MOTOCROSS ACTION MIDWEEK REPORT BY DARYL ECKLUND (2/5/14)

On Feb 5, 2014

MXA CATCHES UP WITH JUSTIN BRAYTON AT THE YAMAHA TEST TRACK TO TALK ABOUT HIS CURRENT SUCCESS

ANAHEIM III THROUGH JOHN BASHER’S LENS

CHAD REED

All you can say about this guy it that he is a stud. After two very impressive wins at Anaheim everyone is now a Chad Reed fan.

JASON ANDERSON

Jason is willing to win at all costs. A bad start in the main lead him to riding on the edge and very aggressive. This led him to a run in with Malcolm Stewart putting them both on the ground and off the podium.

COLE SEELY

Cole is finding it hard to catch a break. He could have gained some good points over Anderson if he hadn’t had a simple tip over after the whoops.

MALCOLM STEWART

Malcolm does not let anyone push him around. When Jason Anderson made an aggressive move on him, Malcolm retaliated. Both fell and exchanged words after the night was over.

RYAN DUNGY

Ryan isn’t “Mr. Nice Guy” anymore and we like it! Ryan has the speed, but is having trouble finding consistency. This week Ryan crashed after making a pass on Stewart. The crash broke his clutch perch off, making it very difficult to get going again.

ZACH OSBORNE

Zach has shown good speed this year. Unfortunately, Zach sustained a collarbone injury in practice which will keep him out for at least a month.

FLY RACING 2014 TREY CANARD F2 CARBON REPLICA HELMETS

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WERE YOU TOO BUSY BUYING CHIPS FOR THE SUPERBOWL? DID YOU MISS A3? NO WORRIES, HERE IT IS

ANAHEIM 3 250 MAIN

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MXA FITNESS TIP OF THE WEEK

Did you know everyone has washboard abs? Whether you are fit or out of shape there is a washboard stomach waiting to be seen. And the million dollar question is, how? This is summed up in one word. Diet. This word is misused in many ways. Diet to me means eating clean and healthy. None of this yo-yo dieting or starving yourself. Eating clean is the best way to dig for the abs you always wanted. You can do all the crunches you would like, but you will have ZERO results. Crunches or any ab workout will only make your stomach look bigger if you don’t change the way you eat. Summer is just around the corner to start now. Stock up on your vegetables, lean meats, legumes, and whole grains for your future abs to be.

#MXATALKSINSTAGRAM

Adam Cianciarulo apologizes for making fun of Ryan Villopoto.

MXA GOES INSIDE THE MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI SEMI

ROAD BLOCKS BY DARYL ECKLUND

With every experience in life we take something away from it. What you take is solely up to you. These things are the pieces of fabric which either hold us together or tear us apart. We all want to be a whole and we all have the choice to do so. Yet to remain whole is a struggle for all of us. On the surface the answers are incredible simple. Yet the actions we take do not agree simply with what we see on the surface.

Have you ever tried putting yourself in another’s shoes to try and understand what a person is going through? As I have grown as a person I have tried hard not to judge, but to fit the shoe and see the world through another’s eyes. Whatever the issue, whether overweight or just going down the wrong path in life, there always seemed to be underlying issues. A roadblock with no detour sign. I understood. But I did not understand when given the tools and knowledge to overcome the setbacks, most would just tip-toe back to their bad habits. I became frustrated and confused with people. The answers seemed so simple. Until I wore a pair of shoes I could not fill.
For the health nut that I am and all the preaching I have done in the past about eating healthy and staying fit, I recently have become an imposter. I know the perfect food and the perfect times to consume the necessary nutrients for my body to run at optimum level. Yet, over the past 90 days my eating habits have become out of control. I have became guilty of stuffing my face with artery clogging gut busting food while regretting it as I ate it.

What was my underlying issue? I lost a close friend, Kurt Caselli. Something that I never experienced before. I look back and there are so many good things that I should have took from this experience. Instead I just choose to loath in self-pity. This lead me to food and lots of it. I was never satisfied.

Kurt was a person of great self-control. I learned volumes from him. With every meal that I filled myself up to the brim I could just see him in my face yelling at me?as he would do if he was still here. He did this because he knew that I was better then that. He knew what my goals were in life. Kurt would do anything to push people to achieve there life vision.

Instead of honoring Kurt, I made his loss my roadblock. A roadblock that I have seen so many others go through, but yet not even close to fully grasp. All I had to do is put down that fork, right?

There are some things in this world that we cannot change. These things we need to let go and consistently remind ourselves of the good in every situation. The things that can be changed need immediate attention and the necessary action taken. Yes this is difficult, but the sooner they are faced the faster putting down that fork, drink or whatever the poison will be. Focus on the good, look at these decisions in life as a simply yes or no answer, nothing more. In the end, life will always go on. The sooner you take the detour around the roadblock the faster you will be able to see the beauty in life.

10 QUESTIONS WITH ARENACROSS COMPETITOR COLT NICHOLS

These are Colt’s thoughts on the season so far and his outlook on the remainder of the 2014 Championship.

Oklahoma native Colt Nichols entered the 2014 Amsoil Arenacross, featuring Ricky Carmichael’s Road to Supercross, season as one of the championship’s most high profile rookies in the Road to Supercross program. Nichols was signed on as the newest member of the successful Babbitt’s Monster Energy/Amsoil Kawasaki presented by Maxxis team, joining veterans Zach Ames and Tyler Bowers, the defending three-time Amsoil Arenacross Champion.

With two of the sport’s most consistent and well-respected riders as teammates and an elite team to race for, Nichols was given the tools to achieve success almost immediately. While it took some time to adjust to incredible pace and physical battles that are the norm in the world’s most intense racing, Nichols made improvements each week and even had to learn the hard way that nothing is given in AMSOIL Arenacross when he failed to qualify for the Arenacross Class Main Event in Louisville, Ky.

Nichols handled his hard luck like a seasoned veteran and took the opportunity to build off that misfortune and come back stronger. Just last weekend in Greensboro, N.C., Nichols did just that, running at the front of the field all night long and breaking through for his first Main Event win. When all was said and done, Nichols stood on his first career Amsoil Arenacross podium in second overall. Thanks to the tutelage of former Amsoil Arenacross Champion and fellow Oklahoma native Robbie Reynard, Nichols is on the rise and ready to take the next step towards cementing himself as an Amsoil Arenacross star.

1. Describe the feeling of breaking through for your first career Amsoil Arenacross Main Event win and overall podium.

To breakthrough and finally get a Main Event win as well as my first podium with a second was an amazing experience for me. I knew that is where I wanted to be after the first few rounds, but it just didn’t come together for me so to get a second overall was great.

2. How has your adjustment to Amsoil Arenacross been?

Getting adjusted to the format and how tight and aggressive the racing is took a little time for me to get used to. I am still learning a lot from my teammates and hope to continue to learn and improve.

3. What has been the most important thing you’ve learned?

Racing Amsoil Arenacross is a lot different than the amateur races I was used to racing up to this point, so figuring out how the racing worked was a big change for me. I am just learning when to almost hold back and when to really go for it and force the issue to make a pass. I don’t want to say you have to be strategic, but you definitely have to be a smart racer.

4. What has been the most difficult thing to deal with and what have you learned from it?

The most difficult thing to deal with so far was not qualifying for the Main Event in Louisville. I went from being the fastest qualifier in practice to not even making the Main. I came back home and worked on tons of starts with my trainer Robbie Reynard at Reynard Training Complex, and that made a huge difference for me.

5. Now that you’ve had success, what are your goals moving forward?

My goals moving forward are to just be consistently up front and continue to get good starts and be in the mix with the guys. I just hope to continue to learn and constantly get better.

6. How much have you been able to learn from Bowers, Ames, and everyone at Team Babbitt’s?

Everybody at Team Babbitt’s Monster Energy/Amsoil Kawasaki has been such a huge help to me. Denny Bartz (Team Manager) has helped me so much with trying to adjust and improve every weekend, as well as my teammates. Tyler and Zach have helped me so much as I continue to learn and grow into a better racer and get adjusted. I couldn’t be happier with the team and my teammates as well.

7. Are you surprised with the success of the “Road to Supercross” competitors? What do you think contributes to what you all have achieved so far?

I’m not necessarily surprised at how well myself and the other rookies have done. The amateur racing is top notch, so when kids like myself and the other rookies come in to race we are as ready as ever. I came into this series hungry to do good and turn some heads, so I think when it is all said and done I will have done just that.

8. What is your favorite thing about racing in Amsoil Arenacross?

The racing has been unreal so far and seeing the arenas packed with fans has been a really cool experience for me as well.

9. How much different, if at all, have things been this season compared to what you expected them to be?

It is just a lot different, honestly. It’s not what I expected with how physical and tight the racing is, but I am getting adjusted and can’t wait for the races ahead.

10. Is there a story behind the #45 and why you chose it? Is “Colt 45” a nickname we should get used to saying?

The 45 was just a number that happened to come up so I decided to take it. A long time arenacross racer named Colt Humphrey was from around my area [in Oklahoma] and he was also number 45. He was the man to me back when I was a little guy, so it just seemed right.

NOT MOTO BUT TOO COOL MISS! KEN BLOCK’S GYMKHANA VI