Off Road Accessory Review

Robby Gordon is one of the most amazing drivers in the world. In early January Gordon ran in the top 10 of the Dakar Rally until he dropped out of the race from parts failure. In November Robby Gordon challenged for the win at the Baja 1000. In February Gordon battled in the top 10 of the Daytona 500!

When motorsports experts talk about the greatest drivers of all time Gordon is not usually on the list. Gordon has racked up many championships in off road racing but Robby Gordon has not had the same level of success in Indy Car or NASCAR. Due to the lack of championships in high profile series, Gordon is not looked at as one of the greats.

Gordon is a threat to win no matter what he is driving. Just like A.J Foyt was years ago. A.J Foyt won many big races and championships. Foyt raced to beat everyone no matter what car or what track. Gordon has a very similar attitude. Robby Gordon’s fans are excited to see whats next after a 16th place finish at Daytona. Robby Gordon and his fans have a lot to look forward to with rumors of the Indy 500, more NASCAR races, possible X Games Rally, and lots of off road.

Robby Gordon is now an owner and a sponsor which leaves him in control of his own destiny. Just the way he likes it. Gordon has even had his Speed Energy Drink logos on dirt bike gear during the Dakar Rally when sponsoring off road ace Quinn Cody. Good luck to Robby Gordon and Speed Energy in 2011.

Is Danica Patrick crazy? After being pushed to the lead of Saturday’s Nationwide race in Daytona, Patrick did not know what to do when Clint Bowyer backed off her bumper. Patrick asked her spotter “does he want me to push him?”  Well yes Ms. Patrick he does!

Patrick did not seem to know what was going on. Did she not watch the Truck race on Friday, or the Bud Shootout the previous Saturday? Yes Ms. Patrick you are supposed to push Mr. Bowyer now so he can cool his motor.

Danica Patrick is a talented race car driver but she will need to do her homework if she wants to win some day. Ms. Patrick has better equipment than most of the field but will need to study to make it all come together. Does she really take this NASCAR thing seriously? Apparently not.

Travis Pastrana needs to learn from the above tale. When Pastrana does set aside his motocross boots and moves to a part time NASCAR schedule, he will need to study to keep making progress.

Off Road and motocross enthusiasts please look here. If you haven’t heard of them you need to check it out. Trophy Kart is an off road racing vehicle that anyone can jump in and have a blast in.

This mini version of a Trophy Truck is safe, fast, and relatively inexpensive. The Trophy Kart offers a full roll cage, racing suspension, a light weight frame, and body work that looks like a real Trophy Truck. Trophy Karts come with a 250cc 4 stroke engine or a 450cc 4 stroke. Trophy Karts can be customized for use racing purposes or recreational purposes.

Although you will have to trade your motocross jersey for a fire suit, Trophy Karts are extreme fun for any motocross or off road racer.

16 year old Ken Roczen is a KTM factory 250 rider in the AMA Supercross Lites. Two weeks ago Roczen got an opportunity to race in the 450 class on the KTM factory 350SX. The outing was very successful. The German rider finished 7th on his first ride in the 450 class.

Roczen was assigned the duty of running a KTM experiment. Roczen usually has his motocross boots connected to a KTM 250SX in the 250 class. Roczen was asked to compare his ride on the 250 to the 350 in race conditions. Mike Alessi, and Andrew Short compete in the 450 class every week for KTM. These 2 riders have had to adapt their riding style to the under powered 350SX. Although no major horsepower complaints by the 2 riders have been highlighted, KTM’s Roger DeCoster wanted to see what Roczen would say about horsepower when going form the 250 to the 350.

After finishing 7th and beating Mike Alessi, I believe the German rider is ok with the horsepower. The magic of Roger DeCoster may bring KTM’s preformance to life in before the 2011 motocross season wraps up.

Kevin Windham is the real deal of the AMA Supercross. At age 32 Windham is still competitive with the youngsters. Windham has been able to out smart the kids every now and then to run up  front.

Windham has had a rough couple of weeks on the Supercross Series. Two weeks ago Windham crashed hard while in the lead. This past weekend, Windham once again gave his motocross jersey a stain and crashed out hard again.

Kevin Windham is now far behind in the points and will try to salvage his season with podium finishes and wins. Good luck to the Supercross veteran.

Congratulations to the youngest winner of the Daytona 500 ever, Trevor Bayne. The Twenty year old drove smart and fast through speedweeks and came out on top.

Dreams can come true, even after losing your ride mid-season. Bayne was let go by Michael Waltrip Racing in 2010 to make room for Travis Pastrana. Bayne was quickly picked up by Roush Fenway Racing for the Nationwide Series, and by the Wood Brothers in Sprint Cup.

Even though we spend most of our time talking about dirt bike gear and the connection that today’s best driver have with off road racing, today we talk about a stock car racer who always was a stock car racer. Great race Mr. Daytona 500 champion!

On February 18 2001 Dale Earnhardt died on the last lap of the Daytona 500. Earnhardt was running third while Michael Waltrip lead the race and Dale Earnhardt Jr ran second. Dale Sr owned both of the lead cars.

During that last lap, Earnhardt did what he never did before, he did not try to win. Earnhardt hung back trying to break the momentum of the cars behind him keeping them away from Earnhardt Jr and Waltrip. Dale Sr. wanted Waltrip and Jr to settle the win amongst themselves. Waltrip won the Daytona 500 and took his first NASCAR Cup win with Dale Jr second. Dale Sr crashed hard into the wall with Ken Schrader and Sterling Marlin.

After the race Schrader and Dale Sr’s cars came to rest in the same area of the infield. Schrader lowered the window net on Dale Sr’s car and looked inside. Schrader knew that Earnhardt was badly injured and rushed the medical staff to his aid.

A few hours later NASCAR made the announcement that Dale Earnhardt was dead. The world stopped for race fans after this announcement. A man that was tough as nails and looked at as immortal was no longer with us. Earnhardt was at the center of NASCAR’s quick rise in popularity across the country. He was the common man’s driver who did not finish high school but had a business mind that rivaled those with business degrees. Earnhardt was like Superman.

The following NASCAR Cup race saw one of Dale’s other cars win. Steve Park driving a Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet won his first Cup race one week after Dale Sr died. The next week Kevin Harvick won. Harvick was the driver that replaced Earnhardt. Then in July, Dale Jr won the first Cup race back at Daytona since Dale Sr’s death. All three of these races seemed to be scripted the way Dale Sr would have wanted them to end. All three of DEI’s cars won races that year. Each time they won, you had to think back to that day we lost him. NASCAR has lived on but has never been the same without Dale Earnhardt. Today, 10 years after his death Probikehelmets.com and OffRoadAccessoryReview.com remember his contribution to the sport, and the everlasting memory of his personality, swagger,smile, and determination to be the best. The 3 car will live on forever.

With the best supercross season in years going on in 2011 it is easy to over look other forms of racing. If you are going to set down your dirt bike gear for a moment, check out the British Touring Car Championship.

The BTCC race weekends consists of 3 races of 16-24 laps depending on the length of the road course. The field is set for race one by qualifying times. The race two starting order is the same as the finishing order of race one. However, the top finishers get weight added to their cars. This evens the competition level for race two. In race three the field starts with a 10 car inversion of race two’s finishing order, and more weight added to the top finishers of race two. Many times the top finishers from race two generate excitement as they fight from mid-pack to the lead. Many times the 10thplace finisher from race two runs away with the win due to low weight and a good starting position.

The racing is always fast and exciting in all 3 races. Brands like Chevrolet, Honda, Acura, Ford, and BMW are represented in BTCC competition. The Touring Car Series basis their race vehicles on production cars. The close relation between the race car and street cars is good for auto sales.

If NASCAR wants to improve it’s fan base, take some notes from the BTCC. Short races, cars that look like the production models, and balance in competition. A formula that works. NASCAR can appeal to a different demographic if they use some of the base logic of the BTCC. Watch a race and let us know what you think.

The 2011 Supercross season is the most exciting we have seen in years. Season momentum seems to swing back and forth from rider to rider. James Stewart and Ryan Villopoto have 2 wins a piece and have each lead the series points.

Stewart has won, and crashed. Ryan Dungey has not won, but has remained steady through all the previous rounds. Chad Reed has also remained steady and is fourth in the points. Kevin Windham has lead laps and raced hard, but his results are not desirable. KTM rider Andrew Short is beginning to show promise for the Austrian manufacturer. Finally, Rookie Trey Canard has done his motocross jersey proud by running in the top 5 and taking his first win this past weekend.

Plenty of contenders, plenty of drama yet to come. Tune in to Speed Channel for coverage of the most exciting racing series of 2011.

Supercross Points

1.Ryan Villopoto 132

2.James Stewart 123

3.Trey Canard 112

4.Chad Reed 105

5.Ryan Dungey 101