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First Pic

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.

L.A. County Fair

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.

Fuel Blues

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?

Just A Little Hate

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.

Who Else Likes GP Motocross?

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.

Whoa, what a crazy couple of weeks!

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.

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  JackieIron Posted:

  9/29/2008 3:21 PM

  How was des nations?
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  COLEMAN #716 Posted:

  9/11/2008 4:11 PM

  Guy B thanks for the add!! Haven't been a memeber too long but so far love the website. All mx news is up to date and find myself on this website ALL day long! Keep up the good work.
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  AK$ Posted:

  9/5/2008 12:55 AM

  Understandable. I'll let is slide this time
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  winiecki motor sports Posted:

  8/19/2008 6:04 PM

  Hello I wanted to know if any one races at BIG RIVER. It is by Parker AZ.
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  Donovan861 Posted:

  8/8/2008 12:01 PM

  thanks buddy...the vanquish clothing guy is getting your help at steel city, cool deal. thanks!
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  RanelC10 Posted:

  8/7/2008 6:44 PM

  Thanks, a lot! I really appreciate you giving us ALL some coverage some of the other mags have their favorites ha ha
  
  But really im just happy to have a goal to work for again in motocross! Now its time to learn how to ride supercross sitting down... I think the triples are not out of the question, and maybe some step on step offs too. Will see, it will be fun to see the progress after a year
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  RanelC10 Posted:

  8/7/2008 6:17 PM

  GuyB, it was really good to meet you in person at X! I want to thank you for the great shots you put up of me, they all look awesome! Its too bad I got that bad start I would have liked to have done a lot better but Ill just have to wait for next year
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  mxchika Posted:

  7/15/2008 1:22 PM

  Hello!! thanks for letting me hang out over here! got a cool bunch of people over here even tho some of them arent so nice! but other then that i like it here! thanks again!
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  MOTOVIXEN Posted:

  7/13/2008 12:55 PM

  WOW...it has been forever and a day since I have been on here to update...jeez you would think I was busy or something! LOL! It was good seeing you at Glen Helen, hope the rest of the Nationals are going well for you!