This was the week of the French. Actually, it’s the weekend of the French, since Bastille Day is tomorrow. First, news leaks out that David Vuillemin has pulled off a “Tim Ferry” and is headed back to the factory level with a signed contract for 2008-’09 with Makita Suzuki. DV12, who writes a column for Racer X Illustrated, never let us in on the secret, but when it became obvious that Ivan Tedesco was headed to Honda and RC was headed to NASCAR, Roger DeCoster had to find someone to handle the new fuel-injected RM-Z450 that RC himself says is the best bike he’s ever rode. That person was David Vuillemin.
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So having messed up that, I was too embarrassed to call David back a third time, so we spoke to another Frenchman, two-time world champion Sebastien Tortelli, instead. Sebastien, who wore #13 late in his career (and this IS Friday the 13th) has joined forces with Ricky Johnson at Perris Raceway to host their Champ Factory Motocross Academy. The first camp starts this weekend, so if you want to get faster and ride smarter, visit www.perrisraceway.com for more info.
But that wasn’t all from France. Just as Moto Verte was celebrating its 400th issue by putting together a list of the Best Motocross Races of all time with RC on the cover, the gang over there was able to announce that Carmichael will return to the Paris-Bercy Supercross this November for the first time since in nearly decade! Needless to say, the French fans are going berserk.
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And speaking of the Motocross des Nations, Allison Kennedy just informed us that Canada has announced their 2008 team. Check out the Racer X Canada website to read who it is.
So now Paris-Bercy looks like Carmichael’s last SX race, the Motocross des Nations at Budds Creek look like his last outdoor race, and we’re hearing whispers that he just might go ahead and race the Rockstar U.S. Open one last time as well. Add it all up and it means that RC is going out on his own terms, just like he said he would…. It also means those X Games commercials about dedicating his last race to his twins can be recycled for use later on in France.
By the way, some jerk stole the RM250 that Ricky’s been riding in the Legends Tour before the nationals at High Point and Red Bud. It got nicked last weekend from Andrews Cycle in Salem, Ohio. If you see someone goon-riding it around—and it’s not Vuillemin—please tackle them, then call Phil Andrews at (330) 332-8534.
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Okay, after a weekend off, the 2007 AMA Toyota Motocross Championships presented by FMF gets rolling again with a visit to Unadilla. This is a track that the pros either love or hate—RC was never kind about his disaffection for the place, while Vuillemin told me he really likes it there (well, except for the roost).
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You can listen to the Racer X Webcast of the Unadilla National on Sunday, hosted by Jason “the one-armed Banshee” Weigandt and David “Supermoto Lites” Pingree. Also, make sure you click on the official AMA Timing and Scoring, which runs on AMAMotocross.com and, hopefully, Motocross.com this weekend as well.
And a tip of the visor to Cliff Talley and Brendan Lutes and the whole gang at Motocross.com on getting that new and much-easier-to-maneuver website up and running.
Set your TiVos, because you can catch this weekend's race on SPEED Saturday, July 21, at 8:00 p.m. EDT. The Motocross Lites class airs Tuesday, July 24 at 3:00 p.m. EDT.
Also, if you’re having trouble watching any of our videos, Wes Williams suggests this fix:
First off, click this link, click “Download Now” and just follow instructions to install. That should fix the problem and allow everyone to watch.
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Assuming James wins at ‘Dilla, who do you think will finish second? That’s this week’s Troy Lee Designs’ Racer X Poll question. Vote HERE.
This race was supposed to be the professional debut of Kentucky's Tyler Bowers, but unfortunately we heard Bowers broke his arm while practicing a few days ago, and will miss out. Bowers was signed up in the AMA Motocross class and was going to be wearing #391.
In the Lites class, Michigan’s own Ryan Villopoto (okay, just for the summer) is taking his four-moto winning streak to New York, where he expects even more of a challenge from Ben Townley. This track is one that would see to suit Townley’s Grand Prix experience better than pretty much any other track on the AMA circuit.
The two Kawis will be chased after by a pair of newcomers to the ’07 series, Team Yamaha’s Broc Hepler and SoBe No Fear/Samsung Honda’s Ryan Sipes. And Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey is planning to race after his brutal crash two weeks ago in practice at RedBud.
Here’s a good place to turn this over to Ping…
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FMX star Drake McElroy and Supercross regular Eric Sorby joined the AMA supermoto championship in Detroit, MI last weekend. It was round four of the series and both of the new recruits did well. Sorby finished third in the Lites class while McElroy crossed the line in fifth.
As for the premier class, Mark Burkhart took the win and the lead in the series from defending champion, Jeff Ward. Wardy struggled a little on the weekend finishing third and now sits four points behind Burkhart in the championship. Last year’s Lites champion, Cassidy Anderson, finished in second with Chris Fillmore and Micky Dymond rounding out the top five. The unlimited class has been dominated by Aprilia rider Ben Carlson and the Lites class is now tied between myself and Brandon Currie at 94 points a piece. The X Games is the next event on the Supermoto schedule (it does not count for AMA points) on August 4th in Los Angeles and then Hartford, Connecticut on the 25th.
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Mike Metzger is officially signed up for the X Games supermoto event. The Godfather of Freestyle Motocross is just now recovered from a brutal crash while filming a segment for a television program called Stunt Junkies. In the segment, which might be found on YouTube, Metz was jumping from one barge to another in a local harbor here in SoCal. He hit the ramp a little too fast and overshot the landing. The impact crushed three vertebrae in his lower back. After having two rods placed in his back and having part of his spine fused, Mike struggled to get back to health.
“I was super-lucky that it wasn’t worse,” said Metzger. “That low in your back the cord turns into nerve endings and it squeezed those pretty bad. I had to learn to walk all over again. It was the worst injury I’ve ever had, and I’ve had some pretty gnarly crap happen. But, I’ve been cycling and getting back in shape and I feel pretty good now. I’m going to get back into supermoto and then see how I feel after that. I’m not sure what will happen with freestyle yet; it all depends on how I feel.”
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I love it when guys make bets with each other. Seeing Erik Kehoe in hot-pants at the Vegas SX was awesome and this week, Nate Adams and Andy Bakken did a little negotiating of their own. Andy realized he forgot his wallet as the two pulled up to Perris Raceway. Nate spotted him and later told him that if he could get on the track and ride two laps without his jersey on he wouldn’t have to pay him back. After finding a hole in the fence, Andy put in his two laps and was promptly black-flagged by the Perris staff. It was funny. Nice work, Bacon. That’s $25 in your shirt pocket—if you actually have one on.
I also want to wish Jeff Dement a speedy recovery. It sounds like he took a beating at the race in Calgary but is going to be alright. My thoughts and prayers are with you guys.
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Racer X Guru tops the box at Detroit Supermoto
By: Matthew Day
David Pingree had a great weekend in Detroit by winning the main event in the Lites class handily. Pingree seemed to be hooked up on the track from the initial practice on Saturday. At the end of the day Pingree said it was a fast track that would prove to be hard to pass on. Those words would prove to be true yet irrelevant to Pingree when it came time for the big show.
Pingree is a full time member of the Troy Lee Designs, Red Bull Honda team. Pingree was asked to join the team for the Lites class. After riding limited events last year he was more than willing to sign up.
After all of the timed qualifying and heat races it was time to line up for some championship points. Ping found himself on the pole and in good shape to start the race. When the track went green and the bikes roared towards the first turn it was Pingree, Currie and first-time Supermoto racer Eric Sorby out front. By the end of the sweeping fast first turn Ping had taken the point and led Currie into the dirt. Ping continued to post fast laps and was able to keep Currie at bay, never giving him the idea he may have a window of opportunity.
Just past midway in the race Ping had stepped out to a comfortable lead where Currie was no longer in the hunt for a win. When the checkered flag flew for Ping he crossed the finish line with both fists in the air as he earned his second victory in a row. The finish of the race was just as it was after the start with Pingree, Currie and Sorby one, two, and three.
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An author’s note: To everyone who has not been to a Supermoto event I would highly recommend that you attend. You will be truly amazed at what a show you will see. The racing is phenomenal and, paired with some of the additional performances put on by the promoters, you will surely have a good time. Plus, where else will you get full access all day long to motorcycle greats like Jeff Ward, David Pingree, Mark Burkhart, Micky Dymond or Troy Lee?
That’s it from Matthew Day!
Here’s a note from Bad Billy Ursic:
If there are any Texas Hold ‘Em fans out there, check this out. Last October, on the same weekend as the Rockstar Energy U.S. Open of SX, the Road 2 Recovery Foundation held a Texas Hold ‘Em Poker Tournament to benefit the foundation. The winner of the tournament then got a $10,000 seat into the 2007 World Series of Poker! The winner of the tournament was PPG/Motoworldracing.com Yamaha’s team manager, Paul Lindsey, who recently joined 6,357 other poker players at this year’s World Series, which is being held inside the Rio Casino in Las Vegas. Did I mention the winner of the tournament gets $8.25 million dollars?
I told Paul to keep us updated with what’s going on, and after the first day of play he told us things were going great. “My brother and I did some calculations last night, and I think I’m in the top 10 percent right now, but the next day is going to be tough.”
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“To make a long story short, we started with 6,358 people and I was 13 people away from being in the top 700 on Tuesday night. I had 172,000 chips, which put me in about 180th place, so I was in great shape. The first paying position was 621, so that means on Thursday all I had to do was patiently post my blinds till we got to 621, then I would’ve started playing. 621st place paid $20,000 dollars! So, I thought I was in. I called my wife on my break and I told her to start packing, because I was going to bring her and my daughters out. All I had to do was be smart for 15 more minutes, and then we were going to call it a day. So we came back from the break and the first hand I was dealt pocket Kings, and I didn’t want to mess around and slow-play them, so I raised like $48,000, and this guy came over the top of me because he thought I was bluffing, so I went all-in. He had the same stack size as me, so I was like ‘Dude, why are we beating each other up here with 15 minutes to go?’ But I had Kings, so I was like screw it. He calls me and he had pockets twos! He then caught a two on the flop and I was done! I wanted to cry. I walked out of there like I had just been in a car accident. It was so violent. I was the picture of patience and I was very methodical about my play, and then that happened. I just couldn’t believe it.”
Nonetheless, Paul wants to thank Jimmy Button and everyone over at the Road 2 Recovery Foundation for giving him this opportunity to play in the World Series of Poker. “I can’t wait till next year,” he says. “I just have to find a way to buy-in again!”
This from Scott Wallenberg:
This week FLY introduced their 2008 gear for dealers in the Northwest at the Owyhee Motocross track in Boise. A nice groomed track was there as a reward for those coming out in the 90-plus degree heat. Plus, the air conditioned Fly semi became a mobile showroom with clothes racks inside. You can look for new ‘08 Fly gear at your dealer soon. Also there with new products were Scott USA, LeoVince Exhaust, No Toil filters and Pro-Moto Billet.
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Believe it or not, people are already lined up outside the Ponca City track in Oklahoma for next week’s NMA Grand Nationals! Chris Hultner (himself a Sooner now) stopped by the historic park to check in with race founder Ron Henricksen for this Ponca City preview film right here.
Racer X was on hand at the recent Tucker Rocky rep show and saw a lot of cool items on display. Former MX Team owner Michael Holigan and race engineer Jim Lewis have formed a new company called Merge and were showing a new anti-bog carb mod.
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Here’s a note from Tim Wallace down in Texas:
We are planning to release a few photos of Freestone Raceway in progress over the next few days. At the end of the month Holeshot Magazine will have a feature story on the national in our issue we are taking to Ponca and Loretta’s so everybody can get the rest of the story.
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Did you see where we tapped Moto XXX veteran leader Kyle Lewis as this week’s Rider of the Week? Check out the feature film right here.
We got this from Racer X reader Michael _____. (He didn't sign his last name.)
What do Glen Campbell and Kent Howerton have in common? Their cosmic link is the the fact that while we all consider Kent Howerton a Texan, he was actually born in Wichita, Kansas. The hitch is that "Wichita Lineman" and "Rhinestone Cowboy" were hit songs for Campbell. Howerton's nickname was the Rhinestone Cowboy during his Suzuki days in the 80s.
In closing, what happened with Silly Season? The Factory Spectator Steve Bruhn gives us the scoop:
Until yesterday silly season looked like a card game with teams and riders holding their hands close to them, with hands made up of a combination of contracts, offers, rights of refusal, and promises. It seemed that for the spots and riders in question, a lot of things had to happen at once and depended on if this or that happened.
Cards hit the table yesterday, but things got fumbled.
Suzuki confirmed that David Vuillemin would join them at Makita Suzuki, and that MDK agreed to release him, pretty cool since he regretted leaving the factory life a couple of seasons ago. They also confirmed what was reported here before Hangtown, that Tedesco would be leaving, but they didn’t say where. Okay fine, but what didn’t happen was Tedesco’s new team confirming at the same time that he would be there instead, and it’s a factory team. Both press releases were supposed to be timed to confirm things at once.
Who cares why really, it just didn’t happen right and cell phones were on fire Thursday morning. Just looking at the PR record, it looked like Ivan just got dumped. In reality, he had his new spot ready for a while and was playing it cool while his manager negotiated what to say and when, and it just went to hell. Now he’s got people thinking he was released and his new team’s PR was not ready at a moments notice. All of a sudden, Ivan is available for interviews, just don’t mention Honda "ahem." Okay whatever, so Ivan cleared things up with a 5 Minutes with...interview where he made the point of saying he’s trading one factory deal for another, he didn’t get dumped, and he’s going to ride it out this summer giving 100 percent, that kind of thing.
Suzuki found out about Ivan leaving between Vegas and Hangtown anyway, and the search was on for replacements. All kinds of interesting options came up, like why not move DV and Nick Wey and MDK over all together (MDK ended up going with KTM instead), or move Michael Byrne over. Byrne is widely rumored to be going with Gibbs, but since he is Rockstar Suzuki now, they have a right of refusal card to sit on too.
DV is known as a good test rider, and he missed the factory life, and even though he had a year to go with MDK, things got worked out between them and DV became Suzuki’s newest factory guy. They still have one more spot to fill, and they at least should have some grip on Byrne, but the other rumor that is about to start is the other guy is Mike Alessi.
If that card gets played, the next reshuffling will be interesting.
Well, that’s about it for Racerhead. Happy Friday the 13th, and we’ll see you at the races!
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