It's On!!

Today is May 24, 2009, and it has been 24 hours since the start of the 2009 AMA National Motocross season. I haven't stopped smiling since. Basically, I'm just going to let out all my thoughts on a great day of racing. Try to keep up...




The 450's were great. I wasn't at Glen Helen, but I don't think it's a bad idea to have the 450's first. As a fan of the sport, for as long as I can remember, I am used to it being little, big, little, big. The racing was exciting to say the least. Who'd a thunk that Mike Alessi would score 2 holeshots on the day? Well I did. But I did not expect Mike Brown to be half a lenghth behind him. I actually didn't know Mike Brown would be racing Glen Helen, but it sure was cool as hell to see him out there. He's the old school, badass type of guy this sport loves.

The track was gnarly! Ruts and bumps and huge jumps everywhere. The ruts got so big that they actually swallowed Mike Alessie's RMZ in the first moto, costing him the early lead that he had so rightfully earned. Some riders complained about it a little, but that was more of a layout gripe. Real men love a rough track like that.

How about the combo of Weigandt and Bailey on SPEED? I about jumped out of my computer chair when I read that those two would be doing all the talking this summer. Bailey's insight is second to none, and Weege is just the Shiz. Too bad they can't fit Ping in there somewhere...

My home region of the country (the pacific Northwest) made a good showing on Saturday (that still feels wierd to say). Ryan Villopoto rode like a man possessed, and went 1-1 in his first ever big bike national. I'm telling you, the comparisons between him, and that GOAT guy, keep piling up every race. But unfortunately, Josh Hill did not fair so well. He hasn't done good at GH yet, and it is a long season. But it did bum me out to see him dropping back as the motos went on. Keep it up Josh and good luck.



Ryan Dungey sure did silence his critics, and the Euro boys. At least for now... Like I said before it's a long season. But it was nice to see a Red White and Blue rider top the field in the midst of all the hype of Pourcel, Rattray, Searle, and Antsie.

Chad Reed: Thank you for showing up this summer. Seeing the #22 lined up again felt good. I know he will find the speed as the series moves on. Anyone that thinks that Speedy Reedy isn't going to impact the series, needs to get to the nearest head doctor asap. Yes Chad, it is 1 down 4 up, and the throttle is on the right side. I think he demonstrated that he can handle a dirtbike just as good as the rest of them.

The question I have after round 1 is will he be able to mix it up with Ryan Villopoto and Mike Alessi? I think he can. That was his first outdoor in a long, and he just got done with a heated SX championship fight. Just do not, whatever you do, do not count Skippy out after round 1.

4 motos down, 44 to go!!!

Mile High Madness

Today was the 7th round of the 2007 AMA nationals in Thunder Valley Colorado. James Stewart would make his return after an injury from a high-speed crash left him out last week at Unadilla. He skipped Saturday practice, like usual, but then, like usual, set the fastest lap in Sunday morning practice. It looked like things were finally going to go Bubba’s way. I don’t know what it is about the lucky number 7, but he can’t seem to catch a break. On what should have been a routine, day riding only as fast as he could to take the win, Bubba ended up battling the heat and the altitude in a wacky pair of motos. I’m going to do my best to keep this short, but no promises.
In the start of the first moto, James grabbed the holeshot, and was out front early. It was looking good for Stewart, and it seemed that even though he wasn’t 100% he would still pull out the victory. But then he started to slow down. I don’t blame him for taking it easy. Thunder Valley raceway is 6000ft above sea level, and it was about 100 degrees. I would have pussied out before the gate even dropped. But he rode strong and salvaged 4th. Millsaps got his first ever moto win in the motocross class, with local favorite Andrew short behind him then 800, Mike Alessi. So far Bubba still hasn’t won a moto since Ricky stepped away, and he would just miss out in the second moto.
Bubba was in his motor home, debating whether or not to even race moto number 2, when Big James (Bubba’s dad) came in and told James that he had more heart than that, and he should race. James would tough it up, and line up at the gate for the second moto, an achievement in itself.
When the gate dropped, it was Davi Millspaps with the holee, and it looked like the Duke was going to go 1-1 on the day and take his first overall victory. But about 3 laps in, an energized Stewart made the pass for the lead, and tried to open up a gap. Still Davi’s 1-2 would have gave him the overall, but with about 5 laps to go, he fell over, and began to fade, and could only hang on for 8th. Tough break for #118. Behind Bubba, was where the real racing was taking place. Local boy Andrew Short, Mike Alessi, Ivan Tedesco, and “Red Dog” Tim Ferry were battling it out. After 5 laps of bar-to-bar racing, Tim Ferry passed all the way from 8th to take over the lead with only 2 to go. James held on to 2nd, and Alessi got 3rd again, with Short in 4th.
The overall is really freaking hard to figure out. Stewart got a 4-2, Alessi got a 3-3, and Short got a 2-4. So who the hell wins? Well according to AMA rules, the rider with the best moto 2 score wins the tiebreaker, so that gives the overall win to, you guessed it, James Bubba Stewart. This is the first overall victory for Bubba this season, and the first time in a while, a rider has won an overall without winning a moto. Actually none of the 3 riders that tied for first won any motos today. Both Ferry and Millsaps had one good moto, and one bad moto, leaving them in 4th and 5th respectively. Wow what a day, and that was just the 450 class!
To keep things simple, it was another great battle between Kawasaki teammates Ben Townley and Ryan Villopoto in the 250 class. In the end, after swapping motos, Townley came away with the overall victory. Mr. 2nd moto comes through in the clutch again! But the 2 were tied for points going in to Thunder Valley, after Villopoto screwed up last week, so with both riders grabbing 47 points a piece today, they will still be tied going to Washougal next weekend. How crazy is that! Both classes had ties for the lead! Anyone who knows the last time that has happened, let me know, because I can’t imagine that happens too often. Then while your at it, let me know when the last time there was a 3-way tie for the overall lead, with no moto-winners in the 450 class. Good luck…
That’s what we’ve come to expect from the AMA nationals. Nothing but great racing week in and week out. So far, things haven’t been to bad without Ricky Carmichael, although I still miss him. But it is good to know that there will be a lot more weekends like this one to come. Get ready for ‘shougal next weekend! I get to actually attend this one. I know I’m excited, and you should be too.