Welcome to one of the busiest weeks of all, the beginning of Bike Week and the eve of the Daytona Supercross by Honda. This is the one round of Monster Energy AMA Supercross that is not organized by Feld Motor Sports, and it is also the oldest SX race of all, stretching back to 1971. The track is sandy and longer than any other track in the series, and by far the roughest, as the dark black sand on the infield of the revamped Daytona International Speedway gets downright nasty. After the pros are done, the MX Sports crew will get to work on taming it down for the Ricky Carmichael Daytona Amateur Supercross, which goes off on Sunday and Monday and will be packed to the brim. The AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series (GNCC) presented by Maxxis also begins this weekend in Florida, which means a match-up between Cycle News' 2015 Rider of the Year Kailub Russell and Dirt Rider's 2015 Rider of the Year Ryan Sipes. (You can watch GNCC on RacerTV.com starting Saturday. Here's a complete guide for all the racing this weekend.) Add on Tuesday's ATV National opener at Daytona and it's going to be several very long and race-filled days and nights for everyone. In other words, this will be no Spring Break!
Before we begin, I want to dedicate this edition of Racerhead to a couple of longtime friends and fellow moto enthusiasts who have suffered the loss of loved ones recently, and who just happen to be neighbors in Alabama, and specifically at Monster Mountain. Johnny Borders lost his son Chase recently, after a long battle with health issues following a terrible practice crash. Chase (#910) was a great person who still came out to Loretta Lynn's ever year to cheer on his friends, often sitting in the shade beneath the announcer's tower. Chase was an indelible part of southeastern motocross, and our thoughts and prayers go out to Johnny and the rest of the Borders family. And then last weekend Monster Mountain owner Tom Brinkman lost his wife Brenda. They had met as teenagers, and Tom and Brenda were married for 37 years. On behalf of everyone at Racer X Online, as well as next-door at MX Sports, our sincere condolences go out to everyone in the Monster Mountain motocross family.
There was something about the numbers last week in the 250SX Class that caught my eye. With #49 Martin Davalos rolling towards an impressive, unexpected win (unexpected by me, anyway!) I couldn't remember the last time an AMA rider won a supercross or outdoor national wearing #49... And I couldn't remember a #50 ever winning either, and that was the number of second-place Malcolm Stewart's bike GEICO Honda! We have the lists of all AMA numbers that go back to 1974, and we put them to get use in ID'ing the vast amounts of photos that we have in the Racer X Archives. One morning this week Andrew Fredrickson and I dug into the archives to see if anyone had ever won with #49. Last year #49 was Jimmy Decotis. The year before #49 was Gavin Faith. The year before that it was Phil Nicoletti. In '12 it was Justin Bogle... Go all the way back to 1976 and Trey Jorski. In '77 the #49 was worn by Glenn Urquhart. In 1978 it was Don "Killer" Kudalski.... None of them won in the year they wore #49. We did the same with #50: In 1983 it was Kevin Davis. In 1993 it was worn by Tony Graves. In 2003 it was Billy Laninovich. In 2013 #50 was Kyle Peters. Again, no rider has reached the winner's circle in AMA Supercross of AMA Motocross wearing #50.
Think about it: Cross off #39 with Bob Hannah in 1976, #40 with Josh Hill in 2008, #41 with Trey Canard, #42 with Brian Swink ('93), #43 with Micky Dymond ('86)...
Add it all up and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider Martin Davalos has a few very unlikely place in the record books now. He was already the first Ecuadorian rider to win a race, and now he's not only the first four-stroke 250 Husqvarna to win a race, but he's also the first to ever win wearing #49! And Malcolm Stewart could very well become the first rider to ever win with #50!
And that leads to an all-time tough bench-racing question: What is the lowest number now to have never won an AMA Supercross or AMA Motocross race in any class?
Pro Perspective (Jason Thomas and David Pingree)
David Pingree: Daytona has always been known to add some players to the mix who wouldn’t normally be there. Even in it’s watered down state it has more ruts, bumps and kickers than anything these guys have seen since Indiana last summer. Who’s going to shine this weekend? I think this could be Eli Tomac’s chance to break through. He’s a proven outdoor guys and if he’s looking for a spot to break through its this weekend. Blake Baggett is back and he showed off his outdoor skills here last year with a podium finish; I would look for him near the pointy end of the pack again this weekend.
Another rider who could really shine this weekend is Aaron Plessinger. He won the last national of the 2015 season and with his off-road background this type of course could really suit him. Of course, he rode amazing last weekend and I’m a big fan of Aaron’s riding style so maybe I’m just pumping up my guy. The bottom line is that any rider who excels outdoors is going to be more of a player this weekend then they have been all season. Unless you are Ryan Dungey, in which case you are just going to keep crushing it.
Jason Thomas: Daytona is a different animal altogether. Ricky Carmichael would tell you that the series doesn’t officially start until we get here. It’s such a departure from the typical indoor supercross event that it gives us some unique results compared to the rest of the series.
As Ping said, Blake Baggett jumps off the page as a rider who excels here but with him nowhere near 100 percent, don’t expect another podium this year. The rider I really think needs to capitalize on Daytona is two-time defending Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Champion Jeremy Martin. He didn’t fare too badly with a fourth last weekend but he desperately needs to prove he can get a good start and be a dominant force in supercross. This is his best chance on the calendar to do just that.
HURRICANE DUNGEY (Andras Hegyi)
Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey is racing in a different dimension since 2015. Between 2008 and ‘14 he got fourteen wins in 83 races in the premier class. From the first round in 2015 till the eighth race in 2016, Dungey has collected thirteen wins in just 25 races, giving him a better than a 50 percent average. Dungey keeps going up the overall winning list, too. Last year he caught and overtook Jean-Michel Bayle, Mark Barnett, Jeff Stanton, Kevin Windham, Damon Bradshaw and Jeff Ward. This season, Dungey has caught up with the legendary Bob “Hurricane” Hannah. That is to say, Dungey now has 27 wins in AMA Supercross premier class, same as Hannah. Dungey can tie Ricky Johnson as soon as this weekend, as Johnson has 28 career SX wins.
Hannah got his twenty-seventh win in his 79th race, in his ninth season in 1985. The Hurricane had 84 Supercross races in ten seasons between 1976-‘87. Dungey got his twenty-seventh victory in his 108th race in his eighth season. (And for the record, there are more SX races in the season now than before. This year we have 17 rounds; back in 1978, for instance, there were only 11 rounds.)
BINGO FOR BBMX (Steve Matthes)
The Butler Brothers Racing team started out as a way for Forrest, Brandon and Karsten Butler from South Florida to chase the dream. Back then it was a different way to market a team with riders that, although competitive, weren’t in the main events. From those humble beginnings, and after the brothers had hung up their boots, came the BBMX team with mostly Floridians like Shaun Skinner, Brian Johnson, Matt Goerke, Jason Thomas and a Canadian who lived in Florida a lot, Doug Dehaan. The joke was that if you didn’t live in Florida, you couldn’t get a ride on BBMX.
The team switched from Hondas to Suzukis, picked up DNA Energy Drink and then BTOSports.com as a title sponsor and existed as a B level team in the pits. But just like when he raced, Forrest Butler had some unique ways that his sponsors could cash in on helping out the team. It was outside the box thinking that helped the team do fairly well even when the riders weren’t in the top ten.
That all changed when the Butlers (with now only Forrest managing and owning the team) teamed up with KTM to become an official factory squad for the orange guys. The team stepped up its level of bikes, its riders and the money paid to where we’re here in 2016 and BBMX riders Justin Brayton and Davi Millsaps have won 450SX heat races as well as been in the top five. And although Andrew Short has had a tough start to 2016, it was really he who put the team on the map with good finishes for a couple of years now. Brayton had a miserable first season with the crew but he’s now healthy and riding well and Millsaps, in his first year on the squad, has been very good.
It’s been a long road for the bothers Butler but it’s a cool story at the same time. Forrest Butler must think back to those days with a truck and trailer to where he’s at now and break into a smile.
#FLORIDALOTTERY (DC)
I caught up with my old friend Scott Taylor recently. He was a guiding hand behind Ricky Carmichael's amateur and professional career, helping the rider and his family navigate the industry through his work at Fox Racing and Oakley. Taylor left the moto industry not long after RC's retirement, and he's been working in the car racing business with none other than Jim France. Now he's teaming up with Ricky and Fox Racing again, albeit from a different angle. Scott's been working with Visit Florida (www.visitflorida.com www.visitflorida.org) managing their motorsports activities, which means hopefully more motorcycle-related promotions.
"I am working with the Florida Lottery this weekend and have convinced them to come and do an activation to get a feel for supercross/motocross," Taylor told me this week. "We have had a great relationship working in the NASCAR world but to be honest the thought of Bike Week initially scared them. I laughed and challenged them to give me a chance to show them behind the curtain of Bike Week at the Daytona Supercross."
The Florida Lottery has a great working relationship with ISC (International Speedway Corporation) and Daytona International Speedway, and they trusted Taylor to pick some athletes to work with for the Daytona Supercross and the AMA Pro Flat Track event. As a result the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki team will be backed by the Florida Lottery for this round, though the Florida-born Adam Cianciarulo is out with an injury. He will be making an appearance nevertheless on Saturday in the infield spectator area, as will Ricky Carmichael and dirt track racer Shayna Texter.
On Saturday the Florida Lottery will be in the Sprint FanZone on the main stage. They will be working with "Live Wire" (motorsports activation specialists) and giving away a ton of free stuff while sharing the word on the benefits that the Florida Lottery provides to education in Florida. The riders listed above will be making appearances during the day and Mitch Payton's team will have some small Florida Lottery branding on their bikes and helmets for the Daytona Supercross, while Shayna will be representing the Florida Lottery at the flat track.
RC and AC (DC)
And check out this shot Taylor sent of Ricky Carmichael and Adam Cianciarulo back in the day at New Smyrna Beach, after Ricky crashed his race car and saw the young Cianciarulo afterwards and gave him a piece of it! "Truly is a small world!" laughed Taylor, who snapped the photo.
MARTIN DAVALOS (Andras Hegyi)
Thanks to the Ecuadorian born Davalos, Husqvarna was able to win again in small-bore supercross class after fifteen years. Davalos transferred to the factory-backed Rockstar Energy Husqvarna team last season, but was suffering from Epstein-Barr virus and failed to reach the podium. This year at the East Region season opener he obtained the brand’s first 250SX victory in the four-stroke era. Back in 2001 at the Houston 125SX, Fast-by-Ferracci Husqvarna-backed Travis Preston got a historical triumph on the Husqvarna CR125, becoming the first non-Japanese brand to get win in history of small-bore supercross class.
HERE COMES THE NEW GIRLS (DC)
Last Saturday night in Qatar, New Zealander Courtney Duncan introduced herself on the Grand Prix stage by dominating the Women's class at the opening round of the FIM World Championships. Duncan, who has won big races back home against the boys, may be remembered here in the states for not only her stunning ride at the Hangtown WMX race a few years back, but also her one crash-plagued visit to Loretta Lynn's AMA Amateur National in 2013, where she came from dead last to seventh in one moto and didn't finish the rest. In Qatar she took on fast Euro girls Livia Lancelot as well as Kiara Fontenasi, riding a Yamaha she bought at a local dealership. "She only had 30 minutes to set-up, test and run in brand new bike she had never ridden before pre-Q and racing!" wrote our contributor Sharon Cox, who was there covering Duncan's debut. She worked her way up to the lead in the first moto and then absolutely dominated the second.
Meanwhile, here in America we are about to see a long overdue debut for another girl who could be something of a game-changer. Kawasaki Team Green's Hannah Hodges will race the WMX Class for the first time at the Ricky Carmichael Daytona Supercross. Hodges has been on this approach for some time now, having won three Girls' titles at Loretta Lynn's while riding 80s. She's on the big bike now, and it will be very interesting to see how she does on Sunday and Monday at the RCSX, which will be streaming live on RacerTV.com.
Some day Duncan and Hodges will meet, and it might just be the most exciting race of the day no matter where or when it happens!
And in the professional ranks Vicki Golden was back at Atlanta, making her 2016 debut, but she was unable to make the 40-rider cut for the night program. Riding a Team Microbilt/PRBC-backed Suzuki, Golden was 1.77 seconds off the time she needed to make the night program. Think about it.... That's not bad! She will race again at Daytona, and hopefully she makes the program.
Hey, Watch It!
The $10,000 Pro Circuit Open by BTOSports.com was held last night and Ricky Renner got the win with this last-lap pass, which was posted on Vital MX by Renner himself!
Ken Block's Gymkhana EIGHT
Here's a time-lapse of the Daytona Supercross by Honda coming together over the last few days:
Head-Scratching Headline of the Week
The Government Is Funding the Next Season of the Classic Canadian Comedy 'Trailer Park Boys' - Vice
HOT FRESH PULP LINKS
Troy Bendgen talks to Alaskan Assassin Ben Lamay about his Arenacross life.
Moser checks in with the 722 on life on the injured reserve as well as rapping in his Just Short column.
David Vuillemin offers up his take on the ATL SX.
Swizcore writes about the Marvin/Stew/Dungey dynamic from Atlanta in his always-thoughtful Swizcorner column.
Want to win at fantasy moto? Check out myself, JT, Paul Perebjinos and Dan Truman talking fantasy in the N-Fab Racer X Fantasy Podcast.
Michael Antonovich from TWMX joins Weege and I to talk some Daytona SX on the Fly Racing Moto:60 Show.
Random Notes
Are you taking to the Daytona supercross track after the pros tear it up? If so, check your Ricky Carmichael Daytona Amateur Supercross rider packet to get 15% off of all Racer X Brand apparel and collectables at racerxbrand.com. We want to give the best deals to the core of the sport and didn't have to look much farther than the pits of RCSX to do so.
We're making some one-off, print to order Racer X shirts for all of the hard-working Loretta Lynn's hopefuls this year. Pack your Racer X Destination: Loretta's shirt in your gear bag and take off down the road to the 35th Annual Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn's. The Destination: Loretta's shirts are available for both adults and kids. Best of luck to everyone this year!
Last call to get a FREE Jason Anderson cover shirt with your paid subscription to Racer X! The offer will close in the next few days and we're only printing enough to cover those orders, so get one while they're still available. Subscriptions start as low as $9.98. Where else can you find a shirt for that price?!
The Road 2 Recovery’s largest fundraiser of the year is coming up. This year’s 17th Annual R2R Monster Energy Golf Classic will be moving to the beautiful Stallion Mountain Golf Club in Las Vegas Nevada, just minutes from the strip and Sam Boyd Stadium. Check out more here.
Thanks for reading Racerhead. See you at the races!
