Hangtown: Tim Ferry is the story

Tim Ferry put his Kawasaki solidly in second place at Hangtown, AND had the grace and presence of mind to acknowledge "everyone listening on the internet." I listened or "earwitnessed" the second 450 moto, using the Supercross Live broadcast and the AMA's live timing website, and Ferry came from mid-pack to chase down and pass rabbits like Mike Alessi, Davi Millsaps, and a surprisingly quick Ivan Tedesco (who took third overall with 3-3 finishes... the sauce is getting warmer?).

Ferry's Monster Energy Kawasaki team mate, James Stewart, should have been the story as he obliterated (to borrow a term from Hillary) the rest of the field in both motos. But it seemed that once he got past holeshot winner Millsaps on the first lap, the webcast announcers rarely mentioned him, other than to call out the gap he had over second. No mention of lines, riding style, crowd reaction, nothing. I guess he was riding well. I guess I'll find out after the photojournalists weigh in.

Hangtown Saturday: Robert Kiniry

Nice form in one of the less rutted turns. Cool photo by Factoryphoto.

Townley crashed in Hangtown practice

Okay, the news is slowly filtering to us on the internet... over at Vital MX, someone posted that they saw Ben go "... down real hard and limped off the track it was ugly."

So, ask and we shall (eventually) receive. It's kind of funny... not funny that Ben crashed; later he was able to qualify seventh in his group... but that motocross reporting is still stuck in the dark ages, despite the fact that we have instantaneous electronic communications networks at our disposal. The only real-time information coming out of Hangtown during practice and qualifying was the AMA's live timing. We have to wait for the photojournalists to upload after the riding is done.

Considering the quality of Factoryphoto's work, though... I guess I can't complain about the wait!

Hangtown Saturday: who are these guys?

Looking at the top five free practice times in the 250 class the inevitable Villopoto, Dungey, Lawrence... but, J-Law is in 5th, put there by Honda riders Kyle Cunningham and Robert Kiniry. What?

And then there's timed qualifying, and of that group, only Kiniry has to turn in a time... and he goes from a 2:07.123 in practice to a 2:09.055 when it "counts". Dude, that's the wrong way!

Seriously, DNA/BTO/Butler Bros.-sponsored Cunningham and Solitaire/MB1/Brawndo-sponsored Kiniry are great riders. It's just surprising to me to see them so fast in practice. Let's hope they turn in top five performances on Sunday.

Hangtown Saturday: what is up with Ben Townley?

Look, I saw (on a live, pay-per-view webcast no less) Townley running almost as fast as the legendary Ricky Carmichael at that MXoN race a few years back. I have been a "believer" of the New Zealander since then. His championship battle with Ryan Villopoto was intense. Ben is a fast guy.

So what's up with these practice times? It's not like this is his first time on these tracks. Last Saturday at the Glen, he was around 35th fastest in practice; today he clocked a 2:25.830 on the Dirtdiggers-prepared Hangtown course... and that's the 62nd fastest time!

I think I heard David Bailey on the Racer X Pre Show say something about Townley not being worried about setting fast times in free practice, about only going fast when it counts. And at Glen Helen, Townley DID turn faster laps in timed qualifying... but so did everyone else, as the track dried further into perfection.

So the expectation, after free practice, was that Townley would "show up" at least in the top ten during timed qualifying at Hangtown. And that's just what he did, considerably improving his fastest laptime to 2:09.476, to land in 7th in Group B qualifying. But... but... Townley was slower than guys like Juss Lansoo, Chris Blose and Jared Jet Browne. Holy cow, I've never even HEARD of that last guy!

Mr. 101, where are you?

Vital MX Goes Off, Part 2

GuyB cannot be stopped! You will not believe the ultra-fine detail in this collection of wallpapers from Glen Helen! Okay, maybe you will believe it...

James Stewart: "I'm looking forward to being in front of everybody"

That's from the Monday Conversation over at Racer X Online. And actually, what James is saying is that he's looking forward to showing up at all the nationals and racing in front of all the fans. Taken out of context, though, it sounds like he plans on being in front of his competition all season long.

Then again, maybe that's the subtext.

Mike Alessi: Credit is Due

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"The M", Mike Alessi, styling on his Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM450, deserves credit for putting some pressure on James Stewart at Glen Helen, although it IS Mikey's home track. Alessi should now be expected to run this hard all season long; let's not forget that he was runnerup in 2007. GuyB shoots a promo shot for the big GH.

This is Racing

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Looks like James didn't want to give up the second moto holey to the start artist M. Alessi, so he just kept it pinned through Talledega, dominating the inside. If anyone is going to beat James Stewart this year, they will have to keep it pinned, too. "GuyB is EVERYWHERE" photo.

Putting it down, East Coast Style

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The first 250 moto of the year, and New Jersey's Jason Lawrence took the win in impressive fashion. GuyB asserts his photographic excellence in another great gallery.

Of course, there is a lot more to Glen Helen 2008...

So I was sitting in a grassy field beside my Mustang, eating a baby spinach salad while observing what looked like the monumental meanderings of a mad tailor: a small airplane was performing acrobatic maneuvers over the Glen Helen racetrack in the distance, stitching up the sky with great looping threads of smoke.

Again, that spectacle was in the distance. I was also being entertained by an airshow of a different scale in the grassy field before me: a flock of tiny birds wheeled, looped and careened over the carpet of grass, pulling moves that made the aerobatic pilot seem lame in comparison. I was sitting in a field right next to the Pavillion (whatever corporate sponsor owns the naming rights), about to make the hike into Glen Helen with hundreds of others as the parking "lot" continued to fill, feeling pretty pumped about seeing the first AMA Toyota National (presented by FMF, don't forget) of the year. How many Nationals start with a friggin' airshow?? Glen Helen had two (counting the birdies).

Rode in the back of an overstuffed Toyota Tundra. I have to say the overcrowding effect seemed to override any other impressions I might have had about the truck. Um, the bed liner was fresh?

To the racing. Jason Lawrence wire-to-wire in the first 250 moto, say what? Damn, that was cool to see. Monster Pro Circuit, though, really flexed their muscle today: Austin Powers, er, Stroupe won his first National by going 2-3! Ryan Villopoto turned a 5-1 into second overall, and J-Law wasn't able to repeat his first moto win, but got on the box with a fifth in the second moto (holding Trey Canard at bay to do so. Hmmm.).

And in the 450 class, like I said before, James Owns Glen Helen. He is still poetry in motion for those able to see him without being blinded by politics or other distractions. He was flying his Monster Energy Kawasaki higher and farther than anyone over that crazy mountaintop step-over in the REM section of the track, which then plunged steeply downhill straight into some Prius-sized braking bumps, which James would jump over, landing in the turn. Just watching that guy ride is truly one of life's little pleasures.

You gotta give Mike Alessi credit for giving it his all to make it a race. No one else on the course (save James, of course) could hang with the M. Mike rode the crap out of that Suzuki trying to keep Stewart in sight. Roger D and Big Goose deserve credit for putting a great bike under Alessi, and the entire Rockstar Makita Suzuki team should be pumped with Alessi's 2-2 for second OA.

Red Bull Honda is loaded this season, but their top man today was a surprise: Davi Millsaps carded 3-3 for the last spot on the box, after team mates Andrew Short and Ben Townley both dnf'd moto two. The Last Dragon on RBH (last Bull?) was Ivan Tedesco, who's sauce hasn't been hot for a while now. Number 9 ran hard all day, though, finishing fifth OA. He shouldn't do any worse than that.

Tim Ferry looked strong, but couldn't handle Millsaps for some reason. Timmy is faster than that, so I don't know what's going on there.

Big surprise of the day? Has to be Sean "I'm Back" Hamblin going 8-8 for SEVENTH overall, beating out some factory guys on his TUF Racing-backed private Yamaha. Hambone might get invited back into a big rig soon.

So the day was great, the racing was fan-tastic, the weather was the best it has ever been at GH, I hear the riders actually like the track, and the AMA Toyoto Motocross Championship is underway.

So what was NOT to like? Little birdie airshow notwithstanding, the parking SUCKED this year, and what sucked the most was that I was using the side of the facility that was supposed to IMPROVE the parking experience. In the past years, I seem to remember parking in the same area, but this year they had only one way out, so all the cars, trucks and motorhomes were funneled into one path out. Yes, I sat in the grassy field by my Mustang and watched the aerobatics one more time.

James Stewart Owns Glen Helen

That's all you really need to know. And I'm sure it may be news to the Feldkamp family, but there you have it.

More later...

Is Toyota the greatest American Motocross sponsor ever?

It's raceday (speaking of race, I wonder if Obama has ever been to one of these?), and on the very first page of the Glen Helen 2008 Souvenir Yearbook it reads,

THE ORIGINAL OFFICIAL TRUCK OF MOTOCROSS.

In the 1970's, a sport called "motocross" was just getting off the ground in America. Toyota was there then and we're there now.

Oh man. Whoever wrote that line loves this sport as much as I do, if not more. And Toyota provides evidence of that claim on the inside cover, in a series of iconic images of legendary badasses like Hannah and Howerton. Toyota is a badass sponsor.

Time to for me to hit the road.

Glen Helen Practice: a nice day at the (raceway) park

Doom and gloom was the forecast, and there were dark skies and plenty of mud puddles in the parking lot this morning for sure, but by the time the pros hit the track for practice, the course was actually looking awesome.

And I mean that in a good way. I was struck by how fun the Glen Helen course looked; I'm used to it being the most fearsome track on the National circuit. There is no question that in years past, Jody Weisel and his crew have built some just plain scary racetracks... this year's course seems to be "lightened up" a little. Don't get me wrong, it is still very challenging, and the whole REM section of the track is all about major airtime. MAJOR airtime, do you hear me? They're jumping far AND fast to clear the triple step up and other jumps back there.

Still, the course this year looks like it would actually be fun even for a non-jumping, slow-ass beginner like myself. This obviously means I haven't been on a bike in a long time, to think I could actually handle this course.

On to the real deal: who was fast in practice?

Here are the top five numbers for the 250Fs:

1 - Jason Lawrence, Yamaha 2:44.053
2 - Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki 2:45.150
3 - Brett Metcalfe Kawasaki 2:45.913
4 - Austin Stroupe Kawasaki 2:46.134
5 - Nico Izzi, Suzuki 2:46.427

And here are the top five in the big bike class:

1 - James Stewart, Kawasaki 2:42.278
2 - Andrew Short, Honda 2:43.294
3 - Mike Alessi, Suzuki 2:44.135
4 - Jeff Alessi, Honda 2:45.000
5 - Timmy Ferry, Kawasaki 2:45.343


Okay. Stewart being a second faster than Short was to be expected; Lawrence more than a full second faster than Villopoto is a straight out surprise. Jason looked strong and smooth today. Ryan looked astonishingly fast, but sometimes he looked like he was fighting his bike a bit, just a little on the edge. But these are just the timed practice results. Timed QUALIFYING was a little bit different...

250F group A (or 3):

1 - Stroupe 2:42.502
2 - Kyle Cunningham, Honda 2:45.036
3 - Trey Canard, Honda 2:45.094
4 - Izzi 2:46.813
5 - Matt Goerke, KTM 2:47.127

250F group B (or 4):

1 - Ryan Sipes, KTM 2:46.826
2 - Jake Moss, Yamaha 2:48.112

blah blah blah, now I'm tired of typing this mess...

In any case, the track only got faster and so did the riders, as they learned their way around the course. The AMA's weird qualifying/practice structure still confuses me, but hey, it was all about watching the fastest riders in the world at one of the best tracks in the world.

More thoughts:

- There were a lot of people there! I was surprised at the turnout, considering the weather issues and the general alarm sounded throughout the motocross internet. I like the cool, unhurried vibe that Saturday practice has at the Nats.
- James Stewart looked healthy and humble in the pits, and ridiculously fast on the track. I think he has a lot in reserve as far as speed is concerned.
- Ben Townley looked really fast (and his fast time in qualifying, a 2:42.463 compares very well to Stewart's fast practice time. Towns reminded me a lot of Sebastien Tortelli with the way he rides, but more fluid like Chad Reed.
- Monster Energy drink does everything big. There used to be a big hue and cry about people setting up tents and canopies in the infield, blocking other people's view of the track. Well, Monster has set up the biggest (or at least tallest) infield structure I've ever seen at Glen Helen. The thing is HUGE. It has a viewing platform/lounge on the top (complete with palm trees!) that must be at least 30 feet off the deck. The bottom part looks to be a stage or something; maybe that's where the band Ten Man Push will play.
- The new Glen Helen sand section looks amazing.
- Ryan Dungey looked SOOOOO smooth, I can't help but think he's top three tomorrow.

Okay, I'm going to go enjoy the Racer X Preview show and call it a night.

How sandy is it at Glen Helen?

Check out the detail in this Racer X wallpaper shot by Steve Cox; they've got more over at RXO. Ryan Dungey was looking super-confident and crazy fast today... how that translated to only 7th fastest (2:47.416) beats the heck outta me. But consider that only 3 or so seconds separate the top 10 in the 250F class... it is going to be a hell of a race tomorrow. If you live in SoCal, you need to suck up that $4.25/gallon gas bill and get out to Glen Helen for this one.

Vital MX is Going Off

See More Motocross Photos at VitalMX.com

This Glen Helen practice pic of Tim Ferry crushing it in the sand is by Vital MX member "RAK"... and this person is not the only Vital member putting in awesome work.

Ferry was feeling it today; he set 5th fastest time, a 2:45.343. Timmy was faster than Davi Millsaps, Ivan Tedesco, Josh Hill, DV12 (David Vuillemin), the afore-mentioned Ben Townley, and basically 70 other guys.

Glen Helen Practice: Killer Pics by Hoss

Check out Joe Gibbs Racing's Charles Summey railing this sandy berm at Glen Helen. He's looking pretty fast here, right? Dude was flying. However the AMA's stopwatch put him in 30th place, meaning there were 29 guys railing even faster. It seems almost impossible there are that many fast guys racing the nationals.

Summey's 2:53.987 put him in mid-pack, as there was a total of 75 big bike riders on the AMA's practice list, but it was more than 11 seconds slower than the 2:42.278 lap that James Stewart blasted to set fastest time on the day. Surprisingly, Summey did beat Ben Townley's 2:54.192.

This great photo was taken by Factoryphoto, who has a stunning gallery of today's practice pics here. Very impressive.

Glen Helen 2008: Practice Day

I'm feeling it. Or will, as soon as I get off this 'puter and get to the track. I hope to run into the future Champion of the 40+ Beginner class this weekend...

An Outstanding behind the scenes film of James Stewart by Fox Racing

Fox Racing's unique relationships with its long-time riders has allowed them to create some of the most memorable motion pictures ever made in our "little" sport. Fox has been sponsoring James Stewart since he was in first or second grade or something like that, so if this latest video seems like it was lovingly crafted by a family member, well, Fox and the Stewarts (and the Carmichaels and more) ARE family.

Mind-blowing footage from Glen Helen pre-season practice

Simon Cudby rocks yer socks once again with the latest from pre-season practice at Glen Helen, courtesy Racer X Films.

A whole lotta excellence on display, I must say...

James Stewart Back on Track

Did you know the Monster Energy Kawasaki team has its own website? If you didn't, here it is, complete with a short (too short) video interview of James Stewart at practice at Glen Helen this week.

Mmmm, outdoor motocross...

Fiolek finishes third in Bulgaria!

Ashley got on the box! How cool is that? And she blogged about it... what a great story. Photo from this race report at Racetime.com.

Let's Take It Outdoors

Wes Williams does some amazing stuff. Check out this promo for the 2008 AMA Toyota Motocross Championships at Racer X Films. (sorry, I couldn't figure out a direct link) Wes is definitely feeling it.

Look at what they're doing to Glen Helen!

Holy cow. Just when you thought the track couldn't get any gnarlier, now they're bringing in sand by the truck load. Here's the story from Motocross Action online; I'm upset because it looks like they've eliminated Yamaha hill, my favorite...

Ashlely Fiolek is World Wide

American motocross phenom Ashley Fiolek has decided to spend some time racing in Europe, before she starts her title chase for the U.S. women's motocross championship this year. This weekend, Ashley has qualified with the fourth fastest time for the FIM Women's World Championship round in Bulgaria... and that's ahead of current World Champion Katherine Prumm! Wow. Read about it here at Ashley's own blog.

Remember this post?

Back in January, after James Stewart dropped out of the Monster Supercross series, I posted this link to a Steve Cox/Racer X online interview of Chad Reed, during which he said "I think they're going to try and do something..." , clearly implying that someone in control of the sport would try to influence the outcome of the series by making the tracks easier. Back then, I thought Reed was speaking the truth. I mean, after all that talk of a need for "parity" and how 450s are too powerful for mortal men to ride (whatever happened to all that 350cc nonsense anyway?), after THREE fuel fiascoes (fiascii?), I wouldn't put it past the AMA/FIM or LiveNation to do whatever they can to keep the races from becoming boring, poorly-attended parades. What a concept.

But what do we make of Reed's words now, after a truly exciting 17-race series from which he emerged triumphant despite the best efforts of those who would... what? Make a tricky rhythm section less tricky? Constantly groom the ruts between races? Really, now that the series is over, what could "they"have done to make the racing closer? I think what really happened is that Kevin Windham REALLY got fired up or excited or turned on or whatever and stepped it up like he has never done before. And that's really saying something for a guy that has always been as fast and professional as they come.

Reed's crashes, injuries and that heartbreaking DNF at Daytona are also what made this title race captivating. Chad rode with heart, raced through the pain and beat a worthy and beloved rival. I bet "they" were very pleased with the outcome. So was I.

Okay, not really. I sort of hinted at it before, but I would have been beside myself with supercross glee if Kdub had parked SuperX in the cheap seats to win the race and the championship! Kevin's got too much integrity to pull something like that... but imagine Kdub going all "Mike Alessi at Glen Helen" on Reed in the turn after the long start straight on the Vegas track, kind of like he almost did to Davi Millsaps... I believe the motocross world would have spun on its axis or something.

Remember James Stewart's one and only 250F ride?

Here he is on a KX250F, before his last race in the old 125/250F class.

Matthes on Vegas: Hidden Treasures

Steve Matthes of racerxcanada.com writes some funny stuff in his Observation column. Go for the latest on the James Stewart to L&M Racing rumor, stay for the bassett hound picture by his wife... it's all good. I just wonder is any of it true? Reed to Suzuki?

Congratulations, Australian Supercross Fans!

Your guy did well, didn't he? Chad Reed, the pride of Australia, is the AMA/FIM Supercross Champion for 2008, his second supercross crown (third if you include his 250F East title). He's gonna bring that winning flavor back home to start his own stadium motoccross series. So now I can finally say it: Getdown Chad!

Try This On The Guy In Blue Next Time

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Geico Honda's Kevin Windham (14) nearly took out Red Bull Honda's Davi Millsaps in the first turn as they were both not backing off for the holeshot. I wish Kdub was that aggressive when Reed came up and passed him for the win, but Chad was in ass-kick mode. Photo by GuyB.

Synchronized Swimming in Vegas

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There were three Hondas in front of Reed for much of the main. Red Bull Honda's Andrew Short (29) was the last man standing between Windham and Reed. Reed easily passed and quickly dropped Short, and then went on to hunt down and dispatch his championship rival, again, with ease. Reed later said that it seemed like the other guys didn't want to win the race. I don't know about that, but it is clear that Red Bull Honda had no intention of riding dirty against the Yamaha rider. Photo by BuyG.

Chad Reed is the 2008 Supercross Champion

See More Motocross Photos at VitalMX.com

Congratulations to Chad and the entire LM Racing/San Manual Band of Mission Indians/Yamaha racing team. Photo by GuyB.

Added Vegas Bonus: Hudgens Explains Reality

So I was listening to the Supercross Live webcast for the Vegas finale tonight, wondering why they were running commercials urging people to buy tickets for an event that was already underway and halfway over. And then the Director of Marketing for LiveNation Ken Hudgens appeared, apparently to publicly address complaints about the lack of live television coverage for this otherwise most exciting of nights.

And I was surprised they didn't ask him who was gonna win tonight.

Anyway, Hudgens explained that a joint decision NOT to go live as in previous years was made after Anaheim 1, though he did not elaborate on the significance of the timing, if any. Basically, since the event takes place on the West Coast at night, live broadcast requires the East Coast audience to stay up late (after 1am) to watch. Which they historically do not, if television ratings mean anything. Which they do, certainly to Hudgens and his clients. Simple, really: the ratings are too weak to justify the costs.

I heard that and immediately thought, "so tell the promoter to move the finale to an East Coast stadium and be done with it..." Oh yeah, LiveNation IS the promoter. This should be a no-brainer, right? Of course not, stadium logistics are a nightmare, ask someone who would know... like LiveNation. Anyway...

So after listening to Hudgens, I felt pretty clear on a couple of things. One, he knows a lot about this sport because he has been involved with the sport for a long, long time. One could say he's part of the status quo; he's certainly part of the establishment, and since the issue of live television broadcasts has ALWAYS been property (literally) of the establishment, he has great credibility on this issue. So when Ken Hudgens says that the ratings indicate that broadcasting the final supercross event is not worth the cost and effort, we should take that as the truth.

So with that understanding, Mr. Hudgens, why not let us have it on the web, for free? You know, us, that miniscule audience listening to the webcast with our friends from all over the world? I'm not even suggesting you pay for production, just let someone else come in and do it, for free. As in, no licensing costs to broadcast in a certain limited fashion on the internet. Imagine that? Some people can't.

Mr. 200 Percent

See More Motocross Photos at VitalMX.com

Midwestern guys aren't supposed to be flashy, right? No? Trey Canard rocks the red state flavor. Red plates on a red bike... haven't seen that before! Another GuyB joint.

Smooth B

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Roll left, homie. J-Law lays it out at Vegas Press Day, looking like he wants to go to the des Nations or something... Color snaps by GuyB.

Remember Battles Like This?

Last year in St. Louis, Chad Reed and James Stewart trading paint... great stuff!

Speaking of 'plates

Time for a change, this site is way past due for a little touch up.

Fashion Plate

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Hey Chad, now that color scheme is working. SuperX put on a riding clinic, going from last to fighting Andrew Short for second on the last lap. Here Reed gestures to Shorty after taking the checkered flag. "What up, foo? You can't stop this!"
photo by GuyB

Jason Lawrence: 2008 supercross champion!

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He did it, he pulled it off, he earned it and he definitely delivered for the once-mighty Yamaha of Troy team. Give the man some credit! Getdown Jason Lawrence!

I know the headline looks a little off since Lawrence "only" won the 250F West Regional championships... and they have a term for the class that I refuse to use.... but to me, supercross is supercross, regardless of the bike size. Anyway...

photo by GuyB

Honda Gets The Small Bore Crown

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When was the last time Honda won a 250F Supercross title? Was it back when Travis Preston capitalized on James Stewart's rookie mistakes to take a surprise championship? Well, Trey Canard's crown is every bit a "surprise", as even with his pre-season injury, Monster Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto was widely expected to dominate the East Coast region.

What a difference a year makes. Last year Pro Circuit won both Coasts; this year they were completely shut out.

A Championship Lost, A Title Won

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Trey Canard did it! He outmaneuvered Ryan Villopoto when it counted most, going inside before the finish line jump and forcing Villpoto into a mistake, winning the St. Louis 250F Supercross and the East Region Championship. Congratulations TC! The crux of the biscuit brilliantly captured by GuyB.

Chad Reed Has Heart

Pro athletes often are called upon to perform when injured. Tonight at the Detroit Supercross, championship-points-leader Chad Reed (L&M Racing/San Manual Band of Mission Indians/Yamaha) suffered a big time crash in practice, spent hours in the hospital being treated for internal injuries, than came back and raced to a championship-saving 12th place finish.

Now, that might not sound like so much for the normal, jaded sports junkie... but I just heard his voice, as the Supercross Live webcast guys were able to interview Chad right after they pulled off the track. And it was kind of chilling listening to Reed's voice. You could hear in his voice how stressful the entire night had been, and even though he was somewhat relieved to finish as high as he did, particularly since he also crashed in the first turn, there was still a lot of tension in his tone.

Get well soon, Chad. And keep doing what you're doing.

BREAKING NEWS: The Thunder Valley National Outdoor Motocross will air LIVE on CBS TV!

Actually, that's a complete fantasy of mine, no truth to it all. Call it a late April Fool's day headline, but wow, after thinking about the new Saturday night championship round in Colorado, well... it sure would be cool!

C'mon CBS Sports. Do it. Wake up that sleepy Saturday night audience with a live network television broadcast of the outdoor motocross championships this summer!

The Man from the Mission is on a Mission

See More Motocross Photos at VitalMX.com

Say what you want about Chad Reed's sartorial splendor, but the "The Man from the Mission" (San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, to be precise) is in complete control of the Monster Supercross Supercross title chase (yes, it looks silly to repeat "Supercross"). On a nasty track in Dallas, SuperX Reed rode away from best of the rest. Yamaha's Josh Hill took second, and Honda's Davi Millsaps found himself yet another podium ride to finish third.

But Chad... what's up with the gear? That color scheme is teh suck...

#2 is 2 for 2

See More Motocross Photos at VitalMX.com

First, I have to say my favorite source for All Things Motocross, the generous Guy B of Vital MX, spent the weekend at the Grand Prix of The Netherlands at the Eurocircuit at Valkenswaard. So this week's Monster Supercross report is ably illustrated by the cheerful (and charitable) Chris Hultner of Amateur MX.

Monster Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto continued to re-emerge as his usual dominating self, taking advantage of points leader Trey Canard's bad luck to grab his second win in a row in 250F East action at the Dallas Supercross. RV is down 17 points to Canard, with only two rounds to go. If Villo loses this title, it will have nothing to do with his speed or skill; that first round DNF is the major culprit.

Jeremy McGrath Injured While Practicing

Man, I'm sorry to hear this: McGrath was riding at his ranch when he somehow crashed . He fractured his femur, according to the report.

Get well soon, MC!

"It's in our blood" - Joe Gibbs

Check out this great interview with the legendary Joe Gibbs. Good stuff from Todd Huffman and Racer X Films.

News of the Weird

So, Supercross' version of "spring break" ends this weekend, with a trip to the Great White North for the Toronto Supercross. And some, um, let's say "unique" things have happened over the past two weeks. Here are some of them in no particular order...

- Chad Reed has partnered with the promoter of the "Crusty Demons Live" shows to launch his own supercross series in Australia. You know, that sentence just doesn't look right without an exclamation mark. I mean, this is BIG NEWS, but it didn't seem generate all that much heat on the fan boards when it was dropped. Or maybe I hang out at the wrong fan boards. In any case, Chad's partner, a guy named Mike Porra, has some pretty big plans. He told Amanda at Supercross.com, "We created a new company, with its major objective is to re-invent and recreate supercross in this part of the world."

Now some of you might think that's a joke. If you do, read Amanda's interview. and you find out that this guy Porra is for real. He was a general manager for IMG, the international sports and entertainment marketing giant, heading up the Australasian Region. And check these chops: the "Crusty Demons Live" show was the top-grossing touring entertainment event in Australia in 2005/2006, beating out the Rolling Stones and U2 tours.

Looks like Superbad done good.

- History was made in Lake Whitney, Texas at the Parts Unlimited Spring Classic when Michael Young won the 65cc (7-9) Modified championship on his Cobra CX65. It was the first major national amateur title in the 65cc class for an American manufacturer. Cobra President and CEO Sean Hilbert laid it all out there when he told Racer X's Billy Ursic, "Our whole mantra or reason for being is being the best company in the world at the youth competition segment. So the 65 and other bikes in that segment is certainly fair game for us now and in the future. "


- The Superhero from Annapolis, Travis Pastrana, decided to drop another mindblowing trick on us, by riding ACROSS THE TOP OF A LAKE to a floating freestyle ramp, and then hitting the jump and tossing a trick. Ever the savvy marketer, the trick will be featured in the next installment of "Nitro Circus" (he's up to v6 now). Here's part of the call in the press release: "TP then accelerated down the 40 degree slope to the final flat piece of land and entered the lake. The bike “skimmed” (hydroplaned) across the lake with a good rate of speed, but the waves hit Pastrana’s left foot and he was suddenly riding the bike over 5 feet deep water at 70 mph, with one foot on the bike..." Did he make it? Read the release and find out!


- Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey has called it quits on 450 racing this year, pulling out of the Toronto round to focus on the West Region 250F title chase. I have to say that makes sense, but Dungey brought a lot of excitement with him to the big boy class, so he will be missed this weekend.


- The American Motorcyclist Association jettisoned a number of employees on Thursday, according to this article by Dean Adams at SuperbikePlanet.com. Still waiting to hear what that's all about...


- And finally, just what we've all been waiting for... NIGHT MOTOCROSS. No, that sentence did not need an exclamation mark. Looks like the Lakewood Colorado round of the outdoor national championships will be run under huge Musco temporary lights on SATURDAY night, June 28th, at the Thunder Valley facility.

Now, if you're like me, you're probably wondering why this is even considered a "good idea." Well, consider what Thunder Valley's promoter, David Clabaugh, had to say in this press release: "Hosting the race at night brings a new element to AMA Motocross and gives fans a new perspective. And in this ever-changing marketplace, we’re constantly looking for ways to improve our event and night racing seems like a perfect fit for our regions’ fans.

“We’ve met with officials from the Bandimere drag racing facility up the highway and we’ve done studies on local trends on event attendance in our area. We strongly feel that our greatest area for growth at Thunder Valley is to hold our national at night.”

Hope it works out, David. I salute you for taking it to another level with Thunder Valley MX.

MXerDW's Racetime Pressroom Daily

Okay, this is a very cool thing over at Racetime.com, kind of reminds me of the Drudge Report but for motocross! It's an index of the very latest writings by guys like Motocross.com's Jeff Kardas, VitalMX's GuyB, Racer X's Steve Cox and the former factory spectator (and site owner) himself, Steve Bruhn.

Oh yeah, I think they have a pretty cool message board too.

Milestone magazine

I'd like to write something funny, but to be honest I feel very honored to have a story of mine published in the 10th anniversary issue of one of the greatest motocross mags ever, Racer X Illustrated. And it's on the cover, no less! When you get a chance, check out "The Original Riders." It went on the newstands today.

I did this... er, almost 22 years ago!

Davey Coombs at Racer X Online posted this scan of an cover photo I shot for Cycling East newspaper WAAAAAYYYYY back in 1986! Davey ran it at the end of this Racerhead column. Why? I have no idea... but it sure was cool to see it there!

Racer X Films covers the Dealer News trade show!

Okay, you've got to see these hilarious clips over at Racer X Films.... first, there's the warm-up, then the pitch for Day 1 and then the swing for the bleachers on Day 2.

I'd say it was a homerun. While the first video consists of "survival tips" from insiders like Troy Lee and bonafide superstars like MC and RC, the funniest to me is when Davey Coombs checks out the latest, greatest Chinese motorcycles on Day 2.

Another SX knee injury; this time it's David Vuillemin

VitalMX reports that team Suzuki rider David Vuillemin has traveled to France to see his doctor, following his DNF at the San Francisco supercross. Sounds like DV12 dislocated his knee during the main. Ouch.

What is up with these recent knee injuries?

Was David wearing a knee brace? I don't know.

Would a knee brace help in a situation like that? I don't know.

Hmmm, rain didn't stop Chad Reed from winning

Gotta give props to Chad Reed for doing it in the deeep dirt in the City by the Bay, no weird pun intended. I think this win should erase any lingering doubts about Reed's ability to ride in the mud.

Biggest shock of the race, to me, was watching Tim Ferry jet out to a humongous holeshot. But I was having a really happy weekend, so I just figured the stars lined up just right for Ferry, too. I didn't see his slow fall from grace, though. He could only manage 10th in the main.

Chad Reed: "I think they’re going to try and do something..."

Chad Reed implies that some entity will attempt to make the competition closer in supercross in this interview by Steve Cox for Racer X online.

Wow.

Ladies and Gentlemen, how about a warm round of applause for...

... your current Supercross Champion, James Stewart!

I just watched the press conference on Racer X films, and I must give James all the credit in the world for his decision and how he handled himself.

Of course, his next test will be how he handles himself during his time off. The injury is to his left knee, which could affect his clutch control should he try to get some car driving in. Well, I hope that he is able to get his knee completely repaired in time for a solid assault on the outdoor title.

And I also hope James takes some of his "down time" to get online and start interacting with his fan base, even if it's to simply sell merchandise.

Get well soon, James.

Didn't see this one coming...

So yesterday I was walking out the door when I got a call from one of my moto friends, Paul. He told me Stewart was out for Anaheim 2, something about his leg, but at the time no one was sure. Not good.

We chatted about how James would have to just kill it the rest of the season, to overcome what would surely be a 25-point deficit to Reed. I ended the call and went about my business, which did NOT include making the 1-hour drive to Angel Stadium to actually see the supercross. Personally, the news only affected my fantasy supercross team selections...!

But then the news that James wasn't just sitting out a race, he's stepping off the scene for the rest of the season. It's not even February yet!

Racer X Films captured the press conference. As I write this, I haven't viewed the footage... I'm enjoying the Giants-Packers game right now... but I did read Jason Weigandt's take. My insta-opinion is man, that sucks for supercross.

In my eyewitness opinion, Chad Reed is riding the best he ever has. Watching him come from behind to win his heat race impressed me, and while I confess I didn't watch him as much during the main, it was clear that except for that one fall, Speedy rode... speedily. Had to do it, sorry. Anyway, I thought Chad was gonna give James some serious competition this season.

We can forget about that now. Instead, what we have here are conditions very similar to the last time (ONLY time) Chad Reed won the U.S. Supercross title, when the great Ricky Carmichael sat out the 2004 season. Seems the only difference, besides bikes and brands, is that RC made the call BEFORE the season began.

Guess I'll look at that video before I comment further.

Was it cold in Phoenix?

This is what I want to say about that: yeah, Monster found some cutie-pie twins in the town of the burning bird. But what's up with the packaging? Is it me, or are they not sexy enough?

And what has the world come to when I turn the discussion to the fashions of the 30-second board girls?

What I saw at A1

It was a mighty fine night of racing, that’s for sure. LiveNation and Dirt Wurx are to be commended for keeping their sanity and doing a great job at presenting a program in which the racers could do their very best. It may have been hell on the track, but it looked great from where I sat in the stands.

I saw Ryan Dungey establish himself as the man to beat for the West Coast regional division, and it wasn’t during his main event win that he sent this message. Dungey fired the first shot with his resounding heat race win, dominating in almost Villopoto-esque fashion.

I saw the “new” Jason Lawrence confidently stake his claim to fastest practice time, and I was pretty convinced that he was going to eventually pass Dungey for the win in the 250 main. So I was pretty surprised to read a race report in which Lawrence admitted he was “nervous” with Dungey stalking him, so he let him by…! J-Law may be working hard with Ryan Hughes on his fitness, but it seems he might need some help with his mind-game strategies.

I saw Chad Reed crash in practice and go down again in his heat race, and it made me think he was mentally struggling. But when he came from behind to win that heat race, I was very impressed. Reed can really ride Supercross, not that that’s news to anyone. He’s great fun to watch.

I saw James Stewart drag race a red bike deep into turn one during the 450 main start; it turns out Ivan Tedesco went down as well. It’s my speculation that James was bumped and that’s why he went down, but I haven’t read or seen anything to support that. In any case, after watching Stewart calmly dominate practice and his heat, all I felt after seeing him get up in last place was a building excitement. I knew it was going to be a thrill watching him slice through the pack catching up, and I was right. And he saved his most spectatular pass for last, when he tripled past both Langston and Ferry at the same time to take over second place.

In the pits before the races, I saw Jeremy Albrecht entertaining well-wishers wearing Kawasaki green over at his JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) transporter. They had some very nice looking Yamahas.

I saw James Stewart’s dad, “Big” James, giving out his own autographs, which seemed kind of weird. But I guess his name IS James Stewart…

I saw more Monster Energy logos than I cared to at the souvenir stand. I mean, I appreciate the company stepping up and sponsoring the sport, but man… the ubiquitous “claw slash” logo is starting to feel tired. I ended up forgoing an event t-shirt, instead settling on a pretty cool #7 hat (with NO Monster logos).

WHO I saw… I saw the Icon, David Bailey, as well as a very fresh-looking Ernesto Fonseca. I also saw MXi publisher Steve Cox, and Mototalk legend BobbyM. I missed seeing the scourge of Motodrive, Big Lenny, and his protégé BammBamm.

And I just missed Marty Moates altogether.

Anaheim the First: Chad Reed won but "Stewart rode smart"

Check out Jason Weigandt's great race report from last night's Supercross opener at Anaheim. I'll weigh in with my own observations shortly.

First LOL of the new season!

I just read Steve Matthes' 2008 Supercross Preview over at Racer X online... I am much amused!

FINALLY... the off season is over!

And regular posting will resume because IT'S TIME TO GO RACING!

I just got back from a holiday vacation with my parents, two weeks in "flyover" country. And I just picked up my A1 tix from Pasadena Yamaha (no link, I paid full price!). Planning ahead, I got us seats that are out of the rain...

More coming soon!

Katherine Prumm will Kick Your Ass

Shown here graciously accepting her trophy for winning the FIM Women's Motocross World Cup at the FIM awards shindig last week, New Zealand's Katherine Prumm looks like a class act. Read the rest of the story at Vital MX. And yes, that's a GuyB photo, straight outta Monte Carlo...

Clayton Miller!

What?

Looks like this guy has style. A superb photo by Aaron Remkus.

Who Made What in 2007

MXi magazine has become, as far as I am concerned, the "bible" of prize money statistics for pro motocross in America, and I always look forward to each issue to see numbers that amaze and confound me. In the November 13 issue, MXi listed the rankings current as of October 23rd. These are essentially the end of the year standings, and it should be no surprise to anyone to see "Lucky" Grant Langston finish in the top three after adding the U.S. Open win to his 450F National Championship, bringing his total winnings to $138,920.

I must admit that it seems weird that Chad Reed grabbed the second place spot ($271,250) without winning a single major title AND while sitting out all but one race of the entire outdoor season, but such is Supercross, an earnings powerhouse for the right riders.

The prize money is correctly skewed towards the winningest riders, but the funds drop off steeply as it moves down the list. It is hard to believe that only five professional racers were able to win more than $100,000. The fact that three guys on this list of 35 didn't even pass $20k in winnings seems even more implausible because these are well-known racers: Kevin Johnson, Tyler Evans and Kyle Lewis!

Now I know that many if not most of the racers on the list make the bulk of their earnings from salaries and endorsements among other things, and that some people think that therefore prize money is superfluous, and in any case, those who win should get the lion's share of the purse (killed that metaphor), but... looking at this list still bugs me. I think racers of the quality that we feature in the American series deserve the honor of competing for large stakes. Hell, would the U.S. Open be as popular with the riders if the top prize was only $10k?

Well, maybe, but only because these guys are hungry!

Remember Yamaha of Troy fast guy Jason Lawrence? The one who caught a wheel in the grill at Hangtown, courtesy of now TWO-time 250F National Champion Ryan Villopoto? Yeah, J-Law only won $20,565... good for 32nd place on the money list.

Speaking of RV, winning ALL of his possible titles brought him all the way up to tenth place on the leaderboard... but even he only took home $51,360. 250F racing does not pay.

More weirdness: Travis Preston nailed 20th on the list... and I can't even remember if he raced this year. Seriously, I'm not sure if he finished SX and sat out MX or what... but whatever he did, he was able to win $35,050. Mike Gosselaar's new rider, the guy who took an astounding second place in the 450F title chase, Mike Alessi, made less than that: $32,870. That just don't seem right.

And fittingly, considering the lopsidedness of the purses for the two series, the dude who won BOTH Supercross crowns won the most prize money. James Stewart won $402,090. That's only about $75k less than what golfer Ernie Els won for finishing third in the 2007 PGA Championship. Um, that's just one event. One weekend. But I digress.

To put it plainly, supercross kicked motocross' ass. The earnings list vividly demonstrates that focusing on supercross is in the financial benefits of these racers. The question now is, what is motocross going to do about it?

Just about the coolest thing ever: the Vintage Factory RC125 replica

Okay, this is just off the charts. For $7500, Vintage Factory will sell you this freshly restored Marty Smith Honda RC125 replica! What a little jewel of a bike... it's pretty enough to put on display in your office or rec room.

David Vuillemin, Factory Suzuki

Wanna see something cool? Check out these photos of Vuillemin getting used to his new factory ride, from his website, DV12.com. His wife, Erica, worked the camera and does a great job with it!

Even Laster Minute Stuff: Stewart Scratches

I had a choice of two headlines for this one... I almost went with "Guess Who's NOT Racing?"

After participating in two practice sessions, James Stewart met with the motocross press and said, “I just want to let you guys know that I won’t be racing tonight. Over the last few weeks we haven’t had a chance to ride because this was last-minute decision.” Here's the story from VitalMX.com.

Here's the thing: it sounds like he's making a sound decision. And he even notes that he's got the pace, reportedly he set fastest times in both practices. 2008 will be interesting indeed.

Last Minute Stuff

First Carmichael surprised everyone with his announcement, earlier this year, that he would race the Bercy Supercross for the first time in his career. It was to be his last race on two wheels.

Then James got injured and sat out the tail end of the Nationals... then announced that he wouldn't race for the rest of the year.

Shortly after that, Kawasaki announced that Stewart's surgery went better than expected, and the next thing you know, James is spectating at the Motocross of Nations at Budds Creek, and then riding some promo laps at the Kawasaki Race of Champions at Englishtown, New Jersey.

Then RC announces that he is suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and withdraws from both Bercy AND the U.S. Open.

And then Kawasaki announces that James Stewart will now race in the U.S. Open.

Say what you will about the timing of these announcements, but here's my take: there's a lot of money on the table for this race. If any racer has a chance at winning it, then they really need to be on the entry list.

That said, I think James would have welcomed the opportunity to race Ricky indoors one more time.

Just In: Mike Brown wins British National Championship!

CAS Honda team rider Mike Brown, former 125 National Champion, has just won the MX2 (250F) British National Championship at the final round today at the Pontrilas Hereford circuit.

Heckuva job, Brownie! (sorry, I couldn't resist that) Seriously, that is awesome news.

Boy, were my Outdoor Predictions wrong!

Wow, was I off! Of course, who could have predicted that James Stewart would get injured and not finishing the season? I mean, just because it happened the past two seasons doesn't mean it's ALWAYS going to happen, right?

Okay, some DID predict it. But not me... when I made my picks for this year, I saw it like this:

450 class:
1) James Stewart
2) Tim Ferry
3) Davi Millsaps

I even went so far as to actually write, "I also do not believe the "Alessi Threat" will materialize into a top three finish..." I was REALLY wrong there. Congratulations to Mike and Team Alessi on that unbelievable second overall on the season! That's a great accomplishment to take to an equally amazing new job at Team Suzuki. I'll have to write more on Mike later...

Notice the missing Grant Langston. He wasn't even on my radar, so to say I was surprised by his late season run would be an understatement. Now on to the 250F class... here were my picks:

250 class:
1) Ben Townley
2) Ryan Villopoto
3) Ryan Dungey

Close, but no cigar. Truthfully, I wasn't even close because I wrote: "I also think that it will be a Battle Royale between Townley and RV all year long, and luck is going to play a big part of it. But I think overall we'll see Townley come close to dominating the series." Uh, WRONG. Yes, it was a close battle, but if anyone deserves the word "dominating" it would have to be the redhead from Washington State, Ryan Villopoto. When RV won, he WON. He's amazing to watch and he certainly rose to the occasion of having to race against a team mate that already holds a world title.

Plus, and this is no small thing, I think Ryan Villopoto deserves credit from all American motocross fans for keeping one of our outdoor titles under the Stars and Stripes. I mean, I know Langston is practically a citizen (actually, he may already be naturalized, I'm not sure), but still...

Cardinal Sin: I has committed it...

In the language of LOLcats, "I can has committed..." a terrible sin when I chose NOT to attend the AMA/Toyota trucks National Motocross championship round at Glen Helen this past weekend. There's no use listing my lame excuses because, well, they're lame. But I have not missed a National at the Glen since I moved to California in the winter of '97.

Funny thing is, I don't feel particularly guilty about it.

I will admit that I did feel a bit of a letdown when Stewart bowed out of the series. It seemed as if everyone else in the moto-world greeted that news with excitement, since it meant the title would no longer be a foregone conclusion. To me, it meant that instead of the championship going to the fastest, the AMA series turned into a "last man standing" deal. Which is actually how it should be; a champion has to be able to endure the entire series (unless he scores enough points to wrap it up a round or two early, of course...).

I do wonder, though, if Grant Langston feels the irony of the fact that BOTH of his American motocross championships were series in which James Stewart was unable to fully participate due to injuries. Of course, Grant cannot be blamed for the circumstances that presented themselves, and he deserves full respect for stepping up and achieving what his rivals simply failed to do. Langston won that title fair and square, no two ways about it.

I just didn't drive out to see it happen.

Update: James Stewart's knee surgery

I had heard some rumors on the internet about James Stewart's condition, but I wanted to wait until Kawasaki released the offical word. Well, here it is.

Looks like James made it to Glen Helen after all, and he is currently recovering from knee surgery. James says surgery went well, and his recovery is anticipated to be shorter than expected, but he won't race again until the start of the Supercross season.

Here's hoping his recovery is as complete and painless as possible. Get well, James... the motocross world needs you!

An Open Letter to James Stewart

Hey James, I know you’re probably not feeling like hearing advice from a spode like me. I mean, when I was your age, I was still in the novice class and now, decades later, most Vet beginners school me. So I really have no business offering you any pointers on racing; unfortunately, I’m not going to let that stop me.

But enough about me; here’s what I think you need to be doing right now: helping your team mate Tim Ferry win this championship.

Hey, I have no idea what you’re up to right about now… maybe you’re laying in bed recovering from knee surgery, maybe you’re on your boat chillin’ on the water somewhere, who knows? Kawasaki isn’t/hasn’t said, and your own website hasn’t been updated in over a year. But if you’re NOT laid up recuperating then you really oughta be out at the track everyday with Ferry helping him to “win one for the team.” Because that’s what team mates DO.

The way I see it, YOU are the reason Ferry is having the year of his life. Because he has been able to practice with you, watch your lines and this has helped him raise the level of his game. Look at his results when you were on the track; he was killing everyone but you and Ricky. Then check what happened after you bowed out: now he has trouble making a pass on Alessi stick.

Timmy needs you, James. He needs you in his corner, talking him through this thing, pointing out the fast way around the track. You really need to show up at Glen Helen and help him win the National Championship. What do you say?

Langston is the man to beat

Team Yamaha's Grant Langston is looking at another American National Motocross championship, after taking a strong win in Texas yesterday. Honda's Andrew Short and Red Bull KTM's Mike Alessi rounded out the podium for the first National motocross held in Texas in... too long.

Ironically, it was Short that started off strong, taking a page out of James Stewart's playbook by grabbing the holeshot and decisively checking out. Unfortunately for Short, he also channeled Stewart in the second moto when he crashed while out front, handing the lead (and points lead) over to Langston.

Kawasaki's Timmy Ferry set fastest time in Sunday qualifying, but once again could not buy a start and couldn't make the necessary passes to gain any ground on his rivals Short and Langston. It's not looking good for Ferry as the tour heads into Glen Helen this weekend for the final round.

Is Timmy Ferry gonna choke?

Man, I hope not.

Let me get one thing straight: I have no ill will towards Ferry. In fact, I really hope he can pull off this championship for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that he seems to be a really nice guy. I mean, I have never actually met him outside of a autograph line, but I did have the good fortune to meet his wife, Evie, at the San Diego supercross (ironically, the one where Stewart won his very first SX in the 125 class), and she was such a nice person that he just HAS to be a good guy to win a woman like that!

Anyway, what would also be cool, of course, is the idea of a guy as old as Ferry doing the unthinkable: coming back to the factories after having been left for dead basically, and working hard enough to be in just the right place to win all the marbles after his superstar team mate gets taken out by an injury. You just can't write a better script. The only problem is that Grant Langston and Mike Alessi seem to be much hungrier for it right now.

And Timmy seems to be having a problem right now, at the worst possible time... because for most of this year, he was having the season of his life! Check out these results:

Hangtown: 3-3
Hi Point: 3-4
Southwick: 37-4
Budds Creek: 4-8
Red Bud: 4-4
Unadilla: 5-1 (Stewart out after crashing in practice)
Thunder valley: 11-1 (Stewart riding injured)
Washougal: 2-2 (Stewart injured in moto 2))

And then James called it a season... unfortunately Timmy, instead of taking over, seemed to take off as well:

Spring Creek: 8-6
Steel City: 4-7

So what's up? Is Ferry choking under the pressure? Right now, for tomorrow's national at Freestone in Texas, Timmy set second fastest lap... but the current points leader Langston is sitting on the pole. Ferry is only FOUR points out of first with four motos to go.

Timmy, you need to go 1-1 tomorrow and put this thing away.

It's over... James Stewart is out for the rest of the year.

I can't say I didn't suspect it, but it still bums me out: Kawasaki has just dropped the announcement (see it here courtesy Cycle News)... James Stewart is too injured to compete in any of the remaining races of 2007.

2007 National Championship... goodbye.

2007 Motocross Des Nations in America... no can do.

2007 U.S. Open... so long, payday.

Continued disrespect from misguided "fans"... unending.

I think they made the right decision, and James is showing a lot of maturity by thinking about longevity versus the short term. Those guys have nothing to be ashamed of... they had a great year!

James Stewart will NOT ride at the Motocross Des Nations!

Oh man, I know young James didn't like making this decision; here's the news release courtesy Racer X Online.

And as of this writing, Kawasaki has made no announcement about whether Stewart will race this weekend, so... maybe what I hoped for is coming true; maybe James will race the rest of the Nationals and try to win the title, then immediately go for surgery.

James, you're a big man to let go of the opportunity to race for your country IN your country at Budds Creek.

I hope James is healthy enough to go for the Title

I've been holding my breath... okay, not really, but here's how I see it: since Kawasaki has not issued any press releases yet about James Stewart's condition, then perhaps it's not as bad as it has seemed. Or in any case, they are putting off making a decision about either going for surgery (and scrapping the rest of the year) or going for the National Championship and THEN bowing out of the U.S. Open and the MXdN and getting the surgery then.

The latter is what I'm hoping for.

Yes, I know that with a 21-point deficit, James would need to basically win every single one of the six motos remaining in this season AND hope that somebody can stop Timmy Ferry or Andrew Short from finishing second in all of the motos. And that's asking A LOT. But, man, wouldn't it be something to watch?!

See, I think that James really, REALLY wants to add the 450F title to his list of accomplishments now, rather than later. And I don't blame him; it seems more than a few people have been calling his legitimacy into question because he's had a fairly tough three years in the class, at least outdoors. For some reason, some refuse to give him any credit for his two 125/250F class championships, preferring instead to speculate that the man just doesn't have what it takes to win in the "premier" class. Well, I say fooey to all that claptrap... but at the same time, I'd like James to just win this year and get it over with just to shut those people up.

I know... they'll never shut up no matter what he does.

I guess we'll find out this weekend what's really going on. I know the really smart move is to play it safe and NOT ride injured, just call it a season and get the knee cared for. However, professional motocross is anything but safe, so... what to do?

I hope he's healthy enough to go for it.

David Vuillemin seriously injured at Millville

Team MDK/Honda's David Vuillemin suffered more than a few broken bones as a result of his tangle at the start of the second 450F moto at yesterday's AMA National at Millville. According to this report on RacerX Online, the fan-friendly Frenchman broke his scapula, collarbone, three ribs, sternum and more after being run over. Yikes!

Trooper that he is, though, Vuillemin didn't let his injuries keep him from logging on to MotoTalk to let his well-wishers know what's up. "DV12" said he's catching a plane back to France to see his doctors.

And after seeing the movie "SicKo", I can't say I blame him. Get well quick, DV12!

Did the X Games suck... again?

I pretty much thought so. And I'm not alone: check out this hilarious piece by Racer X Canada's Steve Matthes. It's funny, but on the money.

Honestly, I was put off my feed... literally... when I saw Jake Brown take his infamous digger live while eating dinner at a sports bar in San Diego. That was enough to make me wary of watching any more... and I actually LIKE skateboarding and bmx vert stuff. But like a true motohead, I tuned in later that night to watch the Moto "X" best trick event... and was dismayed by the dude in jeans and the clapped out bike. And no, I wasn't completely surprised when he endoed after attempting the double back flip. The guy had cajones, I'll give him that, but... was he even supposed to be there?

So at that point, I was like "forget the X games"... but again, like the true motohead that I am, I checked out a late night replay of that sorry excuse for a supercross "race". How about ESPN making LiveNation look like motorsports gods? I didn't pay much attention to commentary... I know better than that!... and I just focused on the visuals and all I could think was that most pros have better practice tracks than what they "built" in the Home Depot Center. God, that was an ugly track.

I admit that I was surprised to see Chad Reed go backwards and give up a medal to Kevin Windham, but I'm not going to go as far as some and declare Reed washed up. That would be ridiculous. Although "ridiculous" is a good descriptor for the X games, sure...

Supermoto? Didn't even see it, but I heard a writer, of all things, got the bronze. What's up with that?? (good job, Pingree!)

I could be wrong, but I think the X games is on the way out. I'm sure someone who knows better has some facts and figures to point out that ratings were higher than ever and attendance skyrocketed and all that jazz, but just based on the scant attention being paid at the very packed sports bar I was dining at gave me a much different impression. All good things come to an end at some point, ya know?

Oh no! Stewart injured at Washougal...

Here's the update from Steve Bruhn's Weekend Window. It appears that James Stewart fell while running third (!) in the second moto, and was pinned under his bike for a while. He was able to stand up, but he was out of the race.

Stewart's mishap, among other unforeseen circumstances, allowed his Monster Kawasaki team mate Tim Ferry to take his first National win in, well, quite a few years. Good job, Timmy!

And please get well, James Stewart.

James Stewart: Heart Like a Lion

Holy cow. An injured James Stewart was able to summon up his inner reserves of... well, I don't know what... and pulled of what was probably the biggest win of his career. Stewart went 4-2 and it was good enough for the overall victory at the Thunder Valley track in Colorado.

Stewart's Monster Energy Kawasaki team mate, Tim Ferry, was able to salvage an 11th place in the first moto by winning the second moto, good enough for second overall. And Red Bull KTM's Mike Alessi took the third and final spot on the podium.

But it was Stewart who stole the show. Only a week after having to be carried off the track at Unadilla, James came out on Sunday morning and cruised through the first practice session... and then laid down the wood in the second session, setting fastest qualifying time. He took off with the lead in the first moto and led for most of the race, but then started to fade. By the time the checkers flew, James was passed by Davi Milsaps, Andrew Short and Mike Alessi.

I missed most of the second moto, so be sure to check out the Racer X post-show for the whole rundown.

James, I gotta give it up to you. Good job!

James Stewart says he'll be ready to race Thunder Valley

“Each day I feel better and better,”... ” My mobility has gotten a lot better and I think if it continues going this way, I will be ready for this weekend.” James Stewart said this, as reported in this press statement from the Monster Energy Kawasaki team, via Racer X Online.

Earlier reports of his crash (like this one by Guy B at Vital MX), which occurred only three laps into Sunday morning practice at Unadilla, noted that Stewart had to be carried "...off of the track on a backboard and to the local hospital to be checked out."

"Checked out" in this case meant getting a CAT scan. Maybe even two, according to this report at Racer X... apparently at some point James intended to get another CAT scan and a second opinion. What does it mean, if anything, that both the Racer X and Vital MX stories characterized the first hospital as "local?" Not a thing, I'm sure, but... if being "local" to the Unadilla facility means the hospital delivers substandard healthcare, then I'd probably get a second opinion myself. (To be fair, I must note that the Kawasaki press release simply referred to the place as a "hospital")

So, James is "sore" but getting better, and is currently under daily therapy to "... ease the muscle tension in his neck and back." He'll see how he feels in Saturday practice before he makes his final decision. Oh, how the internet will feed on this practice angle... I have no time for indulging that silly conversation.

One thing I've noticed about the official report is that they have managed to avoid the "c" word... well, I'm going to say it: concussion. I guess there's really no need for one to mention any injuries one did not actually incur. I could be reading too much into it; I actually hope that's the case, but...

What happened to the second opinion? You know what (I'm talking to James here... )? If you can afford more than one Ferrari, you can afford a second opinion. Of course, the point is not to amass multiple opinions, it's about getting expert medical care. I'm just saying, a single motocross race, even one where you have a realistic chance of picking up 50 championship points and getting one step closer to that huge, ginormous goal of you-know-what, well... it's just not worth losing mobility for life. Just to name one possible consequence.

I'm just saying, it's okay to sit out another round, James. Think about that before you even suit up on Saturday... your health is your responsibility, and yours alone.

I have to hand it to Villopoto

Ryan Villopoto has surprised me, I must admit. I truly thought that he would be playing catch-up to former MX2 World Champion Ben Townley, but instead, Townley has his hands full trying to keep up with Ryan!

Townley got off to a great start, winning the opening round. But Ryan hung tough in the points and finally uncorked it all at Budds Creek, storming to a dominant two-win performance. And his race at Red Bud was just as emphatic.

Ryan Villopoto, you are indeed the man. Keep up the good work!

An unbelievable battle at Red Bud

Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart finished 1-2 overall, again, but that simple fact does not begin to tell the story. It truly was a battle royale, with both rider pushing the other into making critical mistakes. James took the moto one win after RC nearly fell in a turn, and then Ricky took the decisive second moto win, and overall, after James endo'd in another rutted turn.

I saw the first motos live on Motocross.com, for the second week in a row, and I have to tell ya, they are doing a great job!

Check out the Primm Motocross Collection... online!

I have to admit, I have no idea how long his website has been up and running, but if you have never seen the Primm Motocross Collection in person, his site is the next best thing. Simply a must-see for any motocross fan. Enjoy!

Hambone Watch, Round 7: Grand Prix of France

Our man in Europe, Sean "Swifty" Hamblin, took his Team Swift Suzuki RMZ250F to two 20th place finishes, respectively to finish... well, 20th overall on the day at the Circuite du Puy d Poursay in Saint-Jean d'Angeley in France today.

Sean picked up three points, but dropped to 19th in the overall World Championship standings. Which is ironic (to me), because my World Motocross teams are running in 18th position in the Motocross Dream fantasy standings. I just had to throw that in there...

I'll bring more Hamblin news when I find some... hang in there, Sean!

Check out Leticia's segment at Southwick!

Racer X Online is doing the coolest things ever in conjuction with Motocross.com, bringing us some fantastic Preview and Review shows for each of the Nationals this year, as well as eventually bring live, same day video webcasts starting with the Budds Creek round!

You can check out the Southwick Preview show here, which features a segment of our favorite motogirl, Leticia Cline, doing a special piece on Team Makita Suzuki rookie hotshot (hotshit?) Ryan Dungey. Leticia makes Ryan look pretty good, I think!

Good job to all!

So now it's about "parity"?

Imagine, if you will, that you were James Stewart. Seriously, let your thoughts wander to what it would be like...
... to have been superfast since nearly the very first time you swung your pre-pubescent leg over a motorcycle.
... to have not only won, but DOMINATED at every amateur level in which you competed.
... to have dedicated your life to becoming just like your motocross heroes, foregoing normal youthful activities in pursuit of your goal.
... to break into the professional ranks and quickly prove yourself as a force to be reckoned with, setting win records along the way.
... to develop to the point where you are acknowledged as the fastest Supercross racer on the planet, and to literally have the "keys to the sport" handed over to you by the best racer of all time.

You can see the light at the end of the tunnel; you are closing in on your dream of being the dominant active rider in the sport. Every time you go to the starting line, you look at your competitors and say to yourself, "I can beat ALL of them." And if a certain nemesis running the #4 plate is on the line, you know that, well, sometimes you can beat him too... but everyone else is covered. All of your hard work is paying off; all of those years of dedication are coming due. And all of a sudden, the sanctioning body of your sport announces that it is considering introducing new rules meant to nullify your domination.

How would that make you feel?

Would that make you consider changing your game plan? Would it make you feel unappreciated? Castigated? Isolated?

Would you go back into your video library of old races, back during the days of Jeremy McGrath, or back when Ricky was winning every single moto... would you go back to see what the AMA's response was back then? What did they do to achieve this "parity" when the King of Supercross was on a roll? If you did take the time to review that history, you would find nothing. Nothing was done about it. There were no suggestions that the bikes were "too fast for pros" or anything of the sort.

But somehow it's different now. So, how does that make you feel?

Parity, loosely defined, means a situation of equality. That things are equal. A strange goal, to be sure, in professional motocross where the OEM teams spend millions of dollars striving for technical superiority over one another just as the riders devote hundreds of hours to practice and training to hopefully achieve some physical advantage over their competitors. The AMA seems to think that they can legislate some sort of technical "even playing field"; heck, that's what the rule book is for. Ultimately, the idea is that the bikes are somewhat evenly matched and it's up to the riders to make the difference. Is that NOT what's happening right now?

If so, why all the talk about "parity?" Instead of equality, it almost seems that they are really seeking some type of INequality; a way of closing the gap between Stewart and the rest of the pack.

What if the AMA were actually able to make that happen? Again, if you were James Stewart, how would that make you feel?

Probably ready to take a closer look at NASCAR...

Vote for Leticia!

All Things Motocross' very own Leticia Cline (possessive, ain't I?) is in the running for the annual Maxim magazine "Hometown Hotties" contest. Okay, she ain't really my homegirl, seeing how she's from Orlando and all that. But never mind that, head over to her page at Maxim to see her pics and her video and to show her some love by tossing her a vote. You know you want to!