Silly Season

Normally the Off-season is considered "Silly Season." How about the 2009 Lucas Oil AMA Nationals?? The 2 favorites out with injury. One of the favorites trying to make a comeback, with a kneecap that is split like Jon and Kate. Chad Reed's... dominance? First time winners. Crazy stuff this outdoor championship has become. And that's only the 450 class!

I'm not gonna sit here and do race reports or give you anything you can't find everywhere else on the webernet. But the racing this season has been good for sure. The Lakewood moto that got all the TV time was kind of a snoozer, minus Tommy Hahn's great ride. But the 250 motos were great races, and will be exciting to watch when they air on speed.

Considering how stacked the 250 moto is, (and was at the beginning of the season with Trey Canard still ripping it up) there hasn't been quite as much adversity as we all expected. It's pretty much been Pourcel and Dungey. Both were favorites, but how many out there were calling for Rattray or Searle to be surprise winners of this championship. And where is the blazing speed of Barcia that we saw in the early rounds? Wiemer's win was much deserved, and I think everyone is happy for him. Jake is one of those cool, down to earth, potato farmers.

So I have not ridden a motorcycle since I posted those pictures last time. My bike has been in the shop, it has been a Merry-Go round ride of going to different shops to figure out what was really wrong, not to mention my increasingly small paychecks. That's all over now, and I am so pumped to get back out on a bike and blow up some berms... or at least try.

Time off the bike is hell, as anyone out there reading this already knows. But it also re-motivates you. You realize how much more you love hitting the bumps in 4th gear with the throttle twisted all the way in the "on" position, rather than playing XBOX. I did get to work on my golf game a little, and I needed it trust me, but it's time to get back out there and moto away.

Desert Showdown

Different Race, Same Stuff

Phoenix was another exciting round. It's shaping up to be a very interesting season! Just like last year, there have been 4 main events, and 4 different winners. A2 might see the 5th, and 6th different winners, as Chad Reed won there last year on a technical track similar to what is in store for this weekend, and the 250 class is pretty much a crap shoot.

Wiemer would have won the 250 main, had he not gone down in the tricky sand section. I don't know if SPEED edited the show to have Erin Bates chime in about the sand section taking victims, just seconds before Jake ate dirt, but I found myself laughing at that. Dungey looked good in his new FOX gear, and Brayton and Blose continue to turn heads. Biggest surprise is the defending champs J-Law and self proclaimed, Dr. Tre. Trey went down hard in the heat, and J-Law had a hell of a night. I'm pretty confident both will win a Main before the West Coast is over.

The 450 class was kind of a snoozer if you were just watching a lap chart, as James pretty much led wire to wire. But for anyone there, or watching on TV, it was anything but a snoozer. Very similar to last year, Reed held the #7 honest the entire 20 laps. You know you were on your toes that final lap, when Reed had closed to within a half second. It was also nice to see them high-fiving after the race. Bad blood and rivalries are good for TV, and racing if you think about it, but that was a great battle and both guys rode the shit out of those scooters.

Is the good racing due to the "bad" YZ450F, or the "amazing" RMZ-450? A bunch of people are saying that Bubba just doesn't look good on the new Yamaha. I call BS. The YZ450F has won both races so far, and he's only been on the bike for about 3 months. Reed did just fine on the bike last year, and while Skippy does look light-years better than he did in '08, I don't think it's just because of the new bike, but more so the new team. James has a pretty unique set up, and it takes him a while to get things going just how he likes them. The Cobra was pointing out, over on MotoTalk, that he suspects that James is using an Auto-Clutch as well. The Yamaha also took flak, when Bubba couldn't get it restarted at A1. Anyone out there remember the MXdN's? The only score team USA threw away was the one in which James couldn't get his Kawi restarted. Maybe James just doesn't know how to restart a fallen mount. I'm not just trying to defend the Yamaha 450, or James. I just think it's to early to be pointing fingers at the bike being the difference maker. Give it time people.

J-Law is with ONE, Dungey is with FOX. It's old news now. It was just Business. GET OVER IT

A1, Yeah it's that important.

QUICK RE-CAP

Every year the SX season kicks off at the illustrious Anaheim Stadium, and this year was no different, as 45,000 fans poured in to watch Reed and Stewart do battle, as well as the very hyped J-Law vs. Dungey rivalry. But unlike many years past, A1 was actually very exciting. Josh Grant got his first 450 victory, and scored the first ever win for the JGR team. Stewart DNF'd, but Reed looked fast and the 2 were set to swap the lead a few times. J-Law crashed 2 corners into the race and took Dr. Tre down with him. J-Law was left with a dangling visor, similar to RC from a few years back. Dungey got a bad start and rode his way to the box. And the Idaho kid Jake Wiemer won the race, looking good the whole way. It was an eventful night, and not many people picked the eventual winners. I actually don't know if anyone picked Josh Grant to win the 450 main.


But you already knew all of that since all of you watched it LIVE, on Speed! No need to sit here and re-cap the race for everyone. But I think a lot of moto heads are in agreement that this was the most exciting season opener in recent history, and is hopefully a sign of things to come.

Looking Ahead

Moving on to Phoenix, where James Stewart got his only SX win of the season last year, and Jake Wiemer got his first ever win. I would put a good amount of cash on Bubba for this round. I'm sure he'll be eager to redeem himself. But after A1, who knows what to expect. For those of you doing Fantasy SX anywhere, I'd say looking back to PHX last year, Both Reed and Stewart will be fast on the Fo Fiddy's and K-Dub landed on the podium as well. Josh Hansen finished inside the top 10 in AZ last year. I'd plan on him being the dark horse this weekend, hopefully making up for his lackluster debut with H&H. But I won't throw rocks if your reluctant to put your money on Lil' Hanny.


Wiemer won last year on the 250, and there's really no reason why he won't win this weekend. That's the beauty of the Tiddler class; expect the unexpected. My money is on Dungey for the weekend, with Brayton close to the front, along with the man layin down the Law with the number one plate. Kyle Cunningham is my under dog for Phoenix, as he had a good Top-10 ride there last year.

BRAAAP BRAP

Oregon Weather prevents a lot of riding from November to March, but Normally there are a few places to ride some Arenacross. Well this year hasn't been so cool, and I got to throw a leg over a scooter for the first time in to long on Saturday. The sun came out along the Oregon Coast, and it was the most fun I've had... Well since last time I was on 2-Wheels. Going out to the sand or the local trails, or Ocotillo if your in the area, is really good for the Soul. It reminds us all of why we got into riding in the first place. Pounding out laps at the local track is always fun, but there's still nothing like hitting the sand with my old man.