Glen Strandberg
Staff Writer

At one point in his motocross racing career, Steve Klar of Lindstrom reached the 125A class. He then took several years off from the sport before riding again to prepare for his first race on Sunday, Aug. 5 at Berm Benders Raceway in Mora, MN. Sadly, that first race back would also be his last, as Klar died from an accident on the track.

Also racing that day was Frank Jackson of Forest Lake, who had known Klar since 1990.

“I know what happened, (but) I didn’t see it,” Jackson said.

Jackson’s account is the same as one that is posted on a racing message board called bb.armca.org/forums/.

Both Jackson and the posting mention how Klar hit the first jump and then pitched forward at an angle, which is called an Endo.

“He gave the gas at the wrong time on the jump and the front-end dropped,” Jackson said.

Sailing over the handlebars, Klar crashed into the ground head-first with nothing to break his fall.

“My friend went down there to see what was going on and he (Klar) didn’t move once at all,” Jackson said.

“It’s kind of tough, I don’t know, I’ve been struggling with this one.”

When asked what Jackson remembers of Klar, his answer comes quickly.

“He was always smiling,” Jackson shared. “He was always in a good mood, always smiling. The main thing that stands out was he was always happy. A happy kid and then a happy guy.”

The posting stated, “We’ve traveled to Mora many times and the folks there do a great job. My prayers go out to (the) track owners as well. It was a freaky day with the many crashes and it wasn’t due to poor conditions.”

Klar’s life was celebrated on Friday and Saturday, August 10 and 11 at Mattson Funeral Home.

According to Bob Myers of Myers Racing, who was also in attendance at Berm Benders, there are plans for a benefit fundraiser on Saturday, Sept. 8 when the racing returns to Mora. The details for the event are still being finalized.

Klar’s mother, Sue, was touched by how many people have reached out to her and her family.

“I’m not good with words right now, but it’s just amazing the support,” she said days after the service.

Sue went on to praise her daughter’s sister-in-law, Kristine, who really helped her deal with the past 10 days.

“She was unbelievable,” Sue said. “She was by my side almost all of the time.”

Among many family and friends, Klar leaves behind a six-year-old daughter as well as a fiancee, Rachel Anderson.

“He was a very, very kind man. His most (important) thing in his life was his daughter,” Sue shared.

“That was his life, it really was. That was his pride and joy.”

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