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Vital MX Pit Bits: RedBud 1 2

Here's the first half of the doubleheader weekend from RedBud. We scour the pits...so you don't have to.

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GuyB
9/6/2020 5:16 PM

With Hoosier's headquarters nearby, it seemed like a good weekend for Henry Miller to load up on Hoosier graphics. He'll run a similar package on Monday, but with black replacing the purple.

JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing is rocking flo plastics for the weekend. What do you think?

Because it's tough for printers to color match the fluorescent colors, nearly everything you see was cut out. Mechanics added clear over couple of select high-wear spots to help them last longer.

Lee Mccollum topping off Alex Martin's RM-Z250 with fuel. Only a limited number of 250s went for it on Larocco's Leap. This was one of them.

The JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing guys try to trim weight wherever they can on the bikes. That includes these titanium seat brackets. These are slightly longer than stock. That way the hooks under the seat don't detach...especially when used on shortened subframes.

In previous Pit Bits, we've shown you quite a few of the cool RP (Rapid Prototype) bits and pieces on the JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing bikes. This 3D printed heat shield on the bottom of the fuel tank is dubbed "the boat," and is only used on the oversized carbon fiber tanks. The JGR guys say that the stock tank doesn't need it.

A pile of Max Anstie plastic from the previous round.

Dave Dye working up a fresh set of plastic for Max Anstie. Max soldiered through Friday's race, with a jaw that was still sore from the previous race in Indiana. At first, it was suspected that Max had broken his jaw, but after getting checked out by the docs, he turned out to be okay.

Tyler Bowers' Triggr Kawasaki gets a different look at every race. This time it was green/white for Friday's race...

...and green/gray for Monday's action.

Travis Soules finally getting around to sorting out the toolbox. Yamaha sets up these rolling cabinets, and now that he's learned how to build the Yamaha, he wanted to dial in where the tools are to help speed up his workflow.

Summer look for the sideplates on the Monster Energy/Yamaha Factory Racing bikes.

These radiator (and rider) cooling fans are used when the guys are practicing back-to-back starts. You can find them mislabeled at a home improvement store as "leaf blowers."

That rumor about Justin Barcia moving over to GasGas for 2021? Not so fast. He already looks pretty good on this blue bike, don'tcha think?

Amber Barcia dialing in Justin's helmet before things got started on Friday.

You're using a tie-down to compress the rear suspension when you snug up all the bolts on your subframe and suspension linkage, right? If not, your sag measurement could vary widely.

Matt Winters freshening up Shane McElrath's clutch plates.

It was good to see Ty Masterpool back in action last weekend.

This start is from practice, but Ty Masterpool promptly went out and threw down a holeshot in the first moto (complete with pointing skyward in memory of his late brother, Jessie). Very cool.

That's Shane McElrath cinching up his wrist braces before heading out onto the track.

With a doubleheader here, that meant Dunlop needed a double load of tires, and other suppliers, like VP Fuel, brought in a semi-full of fuel to keep teams stocked up.

Kenny Day dropping off a couple of freshened up helmets for Broc Tickle.

Renthal 36s, and a fresh-looking hydraulic master cylinder for Christian Craig's bike.

Are you a fan of redheads? We spotted this sexy little number hanging out at the Honda rig between Friday and Monday.

Jeremy Martin's bike awaiting reassembly. Most of the teams knocked out their build day on Saturday.

So. Much. Ti.

Here's a look we don't often see...the carbon tanks that the GEICO Honda guys use off the bike.

Thankfully, this week's build didn't require quite the level of scrubbing that we saw at the muddy rounds in Tennessee.

Oof. Losing about 2/3 of their operating budget with the departure of GEICO as their primary sponsor is a real kick in the teeth for the team. The hunt is on for a replacement, but it won't be easy to find...especially this late in the year. We know for a certain percentage of fans, this is the only sponsor they've known with the team. Get ready for (hopefully) something new in the future.

After coming back from his knee injury, Marvin Musquin's new knee braces are longer than before. That meant that he was snagging the shroud tips on them...which is why you see the goodie at the front edge.

This fan cover is used to direct hot air away from Marvin's leg.

After the Loretta's rounds, we'd seen people in the forum asking if Eli Tomac (and Adam Cianciarulo) were still using the same oil cooler mounted to the side of the engine. Here's your answer.

Darian Sanayei was back this weekend, and employing a variety of methods to try and keep his shoulder from popping out again. He got a great start in moto one and slid back to tenth. In the second moto, he went from eighth back to 20th.

Iain Southwell handling the care and feeding of a thirsty Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki powerplant.

Speaking of thirsty, an errant rock knocked a hole in Alex Ray's ignition cover during Friday's practice, and the oil loss resulted in a DNS for him. Here's hoping for better days ahead for him and his crew.

We're digging the coatings on Alex's SGB-tuned supension components.

Jace Kessler about to head out onto a very loamy RedBud circuit.

"Hey, did you check out my new gear?" Dean Wilson just re-upped with O'Neal, and also added another year with Rockstar Energy Racing Husqvarna.

While RedBud is known for its loamy surface, it does have its share of rocks. That's Davey Coombs doing a little harvesting.

What do you do when you need a water refill? Sometimes you improvise.

How about a filter washing party?

Jalek Swoll was back after missing a couple rounds due to a concussion.

While the GEICO Honda guys were pretty much in team kit during the motos at RedBud, we've seen a lot more flexibility in helmet and gear choices at other rounds. It gives the guys a little more personality, and we dig that.

Jett Lawrence getting his warmups in.

On the no jumping allowed warm-up lap for the first 450 A practice, Blake Baggett ended up in a wrestling match with his bike. Then he went out and set the fast time.

Only a handful of 250s went for the leap. That included most of the Yamalube Star Racing Yamaha guys, and we also saw Alex Martin go for it. The sand roller installed before the bottom of the hill ensured that not everyone was going to go for it.

Chase Felong giving the fan something to cheer about. There were a very limited number of spectators, which consisted of friends and family of amateur riders...or the riders themselves. It had an odd feeling like you'd been invited to a private motocross event at a country club.