MXA MID-WEEK REPORT: Special Anaheim Recap Edition: From The Pits To The Press Box Photo Gallery, Exclusive Report: J-Law & The Cops Again, Up Close With The Factory Hondas, Plus An Alpinestars Schwag Contest

On Jan 13, 2010 Last updated Mar 7, 2018

MOTOCROSS ACTION MID-WEEK REPORT

ANAHEIM ONE RECAP EDITION

By: Zap

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When it came to the racing, the opening round of the 2010 AMA/Monster Supercross Series was not great, but it easily rated as pretty stinkin’ good.ÿThe crowd was huge, the weather perfect and the TV coverage was almost live (it was actually show well after the actual events on the track because of the Monster Jam TV show running long…shades of Heidi-gate).ÿAs usual, A1 provided an entertainingÿday in the pits, filled with excitement, new teams, bikesÿand, best of all, people. Rumor had it that the stadium was sold out. From the press box it looked like there wereÿsome empties in the far-away corner nose bleeds, but the place was packed.

SOME FACTS & FIGURESÿ

ÿÿ * 49 450 riders tried to make the night program.

ÿÿ * 61 250 riders showed up their moment of glory.

ÿÿ * Although James Stewart was credited with the fastest lap in qualifying (56.123), Ryan Dungey actually had the fastest lap time of coming out of his heat race at 55.952.ÿ

ÿÿ * In the 250 class it was Jake Weimer with a 57.638 second lap. To win the LCQ Sean Borkenhagen made a fast lap of 1.00.927 seconds.

ÿÿ * James and Ryan lapped up to 10th place in the Main event. At the finish line,ÿjust over threeÿseconds separated the two with a whoppingÿ40+ seconds of distance found between Dungey and third place finisher Kevin Windham.

ÿÿ * Of those expected to do well, it seems that Ryan Villopoto was the most universally disappointing with hisÿfifth place finish…expectations run high for the young lad, but he injured his wrist earlier in the day!

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

No, the San Manuel team is not moving into the freestyle world! MXA photog John Ker snapped this interesting shot of James Stewart and Josh Hillÿheaded in separate directions at A1.ÿ

BUT FIRST, KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE RIDERS

THE NEW & IMPROVED JOSH HILL

It appears that in more ways than one, Josh Hill is a new rider and everyone is stoked to see it. New team, new gear, new attitude, it’s all good. To see what Josh has to say for himself, check out his Fox Film.

WIN SOME SCHWAG FROM ANDREW SHORT

Team Honda Red Bull Racing’s Andrew Short entered Anaheim 1 knowing that he would be a front runner in the series this year and after the race was over, there wasn’t anything to indicate that ?Shorty’ isn’t going to be a force in 2010.

After starting out in fifth, Andrew moved up into third fairly quickly and looked to be in a prime position to grab the last spot on the podium before settling for fourth when Honda rider Kevin Windham snatched the spot away.

“I put myself in a great position to get that last spot but I got a little tight and I never felt like I opened up all the way” said Short “I’m a little bummed out but I know that if I can keep my head on straight and put in twenty laps the way I know I can, then I’ll have some great finishes the rest of this year. Congrats to KW on his ride and at least it was a Honda on the box!”

Make sure you check out the all-new www.Andrewshort.com site where we’ll have all the news, giveaways, interviews and video footage. In fact, Andrew has already posted THIS video chronicling his thoughts after the race and even has an interview with a member of Team Honda Red Bull Racing!

This weekend in Phoenix, the first person to come up to Shorty in the pits and tell him what his very first national number was will get a free autographed ?Shorty’ toy.

DUNGEY GETS CONNECTED

Fresh off the most successful year of his career, rising motocross star Ryan Dungey is gearing up for the 2010 season and this weekend’s Monster Energy Supercross premiere from Anaheim, Calif. with the re-launch ofÿwww.RyanDungey.com. The 2009 AMA 250 West Regional and 2009 AMA 250 National Motocross Champion will offer a revamped way for his numerous of fans to keep up to date on number five’s progress throughout the season and his rookie season aboard a 450 for Rockstar/Makita Suzuki.
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Ryan’s new web siteÿwill allow fans to interact with Ryan. Live chats, photos, videos and all the latest breaking news will be right at your fingertips. For fans looking to get a sneak peek behind the scenes of Ryan’s season, they can follow through his social networking sites on Twitter and Facebook. Additionally, those looking to support the 2009 Motocross of Nations champion at the track or at home will have access to official Ryan Dungey memorabilia as well as having the opportunity to win exclusive items through special contests and giveaways.
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To learn more about Ryan, simply log onto www.RyanDungey.com and be sure to follow him through his rookie season. Also, for more information on Ryan’s team and sponsors such as Fox, Nike, Oakley and Target, click on each brand’s icon in the Sponsor section.

CHECKING IN WITH TEAM BBMX

Be sure to get a glimpse of all the A1 happenings through the eyes ofÿTeam BBMX in their photo gallery.ÿ

CELEBRATE THE WINNERS

No waffles or scattered & smothered potatos -ÿjust a hard charge with three laps to go that got the job done and proved the butt patch to be accurate.ÿ
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In a way you could say that Jake Weimer is riding for a job. Poised, fast and confident, Jake wants to make a run of the series badly since it will be his last year on a 250 – and Pro Circuit doesn’t have a 450 team!ÿFor a complete overview of theÿMonster/Pro Circuit team,ÿClick Here.ÿ

QUOTE: “It’s hard to explain it, but I can tell you it’s not that fun. It’s not that enjoyable. It doesn’t take much to keep us off the podium, it’s tough. We work hard to be up here.”ÿ Jake Weimer with one of the most honest descriptions of living life as a Pro rider.

After a two year lay-off, Grant Langston neither won or set the world on fire, but the very fact that he raced and qualified for the night program makes him the biggest winner of the night. “GL” qualified 20th fastest and then finished 10th overallÿ – welcome back Grant.

OVER IN THE TROY LEE PITS

From the race bikes to the celebrities to all wannabes to the cool gear, the TLD pit retains a hipness factor thatÿno other team can match. Where many other teams teams rely on scantilly clad girls to attract a crowd, Troy Leeÿuses nothing more than an abundance of passion and authenticity to make it all count. ÿ

Here’s part of the new Steve McQueen ensemble that Troy introduced at Anaheim. Much like Steve, racing stripes are eternally cool.

This is a modern replica of the Mettisse that Steve McQueen once favored for his dirt bike of choice. You can buy the same bike for a cool $20,000. For more information go to www.metisse-motorcycles.com

Over in corner of the Lucas Oil/TLD pit was this one-off dirtttracker that is the creation of former MXA test rider Jack Phinn. All it took was one visit toÿDanny Walker’s Supercamp to convince Jack that turning left with a steel shoe on what his real calling in life. Note the custom knee glider that runs across the top of the cylinder.

The fabrication and detailed work on Jack’s bike is truly amazing. The CRF450 powerplant makes spinning donuts easy!

Lucas Oil/Troy Lee Designs rider Wil Hahn put up a good, steady fight throughout the 250 main to almost nab aÿfourth place finish, but at race end he settled for 5th.

RANDOM EYE CANDY

As is tradition at A1 the folks at Leatt broke out some sweet new “chromed” braces for a few lucky riders. Austin Stroupe got aÿmetallic yellowÿversion, while Broc Tickleÿhad a cool blue chrome brace. There were also a couple of black chrome versions seen as well. No plans for production.

Here’s the custom bike that Joe Gibb’s Racing displayed at the SEMA show in Las Vegas last fall. Check out the milled out frame – wow!

While not quite as exotic as the show bike, the JGR race bikes are still a thing of beauty.ÿEveryone should give thanks to theÿJGR team for doing their best to re-introduce something akin toÿa works bike in the pits. Their team bikes probably haveÿmore one-off, handmadeÿparts on them than any two factory team bikes combined!

Here’s the NCY/KTM Racing Services team bike that won the 250 Last Chance Qualifier with Sean Borkenhagen aboard. The bikes are meant to showcase the vast product and accessory menu found in theÿKTM catalog that is available to the public.

Besides the good company andÿfootball games on the big screenÿalways found within, here’s another reason so many people flock to the Scott truck – food!

One of the best looking old/new outfits has to be the Rockstar/Candiae team (run by former MXA test rider Bill Keefe). Running with lots of black, the team looks fast from the truck andÿthe bikes to the new One Ind. gear. ÿ

ALL THE PEEPS IN THE BIG A

Yamaha made sure to make all their satellite teams feel appreciated by walking the big cheese through each of their pits. In descending order of importance here (r-l)ÿle grand fromage/el queso grande pictured would beÿHenio Arcengeli, president of Yamaha USA, the ageless Keith McCarty, director of racing, and Team Valli Motosports founder Chad Lanza.ÿ

One of the reasons the Monster/Pro Circuit team remains so successful is that they mind the details…like exactly where and how a sticker should be placed on the headset.

After his 2009 attempt to qualify resulted in a broken wrist, it was cool to see Freestyle icon Nate Adams (right) come back to A1 for another shot at Supercross. Unfortunately, after scoring the eighth fastest time in his qualifier, Nate didn’t make the show. Ryan Morais (left) on the other hand had a much better nightÿwith his third place finish.ÿ

With Bridgestone pulling out of racing, the Dunlop guys were extra busy servicing all their new customers at A1. As usual, Broc Glover and his cadre of tire techs did it allÿwith a smile.

La familia Stewart – have family willÿtravel together, race together and win together.

Former factory rider David Vuillemin (right) returned from France with his protege’ Gautier Paulin (left) in tow. Paulin was aboard a borrowed Star Yamaha and was an early front runner in the main untilÿTrey Canard gave him a lesson on the downside to leaving the door open. Paulin’s crash moved him back toÿ15th.ÿÿ

MXA MINI-VIEW: Austin Stroupe’s New Lease On Life

The lastÿcouple ofÿyears have definitley been a roller coaster ride for Austin Stoupe. After a two-year stint with the uber-focused Monster/Pro Circuit team, Austin’s effectiveness was somewhat derailed due to injury and off-track distractions. However, with both National and 250 East/West Supercross wins already to his credit, everyone knew that theÿ19-year-old from North Carolinaÿhad the talent needed to win. Team manager Roger DeCoster said he was impressed with Austin’s speed and hopes his temporary stint on the 450 (while Matt Moss heals up) will be beneficial for Austin and Suzuki.

MXA: So how did the decision come about for you to ride the 450?
Austin: Yeah, it’s definitely been a crazy few months. It all came as a shock to me. I think it was on December 15 when Roger called and asked if I’d be interestedÿin riding the first five rounds on the 450. I said yes right away.

MXA: How are you finding life with Suzuki?
Austin: It’s awesome. I’ve never done so much testing in my life! We have all the EFI testing on the 250 done so my race bike is ready for the east coast.

MXA: What’s your plan for 2010?
Austin: I’m ready for the full season. Suzuki has given me a great opportunity. I’m with a factory team and that doesn’t come along all that often so I know that I need to make the best of it every day I can.

Last year the Josh Hill/J-Law pairing was usually oneÿdestined for mischief.ÿFor 2010 both riders have renounced their mis-behavin’ ways and aim to use their known talent for goodness.ÿÿ

Too bad for Team MCR’s Matt Goerke who was looking to be a contender until a training session crash left him on the sidelines with a broken leg. If you want to hear the Supercross races live there’s no better place toÿfind itÿthan with the live report with Jim Holley.

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Mitch Payton’s dad has been a fixture at the races for years (and a long-time Class 1600ÿdesert star), butÿat A1ÿhe seemed more interested in hanging out with his grandkids than any of the racing.

Michael Byrne is probably happy he invested in a motorhome when he was a highly paid factory rider because it’s coming in real handy now that he’s a struggling privateer. Michael isÿgetting some support from Rockstar, Answer, Pro Taper and Kawasaki. Although he made the night show, he finished off the back in 16h.

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MXA EXCLUSIVE: The Latest On J-Law

The Jason Lawrence story is not a new one to the sport. For as long as there have been great champions and role models who have taken the sport and their careers seriously, there have been the troubled riders on the margins. More often than not, the latter group is not represented by anyone with real talent.

By now, everyone knows all the about the travails of J-Law. The drunkenness, the wrecked rental cars, the half-efforts and most recently, the four month jail stint on an assault charge. Fast and furious on the track, but prone to mischief off the track, Jason remains an enigma. Yetl, gauging from the both his autograph line and the loud cheers he received inside the stadium, he also remains a fan favorite.ÿ

At A1, J-Law returned to the racing world that remains deeply divided on his presence. Rolling around the track in ninth place in his qualifier and then pulling out of the main early did little to convince the skeptics. Still, you have to wonder how surreal it must be to go from a jail cell existence to the racing in the 450 Main at Anaheim.

I caught up with Jason’s criminal lawyer Chris Whelton in the J-Law Racing pits as Jason was presiding over a private rider intro that he’d set up with the Anaheim police DARE program. It turns out that Jason had sent 50 tickets to the organization and now the kids, along with their police chaperons, were touring the team semi and rummaging through a No Fear schwag bag.

One of the first things I asked Chris was if he thought Jason was sincere in his claimed clean comeback to the sport.

“When Jason got out of jail Judge Clark was very specific about the conditions of his release. I remember her saying that while she wasn’t ‘cool’ and the police weren’t ‘cool,’ that Jason was “cool”ÿ and she reminded him that kids look up to him, they watch him and the listen to him. Accordingly, she made the point that Jason has an obligation to those kids. What you’re seeing here tonight is a reflection of that discussion. Jason is determined to capitalize on what the judge said. When we reached out to the local police they were all over it. The kids know the sport and they know Jason and I think the police saw this as a positive opportunity for both Jason and the kids.

“A lot of people don’t know that Jason’s prison term was delayed until after the Nationals. And at 8:15 on the Monday after the last National, Jason showed up to do his time ? I think that was the real turning point in Jason’s career.”

J-Law invited 50 kids from the local DARE program along with their police escorts to A1.

So the world turns. Jason Lawrence is back racing and doing good deeds to aid and abet the effort. There are some who remain skeptical of J-Law’s motives, pointing out that Ryan Dungey made a similar charity effort at A1 last year. But ,at some point even the cynics have to take things at face value. PR effort or not, the DARE idea, and even Jason’s $5000 donation to the Danny Magoo fund (where he remains the only current Pro rider on the donors list) should still be lauded for the actual benefit they provide. Many hope that, where others have failed, having Grant Langston as a teammate will be the most significant source of focus and direction. Time will tell.ÿÿ

Following his heat race, Jason returned to the team rig where he took a call from that rebel from another era, Bob Hannah. While “The Hurricane” doesn’t endorse Jason’s foolish antics (on and off the track), he does see in him a true passion and talent for racing dirt bikes.

THE 250 MAIN START: AÿTryptich Of Speedÿ

Pro Circuit teamsters Jake Weimer (12) and Josh Hansenÿlead the way ahead of Trey Canard and Gautier Paulin.

As they enter the first turn, Hansen, Weimer and Paulin all focus on railing the berm whileÿCanard has dropped back to focus on an inside line.

Paulin ends up getting stuffed while, teammate or not, the committed Jake Weimer showed Josh Hansen no quarter as they rammed their way out of the first turn to go on and lead the race.

MXA SPOTLIGHT:ÿFactory Bike Close-Up With Team Hondaÿ

Like every other team in the paddock, a #1 plate is the one thing they covet most. As happy as Team Hondaÿis to have the sought-after single digit on Ashley Fiolek’s bike, they need one on the Supercross team bike. It didn’t help matters that Honda privateer Kevin Windham was once again the top Honda finisher at A1. Ouch!

A TALE OF TWO HONDAS

Note the amount of silencer that extends past the side panel on Andrew Shorts bike…

…now notice how muchÿmore hidden the silencer on Davi Milsaps’ bike is.ÿTo understand the difference you need to look at the front of the bikes.

You’ll notice that the pipe on Andrew Short’s bike is a pretty straight-forward design, however…

To better accommodate his power output preferences, Davi Milsaps runs a resonance chamber. Unlike other exhaust systems, Honda says that the chamber has nothing to do with noise reduction.

Another item the factory riders have that the rest of us don’t is the dual-mode power management switch whichÿcan be used to select a power character that will suit the riders individual needs for a particular track.

If your looking forÿan example of factory level attention to detail and meticulous set-up, you need look no further than this safety wiring job.

One thing that both Honda and Yamaha have in common is a rich history with their respective in-house performance parts catalog. Additionally, both brands have decided to start promoting them for public consumption as well. Honda’s fabled HRC logo is now found on a plethora of small parts (as well as the team bikes) and the parts include everything from side cases to front brake cable guides.ÿ

In contrast to the old days when Honda would try its best to disguise their one-off factory tricks, it was surprising to see them go so far as to actually draw attention to their use of hydraulic clutches by dressing up the reservoir with special HRC eye candy.

The Showa forks have Ti-nitride coatings. Factory sourced aluminum hubs are mounted to Nissin brakes.

No carbon chain guides with team Honda. DID rims, Dunlop tires, Renthal chains and Renthal sprockets keep the factory bikes moving forward.

If you ever wondered what it looks like to ride a factory Honda, here’s the view that Davi Milsaps has on aÿweekly basis. The Renthal handlebars are complemented by the factory derived triple clamps. Andrew Short prefers the Renthal FatBar.

One of the best examples of intricate machine work around are the fork caps on the red bikes. Honda said that all three gold screws and the blue one are air bleed valves.ÿ

Here’s the hydraulic clutch slave unit coupled to the sand cast cases. Note the HRC oil cap, steel shift leverr, plastic skid plate and foot pegs that could double as martial arts weapons. No one was sure why the smallÿnut on the chain roller was green.

Perhaps owing to their racing legacy and the seriousness with which they go about their business, the Team Honda pits have often had a tenseÿatmosphere. With the arrival of new boss Gary Martini it’s safe to say that things have lightened up just a bit. No doubt there are some suits at Honda HQ whoÿmight getÿtweakedÿover Gary’s senseÿof humor, but it is a welcome addition to outsiders. Both Gary (left) and team manager Erik Kehoe (right) have been going to the Nationals since the early 80’s.

THE ALPINESTARS ANAHEIM SCHWAG CONTESTÿ

Tim from Alpinestars was kind enough to donateÿan A1 schwagÿpackage that consists of an Alpinestars backpack, hat and t-shirt. All you have to do to win is answer the following questions and mail them to Zap.ÿ
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1. How many different color combos are there of the Tech 10 boot?
2. Which boot is most likely to be found on the feet of Nicky Hayden?
3. How many different car racing shoes does Alpinestars sell?
4. Howÿ many different Bionic under-armor jackets are there

5.ÿ Who has the best looking team bikes?

UNTIL NEXT TIME, STAY STYLISH