All Things Motocross

2012 San Diego Supercross: It's Not About The Bike

2012-02-12T19:54:00.000-08:00

The San Diego monster whoops bit Eli Tomac hard, putting him out of the 250 main while running third. Hope he's okay. Photo by GuyB/Vital MX

American motocross fans are the strangest breed. They seem to love to hate even more than they love to love, if that makes any sense at all, and honestly it shouldn't. Ryan Villopoto won his second race in a row, but was almost beaten by Chad Reed, and Ryan Dungey got back on the podium with a well-deserved third place... yet the moto-internet is all abuzz about James Stewart's crash-caused 15th place finish.

The James-haters are saying it's just his nature, he's a crashing machine, and he should probably retire before he hurts himself or others. This despite the fact that the San Diego whoops caught some other top riders, such as former points leader for the West 250 class, Eli Tomac, and perennial crowd favorite and normally smooth operator Kevin Windham. Both went down in the same whoops that claimed Stewart, yet no one seems to bring that up. No matter, these haters want to claim that Stewart's lack of outdoor motocross seat time has somehow affected his ability to focus on supercross, an absurd argument on the face of it.

The Yamaha/Pirelli/JGR-haters are saying it's the bike, the tires, and/or the team to blame, and some of them are preparing a "greatest hits" reel of James spinning out or washing out or otherwise crashing on the blue meanie. Yet these folks turn a blind eye to the fact that despite being "handicapped" by the "horrible" equipment, Stewart has managed to win 4 our of 6 heat races and usually sets the first or second fastest qualifying lap of the night. Is it not the same bike/tires/team all night long?

The way I see it, it's not about the bike at all. Motocross bikes do not crash themselves. If you put a bike on a stand, barring an earthquake or some other force of nature, it will sit there until you move it. Crashes are 99% rider error. Yes, James has had some equipment-caused crashes, no doubt about that... but not that we've seen so far this year. In San Diego, it is entirely possible that he would have finished much higher than 15th had he not gotten his pants tangled up in his bike and lost half a lap on the field... although there is still an unanswered question about why he wasn't able to mount a Villopoto-like charge and at least crack the top ten.

But all of the other crashes this year, and most from years before, were either caused by James or someone riding near him. Sometimes it's just bad luck, sometimes it's just bad riding at the wrong moment. Yet I'm not willing to label the man a crashing machine. I recognize that riding as fast as he does means riding on the ragged edge. That's what makes him so exciting to watch: he appears to be fearless. I hope that never changes.

I am also not willing to pin the blame on the machine. It is the responsibility of the rider to optimize his racebike for the conditions, and if there is any place that I might dole out some blame, that would be it. However, I also recognize that this is a first-year situation for both JGR and James, and I am willing to give them time to blend together as a team to figure this all out. Clearly, not all motocross "fans" are as generous.

So to all those "concern trolls" who are worried that the James Stewart of 2012 is no longer capable of winning races, I say "patience, fools." And I expect them not to listen one bit.

2012 Oakland Supercross: so THIS is what if feels like to win...

2012-01-31T19:53:00.001-08:00

Once again, Go Pro comes through with the stunning visuals: ride along with James Stewart as he clocks his first supercross win of the year in Oakland.

2012 Oakland Supercross: Memorable Win for Joe Gibbs Racing

2012-01-29T15:08:00.000-08:00

Photo by GuyB/Vital MX

James Stewart, shown here embracing his team's owner, legendary NFL football coach Joe Gibbs, as they celebrate JGRMX's second supercross victory, Stewart's second win at the Oakland stadium and his first win of the season. Check out the race summary at Vital MX.

Stewart and his team dedicated this win to the memory of Mark "Tex" Adams, a mechanic for the JGR team who was killed last week in an unfortunate traffic accident as he was assisting a motorist on the side of a road.

From Motocross Action: Rest in Peace Luther Jefferson

2012-01-28T22:53:00.000-08:00

Motocross Action Magazine online has this wonderful tribute to Luther Jefferson, the father of Andy Jefferson, who is "...the first black motocross racer to crack the color barrier in motocross by making making main events in the AMA Supercross series." Here is the headline and first paragraph:

THE AMERICAN HERO FATHER OF MOTOCROSS HERO ANDY JEFFERSON PASSES AWAY

The Tuskeegee Airmen in 1943.

The passing of a father is always painful for the family and MXA wants to take the time to acknowledge the passing of Husqvarna North America's Andy Jefferson’s father Luther Jefferson this past week. As most motocross fans know, Andy Jefferson was the first black motocross racer to crack the color barrier in motocross by making making main events in the AMA Supercross series. Andy raced for Mitch Payton's Pro Circuit team and his exploits are well known. But, what few people in motocross know is that Andy’s father also broke the color barrier 69 years ago as a member of the fabled Tuskeegee Airmen.

Read the rest of the article here.

My condolences to the Jefferson family.

2012 Los Angeles Supercross: Ground pounders

2012-01-22T17:49:00.000-08:00

Photo by GuyB/Vital MX

There was a whole lot of crashing at the Los Angeles Supercross at Dodger Stadium yesterday. James Stewart crashed hard in the whoops, shortly after setting a very fast lap in qualifying. Fortunately, he was able to get up, but he decided to sit out the rest of qualifying, and his time was beaten by Ryan Villopoto.

During the racing program, Chad Reed crashed in his heat race. He too, was uninjured, remounted and was able to qualify for the main... which he won! Stewart fell again in the main, but was able to finish in 3rd.

Reigning champ Villopoto crashed on the first lap of the re-started 450 main event, but the speedy Kawasaki rider was able to blast his way back up to 4th place by the checkers.

But the biggest crash is the one that caused the re-start: a horrendous accident involving Nick Wey, Ryan Morais and Trey Canard. Wey was the only one not seriously injured. Get well wishes go out to both Morais and Canard.

2012 Phoenix Supercross: On Board with James Stewart

2012-01-16T19:54:00.000-08:00

While Ryan Dungey deserves congratulations for winning the Phoenix round of the Monster Energy Supercross Series, giving KTM its first ever Supercross win, James Stewart struggled and could only manage an 8th place finish. Still, the footage provide by his GoPro camera is exciting and revealing.

Phoenix Supercross: Monster Girls

2012-01-15T21:37:00.000-08:00

Photo by GuyB/Vital MX

If the racing isn't exciting enough for you, Monster has some other good reasons for you to go see a supercross. The Monster Energy Supercross Series is off the hook with talent. All types of talent.

2012 Anaheim 1 Supercross: On Board with James Stewart

2012-01-10T19:41:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 21st Century, motocross fans! GoPro HD brings you all the supercross action you can handle, during the main event! Check it out:

Anaheim the first, Supercross 2012

2012-01-08T19:54:00.000-08:00

Photo by Paul Willis.

Chad Reed's butt patch summed up a lot of fans feelings: finally, it's time for Supercross!

DREAM RIDE: Malcolm Stewart goes off

2012-01-06T22:16:00.000-08:00

Team JDR Motorsports pulled out the stops with this helicopter- and seaplane-assisted motocross vid I found on Vital MX

Two Two = Chad Reed dubstep mix for 2012

2012-01-06T21:54:00.000-08:00

Chad Reed teamed up with Bshipman Films for this rocking video on Vital MX

Show 'em how it's done: James Stewart at 1000 frames per second

2012-01-06T21:12:00.000-08:00

Another great Redbull production. The high-speed camera really leverages high def, resulting in highly detailed super-slow motion footage of James Stewart throwing a killer, one-handed "Bubba scrub."

But even better than the groovy pictures is Stewart's insightful narration. This video is a motocross gem.

Ryno kills Red Bull: Hughes wins Coup de Grace at A Day in the Dirt 2011

2011-12-02T18:17:00.001-08:00

Photo by Paul Willis

One of my favorite riders of all time, Ryan "Ryno" Hughes, raced to a strong victory in the Coup de Grace, the final race of the Red Bull Day in the Dirt motocross grand prix. This is Hughes' second CdG win in the popular post-Thanksgiving event, which has been put on by key members of the Hollywood stunt community for 14 years now.

Photo by Paul Willis

That ear belongs to Steve "GuyB" Giberson of Vital MX, who has generously allowed this blog to run his fantastic photos over the years. Check out his great gallery of Sunday's racing: That left hand belongs to Troy Lee,one of the founders of the event, and an even larger legend than race winner Hughes.


Photo by Paul Willis

Here Ryno rounds the barnhouse turn, a traditional part of every Day in the Dirt layout since the beginning.

The Big Story

2011-11-24T18:54:00.001-08:00

2011 was a big year for Motocross.

Photo courtesy Kawasaki.com

Ryan Villopoto fully lived up to the promise he has always shown by winning the whole enchilada, taking home both indoor and outdoor 450 titles. Prior to this year, RV had already firmly established himself as one of the world's premier riders with his many 250cc titles. Green to the bone, Villo earned all of his titles on Kawasaki motorcycles.

Photo by GuyB at VitalMX.com

Speaking of green, Villopoto ended the year making history by being the first man to win a $1 million purse for a single motocross event, the inaugural Monster Cup.

Photo by GuyB at VitalMX.com

Ryan Dungey may have failed to defend his 2010 450 titles, but he scored his biggest points in the post-season, by making a jump to the team managed by the Man who "discovered" him, Red Bull/KTM, just before team Rockstar Makita Suzuki folded. By picking up Dungey, KTM is now a very serious threat to win at least one of the 450cc American titles, a feat that has to this date eluded the Austrian manufacturer. Dungey will now have to adapt to an different motorcycle, the first time in his career that he has faced this challenge.

Photo courtesy JS7.com

Yet the biggest news of the year occurred even later, when it was announced that Joe Gibbs Racing had signed James Stewart, Jr. to a multi-year contract to campaign their Toyota-backed Yamahas. It was a deal that has been quietly forming since the day that Jeremy Albrecht, Stewart's former mechanic, left Kawasaki to form the and manage the team for Cody Gibbs, son of the legendary NFL coach/NASCAR team owner. This is one of those rare deals that has significant ramifications for industries outside of the insular motocross world. Look at the sponsor decals on the YZ above: Both Toyota and SportsClips are heavily involved in NASCAR marketing to draw buyers to their products and services; that they're willing to take a chance a comparatively small sport like indoor and outdoor motocross says a ton about the trust they have in the Gibbs organization's ability to deliver value. With Stewart's star power bringing sport drink giant Red Bull and athletic apparel juggernaut Nike to the mix, this team will probably be the most well-documented and publicized of all, whether they win the 2012 championship or not. Clearly, there's a lot riding on 7 to win.

This Guy: Seven Motocross of Nations wins in a row

2011-09-18T20:01:00.000-07:00

Photo by Jeffrey Beersden

This guy, shown here hoisting the Peter Chamberlain trophy his team has just won, is Roger DeCoster. DeCoster is directly responsible for Team USA's dynastic reign over the Motocross of Nations, having managed this country's entry since the 80's. Roger DeCoster IS modern motocross.

Congratulations Roger D!

Monster World: 2011 Motocross of Nations

2011-09-18T19:43:00.000-07:00

The best of the best. Photo by Jeffrey Beersden.

Team USA topped team France to take the 2011 Motocross of Nations, the seventh consecutive win for the American teams. Team Australia finished third, the highest MXoN finish ever for an Aussie squad. Check out the full report on Racer X.

Congratulations to all of the teams!

Dungey's second moto at Southwick: Ride of the Year

2011-08-31T23:00:00.000-07:00

Even though Ryan Dungey led all 17 laps of the first moto of the 2011 Southwick National, it was his second moto performance that will probably be known as the Ride of the Year. Check out this great footage of the moments before his bike arrived (late) to the starting area.

Motocross giveth and motocross taketh away

2011-07-24T21:17:00.000-07:00

Last week it seemed the whole world was amazed by Chad Reed's survival of that horrific crash at the Spring Creek National. This weekend at the Washougal National, Trey Canard's crash served to remind everyone of the dangers inherent in competing at the highest levels of the sport.

GuyB at Vital MX snapped this photo right before Trey (41) would lose control over this jump and hit the ground hard enough to re-fracture his recently-healed femur.

A deeply disappointing turn of events for Trey. Hang in there friend, and get well soon.

Chad Reed takes a licking... and keeps on ticking

2011-07-17T17:02:00.000-07:00

In any other instance, using that played out line from the old Timex watch commercials would be unforgivable. But in this amazing case... ,well, let the videos (courtesy VitalMX and AmericanMotocross) speak for themselves:

Wow. This crash was an incredible mixture of bad luck, split-second decision-making, great awareness, advanced athletic ability and extremely good luck. He was able to "downside" the landing, a real heads up move, but look at the divot he takes out of the grass! Chad hit the ground pretty hard, but he got up and finished the race! The speedy (and smart, strong, etc) Australian came back to finish 14th in the moto, scoring enough points to maintain his lead in the title chase.

But we always knew that Chad Reed has heart.

Ahhh, Mammoth Mountain motocross...

2011-07-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

When your friends ask you why people love motocross, show them this video...

Chad Reed is showing them how it's done

2011-07-02T22:58:00.000-07:00

Good grief, Chad Reed has won 6 out of 12 motos, captured 4 out of 6 overall wins, and now has a 16 point lead over the Ryans in the Lucas Oil AMA Motocross championship. With 6 rounds to go, there's a lot of racing left in this series.

I Wanna Ride

2011-06-15T22:20:00.000-07:00

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since my last post. So many things have happened on this planet... huge events have occurred over the last few months, incidents of such magnitude that the goings-on of our tiny world of professional motocross absolutely pale in comparison. Races were held, trophies were won, points were gathered and internet arguments sputtered on, and I could not be bothered to write one word about nor cut and paste a single photograph of any of it. Perhaps I was suffering from an oversupply of perspective, or maybe a lack of same.

Thankfully, I happened across this change-up from Transworld Motocross: the 2011 KTM two-stroke lineup. Racing motorcycles on dirt is supposed to be fun, even therapeutic in its own way, and lightweight, lightly-powered two-stroke motorcycles are the funnest of all. While there may be a decent argument to be made against carbon-based fuel-burning forms of entertainment, you won't hear it at any motocross track.

Salt Lake City: The Natural

2011-05-03T20:56:00.000-07:00

Tomac takes two: this son-of-a-mountain bike champion is fast! Photo by GuyB

Even though this is only his second supercross win, from the picture above it looks like Eli Tomac has been winning them for years. The rookie could win the whole shooting match in Vegas; in any event, he has firmly established himself as one of the top 250 pilots in the sport.

By the way, the supercross fans in Utah had a good excuse for not filling Rice-Eccles stadium... it was frickin' cold!

Salt Lake City: Villopoto rode his ass off

2011-05-03T20:43:00.000-07:00

RV put it down in SLC, taking advantage of a great opportunity to pad his points lead. Photo by GuyB

Ryan Villopoto was clearly feeling it Saturday night in Salt Lake City. He got a decent start, made some strong passes to get into second, and after James Stewart crashed out of the lead, RV turned on the afterburners and torched the rest of the field, overcoming a charging Chad Reed and a determined Ryan Dungey to win the next-to-last round of the MESS.

Three (to go) the hard way: St. Louis Supercross

2011-04-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

From L to R: Ryan Villopoto (3rd), James Stewart (1st) and Ryan Dungey (2nd). Photo by GuyB/Vital MX

Now that the St. Louis round is over, there are only three races remaining in the MESS. At the end of the 450 main event on the podium stood the current supercross champ, a past supercross champ... and all three men could be the future supercross champ. Current Champ Ryan Dungey is now only 5 points behind title chase leader Ryan Villopoto, and James Stewart's slump-breaking win brings his season point tally to his old racing number 259. Hmmm.

Stewart jumps the gate, disappoints Captain Sisko

2011-03-30T22:27:00.000-07:00

Facepalm image of Captain Sisko by Elijaya

I guess James was going for the April Fools holeshot. Now he's all caught up in "incident gate". Is it true bad press is still good press? I would guess that those that bring you "Bubba's World" might agree with the conceit.

Benjamin Franklin Willis 1924 - 2011

2011-03-18T20:58:00.000-07:00

My father was not a motorcyclist. The allure of two-wheeled freedom that has so completely captured me and millions of other earthlings somehow eluded him. As far as I know, my father rode a motorcycle only once in the entire 86 years of his life, and that was for a brief, perhaps embarassing moment on the small, 72cc Honda "minicycle" he gave me in 1975. No, my father was not a motorcyclist, but he deserves ample credit for helping me to become one.

As far as I remember, my father was not even a bicyclist, though he bought me bicycles and helped me proceed from the training wheel stage to two-wheeled flight.

This is not to say my father was not athletic or sporting. Even working a busy schedule as a professional mechanical engineer managing quality assurance programs for the US Army, he made time to play competitive tennis as a member of one of the larger tennis clubs in Washington, D.C. Interestingly, it was partially his devotion to tennis that enabled my affinity for two-wheeled travel.

My father played tennis every Sunday after church services, usually at the Rock Creek park facility. Good fortune placed a bicycle rental shack at the same location, and my father would pick up my cousin (and best friend) Carl and the two of us would ride for hours while he battled it out with other weekend warriors on the courts.

You fathers out there will understand the importance of having something for your offspring to do so you can get something done.

Carl and I were given complete freedom, as long as we remembered to "be smart and be careful" or words to that effect, and after we mastered the basics of piloting banana-seat equipped coaster brake bikes, we began to explore some of the nearby bike paths in the park.

For the record, we also spent plenty of time watching my father and his friends playing tennis, and Carl and I both went on to play as well, with Carl becoming a winning player in a recreation center league.

But for me, those summer afternoons in Rock Creek park began a long love affair with bicycling that naturally grew to include motorcycling and motocross. Helped along, of course, by timely purchases of bicycles and motorcycles by my non-motorcyclist father. In all, he bought for me the 5-speed "dragster", the 10-speed "Free Spirit", the 1975 Honda XR75, the 1974 Honda Elsinore 125 and he co-signed my first-ever loan for me to buy a 1979 Honda CR250 Elsinore, not to mention paying for all the gear and stuff I needed to race.

It is important to note here that both of my parents were involved with these decisions, and while they paid the bills, it was not because they loved the sport. They just loved me enough to want to give me what I wanted, even though they were not excited about my racing.

In looking at it from that standpoint, my father WAS a motorcyclist of a sort. He didn't ride, but he supported the industry and helped create another eager fan of the sport, another motorcyclist, by buying motorcycles for me.

Thank you, Dad. I love you. Say hi to the family for me!

JS7: Stewart speaks about the Atlanta Supercross

2011-02-26T22:32:00.000-08:00

Got to give this man credit for putting this video out there so fast. He's reserved, apologetic (to the fans) and looks to be ready to race Daytona next week.
Check out JS7.com for this Atlanta SX: Post-Race Video

The Money Shot: Atlanta Supercross

2011-02-26T20:25:00.000-08:00

Two Two Racing owner/rider Chad Reed appears to be headed for the tuff blox instead of actually making the right turn that James Stewart is trying to complete. Yes, impact is imminent.

Whoa, what a last lap! James Stewart got the holeshot and led for a few laps, but bobbled and let Chad Reed by. Reed then went on to lead most of the main, but made a few mistakes of his own and Stewart was able to close the gap. Then Stewart took advantage when Reed got held up by Stewart's team mate Kyle Regal, and passed for the lead on the last lap. A few turns later, Reed implemented the move you see above. Check out GuyB's fantastic report for the rest of the photos in this sequence!

As a result of the collision, BOTH Ryans went by (Villopoto and Dungey), with Villopoto taking the win! A fantastic night of racing in Atlanta! A stupendous disappointment for the San Manuel Yamaha team!

Missing in Action: San Diego Supercross

2011-02-22T18:58:00.000-08:00

Er, my bad everybody. It was actually a momentous weekend in San Diego for Honda riders, with Chad Reed putting his privately-sponsored CRF450F in the winner's circle for a record 6th time in that stadium. And GEICO Powersports Honda rookie Eli Tomac managed his first-ever supercross win in the 250 class. Congratulations to both guys!

So where are the photos? My connection to the good stuff, GuyB, was off representing Vital MX and the Indy Dealer Show. Oh well...

James Stewart interview: you're doing it right

2011-02-19T00:15:00.000-08:00

A sense of humor is a valuable thing. Check out this priceless interview with James Stewart.

Don't Sweat the Technique: Houston Supercross

2011-02-14T20:39:00.000-08:00

Here's Malcolm looking clean in his heat race...

... here he is in the main, with a ripped jersey from his gnarly first lap crash. Still riding hard.

What a great professional debut for the younger Stewart! He had to ride in unseeded "B" practice sessions, but was able to complete a fast lap of 50.911, the second-fastest time in his division, good enough for 14th fastest overall.

When the night show kicked off for the first round of the East region 250 class, Stewart focused and jetted out to a great start in heat one and rode all 6 laps in second place behind Justin Barcia. Stewart was consistent; his six-lap average was 50.984.

By the time the 250 main event lined up, it was hard not to have high expectations for the rookie racer. Malcolm responded by expertly converting his good gate pick into the holeshot! He was immediately challenged by PJ Larsen, and the two of them starting banging bars. A turn or two later and the two racers collided and went down hard, Stewart and his Suzuki both turning cartwheels down the track. Luckily he was uninjured and his bike was rideable. Though he was nearly dead last by time he got his bike started, Malcolm held it together and was able to race his way back to 14th.

So even though he was set to do much, much better, it was still a great night for the rookie. And to top it off, he took home "Stewart Family Honors" as his 14th beat the crash-caused 15th place finished scored by big brother James in the 450 class!

Photos from GuyB's photo blast at Vital MX.

Stewart on a Suzuki and other strange things: Houston Supercross

2011-02-14T19:59:00.000-08:00

Yep,there's a Stewart racing a Suzuki: MALCOLM Stewart, the youngest of the Stewart brothers, AMA Pro number 139, racing a Suzuki RM-Z250 for Travis Pastrana! Actually, the team is called Suzuki City/ARMA/Nitro Circus. Anyway, that's one nice looking bike!

And how cool is this? The team had a fifth-scale HPI-Racing truck with Stewart's number 139 on display in the pits.

From GuyB's Pit Bits at Vital MX.

House Town: Houston Supercross

2011-02-12T17:44:00.000-08:00

You wanna know what's going down in House Town? GuyB has the pre-race pics up at VitalMX.

At 71,000 seats, Houston's Reliant is the biggest stadium the MESS has visited so far this year. There are definitely enough motocross fans in the area to fill the house; hope they turn out because it's looking to be one hot show!

Chad Reed qualified in 9th, turning a 49.831.

James Stewart "won" qualifying again, after laying down a 48.568 in second practice. Look at all those empty seats. Where is everybody? Partying in the pits?

This 6th round of the series marks the beginning of the East region championship for 250cc motorcycles, featuring a new cast of characters, er, racers contesting the title.

Monster Pro Circuit's Dean Wilson sits in 3rd place in the 250 class, with a lap of 49.996.

Ryan Sipes put his DNA Shred Stix Yamaha on top of the little bike leaderboard by setting a fast lap of 49.583.

Another one who wants to win: Anaheim 2 Supercross

2011-02-06T22:08:00.000-08:00

Stewart made it two in a row. Can the competition counter next weekend in Houston?

James Stewart stormed to his 40th career supercross win and his 8th win at Anaheim stadium. Was there more to the story? Not really.

Photo by GuyB.

Hansen has Heart: Anaheim 2 Supercross

2011-02-06T21:55:00.000-08:00

Hot 100 grabbed the holeshot and held off challenges from Ken Roczen (194) and Eli Tomac (19), who would both end up on the podium with him. Hansen swept Anaheim in 2011, winning both A1 and A2.

It was Josh Hansen's turn to have a tough night of racing. After he set fastest lap in 250 practice, he crashed hard in the whoops, breaking bones and fingers in his left hand. Lesser men would have called it a night (and maybe a championship), but Hansen gutted it out and pushed his bike to the starting line for his heat (which he won) and the 250 main (which he also won, after dispatching a challenge from Eli Tomac). Hansen WANTS IT.

Great photos from A2 by GuyB.

Pink in the Pits: Anaheim 2 Supercross

2011-02-05T19:36:00.000-08:00

The fifth round of the Monster Energy Supercross Series is dedicated to breast cancer awareness, so the bikes and the pits are decked out with all manner of pink. We like pink.

So THAT'S where she stashes her iPhone... and her, uh, bullets.

Blame GuyB for these pics.

Second Fastest in Practice: Anaheim 2 Supercross

2011-02-05T19:29:00.000-08:00

After setting fastest lap in the first 450 practice, James Stewart sat out P2, where his time was beaten by Ryan Dungey.

Eli Tomac clocked the second fastest time in the 250 class, behind Josh Hansen. Then Hansen reportedly broke a finger in the second practice... will this be Tomac's night to win?

It's showtime in Anaheim! These two were second fastest in their respective classes, but they both have extremely good chances at getting the win tonight.

Photos by GuyB at Vital MX.

7 has 7, wants 8: Anaheim 2 Supercross

2011-02-04T18:57:00.000-08:00


Stewart finished third at the season-opening Anaheim 1 event.

James celebrated a milestone win last week in Oakland; can he make it two in a row at Anaheim 2?

Over the course of his career, James Stewart has won 7 main events in Anaheim Stadium, according to the Monster Energy Supercross Notes package over at Supercrossonline.com, While that stat is incredible, the fact that Chad Reed has 6 Anaheim wins makes this weekend's race even more interesting. Speedy Reedy's last lap pass for second at Oakland was a reminder to everyone that the two-time champion and owner/operator of Two Two Motorsports is still one of the fastest supercross racers in history.

Photos from JS7.com.

Third of All Time: Oakland Supercross

2011-02-03T22:35:00.000-08:00

Stewart captured a key victory under difficult conditions, and took over the points lead as a result.

James Stewart's win at the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum was his 39th career supercross victory, placing him in third on the all-time win list, behind (The King) Jeremy McGrath and ... guess who?

While yer chewing on that, here's another trivia question: how many gallons of flame thrower juice does the Monster Energy Supercross Series burn up over the course of a year? Still, another cool pic by GuyB.

J-style: Oakland Supercross

2011-02-03T22:11:00.000-08:00

Josh Hansen is on it this season. He can handle the young'uns; the question is, can he handle his team mate Tickle, Broc?

Photo from GuyB's great coverage of the Oakland Supercross last Saturday.

Who's Reporting Things: Oakland Supercross

2011-01-30T18:45:00.000-08:00

Transworld Motocross gets the best post-race interviews with their "How Was Your Weekend?" series. Here's the lastest from Oakland, straight from the riders' mouths.

I prefer these interviews to the ones that Feld Motorsports does with their Supercross Live team, mainly because they give the riders time to finish their racing day before putting them in front of a camera. Swapmoto at TWMX lets the riders be who they are, so they're much more relaxed and candid during the interviews. Supercross Live gets them just minutes after the checkered flag, which is okay for the most part, but sometimes these young men could use more time to gather their thoughts (and speak with their teams). But what I find particularly annoying is the way the Supercross Live reporters still use an old TV style of "wrapping up" or summarizing what the rider just said, as if the audience needs help understanding what they just heard.

Who's Running Things: Oakland Supercross

2011-01-29T20:36:00.000-08:00

Kyle Cunningham flying in practice. Photo by GuyB/Vital MX.

As title sponsor of our national indoor motocross championship series, Monster Energy is large and in charge of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross an FIM World Championship series. Tonight's round in Oakland, California is just getting started, and the only media available in real time are a bajillion texts and tweets, all focused on deciphering a sporadic timing feed from the AMA.

Tomorrow will be a different story, media-wise, as the 450 half of the show will first air on the CBS network, and Supercross will get it's time in front of a national broadcast audience. CBS Sports is using the excitement of stadium motocross (combined no doubt with the sexy Monster and Rockstar girls) to build a strong lead-in audience for the Duke vs. St. John's basketball game that will immediately follow the broadcast.

The 250 class portion of tonight's race will be shown out-of-sequence to a pay cable limited audience. presumably because it is only a regional championship. Sure you're right.

A slightly different angle on the Los Angeles Supercross

2011-01-25T22:31:00.000-08:00

From this viewpoint from the cheap(er) seats, it looks as if Brett Metcalfe (24), Austin Stroupe (74), Kevin Windham (14) and Ryan Dungey (1) all have a shot at crossing the holeshot line first. But it was Metty's outside momentum that took him over the line first.

Here's the lead pack jamming into turn two. This is racing!

Motorcycles naturally attracts photographers, racing motorcycles even more so. These are the first in a series of cool photos taken by Rodd Lindstrom at the Los Angeles Supercross. Rodd's a long-time motorcyclist, an accomplished skateboarder and a very talented commercial photographer, as well as a big-time supercross fan. Thanks for the pics, Rodd!

The good, the bad and the ugly: 2011 Los Angeles Supercross

2011-01-23T22:27:00.000-08:00

Trey Canard (41) chasing Austin Stroupe (74) and Chad Reed (22) during their 450 heat race. I'll let you decide who's good and who's bad, but Trey definitely gets the ugly for the horrendous get-off he suffered. Fortunately, Canard wasn't seriously injured and went on to win the LCQ and finish a strong 4th in the main. Photo by GuyB.

One word that decribes last night's Monster Energy Supercross Series (MESS) at Dodger stadium in Los Angeles? Exciting! Of course, there was much more to it than that, so more words are needed.

What was good about the Dodger stadium supercross?

THE RACING. It was off the chain in both classes. These riders are all on it. They are putting on a heckuva show, giving it their all, blood sweat and tears, the whole nine. GuyB has the story at Vital MX.
THE PEOPLE. The stadium staff were all pretty cool, despite the fact that they were actually in a bit over their heads (see "the bad"); the fans were cool if a little irreverent; the place was packed major and minor moto-celebrities, and even more hot chicks than A1. Nice vibe, considering...
THE VENUE. Maybe it's not as nice as some of the newer ballparks, but Dodger stadium has enough charm of its own, if you take the time to look around. The view of L.A. from the parking lot is downright amazing.

The bad? Oh man...

THE PARKING. Yes, it's a funky parking lot, but it doesn't have to be as bad as it was on Saturday night. It took 15 minutes just to get in the lot, and we arrived fairly early between 3:30-4pm. The parking gate personnel were pleasant enough, but they only took cash (what year is this again?), and were just slow dealing with the traffic. Getting out was complete bedlam, and I didn't see a single police officer directing traffic. At Anaheim, the police actively direct departing traffic (and it's still crazy, I must admit).
THE PUNKS. No, not the MX hooligans; at least they showed up. But the SoCal motocross fans that chose not to go the the L.A. supercross for whatever reason they dreamed up. Sure, SX is expensive and stadium races are usually a pain in the ass to attend, but c'mon now... THIS season you do NOT want to miss. Donn Maeda at Transworld Motocross reports that 41,107 people attended the race; with a capacity of 56,000 that means 14,893 supposed California motocross fans punked out and missed an awesome race.
THE PRESS. Because the television coverage was delayed until Sunday morning, the motocross press seemed to follow the lead of the traditional press and "hold" race reports until the race was broadcast on CBS. The only real-time stream of information permitted to leave Dodger stadium during the race was the AMA lap timer. The promoters completely shut down the news. A travesty.

And the ugly...

THE MASSIVE LINES. For EVERYTHING. To get in, to buy food, to get out, to get back in, to even get in the rest rooms. Everything had a long line For such a big stadium, it has a really congested flow, made even worse by closing off sections, locking doors that have signs that say "door must be unlocked", not opening all available snack bars and more. I give credit to the stadium management conducting what seemed to be an incident-free event, but they really failed on the traffic management aspect. Some of their decisions on routing fans from the stadium to the "pit party" resulted in a massive jam of people squeezing into a narrow row of escalators. It was fortunate no one was hurt in the crush. Some people gave up and never made it to the pits, which is a shame because there is so much to see and do there.
(The way some fans treated) THE POLICE. Unfortunately, there was some booing when the LAPD motorcyclists made there way onto the stadium floor early in the opening ceremonies, and it's unusual because the Air Force and the LA Sheriffs department both had displays and personnel in the pits and were as well received as they are at other stadiums. I'm not saying the LAPD is perfect, but doing that to those motorcycle officers was definitely uncalled for. Of course, it didn't help when a couple of the officers got stuck in the deep dirt on the start straight and struggled to get their motorcycles off the track.

All of that to say... overall, it was AWESOME because the racing was so great. All of the good far outweighed the bad and the ugly, no question about it. The MESS went to Dodger stadium and motocross fans all over southern California came out the winner.

Two gets Second, Seven gets second

2011-01-23T01:45:00.000-08:00

Ryan Villopoto took his second win of the season at the Los Angeles supercross. What a race! More to come after "the embargo"...

Two and Two-Time

2011-01-21T21:33:00.000-08:00

Two races in, too early to tell. National number 2 versus two-time Supercross Champ. GuyB has the Big Picture from Phoenix.

Down in the Dirt: Phoenix 2011

2011-01-16T21:00:00.000-08:00

I am so glad this crash wasn't worse. James Stewart lost his front end while leading his heat race at the Phoenix round of the MESS, and GuyB was on hand to catch the shot (and more). If you look close, it seems like James is doing his best to protect his right arm from damage. And check out the reaction on some of those faces in the crowd!

Fortunately, it was his only miscue on the entire evening. Stewart recovered to finish second in the heat, and then went on to a strong performance in the main event, grabbing the holeshot and leading all 20 laps.

Made up for lost/last time: last year in Phoenix, Stewart effectively crashed out of the series. Winning this year has gotta feel good.

Two Fifty Deuce: Phoenix 2011

2011-01-16T20:59:00.000-08:00

Josh "Top Step" Hansen smiles for GuyB's camera after winning the 250cc race in Phoenix. Hansen got handed a bit of luck when his Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team mate Broc Tickle bobbled away the lead, but make no mistake about it, Josh put himself in place to win his second in a row. That's a big deal, dude.

Speaking of dudes, who's the one in non-green? It's Ryan Morais, after riding his Rockstar Suzuki to third place.

What happened at Phoenix 2011? Transworld Motocross has the answer

2011-01-16T19:57:00.000-08:00

Check out "How was your weekend?" by Brendan Lutes, who interviewed Stewart, Hansen, Villopoto, Tickle, Canard, Reed and many more. It's the story of Phoenix straight from the racers, no fluff, no filler.

Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing, baby: Anaheim 2011

2011-01-10T22:48:00.000-08:00

When I rolled into the Anaheim parking lot for the first race of the Monster Energy Supercross Series (MESS), pumping old Led Zeppelin tunes in my old Mustang, I only had two objectives in mind. First, I wanted to meet Geico Honda's supercross rookie Eli Tomac and ask him to sign a jersey acquired at a benefit auction for Ross Maeda. I'm still stoked about Tomac winning his very first pro race at the season motocross opener at Hangtown last year!

Second, I just wanted to have a good time. And it's really hard not to have a good time at any sort of motocross race. In fact, I think you have to sort of work at it - at not having a good time, that is - because the sport is naturally enjoyable. Supercross® has certainly had it's ups and downs over the past 35 years, but the people managing the product have managed to make their brand of indoor motocross consistently entertaining, even in the cases when the actual racing fails to bring the necessary drama. Racing motorcycles on dirt... what's not to like?

So I had two goals, and I knew from years of attending these races that proper preparation would be necessary for success. So my plan was to arrive as early as possible, have a pocket full of disposable entertainment dollars and be willing to stand in as many lines as it was going to take to achieve my aims.

Of course, with Anaheim, the biggest lines are to simply leave and re-enter the stadium, which is required to go the the “party in the pits.” There must be a method to their madness, because it has never changed. At least the autograph line for the Geico team moved well, and Kevin Windham and Eli Tomac were friendly and I accomplished the first goal.

And by that point, I was already having a good time, so it was all looking pretty good. Sure, it was kind of expensive: $20 bucks to park. $50 ticket plus $9.15 for “Trans Conv. Chrg.” and $5 for order processing. $10 for the program and another $10 because I was too stupid to drink Monster and redeem the can for a free pit pass (and stand in that long line). All told, $100 and change to park my butt in a plastic bleacher one aisle away from the industry seating section and in the very last row, mere steps from a beer station and the men's room. Pretty decent seat, actually. I just wanted to sit on the end of a row, and it worked out pretty good.

As you probably know by now, the on-track action didn't disappoint. Kawasaki made it a Monster night, winning both classes while sweeping the 250cc podium. I'm not going to deliver a full-on race report; you can get the professional grade stuff from Transworld MX, Vital MX and of course Racer X Online. But I will tell you what I saw.

In the 250cc class, I saw Josh Hansen has decided to win a championship this year. He ain't playing around; he just might sweep the series. He's going to face some stiff competition from his own team mates, and I fully expect the “youth brigade” (Tomac and German sensation Ken Roczen of the Red Bull KTM team) to give him fits once they find a level of comfort in their rookie seasons, but Hansen is clearly on a mission, and his Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki is more than up to the task of taking him to the title.

In the 450cc class, I saw the return of supercross superiority during the very first qualifying session, when before anyone else was able to break the 1 minute mark, James Stewart clicked off a 58 second lap. The best of the rest would get closer, but no one else got into the 58s, not even in the second session. So when the 450 main finally got underway, and it was apparent that Stewart would have to spend his evening battling through traffic, I felt my face break out into a big smile. I was really enjoying myself, watching these guys ride!

Mission accomplished.

A podium full of champions. From left to right: The 2009 Supercross Champion, San Manuel/Red Bull/Yamaha's James Stewart (3rd), 2007 West Region Supercross Champion, Monster Energy Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto (1st) and 2010 Supercross Champion, Rockstar/Makita/Suzuik's Ryan Dungey (2nd). Photo by GuyB/Vital MX

On Sunday I was able to catch some of the TV coverage of the race, and I have to say I felt kind of sad for those motocross fans who were not able to see this race in person. This sport has become far too complex for our standard broadcast practices to accurately capture; there's just too much going on at one time. Fans in the stadium have the luxury of being able to switch their attention to what interests them most at the moment; maybe it's the guy running off with the lead, maybe it's the guy fighting his way back from a bad start, maybe it's the gorgeous girl that keeps looking over her shoulder... all of that is missed by TV. The internet was supposed to fulfill a promise of multiple streams of sports information, multiple camera angles, diverse coverage, but the Supercross powers-that-be haven't figured that out yet. Trust me when I say this: the ONLY way to truly enjoy a supercross is by actually attending an event. Luckily, there are 16 more to go.

Don't sleep on this supercross season. Even if you have to drive for hours to get to the nearest race, go see at least one... it will be well worth your time!

Anaheim Rockstars

2011-01-09T17:11:00.000-08:00

They say the camera puts on 5 pounds. Where?

GuyB back at work.

Anaheim Royalty

2011-01-09T16:58:00.000-08:00

Now this won't happen at most supercrosses, and it's one of the reasons why the Anaheim rounds are so special: I ran into 4-time and current World Motocross Champion Antonio Cairoli just cruising around hooded up in the Anaheim pits. He doesn't know me from Adam and he was just walking around alone, so I called out "Tony!" and he stopped long enough for this shot. Cool guy and one fassssst mofo on a bike.

Photo by Paul Willis

Anaheim from behind

2011-01-09T16:46:00.000-08:00

Looking back on a good day at the A. It may not be Formula 1, but it sure is fun!

Former supercross champion Chad Reed sported the funniest "butt patch" in practice, seen above. Not sure what it means, but it may have something to do with his new status as fastest privateer in the series.

Photos by Paul Willis

Anaheim Won: Heaven '11

2011-01-09T16:28:00.000-08:00

Getting to the races early enough to catch practice is a MUST. At Anaheim, the lower level seating is open during qualifying, so there are some great opportunities for fans to get close enough to get some decent photos of their favorites. I was lucky enough to catch Josh Hansen here, getting his game face on before his first session. That's his father, former Supercross champion Donnie, standing on the other side of Casey Hinson.

Hansen, who won the Australian Super X championship late last year, was fast all evening and went on to score an extremely popular win.

Photo by Paul Willis

Anaheim Visionaries

2011-01-09T16:16:00.000-08:00

This is one of those totally lucky shots. I was trying capture a shot of Ken Roczen's factory KTM as the mechanics were pushing the bikes out for the first timed qualifying sessions, and I saw orange, aimed, fired and got this: Red Bull KTM manager (and living motocross legend) Roger DeCoster walking past Vital MX's head honcho Steve "GuyB" Giberson (appropriately immersed in his iPhone).

Visionaries? Sure. No one can argue the significant impact Roger DeCoster has had on modern motocross racing design and development, and GuyB's commitment to digital online technology has led Vital MX to be the most popular online forum in the business.

Photo by Paul Willis

Anaheim Foxes

2011-01-09T15:59:00.000-08:00

The first supercross of the season brings 'em out by the thousands.

Both of these cuties are running Fox Racing gear, and if the one on the bottom isn't sponsored by Fox, she should be!

Photos by Paul Willis

Don't Believe the Hype

2011-01-07T19:19:00.000-08:00

Showtime is less than 24 hours away, and there is a lot of excitement about the sheer entertainment potential of the 2011 Supercross series because EVERYONE IS HEALTHY so by all rights we should see AT LEAST SIX men race for the win EVERY NIGHT of this tour. Dungey, Stewart, Villopoto, Reed, Canard, Grant, Short, Tedesco, Windham, Millsaps, Hill and even the guy that took the phrase from Public Enemy (and made a mockery of it) Mike Alessi (healthy and backed by the powerhouse Red Bull KTM squad) are all capable of winning mains this year. Wouldn't it be just magical to have 17 different winners by season's end?

C'mon now.

I'm really looking forward to seeing these guys race tomorrow night in Anaheim!

Simon Cudby rocks so hard: Dodge Motorsports Hart & Huntington

2010-12-21T21:04:00.000-08:00

Hart & Huntington step up the look. Blose, Hill and Tedesco don game face. And moviemaster Cudby drops an another masterpiece of motocinema.

Enjoy: Racer X Films: Hart & Huntington Photo Shoot

"(T)he most complete broadcast schedule in the history of the sport"

2010-12-20T23:27:00.000-08:00

Hyperbole? Maybe that would sound better announced by the "voice of god" dude, rather than read as the latest press release from Feld Motorsports, Inc. Either way, I still wonder if by "most complete" they actually mean "incomplete." Because clearly they are NOT complete on the issue of airing race broadcasts as they happen in real-time (or "Live" as the TV folk like to call it), as only 7 of 16 Feld races will be broadcast in this manner.

And they certainly could not be claiming the schedule is complete in terms of showing all of the races in the series, live or not, because Daytona is not on this schedule because Feld doesn't promote that race. So what are they talking about? From the Supercross Online press release:

"This is a huge step in the growth of Monster Energy Supercross," said Todd Jendro, senior director of operations, Feld Motor Sports.

Okay then. Let's see some Supercross and see how they do. It all starts the day after Christmas, December 26, 5pm Eastern on CBS, with a very special preview show featuring former Supercross Champions Ricky Carmichael, Jeremy McGrath, Jeff Stanton and Jeff Emig!

Dodge signs Carey Hart to a 3-year Supercross deal

2010-12-13T21:42:00.000-08:00

In a positive but strange development, American car manufacturer Dodge has finally decided to get into supercross racing... and they turned to Carey Hart, the former racer and freestyler most well-known for being the first to huck and (sorta) land a backflip in televised competition, to bring them to the big dance. According to this weirdly-worded PR blurb (thanks Racer X!), Dodge is committing to support the Hart and Huntington team for the next three years, leaning on Hart to bring "...his vast riding skills and marketing prowess to Chrysler Group’s performance vehicle brand."

Oh really? So where's the beef? For 2011, Hart and Huntington have hired national number 9 and two-time regional supercross champion Ivan Tedesco, as well as one guy who was briefly tied for the lead in the 2010 Supercross series, Josh Hill. They also have Chris Blose, who has shown some promise on the 250cc machines but has yet to make any noise on the 450cc bikes that H&H will campaign next year. The team will compete on Kawasaki motorcycles. [Correction: Blose finished 13th overall in 450cc Supercross in 2010, finishing as high as 6th place (Indy). My bad, Chris!]

So let's see... in the past, MX and SX have seen Toyota, Mazda and Chevy Trucks pump in big sponsorship dollars in order to parade their wares in front of the race-going and -watching public, usually jumping in the deep end by either sponsoring the whole series (Toyota), or the series champion (Chevy, Mazda). I'm glad that Chrysler Group has decided to pay our sport a little homage with a little fromage (excusez-moi), but I am curious why they decided to go with H&H instead of bigger names with better podium potential. In truth, the way the press release reads, it seems Dodge is not particularly interested in winning, but simply seeking "...a significant at-track presence at major Supercross events throughout 2011. Dodge logos will appear on all team assets including haulers, motorcycles, tents, team personnel uniforms, athlete’s equipment and riding apparel, and all Hart and Huntington custom branded team vehicles, including the all-new 2011 Dodge Durango, all-new Dodge Charger and the new Dodge Challenger."

In any case, considering the competition this lineup will face, I do not expect them to be a factor in the title race, but I will be disappointed if they don't use the H&H logo with the word "Hemi" somehow.

From Subaru to Toyota: Travis Pastrana is going NASCAR racing in 2011

2010-11-11T22:04:00.000-08:00

Only Travis could pull this off. (h/t to bturman at Vital MX)

The latter part of 2010 has been full of big announcements, and this one is the biggest yet: Travis Pastrana announced today that he is joining forces with Michael Waltrip Racing to campaign a Toyota stock car in selected Nationwide Series races next year. From the press release on the new Pastrana Waltrip Racing website,

"Travis has built an enormous and unique following all over the world," said Waltrip, a two-time Daytona 500 champion. "As a race team owner, we are always looking for ways to deliver to our partners and engage our fans better. This is an opportunity to showcase our company and our sport to a new generation of young fans. We're also looking for that next big star. Travis already is one and action sports is full of talented athletes. Having Travis as a part of our program adds another great dimension to our team and NASCAR."

How big is the upside for Travis? From the wiki on NASCAR's current TV deal:

On December 7, 2005, NASCAR signed a new eight-year, $4.48 billion deal^[3] with the Fox Broadcasting Company and Speed Channel. Also included in the new contract are Disney-owned ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, along with TNT. The contract came into effect in 2007. The rights were split up as such:
Fox would become the exclusive home to the Daytona 500 and own the rights to the twelve points races after that. In addition, they will carry the Budweiser Shootout and two Craftsman Truck Series races. (In 2007, they were the Martinsville spring race, and the race in Mansfield, Ohio the Saturday before Memorial Day. In 2008 and '09, Fox aired the Kroger 250 from Martinsville, as well as the San Bernardino County 200 at California Speedway, instead of Mansfield. In 2010, Fox will not air any races in what is now the Camping World Truck Series; all 25 races will be shown on Speed^[4].
TNT will carry the next six Sprint Cup races including the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.
ESPN and ABC (through the ESPN on ABC arrangement) carried the final seventeen Sprint Cup races, with the ten races comprising the Chase for the Sprint Cup airing on ABC (Beginning in 2010, ESPN will take over most of the coverage, leaving ABC with three Saturday night races in August and October). ESPN will begin the coverage with the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. The entire Nationwide Series season will be aired primarily on ESPN2 and ESPN, with selected races on ABC.
Speed will carry the Gatorade Duel races and the Sprint All-Star Challenge, as well as the entire Craftsman Truck Series season, except for the two races each year carried by Fox from 2007–09.

That's serious exposure for Pastrana, already one of the most recognizable motor sport champion on this planet. Now he's about to step onto his biggest stage ever, taking sponsors Red Bull and DC Shoes with him. NASCAR will never be the same!

Ryan Dungey, the super Rockstar at Austin Livestrong Challenge

2010-11-01T20:36:00.000-07:00

What did you do last weekend? Ryan Dungey took in a training ride with Lance Armstrong and 3,000 fellow cyclists at the Austin Livestrong Challenge. By the way, this film was produced by Dungey's own production company, RD Films. Good stuff, Ryan!

Video courtesy OCScottie at Vital MX.

Supercross 2011 is going to L.A.'s Dodger Stadium!

2010-10-29T22:37:00.000-07:00

Now, as a resident of Southern California, I am really looking forward to this event. The 2011 MESS (Monster Energy Supercross Series) will visit Dodger Stadium in downtown Los Angeles for the first time ever! And to demonstrate how cool this actually, Feld Motorsports took the media on a special tour of the Big Blue House. Check out GuyB's great report at Vital MX.

What's really cool about this new Supercross venue is how close it is to Hollywood and the Los Angeles media centers. The crowd should be off-the-hook with celebrities!

Goodbye Ben: Townley Takes Off

2010-10-19T21:04:00.000-07:00

Townley absolutely killing it at the U.S.G.P. at Glen Helen this year - photo by Guy B/Vital MX.

Former World Champion Ben Townley of New Zealand announced that he's leaving the U.S. to contest the World Championship in 2011. You can read the official PR here at Vital MX or for a slightly different feel, check out Motocross Action's take on it.

Townley signed a one-year deal to campaign a Pro Circuit-prepped, Monster Energy drink-backed Kawasaki for the CLS team.

Good luck Ben!

Step Up or Drop Off? Bubba's World Season 2 trailer

2010-10-07T22:03:00.000-07:00

I'd like to see a version of this without the drama music. Either way, this is a masterfully edited statement and is sure to create some heat for the new episodes and the upcoming supercross season. But it still smells like a reality show to me. Perhaps I shouldn't judge it based on one short trailer (instead, I'll judge it by season one), but I just don't like that smell.

From JS7.com

Red Bull drops American Honda, keeps Andrew Short

2010-10-06T20:18:00.000-07:00

Okay, that may not be entirely true, but it sounds funny so I went with it. Here's the actual KTM press release, courtesy Vital MX. Suddenly, KTM appears to be flexing for 2011:

Andrew (Shorty) Short will ride for KTM in the SX and MX Open class competition in the USA and will be a factory teammate to KTM’s Mike Alessi and MX2 World Champion Marvin Musquin in the National MX competition. In addition, Ken Roczen, also new to the Red Bull KTM factory team in 2011, will, like Musquin, compete in the AMA Supercross Lites class. After the SX, the young German rider will return to Europe to ride for the KTM factory team in the World Championship GP series.

Andrew Short is a great motocross racer, a legitimate fast guy indoors and out. He has not yet managed to win any national championships, but he has come damn close for the past 4 seasons. He has scored a lot of podiums while earning valuable air time and visibility for his sponsors. No wonder Red Bull likes him.

Now he's on a team featuring the two fastest 250cc racers from Europe, managed by living legend and man-on-a-new-mission Roger DeCoster. Red Bull KTM is looking pretty strong; Musquin and Roczen could conceivably win every 250 motocross title on the planet next year, and Short and Alessi will represent well on the 450s. Well played, gentlemen!

2010 MXoN: Dungey Doubles

2010-09-27T16:46:00.000-07:00

Even the fastest racers in the world (that were well enough to qualify for their country's MXoN team, that is) couldn't stop the Dungey from scoring double moto wins this weekend. What year is this again? Dungey's year!

GuyB with the goods for Vital MX.

Team USA wins the 2010 Red Bull Motocross of Nations!

2010-09-26T21:11:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Trey Canard, Ryan Dungey and Andrew Short for winning the 2010 Motocross of Nations at the Thunder Valley raceway in Colorado this weekend! This makes six in a row for Team USA! Good job!

More Visual Splendor: Red Bull represent

2010-09-25T23:46:00.000-07:00

Lady Gaga working it at the Motocross of Nations? Maybe not, but it does seem that Red Bull gets the hot ones.
Thanks, GuyB!

Visual Splendor: TWMX at the MXoN

2010-09-25T23:28:00.000-07:00

Transworld Motocross has some great coverage of today's qualifiers!

Red Bull Motocross of Nations in Colorado, USA

2010-09-25T23:17:00.000-07:00

Yeah, we're feeling it. Check out GuyB's excellent coverage of Saturday qualifying at Vital MX.

National Champion Trey Canard

2010-09-14T23:32:00.000-07:00

I would bet Trey Canard believes in miracles. Now he's a National Motocross Champion, for American Honda no less. Following along in the tire tracks of the many great motocross champions that won titles with Big Red (Marty Smith, David Bailey, Jeremy McGrath, Ricky Carmichael to name a few), TC is still special in his own right.

Pala podium pic by GuyB.

Pala Performance: National Champion Canard

2010-09-12T16:35:00.000-07:00

Wow. Trey Canard had a tremendous second half of the 2010 season, winning 5 of the last six Nationals (Red Bud, Spring Creek, Washougal, Unadilla and Steel City). And in the one race he didn't win (sandy Southwick) he still finished on the podium in 3rd.

Canard and the GEICO Powersports Honda team carried a lot of momentum coming into Pala, putting themselves in serious contention for a title that many (myself included) had already conceded to Christophe Pourcel and the powerhouse Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki squad. Still, at the final round, Canard needed Pourcel to have a bad day order to have a shot at the title. Pourcel, unfortunately, delivered.

It was a pleasure to watch them ride yesterday, and my hat is off to the two champions. Both riders rode as fast as they could and both of them made mistakes. But Trey Canard kept it on two wheels and scored more points than his rival. That's racing.

Trey Canard is the 2010 National Motocross Champion! Congratulations to Trey, his team and his family!

Great shot by GuyB/Vital MX.

Roger DeCoster and Tony Alessi

2010-09-12T01:56:00.000-07:00

Chatting at the end of the season. I imagine these guys will be talking a lot in the coming months. Soon, they'll even be wearing the same shirts.

Photo credit: Paul Willis

Pala Shocker: Pourcel Crashes Out

2010-09-12T01:40:00.000-07:00

The red plate on the #377 bike, seen here alone in the pits during the second 250cc moto at Pala, signifies the championship points leader. Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki racer Christophe Pourcel carried this plate through most of the 12 race season, and came to Southern California with a seven-point lead over GEICO Powersports Honda's Trey Canard. But complete disaster befell Pourcel in the first moto, as he crashed and dislocated his shoulder. Allisports interviewed Christophe and got the full story .

My heart was broken for Pourcel, I assumed all seasson long that he would win this title.

Photo credit: Paul Willis

Steel City Slicker: Windham Wins One

2010-09-07T20:49:00.000-07:00

Everyone's favorite, normally supercross-only vet racer (!) Kevin Windham repaid Team Honda Red Bull's kindness by winning the overall at the Steel City National on Saturday. Ryan Dungey cut Kdub some slack by crashing out of the first moto on the first lap, but Geico Honda's Brett Metcalfe made Windham work for it in moto two. As always, GuyB gets the girls, um, goods. Same difference, I suppose!

The other shoe droppeth: KTM picks up DeCoster

2010-09-05T12:53:00.000-07:00

The man who guided Team USA to almost all of its Motocross of Nations victories, the man who managed nearly all of Team Honda's iconic motocross champions, the man who brought American Suzuki's motocross team back from the dead, The Man himself has agreed to a presumably multi-year deal to manage KTM's "new" factory team in the United States, according to this press release at Racer X Online.

Glad to see Roger quickly found a home, but I hope that he made the best deal possible. As he himself mentioned in his recent (and revealing) interview on DMXS, he just turned 66 but downturns in his real estate investments make it impossible for him to retire at this time. I wish Roger the best of luck with his new venture!

Jawdropper: Roger DeCoster out at Suzuki

2010-09-01T22:15:00.000-07:00

Some things happen in ways you would never expect. This news is one of those things: "The Man", 5-time motocross world champion and iconic Suzuki star is leaving the company after 15 years of taking the yellow team from the bottom to the top (news courtesy of Vital MX).

Now we wait for the other shoe to drop, I suppose, since the press release makes no mention of DeCoster's future plans. The dude has done so much for so long, he certainly deserves to ride off into the sunset of a well-financed retirement, but for some reason, I'm thinking he's not finished with racing yet. In any case, this is a tremendous loss for Team Suzuki, which has been rumored to be suffering a major budget crisis in 2010.

Southwick Sandmaster: Dungey gets down

2010-08-29T16:15:00.000-07:00

2010 is the Year of Ryan Dungey. First year on the 450cc machines and he cleans house, winning indoors and out. Managed by the Man, supported by the GOAT and on bikes built by Goose, Flyin' Ryan won it all in a magnificently dominant style, winning both motos at the Southwick National. GuyB has the story at Vital MX.

Congratulations to Ryan Dungey and the entire Rockstar Makita Suzuki racing team!

Breaking News: James Stewart gave me a tummy ache

2010-08-28T17:28:00.000-07:00

And it was all my fault, I'm man enough to now admit. Being a big time fan (BTF) of any professional sportsman or sportswoman has its own special risks, and whenever we BTFs ascribe the status of "superhuman" to any person, no matter how magnificent their achievements may have been, we flirt with the inevitable, crushing disappointment that comes when our heroes prove to be merely human.

So what's this prattle all about? Team James announced they're through with the Nationals for 2010. Kaput. Why? According to the press release, James and the team are not ready to "...compete in the series at the level they are accustomed to," and James doesn't want to "...put my entire career at risk by getting injured again." Stewart even apologized to the fans, the series and the sponsors.

Cue BTF tummy ache: "Dammit, I wanted to see him ride at Pala! How could he DO this to me? He's so selfish, all he cares about is his career and making a profit for his sponsors and team! What about MY needs??"

Damned if it didn't take me a few days to get over myself. Maybe it helped that I avoided the Vital MX online forum since the news broke; maybe not. In any case, once I got over my emotional reaction to the news, I realized it was a smart move.

Of course, every professional motocross racer faces the risk of injury every time they line up behind a starting gate. But how many of them willingly gas it while wondering if they are about to crash their brains out because their bike and/or body is "not ready?" Going for it when one is not ready is what some amateurs unfortunately do. And maybe desperate pros struggling to establish themselves. But top tier pros and the multi-million dollar teams that enable them have too much at stake to do something so foolish.

So while the news disappointed me so deeply it made my stomach churn, I admit it makes sense. Team L&M/San Manuel Band of Mission Indians/Yamaha/James Stewart Entertainment, in its current configuration, is a supercross-focused team. Racing the last four Nationals knowing that there are problems with the bike and the rider that could lead to crashes and injury would be counter-productive. After missing most of the 2010 supercross series and after failing to defend their supercross title, this team really needs to focus on being healthy and ready to race in January 2011.

Apology accepted, James.

James Stewart: Face meet Palm

2010-08-17T20:15:00.000-07:00

Honestly, I feel blessed that I have had the opportunity to see James Stewart Jr. race a motocross motorcycle. Numerous opportunities, in fact, and each time it was well worth the cost of admission... from the high and lows of his debut supercross race way back when (at Anaheim, California on a 125cc two-stroke), to the laid back fun at his free public ride day in Southern California. And I honestly feel sorry for those MX fans that have not seen the man ride yet. There are a lot of them out there, and I can understand why they would be upset if they had paid money to see him do his thing... and he just decided not to do it.

And according to Stewart himself, that's exactly what he did at Unadilla. Today, he broke his media silence by dropping, if not a bombshell then at least a small concussion grenade of insight in his "An Open Letter From James Regarding Unadilla and MXoN" (posted by Garth Milan at JS7.com) He "straight up" said:

"...I just decided to pull off, lick my wounds, and learn from the weekend."

Learning is a good thing, but sometimes the lessons are hard. I have a good friend that drove 5 hours to Unadilla to see James race the year that Stewart got injured in practice. He never got to see the man ride (no, television doesn't count), so he actually balked at the opportunity to make the trip this year to upstate New York. In fact, he did not go, because he was afraid he would be disappointed again by his motocross hero. What did my friend learn this weekend?

Last year, I truly felt sorry for the motocross fans in Italy and Australia, who had waited all year for their first ever opportunity to see James race in person, and whose hopes were dashed when James fell ill after the Bercy Supercross and canceled his remaining international race schedule. It wasn't James' fault by any stretch, but the result was unhappy fans nonetheless.

But this time in New York, James admits plainly that he believed he had "nothing to gain" by completing the moto.

Rather than submitting to an interview with his friends and enemies in the moto press, he once again chose to directly address his followers and foes. In my opinion, he took his time to prepare and present his thoughts, and I respect that. But after reading this open letter, it pains me to think that he misses the significance of some of his own words.

I haven't even commented on what he wrote about not being selected for the 2010 Motocross of Nations team. Read it for yourself.

Meanwhile, I will go back to looking forward to seeing Stewart ride at the season finale National at Pala in SoCal. But I might start a new habit of not looking forward to hearing or reading what he has to say.

So... what happened to James at Unadilla?

2010-08-16T22:05:00.000-07:00

Apparently, he was too tired to race the second moto. That's according to his team manager, Larry Brooks, from this podcast interview with Steve Matthes. Brooks said James left it all on the track in moto one, and that after setting fast times in both practice sessions and running well and finishing third in the first moto, it was still a good day for the team.

As far as I can tell, James has not said a word to the moto media yet. I wonder when this silence will end? Actually, I wonder why it started in the first place?

Unadilla Undone: Mystery in New York

2010-08-15T21:50:00.000-07:00

So, after spending nearly all of the 2010 Supercross season and most of the 2010 Motocross series on the injured reserve list, so to speak, James Stewart Jr. returned to professional racing at the challenging Unadilla circuit in upstate New York. He finished 3rd in the first moto, behind series points leader Ryan Dungey and visiting World Championship contender Clement DeSalle, but according to this lap chart for the second moto, Stewart finished the first lap in 15th place and moved up as high as 11th before dropping out of the race. James was credited with 35th place in the moto, giving him 11th overall for the event.

So what happened? It's Sunday night, and there's no news on Vital MX or Racer X Online or even JS7.com. This is not good. Stewart and his team need to tell everyone what's up, otherwise there will be nothing but rampant speculation about Stewart's motivation, and much of this speculation will turn into ugly talk on internet chat boards.

I thought the team had their PR act together.

Racerhead of the Year: Tennessee Stomp

2010-08-06T22:38:00.000-07:00

Jeff Emig knows something about starting gates. Go read and enjoy Racerhead #32 at Racer X Online. It's food for the moto mind.

XGameX: Grant Gets Gold

2010-07-30T20:55:00.000-07:00

Check out GuyB's X coverage at Vital MX.

Killer D

2010-07-26T19:49:00.000-07:00

Ya know, in January I thought this man would have to go a long way to top his killer 2009 double championship performance on the half-size bikes. Well, he's going the distance on the full-size ones. 2010 is the Year of Ryan Dungey.

This pic by Guy was taken shortly after RD slaughtered the field at Washougal. He looks like he is not finished kicking ass. Yikes.

Bad News from Chad Reed

2010-07-23T21:02:00.000-07:00

The Epstein Barr virus claims another professional motocross racer.

"It just got to a point where it was dangerous for me to be out there. My doctor, team and I have decided that I need to be off the bike for a while to try get this handled."

Chad Reed, the defending National Motocross champion, announced today (in a strikingly well-written letter to his fans) that he is too ill to continue with his title defense.

No question about it, 2010 has been a tough year for Reed. And for us fans, it sucks that one of the fastest racers is sidelined indefinitely. But now Chad gets to take his wife and newborn son back to Australia and spend time with his family earlier than expected, and that's got to be a good thing.

Get well soon, Chad.

James Stewart had a great conversation with Steve Matthes of Transworld MX

2010-07-21T22:11:00.000-07:00

And the BTOSPorts.com TWMX Podcast scores with another big James Stewart interview. It is always cool to hear it directly from the man, and he clearly feels at ease with Matthes. Soon he'll be racing and then he will really have something to talk about. I hope he keeps up the "fireside" podcasts with the moto press.

News - James Stewart #7 | Official Site | JS7.com

Millville Mashup: Crowd Pleaser

2010-07-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

"When the horn blows, you better be ready to go."
- George Clinton

Kdub knows what's up. All eyes on him. National number 14. On a factory Honda. When the gate drops, he better be ready to rock. Kevin Windham rocked it.

In his first race back since the Supercross season, Windham grabbed the holeshot and led the first 450 moto at Millville for 7 laps, thrilling the Spring Creek crowd with his speed and style. But points leader Ryan Dungey (above in full attack mode) was the fastest man that Saturday on a Minnesota motocross track. GuyB has the goods at Vital MX.

Millville Modern: Excitement in the air

2010-07-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

Here's a really cool GuyB photo from 450 moto 2 at Millville: Ryan Dungey leading Tommy Hahn, the newly-returned Kevin Windham and Mike Alessi, and the lead pack is so tight they're sharing airspace over this double jump.

Red Bud Fireworks: 450 Moto 1

2010-07-03T21:00:00.000-07:00

This is the best 450 moto of the year, by far. Thanks to Allisports incredible archive!

Look Who's Riding: JS7

2010-07-02T22:37:00.000-07:00

From James Stewart's twitpic thing.

Wow. That's a nice backyard.

German Grand Prix: Trans Europe Express

2010-06-19T17:51:00.000-07:00

Stylin' at the Grand Prix of Germany in Teutschenthal, factory Suzuki star Ken Roczen has got a really nice rig.

Photo by Jeffrey Beersden/Vital MX.

High Point Low Point: Technical Foul

2010-06-16T20:55:00.000-07:00

High Point was horrible for defending U.S. National 450cc motocross champion Chad Reed, starting with goggle problems in moto 1, and winding up with his front brake nearly wrapped around his forks in moto 2. When Reed arrived at the Pennsylvania circuit he was leading the title chase; now he sits in 4th, 31 points behind new red-plate-holder Ryan Dungey.

From GuyB's High Point Photo Blast at Vital MX.

OK, show 'em how it's REALLY done, Ryan D!

2010-06-14T20:53:00.000-07:00

Check out how the newly crowned 450cc indoor motocross champion rolls to the outdoor motocross races. Not only does Flyin' Ryan Dungey sport a target on his back... GuyB shows us the other side.

Show 'em how it's done, GuyB!

2010-06-13T18:12:00.000-07:00

This is living, motocross style. When your company gives you a truck and a trailer and sends you out on the road to cover the national motocross championships... with your teenage son. Vital MX's top dog motojournalist Steve "GuyB" Giberson turned down the plane tickets to live the life of many dreamers. That he's taking his son along makes it that much sweeter. Have fun, guys!

Pic by, you guessed it, GuyB!

Freestone Firestorm: Foreign Nationals

2010-06-06T16:28:00.000-07:00

What's wrong with this picture? Well there's certainly nothing wrong with those beautiful ladies, especially Ms. Dream on the right. And if you work at Pro Circuit, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this shot of the 250cc winner's podium at the second round of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro National Motocross Championship (whew!) in Freestone, Texas (unless, of course, your name is Dean Wilson).

But some may have noticed that there are no Americans on the box. And while that may not be "wrong", especially considering the gutsy performances under grueling Texas-in-the-summer conditions put in by these French, South African and Canadian racers, it still seems kind of weird.

Another great pic by GuyB/Vital MX.

These boots were made for winning: Dungey's Nikes

2010-06-05T15:15:00.000-07:00

Rocking these red Nike motocross boots, Ryan Dungey romped all over the Nation's best 450cc riders at the Texas round of the LOAPMC. Coolpic by GuyB.

USGP 2010: Townley Trucking

2010-05-31T20:34:00.000-07:00

New Zealand's Ben Townley administered a serious beatdown on the MX1 class in the second moto, passing both Tony Cairoli and Mike Alessi early on the first lap and then running away to win by almost 8 seconds or so. "Uptown's" Troy Lee/Lucas Oil Honda was the only other make to take a moto win away from the otherwise dominant KTMs. GuyB got it.