Racerhead #23

You can watch tomorrow’s True Value Thunder Valley National live all day long, beginning with the first motos at 2 p.m. ET on MAV-TV and the second motos at 4 p.m. ET on NBC Sports, and the motos begin streaming live at 2 p.m. ET on promotocross.com. Note this is actually an hour earlier start than usual—motos start at noon local time! You can also watch practice, streaming live beginning at 11:45 a.m. ET. Should be another epic race at David Clabaugh’s Thunder Valley MX! And here’s all of the info on the True Value Thunder Valley National: https://promotocross.com/mx/event/thunder-valley-2016

The drama at the FMF Glen Helen National came from a whole bunch of sources: Alex Martin’s first-ever professional win in the 250 Class, Ken Roczen’s air-fork foul-up after taking over the lead in the first 450 moto, Missouri kid Austin Forkner’s introduction of himself to the Southern California motocross crowd, Anthony Rodriguez’s bike literally shattering as it cartwheeled from nearly the top of Mt. St. Helen’s to the bottom, Blake Baggett’s incredibly gutsy try in the first 450 moto—all of five days removed from having his collarbone plated—and (sadly) another James Stewart no-go after a recent crash (this one from Hangtown). That’s just another week in American motocross for you. (And he comes Matt Bisceglia as the replacement for Baggett and Stewart on the Yoshimura Suzuki 450 this weekend.) But the real drama—the strange, unnecessary drama—came before most even showed up.

I’ve seen plenty of silly situations spiral out of control in a hurry, and I’ve even been a part of a few—as both the antagonist and the protagonist. But it’s been awhile since I saw someone in the pro paddock get thrown out of a race a full day before it even start… As in, like, J-Law at Red Bud back in the day. What happened on Friday afternoon, midday, with the Blue Buffalo team has to go down as one of the most unfortunately, easily avoidable trespasses of pit law in the history of motocross etiquette. I don’t really know how it started—a mechanic late for tech tried to get into a gate that was closed, causing a brush with a female security guard that went from nothing to a whole bunch of something in the time it takes for some hotheads to build up steam and get really, really vulgar and threatening—but I know how it ended. The Blue Buffalo rig, a member of the crew, and team owner/manager John Slater were banished from the Glen Helen facility for the weekend. This incident took place between event and facility security and team personnel, not between any race officials—AMA or MX Sports—and it was practically over before my friend Michael Rigdon (“The Rock” himself on Vital MX) could even find me in the media tent, where I happened to be writing last week’s Racerhead. The Rock suggested I hightail it down to the end of the paddock where Glen Helen security chief Alan Kent (40-some years with the LAPD) was supervising the removal of the team’s rig.

The problem was that the team’s two riders—Ben Lamay and Ryan Breece—weren’t even there. But the exchanges between security and other members of the team staff went from heated to nasty to downright bad in the time it took you to read that sentence. Then lines were crossed—via lines you don’t say out loud, whether they involve male anatomy, gunplay or “the Gestapo”—and while the team was thrown out, the riders were basically also being thrown out before they even showed up at the track. Mr. Kent told me the story, and John Slater told me some of his, and both made their points, but Mr. Kent held the upper hand and he wanted the team gone. Fortunately, Blue Buffalo affiliate Larry Brooks was nearby and helped mediate a settlement that would see the team go, per Glen Helen’s demand, and the riders and their bikes allowed back in to compete, albeit under someone else’s tent.

At this point a truly good and underrated team owner—3-D’s Bill Dill—stepped in and offered to house the suddenly even more independent riders, but Brooks helped Lamay and Breece find other temporary homes. It should have ended there, and it would have, if not for that always pesky internet and those Vital MX message boards. Now the tempest in the teapot was building up steam inside a five-gallon dream of high-octane race fuel, and people online were picking sides, dragging in unconcerned parties and the nastiness went up a few virtual notches. One of the other good guys in this brouhaha—my friend Broc Schmelyun—got involved and tried to help explain the team’s side of things, but, as I told Broc on the phone, the more you kick a turd, the more it stinks…

For the record, Rigdon and Brooks were there to help the riders stay in the game, some members of the team deserved the bum’s rush they got, and Alan Kent is not the Gestapo (though he is the father of MLB great Jeff Kent and one of the nicest, most interesting people I’ve met at the races in years). Bill Dill is and has been a class-act for many, many years. And there is no suspension or punishment for the team—not being allowed to be at Glen Helen was enough, and this was not about race-related activity but simple move-in mayhem. All will be back at Thunder Valley, I hope… Well, not Brooks, who parted ways with the team this week, or likely Breece, who injured his knee at Glen Helen.

Which brings me to the big-jump drama. Glen Helen has always been a bear of a motocross track, and this year there were a few jumps added that seemed to really take the amplitude, altitude and sheer danger to a whole new level. The massive triple in the back had everyone’s attention, as you will read in Matthes' Observations column. But while it was big and fast, it was pretty easy for the top guys. Unfortunately, it wasn’t easy for the not-so-good-guy who over-jumped by a ways on press day on Thursday and collapsed his wheel as a result. Trust me, it was rider error, not Jody-designed track error. But it did open the sheer size of some the jumps to some rethinking, and the same could be said for the big Fly 150 Jump at Hangtown, When things go wrong off something like that, they go from small incident to possibly catastrophic in a hurry. Sure, fans love it, but they used to love seeing daredevils flying out of a cannon, too. The bikes and athletes are too fast and too good for such sheer daredevilry (although almost every rack has something BIG now, be it Unadilla’s Sky Shot, Red Bud’s legendary LaRocco’s Leap, Spring Creek’s Holy Schmit, that Fly 150 at Hangtown, and the High Point quadruple, which may be called the LeBrocc’s Leap in honor of Schmelyun, the guy who crashed so ugly last year on a relatively easy (but big) obstacle.) Glen Helen track architects Jody Weisel and Karl Scanlon meant well, but I hope they consider taming some of those jumps down next time….       

Okay, onto Racerhead!

Where Kenny Went Faster: LitPro Insights (Jason Weigandt)

Perhaps you noticed a few cameo appearances from LitPro race data on the TV shows from the Nationals this year. LitPro is a GPS device that attaches to a helmet and allows super-accurate tracking of speed, race lines and even lean angle.

This week, the LitPro folks have given access to the ultimate piece of data from Glen Helen: where Ken Roczen went faster than Ryan Dungey. Below, the video tracks the fastest lap from both riders. Kenny is the large dot, Ryan the smaller one. Check it.

They’re the same through the supercross section and through the mechanic’s area. Kenny edged away through the end of the Talledega turn, then Dungey closes back in but Kenny, using a wider line at the bottom of the first hill (turn two) gets away, opening it up by a half a second at the top. He’s also a little quicker at the top and bottom of the huge downhill, so by then Kenny has nearly a second lead. Dungey had a line better through the canyons as they head back up and down which brings the lap time back to nearly equal, but the corner that leads them toward the huge triple step up in the back is Kenny’s domain—he sticks further inside and opens it back to .8 seconds. But the real damage is done through the final twisting turns leading to the finish. When they enter the section, Kenny is .9 seconds up on Ryan. By the time they leave, he’s up 1.4 seconds. You can keep scrolling back and forth with the video above to check their line choice and MPH in each section. It’s fascinating stuff, and ultimately on a track that generated all this attention for huge jumps, huge hills, high speeds, and a super-technical supercross section, Kenny made up the most ground in a series of tight, slow, twisting turns near the finish. Go to http://www.litprolive.com for more info on this product--yes you can get your own LitPro and really start breaking your motos down.

OH CANADA! (Matthes)

Yeah, yeah the third round of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championships are this weekend in Lakewood, Colorado but the real action will be in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada for the Rockstar CMRC Canadian National kick off! Well, maybe I'm stretching it a bit but for reals, I'm pretty excited for the series up north. The 450MX class is stacked with defending champion Matt Goerke and his teammate Brett Metcalfe on their OTSFF Rockstar Yamaha's, Canadian hero GDR Honda's Colton Facciotti, Monster Kawasaki's Mike Alessi and Vince Friese, Thor/KTM's Davi Millsaps and Kaven Benoit, Redemption Racing's Cade Clason and more. Let me break down the series for you real quick and give you a primer to what's going to go on. (Or to really dive in listen to the season-preview podcast I did this week: /2016/06/02/racer-x-podcast-canadian-nationals-preview )

Series outlook: Ten rounds, two new tracks in Barrie and Pleasant Valley, one a deep sand track, another semi-sand track. We also have a track that sucks badly, a track that's shale and hard pack, one that's right in the city and another one that gets hella-rough.

Matt Georke: Strengths: Faster than anyone not named Jesus or Herlings in the sand. Weaknesses: He's been hurt so might start slow

Brett Metcalfe: Strengths: He's strong everywhere and without the bike DNF's last year probably would've won the title. Weaknesses: He's been racing a Husky in Aussie so jumping on a Yamaha might be a bit tough as it's a new bike for him also.

Colton Facciotti: Strengths: He's on the same bike/program last year and knows the tracks. Weaknesses: He usually starts slow and has been fragile in the past.

Mike Alessi: Strengths: Well, he's a great starter (duh) and he's ridden a lot of these tracks. Weaknesses: Mike's team had some DNF's last year with Metty so keep an eye on them. Also, Mike's never raced a Kawasaki.

Vince Friese: Strengths: Vince is a good starter, he won his only race last year in 450's. Weaknesses: Because of his battles with Benoit two years ago that crossed the line, the people in Quebec might want to light him on fire.

Davi Millsaps: Strengths: I think he'll have the best bike in the class and he's so, so, so talented. Weaknesses: He's never ridden these tracks and have you noticed he tends to get hurt now and then?

Kaven Benoit: Strengths: He's a good starter, he's in good shape and he's got confidence from winning a ton the last two years. Weaknesses: He's a rookie in the 450's and will take some lumps here and there.

Cade Clason: Strengths: He's coming off a good season up there and look at the results, he was sneaky good bro. Weaknesses: He's, uhhh, not as good as the top guys in this class at racing dirt bikes. Sorry Cade.

You can get more from Canada via our friends from Direct Motocross and their regular Frid'Eh update.

Pro Perspective: (David Pingree and Jason Thomas)

There will be much talk about altitude this weekend and how riders can try to adapt. Whatever, we’ve covered that over and over. What other training gimmicks and ideas has our duo of ex-pros tried? Let’s see!

David Pingree: With the elevation this weekend it’s always interesting to see what kind of gimmicks riders will cook up. Elevation tents are a possibility, but riders have actually been using those for a while. Back in 2005 Ivan Tedesco used to drive to Newport Beach every day after he finished riding to sit in this hyperbaric chamber for an hour. They actually do work to aid in recovery and healing. Some guys buy home models to sleep in. The latest trends are cryo chambers that use super cold temps to reduce inflammation and the Forearm Strong device that allegedly reduces arm pump. IV’s at a hot national are not legal… but something tells me they still happen. While the best way to hydrate a conscious person is still orally, IV fluid therapy does have benefits in the short time between motos.

There are all kinds of products and practices that riders can and will try, and they serve two purposes: First, is the placebo effect. Double blind studies have proven, without question, that if you believe something will help you, it will. The brain is incredibly powerful, even when you trick it into working. Secondly, routine helps calm nerves. I always put my left sock and knee brace on first. I don’t know why I felt like doing it the other way would lead to some kind of catastrophe, but I did. Welcome to my disturbing psyche. A routine, regardless of how silly or mundane, relaxes you and allows you to pull your focus from the stress of the situation. I love watching riders as they sit on the starting line because they all have unique ticks and quirks as the tension builds before the gate drops. Some guys shake their heads around, others clap their hands and some fidget with their start pad right up until the parade lap. I used to shake my goggles out over and over like somebody was standing behind me throwing tiny pebbles into them or something. We are a neurotic group but there is a reason for the behavior. So, if you see a guy rubbing mystical elixir on his lower back this weekend or clamping his forearms into an iron maiden for upper extremities, understand that they are just doing whatever it is they think helps. As crazy as it may seem, it sometimes does.

Jason Thomas: Riders always have some crazy superstition or routine that they adhere to. Whether it's what they eat on the morning of the race or which knee brace goes on first, trust me, there's always something. Riders want routine to add a level of comfort when their nerves are on the edge of lunacy. 

For me, I had all kinds of weirdo ticks. My left knee brace sock needed to be looser than the right one, I had to have my goggles laying face up on my handlebars, and other silly stuff like that. That stuff made zero difference in how I would ride or perform but I was still very, very serious about making sure it was all done. There were also other little quirks that actually helped. I always tried to ride in the hottest parts of the day and if I did have to ride earlier than that, I would make sure I was cycling or running in the brutal afternoon heat. I wanted to be the most adept at dealing with the roughest and toughest conditions because I seemed to struggle with pure sprint speed. I didn't really count calories back in those days because I wanted to be stronger than the next guy. When everyone else was hurting, I wanted to capitalize. 

The one training tool that I liked to do and I felt worked was one I picked up from Canadian legend, Jean-Sebastien Roy. It was simple in theory but brutally tough to do. At the end of everyone's mandatory 20 lap moto, I would set my bike against whatever was close by and then run a full lap around the supercross track in my full gear. The only piece I would sometimes take off was my goggles and that was dependent on how much I wanted to torture myself that day. Running around a supercross track in boots immediately following a 20 lapper is zero fun, folks. But, at the end of the main events when I was able to still push my pace, it was all worth it.

BROTHERS IN WINS (DC)

Alex Martin and Jeremy Martin are now the only brothers in AMA 125/250 Motocross history to have each won a round. Alex's win at the FMF Glen Helen National may have seemed like an upset, but he's been riding incredibly well for the past couple of years--he time at Eleven10 Mods definitely taught him to not only work hard and count on himself, but to never give up, no matter how much of a hill it seems like you have to climb to get to the top! But they are not the first brothers to have both won. Back in 1973, Bob Grossi won the Daytona race on a Husqvarna, but the race counted as an AMA National because there was no AMA Supercross Championship! That wouldn't start until 1974, and that's the year his little brother Billy won the opening round of the AMA 250 National Motocross Champion at Hangtown.

In AMA Supercross, both the Stewarts (James and Malcolm, though not Ronnie.... Get it?) have won 250cc SX races, and both of the Vohlands (Tyson and Tallon) were winners in 125 SX. Tommy Hahn has a 450 National win while Will Hahn has several 250 SX races, but the Millville, Minnesota-born Alex and Jeremy have now both won AMA Nationals in the small-bore class, making them the first in that division. 

But here's something that may have slipped through the cracks: The Martins are NOT the first brothers to go 1-2 in an AMA Motocross National. Back in 1973, at the old Lake Whitney Cycle Ranch in Texas, Honda teammates Gary and Dewayne Jones went 1-2 in the 250 National. https://vault.racerxonline.com/1973-06-17/250mx/lake-whitney-cycle-ranch

New KTM Two-Stroke (Kyle Scott)

On Wednesday KTM held a press introduction for their all new 2017 KTM 250SX two-stoke at Glen Helen. This bike is based off of Ryan Dungey’s 450 from last year, it just took an extra year for KTM to get the new 250 engine done (the 250F, 350F 450F and 125 and 150 two-strokes were all redone for 2016). With my main ride being a two-stroke, I’m excited to see that KTM is still developing these bikes. We’re talking full development too—Tom Moen, KTM’s Media Relations Manager, informed me that everything is built just for this motorcycle. So what’s new with it? There’s an all new chassis, frame, second generation air forks, new body work, everything. The bike should be nimble. The swing arm pivot is up (similar to the four stroke, but it’s half a degree steeper and 10mm shorter) and the steering head angle is the steepest out of any motocross bike, it also has the shortest wheel base out of any motocross bike. The engine center case is up, so is the crank, cylinder, cylinder head. They’ve even added a counter balance rto the 250 SX to reduce vibration and broadened the power band delivery. Click here to see the full specs on this completely redesigned bike and keep your eyes open for the Racer X Films edit with Billy Laninovich later today to see it in action and get Billy’s first impression of it.

Trey’s Starts (Weigandt)

Trey Canard’s two-year start slump is one of the most puzzling things I’ve ever seen. Trey is traditionally a good starter and he even busted into the pro ranks with a series of holeshots (and wins) right off the rip in supercross. But wait, his starts might be back! He crossed the stripe up front in two of the four motos this year. I asked him about it after Glen Helen:

Racer X: Is this official? Have your starts turned around? Is there something?
Trey Canard: To be quite honest, there is absolutely nothing. Honestly, that’s the thing. There is nothing now, where before there was too much. 

You mean nothing has changed, or do you mean you’re just not thinking of as many things or doing as many things?
Yeah, the second. It’s so much on my mind, and so many people tell me different things. Data is good, but I’m just trying to do it right and what’s not perfect in data might be that.

It just had to be so frustrating. So how good does it feel to be like, “Wow, I might finally be getting a good start?”
It’s nerve-racking to just know you’re not going to get a good start. To think, I’m probably not going to get a good start. You’re trying to tell yourself you’re going to get a good start but deep down you know you’ve been botching these things for two years now. I think it will be better now. They’re not going to be perfect all the time but I think as long as I just focus on trying to get the start rather than trying to do technique I’ll be fine.

How annoying does it get when people are giving advice, thousands and thousands of people?
The hardest thing is you see people and they’re like, “Man, if you just got a start…” Oh, really? That’s it? I had no idea! It is a compliment but you hear it over and over. It’s like me hearing, “Oh, man, I saw you crash at Washougal” or “I was there when you broke your back.” People mean really well but you hear it so much you start to go….

Well, that’s just people being nice. Starts have a randomness to them. If they say you’re riding bad, that’s an insult on you. If they say your starts are bad, that’s not really your fault it’s just a random thing, so it doesn’t seem like we’re insulting you. At least that’s what I think on the media side.
Oh, the media, that’s not even the beginning of it. You start to fear everyone! Even at our church, we were there on Sunday night and this guy’s like, “Boy, you just getting down out of that gate real good and it seemed like 20 feet out they just took off and you just kind of got stuck back there.”

People are talking about your starts in church!?
Yeah. That’s when you know it’s getting bad!

Okay well that begs the question….have you ever, you know, prayed to God for you know what?
(Laughs) No. No. That’s taking it a bit too far. “Uh yeah, God, I know there are people suffering in this world but could just help me get some good starts on my dirt bike?” Not going to do that!

Hey, Watch This! (Weigandt)

Red Bull’s superb MX Nation series returns this year covering a totally different group of riders. Troy Adamitis is the master of this genre—no one but no one gets the real scoop from the riders like he does—and this season looks like no exception. Last year’s show followed Ryan Dungey and Ken Roczen, this year it follows the 250 class, and riders like Jeremy Martin, Joey Savatgy, Adam Cianciarulo, Shane McElrath, Jessy Nelson, Cooper Webb and Austin Forker. Yeah, don't give Red Bull any crap and say they only follow Red Bull athletes in this show!

. Here’s episode one, and it will blow your mind.

Random Notes

Artist Derek Gibson is selling 18X24 prints of the original charcoal he did of Destry Abbott for the ISDE team. All proceeds will go directly to Destry and his family for treatments for his leukemia. Derek will sign every print and is offering free shipping to the continental United States. More details can be found on his Instagram page @derekgibson951. 

If you're anywhere even remotely close, we know you're coming to Thunder Valley. Don't miss your chance to spend all day in the pro pits with the Racer X All-Day Pit Pass! For $50, you get 13 issues of Racer X Illustrated plus an all-day pit pass. If you're buying more than one pass you can get a multi-year subscription, or you can give the subscription as a gift. This offer is good for both new and renewing subscribers.

Quantities are limited, so PREORDER your Racer X All-Day Pit Pass before they sell out. You don't want to miss out on your exclusive pit access, do you?

Also, stay hydrated this summer with a Racer X stainless steel water bottle. Just stop by the Racer X booth in Sponsor Village to subscribe or renew and get 13 issues of Racer X Illustrated plus a Racer X water bottle for just $20! This water bottle is the official bottle of, "Weigandt fills it up at the water fountain so he never pays for a bottle of water an an airport."

And don't forget stickers are always free at Racer X! While you're at the booth, grab your 2016 Thunder Valley event sticker. 

AMSOIL Arenacross TV analyst (and racer!) Daniel Blair has had his Main Event Moto podcast going for a bit now, he recently spoke with Tony Alessi, which you know people just can't help themselves from wanting to hear.

Wear Ronnie Renner's underwear and help raise money for spinal cord research! Yeah, now that we have your attention, check out the limited edition 2UNDER stuff made for Ronnie and know that $1 for each pair sold is donated to Wings for Life, a group backing spinal cord research.

Of course Matthes has a bunch of links he wants to share from his PulpMX.com site:

JGR Yamaha's Johnny Oler gives Moser the low down on what's the deal with these air forks HERE

Jeff Emig, Phil Nicoletti (from Lakewood!) and Jason Thomas join me for the Fly Racing Moto:60 Show HERE

David Vuillemin offers up his thoughts on Glen Helen HERE

Tony Blazier talks about Jeff Emig's 1993 125MX season HERE

Congrats out to Shannon Cudby, daughter of Simon "The Guvna''" Cudby, who just took a job over at the always-growing FLY/WPS over in Boise, Idaho. All that time editing photos at the races (and reading novels between the motos) paid off!

Okay, that's it for Racerhead, I'm off to the mountains on my adventure bike, showing the kids around, and doing whatever I can to help at the track. I'll see you at the races.

We wish to dedicate this column to our old friend and contributor, the artist Marc Estabrooks, who was found dead in the St. Lawrence River earlier this week. Godspeed, Marc. And thank you for the fine work.