plus 3, Motocross racer bribes deputies with event tickets after DUI arrest ... - Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Motocross racer bribes deputies with event tickets after DUI arrest ... - Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Monster trucks reign over Heartland Events Center - Grand Island Independent
TRACK TALK: Bettencourt to be missed - Enterprise
DMG Announces Double Daytona Superbike Races, New Purse - Superbike Planet

Motocross racer bribes deputies with event tickets after DUI arrest ... - Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Posted: 05 Feb 2010 08:44 PM PST

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CHINO HILLS - A professional motorcycle racer's legal woes went from bad to worse last weekend after he tried to bribe San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies who arrested him on suspicion of drunken driving, authorities said.

Jered Peter Thomas, a low-level Motocross racer, offered three deputies free tickets to racing events if they agreed to "let him off" or reduce his drunken-driving charge, according to a police report attached to his court file.

Rather than accept his offer, authorities added felony bribery to the list of charges filed this week against the 20-year-old Chino native.

A deputy monitoring traffic in Chino Hills at about 4:45 p.m. Sunday reportedly saw Thomas make an erratic turn in his GMC truck and hop a curb onto a front yard at Chino Hills Parkway and Rolling Ridge Drive.

Thomas backed up over some shrubs and drove away, and the deputy pulled him over, according to the police report.

The Motocross racer told a deputy he hadn't been drinking alcohol, but a breath test at the scene yielded a blood-alcohol measurement of 0.14, nearly twice the legal limit, authorities said.

It wasn't until after he was arrested and taken to the sheriff's Chino Hills station that Thomas began to barter with deputies for his release, authorities said.

Thomas, who lives in Perris, first made the alleged bribe to a deputy who was processing his paperwork, according to the police report.

Authorities said he

told Deputy Justin Howe he had a prior DUI on his record and that his sponsorships and standing as a professional Motocross racer would be in jeopardy if he logged another drunken-driving conviction.

Thomas offered the deputy six tickets to events in San Diego and Anaheim, ensuring the deputy "prime" seats for the events, according to the police report.

When Howe turned down Thomas' alleged offer, the racer asked to speak to the deputy's supervisor.

Howe retrieved the watch commander on his shift, Sgt. Chris Ilizaliturri, and Thomas extended the bribe to Ilizaliturri and another deputy, according to the police report.

"Thomas said he had a total of eight tickets per event which were located in the highly desired family seating area near the front," Ilizaliturri wrote in the report.

Thomas offered deputies six tickets for each event - to be split between the three deputies - but he said he couldn't part with the final two tickets because he had promised them to his parents, according to the police report.

The racer acknowledged that the deputies could lose their jobs if they accepted a bribe, but Thomas "assured his silence" and told deputies he had bribed an officer in the past to escape a speeding ticket, authorities said.

Thomas reportedly told the deputies that about nine months ago, he was pulled over in Riverside County for driving faster than than 90 mph in a 65 mph zone.

He reportedly said the officer accepted a bribe of two tickets to last year's Winter X Games. Thomas told deputies he e-mailed the tickets to the officer, authorities said.

"I asked Thomas if he was fully aware of the potential legal consequences he placed us into for offering a bribe to Howe, (Deputy Ruben) Perez and I," Ilizaliturri wrote. "Thomas assured us he was fully aware of the ramifications."

Thomas pleaded not guilty to felony bribery and two misdemeanor drunken-driving charges when he appeared for arraignment Wednesday in Chino Superior Court.

He was released from custody Thursday after posting $25,000 bail and is next due in court on Tuesday.

will.bigham@inlandnewspapers.com
909-483-8553

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Monster trucks reign over Heartland Events Center - Grand Island Independent

Posted: 05 Feb 2010 08:01 PM PST

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Several hours before the Bad Boys of Racing returned to Grand Island Friday night for the Monster Truck Winter Nationals and the Arenacross Championships, there was a sense of quiet anticipation at the Heartland Events Center.

Sitting high in the arena was promoter Ed Beckley, who is president of Checkered Flag Productions, overseeing all the last-minute details that go into making the show a success. Throughout the arena, Beckley's staff was busy making sure everything was in place before the fans began to arrive for the 7:30 p.m. performance. The arena floor had been transformed in little more than a half-day into a race course of dirt mounds and bumps on which the monster truck and motorcross drivers could perform their magic. The drivers were also busy with last-minute preparations for the evening show.

For Beckley, coming to the Heartland Events Center to put on a show for area fans of monster truck action and arenacross racing is a pleasure.

"This facility is like something you would see in Chicago or St. Louis," Beckley said. "I feel like the people of this area should feel rich for what they've got here. What an entertainment facility."

What's important for Beckley is that the fans get the biggest bang for their entertainment buck.

"The neatest thing about this place is that there is no seat that's a bad seat," Beckley said. "Everywhere in this arena, you can see the action easily."

Even the dirt that the racers apply their trade on is "great," Beckley said.

"They really make me feel welcome here like it's my hometown," he said.

Putting on a good show for the fans has kept Beckley going for more than 25 years in this business.

This is his third straight year promoting motorsports at the Heartland Events Center.

And fan support for the event has been great as they get to see a mix of indoor motorcross and monster truck freestyle car crushing and side-by-side racing.

Racing action continues tonight at the Heartland Events Center, again starting at 7:30.

What makes these big, loud monster trucks appealing to all ages, according to Beckley, is their appeal to the kid in all of us.

"Every kid has played with toy trucks," he said. "Here in America's heartland, we drive trucks to go pick up the groceries, we drive trucks to go check up on the cattle, we drive trucks for entertainment, we drive trucks for business and for our families. So to come here and see one of these big old trucks doing jumping and all that, that's pretty crazy stuff."

That "crazy stuff" keeps the fans coming out for this event every year in Grand Island and across the country.

Along with the antics of the monster trucks, there's the Bad Boys of Arenacross Races, which are open to both local racers and traveling pros as riders attack a supercross-style track, with jumps sending the riders flying as much as 80 feet in the air. And some of the riders are still in elementary school.

"With the motorcycles, it's action everywhere on this race track," Beckley said. "Even if they are in last place, it's still going to be fun to watch them go through some of this stuff."

The first indoor show that Beckley promoted was in 1984.

"It's a changing audience," he said. "Their hair gets a little whiter like everybody else as it goes on, but you still have that kid who's in all of us."

One of the monster truck racers at this weekend's events is Chris Lagana of Florida, who is racing "Razin Kane."

Lagana has been racing monster trucks for about a year and this is his first visit to Grand Island.

Before racing monster trucks, Lagana and his partner raced mud trucks in the Florida swamps.

"We decided to build a monster truck," he said. "I come from a background of building race cars and circle track cars and hot rods."

Lagana was impressed with the Heartland Events Center as a venue for performing with his monster truck.

"It's plenty big for us to do a little freestyle and have a good little race here," he said.

Performing at a fan-friendly venue such as the Heartland Events Center means a lot to Lagana.

"You can wave to the fans because they recognize you and you can almost go eye-to-eye with some of them," Lagana said. "It just makes it better for the fans to be a part of it."

And what spurs Lagana is the fan reaction to his sport.

"When I was a kid, I loved monster trucks and I want the children to feel the same way. I hope I can present a good monster truck so these children can see that they can do this themselves one day," he said. "This truck was built from scratch by me and my partner and I want them (the kids) to know that they can always achieve what I have achieved through hard work and going to school, making good grades and listening to mom and dad. These children coming to these monster truck shows is the most important part for me, and to perform well and show them what they can do later on in life if they really want to do something."

A veteran of the monster truck scene and the driver of Bigfoot Bad Boy is Larry Swim of Missouri.

"I grew up in motorsports and I grew up around a guy who had a monster truck," Swim said. "I got in his way and he finally decided that he was going to teach me how to work on them. I like working on them and I grew up watching them and I finally got the chance to drive 10 years ago."

While driving a monster truck is fun, Swim said it's also a living for him, plus it's full of challenges.

"There's a lot of tough competitors out there and we are on the road a lot, but I'm living my dream," he said.

For more than 40 weekends out of the year, Swim is on the road with Bigfoot Bad Boy competing in arenas across the country. Not only is he the driver, but he is also the chief mechanic when he's on the road and he drives the semi that hauls Bigfoot Bad Boy from arena to arena.

And Swim likes to perform before a crowd behind the wheel of his monster truck.

"Racing is cool and you get to show your horsepower and all that stuff," he said. "But freestyle is like when you are in school, you have to put your nose in the books and do what the teacher tells you to, but you get to go outside and have free play. That is what freestyle is for us. We have rules we have to abide by, but we get to go out there and have fun for 90 seconds. Hopefully, the fans enjoy it."

It's those fans who keep Swim on the road and driving his monster truck across the country.

"When you can hear the crowd over your truck, it gets you pumped up," he said.

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TRACK TALK: Bettencourt to be missed - Enterprise

Posted: 05 Feb 2010 07:39 PM PST

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David Bettencourt of West Bridgewater was laid to rest earlier this week after a battle he lost against leukemia.

The Bettencourt family was a solid supporter for all types of motorcycle racing, from dirt, paved tracks to road racing and even ice racing. That effort was started by the late Dick Bettencourt, patriarch of the clan, some six decades ago.

When Dick passed away, also from leukemia, the torch was passed to Dave and now it has been handed to Mark Bettencourt the surviving brother.

John Bettencourt, who also passed away, carried the Bettencourt colors on road racing tracks from coast to coast.

Some of the competitors who went on to national prominence include Keith Johnson of Pembroke and Tony LaRusso of Randolph in motoX. Also the Wood Brothers, Jeff and Eric, of Mansfield in road racing. Ken Coolbeth and the late Aaron Creamer carried the Bettencourt sponsorships on the dirt flat track circuits.

Dave, like his father and brother, John, will be missed by the local motorcycle competitors. Our condolences to Mark and the rest of the Bettencourt family.

Brady Bunch heads south:

The Brady Bunch team out of Brockton left the area the middle of last week for the sunny climate of northern Florida and New Smyrna Speedway.

The team hauler also made a stop in Mooresville, N.C., along the way where the crew had to pick up a second Modified car garaged in that town by Steve Anderson, formerly of East Bridgewater.

Anderson had worked on the Brady Bunch crew before he went to North Carolina to work for Penske Racing as a shock specialist. We understand that Anderson will also be working on the Brady Bunch effort at NSS and with the driver Ted Christopher of Connecticut. Ted and the Brady Bunch have won numerous World Series of Stock Car championships at that northern Florida half-mile oval. TC's last NSS title came in 2009 and he and the Brady organization are expected to make every effort to defend it.

The eight-day series got the green flag Friday night and concludes the last weekend of Daytona SpeedWeeks on Feb. 13.

Maine vintage cars on tap:

Legendary Maine racer Homer Drew will be the focus of an extensive Maine Vintage Race Car Association display at Northern New England's biggest and best wintertime stock car racing showcase, Racin' Preview 2010, set for Feb. 19-20 at the Portland Exposition Building on Park Street (U.S. Route 1).

At least four restored racecars instrumental in the long legacy left behind by Drew will be on display at the Portland oval track showcase.

The vast majority of racetracks and touring series operating throughout Maine and New Hampshire will be represented at the annual celebration, with hundreds of door prizes to be handed out.

Batemen sets series:

Modified Racing Series founder Jack Bateman has announced his series will participate at The Racers Expo, a two-day event created to exhibit the latest safety equipment and technology for the motorsports industry on Feb. 26-27. The first-year endeavor will be held at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel and Trade Center, 181 Boston Post Road West, in Marlborough.

Out and about:

Here's what's going on in southern New England this weekend. Down in Hartford, Conn., at the Expo Center, it's the Frank Maratta Auto, Cycle and Oval Track Show which opened last night and continues into today and Sunday starting at 10 a.m.

This afternoon, it's another year-round cruise event at the Redline Diner in Framingham starting at 3 p.m.

The Wachusetts Valley Riders Club in Winchendon plans a SnoDuro for motorcycles at noon tomorrow.

At the same time, it's flat track motorcyle racing on the ice at the Hamilton Rod & Gun Club in Sturbridge. Earlier in the day, at 9 a.m., The Power Mill Barn in Enfield, Conn., offers an automotive flea market at 9 a.m.

Enterprise correspondent Lou Modestino's Track Talk appears Saturday in The Enterprise.

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DMG Announces Double Daytona Superbike Races, New Purse - Superbike Planet

Posted: 05 Feb 2010 06:49 PM PST

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This just in:

AMA Pro Racing Announces Daytona 200 Purse, Schedule and Entry Extension

DAYTONA BEACH, FL (February 5, 2010) -AMA Pro Racing and the Daytona International Speedway are pleased to announce the comprehensive purse structure and schedule of events for the March 3-5 Daytona 200 Week at the world famous Daytona International Speedway.

The $225,000 total purse features an enhanced payout for the premier AMA Pro Racing National Guard American SuperBike class that will feature two races this year, the first of which will be on Thursday, March 4th and the new, second race on Friday, March 5th. The two 15-lap races will feature purse payouts being paid from 1st to 15th place.

The historic Daytona 200 AMA Pro Racing Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL race will be once again held under the lights on Friday night, March 5th. The 57-lap race willfeature prize money for 1st through 20th place with $20,000 going to the winner of this prestigious event as well as a place in the history books joining many of the greatest names in motorcycle racing.

The 2010 Daytona 200 Week will also see two AMA Pro Racing SuperSport races. The first 12-lap race will be Thursday, March 4th and the second 12-lap race will be Friday afternoon, March 5th. These races are sure to be exciting as the AMA Pro SuperSport Young Gun riders go up against more experienced local AMA Pro Racing Top Gun riders.

Other features of the event include the always popular Thursday, March 4th rider autograph session and the many fan-friendly activities around Daytona International Speedway.

Also announced today is the extension of the registration deadline for the Daytona 200 Week events. The deadlinefor entering the event is now February 12, 2010.

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