Marin motor sports: Better late than never for Green

Tag: motor rotator

HE'S NOT a desk jockey anymore, so Matthew Green has a little more free time to pursue a second career - one about as far as he can get from the office.
The former exec at BEA, a business software company, retired when the San Jose company was purchased by Oracle. The sale of the company was finalized Wednesday. So, with a fruitful retirement package in his pocket, Green hopped on his bike and rode off into the sunset.

The story doesn't end there for the Drake High grad. He's just getting started.

Green, 49, was a little nervous and very excited just moments before he was called from the garage to the track for AMA qualifying at California Speedway in Fontana on Saturday.

Green had plenty of fans, including his colleagues at Desmoto Sport, at the track cheering him on in Fontana, where he finished a respectable 17th. The San Rafael resident then hustled back home to finish third in Sunday's AFM race. The party continues May 17-18 at the AMA Superbike Showdown at Sonoma's Infineon Raceway.

"I've spent a lot of time and energy to get to this point," Green said. "To race at the highest level and to do it at my local track is the epitome. I hope to do well and come away with a real sense of accomplishment.

"Sure, I'm nervous. É I'm not really apprehensive, É I'm excited more than anything."

Green won't be the only familiar face at Sonoma. Nor will he be the only out there with a touch of gray in his hair. The event usually attracts a lot of riders of all ages from the American Federation of Motorcyclists.
Pete DeMas, who is also entered in the Formula Xtreme event, is something of a regular at the road course on the Northern California AFM circuit. He was at the track on April 27 when he hit an oil slick, ending his run early, but he escaped harm and is expected to be ready to ride again in time for the big event.

DeMas is still hoping to enter the Super Sport race as well, but will have to borrow a bike, since his Triumph is not competition legal.

"I know the competition (in Formula Xtreme) will be extremely fierce. I'm hoping to qualify. Even if I finish last, I'll be happy," said DeMas, who has made a few guest appearances on the AMA circuit.

DeMas, raised in Stinson Beach and now living in Novato, will celebrate his 45th birthday at the track on May 19.

"I've been racing at, well, I guess it's called Infineon now, but I still call it Sears Point, but I've been racing there for 20 years now," DeMas said. "I know that track like someone knows the road home. It's that familiar to me. É It's my home track and it's a big show."

He won the AFM Twin 150s Class in 1991, earning a ticket to run with the big boys with his AMA license. Racing at Daytona International Speedway in '92 and '93 was a very rude awakening and a painful reality. He still suffers from a torn rotator cuff after injuring his shoulder in a crash more than a decade ago.

"I've matured as a rider since then. I'm still aggressive and I ride hard," DeMas said.

That's something his bus driver maybe should have warned him about more sternly when DeMas was a student at Bolinas Elementary School. Dave Dupman, the school bus driver, was also a motorcycle aficionado and taught a motorcycle shop class in school.

With such early guidance, it's not surprising he fell into a career as a mechanic for a Harley-Davidson dealership, which has also given him access to some top riders and team owners. Doug and Jane Parkhurst were so impressed with the work DeMas did on their personal Harleys, they're now backing him as a rider.

Then again, such a path is hardly unusual in this sport. North Bay natives Ben and Eric Bostrom were both riding by the time they were in elementary school. They rode the same trails DeMas and Green did, though the Bostroms became two of the most successful and popular professional U.S. riders in recent history. They, too, will return to their home turf on May 18.

Green isn't pushing his children to follow in his tracks, although he'd be happy to spend Father's Day on the track together. His youngest son, Michael, is preparing for a baseball career at Terra Linda High. His other son 23-year-old Shannon, is busy in the business world.

They might find though, like their father, that there will be time for a second career at the track later on.

"They may want to pick it up. I'll leave it to them," Matt Green said. "It's a big commitment, but a lot of fun."