Met a pro? Your impression?

http://www.vitalmx.com/forums/Moto-Related,20/Ask-Ping,1280394

scroll the first few pages of the forum !!!!

I always avoided pro pits/autograph lines etc other than to look at the bikes.One exception was on the way out after the race one day I passed close by John Dowd and Mike Treadwell who were kicked back so stopped to chat for a minute.Even nicer and friendlier than you always hear..Both of them pretty comical too. :D

I've had many really good interactions with multiple pros. Mostly notably Ryan Dungey, Trey Canard, and Wil Hahn. They all took time to talk about everything and anything. Ryan was awesome and was like talking to an old friend. Trey talked about his injuries and his future wife. Any Wil was so open about his life and injuries he was recorecovering from and the importance of positive thinking. Great ambassadors for our sport and great influences ans my young son. All were great. Never a bad interaction with any pros.

I was sittin by a triple double section at milestone watching other peoples line choices. And all of a sudden Lance Coury just come up and starts a conversation with me. Cool guy! I used to see MC quite often. My dad was a long time customer of his dad and his shop.

Yes. Pomeroy, Wienert, Stacy, Henry, Dowd, Larocco, Stephenson, Cooper, Reynard.

They are normal people that ride a dirt bike faster than the rest of us.

Jeff stantion 91 budds creek, it was the first time I saw someone in person that I first saw on TV, it was weird for a kid but really cool. He was intense btw.

Heath Voss is very cool. Trey Canard is very cool. Pastrana was awesome. Reynard was great. Everyone I have ever net was, well, Ping was a douche!

Tommy Weeck offered to change a rear flat for me at Washougal, supplied the tube and refused to let me give him any money for it. Talked with him quite a bit, just a very nice, friendly, happy go lucky guy.

Emig was awesome just like an old friend from school.
Dungey very sincere caring young man.
Poto -focused
Pieck very humble and cool.
Wilson TALL
Metcalf great guy.
Alessi cut me off in traffic-just kidding- great guy
Baggett short reserved

Many others all great guys we have a great sport.

I was lucky to attend the RCU a cpl of years ago. I sat down to lunch with my Dad, and Ricky came and sat opposite at the table. Jeff Emig was a cpl of seats down. Got to chat with Ricky for an hour while we ate lunch, and Jeff chimed in from time to time. He had a big female audience so was distracted... Worth the cost on its own really, great experience hearing so much insight and perspective from the G(American)OAT. Very friendly, open, honest. I was impressed!

Every pro has been awesome.

Yes....K-dub, #1 Jimmy, HV, TC, TH, WH, TP, GC, MM,DV, JD and several others. All were very great people to visit with and down to earth.

Paw Paw

Surprised no one has mentioned Kdub...the guy is super cool and literally is one of the funniest guys to be around...and Pastrana makes you feel like your part of his family, so giving and awesome with kids~

Tommy is a cool dude! I rode with him for a bit behind my house and I was putting some laps in on a mini sx track and when came up he said "you're killing it dude!"

Never met one.

kyle chisholm, brett metcalfe, tyler villopoto, josh hill, bobby kiniry, all awesome down to earth guys and super friendly, down to talk and just seem to love riding for a living. also met the moto concepts team of mike and jeff alessi, and vince friese. mike was kinda robot like and didnt seem all there, jeff seemed like a 12 year old trapped in a 22 year olds body..... not rude or anything, just seemed like alot more of a kid than he actually is. vince friese seemed like a genuine dick. tony alessi tripped out the brief moment i saw him. moto concepts did not disappoint!

Met mike brown such a down to earth guy helps you on the track. Still drives around a beat up Toyota pick up cool dude

I spent 4 days at a Moto school with Jeff Leisk , Ray Vandenburg and Jimmy Ellis
at Wonthaggi in Victoria Australia in the 80's .
Extremely nice characters and left a lasting impression on me.

And also Paul Malin at Fox Hills Uk during the early 90's and was equally down to earth
and a pleasure to chat with

Brownie's my hero! I was so bummed when he was announced for the MXDN team and then pulled off years ago. We went to a race and I actually had an early printed MXDN T-shirt with him on it and had him sign it for me. He could'd believe i had that shirt. I told him that he was the peoples choice to go that year.

Coming from another country to the USA and going to some outdoor Nationals I did the whole "go meet and greet your favourite Pro" and the ones I did go up to and speak to (Tomac, Reed, Izzy, Grant, Byrne, Short, Metcalfe, Allesi) to name most of them they were really pleasant and pretty amazed that I had travelled from where I had to come watch a Outdoor National.

They gave me alot of time and some handed over jerseys of which I did not request.

We also landed up riding alot with McDade, Smith, Hayes and alittle with Barcia and Trettle before his accident and they were all really great and friendly.

You should try hanging around the podium after the Nationals, you may have some luck meeting a pro?

Oh wait.... you already did that...

Ran into Dungey at Pittsburgh airport in 2009 two days after winning 250 championship. He ended up leading the conversation and asking us questions about baseball, riding, etc. Will always be a fan of him.

RC in 2000 Atlanta SX. He had a terrible attitude and acted like I was trying to steal something just asking for an autograph. I was 12 years old and never was a fan of him after that.

Use to ride with
kdub when living inn Baton Rouge, he was like 12 then though, yea he was nice then too. Ive road with Josh Hayes some me and his uncle have road for years and there all top notch guys, hope the AMA gets the superbike seires straitened out he and all the SBK guy's deserve better.

I met Jeff Emig when I was a kid. He was a dick. He broke his arm, i think it was 97 or 98, and was at the KROC. I was stoked on the dude and never met a pro before, first race I ever went to. I got the nerve to walk up to him to say whats up and asked him how his arm was doing. He said "It's broken" and walked away. Cool guy.....

Met a lot of pro's through the years, big national events and races, locale events and races, etc,etc, but one of the biggest one's that stick out the most to me, Kurt Caselli . Even before becoming a top household name pro, I would see him give his purse money away to to the riders who finished behind him, pull over to the side a corner or two before the last lap to let everyone pass and finish in front of him. Really miss him. Just a real good down to earth dude.

RIP KC66

On the flip side.....I met Travis Preston at KROC a few years later and the guy was awesome. Super chill guy. I asked if I could have his jersey and he said I couldnt because it was his only one becasue he just switched sponsors, but I could have his boots! They were those Diadora Rainbows, havnt seen a pair since, signed em both.

Sean Hamblin was awesome, chatted him up after his first podium in the outdoors and he gave my friend and I a walk through the Suzuki rig.

Byrner also a nice dude
Pastrana obviously a great guy
K-Dub was also very friendly.
Mike Brown is also awesome
Emig shared a box of wine in a parking lot in Canada years ago

Just about every pro I have met was friendly....they are just normal dudes

Met loads over the years , ridden with a fair few too , and always do the same thing , treat them like a normal guy , never ask for a picture , autograph or anything , just enjoy the opportunity for what it is , and the longer you stay out of 'fan ' mode , the more likely you are to have a good experience.

Most memorable was the late great Georges Jobe, who watched moto 2 of the St Jean Mxon in the shelter of my umbrella , and was a gent and a fan .. just mingling with the masses .

I suppose when you are racing with guys who you you class as legends , its a bit different , you dont exactley ask for a pic in the holding area, but having a chat and shooting the breeze is always good.

I have met a few riders at the tracks here in socal. Big names and privateers. The most notable was Sean Hamblin.

Hamblin was standing right next to me at the js7 ride day at milestone. He looked to be laying low as he was wearing casual clothing, a hat, and big sunglasses, standing clear away from all the crowds. I knew it was him and I didn't say anything for several minutes. We both just watched js7 and josh hill shred the track as fans of the sport. After they finished their moto I turned to hamblin and introduced myself to him. Very friendly and we talked for a few minutes then I went on my way, not wanting to bother him too much. Cool dude and he's just a regular fan of the sport for sure.