Racing: Follmer looking for top spot in upcoming race

Tony Altobelli

LONG BEACH - Zipping across the waters of the Pacific Ocean on a

round-trip race to Catalina and back is never easy.

Doing it on one take of gas makes it even tougher.

Such is the dilemma which plagues the 100-plus competitors at this

year’s Long Beach-2-Catalina & Back Grand Prix, set for Saturday at 9

a.m. under the Queens Way Bay Bridge in front of the Queen Mary.

Included in the pack of racers is Newport Beach resident Mike Follmer,

who will ride on a Yamaha XL1200 instead of his faster GP1200R.

“This year, I’m racing the Yamaha XL1200 Limited three seater because

it has a bigger fuel tank,” Follmer said. “I want to get to Avalon, cut

my wristband, turn around the buoy and be gone. With the 17-gallon tank,

I should be able to make the full trip with no stoppage.”

Now in its eighth year, the race will have one opportunity to have a

gas refuel, but that could add serious time to the race.

“To refuel, you have to pull your boat on to a barge and there’s only

one fueling station,” Follmer said. “If you get there and there’s nine

other boats waiting for gas, it could be a real problem.”

The reason for the stricter measures on fuel stem from ongoing

environmental issues in Catalina, according to Follmer.

“There have been fuel spills around the area with barges and tankers

the past few years and the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has

really been adamant on keep this race as clean for the area as possible,”

Follmer said. “Just recently, there was a 500 gallon oil spill in the

area. We as a racing industry had to give some leeway to the issue, so we

complied to the new rules.”

Follmer was born in 1955 in Arcadia and was introduced to racing at an

early age, thanks to his uncle, George Follmer, an Auto Racing Hall of

Famer.

At the age of 16, Mike Follmer broke into the competitive racing

circuit with motocross racing and his immediate success was pivotal to

being asked to ride as a professional with the Maico Motorcycle

Motorcross Racing Team.

After completion of the Jim Russell International Driving School in

England, Follmer, 45, starting his auto racing career. A fourth-place

finish in the competitive E-Production Class of the Sports Car Club of

America (SCCA) firmly established himself as a competitive racer.

In addition to his racing schedule, Follmer began Mike Follmer

Specialties, a company which makes and manufactures promotional and

collectible racing items, such as pins, hats, T-shirts and key rings, to

name just a few.

“My company started 21 years ago and that has helped keep me involved

in the racing world my whole life,” Follmer said.

In 1994, Follmer turned his recreational hobby of jet ski riding to a

new level and began racing. He entered and won his first race on Oct. 29,

1994 in San Felipe, Mexico.

“The boats combine a lot of elements of both auto racing and

motorcross,” Follmer said. “It takes the speed of auto racing, plus the

balance and line-carving skills of motorcross racing. The only difference

is that there are no shock absorbers and it’s your body which takes all

the bumps, so you have to be physically tough to withstand the pounding

over a long period of time.”

Saturday’s race, unlike the course-designed races, requires not only

the physical stamina to withstand the pounding, but the mental toughness

of competing against the clock.

“You could see all the racers at the starting line and not see another

racer until you dock your racer,” Follmer said. “You have to make sure

your navigational equipment is working properly, especially on the return

trip. The currents are so strong, you could be right on line, take your

eye off the gauge and all of a sudden, be too high or too low.”