Rev-Up: Fifty Thousand Fists

It's the last hurrah in Anaheim for 2007 photo: Simon Cudby

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Rev Up. Man, are we rolling now or what? I have to say the 20 laps I stood witness to last weekend were among the most incredible these eyes have ever seen. The entire vibe was pounding with an energy that bordered on maniacal. I made the trip west with the intentions of going about the race like I used to when I was a kid. Just a fan in the stands. I didn’t watch practice and didn’t go down in the pits and schmooze. I tailgated with my closest bros, grilled some meat and downed some cold beers underneath the bay bridge. We threw the pigskin around and bench raced about the night of racing to come. It isn’t so much the event that creates the air of anticipation; it’s the event’s surrounding elements. The salty bay air, the ominous Bay Bridge, and the camaraderie of tens of thousands of like-minded supercross fans had me and my crew marching into the AT&T stadium shoulders back, chest out, and slapping high fives as we walked through the gate. Sitting here typing, I can close my eyes and see those images of RC landing on the tuff blocks, Bubba stepping over the bars, and Reed getting whiskey throttle and the only thing that gets me more pumped up was the chest-crushing noise the crowd generated with each instance.

This weekend we return for the 2007 Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series’ last visit to Anaheim's Angel Stadium, with the season riding on the heels of a barnburner of epic proportions. There are fans, and then there are Anaheim fans. The reason the series goes there three times is because it has no problem packing the house with around 50,000 strong with each visit. While The Bay is cool, nothing compares to Anaheim, baby. The show is setting up as you read this. The legions of crazies with tickets have reason to be packing their coolers with a little extra motivation. Let me get you Revved Up as to why.

Supercros Lites

This kid means business in 2007 photo: Steve Bruhn

While RV Park will most likely throw another terrible tantrum upon the course and show no mercy whatsoever, the action behind him is sweltering! Man, I saw Jason Lawrence riding with some juice last weekend. After a horrible start he was moving through the pack, only to lock bars before the triple and yard sale off the side of the track. He climbed back on and went on a mission that brought him back to the top five. He isn’t taking any crap, he isn’t getting tired, and I think he is out for vengeance. I am looking forward to seeing him go off this weekend. What up, J-Grant? You’re due for a break out ride. Keep an eye out for Lil' Goose, Weimer, and Kyle Partridge to be in the mix. It’s time for Hansen to do something. Actually, he needs to make up for lost time. I think he has the juice, so let’s see it.

All the same, the main attraction in this genre will be the methods of mayhem #51 will commit. The kid is flogging it.

Supercross

Who is ready to jump on Reed's bus? photo: Simon Cudby

Okay, here’s the deal. Chad Reed has been getting stronger every weekend. James Stewart has crashed two out of four main events. The one he had last weekend could have very easily been a DNF. I’ve crashed twice as easy as he did and knocked off a throttle housing and a clutch perch. This title is not over ladies and gentlemen! I could hardly hold myself back when I heard noise of a sweep when we were three races into the season. This isn’t over by a damn site. Last weekend James sucked the blue off of Reed’s YZ450F on the first lap of their heat race when he passed him in the whoops. But guess what? Three laps later that same blue was filling up Bubba’s rear-view mirror. Chad was back at it in the main, riding strong and defiant. Now, make no mistake, James has been a distributor of pain since the first lap of the AMA series. The crap I see him doing on the track is almost Jedi-esque in its impossibility. He just has to harness those 1.21 gigawatts of speed he has into his flux capacitor and keep it at 88 mph – not 188. If he gets the holeshot and rides at 90 percent, those guys are toast.

But if he doesn’t get the holeshot and #22 grabs his third of the year, there will be fifty thousand fists punching the crisp southern California night air and screaming like a hoard of banshees. The noise alone will tighten your spine and dilate your pupils. The craziest and most hardcore fans in the world are going to come out of their skin and howl a battle cry that they will able to hear in Hollywood. Bums in nearby street corners will be slurring, “…the hells going on in there?” The greatest show on dirt, that’s what. The racers feel that noise and it just keeps getting more and more gnarly. I called out last week’s race to roll and I’m stepping out again for this one. Get ready for madness.

Will Bubba get the hat trick in Anaheim? Will the Lites boys behave? Tune in to Weege and Hollywood to get the word and set that TiVo for Sunday.

Thanks for reading, see you next week.

 

Supercross is on fire! photo: Simon Cudby