Press Release
For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Rocco Cagno 732-266-0306
rmcagno@comcast.net

3rd annual MX Kids Racing for Hope Fundraiser Event May 3rd

The 3RD Annual MX Kids Racing for Hope will take place at Old Bridge Township’s Raceway Park on May 3 2008. The proceeds will benefit Embrace Kids Foundation of New Brunswick NJ.

Rocky Cagno, a fifth grader at Frost Elementary School in East Brunswick NJ, and local racers are once again ready to participate. The support over the last 2 years has been amazing and everyone involved in this fundraiser have had a large impact in helping the cause. Their support has not only been financial but by inspiring other children to get involved as well.

The Embrace Kids Foundation (formerly The Institute for Children) www.embracekids.org helps many children and their families by providing counselors, educational teachers, financial assistance and research to develop new treatment and a search for a cure for children with cancer and blood disorders.

The 2008 fundraiser will once again be held in conjunction with Raceway Park’s Youth day on Saturday May 3rd 2008.

Any youth rider or businesses wishing to participate by sponsoring the event or making monetary or raffle product donations please contact Rocco Cagno @ 732-266-0306 or email rmcagno@comcast.net by April 15th 2008.

About the Embrace Kids Foundation www.embracekids.org :
In 1991, a group of parents, staff and friends joined together to form The Institute for Children with Cancer and Blood Disorders. The original group has flourished into the newly renamed Embrace Kids Foundation, an impressive organization comprising parents of patients, working professionals, community leaders and college/high school students.
In 2007, Embrace Kids Foundation will provide over $1.2 million in services to children and families throughout the greater New Jersey area. The child patients range in age from infancy to young adulthood and encompass all ethnic and social backgrounds. Our family programs and support services are available at absolutely no cost to the family. We are committed to enhancing the quality of life and relieving emotional, spiritual and financial concerns.
Our support services include the David E. Zullo Pediatric Palliative Care (PACCT) Program, an Accredited Learning Center, Embrace Kids with Sickle Cell Initiative, a Financial Assistance Program and other Family Support Services. We also fund research at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey with the goal of improving treatment and searching for a cure.

About Raceway Park www.racewaypark.com :
About Raceway Park:

Raceway Park, located in the heart of Central New Jersey is just thirty-five miles south of New York City & the four surrounding boroughs and just fifty five miles northeast of Philadelphia, will celebrate forty-three (43) years of fast family fun in 2008.
Raceway Park conducts a very wide variety of motorsport events including Championship NHRA Drag Racing, Championship AMA Semi-Pro Motocross racing, WKA Karting, Auto Shows, NOPI Sport Compact & Import Shows, Junior Drag Racing, Musical concerts including festivals like the annual Vans Warped Tour, Auto flea markets, motocross practice tracks, theme events, family shows, monster truck shows, and much, much more. Opening soon will be an all-new 1.3 mile paved road racing course for cars and motorcycles.
Annual attendance (based on fair weather conditions) is 560,000 people per year at more than two hundred different events conducted between March and November.

Jay Irwin

Fall 2007

Jay Irwin interview
you are a long time competitor at Raceway Park. Tell us a little bit about yourself…..
I'm 34, from Howell, NJ and I sell cars for a living for a family business (Irwin Lincoln Mercury Mazda) in Freehold, NJ. I race in +30A and +25A and once in a while 250A

How long have you been racing?
Well, I raced bmx from when I was 5 or 6 until I was 12 and have been racing mx ever since - So I've been racing mx for 22 years

Your dad Kerry and uncle Jay started Raceway Park. Could you tell us about the history behind Raceway Park?
Both my father and uncle were into motorcycles as kids riding minibikes in the sandpit and trails by their house. My uncle Jay ended up taking it a little more serious and racing mx as my father did more enduros. As Jay kept racing mx, my father Kerry started drag racing at Englishtown. He got to know the Napp's (the owners of Raceway Park) and suggested putting an mx track in the empty field by the track entrance. He laid out the track and ran the first race ever there and from what I’ve been told, about 700 riders showed up. My father realized that it was going to be more than a weekend thing to run the races and already had a commitment at our family business - that’s when Uncle Jay came in and started track management duties along with Ken Landerman.


What was it like growing up at Raceway Park?
It was great! Imagine being a little kid around dirt bikes, trucks, bulldozers and everything else... I spent a lot of time at the track with Uncle Jay while he would be prepping the track - helping as much as a little kid could. Raking wood chips on the track, aiming sprinklers and picking up trash was about all I could do though! Raceway Park is even where I learned to drive. Uncle Jay and Ken Landerman were a huge part of my life as a kid!


So they got you into racing motocross?
Racing was in my family - between my father racing mx, enduros, drag racing and go karts and Big Jay an expert mxer you knew I was going to race something with an engine. In the early 80's it seemed like people didn't start as young as they do now so they kept me racing BMX until I was 12. I was really into BMX at the time and didn't start getting the itch for mx until I was about that age anyway so it worked out for them!

Back when Jay and Kenny Landerman ran the track motocross was really just starting to gain ground in NJ. Riders like Bob Hannah used to go there often. What was it like to spend some time with the Hurricane?
It was really cool. I have a picture of us together and I was so excited and nervous to be taking a picture with him! It was really cool for me because I got a lot of time with riders like that but in a relaxed environment - not like the autograph signing sessions. I got to talk to and hang out with people like Tony D, Jo Jo Keller and Jeff Ward and plenty of others too.

How about the time you got to meet Malcolm Forbes and Liz Taylor…
I didn't even know who Malcolm Forbes was at the time but everyone knew Liz Taylor. Malcolm Forbes had a motorcycle club and took a ride with the whole club one day and the came to watch the races. I guess he and Liz Taylor were dating so she came with him. They made their way to Ken Landerman and my uncle and asked for people to watch and root for. I was one of the people they were told to root for and I got to meet them and have a picture taken.


You spent some time working with Brian Deegan back in the beginning of the Mullisha, what was that like?
It was a lot of fun! I moved in with him because I wanted a change and Ronnie Faisst (who also was his roommate) told me there was an open room and to come on out! It was the very beginning of fmx and riders were just being able to make a living from it and we spent a lot of time riding bmx, wakeboarding (Deegan got a boat to use every summer as a sponsorship deal) and going out to clubs just about every night!. But as the sport grew my responsibilities grew too. I ran the business side of the metal mulisha, shot video for 2 movies he put out, worked on his bikes and I also worked at skin industries in sales too. Don't get me wrong - I had a lot of responsibilities but most of them were all part of the fun. I mean, is carrying a camera everywhere we went or wiping the dust of a bike at the xgames really considered work? Unfortunately for me, I was not really fitting into the whole mulisha thing and Brian as my boss and landlord told me to hit the road! Oh well I missed Jersey anyway.


What is your best Raceway Park memory?
I don't know if this is best, but most memorable - being involved in lighting the staircase on fire with hay bales after the Kawasaki race one year. Because of that I’m not even allowed to light a grill at Raceway Park! I'd have to say the best memory just meeting my friends Tommy and Shawn Ulikowski, Richie Zupko, Rich Rike (rip), Ken Landerman and the Kesslers. Without Raceway Park there is no way I would have met these people.

Do you have a favorite race or favorite rider over the years?
Favorite race would have to be the 1991 KROC when I won 500 amateur on my father’s bike when I weighed about 130 lbs.! Favorite racer would be Mickey Kessler. I've learned so much from him over the years and still learning to this day.

What does the future hold for you?
First I want to heal up after breaking my heel 2 months ago so I can start riding again! Long term is I just want to keep riding and racing and be involved at Raceway Park

Chris Chomko

Winter 2007-2008

Chris Chomko



Back in New Jersey after a couple of year break living in Michigan Chris Chomko is one of the most friendly outgoing riders you’ll find. Here is a little about #576.



Chris Tell us a little about yourself….

250 pro/ 25plus vet A rider. I am looking forward to be the fresh 30 plus guy in less than 1 year. I’m a laid back kinda guy who loves to race, but at the same time I can be the out of control guy out on a Saturday night. When I’m not racing or putting in laps at the practice track with Ceasar, I can be found out fishing or just chillin’ with some good

friends.



What is your favorite thing about racing ?

I must say I love the competition. Every year younger riders are coming up as well as some of us older guys just keep getting faster, I may not be the fastest guy out there but there is nothing like a great day at the races with a bunch of fast guys going into the 1st turn.



You lived in Michigan for a couple of years while still traveling back to NJ to race once in a while. How did the Michigan scene compare to the NJ scene?

The Michigan scene, there were definitely a lot of fast guys out there, The problem for me was that I had to travel close to 2 hrs to get to a race where you could get more than a handful of racers. There were a lot of good tracks , and plenty of fast riders., but racing has always been something that has keep me close with my Dad, so it really wasn’t to much fun traveling by myself. And I had to wash my own bike!



How long have you been racing and what got you started ?

I have been racing 17 years now. My uncle raced and bought my brother and I an XR 70 many years ago. My brother was faster, And I was told I would never be a racer . So that kept me motivated. A few years later my Dad bought us a KX 80 we rode all the time, Then just tried out the racing deal. The rest is History



How about those Michigan winters. Were you able to ride with all the snow on the ground?

Michigan winters are definitely no fun. I had a supercross style track in my back yard that I could look at through the window because it was way to cold to ride. We had a indoor track I would ride at every weekend just to try to stay in shape.



What made you come back to NJ?

Well I moved to Michigan with my job, I had a pretty sweet deal to transfer out there. I had it all but I just wasn’t happy. The simple things in life are what made me want to move back home. Family and Friends


You had a pretty successful 2007 tell us a little about that ?

07 went ok I finished 2nd for the indoor Mx series in Michigan in both the 250 pro and 25plus vet.

I also finished 5th overall at Raceway park for the 250 Pro/expert class.



Who helped you achieve those results?

There are so many people to thank. My Dad he is always there no matter what. Freehold Honda, LDR, Bel-ray, Scott, MSR, Bridgestone, KPS, Decal Works, Twin Air, Cycra, FmF, Tag, EK, The Lukaitis Crew, SDG Seats, Pro Wheel, Evs, Everyone that comes out to practice with me to keep me putting in laps! Thanx



What are your plans for 2008?

I’m planning on going to Florida over the winter to get back into better shape. Racing local district 6, some 34 stuff. There is a few things up in the air right now, but I will definitely be back and ready to give 100%

Chris Chomko Photo Gallery

Tommy Ulikowski interview

Tommy Ulikowski



You are a well recognized figure around Raceway Park. Tell us a little about yourself. I'm 33 years old and own Robertsville Landscaping. I race 25+, 30+ expert and pit bikes, and I live in Bayville NJ with my wife and two dogs.



How long have you been racing? I started in 1988 so 19 years



What got you started in racing? My neighbor had a track and raced and my brother and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. That year my mom worked two jobs to get us each a CR 80 for Christmas and we've been riding ever since.



What is your involvement with Raceway Park? I started out as an instructor at the Jay Irwin motocross school, and I became more involved as the years went on, helping Jay, Richie Zupko, and Mickey Kessler from picking up garbage to helping with the track design.





Do you have a favorite Raceway Park memory? My all time favorite memory was the 1997 Kawasaki Race of Champions, when my buddy Joel Dengler got the holeshot and led most of the race to finish 3rd behind Jeff Emig and Ryan Hughes.





Your brother Shawn has been a factory mechanic for several years now and even has a Supercross Championship to his credit. Do you make him work on your bike when he comes home for the holidays? Shawn is very busy with his rider, Travis Preston, who can't even lube his chain, so I give him a break and let him just chill when he's home. However, he does show me the way things are done on the factory bikes when he can, and that's pretty cool.



What does the sport of motocross mean to you? I love the energy and adrenaline that I get from racing, there is nothing like going into the first turn with 39 other guys, but I also love this sport because I not only met my best friends racing, it's where I met my wife Joy. She was a score girl at Powerline Park and thanks to the Zupko's I have a great wife.





You have a tight knit group of racing friends, how important to you is the social aspect of the motocross community? As much as I love racing, I probably wouldn't ride as much if it wasn't for the fact that all my friends are there. Raceway is like a second home to me and the people are as important as the racing.





You are a top competitor in both the regular race series and the pit bike series. Do you enjoy the pit bike or bike bike racing more? The big bike is serious racing and the pit bikes series is all about having fun. I wish I could get the results on the big bike that I get on the pit bike, but I enjoy both.



Who would you like to thank for helping you out in your racing career? My brother Shawn, if it wasn't for him my bikes would be junk, my mom for getting me started, Mickey Kessler at KPS, Kenny Watson, Ken Landerman, the Zupkos , the Irwins, the Denglers, Buford at Utopia and my parts guy Scott Lukaitis

Bobby Jimenez interview

Bobby Jimenez

Tell us a little about yourself……Well to start my name is Bobby Jimenez, I’m 18 years young. I’m a pretty simple guy from New Jersey. Motocross is a huge part of my life. I also love to go fishing. I ride as much as possible and train as hard as I can. Right now I’m living in Florida so I can ride and train all winter.


You and your Dad have been a fixture at the races in the Northeast for a number of years. Tell us about your racing career so far. So far my racing career has been pretty good. It’s had its good days along with its bad. My goal all through my childhood was to be a professional motocross rider. At the age of 17 I accomplished my goal.

Last fall you suffered some serious injuries after being landed on. Tell us about that. Yeah that was a tough one! I've had some injuries before but this one was by far the worst. I was doing a little demo ride with a couple other local guys and one of the people out there jumped a double that I rolled and he landed on me. I got flown out of the track. I spent about a week in trauma. And a couple of those days I was in a coma. I had severe swelling on my brain and I broke my jaw. I had my mouth wired shut for about 6 weeks. It was horrible .I don’t remember the crash or about a month after the crash, but I do know that there was a TON of support coming from everyone. But its all in the past now.

You spent part of this summer in Canada racing the Canadian National series. Tell us about that experience. Yeah it was a pretty cool experience. I had a ton of fun. The tracks were a lot of fun, the people were super cool for the most part, the competition was tough. The hardest thing was at round one in Quebec EVERYTHING was French. Even the announcer was announcing the races in French. haha. Round two went the best. It started ALL wrong I brought one of my friends along for the ride. Andrew Flood, he probably has the worst luck I have ever seen. Well he brought it with him. The weekend started out with us locking the trailer keys in the trailer at the border. When we got to the track we realized what happened, then we had to break in our own trailer. After we got the key situation situated Flood and I went driving looking for these cliffs to jump off into a lake that the kids up there were telling us about. Well the street signs were in French...And we got lost. We eventually made it back. Then practice went ok Saturday I felt a little bit off pace but I was able to fix that for Sunday. I qualified in both mx1 and mx2 I was pretty stoked I finished 19-20-for 23rd overall in mx2 and 25-26 for I think 27th overall in mx1.I crashed on the start in moto 2 of the mx1 class. The last round was a disaster! The track was really cool, kinda sandy with some hard packed sections. In practice Sunday morning I went down on one of the fastest sections of the track, it was a long sweeping right hander. My front wheel washed out. I hurt my shoulder really bad. I rode my qualifier in a lot of pain but my lap times weren’t good enough so I had to go to the LCQ. After that there was a HUGE misunderstanding or something because I was under the impression that I didn’t qualify so I headed home. But the week after the race a friend of mine brought it to my attention that I had two DNF's on the results page. So I guess I did qualify. But I ended up something like 82nd in points in the nation and 43rd on the east coast in mx2.So I was stoked on that.

What was it like spending all of that time in a pickup truck driving to Canada with your Dad. It wasn’t too bad for me .The first time Dad was an animal, drove straight through, only time he stopped was for gas. I on the other hand slept straight through that one. Sorry Dad. The second round is when Andrew came with me, they split the driving that time and again I slept a good portion of it. The last round was different. Pops was tired so i put a couple hours in behind the wheel and let him sleep.

In your first season as a pro you even scored a couple of points. How did that make you feel. That was an unbelievable feeling. I ended up 43rd in the east coast points and 82nd in the national points. It was definitely a huge confidence builder.

As we conduct this interview you are actually living in Florida getting ready for next season. Tell us about your program for this winter. Everyday I either go for a pretty long mountain bike ride usually somewhere around 20 miles or I go running. I do a lot of sprints and also some core exercises, and I try to throw some soccer in with my workouts sometimes. I work Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I ride Tuesdays and Thursdays, and also on weekends. I’m planning on doing a couple races down here as well.

Who is helping you out while living down there? I’m living with some pretty good friends. The Garcia Family. They are helping me out a ton with a place to live and they even feed me! I cant thank them enough. My Dad is also helping me out tremendously.


What are your plans for next season? I plan to go back up to Canada and Qualify for every east coast round and Place a lot higher in the points. My Dad and I were also talking about getting my Pro card for the states as well. So if I do that I will try to run a couple of nationals that are closer to home.


Who would you like to thank for helping you out?
Well first off I would like to thank my Dad. He has been behind me 100% since day one and I can’t thank him enough. If it wasn’t for him racing motocross wouldn’t even be an option for me. I would also like to thank Freehold Honda, Dragon, Troy Lee Designs, Decal Works and Bel-Ray, And a special thanks to Scott Lukaitis for hooking me up with all the right people that he hooks me up with. And everyone else who has helped me through the years.

Jerry Seip interview

Jerry Seip

You are a long time competitor at Raceway Park.Tell us a little bit about yourself…..

I live in East Windsor, NJ with my beautiful wife and 4 year old daughter, Ruth and Jamie.



What do you do for a living?

I just recently started working at Cooper’s Honda in Hamilton, NJ.



How long have you been racing?

I started racing in 1981 at New Egypt. This is my 27th year.



What got you started in racing motocross?

Some of my friends raced (Terry Tucker) and told me to give it a try.



Back in the day you used to travel all over the area racing every weekend. Do you still do that or is it mostly local races now?

I still try to race every weekend, mainly just the bigger events. I love the workout and the competition.



Since it is such a large part of your life. What does your family thing of racing?

Ruth and Jamie really enjoy it. The rest of my family never really got involved.



We have known each other for a long time. One of the things that I always remember about you is how organized and factory your set up has always been. Has your organization been a key to your success?

It helps. I race three classes and I usually come to the races by myself.



As a veteran racer do you have to train harder than the young up and coming kids?

Yeh, which is one of the things that motivates me most.



Many guys you raced against have since retired. Who was you biggest rival? How about now?

Micky Kessler and I had some great races when he rode the vet classes. There are so many different riders from different tracks and different classes.



What is your best racing memory?

Winning a National 500 Qualifier and finishing 17th at Binghamton, NY

Winning the 1st Bruce Zimmeran Memorial Race at Englishtown.



How about your worst?

1996 was a bad year…

January - Orlando SX – I crashed in practice, in my heat and in my LCQ.

March – Englishtown – I crashed during a moto and broke some bones.

September – I crashed during practice breaking more bones.



Who are your sponsors this season?

Cooper’s Honda

Kessler Pro Suspension

MSR

Scott

Boyesen

One

Regina

Belray

Twin Air

Motographx

Jimmy McIlvaine Interview

Jimmy McIlvaine

You are a well known competitor at Raceway Park and around the tracks in the area. Tell us a little bit about yourself…..[jim and kristin mcilvaine] Well, I just turned 40 this past February. I am a husband,father to two awesome little girls and a union carpenter.

How long have you been racing?[jim and kristin mcilvaine] This is my 27th year racing motocross. Yes, I said 27 years!!!!!!!!!.

What got you started in racing motocross? [jim and kristin mcilvaine] When I was about 10 or 11 years old there was a legal place to ride right down the street from my house. All the older kids had dirt bikes . I would beg my parents all the time. One day my dad came home with a new XR 75. There was also a family of three brothers that I went to school with who raced and they helped me get into it

Looking through the districts results you seem to be racing every weekend. How many races a year do you attend?[jim and kristin mcilvaine] I just started to slow down a little bit. I race almost every weekend from March to October.

How does your family feel about that? [jim and kristin mcilvaine] Well, you know, they are starting to get a little tired of it. Last year was very tough for me and my family. I fractured my shoulder in April and then broke my leg and ankle in September. That put a lot of stress on the family life!

What do you do for a living? [jim and kristin mcilvaine] Union Carpenter (UNION YES )

Between working full time and having a family how do you find the time to race so often? [jim and kristin mcilvaine] It is EXTREMELY hard. Most people really don't understand. I go full bore from 5 in the morning until 9 pm.I usually bring my bike to work (load it up at 5:30 am) so I can go straight to practice after. If it was not for my wife doing most of the stuff around the house during the race season I would not be able to do it.

As a veteran racer do you have to train harder than the young up and coming kids? [jim and kristin mcilvaine] Yes, for sure. Especially this off season with all of the injuries and that big birthday that I had!

Many guys you raced against have since retired. Who was you biggest rival? How about now? [jim and kristin mcilvaine] That is a tough one. There are so many that have retired that at the moment I can't think of one. Now I consider anyone over 25 my rival.

What's your secret for racing for so long? [jim and kristin mcilvaine] I guess it is that I truely love this sport. I do it for that reason only! I have met so many great people and have seen so many great places . I have lined up with some of the greatest riders in the world. There is nothing like taking that parade lap at Unadilla or lining up for the supercross(lites now)main event at Giants stadium. Its been a pretty awesome time.

You have always had a great list of people helping you out, who is helping you out this season? [jim and kristin mcilvaine] First, has to be my entire family. They are not very happy that I didn't hang up my boots after last year,but without them it would be impossible. then, Monmouth Cycle, Silkolene,Vortex,Twin-Air,EVS,KPS,Sidi,Scott USA,MSR,Boyesen,Acerbis,Pro Circuit,Moto Masters,Moto-X Support,Skorbordz . Thank you to them and all the people that have helped me out in the past. Without them it would not be possable for me to do what I love. Thank you JMac 133

For immediate release:
Media contact: Rich Schmidt
Email: mx775@comcast.net
Raceway Park motocross Opens for 33rd Anniversary Season.
Sunday March 9th marks the opening day for Old Bridge Township’s Raceway Park’s 33rd anniversary season of motocross racing. Local dealer Monmouth Cycles is the presenting sponsor for this season’s events. There are classes for everyone from the four year old beginners to the over forty year old expert racers. This season’s schedule contains 13 motocross events of which several are special events. The first of the special races is on March 30th as Raceway Park hosts round 2 of the Northeast Classic Motocross Series. April 12th and 13th is the 2nd annual Loretta Lynn Area Qualifier, June 29th is part of the District 6 Ultimate Motocross Series, and August 30th is the 16th annual Vet and Vintage Reunion sponsored by Mickey Kessler’s Kessler Pro Suspension. The first weekend in October, Raceway Park is the site for the 32nd annual Kawasaki Team Green Motocross Race of Champions and on October 19th the 23rd annual Suzuki NJ State MX Championship will be held.
In addition to its full schedule of motocross racing Raceway Park also hosts a series of Quad and Supermoto racing as well.
This New Jersey track is thought by many to be one of the best in the country and over the years has been ridden by the who’s who of the sport of motocross. Multi-time National champions Ricky Carmichael, James Stewart, and X-Games champion Travis Pastrana have all raced one the famous Raceway Park motocross track. For a complete schedule of events see website @ www.racewaypark.com
About Raceway Park:
Raceway Park, located in the heart of Central New Jersey is just thirty-five miles south of New York City & the four surrounding boroughs and just fifty five miles northeast of Philadelphia, will celebrate forty-three (43) years of fast family fun in 2008.

Raceway Park conducts a very wide variety of motorsport events including Championship NHRA Drag Racing, Championship AMA Semi-Pro Motocross racing, WKA Karting, Auto Shows, NOPI Sport Compact & Import Shows, Junior Drag Racing, Musical concerts including festivals like the annual Vans Warped Tour, Auto flea markets, motocross practice tracks, theme events, family shows, monster truck shows, and much, much more. Opening soon will be an all-new 1.3 mile paved road racing course for cars and motorcycles.

Annual attendance (based on fair weather conditions) is 560,000 people per year at more than two hundred different events conducted between March and November.

The 2008 Raceway Park motocross season is upon us. Hopefully everyone enjoyed their time off from racing this winter but I for one could hardly wait for the season to start.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support and kind words last season. I have had the opportunity to get to know many of you personally and enjoy sharing my work with you on a weekly basis. I have spent the winter of 2007-2008 working on and planning some exciting new projects that I think you will enjoy.
As you may have already seen during the 2007 season I launched The Motopages and NJ Motocross. Both websites were designed to increase the visibility of the local motocross community. The Motopages has become the local directory for goods and services for and by local racers. It allows for networking for business between riders and they do for a living. NJ Motocross is a website that is designed to cover all things motocross in and about the great state of New Jersey. The constantly evolving site has served to record the states racing history in one spot. With today’s ever evolving internet society I have jumped into the blogosphere with two interesting projects. www.njmotocross.blogspot.com is comprised of frequently updated information from anything motocross New Jersey related. Weather updates, results and other information can be posted quickly and often. Photos and results usually within a day of the event as well as links to and copies of published NJ Motocross items.www.scottlukaitisphotography.com will become the place to stop first to see photos from each race. As soon as they are done and posted we’ll let you know.
By subscribing to our site feeds you’ll never be out of touch. So I’ll be busy this season and I hope you’ll join me in my adventure.
I am looking forward to another season…see you at the track.
Scott

Joel Dengler

Tell us a little about yourself…family etc. .... I'm a Union Boilermaker, married with 2 kids (Michelle, Hunter and Haleigh). I grew up in Chatsworth, NJ and now I'm in Barnegat, NJ.. Started racing when I was 13 in 1987, spent 7 years racing the AMA nationals and SX, I had 6 AMA national numbers in a row, till I stopped racing pro MX and started Offroad. Away from bikes I like to go fishing, go surfing, jet skiing, spent the day on the boat, or hang with the family..


You grew up around racing motorcycles and your dad was a top racer back in the day. Is that what got you started racing? Yea I grew up at the track for sure. My dad raced here in the District 6 series in the 70's and 80's, he also did some Trans Am's and the Florida winter series. So you can say I was born into racing bikes.

As a top amateur in the area you moved on to the nationals. Despite good finishes you never got that factory ride. Do you think if it was 10 years later you would be that guy in the semi? I had this same talk at the Kawi ( KROC ) race a few years ago with Jeff Chambers from Team Green, and he said the same thing.. If I was 10 years younger things would have been different for me and many more guys I raced with. I had some top 10 finishes in both the SX's and Outdoors. I'm not saying that I could have been a RC or Stewart, but I might have been a top 15 or so guy. But you never know how much better it could have been, with more support and better bikes you never know. I rode stock bikes that had little motor work and some suspension upgrades, but nothing compared to what some of these guys have now.. But I'm not going to say I could have been better, I did as good as I could with what I had..


In addition to your skills racing motocross you are also a very successful off-road racer. Tell us a little about some of your successes. I always rode in the woods. Where I grew up there was endless trails for enduros that were run in the area, most of the trails were on the way to go to my riding spots. And after my dad stopped racing MX in the mid 80's he started racing enduros, so I was around the woods races a lot too. I raced a lot of hare scrambles and some enduros for fun and it was also I good way to stay in shape. I never really was to serious about it because MX is where the money was and there was no money in offraod at that time. I have raced with Mike Lafferty a lot here in the local ECEA races, Mike is a 7 time national enduro champ, and I have been able to beat him a few times and also have had some great battles with him. I also was able to win the ECEA Hare scramble Championship in 2001.

You were also a top 10 GNCC racer. What kept you from pursuing that career further? I raced a couple GNCC's in FL when I was staying down there in the winters, and when I finally stopped racing MX and SX in 1998 I tried another GNCC which was only 10 minutes down the road from me.. I finished 5th overall in the Pro class. From that race on I did the rest of the GNCC races that year. The next year I did the whole series started the year off with a top 10 finish, and I didn't fall out of the top 10 in points all year. I had another 5th overall and many more top 10's. I finished the year 10th overall in points. I got a Factory Husky ride for the next year. I had some good races that year, but had some bad ones as well, new team new bike we had a learning curve to deal with. I ended up 15th overall in 2000. At the end of the year Husky wasn't really sure what they wanted to do and were dragging there feet, so I went back to the Suzuki I was used to and that's when I won the ECEA Championship. I wanted to do the GNCC's again but the cost of traveling and racing was adding up. There wasn't much money to be had at the time so I didn't have purse money to fall back on.. When I look at the series now many of the guys I battled with then are still at it and have some sort of factory ride now.. Maybe I should have hung in there for another year, but it was had to go and not make money, when I could stay home and go to Englishtown and make a few hundred..

You are a well rounded competitor. You have experienced success racing off-road, mini-bikes and regular motocross at various points in your career. How do you choose an event to race on a given weekend? Now I just go to whatever I feel like doing that weekend.. And if I', not feeling it I can stay home without feeling like I missed something, or that I owe it to someone to be at a certain race. That's what still keeps me going, the fact that if I want to Moto I can, if I want to do a enduro or harescramble I can, if I want to race my pitbike I can, and if I want to stay home and go out on my boat or jet ski o r go fishing I can without any guilt. Sometimes I will decide to race at 8pm on Saturday night.

Which aspect of racing do you enjoy the most…motocross, pit bike, off road?
It depends, I have had a blast doing each one.. I enjoy going to see all the people I have meet over the years.. I got my Moto family and my Offroad family, as different as Moto and Offroad is they are both the same, we all love racing bikes.. The only thing I don't enjoy is getting hurt and seeing people get hurt.. It would be hard to choose which is my favorite, that is why I still do all 3..


How do you stay competitive against the next group of young riders coming up? You when I turned a in 1990 I was that young guy, all I wanted to do was win. I did some crazy stuff then.. When I watch these kids today, I can't believe what some of them will do or can do on a bike.. I have no interest in riding like that now.. I don't get to ride that much these days, most of the time my day of riding is at the races.. I just go out and ride to my limit, I don't push over my limits anymore. I still have some talent but just lack the drive to win and hang it out.. I'm happy to just ride and get out unhurt these days..

What is your favorite racing memory?
I have had many good times over the many years racing, finishing 9th in sx, finishing 9th in a moto at Budds creek, getting a 6th overall at the USGP in Unadilla, finishing 2nd overall at the Delaware National Enduro, My 10th overall in GNCC, living in FL with a bunch of friends a couple of years over the winter months, going to Canada to race some SX races, going to Lorreta Lynn's and the Mini Olympics a couple times.. But all the great time spent traveling with the family and my close friends going to the races is something I will always remember.

What are your plans for this season? I'm just out there to have fun, hit a few races.. No plans I'm just going with the flow.

Looking past 2007. What is next for Joel Dengler? Well my 5 year old son hunter just started riding a PW50 this year.. So i guess i'll see where that leads me..

Tell us a little bit about yourself:
My names Adam Blessing and I’m, 18 years old. I have been racing since I’ve been about 7 years old till today.

How about your racing history, what got you started?
My dad is basically what started me out into the whole motocross scene. When I was 5 I got my first quad for my birthday. From then on to till I started racing I basically just cruised it around the back yard and ran over some swing sets and stuff. You know typical things of a 5 year old. After that I ended up moving into a new house, and that Christmas I think it was, I got a PW 50. A few months later I think my first race was at Sleepy Hollow where I raced the PW and my quad. I don’t remember how I did but I do still have some sick pictures of me with some rad trophies. From there on out that’s what it was all about, the trophies haha.

How about your best races/ best finishes?
Other then just local races I would have to say that this past year at Loretta’s was my best finish yet. I got a 4th in the 4 Stroke class which was pretty cool. I probably could have done better to if it wasn’t for me being hurt for the whole month before it. I also did some Canadian Amateur national when I was on 80s. I think I remember getting like a 7th overall up there. This past year has been pretty good though, I qualified for my first national at High Point, and then after that again at Budd’s Creek. I was pretty bummed though after I broke my tailbone in Georgia though because I missed so many nationals because of that. And then back about 3 years ago at the Mini O's in Florida I won a few classes and got a title for being the Olympiad for winning both the supercross race and the motocross races.

You have a crew of pretty fast guys that you hang around with and ride with. Do you feel that makes you faster?
Yea for sure that helps alot. If I was to go out every day and ride just with my self I would never be able to judge how I am riding if I only have my self to compare to. Going riding with slower kids makes me almost want to just mess around with them the whole time because I can. I think it was 2 years ago right when I started riding big bikes me and Jason would ride alot and I noticed that year is when everything started to pick up.

How about when you ride with Jason Lawrence? Does he push you to go faster? Does he show you any Pro tricks?
Jay definitely pushes me when I ride with him. He will always be the first person to say something if I stop riding early or something. I think about it as he looks out for me just as much as he does for himself with how much I need to ride. Other then that we usually do a few motos but in between them we throw in the occasional take out moto. I think that helps alot though with learning to be aggressive and charging that much harder into a turn to try and come up right next to some one. The only downfall is that other people out there are trying to moto or something and we might roost them trying to roost each other but we have been trying to cut down on that. But when we ride like at Englishtown, no matter what I will try and do whatever I can to keep up with him so undoubtedly riding with him definitely pushes me to go faster. And as of the Pro Tricks the only ones I can think of is ramping some sickkkk jumps haha.

You qualified for your first national this summer. What was that like?
The nationals are pretty rough. I went into High Point not knowing how this whole time thing was going to work out, but it actually worked out pretty good. I tried to be the first guy out in all of my practices and just put in as many of the hardest laps that I could. The motos though on the other hand are so gnarly and long. I remember at Budd’s Creek I came across the finish and thought the moto had to be like at most 2 laps left, and I looked over and the guy was just putting out the halfway card. The heat and everything is just so killer when you’re trying to go that fast for so long. In the long run though I’m just pumped that I can always look back that I have made some nationals no matter how the future goes for me.

Loretta Lynn's didn't go quite as you expected. Tell us about your week down there.
It actually wasn’t that bad. I got a 4th overall and a 2nd in one of the motos in the 4 stroke class. The prosport class didn’t go nearly as good though. The first moto of that I ended up getting a flat like the 4th lap in and had to ride with that the whole time. Then the 2nd moto some guy hit me in the start and I crashed pretty hard in that moto and was a half a lap behind on the first lap. Other than that though the week was pretty good. I look back and wish I wasn’t hurt before it for so long, but what are you going to do getting hurts a whole part of the sport right?

Do you enjoy riding the 450 or 250 more?
I’d have to say that I like the 450 alot more. For some reason I feel alot more comfortable on the 450 then the 250. I don’t think I have gone to ride a 250 in about 5 months. I guess it’s just because the 250f's are so slow and the 450s are just so much more fun to ride.

What kind of training do you do?
I usually just go to the gym, ride, and roadbike it some times. I got a pretty sick roadbike a few months ago so I have been trying to ride that when I can. It really does help to which at first I just thought it really wasn’t going to make a difference, but if you do it right and enough times you will notice the difference for sure. Since I have been hurt though I really couldn’t sit on the seat to ride it for a while so that got cut down alot, but I just started going back to the gym now a few times a week and roadbiking it and trying to ride every day.

Who is helping you out this season?
My main help comes from my Dad. No matter what anyone else has to give me or anything could never compare to what he has done for me and where he has gotten me. He drives to all the races no matter how far they are or what’s going on. No matter what he has going on at work something is always having to deal with my racing and what’s going on next. I’m really glad I have someone here for me like him because there would be no way that I would be anywhere without him. Other then him though Kevin from Sport Honda has helped me out this year with my bikes and a bunch of parts, also Fox,FMF, Renthal, Dragon Goggles, Vision, Boyesen, Gaerne Boots, CTI2, Excel Rims, Dunlop, Factory Connection, BPM for my motors, Works Connection, Monster Energy Drink, Twin Air, and that’s about it.

Plans for the rest of 2007 and beyond?
For the rest of the season I’m just looking on getting back in better shape and riding alot more. I’m going to be in Florida for the winter to get ready for some of the Arenacross series and hopefully all of the Supercrosses. As far as next year looks I’m coming at the nationals with all I’ve got, I don’t have to many years left to see what’ s going to go on for my future so I better make it happen soon. I’ll be doing all the nationals next year and hopefully that goes good.

I have conducted a series of interviews with local rider this past season and thought you may be interested in checking some of them out. They can be found on my website www.njmotocross.com or in my blog at www.njmotocross.blogspot.com

I will post them up here as well over the next couple of weeks.

Enjoy

Check out www.njmotocross.blogspot.com for updates on NJ motocross racers competing in the Winter-Am series in Florida.

While you're there why not subscribe and stay up to date on all things NJ motocross.

A little something to think about:

http://njmotocross.blogspot.com/

I haven't been nearly as active as I would have liked to but I have been making some updates to my NJ motocross blog @ www.njmotocross.blogspot.com  check it out. Just added interviews with 3 of NJ motocross legends. Jimmy McIlvaine, Jerry Seip and Joel Dengler. More to come. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
       Contact: Rich Schmidt
       732-330-5865 Cell
       732-446-7800 Raceway Park Office
       

RACEWAY PARK PREPARES FOR 31ST ANNUAL RACE OF CHAMPIONS

Old Bridge Township’s Raceway Park is getting ready for the 2007 edition of the Team Green Motocross Race of Champions, the east coast’s most prestigious Fall Classic Motocross Race. 

The event, sponsored by the Kawasaki Motor Corp USA and its participating Kawasaki dealers, will take place starting on Friday night October 5th with the final round of the Trapani Pit Bike Series.  The weekend continues on Saturday, October 6th with a full day of amateur and semi-pro racing featuring some of the best riders in the Northeast.  Finally, Sunday October 7th brings Round #5 of the AMA Pro-Am Eastern Motocross Championship Series with nearly $10,000.00 in cash purse spread out over the 2 premier Pro-Expert classes.  In addition, Sunday will also bring special races throughout the day (see “more” below) as well as a special riding demonstration from the two 2007 Monster Energy Kawasaki team members.  AMA Supercross Champion James Stewart and member of the Motocross of Nations winning team Timmy Ferry will be on hand signing autographs and showing their skills to the crowd on board the 2008 model Kawasaki’s.

Throughout the years, fans at Raceway Park have cheered motocross immortals like Ricky Carmichael, Jeff Emig, Ryan Hughes, Mike Kiedrowski, Johnny O’Mara, Jeff Ward, Mike Larocco, Donnie Schmidt, Dammon Huffman and dozens more as they race to the checkered flag to etch their names into the KROC record books.  Two of today’s motocross stars, James Stewart and Tim Ferry, will be joined by dozens of Kawasaki Team Green Support racers from all over the USA and over 600 other motocross racers.

For many of the KROC Motocross Competitors, the race has evolved into much more than an annual special Englishtown MX event.  For those who seek to become a part of its mystique, winning this event has become a must-do to complete any great rider’s resume of event wins. 

This years edition of the famed event features intense racing as riders from all over the country chase their share of the $10,000+ Pro-Expert purse and over a $100,000 in manufactures contingency postings and, more important, a spot in KROC history.

Three lucrative bonus events are guaranteed to increase the level of excitement for fans and riders during the weekend.  The very best trophy class racers from Saturday’s KROC amateur classes will qualify to return on Sunday to compete in the “IRONMAN CLASSIC”, “TOP GUN MINI CYCLE SHOOTOUT” AND “KESSLER CUP” events.  All three of these classes will be awarding brand new 2008 Kawasaki KX Motocross bikes.

Prior to the beginning of official racing of the KROC, fans can get a taste of the excitement Friday night, October 5th at the Trapani Pit Bike Series which will feature a display of a wide variety of the events best racers on small sized pit bikes.  Pit bike racing on Friday night under the lights will take place from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM.

The complete 31st Anniversary Event Schedule is as follows:  Friday, October 5th gates open at 11:30 AM for early participant pit parking and early event sign-up.  Friday night Pit Bike Racing 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM.  Saturday, October 6th gates open 6:00 AM with sign up from 6-9:30 AM.  Practice starts 8:30 AM with Trophy Class and Semi-Pro racing from 11:00 AM.  Sunday, October 7th is the feature day; gates open at 7:00 AM with practice at 9:00 AM.  Pre-elimination qualifiers 10:30 AM.  Pre-Race Ceremonies with Rich Trevelise beginning at 12:30 PM.  Feature racing including the KROC special exhibition event with James Stewart & Tim Ferry on the Mickey Kessler prepared Raceway Park Motocross track beginning at 1:00 PM.  Autograph sessions, vendors, and 2007 Kawasaki Motorcycle displays all afternoon.  Tickets on sale at the gates only.  No advance tickets needed.  For more information call Raceway Park (732)-446-7800 or go to www.racewaypark.com.

Same day highlights and video review both Saturday and Sunday from HG Films.
http://www.motoxposure.com/kroc07/krocpreview.html