders can expect dust if there is no rainfall.
Johnson Valley is a varied landscape for the off-highway vehicle driver. It is punctuated by steep red rocky mountains, rolling hills, open valley, dry lake beds, and sandy washes. Elevations range from 4,600 feet at Hartwell Hills to 2,300 feet at Melville Dry Lake. Vegetation consists of creosote scrub, annual grasses, wildflowers, and Joshua Trees. Johnson Valley offers a riding opportunity for every skill level. The southeast portion of the riding area offers a large mass of hills known to the rock crawler worldwide as the “Hammers.” This area is for experts and has gained the attention of off-roaders in recent years through an event called “King of the Hammers,” experts only need to apply. North of the Hammers offers a quality riding experience for novice and intermediate riders and some small dune riding experience. There are two car/truck courses for racing in the north-central and western portions of the valley. Anderson Dry Lake on the western boundary of the area is used for casual riding for intermediate and novice riders. It is popular with off-roaders. The butte boasts areas with small rolling hills for the novice, rocky ridges for the more experienced riders, huge rock structures for the rock crawlers and is a popular place for motorcycle trials events. The 96,000 acres off-highway vehicle riding area has something for every rider at every skill level. Approximately 53,000 acres of Johnson Valley is a shared-use area with the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MGAGCC) located in Twentynine Palms, CA.
Since 1951, the Checkers have been the dominant force in District 37 (AMA) desert racing. They’ve won numerous club championships and many #1 plate holders have been members. The Checkers have a long and glorious history and some of the men who have worn the black-and-white colors read like a list of off-road greats. Al Baker, Dick Miller, Gene Hirst, Tim Smith, Al Rogers, Red Ludford, Bobby Ferro, Gene Ferro, Bob Ewing, Kenny Knudson, Eddie Mulder, Dusty Coppage, Max Switzer, Jack Johnson, Doyle Fields, Steve Holladay, Wayne Cook, J.N. Roberts, Whitey Martino, Ron Sloan, Don Bohannon, Bill Saltzman, Mike Burke, Bill Postel, Steve Kirk, Dan Smith, Cliff Thomas, Jeff Wright, George Walker, Chuck Stearns, Eddie Pierce, Howard MacCasland, Darrin Cartwright, Chuck Pettigrew, Terry Davis, Smokebomb Gaetz, Mike Mulconery, Rich Thorwaldson, Ted Lapadaikis, Bob Heron, The list goes on and on, and we have no doubt left out numerous names.
