We’ve been fortunate with the weather, with the exception of a weather delay during practice on Monday, and then a brief lightning delay this morning. Otherwise, it’s been hot, enough to the point where they shortened a couple motos at one particularly hot part of Wednesday afternoon, based on the National Weather Service Heat Index Chart. But otherwise, we’ve seen some fantastic motos, plenty of drama—the Andrew Short-vs.-Mike Brown Senior +40 race was one of the closest finishes in history here at the Ranch, with Shorty winning by literally the blink of an eye. And we’re seeing emerging stars like Kawasaki Team Green (and Tennessee’s own) Drew Adams, Diesel Thomas, Landen Gordon, Caden Dudney, Seth Dennis, Grayson Townsend, Kyleigh Stallings… Just too many to name here. 

I’ve also see a whole bunch of Loretta Lynn’s alumni running around, and not just the ones like Shorty, Brown, Jeff Emig, Jeff Gibson, and the ones racing in the vet classes, nor the likes of Chad Reed, Nick Wey, Ryan Sipes, Joe Oehlhof and others who have their kids here racing. Rather, Ryan Villopoto, Ryan Dungey, Cooper Webb, Kevin Windham, Adam Cianciarulo, Jo Shimoda, Dax Bennick—even Travis Pastrana came to help out his good friend and longtime sponsor Randy Richardson, the Fastest Man in Piedmont, in his Masters +50 LLMX debut. 

We’ve been doing updates every day, so rather than try to rewrite and recap everything here, here are each of the video, written, and photo updates, beginning with Tuesday's motos. Check out some highlights below.

And also make sure to check out all of the cool content from Racer X Films, Vurbmoto, Playground, Cycle News, Fox Racing, Kawasaki Team Green, and just everyone else here has been posting. 

With all that’s going on down here, I hope you will forgive us for keeping it short here on the next-to-last day. We will get back to our regularly scheduled programming next week as we head to Unadilla MX (and see the return of a couple or three very big names to the AMA Pro Motocross Championship), plus plenty of look-backs to the week that was here at Loretta Lynn’s.

THE RANCH (Matthes)

Well, I did it. For the first time since 1998 I went back to the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch for a couple of days. And it was hot. But also fun to see lots of industry racers/people there and sweat it out with them. In no particular order, here are some "Observations" from deep, deep, deep by the creek.

- Weege specifically told me that I would love to hang out with Mitch Payton so went by the Pro Circuit truck and Schnike told me Mitch hadn't been to the ranch for years so not a great start for Weege's promotion of the Ranch. 

- I saw a GasGas start up before the parade lap and then when the guy went to go, the bike went backwards! Swear to God, DC saw it also. (Editor's note: I did, it was unreal, and the mechanic was shocked too.) This was in the first 30 minutes of me being there so things were getting weird.

- I had a deep-fried Twinkie. For more on this watch the Vurb Bottom Line Show coming out soon.

- I got to announce with Weege, Wes Kain, and Kevin Kelly, which bordered on talking about anything but the race that was out there. We chatted about this "Scary Guy" that I had besmirched on Twitter and his fans were coming after me.

- I got to bench race with Kevin Windham and Chad Reed up in the tower which was fun.

-Mike Brown is a manimal. Andrew Short, who beat him in the first +40 moto, had a lot of admiration for him as Brownie, who is prob 13 years older, whupped him in moto two. Moto three has already happened by the time you read this. (Another note: Moto battle of the year here and won by .015 by Shorty.) 

-I still really don't like the drawing of poker chips for your moto one gate position. Same as the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations ping-pong balls, these races are too important for fate plus it's a bit dangerous to have a super-faster dude on the outside. Easy solution: take the Regional results and seed them that way. I know at least two OEM people agree with me.

- It was hot. Like really hot.

-A vet guy asked me to set his start device for him, he said it would be an honor to have me do it. No, I'm not kidding.

- I had deep fried Turkey nuggets—again, stay tuned for the Bottom Line Show.

- I'm not happy with Team PulpMX's Kris Keefer's rides. The heat got to him, "we" need to be better.

- JT was there one day I was. Never saw him. SAD.

- Too many weird names for kids, it's ridiculous. How many ways can you possibly spell "Brixton" for God’s sake? Please stop this, parents. 

- Randy Richardson was stoked to be there, every time I saw him, lots of productions going on with him.

- Drew Adams' moto, I don't know which class, where he was third, fell, then came back to win when Avery Long and Leum Oehlhof got tangled up was maybe the best race I saw when I was there.

- There are SO MANY UTV's and Golf Carts there, but no pit bikes, which I heard was a much better environment, despite sooooo many UTVs and Golf Carts.

- Handheld electric fan sales must skyrocket the week before this race.

That's all I got for now but if you stopped me to say hi to me and thank me for being there, I appreciate it. I expected maybe a punch in the face or two from angry amateur dads I've railed on for years. See you guys in another 26 years, maybe? 

Remembering Bill West (DC)

The sport in general lost one of his true pillars earlier this week when Bill West passed away at the age of 88. Bill was a pioneer in the motocross promotions business, turning his passion for riding and racing motorcycles into a series of events that he started in 1969 that he called the Florida Winter-Am Series. West also talked Daytona International Speedway into participating in his series, beginning in 1971 with a track laid out on the infield during Bike Week. That race became the Daytona Supercross, the oldest and one of the single most prestigious rounds of Monster Energy AMA Supercross. West would later promote rounds of the series in Atlanta, Orlando, Tampa, Miami, Charlotte, and more. He also hosted outdoor nationals at Sunshine Speedway in St. Petersburg, Gatorback Cycle Park in Gainesville, Road Atlanta, Hialeah, and more. He was also responsible for what’s now known as the Mini O’s, which started life as a multi-discipline event at North Florida Raceway outside of Jacksonville. He touched the lives of every rider and family that’s racing at Loretta Lynn’s this week, as well as every professional rider competing in Monster Energy AMA Supercross, the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, and even the new SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX).

On a personal note, Bill West was a great friend to my dad, Dave Coombs Sr., and literally showed him the ropes of Pro Motocross when my parents started their first outdoor national at a place called Appalachia Lake in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia. Together they used to have “team races” where a bunch of Pennsylvania/Maryland/West Virginia riders would caravan down to Cocoa Beach and race against Team Florida (and we would get crushed in the sand), or Bill would bring his guys north to race at High Point (and we get even on the steep hills and off-cambers). I fondly remember staying at Bill’s house in St. Petersburg when we went to Florida for the ’76 Winter-AMAs, when his other guests included the journalist Jim “Greek” Gianatsis and this young Yamaha rider I had never heard of—the one that Gianatsis would soon nickname “Hurricane” since he had shocked everyone by winning the first round at Jacksonville during a tropical storm. Yes. I’m talking about Bob Hannah, who became a lifelong friend of Bill’s, as did Greek. (And I truly believe that trip and that stay at Bill West’s house at the same time that Hannah and Giantasis were there the root of my interest in moto journalism.)  

Bill West hosted an AMA Amateur National in the pre-Loretta Lynn’s years, and when my dad and Paul Shlegel came up with the idea of this event in ’81, Bill West threw his full support behind it because he saw the potential of the idea and what it might mean to the sport at the youth and amateur level. And years later, on the day my dad died, August 3, 1998, the first day of that year’s LLMX, Bill and his partner Sherri Dye drove straight to Loretta Lynn’s Ranch to pitch in and help my brother and sister and I get through a very tough week. In the years that followed he served as a mentor to myself and my sister Carrie and brother Timmy as we navigated the incredible challenge of trying to follow in his footsteps as event promoters.  

Bill West was a giant in the motorsports business, with everyone from Jim France to Allen Becker to Evel Knievel in his rolodex. He was funny, he was smart, and he was downright ornery at times too. He counted the likes of Tipton Stanley, Big Ron Tichenor, the late “Wheelie King” Doug Domokos, longtime announcer Larry Maiers, and the late, great referee Freddie Ephrem among his closest friends, as well as my dad, Big Dave. Bill West lived a great big life for 88 years. He will be missed, and never forgotten.

Here is an article from Racer X Illustrated back in 2002 of the Bill West’s Florida Winter-AMA Series, “Paradise Lost.”

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