Pros/Former Pros out in the wild

The story was copy pasta from reddit like 10 years ago. I think the character Ryno is attempting to play is a 2-wheeled version of Wim Hof.  

We were also in Nashville for the sx at a private event at Tootsie and chatted one on one with Dale Jr. for about 10 mins. Super down to earth and engaging.

My brother played golf with MC2 right after he went SX only. He was hanging around at a golf course. Literally . They needed a fourth and he offered to fill in. I told my brother that after a few holes he should have told him he was screwing his fans not racing outdoors so he could get in his head. He said he could have since he was the best golfer in the group but he barely acknowledged him as a pro racer.

My daughter wanted a picture with Marvin so we walked over and he was more than happy, and signed a poster for her. Also we’ve hung out with Taka at the track and a while ago, I met up and rode with Twitch and his big group out in the hills. Including Tyler Bereman, Vickie Golden, Josh Hansen, Robbie Maddison, and a bunch of other freestyle dudes. All of them super cool. Also saw Jeremy McGrath at Dirty Fest racing bmx a couple weeks ago but I didn’t talk to him.

Trucking around the Southwick- Springfield - Ludlow area, you’re bound to see the JYD if you keep your eyes peeled 👀

Did some Easter Egg hunting with Fro at Irvine Park years ago - Always a really nice guy and really excited to talk about MX/SX

My wife had Ricky Johnson come in to speak for her class - she didn't know who he was at the time, but he was cool

Mike Bell's son was a student in her other class - Mike was very nice. She still keeps up with his son

Met Reedy at BMX Grands in 2020. He was just a dad helping his kids race BMX

Cole Seely was dating my ex-wife's cousin. We went over to the aunt's house on Christmas eve and he was there just hanging out. I think this was his first year on the HRC 450. Told him I was a washed up B class rider and a fan. He was very cool / normal. It was Christmas and it was a family event so I didn't talk moto with him much. I just remember asking him if it was living the dream riding the factory Honda 450... He just replied "pretty much" with a smile. Nice guy, regular conversations, etc. The rest of the family didn't really follow the sport, so he was just another person at the house during the Holidays.

When I was younger, I worked at Yamaha of Cucamonga in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. Greg Schnell was a local guy and would come in to buy VP fuel from us every so often. He was always super cool and would hang out for a bit to talk with us about his racing stuff. He would also bring Cody Mackie in with him after he moved to the US from Australia. Cody was/is a super good dude who has gone on to have one hell of a career as a stuntman.

Not moto related, but Eddie Lawson lived nearby and he would stop in every once in a while to buy parts. Funny story about that... We had a mechanic who was originally from China whose "American" name was Eddie... None of us knew that and we always called him by his given first name, which was Ming. One day, a girl comes in and asked where Eddie was... We all looked at each other and had no clue who she was talking about. She quickly remembered to call him by his actual name, so we directed her appropriately. After she left, we start grilling Ming on why she calls him Eddie, and then he informs us that is his American name and that he chose it because he loved Eddie Lawson as a kid. Our owner then tells him that Eddie lived in the next town over and came to the shop every so often for parts. Sure as shit, the very next week Eddie came in, and it was like Ming won the lottery.

I saw Brandon Hartranft at Nobu in AC a few summers ago. It was after his accident — I was so stoked to see him out with his family, walking, and looking healthy. I anonymously sent a drink to his table. I didn’t want to bother him, but I wanted him to know that the moto community was pulling for his full recovery. He ended up figuring out who sent him the drink, and he and his wife came over to thank me. Then we welcomed his whole family to have a drink with us — they were really great people and we all hit it off. We all ended up bar hopping a couple more spots together that night. Such a quality dude, with a wonderful family. My non-moto friends that were with me still bring it up

Carson Brown a few months ago in SE FL 

Not sure you can say he was out in the wild, but many years ago I would ride Underground MX outside Kemp, TX back when Regals bought the land and built the first track that was lower and closer to the shop and house than the existing one. 

This was even a year or so before he was racing privateer on a Honda and years before he was teammates with JS7 on the San Manuel Mission Indian Yamaha team.

I would go on weekdays and be there usually 8:30 or so am. (Gets hot in TX). Many times I would knock on the door and wait a minute or two. Usually his mom would answer and clear me to go to the track. But a few times Kyle would stumble to the door in his pj shorts, hair disheveled, sleepy's in his eyes and pillow marks on his face, yawning as we chatted a minute. Always thought it was funny because I was waking the poor kid up!

My son lives in Austin, TX but goes to Smithville quite a bit.  He'll see Andrew Short out and about.  

Roger DeCoster in the Concourse of the United Airlines terminal (C?) at Denver International. Just sitting by himself. Introduced myself as a fan and thanked him for what he had/has done for the sport. Chatted a second or two. Gracious as could be.  He was on the way to FL to Chad's place for some testing. 

Pros In the Wild ? ... Anyone ever been to PT's after the St Louis Supercross ?.....enough said. Stories that would make you blush.

do tell

He was standing next to me by the pits. He seemed more happy to meet me then the other way around. A very nice experience....

Trampas Parker used to come to my track in Louisiana quite often when he was still training kids. He would bring Matt Bisceglia when he was on 85’s.

Blake and Tyler Wharton used to come ride also on 85’s. Their dad would bring them in the middle of the week when it was blazing hot.

In 1998 I was working in a bike shop in Davidson, NC, when this little dude comes in with a Yeti mountain bike that had Sue Fish's name on the top tube. I asked him where he got it and he said John Parker (Yeti Founder) is a friend of mine. I asked who he was and he said Kevin Atherton. He had stepped away from the dirt track circuit to get his shit together, and we did a bunch of riding and partying that summer. He told me he had some buddies that needed work done on their bikes and the next time he showed up was with RJ and Kevin Schwantz. Both of them were trying to break into Nascar at the time. I regaled RJ with our tales of Unadilla and he remembered me from my brother's black lab that we took to all the races. That was a fun summer.

I was spending the afternoon at the Goat Ranch watching the army of Star riders practice. I was kicking back in a lawn chair under one of the buildings for shade - Carmichaels dad was sitting next to me... He just started talking to me like he knew me forever - I just rolled with the situation. Talked about everything from the Gator skeleton by the pond to jumping snakes that you would find in the grass. I think he thought I was Shane Bentley - not sure. While all this was happening Dylan Ferrandis had a giant Lynx Cat (looks like a leopard) that was running around the property...made the entire situation a bit surreal. 

Lolol

Very cool, Trampas is racing and doing the sunday church service here in Oklahoma at the GPXC series.

It's cool to rub elbows with the greats! It happens a lot when you live where I do.

I ran into Grant Langston over at his shop a few months back. He works in the back doing service stuff and he came out to get some oil or something. We struck up a quick convo. 

I live about 5 miles from RV's old house in Menifee. His new one is probably around here somewhere. 

Everyone near here who trains on a mountain bike goes to ride at Greer Ranch; I've probably seen them all at one point or another and didn't realize.

Coolest interaction I had was with Fro at AUSX around 2018, he was sitting behind me during practice, I said hi, we shot the shit about grips and dirt bikes for 10 mins. Such a down to earth humble guy, I could feel how much he still loved moto 

I briefly met Ryan Sipes and his wife in the Silver Cloud Hotel elevator after he won the 250 Race in Seattle back in 2012 on his Star Valli Yamaha/Rockstar Energy bike.

I thought it was pretty badass, I was glazing pretty hard lol. 

A few years ago, I'm at a restaurant in Annapolis called Zoe's. I go back to the soda fountain to re-fill my ice cold diet Coke. This tall dude in a flannel shirt goes up to the machine next to me. It's Travis Pastrana. 

We made quick eye contact and he knew that I knew, and I knew that he knew that I knew. I'm a pretty quick read of people and I could tell he didn't want me to go all fanboy on him, so we just did the bro nod and a smile to each other, and went on our separate ways.

Funny part is that I could have shared with him the fact that he pitted next to us at his very first race at Aquasco Raceway. He was only about 6 years old or so. The track has been long closed but it was a great track only about 30 minutes from Budds Creek. 

See McGrath a fair bit about in Encinitas, Jimmy Button used to be about too but not seen him in forever.

Used to see D Bailey around years ago when he was doing wheelchair triathlons and I was racing bicycles, he’d always chat about the old days. I also trained with Johnny O a bunch back then too.

Funny story:- 
During the period I was training with Johnny he started to work with RC ( RC was on PC, his first year pro). One time RC was staying at Johnnys house and we were out on a training ride when he told me that. I said “oh you should have bought him out with us today”  he laughed and said “ that kid isn’t in good enough shape to ride a beach cruiser to Starbucks let along hang on this ride”. 

Bumped in to Lechien a bit over the years and he always has good stories. 

Was friendly with Burner, would ride with him and see him about ( RIP Scotty) he was without doubt the chillest guy I’ve ever met.

I’ve been up to KTM a bunch over the years and always ran in to people there but I guess that’s not strictly “ in the wild”.

Nothing to do with dirt bikes but I did sit next to Danny Trejo on a flight from London to LA a few years ago and thought that was pretty cool . 

Cairoli cut me off in traffic while over here for MX series. Giant shades only recognized him by the teeth in the rear view.

Oh yeah, I have a great Lechien story. I partied with him one night at a sales convention. I asked him about all the craziness and the stories, etc. from the 1980s... in short, he told me they were all true. 

This would have been about 10 years ago or so...back when Pastrana was doing a lot with Greg Godfrey (maybe he still is? I don't know), and was in Utah a lot.  I'm driving down I-15 in Draper, and a lifted pick up rolls up on us and slowly passes us on the left then merges into my lane...sitting in the passenger seat was Travis Pastrana (Greg Godfrey was driving..Gregs nephew used to race the same desert series as me, so I'd see Greg out a fair bit at the races)...anyway...we are in a minivan, so I move over to the right lane and pull up along side the passenger side...just then, my brother swings open the sliding door on the minivan (at freeway speeds) reaches out and grabs the roof rack and hangs outside the van...I've always wanted to ask Travis if he remembers this...

I was on a flight going back east from LA and there were a bunch of beautiful women and they were talking about going to see some guy named Jim.