MXA Mid-Week Report: The Man In Pink, Oakley Visit, New Products

On Jan 30, 2008

PRESS RELEASE: FMF Wallpaper

Getting tired of that same old wallpaper on your desktop? Well FMF has you covered!ÿNow you will be able to download wallpapers of your favorite FMF Riders straight to your desktop. SimplyÿClick Hereÿand under our “Riders” section click on Desktop Wallpapers. So check back often as we will be updating our FMF wallpapers on a regular basis.

MXA RUMOR, GOSSIP & IDLE SPECULATION

Look for a special David Bailey designed “sock” for your Leatt brace out soon. The DB graphics will only be available through Leatt and the first 200 will be autographed by David himself. The best part is that 100% of the purchase price will go directly to David. For more info, Click Here. Oh yeah, the retail version of the Leatt shoulder strap kit that Chad Reed came up with will most likely no longer be known as the CR22 strap now that the Aussie has taken to running the Alpinestars brace. On the Thursday before the rain-soaked San Francisco Supercross, Team Pro Circuit rented the Supercross track at Competiitve Edge in Hesperia, California. And even though it was raining, they had the track crew rip the dirt as deep as possible and water it even more. Then, throughout the day they had the track watered at regular intervals before letting Austin Stroupe and Brett Metcalfe ride on it. While the Pro Circuit team was at Competitive Edge it started snowing. They stayed most of the day and Bones Bacon says that at the start of the day Austin Stroupe was sketchy in the mud, but by the end of the day he looked pretty good. Pro Circuit mud practice must have helped because Metcalfe was third and Stroupe fifth in San Francisco. Maybe next week they’ll work on their last lap flag practice as well.ÿWe’ve heard about Vance & Hines coming to the world of dirt, is there another new name to the aftermarket pipe game? Check back next week.

QUOTE: “Rex Staten tried to run me over in the parking lot…I think he’s still mad that I took that Vet title away from him!: Fifiteen time Vet world champ Doug Dubach at A2 on the competitive fires that still burn with the old guys.

THE FIRST MAN IN PINK: Broc Glover

As with so many other aspects of fashion, there are multiple realities out there about what is original and what is not. Typically, it comes down to a simple equation of age. There’s a world of 15 year olds out there who think Britney Spears was the first person to sing (I can’t get no) Satisfaction when in fact the song was born in the Delta Blues circuit. And what about James Stewart’s stunning pink outfit that he wore at A1? We heard quite a few younger fans opine on how radical a move that was. Alas, pink outfits too are actually a thing of the past. We tracked down the brave soul who first showed up in a pink ensemble,ÿit was former factory Yamaha rider and three-time 125 national champ Broc Glover (currently Dunlop’s top guy at the races) to get the story straight.

“It’s funny that you are asking about that because I’ve heard a lot of different stories about what went down. A lot of people think I won a Supercross wearing the outfit, but it actually wasn’t an official Supercross race. It was at the Superbowl of MX in 1984 at the L.A. Coliseum and besides the Supercross race they also held a Miller Masters Race that was only open to a handful of riders. John Gregory from JT Racing asked me to wear it for the race, but I didn’t want to, especially not new boots that weren’t worn in. The actual Supercross race went bad, I crashed into Lechien and I really thought I could’ve won so when the race was over I came back in really pissed-off. So before the Master’s race I grabbed the pants and helmet, raced and won with it. It was a ten lap dash with a $50,000 purse and I won $30,000 of it!

The fact that the race was televised only made the attention I got even greater. People still come up to me today and recite the line Larry Huffman said about how I had better of won if I was going to wear the pink gear! The whole thing was such a shock, the phones were ringing off the hook at JT and it ended up being extremely successful. Eventually, Jacky Vimond rode with pink gear when he was the 250 world champion and Lechien did later too.”

A GALLERY OF PINK

James Stewart has never been afraid to wear pink and he looked fabu in his limited edition Fox Encore 2 outfit. Fox is already sold out so if you want the James look, see your local Fox dealer soon and ask extra nicely.

Stefan Everts

Jacky Vimond

Ty Davis

Ron Lechein

Kurt Nicoll

Dirk Geukens

Mike Keidrowski

MXA MINI-VIEW: Al Olsonÿ- What Now?

Al Olson is a long-time MXA test rider and for the last ten years an employee of White Bros. that had him doing everything from pipe R&D to working as a mechanic for WB sponsored riders like Doug Dubach and the factory Yamaha team. Last week the world at large learned that the MAG Group (who own White Bros.) will be shifting the WB product category over to a new Vance & Hines off-road effort. We caught up with Al as he was running down the freeways of Orange County.

MXA: What exactly has your history with White Bros. been?
Al: I’ve been here for ten years and a lot of that time was spent going to the races which has been great because that’s what I like doing most. In 1999 they realized that for WB to be taken seriously they need to get out in public and they figured racing would be the best way to do that. Doug Dubach was the sponsored rider and so I became his mechanic and we went to the races with him for the next four years which was a lot of fun. Doug and I helped develop the product on the track and in the dyno and then he went on to start his own company. Then I started working for Paul Carpenter. We did the east & west four stroke nationals and a few of the AMA nationals. Then White Bros. sponsored the Motosport Outlet team and I worked for them for two years. When that deal went away I was thinking about maybe quitting, but then WB came to me and said they’d like me to be their liaison with Team Yamaha. They had just lost their deal with Team Honda because Honda didn’t feel like they got good enough support and WB didn’t want to lose the Yamaha deal. I worked with Yamaha for two year sand that included the stint as Chad Reed’s mechanic and my receiving the AMA Mechanic of the Year award.

MXA: We’ve heard about the changes going on at White Bros. – what are you doing these days?
Al: At the moment I’m running some new Vance & Hines parts over to a fabricator, but overall, I’m not really sure! Vance & Hines will be showing off their new off-road product for the first time at the Indy trade show. From road racing to drag racing Vance & Hines has a really long and successful history of being at the track. I’ve heard talk about them promoting the off-road product line by going racing, but I don’t know any specifics or timelines. I haven’t been over there yet, but I hear they have a really nice production facility. In theory I’m still working for White Bros., but I’ll tell you for sure on Friday when I see who signs my paycheck!

MWR QUESTIONS

1. We love Jim Holley who,ÿlike Jeff Emig,ÿ has the credentials for announcing the races that few could ever doubt. However, in his attempt to explain away Davi Milsaps’ on & off performances leading to Round # 4, Jim cited some personal issues which could be distracting the Honda rider…he then went on to say that one such “issue” was that Davi had recently purchased a new house! People, we’re talking about professional athletes making upwards of and overÿhalf a million dollars a year! If Milsaps can’t get his race effort together because he’s thinking about where to put his flat screen TV, well, that’s pretty lame…right? ÿHowever,ÿhis ride in SF was great to see so maybe he’s figured out where to hang that big screen afterall!

2. Two weeks ago we posed the question – when will Josh Hill make a podiumÿ- and days later he made the box at A2. Last week we were wondering when the same fortune would visit Jason Lawrence, but didn’t bother to write to down. Presto, he wins in SF. So, now we turn our attention to Ivan Tedesco. When?

PRESS RELEASE: WMX Series Grows

The Women’s Motocross Association (WMA) is pleased to announce the 2008 AMA/WMA Women’s National Motocross Championship schedule that includes two new venues for WMA Pro Racing.

The 2008 WMA Championship will consist of all six events being held on the same weekend as the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship presented by FMF including new rounds at Freestone Raceway, Wortham, TX and MX 338, Southwick, MA. This years series will also offer an equal number of races on the West Coast, Central states, and the East Coast in effort to broaden exposure and maintain reasonable travel patterns for the racers.

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“We are very excited about the schedule,” said WMA President Miki Keller. “As participation by women in motocross continues to grow, we welcome the opportunity to race in front of race fans in Texas and Massachusetts. The six uniquely challenging National tracks will make for a very demanding and potentially thrilling championship.”

“Once again we are proud to host the WMA in conjunction with the AMA motocross nationals. We look forward to 2008 as the fans will enjoy the best motocross racing possible,” stated NPG Director of Operations John Ayers.

2008 AMA/WMA Women’s National Motocross Championship

Rd 1: May 31 – Hangtown MX National, Sacramento, California

Rd 2: Jun 7 – 8 -Freestone Raceway Wortham, Texas

Rd 3: Jun 28 – 29 – ÿThunder Valley MX, Lakewood, Colorado

Rd 4: July 26 – 27 -ÿWashougal MX Park, Washougal, Washington

Rd 5: Aug 23 – 24 -ÿMX 338, Southwick, MA

Rd 6: Aug 30 – 31 – Steel City Raceway, Delmont, Pennsylvania

For additional information on race events and schedules,ÿClick Here.

PLAN AHEAD: Be A Part Of (Real) History

Look, we’re just as happy to promote the sport of Supercross as the next race fan, but if there’s one thing we’ve grown just a tad tired of hearing it’s when the Supercross announcers continue to tell us how “history” will be made at any & every round of the AMA Supercross series. While there is usually some good racing to be found at every round (especially in the 250 class), many nights go by with nothing close to “history” being made.

With that in mind, here’s a reminder for you to be sure and not miss a piece of motorcycle racing history. Although it’s still eight months away, start planning your next vacation around the September 12-14 weekend in Indianapolis when the MotoGP series visits the brickyard preceded by a rare running of one of the most vaunted dirt track races – the Indy Mile! This was where one of the greatest feats in competitive throttle twisting ever took place when Kenny Roberts took a convincing win aboard the radical Yamaha TZ700 powered dirt tracker that Kel Carruthers had built for him. What’s that? You don’t know about that choice piece of motorcycle history? To find out more about what took place on that celebrated day, Click Here. For more information on the race weekendÿyou should attend, ÿClick Here.

INSIDE THE LATEST MXAÿ

Be sure to check out the latest issue of Motocross Action that not only features the much anticipated 2008 450 Shootout, but also an exclusive tests of Paul Carpenter’s Atomic Racing CRF450 andÿDoug Dubach’s Vet Championship winning YZ450F. Inside the feature well you’ll see who we rate as the Most Memorable Men of Motocross as well as revealing interview with late 70’s national star Kenny Zahrt (pictured above at Indian Dunes). Of course if you can’t wait for the mailman to deliver it, you could – and shouldÿ- sign up for a digital subscription, just Click Here.ÿ

SUPERCROSS SIGHTS

If you happen to pull up behind this rig on the highway it’s probably safe to assume that it belongs to 2008ÿAMA national champ Grant Langston.

Plenty of mud races so far this year mean that the mechanics are getting their best chance to show off their best mud management talents. Here’s a good example of controlling water flow and directing it away from the airbox.

AÿDAY AT OAKLEY

Perched high atop a hill in Foothill Ranch, it’s safe to say that the imposing Oakley headquarters don’t favor soft angles as a design element. The 80,000 square foot building employs over 700 people.

At times the company parking lot can resemble a concept vehichle compound.

The public is welcome to visist Oakley where they can find two retail shops and a one-stop shop for prescription glasses.

The cavernous lobby is somewhat dark and foreboding and it reminds you that there is something special going on inside.

Look closely and you can see part of the full length motocross course that wraps around the heli-pad. The track hasn’t been open yet and even when it is it will be for Oakley riders only. Not a bad perk eh?

Racing has always been a BIG part of the Oakley world. From Lance Armstrong to Ricky Carmichael with a huge smattering of car drivers, golfers and various stick & ball athletes, Oakley has always been geared toward the competitive set in life.

CATCHING UP WITH CHUCK SUN

Former 500cc national & MX des Nations champ Chuck Sun is heading back to Europe this eyar to contest the FIM Vet GP series. He’s currently racing the WORCS series to get in shape and just before he signe doff on our last call he was headed out to compete in a bicycle time trial event – the Sun is riding again! Here’s his report from the WORCS opener.

“The WORCS series is a lot of fun and a great venue to prepare for the much anticipated FIM Veterans World Cup title chase in Spain, England and Belgium.

Mornings in AZ. were below freezing so my plan of throwing it down at the track friday night in the van was like sleeping in a iglo!Anyway, got warmed up in the 50 class with a scrap with Gary Jones and LR (thats Larry Reoseler). LR and I remained about 2 seconds apart for half the race untill LR’s hands gave out and his bike quit last lap. My MSR gear remained clean with a win. American Honda supported CRF 450 R worked great on the rough track with Dicks suspension soaking up the huge sand whoops. I ran just 12 lbs without flat issues utilizing the new tubliss system by Nuetech.ÿ Matching up the Spider grips with the energy saving Nuetech bar ends allowed me to enter the 30 class just an hour later, finishing on the podium against the kids. I was fortunate that I did not have to pit as Baja man Jeff Sheets hooked me up with his IMS tank.

Sunday mornings track was heavily watered turning it into a mudder on a third of the course.ÿI was happy to sport the grippy Fastway pegs and hand gaurds combined with the grippy Guts step seat to keep me on the bike. However, I thought the 40 class was to start at 9:30 when in fact it was 9:20!Missed the start, allthough I did get out just before the 2nd row a minute behind the pack.Good practice keeping my vision clear, thanks to Scott goggles Voltage works tear offs!ÿWas happy to get on the podium after all that. I’m looking forward to having a damper for the next WORCS Feb.15 in Mesquite, NV. I was fortunate that the 2008 Honda comes with a damper that helps steering and was much better than nothing but does not replace an offroad damper.ÿThe huge deep sand bumps in the wash and jumps did not create any throttle bogs thanks to the R&D Power Bowl.ÿTwin Air’s backfire-resistant foam filter keeps the air flowing…

Thanks to Glenn McGovern for covering the entry expenses for the FIM Vets series in Europe next year. Glenn was excepted last year for Belgium and England but was shut out this year with a new rule limiting the top age to 55.
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PRESS RELEASE: RXR Protect Accepting Sponsorship Applications

RXR Protect, Inc. is pleased to announce it is accepting applications for sponsorship for the 2008 race season through Sponsorhouse.com – Click Here. If you’re racing hard, you need to wear the best protection available on the market right now; you need the right chest-protector. For more info – Click Here.