I’ve been shooting for…well, let’s just say that it’s been a few years. But the shot below still holds a special place in my heart. The rider is Mark Barnett, the year was 1981, the track is Saddleback, and this was the first shot that I’d had published in a motorcycle magazine. (It ran as a full-pager in MXA.)

Todd Huffman from The Motocross Files recently scanned it and sent me a copy. He’s working on The Bomber’s Motocross Files episode for this season, and apparently it was a shot that Mark had kept in his photo collection.

Actually, Todd was also around when I first spotted this one on the newsstand (we were BMX teammates and roommates at the time), and he still likes to tease me about how I was yelling while standing in front of the supermarket newsstand where I first spotted it in the magazine.

My son and I went to the L.A. County fair this weekend, and saw the usual array of carnies (nice mullets!), sideshows, rides, and midway stuff. Then there were the farm animals (and some exotics like porcupines), insects, and we watched some show horses in action. Typical fair stuff…including deep-fried delicacies.

But maybe the coolest part of the day was something that’s not really part of the fair, but which is on the fairgrounds property…the NHRA Motorsports Museum. We spent probably an hour or so wandering through the long building, checking out modern and vintage race cars. And in case you think it’s devoted to straightliners only, you’d be wrong. Yep, there were plenty of dragsters, funny cars and pro stockers from all eras. But there were also NASCAR cars (including one of Dale Earnhardt’s cars), a CART car, and a fair number of land speed record streamliners…and even a 300 MPH door-slammer.

My favorites were probably the four-engine fueler of Tommy Ivo’s, as well as several of Mickey Thompson’s cars, including a funny car, as well as a couple streamliners. There was also the original Hudson Hornet that the Judge was modeled after in the animated movie, Cars.

I caught myself a few times, explaining to my son about the different kinds of cars, the personalities behind the drivers, or the technology involved. True, it’s not motocross, but it’s something I grew up with, still dig when I get the chance to check it out, and…well, it’s motorsports, and something to share with my son…and that’s not a bad thing. (It sure beats the heck out of him spending time playing video games.)

What I didn’t spend a ton of time on was the cases full of memorabilia. That could have easily doubled the amount of time spent there. If you’re a motorsports nut of any stripe, and ever find yourself in So. Cal. with a few hours to kill, it’s well worth a visit.

Check out www.museum.nhra.com.

I couldn’t help but chuckle when I saw this license plate on a Hummer at Budds Creek a couple weeks ago.



Yeah, we obviously all have a love affair with internal combustion engines, and of course, that requires some decent-quality fuel to run the bikes. (I haven’t heard of anyone attempting to go bio-diesel on us, and I certainly wouldn’t recommend it.) But with the recent run-up in gas costs, it sure has been frustrating to go to the gas pumps. I know I’m driving less, and using a mountain or road bike for short trips. How about you guys? Have you changed your driving or riding habits due to the high cost of gas?

Okay, hate might be too strong a word for it. But as odd as it sounds, I actually liked hearing some of the smack talk between Chad Reed, Kevin Windham, and Andrew Short during the final rounds of the 2008 Supercross season.

Now I don’t think these guys should actually hate each other, the risk of injury on the track means that they need to maintain a certain level of respect for each other’s health and well being out there. But the war of words showed just how passionate these guys were about taking home the title.

Also, when these guys loosened up and started laying out how they really felt, it was actually refreshing. Normally, they’re so restrained in what they say after each event, it’s enough to put the average fan to sleep. TV ate up the post-race comments from the competitors, and so did the print and web media.

Now I’m not suggesting that we all run out and try and create controversy in the future. That’s not how it works. Back in the days when there actually used to be post-race press conferences, one of the previous hosts would ask uncomfortable questions in an attempt to stir up some fire between the riders. I’m not sure how they felt about it, but to be honest, it made me squirm. It was manufactured, and it just didn’t feel real.

So here’s to the ’08 Supercross season, as it disappears into the rear view mirror. And here’s hoping that the ’08 National season is just as exciting.

Back when I first got interested in motocross (yeah, you smartasses in the back row, it was a loooong time ago), the scene was completely different from the way it is now. We were the snot-nosed punks of the motocross world, and regularly got thrashed by the European Grand Prix riders. Back then, they dictated the style…both on the track and for what to wear. They had the experience (we had little), and heck, even a large portion of the equipment came from there. Who remembers Maico, Husqvarna, Greeves, Montesa, Bultaco, Ossa, DKW, Monarch, CZ, and Zundapp?

Among the first races I attended back in the day was one of the Hang Ten USGPs at Carlsbad. It’s hard to imagine now, but one of the U.S. guys getting a sniff of a top ten in a moto used to be a big deal. Finishing on the podium? That was barely worth considering, it sounded like such a crazy idea.

Of course, things have completely turned around since then. A lot of the focus is now centered over here, both on the Supercross and National scenes. But one thing that hasn’t changed is that I still like to check out the action over there, and rather than looking at it as quirky and odd (like some of my friends do), I like that it’s different, whether it’s the bikes, gear, or overall scene. I also like keeping track of who’s who, and who’s doing what over there. That always comes in handy around MXoN time. And with the MXoN coming to the U.S. more often in the future, and with the return of GPs to the U.S. starting next year, it makes it easier to feel more connected to the global scene.

I’ll be traveling to Holland for next week’s GP season opener, and I’m looking forward to it. I’ve always wanted to see a Dutch sand race, and it’ll be cool to see the full MX1 and MX2 classes in action, since we only get a limited selection of each one at the MXoN. Be sure to follow along on Vital next week for updates, and besides the race action, we’ll be checking out some of the team introductions on Friday from Valkenswaard.

Between the launch of V2.0 of Vital MX and the late hours of testing that went into that prior to (and during) the Dealer Expo in Indy, the show itself, then heading to Atlanta for the start of the East Lites series, and a couple days spent at a Champ Factory school with Rick Johnson and Sebastien Tortelli (more on that later), it's been a crazy couple of weeks. There has been little time for sleep, and maybe not as much content as usual, but as things smooth out, that should boost considerably.

So what do you think of the new design, and all the accompanying features? We've been really happy with the response, and though there are still some tweaks to work on, we like this custom-coded version much better than the heavily-modified open source software that we launched the site on. Once again, the credit for implementing the new stuff was our ace programmer, Aaron, who has been pretty much on call 24/7 lately, as we rolled out not only the new VitalMX.com, but new versions of VitalBMX.com and VitalSkate.com as well.

One thing I've been missing over the last couple of weeks is my trusty Canon 70-200mm lens, which suddenly turned not-so-trusty at San Diego, when it abruptly stopped focusing. Maybe that had something to do with being dropped out of my photo vest a couple times. We have new Alpinestars vests that are supplied to all the floor photographers at Supercross events, and this year's design is different than in years past. Unfortunately, I discovered which pockets you can't leave the 70-200 in while crouching down. The good news is, it made an appropriately expensive noise when it hit the ground. The other good news is that Canon's repair service isn't far from my place, and they're exceptional at fixing my gear.

Besides all the other assorted things going on, Racer X's Steve Cox and I have been trying to work out the details of bet between the two of us to see who can lose more weight. Maybe that'll result in few calls from Mike LaRocco Sr. to the Live Nation staff on the floor of some of the Supercross events ("Tell number 14 to move, he's blocking some of the trackside signage"). Among other things, we still need to figure out the actual wager, the time span, and exactly how to judge it.

Earlier I'd mentioned the Champ Factory school. I'm working on a separate story for that, but I do have to say that it's something I wish I'd done years ago. Having guys like Ricky Johnson and Sebastien Tortelli watching what you do, and then telling you what you how to correct what you're doing wrong is exceptional. I definitely have a lot more to say on that topic, but you'll just have to watch for the story next week.

In the meantime, it's time for me to pack for Indy (again, this time for the Supercross), and to start eyeing the event at Daytona. It looks like the treadmill's not slowing down anytime soon.

We’ve got some exciting changes in the works here at Vital MX. Our ace programmer, Aaron, has been toiling for months on a new content system for all the Vital Media Network sites (www.vitalbmx.com, www.vitalskate.com and our personal favorite, www.vitalmx.com). That includes not only what you see when you visit the site, but what we deal with on the admin sides as well.

For several months Aaron went all nocturnal on us, grinding away on code until the wee hours of the morning. He’d send occasional photos to the office, showing the hermit-like beard that he’d adopted in his highly focused state. He, along with our President, Brad McDonald, also sweat thousands of details, big and small, all with the goal of making the sites speedier and easier to use.

We knew things were going well when he made the transition to working back in the office recently, and after a couple rounds of alpha and beta testing, www.vitalbmx.com went live on the new platform yesterday. (They got to be the guinea pig this time around, and if you want a sneak peek of the new site, you can check there.) From all the reports we’ve heard, www.vitalmx.com will not be far behind…maybe as soon as this weekend.

What can you expect out of the new platform? Well, virtually every facet of the site underwent serious scrutiny, and you’ll find tweaks and new features sprinkled throughout. Everything from log-in to your profile administration, to the new forums and speedier photo galleries, as well as the ability to comment on nearly anything on the site. it’s a vastly different site, but with a familiar feel. Think of version 1.0 as being a bone-stocker, and the new version as being the web site equivalent of a Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki.

We can’t wait for you to check it out, and we'll be curious to get your feedback.

Driving up to San Francisco for the Supercross in the Vital MX Toyota (yep, I love road trips), I was thinking a bit about the concept of 100 percent. What constitutes 100 percent? How do you determine a percentage? And how do some riders actually give 110 percent?

Coming into the season, I’d interviewed James Stewart at Kawasaki’s Supercross Kickoff event at their corporate headquarters. At the time I’d asked him the standard question of whether he was 100 percent coming into the season. It’s not a question I really like asking, because I’ve seen riders get queried with that so many times in press conferences that you often just get an inevitable eye roll for an answer. But given that he was just coming off a previous knee injury that caused him to miss the end of the outdoor season, as well as the U.S. Open, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Obviously we now know that James had an additional pre-season injury to his left knee, and that he was trying to keep it quiet. None of the top athletes ever like to show any sort of weakness that their competitors can latch onto, and James is no exception. Ricky Carmichael was also pretty adept at hiding injuries during his career. So while I’m not crazy about putting James in the position of having to smile, nod, and say, “Yeah, I’m 100 percent, and training’s been going great,” when in fact he hadn’t been able to train, I can at least sort of understand it.

And how you figure a percentage? Most of these guys have had so many injuries over the years, 100 percent is a concept that’s probably somewhat foreign to them. After a while they have injuries that are, for lack of a better term, just…there. We’d guess a lot of the riders have a certain level of pain that they deal with all the time, and they just work around it. It’s part of the job. They may also have some injuries that hinder them in some way, but they’ve adapted and found ways to work around it. So does that mean they can never make it back to the 100 percent they had on their best day ever?

Often you’ll hear guys who say they’ll give back from an injury when they’re 100 percent…or that they don’t want to race because they can’t give 100 percent. I guess that if they’re out there, they want to be on top of their game, and also be safe…and who can blame them? But generally, I think even when they’re hurt, the top guys bring 100 percent of what they’ve got to the track on a given day. Is that their full potential? Maybe not. But it’s their 100 percent at the time.

And finally, we come to the dreaded over-100 percent number that someone inevitably busts out with on the podium. The only possible reasoning I can give for that one is if they felt like they overachieved on that day; or though a mix of talent, luck, and karma, they rode to way beyond even their own expectations. But I also think that should be their new high water mark that they shoot for the next time they hit the track.

Now that I’m wrapping this up, as far as the San Francisco weekend goes, the only thing I’m 100 percent certain of is that there’s going to be a whole lot of mud in AT&T Park on Saturday, it should make for some very interesting racing, and at the end of the night, you’ll be able to look at the results and figure out who gave 100 percent.

Nope, I’m not talking about A1. Sure, the rain stayed away, the crowd showed up, and the riders raced, but to be honest, the race had (at least to me) a slightly weird vibe to it. It felt like everyone was going through the motions just trying to survive it and move on. In some ways, that makes Phoenix the start to the real first race of the season.

Phoenix is guaranteed to feature something more akin to what we’re used to seeing on the track, and a whole lot more like what the riders have been preparing for over the last several months. No one preps for the kind of conditions that we had last weekend. You’d destroy your practice track, equipment, and maybe yourself. I will admit that I was relieved to see just about everyone get out of there healthy, though I am waiting to see how Jake Weimer is, and whether Chad Reed’s hand injury becomes a factor to his season. He obviously did a great job last week, and he has plenty of experience riding through pain.

How about James Stewart? Well, I think there’s little doubt in anyone’s mind that it would have been a very interesting race had he not gone down in the first turn. Did he back off after carving through the pack and getting to second spot? Definitey. That’s a good thing, too. There wasn’t much reason to take all the chances necessary to try and close the gap to Chad.

Watching some of the message boards this week, I was bummed to see some of the tongue-waggers piling on various targets. Sure, the JGR MX/Toyota/Yamaha squad didn’t have the greatest intro, but I wouldn’t be in a hurry to write them off after one race…particularly one like A1. Also, the Honda Red Bull Racing guys are definitely better than they showed. There are still plenty of questions to be answered about the season.

Obviously the work that Ryan Dungey and Johnny O’Mara have been putting in paid off last weekend, as he scored his first Lites win of the season. Jason Lawrence looked impressive as well, and many expected him to be a little closer to Ryan, especially in the mud. But a daring pass by Dungey, and a mistake or two by Lawrence separated the pair at the finish line. But there’s little doubt about the message that Boost Mobile Yamaha of Troy Team Manager, Chris McAvoy, flashed to Jason on the podium. Your time will come.

Be sure to check in here and at www.motodrive.com throughout the weekend. I can do quick updates on MD via my iPhone, and we’ll be adding updates from the track, along with our usual Pit Bits and post-race coverage over on Vital MX.

I’ve received several e-mails asking for updates on the Lasik surgery I had a couple weeks ago, and the good news is, everything went great.

Actually, that whole experience was probably the fastest and easiest procedure (of any kind) that I’ve ever had done. I’d worn glasses since I was six years old, and without glasses I couldn’t see anything in sharp focus that was further than six inches from my nose. I went back for a one-week follow-up a few days ago, and tested at 20/20. Now I’ll be able to shoot photos glasses-free (no more scratched lenses or sweat and dust streaming down the inside of my glasses), and hopefully that translates into better photos.

I knew going in that I might end up with reading glasses for up close and computer work, and that looks like it’ll be the case. I guess I’ll either have to start carrying a pair with me while shooting, or I’ll be one of the few photographers out there who isn’t doing a lot of chimping during an event.

But being able to live without them full-time? Or throw on a helmet and goggles without having a pair of glasses underneath? That’s a pretty cool deal. I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.

…nope, not two front teeth. Sure, my upper left tooth has a little chip, but I can live with that. What I really want (and I’m already scheduled up for) is Lasik surgery. No, I’m not going to be pimping my surgeon, and no, this isn’t some kind of plug because I got a factory bro deal. (I didn’t.)

The truth is, I’ve been wearing glasses since first grade. That means over 40 years of dealing with them…and I’m over them. Tired of fogged-up glasses under goggles, tired of trying to see through glasses that have streams of sweat running down the inside of the lenses while I’m trying to shoot photos in the summer. I’m also tired of over-expensive lenses that scratch way too easily. Check with just about any spectacle-wearing photographer who shoots motocross, and you’ll see the tell-tale signs of viewfinder wear on either their left or right eye.

Sure, I’m a bit nervous about going through the process, but nearly everyone I know who has done it has been extremely satisfied with the results. Soooo…all I want for Christmas is…

If you’ve checked out the stuff from the 2007 edition of A Day In The Dirt you’ve probably seen some of the things I posted of Chris Palermo riding his ’99 Harley Sportster 883 during the Coup de Grace race. I guess what really flipped my switch on that one was that it just seemed so utterly nutty to even take on a challenge like that. Well, that and the fact that he seemed to be having so much fun with the whole thing. It also reminded me of video that I’ve seen of the ironmen who used to wrestle old Triumph and BSA dinosaurs around on dirt back in the day.

Anyway, I’m inspired enough that I’ve already penciled in that race for next year…though I’ll definitely be on a modern bike. Hey, while I admire what he did, I’m not completely nuts.

If you check out my full blog, you'll see an entry where I'm talking crap about a Jeep with huge wheels and blacked out windows.

A couple people have sent messages to let me know that it was Ryan Scheckler's ride. Oops.

Yes, I know that Ryan's a badass when it comes to skating, and that he and his dad are also huge moto fans. I know that his pop also came out to support the Tretta Ride Day, and that he took home a mini that was up for raffle that day. 

So sorry, Ryan. (But I still think the Jeep is fugly.)

With Thanksgiving here, it's time to think about what you've got to be thankful for. I'll admit, normally I'm so pinned and focused on working on the site and my daily life that I don't spend a ton of time mulling over stuff like this. I'd guess it's probably the same for many of you.

For me, I've got a great place to work, a sport that I love, a job that I dig, and my family. 

I'm also thankful that David Bailey did his video this year, which changed the sport by opening some eyes, and changed the way people look at safety gear. I'm also psyched that we had a small role in helping out. 

How about you? What are you thankful for this year?

Hey, no one can say that the Motocross of Nations wasn’t a classy event. There were even attendants outside the portacans who’d pass along a handi-wipe for your digits after your visit to the plastic thrones. Or you could go straight for the hand sanitizer, or maybe even a mint…but don’t forget the tip.

It’s funny, but it seems like my nickname occasionally causes confusion. GuyB (pronounced like Guy Bee) is a nickname given to me by an old SE Racing BMX teammate of mine, Rod Beckering…whoa, probably almost 30 years ago. It’s simply a contraction of my last name, Giberson, but that doesn’t prevent people from struggling with the pronunciation.

Some people don’t know what to call me…Steve, or GuyB (either one works just fine), so they end up surrendering and using something sort of in the middle, and just run with Guy.

Personally, I’m not all that worried about it one way or another. Besides, at one point or another, no matter what you call me, I’ve been probably called much worse.

I totally get customizing your car. I also get the idea of big wheels. But why does this combo seem like a particularly bad idea? (Spotted on the 405 freeway near Dana Point, CA.)

I am glad, however, that the guy had limo tint on his windows. There’s a slight possibility that he might not have seen me snickering while I took the photo.

I added this one in just because of how the camera did something freaky with the wheels.

A while back I had a blog entry called Sunrise in Newark (On the way to Unadilla), which prompted an e-mail from mxhoney11, who said, “Your sunrise in Newark picture struck home - ya know there are MX'ers right here in New York City You made me recall this shot - this track just out of the Holland Tunnel between a power plant and the New Jersey Turnpike. As you can see it was taken prior to September, 2001.”

Okay, I’ll ‘fess up. I’ve been sucking at blogging lately. But here’s a tale of the challenges that you get occasionally while trying to make it to a race.

For one of the recent Nationals, I’d stayed up the whole night before, trying to finish up some work before heading to the race. That meant I was really looking forward to jumping on the flight and crashing out. While waiting in the boarding area, I discovered that Antonio Balbi and Adam Chatfield were also on the same flight. This Brazilian and U.K. odd couple have been traveling and teaming together throughout the U.S. Nationals, and they’re both fun (and funny) guys.

So we make it on board, and wait for the plane to back away from the gate…and wait…and wait…and wait. Finally, the Captain gets on the intercom and tells us that plane has a mechanical problem, and that the flight has been canceled.

After gathering our stuff, getting off the plane and waiting through the line at the gate, we get rebooked onto another flight with a different airline that’s a couple hours later. I sit in my seat in the boarding area, dreaming of a nap, while Antonio and Adam go through a batch of their receipts, trying to straighten them out.

Finally, we reboard, and wait…and wait…and wait. Guess what? There’s another mechanical problem, but the Captain on this flight thinks they have a fix. After more waiting, he says we’re good to go, and back away from the gate…only to pull straight back in. The same problem has resurfaced, and this flight also gets canceled. Now it’s back out to the front counter, to get rebooked on another flight…out of a different airport…that’s a red-eye, and eight hours after the last flight was cancelled.

So the total time spent in an airport on a Friday? Eight hours…and we still hadn’t gotten anywhere. That’s the most time I think I’d ever spent in an airport where it wasn’t a weather-related problem. Sheesh.

Oh, and we eventually did make it to our destination. Antonio and Adam hitched a ride in the Vital MX rental car, and we made it to the track in plenty of time for those guys to practice in…even if we were all a little short on sleep.

Those who know me are well aware of my love for Mexican food. While I generally try to avoid Taco Bell, my son digs it, and ever since he’d heard me talking about the foam Taco Bell hats that they were giving away at the X Games, he’d wanted one for his very own.

While I suggested to Gabriel that they should be paying him to wear the foam concoction, he was more than happy to sport it around the venue…even if it was making him overheat.

As for the bite? I have to admit...it tasted every bit as good as the usual fare over at Taco Bell…

Yeah, strip malls are generally hideous and universally worthy of loathing. But while in Lakewood, Colorado for the Thunder Valley National, I came across this one. Beside the visual appeal, it has four items that make it worthwhile.

From left to right, there's a Chipotle Mexican Grill, Peaberry Coffee, Wolf Camera, and Pei Wei Asian Diner.

Chipotle's already the butt of a few jokes around the Vital MX offices, due to the number of lunches I eat there. Yes, I know they're owned by McDonald's but it's about as un-McDonalds-like as you can get. The Peaberry Coffee was where I did most of the Vital Buzz following the Lakewood National. The free wireless there is definitely a bonus, but the extra shot of espresso in my latté was good, as was the cool atmosphere. This could account for most breakfasts.

Obviously the camera shop could come in handy, though I think Wolf is mostly good for point-and-shoot cameras. (That's what drags this one down from perfect to nearly perfect.)

And finally, Pei Wei Asian Diner could account for most of my dinners. 

I already called and told my wife I found my version of heaven...