by Davey Coombs
Racerhead #4
Friday, January 25, 2013 | 4:10 PMHonda is the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, and the undisputed leader in motorcycle technology. More motocross riders have won titles on Hondas than on any other bike. When you’re serious about winning, Honda is the machine for you.
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PrintWelcome to Racerhead. It's been a long week out here on the West Coast, with lots of rain and cold weather (though Oakland is looking much better for tomorrow night). There's also been some sobering news, as the Chaparral Honda team behind Andrew Short—L&Mc Racing, which stands for Larry Brooks and Jeremy McGrath—was forced to cease operations due to a lack of funding. Furthermore, the JDR KTM team also announced plans to shut their doors at the conclusion of the West Region 250SX races, which means Malcolm Stewart, Joey Savatgy, and Aussie visitor Josh Cachia—as well as team manager Nathan Ramsey—will all soon be looking for new homes. And all of this follows the demise of the JWR Kawasaki program late last year.
L&Mc, JDR, JWR.... Obviously, 2013 is not a good season for initials.
We are waiting on a press release from Andrew Short, who is currently ranked seventh in the Monster Energy 450 Supercross standings. Will he get some direct support from Honda? Will his old boss Roger DeCoster reach out to him from Red Bull KTM?
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L&Mc Racing was forced to cease operations due to a lack of funding.
Simon Cudby photo
And of course there's that beautiful #14 GEICO Honda that's now sitting in the big rig, waiting to take some opening-ceremony laps and one huge leap during races to come, now that Kevin Windham has called time on his racing days. That seems like a good fit, as Shorty could keep his Fly Racing gear deal, just as K-Dub wore MSR rather than GEICO's 250 Alias team threads. Either way, I hope Andrew and everyone else finds a good spot.
Let's get into the rest of the week.
Supercross Schedule (Chase Stallo)
For the second consecutive week, CBS will be broadcasting next-day coverage of Monster Energy Supercross from Oakland beginning at noon Eastern. Following CBS’ coverage, Speed will be broadcasting 250SX starting at 1 p.m. Eastern. Earlier this week there were reports of rain in the Bay Area for Saturday night’s main event, but according to weather.com, there is currently only a 20 percent chance of rain tomorrow. Temperatures will be in the low 50s during the day and will drop down to around 40F at night. As always, Racer X Online will be covering all the action from the pits and will provide play-by-play action of the night’s action. So be sure to follow us on Twitter and Instrgram (@racerxonline) as well as Racer X Online for all the breaking news from Oakland.
Road-Tripping (DC)
I have been out on the West Coast since Anaheim 1, enjoying the up-and-down weather as well as some excellent racing so far. After three weeks, things seem to be settling down a little. Some of the slow-starting title contenders like Ryan Villopoto and Chad Reed are starting to hit their paces, and the excitement of a new season is starting to give way to the grind of the task at hand. The 250 West Region is already at the one-third mark, and while the racing has not provided as many winners as the premier class, the maturation of Eli Tomac and Ken Roczen (and a rising Cole Seely) has been downright entertaining.
N-Style lobby bike: Ernesto Fonseca!
DC photo
Now everyone rolls north to Oakland for a race that's been won the last two years running by James Stewart. James has obviously been struggling this season since his knee injury, and if he doesn't get himself rolling forward, the leaders—steady-as-she-goes Davi Millsaps, the comeback kid Trey Canard, and the momentum-building Ryan Villopoto—are going to be more and more difficult to catch. Add on a slowly but surely improving Chad Reed and the radically fast Justin Barcia and you have a lot of work for anyone to move up to from a ninth-place spot in the standings.
So if James is going to get back in this, bum knee and all, Oakland is a must-win. He knows where the winner's circle is there, but he needs to find it now more than ever.
And finally, let me mention Kevin Windham for one second. There's been a lot of talk this week about what a great racer, personality, and entertainer he was over the years, as well as a downright interesting man. (Remember Jason Weigandt's hilarious feature from a few years back, “Kevin Windham is the Most Interesting Man in Motocross”? We’ve posted the pdf further down.) I want to add one more thing: Knowing for the first time that there will be a race tomorrow without Kevin Windham, that he's completed his time behind a starting gate, I can't help but think that supercross, and our sport in general, is suddenly a little less interesting than it was just a week ago.
As a fan, a friend, and a writer, I just want to thank you, Kevin, for all the great times. Supercross and American Motocross were lucky to have you for so long, and I hope you will keep coming back and helping out, only in a different role. Congratulations again on a job well done.
Click image to read The Most Interesting Man in Motocross feature.
Pro Prespective – David Pingree
Starts are funny things. You wouldn’t think that just believing you’re a good starter would translate into getting holeshots, but the truth is it’s very mental. It doesn’t hurt to have a quick bike, but there are plenty of guys with fast bikes who just don’t get the starts. So you learn a good starting technique, practice it until your clutch smells like burnt body hair, and then go to the line knowing you are going to get a good start. Right? Well, usually. But sometimes a rider or team will figure out a setup that just works good off the line and will rack up an avalanche of holeshots. (Mike LaRocco was never on one of these teams.)
So far this year the team getting the starts is Troy Lee Designs/ Lucas Oil Honda. The TLD guys have pulled every main-event holeshot in 2013 in the 250 class, as well as several heat and LCQ holeshots.
Deano's championship bike on display at Mechanix Wear.
DC photo
So what’s going on over there? For starters they have a solid engine package. Since bringing the engine program in-house last year, their dyno numbers have continued to climb—so much so that team manager Tyler Keefe says he would put their bikes up against any other 250F. The team spent a lot of time getting gearing and setup right for starts, and it’s been paying off for Seely and Nelson, both of whom have been quick off the line all year. Can they go four for four in Oakland this Saturday? We’ll see.
Industry Pulse (DC)
One thing about being out here in California during January is the fact that one can get a little industry visiting done. With an NPG promoters’ meeting coming up next weekend at Anaheim 3 as we finalize plans for the 2013 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Series, my big sister Carrie and I made the rounds of all five OEMs to discuss some future plans and also ask them what we could do to help the motorcycle industry keep moving forward in 2013 and beyond. From the response we got, all five companies have some good things going on, and the summer should provide plenty of happenings, from anniversaries—American Honda's race team turns 40 and Suzuki as a motorcycle company turns 50—to big new model releases. So while the news is not good for a few private race teams, the industry as a whole seems to be pulling out of the recession and grabbing another gear.
Phil Davy of Leatt has a 1972 Superbowl of Motocross program on his desk.
DC photo
Head-Scratching Headline/s of the Week – Jason Weigandt
Two announcements rocked us this week, as L&Mc and JDR Motorsports announced they were shutting down. The headline was pretty simple for one: L&Mc Racing To Conclude Racing Efforts For the 2013 Race Season. They were pretty clear with their message in this PR, as it states the team ran into circumstances, events and forces outside of their control. Wow! Yes, "outside of its control" was mentioned not once, not twice, but three times. Let them leave no doubt.
Things were murkier on the JDR side. Kudos to team manager Nathan Ramsey for telling it to us straight this week. However, we found it odd the the team never issued a PR or official statement, except for a Facebook post on its fan page. Maybe this is the wave of the future?
French Struggles – Jason Thomas
Cedric Soubeyras has been dominating the scene in European supercross for the last few years. A multi-time French and Euro SX champion, he was supposed to ride a YZ250 in supercross in past years, but until this year, a real effort for U.S. SX had been on the back burner. This year, after again winning races across the European continent, he packed his bags and headed stateside, starting at Phoenix.
Cedric Soubeyras has yet to qualify for a main in two rounds of Monster Energy Supercross.
Simon Cudby photo
Make no mistake, the tight confines of Euroland are not American supercross. They oftentimes don’t translate in both directions, and riders will look completely different in respective disciplines. As I have seen many times, an incoming racer like Cedric is not going to have an easy transition. Following in the footsteps of David Vuillemin, and trained by his father, Didier, expectations were high coming into 2013. He showed flashes of brilliance at Bercy and Geneva against the likes of Eli Tomac, Jake Weimer, and Justin Brayton. Surely this had to inspire confidence in the young Frenchman and give him high hopes of what he could do in the bright lights of America.
But after two races on a Honda, he has yet to qualify for a main event, so he has to be a little frustrated with how he has fared thus far.
Moving forward, I am wondering if he can put the puzzle together and sneak into the some qualifying positions. Having seen him ride many times, I know he has the talent and skill set to be a main-event guy. The secret is that he has to believe it himself. Mentally, he can be an incomparable ally or his biggest enemy. This is the struggle not just for Cedric, but for every racer out there. Racing against yourself can prove to be the toughest task.
Radom old-school cool at Renthal.
DC photo
Meanwhile, in Oklahoma.... (DC)
I have been discussing the new Ricky Carmichael Road to Supercross and the revamped AX series here and there, and now it appears Ricky himself is heading to the small rings to see how things are shaping up. Carmichael and Feld Motor Sports VP Todd Jendro are going to be in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the BOK Center tomorrow night for Round 4 of Amsoil Arenacross. Ricky will be signing autographs for the fans at the Track Party, which runs from 5 to 6 pm. He will also be at the post-race autograph session. And word even has it that RC will be coming out on his #4 Suzuki for a hot lap to welcome the crowd!
Again, in my opinion, it's great to see a legend like Carmichael get behind any form of racing, and if he can help illustrate the path to the top for a new generation of would-be supercross and arenacross riders, it can only help raise the level of talent and safety inside the stadiums.
For more information log onto arenacross.com.
Round four of Amsoil Arenacross kicks off tonight in Tulsa.
Arenacross photo
Highlights of the Week – Chase Stallo
Kevin Windham hangs it up after 19 years. Last Saturday in Anaheim, round 3 of Monster Energy Supercross, fan favorite Kevin Windham announced his retirement from professional racing after nineteeen seasons. The humble Louisiana native will forever live in motocross lore. Steve Matthes wrote an insightful piece on how and why it ended so quickly.
L&Mc and J-Star/JDR KTM are shutting down: With two notable teams shutting their doors midseason—J-Star/JDR KTM will finish out the West Region Supercross season—Jason Weigandt and Steve Matthes were all over the story and penned an informative piece in Rapid ReaXction.
Jason Thomas breaks down the supercross season. Former pro and current Racer X staff member Jason Thomas provides an informative and detailed analysis of the 450 class in this week's Vortex Racing The Breakdown.
Ryan Villopoto looks to make a run. After a slow start to the season, Monster Energy Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto returned to form at Anaheim 2 with a dominating performance. He talked about his first win of 2013 with Jason Weigandt after the race for this week's Alpinestars Monday Conversation.
The evolution of Troy Lee Designs: Lucas Oil/Troy Lee Designs Honda is beginning to move into the category of the vaunted GEICO Honda and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki. Chase Stallo takes a look back at where it all began in Bench Racing Ammo.
Check out Bench Racing Ammo:The Evolution of TLD that dropped on RacerXonline today.
Jeff Kardas photo
In The Mag: BEGIN AGAIN
Last summer Dean Wilson found himself facing a difficult decision. With another season of 250-class eligibility on the powerful Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki, he could stay put or move up to a full-time 450 ride with Jeff Ward Racing. Leaving an established team for an untested startup isn’t exactly a common route—but then again, unusual circumstances are nothing new for Wilson, a Scottish-born racer who resides in Florida by way of Canada. Enduring border-crossing problems, racing for multiple countries at the Motocross of Nations, and causing message-board freakouts with his comical Twitter and Instagram feeds, Wilson is never predictable. Now, before making his 450 debut this summer, the former 250 Motocross Champion is back with Pro Circuit for another swing at the 250 SX championship that has eluded him so far. Read more about Dean Wilson’s thoughts and plans in this one-on-one Q&A with the champ.
For more information on how to get your copy of Racer X Illustrated, go here. Or pick up the latest copy on newstands today!
Hey, Watch It!
Animated Track Map: Oakland
Moto: Defined by DC
James Stewart GoPro: Anaheim 2
Beyond the Finish Line: Episode 2
Random Notes – Staff
Will you be in Oakland for the fourth round of Monster Energy Supercross? Could your gear bag use a fresh pair of goggles? Do you have functioning retinas? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may want to swing by the Racer X booth to see what 100% goggle colorways we're giving away with each subscription.
Alias is giving away a signed set of Eli Tomac's actual gear from Oakland on Saturday night, but the contest ends at noon on Saturday. You just have to guess the closet time to the fastest 250 SX qualifying time in practice! Post your guess of the fastest 250 SX qualifying time on Alias' Facebook page.
GoPro is joining forces with ESPN to bring the action of X Games like never before. The companies have agreed upon a three-year agreement.
RedBud track promoter Gene Ritchie was a top-notch racer in District 16-17 MX back in the late '60s. If you are a fan of Midwest mx from that era, check this out.
FMF Apparel announced this week that they have come to terms with Freestyle MX phenom James Carter on a multi year deal.
All right, that’s all for this week. Thanks for reading – see you at the races.
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Check out WHEN DAYLIGHT BREAKS
in our Latest issue of Racer X available now.
When the lights go off on supercross and racing hits the daylight with the launch of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, everyone gets to start over. Page 110.
Look for the verified symbol 
Impulse Studios
First year in Oz we get live Supercross (11 rounds). Now I want all 17. Is that greedy?
Seize operations?
Way to cease the moment.
lol, who let Watson on the word processor?
Call the Squat Team!
Don't forget about RV's A2 gopro footage... this the best yet!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dbHyq9Yi3Q&list=LLyDxUrEPwYXr-IziAySbxig
When I read this, I almost had a seizure.
Why is Jon Belushi standing behind Short? Andrew being haunted by the late Jon Belushi causing bad luck and misfortune.
Looks like A.Short is going to be red this weekend could end up orange again ! LOL ! . I dont ever run into Brooks again at an AMA sanctioned event what a clown.... Mc he has always been a prema-donna and you cant touch him .. LOL !
Good piece on KDUB ! Maybe we can get him to run some of our corn liquor.. This side of the Mountain !
Story for another day....
Bring back 2 strokes........................
Was at budds creek 1999 only about 4-5000 showed that day .
That was a cool race for a lot of reasons. Probably saw one of the best motos Windham ever rode, next to running away with moto 1 at Highpoint to get past by Henry on last lap >> 2ND OR 3RD PRO RACE !
He was so dominant in that second race ahead of everyone - Albee, Everts, Beirer, Tortelli, Bolley, Vuillemin, Hughes, Pichon etc It was also good to see Everts return to his best (even though he didn't win) after almost ending his career with injury at the start of the year. He went on and dominated the MXDN in Brazil a couple weeks later just to rubber stamp the fact.
Funny side to the day was the two guys fighting for the title both finished way down the field. It was as if they both chose the same day to have a melt down and choke. Bolley just got it though, flopping over the line like he was made of jelly. I seem to remember him doing something similar the next year when he won the title at Teuchenthal. He did a fist pump air to no hander landing into faceplant combo. One of the most cringeworthy title celebrations of all time
I raced Alley Semar back in the day . Hey was a cool cat ! ended up being with Kevin Windham as Mechanic ... always had time to chew the fat..........
After two consecutive bad outings for Ryan Dungey, he has disappeared... Have not seen a Dungey interview and not a word out of the KTM camp about his difficulties or any thing in two weeks, at least that I have seen..no mention of him in Racerhead this week... I know his results have not been where everyone expects, his starts horrible and his luck on the track just as bad..Has the Golden boy lost his glitter, has the Dunge fallen into the grunge, does he need to go back to 2010 to find his mojo...maybe Oakland will hold some answers ... I know, I will be watching to see if there is still hope for RD or if the wheels have fallen off the Locomotive ...
just read the interview with Dean Wilson in the new Racer X.. And Dean says Tomac was riding very aggressive.. and he pushed him wide, so Dean said he stuffed him and then Tomac cut some tuff blockss and T-Boned him!!!! Now somebody refresh my memory, I remember Wilson stuffing Tomac twice before Tomac blocked off Wilson and Wilson going dow.. I remember Wilson being the aggressive one, unless I am mistaken.. I have tried several times to like Dean Wilson, but he seems to whine and make alot of excuses to me..
Oh on the Budd Creek race that year... They had 4 stroke nationals.. Kelly Smith from michigan was running up front my wife and I almost fell asleep,along with 4-5 thousand stroke.. Sediment from the entire crowd was unanimous, If moto was going this direction it will be the slow death of the sport. It has been... Run modified 125/250 2 strokes and run a support for 4 stroke open ! like old days 3 classes and scale back with what they are on womens side!
@ BD25 Long time fan of the post................Dont really ever write in .. Dont want to break up the flow of nonsense that runs deep on here... LOL !
Mr-Mx told me good things about your writings on the site ! Pleasure is all mine . Keep up the good work... I think he is still out on west coast swing, I talked to him at Phoenix ..
if Saps didnt hand Reed the podium via his slideout on the last lap, would Reed be getting the positive comments we have seen this week or would it have been more "whats wrong with 22"... Reed still seems out of it mentally based on his comments and he watched RV come from behind to pass him and march on to a win leaving Reed and the others in the dust at A2..He has netted a win this time a year ago and was on pace with RV and friends for the most part...Reed is very much consistent as always and 4-4-3 in his words are better than what RD and Stewart have had, but he has others to worry about this year.....I didnt see Saps doing what he is, but I dont think he is going to fall off .....BUt, But it is only round 4 and like we saw with Bam Bam last week.....trouble is just a casing away!!
Moonshiner..Thanks I will try ...lol ...but we are all full of it on here sometimes...Good ole MrMx....He has not been himself lately...Hope he is enjoying his western swing...I bet he is in the Bay area..pretty sure he has lots of friends in that area....
Yes you probably know some of the deal... I know he is out there till A-3 next Saturday then fly home to get to the Superbowl over night ... He has some ties to the 49ers family wise................ That guy need to get up on twitter could possably take KDUBS interesting man spot .. Lol !! I think he used that on here before ! iI'll catch that one for sure ...
A little shine story. I was running some well we will call it ," what it was" 140 proof and I was zig zagging thru the cars and this guy I always see in town pulled a JS7 with the lights in the grill BS. A cop seen him and he got pulled over we got a kick out of that and thought right then about the florida deal ! LOL ENJOY THE RACE !!
Yeah, going back to 1999 at Budds Creek, it was great! No lines at the port o trailer. First in line everywhere at the food joints. Three chicks waiting on me for my t-shirts. And the racing, wow, Everts called the Americans out before the race and Windham answered.. I remember that second moto for the overall though, if it was'nt for Greg Albertyne holding off a frantic and relentless charge from Everts relegating him to third, the Belgian would have won the overall. Windham emerged the hero that day for all of us 4000 fans and I sure felt bad for Jonathan Beasley. Anyway, definatley gonna miss K-Dub, one of the best American MX racers ever!
Go Obama!!! 4 more years of his America killing politics and we'll be lucky if there are any non-factory teams to race for. I hope Short finds a home. I hope KW enjoys his retirement, well deserved, been a fan since 95, he's a class act.
Yeah at that Budds race me and Mr-Mx are good friends with Ayres racing back in the Mr-Mx days.............. I remember when we were first in that morning early John goes come back by on your way out and see me I bet we walked out all 6 of us with 10 shirts each ! LOL ............. The Euro s are definitly very vocal crowd !!
Bay area from what I have seen and heard is out of Control thats why 49ers are building south LOL ! Nice looking facility the new project ...
Short could hop on a new orange bike and still get his usual 7th - 9th.
BD25: Please slow down on the Dunge a little. Every career has a bad stretch or two. I think he's finally fed up with the PR circus KTM has had him on the last year and 3 months. His website has not been updated since the MXoN. I'm sure he thought all the testing would be over by now also but they seem to keep it going constantly. Hopefully they'll find a basic set up with a shock and stay with it. It's not make or break for Dungey this week either way...
Everybody MUST be nice to Dungey. It hurts @RCRDDW when you're not and makes him sad. He bagged on me when I touted Villopoto, but that's okay. I back a WINNER!
Maybe you and the Dunge can hug it out. Bawhahaha
In all fairness, if I were Dungey, I'd be more interested in riding that Blonde he's dating than the pumpkin bike too
@ BD25 Mr-mx did a comment on Pulp for the Mathes one side formula to give JS7 the knod on the 125/250 all time greatest.. Imagine that !! Mathes !! Lol !He posted under JET..
He is searching for his phone as we speak. Lost it probably in the bay !! LOL !
I like the look of Oakland cant wait to watch it hoping dungey can pick where he left off last year
Is it just me, or does anyone else think that we're going to see a plethora of yard sales in and after the first turn this week? That looks like something I would want to either be way in front of, or way behind. We're to the point in the season where certain guys are going to HAVE to get a start. And only 2 or 3 are going to be able to. The rest are gonna need a rake, a shovel and a hefty bag. Good luck out there!
Ping, how do you like that championship bottle for Shea Bentley? What an awesome picture DC!
I agree with Killamoto
CR22 wasn't that great at all at A2. Davi had him covered easily, so did JB, TC and RV. Without Davi's slip up, Chad would have finished off of the podium again. Why is everyone acting like CR is back to normal now?
I dig Reed, but this just isn't going to be his year.
RV TC JB and DM get can bad starts and move forward and land on the podium. Chad gets good starts and still can't get on the podium.
You know its funny how the TLD seen much faster and get the holeshot now that they have started doing their motors in house.Same thing happened to Geico when they done the same thing.Both of those teams used pro circuit for motors at one time.Funny how they seem to be better now that they are on their own.I think Pro Circuit might of been holding out on them.Mike Brown was on to something a few years back.
@BD25 I think Racerx just had an interview on here maybe a week or two ago with Ryan Dungey I think under going for the W. Was the normal Dungey interview, trying to get better, get the bike better keep on working on it stuff he always says.
I forgot about MXDN . Its been a tuff stretch for Dungey.
Bad thing about being on top ...........................
JimM
Pala374
RCRDDW I am not trying to be hard on Dungey, I have stood up for him many times on here, ask BillC. Just wondering out loud, what going on with him, like I did when RV hit the ground first two weeks or when Reed was almost 15 secs back of the top 3, but they snapped out of it and have shown improvement. Ryan's had a strange run of luck, going back to MXofNations, the problems at MEC and he has not looked right yet this supercross season. So I am hoping to see some signs of life from him this weekend, which I think is critical, otherwise he could find himself 25 points down to the series leader, before the series heads back east. I am a fan of all these guys, in awe of their talent on a dirt bike and want to see each them perform at their best. So again nothing would please me more than to see him become the 4th winner this season...
kjockey Thanks for reminding me, my age is showing..It was posted the morning of the 19th before A Deuce. I did read that, it just did not answer any of my questions, as you said typical Dungey interview...
Does anybody have information (not speculation) on what Shorty is doing this weekend and/or beyond? Thought that I read that a PR would be forthcoming...
He riding red ! LOL !
@moonshiner - you're holding out on us. Is Short riding out of someone's semi or out of a van?
Mr - Mx finely found his phone and called he said big rig LOL !
He said he will have to seek out his west coast dentist to fix a broken moler. Bit into a Kalamata olive eating dinner with Jim Holley it had a pit ! Ouch
@ CR500AF & BD25
Sends his regards - a half of tooth ! LOL
@Moonshiner - Thx, and good for Shorty..
Tell Mr, MX to hang in there, Hope you guys have fun at the races this weekend.
@bd200....... I saw what you saw with DW and ET. DW must be in denial lol.
It would have been much better for him if he said it straight up that Tomac was plain
faster and that he did the wrong thing by trying to run ET off the track.
K...gotta question for you smart guys.....do these guys run a full tank of fuel for a SX race or just enough for 20 laps?
Interview RacerX ddi with Aldon Baker shed some light on RV's misfortune at A1. Seems his 2nd crash popped his gas cap off and caused his glove to get soaked in gas. Got me to wondering how much fuel was spilled and did RV spend the rest of the race wondering if he was gonna run out of fuel on the face of a big Triple jump?
Moonshine tell MrMx to be careful! His luck is running like RD's...If it weren't for bad luck he would have no luck at all!!!! Holley is a good dude, enjoyed meeting him last year in Arlington, the guy is always smiling....
Ripdown that is a good question, I would think that they top it off or close to it, just in case of such things happening...But I don't know ..anyone???
mathes posted a pic on twitter of shorts bike looks pretty stock no graphics its a honda
http://twitpic.com/bya35u
A temporary rig is no big E they are still in California !
Wonder if Short spent his own money on that Honda or if that is a practice bike from L&Mc;?
Worst case that bike is Short's Cali practice bike, no way he had to go out this week and buy a CRF. Hopefully he gets a great start and can grab a top 6 tmrw nite. Would be sweet if he didn't run any graphics . . .
RacerX twitter just posted the same pic, they think the truck is Mike Kranyak's rig that hauled Hansen's bike to A1 but in Hansen's A1 interview with Georgia Albertson he was standing outside of a Sprinter so who knows. I'm sure we'll know more tmrw. Glad there is a bike in Oakland with a 29 on it.
Cmon Dungey you can do it bro
Dungey to RCH suzuki 2014 done deal. With a custom fuel tank and stronger chain guide.
@shm1x
Dude i hope thats not where he goes, he should get a factory ride. Maybe factory yamaha will start up again and Dungey will be the guy that puts them back on the map..... Call me crazy i don't care.
@moonshiner,Is there any video of the Frenchman's Fistpump,Nohanded Faceplant
celebration in Germany ??????????????
Guys keep saying its been a tough stretch for Dungey?? Didnt he just finish the summer as the National Champion??? I think he is fine, we are only 3 races in, he will be fine..
Davey and Racer X staff,
Thanks for the nice comment on Gene Ritchie. He had a great racing career...
and then became such a pioneer in MX promoting...just like Big Dave.
Misoheye - you are just an ass - something that has affected so many careers and all you have the balls to do is make fun of someone - yeah, I'd like to see a pic of you - pathetic...:(
@moto4...??????? What are you so pissed about? What is "something"? The guy in the background does look like John Belushi and being a b/w photo....ahhh the hell with it.
Just a thought concerning the teams folding deal....
I have seen questions raised by Weege and others on this very site as to the wisdom of teams shunning the media at times and keeping everything these big in-house secrets. They have also questioned the way they introduce the new team riders etc. I remember when L&MC; was being put together and it was all rumor and innuendo leading into A1 of that year. A few days before, all anyone was seeing were blurry Twitter pics from LB of a Honda with the 29 on it. Any question as to why it is hard to attract sponsors? Pay attention to the access the press has in other sports. The leagues force teams to provide access to the media and are fined if they don't follow the league mandates.
How about the official PR release announcing the end of the L&MC; team? As others pointed out "Commence operations immediately...."? How very professional. On the same note, can a dumber name than L&MC; have been concocted? How about LMC at least? How about keeping the L out and going with NacNac racing? Outsiders may have wondered if L&MC; was some sort of menu item at McDonald's.
Not many know what Scott Summers (former GNCC Champ) did in his career in terms of self promotion and PR. He single-handedly CREATED a position with Honda. With zero support, he would win on their big XR600. However, not only did he win....he spent countless hours the week between racing doing self-promotion. Media kits were sent to everyone and anyone.....radio stations, TV stations, newspapers....he did it all on his own until Honda finally saw the value this guy was bringing them. He didn't demand a big salary up front and then say "oh well, guess I no longer am racing" after it didn't come. He created a model for sponsors to see his value and then he capitalized on it when that model proved the value it held.
Now, I'm watching as these teams secure sponsorships and act like the job is over. I see rider signings being announced on Twitter and things like this JDR situation being announced on Facebook. Rider introductions are non-existent. Everyone wants to hide things until a big debut at A1 when there were MONTHS of free self-promotion available here on RacerX and elsewhere. I'm also watching as teams fail to secure sponsorship and then close shop just like that, as if the thinking is they are entitled to others footing the bill. Right now, I'm wondering why there is no press or release or whatever about what Short is doing this weekend. In fact, Kraynak (the M of L&M) is apparently still a team and the only way I knew that is after finding out that Hansen was benched and that was his team. A Twitter pic now shows the #29 under M's tent. Thousands of fans are wanting to know what Short is doing and there is zero information available. His current sponsors are missing out as this would be the perfect opportunity to get their logos out there in relation to the #29. It is almost laughable that these teams hire PR firms for who knows how much money and they get press releases with typo's, improper word useage, and poor grammar. Hmmmmm.....Any teams need someone who can write a paragraph withou a spelling error? I'm available.
Holy cow it does look like John Belushi!! Good catch, way to use your peripherals and catch that. In my narrow minded republican idiotic focus, I missed it!! I just saw a black and white photo of short, in which the black and white is obviously trying to capture GLOOM. It works.. has sad written all over it. You see, we all need to pay more attention to our surroundings, maybe that mechanic has a future in Hollywood and Mishoeye found him like Decoster found Dungey
@rickmatu... me too.
@misoye..... looks just like him!
@moto4....... sorry,, gotta go with miso on this one. Maybe the ghost blah blah is stretchin it but I think he was just pointing out a dude that looks exactly like Belushi,
@BD25 Great info, insightful and thought provoking. You point out HUGE missed marketing opportunities that this industry (teams in particular) not only is victim to but repeatedly brings upon itself. For our sport not to return to toiling in anonymity in what looks to be an extended bad economy,teams have to not only think out of the box but be much more entreprenuial in their approach to ownership.
Motocross/supercross is a dying sport.
If you're not top 5, you don't make money. Tell me what other sport that happens in.
Who keeps this sport alive? Motocross riders buying the gear/parts advertised by the companies racing. Nothing else.
Who watches the sport? Only motocross riders, you're never going to find someone who doesn't ride or hasn't ridden interested in motocross. It's supported entirely by the riders. What other big name sport does that?
Motocross has a long way to go when a top 10 finisher or a former champion (chad reed) can't even get a ride.
rcx1 wrote:
"Motocross/supercross is a dying sport. "
Thats what was said 10 years ago... :]
i wanted to see if james would hit the whoops with the speed he did last year on the yamaha. that would tell you alot about if it was the bike if he did the whoops with that much speed on the rmz and looked stable and didnt go down
CORRECTION of earlier mistake. I meant to thank BK-R for an excellent post and gave props to BD25!
@ BK-R Good stuff, the Scott Summers story is a great example.
@ BD25, sorry no credit for you this time!
Red54m... lol .. Thanks okay, none deserved...
Doing a rain dance for tonight! A mudder is just what we need to shake things up.
IF DeCoster can find funding, Short would be a great addition to expedite their development on the '13 450. If BTO loses their factory bike that would suck, but Short could probably put it to better use. Sorry, Goerke.
E.T. says "Dean Wilson who?"
Anybody that doesn't like Larry Brooks is certainly entitled to their opinion, but the guy knows racing and what it takes to assemble, manage & run a successful racing team. I don't think there is room for argument there.
I'd rather hire a man capable of the task over a man that walks, talks & says all the right things, but doesn't deliver the goods.
Mr Obvious, long time listener first time caller- Why is it the horn button kills my motor
@B-KR, you get credit for most of you post, but it is not totally withou spelling errors.