Vital MX Pit Bits: Loretta's 1 5

Bring on the outdoors, and the usual assortment of fun and interesting items that accompany it.

GuyB

8/18/2020 10:59am

The new wheel rack in the back of the Monster Energy Kawasaki Mule? Pretty slick.

The umbrella rack is also a nice touch.

But it doesn't compare to the new slideout tool drawer in the bed that holds a serious collection of tools and spares. This was a collab between their in-house fabrication team and the guys at Pelican, who did the foam cutout.

With no fans in the pits, you got scenes like this, with Eli Tomac well-removed from the confines of the Monster Energy Kawasaki footprint. He lost some time in one of the practice sessions when his bike got stuck in a really deep rut.

Moving on up. Chase Sexton brings some new blood to the 450 class.

Well, seeing Chase Sexton in Alpinestars gear was a surprise. He said he'd been wearing it for a month, but the deal had only been wrapped up the Tuesday before the first round.

An 8-3 day was a solid start to his 450 career.

We spotted Broc Tickle stopping by the JGR rig to clean out his locker on Friday before the racing got started.

It's been a good long while since we've seen Joey Savatgy in action. He may still be hobbling a bit in street shoes, but he said his repaired foot is most comfortable when he's in his boots.

Apparently before the action on Saturday, Joey Savatgy picke up a wasp sting in one of his hands. That's not going to help your day.

As good as new...and we like the subliminal 25 in the AS.

Marvin Musquin had a solid return to racing with a 4-5 day, and this slightly loose moment through the ten commandments during practice.

Yep, the KTM-branded Stacyk bikes have made it over to the KTM truck.

For the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM crew, the big changes for the outdoors include longer radiators and a cooling fan.

Stilez Robertson had a great week at the Loretta's Amateur race, and dipped a toe in the pro class here.

The best moto of the day for Stilez? Moto two, with a 17th-place finish. He qualified 12th.

Mitchell Harrison getting a last-minute check-in with Colter Ahrens.

Ugh. Darian Sanayei's day ended with a popped-out shoulder. We'll have to see what the coming weeks bring for him.

For some guys (like Cameron McAdoo) the big jump in the middle of the track was a full send.

Fueling up.

Shane McElrath has switched from an under protector to an over-the-jersey protector, and he said he stays cooler this way.

It was just recently announced, but Justin Cooper said his deal with Yamalube Star Racing Yamaha has been done for a while now.

Dylan Ferrandis giving himself a good dousing before moto two.

The H.E.P. Suzukis have a different look this summer, with Twisted Tea on board.

It was a little (okay, a lot) later than expected, but it great to see Max Anstie back in action here in the states. An injury kept him sidelined for H.E.P. Suzuki during the Supercross season.

Yep, mechanics (like Derik Dwyer) like to document the result of their hard work.

While waiting around for a chance to ride on Friday, which was eventually canceled), Jo Shimoda and Jett Lawrence were having a few hand-slap battles.

We don't know how well it worked, but this was funny.

Benny Bloss had a really nice setup to go racing this summer. KT Tape is the primary sponsor, along with Truck Central.

We don't often see HGS pipes on bikes over here, and this one was apparently developed with help from Glenn Coldenhoff.

Dubya laced up a set of wheels for Benny, with another Dutch product, Haan hubs.

It was great to see RJ Hampshire back in action after his ACL surgery, and even better when he had a podium result to show at the end of the weekend.

Scuba is a hand-on leader over at Rockstar Energy Racing Husqvarna.

The BarX Suzuki rig did start the week with a full canopy, but it was a victim of some severe weather that blew through the area.

Dillan Swartz had a top 20 in his pro debut, and passed 20+ other riders during the two motos...and that's not counting people he repassed after crashes. We did spot one tangle with Jordan Bailey that had both of them on the ground.

This might be the only time we've seen Larry Brooks muzzled.

These two were pretty well stuck together in moto two.

Luke Renzland is doing the privateer thing this summer.

That's a pretty sweet setup for Jake Masterpool.

There were a couple of spooky moments that we spotted out there, including Pierce Brown getting cross-rutted in a fast straight, and shooting off to the side. Luckily he got it slowed down just in time to prevent some fans from getting a VIP experience.

Early in the second 450 moto, Joey Savatgy and Christian Craig tangled at the end of the mechanic's area.

Christian caught some pretty good air...

But that wasn't the worst of it. As he got back up and started to sprint toward his bike, he got drilled by Max Anstie. Fortunately, everyone remounted and finished.

That look after you've finished two hard motos. The good news is, on the track, this looked like vintage Jeremy Martin.

Dylan Ferrandis and Yamalube Star Racing Yamaha team owner, Bobby Regan, after Dylan was finished spraying champagne on the podium.

Carlos Rivera topping off Cooper Webb's KTM following the parade lap.

Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/KTM/WPS's J.R. Boyd and Justin Bogle deep in discussion as the riders were lining up for moto two. Justin was wrestling with the heat after the first moto, and finally decided to opt out of moto two.

Benny Bloss checking in with the AMA crew to let them know he was done for the day in moto two, due to a mechanical. He was tenth in moto one.

The trophies for the weekend were cool...especially the full-size guitars for the winners.

How about that gear for Jerry Robin?

Moto on.

Carson Mumford's first time out? He was 13th overall with 6-15 scores in the two motos.

Yep, both Eli Tomac and Cooper Webb were back to rocking pre-production units of the new Bell helmet.

One of the 250 practices was red-flagged, and some assumed that it was for a bike stuck in a rut on the track. Nope. Kevin Moranz (77) was laid out on the track, and getting attention from the Alpinestars Mobile Medical crew. While he wasn't able to line up, fortunately, it sounds like Kevin's okay.

It took a winch, and a couple of volunteers from the spectator side of the fence to help remove Nick's bike.

Here was the culprit...a whole bunch of thick, gooey, clay.

Once Nick got his bike out, the rut was promptly filled by Brock Papi's KTM.

Late in the day, that rut was still just as deep, but more manageable. That's Carson Brown getting pitted.

On the Sunday after the races were over, a couple of the teams (like Yamalube Star Racing Yamaha here) were busy rebuilding their race bikes for the upcoming weekend. We expect to see a lot more of this action next Thursday or Friday back here at Loretta's.

Everything gets a thorough cleaning...including the radiators.

Three bullets out, and three bullets ready to go back in.

The Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki guys were busily rebuilding their bikes inside the air-conditioned comfort of the team rig, but here's how they keep some of their parts and pieces (like motor mounts) looking fresh.

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Vital MX Pit Bits: Loretta's 1 5

Bring on the outdoors, and the usual assortment of fun and interesting items that accompany it.

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