Archive for July, 2010
Kids love racing. Motocross racing is affordable, educational, and finally, family centric. After putting in a ton of time, effort, and money into your child’s racing remember to keep certain things special.
The little plastic trophy that your child receives after a 5th place finish means the world to your little racer. Always make that the goal of the night. Not everyone can win, but most promoters remember that keeping the kids coming back is important. Kids want to come back for trophies.
Always have your child in the best kids motocross gear, and make them feel proud at the end of the night. If you need anymore proof of that, ask yourself how many of your old trophies did you hang onto from childhood? Say no more.
Boris Said has been named as the driver for the number 83 Red Bull Toyota at Watkins Glen August 8th. Team Red Bull tapped DTM ace Mattias Ekstrom for the first NASACR road course of the year in June. Red Bull also had Travis Pastrana exchange his dirt bike helmets for a full face helmet when he participated in the Prelude to the Dream charity race. All these drivers in addition to Casey Mears and Reed Sorenson have spent time driving in place of Brian Vickers. Vickers is out for the season with a blood deficiency.
Red Bull Racing is a supporter of many motorsports athletes including Travis Pastrana, Cole Whitt, and Kimi Raikkonen. Wouldn’t it have been great if Red Bull could have put Kimi Raikkonen or Sebatian Loeb in at Watkins Glen? Orders like that can only come from Red Bull headquarters in Austria. Well it was a nice thought.
Believe it or not there are kids at the motocross track that should not be in competition. I am still amazed by the bravery of a parent who lets his child compete with poorly maintained equipment and below standard kids motocross gear.
I have been a witness to bikes that are duct-taped and zip-tied together with a 5-year-old on the seat. A properly functioning motocross bike is a minimum requirement when allowing your child to compete. Sticky throttle and worn out brakes can be real problems for a young racer who cannot manhandle a bike like an adult. Not to mention what a distraction a poorly maintained bike can be to a 5-year-old. He or she has enough to think about without maintenance issues also.
Finally, protect your child with the right gear. Used dirt bike helmets or kids motocross helmets more than 2 years old are not the way to save money. If you have spent the money to bring your child to a track, spend the money on a good pair of motocross boots and pants. Legs, ankles, wrists, and fingers are the most likely injuries. Do all you can to protect them from these injuries. I’ve seen it too often. Yes your child wants to race but you have to protect him from injury.
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Mazda Raceway at Laguna played host for the Red Bull Moto Grand Prix this past weekend. US motorcycle fans made for a successful day of racing.
Valentino Rossi was on track to the fans delight. Rossi took third place in only his second start since his career threatening injury. Jorge Lorenzo and his Yamaha took the win on US soil, and Nicky Hayden was the highest finishing American rider.
Although there was no motocross gear nor motocross helmets on track, it was still an exciting day of racing in a beautiful part of California.
Unstoppable Ryan Dungey won again this past weekend at WASHOUGAL. Dungey won both motos with ease.
Dungey’s point lead is now 95 points over Andrew Short. The Lucas Oil AMA Motocross Championship will take the next few weeks off giving Dungey some time to relax and enjoy his point lead. All Dungey has to do now is keep his motocross boots on the pegs and avoid injury. Next season may not be as anticlimactic as Dungey may find himself looking across at Chad Reed, James Stewart, and Ryan Villopoto who are all recovering from illness or injury. Savor your moment Mr Dungey!
Young rider Kody DeRutyer continued on his quest for perfection this past weekend at the Stanislaus County Fair in Turlock. DeRuyter finished a strong 2nd in the 50cc class and 3rd in the open class. The race was part of the very busy 2 weeks of motorsports themed events at FoodMax Arena during the Stanislaus County Fair.
Kody’s 2nd and 3rd place finishes are further proof that this kid is for real. 2 weeks earlier Kody crashed during the Tuolumne County Fair race. The crash was so hard that paramedics thought he had broken his femur. As it turns out Kody’s dirt bike gear did it’s job. Kody came away with heavy bruising and returned to the track this past weekend. Another good example that the right dirt bike gear can minimize crash injuries.
There are many very important pieces of dirt bike gear you must have while at the race track. If you are a rider, you 
make sure you have the proper safety gear. On your list of safety gear is your dirt bike helmets, motocross boots, motocross gloves, and the best motocross jerseys.
If you are a spectator you need to have a good pair of walking shoes, a camera, and a pair of shades.
Speaking of shade, a very important part of a motocross day is the large umbrella, not to mention that wonderful umbrella girl you need to hold it for you. Keeping cool before the gate drop is important….and a good reason to have a gorgeous girl with you at the start line.
Rally Car Racing has been part of the X Games for 5 years now. For the first time there will be 2 separate Rally Events in the X Games. Introducing Super Rally.
Super Rally at the X Games will put 4 Rally Cars side by side in a 4 lap sprint. The racing will be wheel to wheel unlike more common rally events. This type of racing will be incredibly exciting and will draw a huge amount of the weekend’s attention. Many drivers will compete in both events including Travis Pastrana, Ken Block, Kenny Brack, and Dave Mirra. Expect surprises in this event.
Travis Pastrana will be very busy on X Games weekend as he will be swapping from Dirt Bike Gear to Rally Gear through the X Games weekend. How many Gold Medals can this guy take home this year?
Action sports fans and athletes are counting down the days until X Games 16 begins in Southern California July 29 through August 1. Top Motocross athletes will get to show their best in a number of competitions.
Super X, Super X Women, Step-up, Freestyle, and Best Trick are a few of the Motocross event to begin in 2 weeks. Fans will have a number of the top motocross athletes in one place. Get out your dirt bike helmets and apparel and support your favorite rider. ESPN will cover the event throughout the weekend. Here are some of the athletes who received invitations.
Travis Pastrana
James Stewart
Robbie Maddison
Ashley Fiolek
Jolene Van Vugt
Ivan Tedesco
Brian Deegan
After ten races in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rickey Carmichael continues to hold strong in the points battle. In only his second season Carmichael holds down the 10th place in points. He has gained consistency this season scoring 4 top tens and 1 top five.
The ex-motocross superstar’s move to NASCAR has not gone wasted. With plenty of funding from sponsors and plenty of laps logged, Carmichael will be in position to win by the end of this season. Motocross sponsors that have been with Carmichael since his 2 wheel days continue to show support and patience with his progress.
Carmichael still straps on the dirt bike gear on occasion to teach young riders the pointers to becoming a champion at Ricky Carmichael University. March 8, 2010 RCU put on a first of its kind motocross school at Daytona International Speedway.