FIRST TEST! Sidi Crossfire SR

A long time ago or at least what seemed like a long time ago your team manager (yours truly) was an aspiring SX star on the brink of stardom. Always one to push his limits well beyond his talent, many injuries happened and I would often yard sale myself more times than not. The last and final yard sale occurred at the Salt Lake City SX in 2001 and resulted in a devastating RT lower leg break that dislocated the tibia bone through the ankle and snapped the smaller fibula bone like a pencil. Why am I telling you this? Well that injury forced this racer into retirement from the AMA SX/MX tour. Well the actual injury didn’t retire me but the thought of more injuries did! Anyways, after months of rehab and countless hours of crying like a baby whenever a physical therapist even so much as walked by me, I joined the work force and hung up my boots from riding for a very long time.
Since then, I have tried to come back to riding a handful of times. Doing stuntwork for movies, television shows and commercials were the only things that would get me off my butt and onto a bike. The reason being, and I am being completely honest here, was because anytime I put my foot into a boot my right leg could maybe make it 2-3 laps before the pain of the pins and plates would make it unbearable to ride. The fastest I would ride would be back to the truck to take my boot off to let my lower leg and ankle out of its confinement and into the world of open space! Just recently, my passion for riding was re-kindled for some unknown reason and the urge to twist the throttle was a thought that would not escape my mind. I rounded up gear, a bike and everything else I would need and when it came to my most important component (boots) I was a little baffled in what direction I should go. Like most people, I started to do some research. You have to understand that it has been some time since I have actually been on a bike so I picked up a few magazines and started to do what most people do and that is read. I know not many people who know me think I can actually sit and read but it is a talent that I do posses. In my research I kept reading about the Sidi Crossfire SR and I was intrigued by it. Reviews such as the Dirt Rider boot review ranked this boot as the best out there. Seeing how this was not a boot I had previously tried, I put my thinking cap on and went to work at how to obtain this seemingly spectacular boot.
I went into the mighty Motoworld of El Cajon and had to check out a pair for myself. I must say I was a little tentative as I am with all boots because of my situation with my leg. After finding my right size and putting on a moto sock the first test was about to be administered. As I slipped my foot into the boot I instantly noticed that it was a real comfortable boot and had potential. I didn’t want to get my hopes up though as many times before I would do the same thing and only to find the ankle portion of the boot would pinch me extremely bad as soon as I buckled the second buckle from the bottom up. Here was the moment of truth. I began affixing the buckles and low and behold the boot felt snug and comfortable! I felt a little awkward as the sole of the SR is real stiff and took a little getting used to just walking around the store. After careful consideration I felt that this just may be the boot and decided to give it a go as I was ready to take the track the very next day.
Upon arriving to the track, I was a little embarrassed by my appearance. Brand new bike, new gear, new boots… Man I must have looked so factory! I needed to go over to the first puddle and just jump right in. It wasn’t long before I was geared up and ready to go do some roosting! I was eager to take to the track and hopefully make it more than a few laps because of my foot/leg. The first thing I noticed was that the sole of the boot is indeed different, it did take a couple laps to adjust to the rigidness of the sole and I did miss my brake a couple of times. It could have just been the nerves of riding for the first time in a couple of years but the feeling came right back and I started to wick it up within the first few laps. It felt just like old times as and my speed seemed to come right back to me effortlessly. After a few laps I did notice one thing. I couldn’t ride anymore and needed to stop. The exciting thing was I needed to stop because I am so out of shape that I couldn’t breathe and my arm pump was so hard you would have thought I had two casts on my arms. The best thing though was the COMPLETE ABSENCE of any pain in my leg and foot. I couldn’t believe it. It had been years since I was able to ride pain free on the bike and I had just completed a handful of laps with no problem. Like I said the first couple laps seemed a little awkward but that went away and eventually my feet and the boots were an afterthought and the smile on my face could not be wiped away. I was sold on the boot and was hooked back onto the bike! This boot is top of the line and very unique – click HERE for al the specifics!

Take it from me, a guy who desperately depends on the protection and comfort of his boots to thoroughly enjoy a session of riding, this boot is top notch. A couple of the highlights that are on the Sidi website but I thought were most beneficial were as follows

1) The sole can be replaced using a standard screwdriver.
2) Fully adjustable calf area.
3) Cam-lock buckle system. – Really does work well!
4) All bolt-on parts are replaceable.

Now these aren’t all the highlights and I have only got to enjoy my boots for a short while but as for now I can attest to these 4 points as being awesome! In closing, I want to let you all know that if you are indeed in the market for a new set of boots, I would highly suggest you look into a set of the Sidi Crossfire SR! Your feet will thank you!

THE NELSON REPORT

This week, Yamaha/GYT-R/DRD/MotoworldRacing.com Dustin Nelson checks in with a "mini report". For a special treat Donn Maeda from Transword Quad Magazine went out with Dustin and shot a small video for the website, check it out by clicking right HERE!

Without further a-do here is The Nelson Report-

Hey Everyone, Thought I would shoot you guys a mini version of The Nelson Report for the MTA 4 Stroke World Championships held at Glen Helen today. The track at this race is always treacherous because 18 of the 20 motos that run are motorcycle classes including a 250F Pro and 450F Pro. The track layout was very fun with bigger and more technical jumps than they have for the Quadcross races and we also ran the new start that goes through Talladega then up Shoei Mtn rather than along the bottom side. Moto One: I pulled a great holeshot with Jeremie Warnia close behind. Warnia stayed close for two of the five laps before he stalled in a corner and I was able to pull out by about 3.5 seconds. Justin Noss closed the gap on Warnia with his mishap but once Warnia got going he slowly opened the gap over Noss again. At the finish I took the win followed by Warnia and Noss. Moto Two: I love my GYTR/DRD power and ITP's new lightweight tires, it's definitely the best package I've had to date for pulling great starts. With a shortened second moto and a much rougher track I knew the start was huge and my #94 YFZ-R did not let me down as we ripped another holeshot. This time Noss followed me through Talladega with Warnia third. Noss applied some pressure through the first few turns but as we headed to the back side of the course I began to open up a gap. Warnia made the pass on Noss for second on top of one of the hills just before the end of lap one but I already had a gap of close to two seconds. My lead never really changed all the way to the finish where the top three was a repeat from the first moto with me taking the win followed by Warnia and Noss. Thanks, Dustin Nelson #94

THE NELSON REPORT

THE NELSON REPORT

Dustin Nelson, Tem Motoworld's quad phenom took to the track this last weekend and continued to show why he is the champ... Read below about Dustin's weekend and keep checking in on his progress!

Yamaha/ITP Quadcross Series Round 2 Arizona Cycle Park, Buckeye, AZ 4/12/09
Round two of the Yamaha/ITP Quadcross series was held on Easter Sunday in Buckeye, AZ. Friday night rains made for a messy track for most of Saturday’s practice but the track dried out for Sunday’s race and we enjoyed clear skies and temps around 80 degrees. The pro production class had 19 riders and with only 16 gate positions we once again had heat races for gate pick into the one moto format main event.
Heat One: First round winner Jeremie Warnia and I rocketed off the start line side by side all the way to the first turn where my #94 YFZ 450R held the inside line and took the lead. Warnia was glued to my bumper for the first four laps of the eight lap race but just past halfway he began to make some mistakes and fell slightly off pace. The two of us had gapped third placed Sage Baker by quite a bit so we were able to ride a comfortable pace to the checkers with me taking the win by four seconds ahead of Warnia and Baker.
Heat Two: I didn’t see much of this heat as they were on the track at the same time as our race, taking off from a second gate. Josh Frederick took the win while Jason Dunkleberger made a late race pass on Justin Noss to claim second and Noss held on for third.
Main Event: My #94 YFZ-R pulled me to a great holeshot just ahead of Warnia. We once again started to gap the field while battling for the lead. There were a couple spots on the track where I could get some breathing room but there were also some sections where I had to ride a little bit of a defensive line and Warnia could close back in. The racing was intense as I knew any mistake could very easily hand the lead to the French rider. Even with a little arm pump setting in I was able to keep it together and take the win by less than a second over Warnia. Baker took third followed by Hunter Miller, Dunkleberger rounded out the top five.
Round two of the Yamaha/ITP Quadcross series was a good one as we took our first win of the season. The YFZ-R is running great and I still think we can make some improvements with shock set up. The next round of the series should be interesting as we are scheduled to race at Glen Helen the day after the AMA Motocross Nationals kick off in May.

Top Ten:
1) Dustin Nelson Yam
2) Jeremie Warnia
3) Sage Baker Can
4) Hunter Miller
5) Jason Dunkleberger
6) Jason Fife KTM
7) Jesse Goss Suz
8) Justin Noss Yam
9) Mike Machado Hon
10) Scotty King Hon

We got one, now I just need to keep the ball rolling.

FEATURED RIDER- HUNTER BUDD

Thank you for checking out our newest "Featured Rider". Hunter has been ripping up the race circuit and checking in with the team! We thank him for doingo that and have selected him to be featured in a rider support email and my blog! You want to be a "Featured Rider"? well send in your results and let us know how your doing and if you send something that catches our eye, maybe we will select you!

Here is some information about Hunter we found through his MXResultz web page. Check out MXresultz HERE!

ABOUT ME: My name is Hunter Budd, I've ben riding since I was 2 1/2 years old, my first bike was a PW50 when I cracked the frame I got an XR50 that i rode for a few races, moved on to the KTM PRO JR that i finished 20th at Ponchas on, shortly after I recieved an 06 Pro sr, but we realized that if you race MX you have to be on a Cobra so I got my Cobra and never looked back.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 3rd at the US Open at the MGM12 in the super pee wee at Ponca -TORN texas state champion in the 50 SR. class1rst overall in the 50 classes at the MAP O'Riely seriesTexas off Road National 50cc champion in 20062nd and 3rd in the Texas Full Moon series

GOALS FOR THE UPCOMING SEASON: Continue to learn on my 65 so I can advance my MX career and be prepared for 85cc bikes. I'll shoot for the US Open again and Ponca.

VIVA MEXICO!

Round 1 of the 2009 Red Bull X-fighters kicked off this past weekend in luxurious Mexico City. I have been working as a judge in freestyle MX for a little over 7 years now and with my experience, I was invited to be to the “Head Judge” at this particular round of the tour. I have been to Mexico City 3 previous years as just a regular judge so I knew what to expect in my 3 days there. This time however I was bringing my wife so she could get the experience….. And what an experience it was.
Our flight left Beautiful San Diego first thing Wed morning, we flew US Air and my first travel tip comes to you because of that. If you plan on traveling in the near future I would steer away from this airline. When we got to the ticket counter, It felt like I was in a bad commercial where upon placing our bags on the scale to be checked in we were way under the weight limit but were then told we had to pay a fee of fifteen dollars per bag. It was a little shocking but ok, it is what it is. The second bit of great news we got was that there were window seats available and since I don’t fly well I like a window seat so I can feel a little less Closter phobic and that seat even makes me feel like I can sleep a little better. Anyways, the good news was, there were plenty of window seats available, the bad news was there is a five dollar fee to sit in a window seat. I know five dollars does not seem like a lot but it is the point, when did baggage not get covered in the ticket price and really, is five dollars necessary to sit in an empty seat that isn’t going to be occupied? It doesn’t end there. Upon boarding the plane, it was still 6 in the morning and I asked if pillows were available. I was told “Of course they are, no problem, you can have a lousy pillow and a blanket that covers your torso but it will be seven dollars”. Seven bucks! For a lousy pillow I am just going to leave on the plane when I get off? Wow. What is next? Tokens for the restroom? The airline story only gets worse from here but you’re going to read on about the ride home later.
So we arrive in Mexico City and it is typical Mexico. I mean things are just different. With 14 million people in this city it is one of, if not the largest city in the world. Compared to most cities in America it is real dirty, it stinks and the first thin you notice when leaving the airport is there seems to be absolutely no traffic laws. The wife and I jumped into a shuttle with Freestyle legend Adam Jones. If you don’t know Adam he is the guy staring in all the new “AXE body spray commercials” you know the one where the guy does a back flip and does the “armpit to chesty” spray. So after joking about the commercial and watching my wife’s face light up at all the beautiful scenery Mexico City had to offer it became apparent that we were going to be in the shuttle for a long time. I knew the hotel wasn’t close and it seemed that all 14 million people that occupy Mexico City were on the same road we were. It was nuts to butts traffic and to top it off it was real muggy weather and our driver knew no English. It only took us about an hour and a half to get to our destination the “El Diplomatico Hotel”. This hotel is right near the venue of the event and I would compare it to a middle of the road motel 6 here in America. I mean it is nice and the people are great but the inside of the room is, well, Different. With nothing on the agenda Wed. Night we just kicked it in the room after a long day of travel and planned on being rested for the next day. Thursday morning was a short riders meeting and then the day was filled with practice and that night at 7pm we would have a qualifying round. Matt Rebeaud, who had a pretty bad crash in a practice run, stuck a solid run together in qualifying and headed in to the event as top qualifier. All went well and we were back to the hotel room by 10pm. Upon arriving to the hotel, I was starving and decided to meet a couple of the guys next door at “Pappa Bills” to have something to eat, My wife decided to just get some shut eye and man, I wish I would have done the same. I eat the same thing all the time in Mexico City. I get “Pollo Fajitas” (chicken fajitas for you non Spanish speakers! Haha) because they come on the skillet still sizzling and I can watch them cook. I have heard horror stories about food down hear and tonight I would witness it first hand. After receiving my fajitas and throwing about 7 of them back because I was so hungry, Jeff Fehr a Canadian rider who was sitting next to me put his fork down and asked me what I thought was in his salad. Without getting into the specifics and grossing everyone out let’s just say that Jeff wasn’t too upset because the little guy in his salad couldn’t have eaten too much. YUCK! I immediately got sick, threw some pesos on the table, went to the bathroom emptied my stomach and went to bud hungry. Not a word was said to my wife as she was already very picky on her food choices and this would have for sure eliminated everything she would want to eat.
Friday. The day of the event. This event is by far the most energetic, passionate event I have ever been to. It is held in the historic “Plaza De Toros” I invite you all to check out this website to see some of the photos – HERE – it is an old run down bull fighting rink that I imagine is made to hold about 20,000 people. For this event they had over 42,000 jam into it. It is so small and intimate that you can barely have a conversation with the person next to you throughout the whole night. It is insane and something I will never forget for the rest of my life. It truly is a great event. The judges consisted of 5 judges this year they are as follows, Drake MCelroy, freestyle legend and Red Bull athlete. Pedro Gonzales, Mexican National MX champion San Jose SX winner and Mexiacna Red Bull athlete. Jimmy Verburgh, European professional freestyler and the local Mexican hero- Javier Fernando De La Cueva who is a major music star doing a big hair 80’s rock band check out is band – HERE – his band is AWESOME and this guy is such a celebrity he has to have his own security so he wouldn’t get mobbed in the judges stand. Last but not least myself. As I stated earlier the event is top notch and when it was all said and done 17year old Levi Sherwood, in his first ever international event, stole the show and rocked the house. He is the future of Freestyle MX.
Saturday was the day to come home. It couldn’t have come quicker as both the Mrs. and myself wanted to be home and back in the comforts of the US. BUT, here is where the trip really took a turn for the worse! We boarded the plane at 2pm PST for our 3 hour flight to Phoenix to get our connecting flight to San Diego. We were supposed to land in San Diego at 8pm, go get our son and get some sleep as Jami was going to run in a 5k “Mud Run” first thing Sunday morning. Well, shortly after boarding the plane we were told there was a problem and the mechanics were working on making it better. Well, all I could see in my mind was duct tape, a pair of dykes, bailing wire and a mariachi band. I don’t know why. So after 2 and ½ hours we FINALLY take off. needless to say, we missed our connecting flight. To top it off we missed the LAST connecting flight to San Diego and the only thing US Airways could do for us is get us home Sunday morning. This was not going to work as we had to be home for the 5k in the morning. It was time to man up and do the “husbandly” thing to do. I had to rent a car and get my wife home so she could do something she had trained hard for and committed to her team to do. So, off to Hertz we went and about 6 hours later (at 3am) we rolled into the front door of Casa de Harrington. Jami got to sleep and by “sleep” I mean rest, as riding in a Hyundai at 90 mph through the desert of Arizona doesn’t allow much sleep. I want to give a shout out to my wife for going on this trip with me. 4 full days away from home, nothing to eat, bored as heck and not being able to leave the hotel due to civil unrest, stinky city, dirty toilets, bad flights, 5 hour rental car rides and she still soldiered on to a 14th place team finish in the 5k. Thanks babe, and good job.
Next stop is Calgary, and hopefully a little bit more freedom to sight see and have fun. One thing is for sure, I know Red Bull will put on an AMAZING event and I look forward to that!

Featured Rider - CHASE BOWMAN

Our newest featured rider Chase Bowman, comes from Daimond, MO. He updates us regularly on his progress and we have taken notice! He currently races in the 85cc 8-11 and 85cc open classes. Check out the information we found out about Chase from his MXResultz-

A LITTLE ABOUT CHASE- I'm from southwest missouri. I love to race!! My mom says i'm the typical boy...getting dirty and going fast! I started racing 3 years ago, rode a crf 50 for 1 month then went to an RM 65, i've kinda hit a growing spurt and outgrown it, so i am now on a RM 85. Not bad for only 3 years of racing. I race Arenacross through the winter months to stay in shape, and on a bike.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Made the run-offs for the 85 thru 11 Modified class at Branson National (Oct. 2008)Raced the World Minis in Las Vegas this past year (April 07) on my 65. It was alot of fun. Biggest race i've attended, can't wait til next year. Since i am now on an 85. Finished 24th out of 40.

GOALS FOR THE UPCOMING SEASON: just race hard and be safe. No more broken wrists..they ain't no fun!! Keep practicing on my 85's and be ready to WIN BIG this spring! Plan on racing Lake Whitney in March and doing the Missouri State Series.

Congrats to Chase! for being our featured rider and a little note to all you out there, MXResultz is a really cool program for sponsors like us to track your progress! if yOu have not signed up for their services I suggest you look into it

The Nelson Report

Yamaha/ITP Quadcross Series Round 1
Glen Helen Raceway, Devore, CA 3/8/09

Round one of the Yamaha/ITP Quadcross series was held at Glen Helen Raceway. The series will have some new contenders for 09 with Sage Baker, Hunter Miller and Jason Dunkleberger all choosing the Quadcross series over the AMA series this year, as well as French import Jeremie Warnia. With 25 entries in Pro Production, racers were split into two heats for gate pick in the one moto format main event.
Heat One: My #94 YFZ 450R pulled me what might have been my biggest holeshot ever. The track was brutally rough in some sections so I put my head down and tried to put in some strong, fast laps. By the halfway point I had a 10 second lead over a great battle for second between Baker and Warnia. Warnia made the pass on Baker with one lap to go and when the checkers flew I took the win about 12 seconds ahead of Warnia with Baker taking third.
Heat Two: I didn’t see much of this heat as they were on the track at the same time as our race, taking off from a second gate. I do know that Mike Machado took the holeshot and lead for almost the entire race until he was caught and passed on the last lap by visiting Yamaha France rider, Romain Couprie.
Main Event: Landon Hurst took the holeshot followed by Warnia, Couprie and myself. By this time the track was absolutely hammered, with some of the biggest holes I’ve seen at Glen Helen. When the track gets that rough it also becomes more one lined so I knew that getting to the front ASAP was important. After going side by side through about four turns with Couprie, I made the pass stick to get into third. On the second lap Warnia passed Hurst for the lead and started to pull away. I was able to catch and pass Hurst about midway around the third lap and set out to catch Warnia. After two strong laps I had closed the 4 second gap and began to apply pressure. I had a line picked out to try and get a good run up Mount St. Helens for a possible pass but I cross rutted in the corner and stalled my bike. Luckily, my YFZ 450R started right up and I was able to keep the second position, however, the mistake cost me 5 valuable seconds to the leader. For the remaining laps the gap stayed about the same and Warnia took the first win of the year followed by myself, Couprie, Miller and Dunkleberger.
Round one of the Yamaha/ITP Quadcross series is in the books and I believe that 09 will be a great Quadcross season. The competition is stronger and the field is deeper than ever before. I’m really looking forward to our next race at Arizona Cycle Park to try and notch my first win of the season.

Top Ten:

1) Jeremie Warnia Can

2) Dustin Nelson Yam

3) Romain Couprie Yam
4) Hunter Miller Can
5) Jason Dunkleberger Yam

6) Josh Frederick Can
7) Justin Noss Yam
8) Beau Baron Hon
9) Jesse Goss Suz
10) Robbie Mitchell Kaw

1) Jeremie Warnia 25

2) Dustin Nelson 22

3) Romain Couprie 20

4) Hunter Miller 19

5) Jason Dunkleberger 18

Moving Right Along......

Hello all. Man, time flies. It is already the end of February and you know what that means? It means all you amateur riders are problem getting ready for the first round of nationals that will kick off in Texas this month. Speaking of how times fly, it seems just like yesterday that I was frequenting the Lake Whitney GNC. You see back them the GNC was in Whitney and not at Oak Hill. I didn't get to experience the Oak Hill track until I rode the plus 25 and Motocross Pro class back in 2005. It is crazy to think that it has been 4 years since I have been there. WOW.

I can remember like it was yesterday the butterflies turning and the anticipation of getting on the line and seeing if all the hard work during the off season paid off. With that, I would like to share a horror story about Lake Whitney and I hope nothing like this ever happens to you!

It was 1995 and I had just moved up to the "big bikes" class off of my 85's. I was riding for Team Green and to save a little money my Mom sent me to Whitney with some close family friends (Chris Wheeler and his dad Chuck). The idea was for us to get there and have a couple of days to practice before the race. I got dropped off in Indio and we loaded up and headed east. Chuck was a mad man and he made what seemed like quick work of the drive. He just powered the 20 some odd hours to Whitney like it was nothing. Chris and I lay in the back of the motorhome being bored and listening to Wheezer and hits like "my name is Jonas" and "Say it ain't so". You remember those right? Anyways, we arrive at the track and we are the only ones there, it was late and dark and we decided to park and get up early for practice the next day. Upon us going to sleep we heard the rain start as a small tap on the roof. By late night, it was a down pour that rocked the motorhome. The rain never stopped. For the next two days we were stuck confined to this motorhome as rain upon rain drenched the track. There was no practice and we were all getting a little "testy" being stuck in the motorhome together. The practice days were called completely off and to make matters worse, we had run out of watewr and supplies in the RV. So now we were stinky, hungry and irratible. What a combination. By the third day we had enough, we hooked the trailer up and went out on foot to scout the most direct and dry line to get out of the track and up the hill to town. It was time to go and we were all ready. Chuck rolled into the throttle and got the RV moving, once we were going there was no stopping and we had that thing pitched sideways and hopping trying to get to freedom. It was all for nothing though as we burried the thing up to the axles in mud, pretty far away from the exit of the track. It was at this time that Chuck was about to lose his mind!

Chuck decided to unload one of the bikes and go look for help. He came back with a tractor in tow and I could tell by the look in his eyes he was determined come hell or highwater to get us out. We had buried this thing so deep that we had to dig on our hands and knees in the mud just to get to a spot on the thing to hook the tow rope. After what seemed like an hour of digging we finally hooked the rope to the RV. I remember the next instructions Chuck gave the poor guy driving the tractor. He told the younger kid to not stop but keep going no matter what. the next 5 minutes may have been the most frightening of my life as the tractor pulled the rope tight, Chuck told the guy to mash the gas and I heard the RV come to life and then........ BAM! the rope, when it got tight ripped the grill right out of the RV. It was NUTS! the guy in the tractor never lifted and Chuck was cursing up a storm. We ran over the grille but kept going. When we were finally pulled to freedom the poor guy on the tractor didn't even get out, he waited for the hook to get taken off the RV and he was gone! No looking back.

the next hour was pretty silent as we grubbed at Whataburger. The races haven;t even come yet and we were all pretty bummed.

Part 2 coming up - The Race!

Superbowl Sunday

Superbowl Sunday has come and gone and what a game it was! I was glued to the TV, in most part for the game but there was another reason as well. As I have written about in the past, some of you know that I am lucky enough to dabble in doing stunts for some featured films, commercials and TV shows. Well, back in December I got a call about filming an Audi superbowl commercial ad and after a few weekends of hard work, yesterday was the day to see it all pay off. I actauly had to do a real stunt this time and as you watch the commercial, look for the motorcycle rider to hit a moving car as he is chasing the "agile" Audi. That is yours truly taking a header for a paycheck... and to think, I stopped racing proffesionaly to stop getting hurt. I must be crazy in the head! You can watch it by clicking below.

http://www.audiusa.com/audi/us/preview.html?csref=vanity_pip_preview

Phoenix, AZ

Watching this past weekends' race in Phoenix brought back some great memories. Although San Diego was my hometown race that I looked forward to every year, I always seemed to rise to the occasion in Phoenix. I will share a couple of my fondest memories of racing in "The land of the sun"

1998 was my first year of racing SX full time. I started the year off by not making the night program in a muddy L.A. Coliseum race. I missed it by one postion and this was after spending at least 30 seconds stuck in a rut at the bottom of the finish line jump while in a transfer position. It was gut wrenching to see the final qualifyer go right by me! Anyways, the next week we were in Houston and I quilified into the night program pretty easy. It was a huge accomplishment for a kid that never even got to practice SX except for at the race itself. The third round was Phoenix and I went into that round high with confidence after making the program the week prior. The whole day just seemed to go great, I actualy won my daytime qualifier, which alone was a huge accomplishment! I was ready to take my Motoworld of El Cajon machine into the nights event! In the heat race I got a decent start but I was just a mid pack rider and did not qualify straight out of the heat race. In the LCQ I got the holeshot and put in 4 solid laps, I knew if I did all the jumps and just stayed steay I would make it. One of my best friends, to this very day was the only person that passed me, Chris Wheeler. He won the LCQ and I finished right behind him and made my first main event with room to spare! I was so excited about making the main, that I really didn't care to race it! I just wanted to celebrate making it. I don't remember that main event that well (selective memory! haha) but I do remember almost holeshoting it from the very far outside, only to have John Dowd come from the inside and nearly clean me out. I think I finished somewhere around 17th. But I made my very first Main Event!

Fast forward to the next year, and the event moved to the new stadium, in downtown. Once again everything seemed to be going my way. I breezed through the daytime qualifier and then when the nights festivities rolled around I just felt the confidence I needed to win. I got a second place start in the heat race and moved into the lead within the first lap. I told myself to just sprint as fast as I could for the remainding laps. The race was a blur as I had total concentration and to tell you the truth I still can't really remember the first 5 laps of that heat race. I can tell you that the wheels came off on the last lap though. Once I got the white flag, it was like reality set in and I understood that I was potentialy going to win my firt SX heat race. It was right then and there that I became my own worst enemy. The last lap seemed like it was taking forever, I was locking up and coming around the second to last corner I thought of something I have never shared with anybody before. The thought that went through my mind was "Oh my god, I am going to get to get interviewed and talk on the loudspeaker". I might as well stopped right there. I COMPLETELY botched the next section and went off the track, I re-entered as quickly as I could, but it was too late and Casey Johnson and Isiah Johnson (no relation) went right by me and I went another 15 yards and crossed the line in third. Although the outcome wasn't that great, it is still one of my fondest memories of racing SX.

I really liked the town, the atmosphere and everything that is associated with Phoenix. It still remains one of my favorite SX destinations and when people ask me where they should travel to see a SX, I highly recommend Phoeinx.

ROUND 2!

Is it me or was last weekends opening round of the AMA SX series off the hook? It is always exciting to see who brings what to the table, but no one had any idea what was in store. We all knew that Reed and Stewart would be factors, but who didn't think once Stewart got the holeshot that it was all over? Reed, looking very comfortable on his new ride, was able to string some great laps together and actualy re-take the lead! I was floored! This normaly doesn't happen as Stewart has always seemed to be on another level as far as speed. It looked as though we were going to have an awesome battle on our hands when disaster struck and Reed hit the rear of Stewart when he made a mistake. They collided in a section where it took full commitment from both riders and thankfully no one was hurt. Sitting in third and getting the race win on a platter was Josh Grant. Grant, in his first race for the new Joe Gibbs Racing / Toyota/ Yamaha was able to put it on cruise control for the win. With only 2 laps remaining though Grants' rear wheel sucked a tuff block cover up and nearly killed his machine. If you were there live or watching it on speed channel I think you could tell that thousands of people were holding their breathe to see if he would make it. He did and a new "first time winner" is in the books!

So, tonight in Pheonix AZ, everyone will be lined up again to battle it out. I know I will be glued to the TV as it will air on Speed T.V. at 5 PM EST Tomorrow (SUN. 1/11)

I read this over at RacerXill.com - Great news, supercross fans! This afternoon we received a press release stating that the Supercross Live! webcast is back for this weekend’s race in Phoenix! Feld Motor Sports is making Supercross Live! available for a season package or for individual race pay-per-listen downloads. So click here for more information or to sign up. And although the race won’t be broadcast live, you can still watch it the following day on SPEED. Tune in Sunday at 5:00 p.m. ET (2:00 p.m. out West). Be sure to check your local listings.

And We're Under Way!

Did you people get a chance to check out the opening night of SX last night? I can't remember the last time I sat at the edge of my seat waiting for a race to end. Reed looks very impressive on the Suzuki, and Stewart didn't look like the "lightening" quick Stewart we normaly see. If the opening laps of the main event are any indication of what we have in store for 25 more weeks then we are in for a great series.

In the Lites, Weimer looked awesome and the Dungey VS. Lawrence rivalry is growing with each passing moment. Lawrence is definetely in Dungey's thoughts and with the media and televison thriving on it, I don't see Dungey being strong enough to put it out of his mind and race the race he is capable of. I guess we will see! I am excited and can't wait to tune into next weeks race in Pheonix.