Interview and story by Ron Redd
Name: Tim Gruter
Age: 42
From: La Verne, CA
Class: 38 Novice
Tim started riding dirt bikes at age 13 with friends on a borrowed 82 or 83 Suzuki RM 125. He claims it “looked like a clown bike” with multiple colored plastics, but it was a two stroke and he loved it.
At age 15 his parents recognized his passion and desire for dirt bikes and bought him his first bike, an old XR125 four-stroke with dual shocks in the rear.
He remembers taking rides with his friends from his parents house in Rosemond, California to Edwards Air Force Base and the Mojave desert.
A current OTHG member, John Agnew, lived across the street and Tim would see him riding his four strokes up and down the street. Mr. Agnew gets all the credit for bringing Tim to his first Over The Hill Gang race on a 2003 Honda CRF 250R.
Tim started off in the support class racing at the age of 28. Like most of us, he kept coming back. He raced with Over The Hill Gang for another five or six years until he got married and had his daughter. Dirt bikes got put on the back burner for a few years.
Tim returned to racing though and he has fond memories of battles in recent years. 2018 and 2019 were particular highlights, as he found himself in wire-to-wire battles with Rich Young and James Kibbe on several occasions. They always seemed to find each other, at Glen Helen races especially. Tim also had a heated battle with Rich at the 2019 South National that took place at Milestone.
As it goes in this sport though, Tim has also had to deal with some injuries. He broke five ribs on his left side and back at Glen Helen, and then re-injured those same ribs in a street bike accident in 2019.
2020, the year of Covid, Tim stayed committed to the Gang, racing several races while re-gaining confidence and speed.
At the beginning of the 2021 season, Tim was practicing for our first race at State Fair and had been clearing the big double in the back all day long. Tim was back! Speed and confidence was flying high! As we motocrossers know though, sometimes it just takes one wrong line or misjudgment to end your day…
Shortly after a water break, Tim didn’t get the drive he needed out of the corner before the big double and came up short, casing hard and taking a dirt nap for 20 minutes. He once again broke his ribs on his left side as well as his collarbone. After a short hospital stay, Tim has been on the road to recovery. He came out and visited us at the 2021 South National, already proving that we haven’t seen the last of him at the track!
It was awesome to interview Tim as you can clearly see that this man has a pure desire to ride and race dirt bikes. He shares that passion with his daughter who he is currently working with to start the new generation of OTHG.
His plans are to continue racing with the Over The Hill Gang as long as his health permits it.
He stated that the reason he will continue to race with us is the pure camaraderie that he feels at the races like most of us do.
The March 2021 Rider of the Month goes to Tim Gruter!
Way to go TIm!!!!!!