Rev-Up: Dallas
Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Rev Up. Sit back and think about the first supercross you ever went to. If you are a true fan of the sport then you remember entering that giant parking lot for the first time. I remember it all in sharp detail. I remember seeing all of the box vans lined up with Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, and Suzuki adorned to the sides. I remember walking through the enormous stadium through the hordes of people and finding my seat, then gazing in awe out at the track. I remembered how big the doubles along my side of the grandstands looked and getting that nervous acidy taste in my throat when I tried to gauge if I would be able to clear them on my CR80. You see, my brothers and I hadn’t only traveled to Dallas to watch Jeff Ward, Ricky Johnson, and Broc Glover, we were there to look for the hot lines we could use on amateur day.
|
The races seemed so much faster and violent than they did on TV. The bikes looked shinier and the smell from the exhaust made my tiny fists clench and my size 6 foot tap like a jack rabbit. And sure enough, RJ won the main event after battling back and forth with my other hero, Jeff Ward. After the races my brothers and I ran as fast as we could to his box van to try and get an autograph. I had always thought about what I was going to say when I met him, but when we finally came face to face all I could do is stand there and stare. After signing our programs we just stared at them in our laps the whole way back to the hotel.
|
As the years went by we would drive through Dallas on our way to Lake Whitney, Texas for what were then called the GNC Finals. In 1989 I had my first on-track experience with Ricky Carmichael. He ended up crashing both motos and I won my first amateur title. More years flew by, and I always seemed to make it to the Dallas area for one reason or another. 2003 was the last time I traveled to the area for competition and I won my last amateur national championship at Mosier Valley. The following year I traveled to Dallas/Ft. Worth for an event that I really didn’t know what to think of, but a Bowyer was racing in it. This time it was Texas Motor Speedway instead of Texas Stadium. That weekend marked the beginning of something really special to my family and me.
|
This weekend there will be thousands of kids that will have a night like we did back in 1988. There will be thousands of little arms pointing out through the lasers and smoke screaming, “Hey man, there’s Ryan Villopoto!” They’ll get to stand before them and get their autograph. It will be a night that will stay with them forever. This is American Supercross, ladies and gentlemen. The greatest sport on the planet. As Round 13 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship makes its way to Dallas, we have championship fights going on in both classes. If you’re going to be at the race, swing by the Racer X tent. I love going to Dallas and I’ll have the high fives warmed up.
Thank you for reading, see you next week.
|