November 21, 2008

Bad news for Christophe Pourcel

Okay, this sucks: Racer X is reporting that Monster Pro Circuit Kawasaki-mounted Christophe Pourcel broke his collarbone in a crash at the Kawasaki test track. They say he'll be out for "at least four weeks." That won't give him much time to prepare for A1, so I guess this seals the deal for him to ride the East Coast regional series.

Cure for the off-season blahs: anything written by Eric Johnson



I'm serious. I believe Eric Johnson is probably the greatest motocross writer that has ever lived. And if you're reading this, you probably already knew that. But if you need more proof, Racer X Online has just posted "Flashback with Eric Johnson" that you must check out. Now.

Of course, Johnson's fantastic articles were always accompanied by the work of great photographers, like this classic shot of Jojo Keller by Paul Buckley, and they were expertly edited by Davey Coombs.

(meanwhile, I suck at html...)

November 16, 2008

Get well soon Katherine Prumm

This news sucks: two-time Women's World Cup motocross champion Katherine Prumm of New Zealand overjumped a triple step-down in practice and broke several vertabrae. Here's the story from Racer X Online.

Wishing her a fully and speedy recovery.

November 09, 2008

Oh, no he didn't

Oh yes he did: Geico Honda's supercross-only superstar Kevin Windham showed up at Bercy unprepared to win, not good after choosing not to compete in the season's other high-visibility arenacross, the U.S. Open. Kdub carded 5th place on Friday night, behind James Stewart (L&M/San Manuel Yamaha), Justin Brayton (KTM), Josh Grant (Energy/Joe Gibbs Yamaha) and David Vuillemin (Bud Kawasaki).

Kevin told Cycle News' Shan Moore: "It’s tough racing against these guys who have been testing for a while. We knew we were going to come here and just try to learn a little bit but it sucks getting beat. It was a good showing for me, but I knew coming over here that I wasn’t really prepared so I just need to keep sight of why I’m here – what it means to the fans and what it means to the program.”

Got it? It appears that Windham chose to attend the race for the fans, even though he knew he and his team were not ready. What a concept. Still it's funny to read; Kdub is not an excuse-maker, but some of the guys he finished behind are adjusting to new bikes after changing teams, while Windham has been on the CR450F for quite a few years now, so I don't understand why they weren't "ready." the writer alludes to contract issues in the article, but still... Team Windham hasn't raced since May so what have they been up to if not preparing for the next race?

November 08, 2008

Stars and Stripes forever


Okay, she's hot. "Auntie Sam" showed up at the Bercy Supercross, strutting her stuff. Too bad she couldn't find a pole long enough to keep that oversized flag off the ground. Hmmm. From his Racer X Gallery, Simon Cudby always gets the best angles.

Even French gangster-elles were unable to stop him


A pair of Bercy beauties, brandishing real tommy guns! (nope) Not bad, but not quite as hot as some of the Monster and Rockstar girls we've seen. And who's goosing the one on the right? Photo by Geoff Meyer/mxlarge.com.

"The fastest man on the planet"


James Stewart is winning hearts and minds in France. I wonder if his popularity is getting an Obama bounce? Photo by Geoff Meyer, from his great coverage of the first night of the 2008 Bercy Supercross in Paris.