"Sold My Soul for a Masshole,"
FAHQ Racing 39th Anniversary
"Shindig of Destruction”
By Lissa Aldakimov
Thirty-nine years in the grand plan of the universe is the bat of an eye but for us mere mortal humans, it’s half a lifetime. The KX250 got a rear disc brake in '86, National Enduro's were 120 ground miles with time keeping computation mastered without a computer keeping tally and if your old G-Van dirt bike hauler didn't have a tape player for that Megadeath cassette sliding around on the dash, you had to enjoy the sounds of Dionne & Elton belting out "That's What Friends Are For" through a cackling single dash mounted speaker off the radio. From this analog age of Reagan and MTV's heyday rose a band of merry misfits, underdogs of the working classes, disdainers of the compliant masses, touted in anarchists crass, disrupting the groomed organized dirt bike racer congregations with heretical displays of leveraged shreddage often to the disruption of the pecking order hierarchies and the trophy girl's shock. Radically artistically minded with an independence streak as vivid as a Fourth of July fireworks finale in '76, FAHQ Racing was birthed in Massachusetts by the master mind of chaotic moto reporting himself, Jerry Bernardo. Why a 39th celebration rather than sticking to round numbers? Because here at FAHQ Racing (aka Good Team, Bad Name), we do what we want, and honestly, somethings are better done sooner than later considering the fleeting daylight of life above ground.
The reunion congregated with a pilgrimage of roughly a hundred core active members, back to the New England roots that spawned this club of sorts, hosted on Travis Stopa's recently shredded and well-marked Hare Scramble course. Mid-September brought with it the kind of weather riders pray for at every event, skies of azure, perfectly procured temps and trees in various shades of fall's best. Greetings at the gate to the compound, where safe passage demanded one of the Golden Tickets involved the maestro himself plus a masked caper like comic villain carrying out the deeds for entry. The manicured grass parking fields were filled with a vibe of chill, VP T2 and a complete line-up of legendary and well-known racers spanning decades and diehards including some of the best photogs in the moto industry: Mark “Kato” Kariya and Art Pepin of Offroad Paparazzi fame.
Though the Gods of Rain have not been very blessing of these parts of the Eastern United States with the much-needed soil saturation, the dust remained tolerable and claimed no engines or bodily parts during the club's "old-school fender straddle, dead engine start" scrambles. FAHQ Massachusetts rep Rob "Moto-Fro" Brown laid out a four-mile loop of classic New England flavors for all to contest for a chance at a custom trophy. Classes were kept simple with a 45-minute morning thrash with just two classes, Novice/Amateur while the second race hosted the Pro's/Experts for an hour of Masshole rocks. No AA/A class flagger will ever compete with having Seth Enslow of Crusty Demons of Dirt and FMX fame flying in from sunny Cali doing the honors. Once the dust settled from the grown kids ripping the woods a fresh one, everyone gathered for cold ones, bench racing, roasted-on-a-pit pig, awards, and some wicked live tunes. Seth Enslow donned an acoustic six string, mounted the trophy chair of glory, and sent it. Clearly sung and played, like an Unplugged soul session for the extreme era. The house was brought to life by the reuniting of Jerry's own band after a 30-year hiatus, the Gypsy Stretchmark Orchestra, including Steve "Bat" Mathewson who hopped a flight from Austria to blow on the sax for their uniquely crafted songs. Some things stay set to muscle memory and the sound flowing from the stage still felt innovative and fresh. A night cap of the FMX cult classic film "Frezno Smooth," like a Dolomite flick for dirt bikers, was the parting end for lots of handshakes, hugs and good-byes among the revelry, all vowing that another reunion can't wait another decade to happen.
Become a member to receive a free newsletter highlighting Hot Shoe Hall Of Fame exclusive discounts, information, updates, content, and more.
Welcome to the Hot Shoe Hall of Fame.
You're now subscribed to our newsletter and updates.
Your free auction admission and bidders pass code:
Thanks for volunteering—our team will reach out soon.
Our mission at Hot Shoe Hall of Fame is to preserve the memories of the great flat trackers and industry icons past and present.
Copyright © Hot Shoe Hall Of Fame. All rights reserved.