Morgantown, W. Va. (April 19, 2012) – After much anticipation, MX Sports and Ricky Carmichael are thrilled to announce the 2012 return of the highly regarded Ricky Carmichael University (RCU), now expanding to the west coast and for the first time ever, hitting European dirt for an exclusive stop in the UK.

“Due to the success of the amateur supercross, we were forced to expand RCAMSX to two days and unfortunately we weren’t able to hold RCU in Daytona anymore,” said Carmichael. “But we’re excited to be able to give students on the west coast and around the world the opportunity to take part in RCU. It’s amazing to see this turn into an international event!”

Europe’s inaugural RCU event will take place at Fat Cat Moto Parc in Doncaster, UK on Monday, June 18 and Tuesday, June 19, where students have the opportunity to learn from 15-Time Champion Ricky Carmichael. The crew will head to Lake Elsinore on Monday, September 10, following the final round of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship.

Former champions Jeff Emig and Jeff Stanton, as well as Ricky’s mother and lifetime trainer, Mrs. Jeannie Carmichael, will join Carmichael in teaching this once in a lifetime riding school. The knowledgeable and experienced panel of instructors will teach students everything from proper body positioning, to utilizing organized drills focusing on flat turns, rhythm sections and improved braking techniques.

RCU is an exclusive and unprecedented opportunity for motocross riders, young and old, to get personalized one-on-one training with the The-Greatest-of-All-Time—Ricky Carmichael—and his team of instructors. Stay tuned for details on the UK’s inaugural RCU event or contact RCUEurope@rickycarmichael.com.

About Ricky Carmichael University

Ricky Carmichael University began in 2010 as a once in a lifetime opportunity for riders of all ages and skill levels to learn from The-Greatest-of-All-Time, Ricky Carmichael, in conjunction with the Ricky Carmichael Amateur Supercross at Daytona International Speedway. Due to the expansion of racing in 2012, Daytona was no longer able to facilitate RCU, thus expanding this exclusive riding school to Lake Elsinore in California and for the first time ever, Fat Cat Moto Parc in Doncaster, UK. For more information, please visit www.mxsports.com or contact RCUEurope@rickycarmichael.com for inquiries about RCU Europe.

About Ricky Carmichael

Ricky Carmichael won 102 American Motorcycle Association (AMA) Motocross Nationals and 48 AMA Supercross main events for a record 150 major wins between 1997 and 2007. The Tallahassee, Fla., resident won 10 AMA Motocross Championships and five AMA Supercross crowns, giving him a record 15 major titles in his career. After retiring from professional motocross racing, he began pursuing a career in auto racing and was named the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Most Popular Driver. Currently, Carmichael can be found in the TV booth providing color commentary on CBS and Speed’s Supercross coverage. As for motocross, he will forever be known as “the Goat,” which stands for greatest of all-time.

It seems that just yesterday we were at Anaheim for the first round of the SX season and now after Las Vegas SX, the 2013 season is in the rear view. As I was on the plane traveling there I was in shock out how fast the season passed us by. Never the less, I was excited to get there for a little work and watch the guys race their last SX of the year and to watch the two Lites champs square off against one another in the Dave Coombs Sr. Memorial East vs West Shootout. I have to admit I wasn’t anticipating much from the Supercross class.

Prior to the race I had an appearance at the X Ryderz store in Henderson, NV for Fox Racing. It was the grand opening for this particular store and it is also a new account for Fox. Chad (Reed) and I made the trip out there and I have to say the marketing people for the store and Fox did a great job promoting the event. There was a huge line there waiting for us made up mostly of moto fans. It was a great way to kick off the weekend.

As the racing got under way you could tell from the start that the Lites class was going to be a great race, both Tomac and Barcia winning their heat/main event qualifying races in dominant fashion you could see that there was a statement to be made by one of them come East/West shootout race by one of them. The Supercross class heat races were nothing to brag about. The racing wasn’t great in my opinion and I didn’t see anything changing before the main events to make them any better. The only guy to me that really was riding better and with more determination than normal was Millsaps.

As the East/West shootout was underway, and only a 10 lap race to get the job done, the battle between the two champs was on. This race reminded me a lot of my championship battle in Vegas in 06 when Stewart, Reed and I ran up front all night and rode picture perfect. Tomac and Barcia showed the world we they are Lites champions this year, they dominated that race and were in a full blown battle. Even though they weren’t side by side there were within a second of each other the whole time and were basically mirroring one another’s lap times, just totally on point and at one point towards the end of the race they even made the exact same mistake on the same lap thru the whoops in the same spot and it was crazy. I know for me personally that is the race I wanted to see, the two champs squaring off with no interruptions and may the best man win. In the end it would be Barcia taking the advantage but even though that was the case I have to say Tomac was just as good and made up a little bit of ground on Barcia but the W in the win column always trumps any performance other than winning unfortunately even if the other person was better.

The Supercross class main event was pretty boring, which was no surprise after watching the heat races. Dungey did what I would expect him to do, which was get the holeshot and win by 15 seconds. I said earlier that Millsaps was the guy that impressed me the most and I will tell you why. He didn’t get the best of starts and was coming through the pack and went off course at one time, caught back up again and finished out strong. Usually he wouldn’t have came thru the pack like he did and with going off course well then for sure would have been the straw that broke the camel’s back for him, but not this time. He had a lot on the line being that he could get second in the championship and it was awesome watch him ride to the level of his talent and also watch him ride with determination and a purpose. I have always admired his talent and it was really good to see him use it.

As the night was over it was time to reflect a little bit. I think Barcia and Tomac in the Lites class were definitely the best in the class of their series. Both riders being the more dominant of their opponents and really taking charge when they needed to. All series long they were both very poised and focused on getting the job done no matter what the circumstances were. In the Supercross class I in think that Villopoto was clearly the guy, even though he got beat a few times and was challenged by some of the top guys he always seemed to be the guy to me that was just extremely focused and wasn’t flustered by anyone. If someone on any given night was giving him troubles he always stuck to his game plan and never wavered from that plan and in the end, I believe that’s what you have to do to be champion in a 17 race series. He also had a lot of speed. In my opinion I think some of the injuries in the SX class came from him, he set a level that was going to be extremely hard to beat, from his speed, consistency and fitness. So I think that he put those guys in predicaments that they didn’t need to be in which caused them to ride harder and maybe out of their comfort zone which causes wrecks most of the time and also gave them a sense of urgency to stop him before the points battle got out of reach. In the end that’s my take on it.

I have to say it was an exciting SX series and I think there is some great talent moving up in the next few years from the Lites class to the Supercross class and I cannot wait to watch. Also, even though some of the top guys went out in the Supercross class the racing was still good which was great to see. With that, that’s going to wrap it up and thanks for all the reads this SX season, next up for me is my regional qualifier for Loretta Lynn’s. Check back and I will be filling you in on my getting ready for the event and the race itself. I am really looking forward to it! (ed. Note if you missed it here is Fox’s Racing’s video from RC’s area qualifier back in April.)

RC

This was a perfect trip; we flew over from Tally Saturday morning and arrived at the track just in time for track walk. When I walked in I forgot how big the place was. After walking around and checking out most of the track I really was not impressed with dirt or the layout for that matter. In my opinion the track had way too many 90 degree turns and looked like it had no flow to it at all. So I was a bit disheartened after seeing that but never the less was optimistic about some good racing going down for sure, at least in the lites class.

With Barcia’s situation he really didn’t have to make too many things happen, he only had to finish 4th or better to secure the championship which he could make that happen relatively easily, and fourth is what he got. After watching his heat race I honestly thought he was going to dominate the main but that was not the case. Either way, he did what he had to do and was extremely dominant the whole season especially early on. I also expected more out of Roczen this weekend coming off a win the race before. Not sure what his deal was but he definitely wasn’t wear he needed to be. I think the race winner Darryn Durham rode a great race in the main event, he put himself in a perfect spot at the beginning and made the best of it. At one point he just about lost it in a corner but he gathered himself up, regrouped and put in more solid laps and got his first ever Supercross win. I always like watching someone get their first win so that was cool to see in person. The race was exciting for sure as they have been all year, and once again congrats to the champ Justin Barcia.

I wish I had more exciting stuff to tell you for the Supercross class like I did for the Lites class but that wouldn’t be the case. Villo is in a league of his own and in the main got the holeshot and said see ya later. Josh Grant put in a solid ride and took advantage of other peoples misfortunes, with a lot of the top guys hurt and some of the other contenders going down on the start he rode a consistent pace and was really all by himself the whole race in and ended up second. That was cool to see because he has been through a lot these last few years for sure and he needed that. I personally think that if he can stay healthy for some time he will have a lot more solid rides in front of him. Justin Brayton had a great ride; he got tangled up early and was way behind. In typical JB fashion he never gave up and got stronger as the race went on and found himself on the podium for the 3rd spot. I really like his determination, also this was big because Millsaps who is second in points had a tough night and it was a big points day for JB. Now he is only 5 points back in 3rd so you know he will be pushing hard to get the number 2 spot in points.

All season I have been really impressed with Villo. To me he has looked extremely focused on the task at hand and has never gotten caught up in anything on the track or if someone is pressuring him, he just stays in his zone and if that’s only good for a second that night then that’s what he does and that is huge when you add up points at the end of the year. I think that his level and intensity this year has been so high that he really put his competition in a box because they knew in order to beat him that they would have to maybe ride a little out of their zone and that is virtually impossible to do for 17 rounds and eventually they ended up hitting the deck trying to keep up. He has dominated the last year in a half and I don’t see an end in sight.

While I was there I also had a chance to get to work on this year’s Monster Energy Cup track design. I sat down with Todd Jendro and Dave Prater from Feld and also Rich Winkler from Dirtworks. We talked about what we liked and didn’t like about last year’s design and got to work. I have to say everyone in the room was committed to the same goal of putting on a good race and we all know a good track design can help create good racing. I can’t say much more about the track now but Feld has some great ideas for this year’s race so stay tuned!

I also wanted to say how cool it was to meet RJ and Jay Paul Molinere from the show Swamp People. As any of you know who follow me on Twitter it has become one of my favorite things to do on a Thursday night. It’s cool that so many of my fans watch with me and we talk about the show. RJ and Jay Paul are big Supercross fans and it was great to meet them and the rest of their family.

I’m going to be taking a few weeks off and then will be back in Vegas for the finals, it going to be a great weekend.

It has been a couple years since I have been to the Indy Supercross but I always enjoy going for many reasons. It’s relatively easy flying in, I like the city and it is also the city where I raced my first professional Supercross race 15 years ago which was then called the RCA dome that is no longer there. Now it’s the Lucas Oil dome across the street from where the RCA dome used to be.

After walking the track I was surprised at how the dirt looked, each year it seems the dirt gets drier and Indy SX was always known for being very tacky and rutty. It was definitely not like it used to be from that standpoint; but after watching the first couple rounds of practice I have to say that the dirt was better than I thought it would be so that was cool. As I was watching the Supercross class I was down on the track and up close and I couldn’t help but notice when James was putting his fast laps in that they weren’t picture perfect, I really didn’t think much more of it after watching but after looking back on how the night ended for him I found it kind of ironic, even though that probably didn’t have anything to do with what happened to him. Watching practice these days is very interesting. Now that each practice is timed and there is a huge scoring pylon on the track it’s basically just a cat and mouse game of who can get the best lap. And let me tell you, watching these riders try to get their fastest lap is unreal! How fast they go blows my mind how fast their bikes are not mention the jumps and rhythm sections they can put together with all the power they have really shows their skill level.

As the racing started I was anticipating Barcia continuing his winning streak and Stewart taking the momentum from his Daytona SX win the previous week and getting his 3rd win of the season. Well, I was wrong. Stewart had a mistake right after the start of his heat race and hitting the ground very hard to be followed by what seemed to be the whole pack land on him and piling up on him. Unfortunately he would not be able to continue. Then in the lites class, Barcia did not continue his win streak. It was a crazy race and we all witnessed something I have never seen in my whole career of racing, a staggered start. It happened because of Kyle Cunningham crashing after the whoops. I could not believe what I was seeing when all the riders were lined up one behind the other on the start stretch but I after they got going again when the green flag flew it worked picture perfect.

After the main events were over and both of my predictions were wrong I want to give a few shout outs. First off a congrats to Blake Wharton for a huge win and a great ride, he for sure earned it and rode exceptionally well hands down, I also want to personally thank him for winning and keeping my undefeated season in the Lites east coast series in 1998 alive and still going. As for the Supercross class, I was really impressed with Justin Brayton’s performance all weekend long, he was up front in all the practices, he won his heat and leading for a long time in the main event finishing a career best 2nd in the Supercross class. He looked great all night and it was well deserved.

Looking back on the night there was definitely a series of events that happened and some misfortunes for some riders that change the outcome of the results for sure. In the last month in half of racing it seems that every single weekend something totally out of the ordinary happens, whether good or bad. I hate seeing the bad side for sure and do not like seeing someone wrecking or getting hurt, but on the flip side I enjoy seeing some other faces up there as well and being able to showcase their talent to the fans.

If Toronto is anything like the last five races then the fans are definitely in for a surprise, lets all hope that its not from ones misfortune and that its just good old fashion Supercross racing.

RC

Its hard to believe that this was the 3rd year of the event already, seemed like just yesterday we were brainstorming and trying to make this dream of mine come true and how we could put something together that I thought would be a awesome opportunity for a young racer or amateur to have the chance to race at Daytona International Speedway.

I have to say that after this year’s race, it was by far was the best one yet. While I was at the event and taking it all in it seemed to me that it just had a different feel to it. I thought the talent level was much higher and the support and sponsors were the best they have been. The event ran very smooth and it just seemed to me that it had the feel of a legitimate amateur national, just like Loretta Lynn’s but smaller. I was also really happy with the amount of laps the riders had on the track. I remember when I was young and racing amateur events, there was nothing as frustrating as traveling hundreds of miles and only having a three lap race, to this day it still irritates me and I believe it is totally unfair to everyone involved and participating. So that is one of my biggest goals each year that we do this is that everyone gets plenty of track time.

The first day of the event was better than I expected quite honestly. After the inclement weather the day before and most of the night the track was in really bad shape so I was worried. But we made the best with what we had to work with and the track builders did a great job getting it rideable and ready to go. Practice was pretty wet and there were some deep mud spots but was quickly getting better as each division got to ride for there practice session. By the time the heat races kicked off just after noon, the track was really taking shape. During most of the heats I was down by the starting line and first turn area watching the races and talking with people. The racing was very good and there were some awesome battles. It always blows my mind how fast some of these younger riders coming up are and also how fast the bikes are these days. Its definitely a different perspective up close when your there next to the track as bikes are going by you.

By the end of the first day, I knew that the last day was only going to be better; the weather was going to be better which would only make the track and racing that much better.

As the last day kicked off things were looking good, clear blue skies and a perfectly groomed track. The racing started 8 o’clock sharp as we had a few heats to finish up as well as the LCQ’s before we could get cracking in to the mains. We started the mains and that’s when work time began for me. We had a podium set up like at Loretta’s and as each main finished up I presented the trophy to each overall champion along with a One- Hundred dollar holeshot award to each class for getting the holeshot, which was presented by MotorcycleSuperstore.com (you can click here to see all of the results). We had 30 main events so I was up there the pretty much the entire day along with David Izer from DMXS. I have to say that it was a cool site to see all of the winners and how pumped they were, along with their parents, girlfriends, wives, and other sponsors and supporters. It is a great feeling to win at Daytona and now these amateurs have a chance to get a taste of that same emotion. Sometimes you take stuff like that for granted when your not exposed to it anymore, so it was very refreshing to see and also brought back many great feelings for me that I was able to share with my parents in that same situations many years ago traveling to the amateur races. It was cool listening the riders during their interviews on their perspective from their race and how it turned out for them as well as how pumped they were on the event.

Looking back on the event, words can not explain how pumped I am on the end result. I think about the first year and how it all went compared to now and there really is no comparison. I feel that it is becoming a real legit race for our amateurs, and presents and amazing opportunity for them to showcase their talents at Daytona on a SX track and is a laying a good foundation for their future SX career. There are a lot of people that worked extremely hard to make this event possible and to make sure it’s a great event and experience. For myself I take an extreme amount of pride in the event for many reasons. I feel I have some good insight on what gives these riders great opportunities and how a track can be fun to race on. While I know nothing is ever perfect, myself and my partners are extremely committed to making this the best amateur race going next to Loretta Lynn’s and will never let up. Once again thank you to everyone who made it there and was a part of it.

RC

Cool Video Link from MotoPlayground
And another great video from MotoPlayground
And here is a link to the Round Table discussion that was held Sunday night in Victory lane with me, Jeff Emig, Mitch Payton of Pro Circuit and Jim “Bones” Bacon also of Pro Circuit.

And don’t forget to support these great sponsors who help support the greatest sport there is and are helping us build a great amateur event!

Monster Energy
Fox Racing
Oakley
Suzuki
Cometic Gaskets
Motorcycle-Superstore.com
Daytona International Speedway

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – For the fifth-straight year, legendary Supercross champion Ricky Carmichael will challenge riders with his latest signature course design in the 2012 Daytona Supercross By Honda scheduled for Saturday night, March 10, the only AMA Supercross event in Florida this year.

“It’s an honor and a pleasure to design the course for Daytona, where there is so much racing history involved,” said Carmichael, who owns a record five Daytona Supercross By Honda victories. “The fans are great, and there is a great group of people working at Daytona International Speedway. I’m flattered that they continue to want me to keep coming back to design their race course. It’s a pretty cool deal.”

The Ricky Carmichael Signature Design course will draw some parallels to last year’s layout with the placement of the starting gate remaining on pit road and providing fans with a great view of the first turn. It will feature slight changes in the course’s configuration, particularly in the corners.

“It’s fun to sit down at the drawing board and to think of a design that will be fun and challenging for the riders, as well as exciting for the fans and for the people watching on television,” Carmichael said.

Top riders such as two-time defending Daytona Supercross By Honda champion Ryan Villopoto, James Stewart, Chad Reed, Andrew Short, Kevin Windham and Ryan Dungey will battle for victory on Carmichael’s tough and challenging course.

Following the Daytona Supercross By Honda on Saturday, March 10, the Ricky Carmichael Amateur Supercross will take center stage on Sunday, March 11 and Monday, March 12 on a modified version of the layout. Amateur riders interested in competing in the Ricky Carmichael Amateur Supercross can sign up by visiting https://secure.tracksideonlineresults.com/daytonasx/

“Ricky Carmichael is the most decorated Supercross rider in history and there’s no better course designer than ‘The Greatest of All Time,’” said Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III. “We have received positive feedback on Ricky Carmichael’s course designs for the Daytona Supercross By Honda from both riders and fans. Year in and year out, Ricky has created a course that has provided a tough test for the riders as well as a thrilling show for the fans.”

Daytona International Speedway has been home to the original Supercross since 1971 – the longest continuous Supercross event in America – and stages the grueling and demanding race in the tri-oval. Aside from Carmichael, Supercross greats like Bob Hannah, Jeff Stanton and Jeremy McGrath have captured career-defining wins at the Daytona Supercross.

Grandstand tickets for the Daytona Supercross By Honda are on sale now. For ticket information for all Daytona International Speedway events, call 1-800-PITSHOP or go online to www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com.

Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter (www.twitter.com/disupdates) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/DaytonaInternationalSpeedway)

http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com/Articles/2012/02/Ricky-Carmichael-Supercross-Design-Unveiled.aspx

For more info on the Ricky Carmichael Amateur Supercross event immediately following the Pro Supercross click here and to Register for the RCAMSX click here.

As I made my way to the west coast for the last Stop at Anaheim SX for the year I had a good trip planned. Was a short trip but packed with great meetings on some things we are working on for ‘13 as well as a few other things for some sponsors.

Thursday evening we attended the Fox international sales meeting at their Irvine office to launch the all new Instinct boot to their international team. It was similar to what we did last week for the media. To say the least the International sales guys we pumped and love the new boot now that they finally had a chance to see it in person. After the launch, Fox hosted a great party at their office for the sales guys and some people from the moto industry. The vibe was great and everyone had a fun time.

Friday was packed with meetings for some really exciting things we have in the works for 2013. I can’t give you all the details on it at this time but it is something I have been wanting to do for quite sometime now and just have been waiting for the right opportunity and timing. After the day was done we went down to a local hot spot in Newport for dinner with some great friends. It was my self and Ursula along with long time friend Jeff Emig and his wife, Pete Fox and his better half and Tom Stevens and wife to be. It was a fun time, the guys had a great time talking old times and current things going on the wives gossiped about who knows what (shocker).

As race day was finally here I was pumped for the action. The racing has been so good lately and anticipation is so high, that I wish we didn’t have to wait for all the practices to happen and and get straight to the racing action. My initial thoughts weren’t to great when I walked the track. The dirt was really loose and had a lot of little rocks in it. So I wasn’t to optimistic about how good the racing was going to be. After practice was over there were a few surprises, Nicco Izzi was fastest in the Lites class and Justin Brayton posted fastest time in the Supercross class. That was cool to see that instead of the same people, but apart from those to surprises everything was pretty much business as usual.

Once the sun was down and the lights came on it was finally race time. I always love watching the heat races in both classes. They are short laps and everyone is fighting so hard, its aggressive racing. There wasn’t much drama in the Lites heats but things would get interesting in the Supercross class heats. So Stewart was in the first heat, he didn’t get the greatest start but after two corners he was out front. He looked good in practice and appeared to be riding with a lot of confidence from last weekend’s win. He would take a turn for the worse after about three laps into the heat. I don’t know where this came from but as he entered this rhythm section he got totally out of control, went sideways and his hand slipped off the handle bar and off he went, slamming in to one of the jump faces landing straight on his back. Let me tell you it looked painful. It is really bizarre to me and its been happening for a few years now that just when you thing he is on and is riding perfect with no pressure he makes a massive mistake and takes himself out of the race whether it’s a heat race or a main event. As I replayed it and watched it I honestly have no clue how that happens or why, but when that guy wrecks, it’s huge. When you’re going the speed that he is and you have a get off normally its going to be a big one. I was happy to see him walk off the track and up in moving because I thought that his night was over.

The second heat was an awesome race. Villo got a horrible start and as he was coming through the pack four guys, the leaders of the race all fell down in one lap it was crazy to watch. He was riding very well as we have been seeing him do that all year.

The Lites main was under way, Seely was in the lead and looked really good with a lot of corner speed and looking really comfortable on the bike. Tomac was close behind just lurking and keeping the pressure on, and before you know it Seely laid it down in a flat slick high speed turn giving Eli the lead. After that it was pretty much clear sailing for Eli, he put in some really solid laps and went on to capture his third straight win. At this point, I think he needs to stay focused and just be on that podium every weekend and the title is his. He’s going to a place this weekend where he got his first ever SX win so that has to be a good feeling for him. It’s always fun to go back to a place where you got your first win.

It was time for the SX class main event and I must give Stewart some mad props, he came back and won the LCQ and was in the main after that gnarly heat race wreck that I thought would end his night. Once the race started we saw the same thing from Villopoto that we did at the first Anaheim, a holeshot and then leading all 20 laps. He looked very good and made zero mistakes. Reedy tried to challenge him for the first lap but it didn’t last long. As Villo was out front doing his thing Reedy was charging in second and then here comes James from behind. He caught up to Chad and rode behind for several laps and made the pass in to second. He put a little gap on Chad and just held it to the end. Dungey really didn’t have a great race at all. He won his heat race but in the main he got a bad start and didn’t make any early moves to get by guys he needed to in order to have a chance to be on the podium. He was right behind Stewart that first lap and probably should have tried to tag along with him and come thru the pack because Stewart does that really well. I think that if Dungey can ever learn to do that its going to make him that much better in those situations. As of now that is his biggest weakness.

It wasn’t the best main event that we have seen but there was some action and a few shake ups in the points. It’s going to be interesting to see who will make the least mistakes and take the victory this weekend in San Diego. I really can’t predict who will win these days just for the fact of the inconsistency. The first guy to eliminate the mistakes, I believe, will take control of the series. It will be interesting to see how Stewart can bounce back and if his crash, the time off the bike for the healing process he will have to go thru and time off the bike during the weeks to get back 100%. I know Reedy basically owns San Diego so he will be very very strong and possibly the favorite there. Or will Villo be able to repeat his performance form Anaheim and be the first guy to get two wins in a row in the SX class. I’m taking the weekend off for a little family time but will be back for Dallas SX.

As always, thanks for the read,
RC

More Video’s on the Instinct boot…

ESPN
Racer X
VitalMX
Motorcycle USA
MXA
Transworld
more from Transworld, and one more from Transworld…

To say the least it was a crazy week but none the less a really funny one and action packed. It all started on Tuesday in Southern Cal the Moto Mecca then ending in Nor Cal for round 4 of 2012 monster energy Supercross Championship in Oakland.

The week started out Monday flying to Orange County. During the flight I had an awesome tweet up with all of my followers. That was cool, had a lot of great questions and participation and it was great to see everyone’s outlook and opinions. I look forward to doing these a lot more and interacting with my fans. We landed in the afternoon and the weather was just starting to clear out. The plan was to head to our home base (where we normally stay) and get a quick mountain bike ride in. Next we were going meet Jeff (Emig) up in LA and head up to Buellton for the Fox ride day at Zaca Station. Fox Racing was hosting a ride day with the media to introduce the new V4 helmet and the all new Instinct boot. Fox wanted to have all the media ride in and wear the new product. I was there to give my feedback on the product and talk about my involvement with the R&D of the boot. The ride day ended up getting postponed a day because of the rain they got so it was great time to meet up with a great friend Johnny O’mara and Nicky Hayden for a couple hour bike ride. It was a great ride and we had some good talks as well during the ride. After that I headed to Monster Energy headquarters to visit all the people there, which is always fun, before meeting Jeff at Pro Circuit so we could drive together up to Zaca Station for the Fox ride day.

We made the best of our three hour drive to Zaca by playing a little joke on Chris “Beeker” Onstott and punking him. We told him that Jeff’s van had broken down and that we weren’t sure that we were going to be able to make it unless someone came and picked us up. There are many more details to the story which are too much to talk about but never less it was comical. The next morning we got up had a quick breakfast at the hotel and headed out to the track. I had never been there so I was stoked to check it out. Once getting there it was cool to see the track and all the industry media and how many of them came, along with some old faces I hadn’t seen in a while. As everything was under way it was a lot of fun being out there with everyone, the riding was ok considering all the rain that they had, it was a little deep at the beginning but got better and better throughout the day. That track was a lot of fun, a lot of up hills and down hills with some fun turns and cool jumps. The day went pretty well everyone seemed to have fun and not to many wrecks which is always good, Carey Hart tweaked his knee a bit but other than that it was good. I think that everyone was pumped on the new helmet and boots which was great to hear. I was very involved with the development of the boot so that is always nice when you hear good things about something that you had a hand in. After the ride we sat around and talked about the day and how much fun we had and told a few lies at the same time before we made our three our journey back down south.

Thursday morning came a bit early after riding all day Wednesday and driving home afterwards, it was a late night. But, I was pumped to get up and head out to the Suzuki track to do a little riding and help out Brett Metcalf. It had been a while since I been to ride the test track there. I have spent many days there when I was racing and doing most of my off season testing. It was great to go back and I will tell you that other than the track design not much has changed. The track was in pretty good shape, we did a little warm up and then worked on a few sections with some different variations of corners which is always an important key of racing at Brett’s level. I was out there riding with him and it was a lot of fun, I think that he definitely improved and it was a good time for me trying to chase him around. I really enjoy my roll at Suzuki and especially those days where you can help the rider and actually sit back and watch him improve as you give him information. While I was there the Dirt Shark came out to shoot some video, we had a good time and did some fun stuff. He showed me some shots that he got and I thought they were really cool, I can’t wait to see how it turns out I think everyone will be pretty pumped on it.

It was another jam packed day, after the morning session at the Suzuki track I had to high tail it to the house pack my bags and get to the airport to head up north for the Fox store autograph signing they have with some of their athletes. This is an annual event that they do and it’s been going on for quite some time now. It is a really cool event; it’s at a nice mall in the San Jose area close to the Fox Racing headquarters. Fox does a great job promoting the event and you would honestly not believe how many people show up, it is amazing to see and makes the trip well worth it. The fans get so stoked, they wait in lines for ever and are so dedicated, makes you feel really good and feels great to give back to them.

Friday finally! It was a day for some chill time and a little tourist action. For many years coming to the San Fran area for the SX race I have always wanted to check out Alcatraz but never had time with our racing schedule, this year I finally got the chance! We didn’t have much to do and wanted to see what life was like on “the rock” as a prisoner and for the people that worked there. We went for the full tourist experience and did the whole headset tour where some one tells you basically everything that went down in every area of the cellblock. It was a very interesting tour and I would recommend it to everyone. That night a bunch of us got together to watch the basketball game at the arena right next to the Coliseum. More good times and lots of comedy with the group we had.

Well the time was finally here, my trip was at its last stop and it was round 4 of the Supercross series at the Oakland Coliseum. As the drama continues it was another wild weekend. The Lites class had the makings for a great race, Tomac, Wilson, and Seely all up front together. I was so stoked because it was going to be a great race, and before I knew it Wilson got crossed up and flipped off the track around lap two then Seely got off about 200 hundred feet after that leaving Tomac out front pretty much all alone. I was really impressed with the speed that Tomac had once again, The guy I riding really fast and has a lot of confidence and after this weekend his title hope are looking very good. I think for him at this point if he can keep it on two wheels and bag a few more wins he has got this. Moving on to the Supercross class, where do I begin? The surprise of Stewart not winning yet would probably be the biggest to everyone, myself included, and up until the main event he just hasn’t looked like himself. Well after the main was over not too many people had that comment anymore. Reedy rode pretty well coming off his win in LA and put himself in a good points position, he’s tied now with Dungey for the Championship. Chad had a pretty uneventful night because he got a good start and rode solid but didn’t get the win but had no drama really. I think the biggest surprise for me would be what went down with Villopoto. After his heat race I thought that he had Stewies number for sure, he caught the guy and was all over him. He started to do the same thing in the main event, was all over James early on even attempting to make a pass on him but as James went by Reed fairly easy RV didn’t do the same. He got caught behind Reedy and was trying to pass him and couldn’t make it happen meanwhile Stewie was riding like he should be and was inching away. After a few attempts on Reedy, RV kind of slowed down a notch and settled in to a pace that I haven’t seem from him all year. I’m not sure really what happened but this was very out of character for him after the last three rounds. Just when I thought that he was pretty much untouchable, especially if he could eliminate the small mistakes he had at the last two races he had would have a really great chance to dominate. That’s what is so great about this sport these days, you just never know which guy is going to have a perfect night and dominate or if they will make mistakes and leave the door open for someone else to capitalize on the others mistakes. It makes it fun for everyone to watch. Never the less these cats are bad dudes and I cant wait to see who is going to be on par next weekend in Anaheim, at this point I have no idea who will win and I love that!

Thanks for the read.
RC

I don’t know what it is about Chase Field but I have always enjoyed going there and even when I was racing I always had a great time racing there. That place always produces good races and a lot of excitement and it lived up to its past this weekend. I got in on Friday afternoon in time for our Speed TV production meeting. With the racing as good as it’s been it’s our job to help put on a great show for all the fans watching at home and I really enjoy being a part of the show. After I had a great dinner with Fro and Travis (one of the guys from my video game company 2XL Games).

I really didn’t know what to expect coming in to this weekend other than just speculating off of what I had seen during round one, I just basically wanted to see what kind of reaction the guys would have for the winners of Anaheim. It’s hard for me to predict the weekend’s outcomes early in the season because I don’t feel that everyone is in their groove and are still trying to find their zone and are just too inconsistent for me to make a solid pick.

It was cool to walk in to the stadium and see how good the dirt was and what looked to be like a good track design for good racing. As practice got under way and everyone got settled it was the usual guys in both classes that were up front on the timing and scoring block. I would say that the biggest surprise during practice was that Stewart not coming out for the last session. I guess he was under the weather just a bit and wanted to save his energy.

The heat races were wild in the Supercross class. Villopoto had a mistake that set him back and so did Reed in the first heat, falling down in a turn, while chasing Stewart for the lead. It’s obvious that starts are very important and when you do not have a great heat race it doesn’t leave you with the best gate pick for the main. In the Lites class Tomac had a spectacular heat race turning one of the fastest times on the track compared to everyone which was pretty impressive that he was on a Lites bike.

I definitely think both the Lites and Supercross mains had some exciting parts and I believe the best way to describe them would be bizarre. There wasn’t really a battle for the lead in either class but there was so much drama in both races. Multiple riders had a great shot to win and just didn’t get the starts that they needed to have good track position and stay out of trouble early.

After it was all said and done, and I have had a chance to reflect, I think there were a few surprises to me. The first one being that Stewart would be 17 points out of the championship points lead after only two rounds, I never really saw that coming. I am really impressed with what I have seen form Villopoto so far. It seemed to me that when he was coming from behind that he was riding with so much aggression and you could tell that he knew that he had to pass as many guys as possible to gain as many points as he could. I think he looks much better this year. I expected a bit more from Reedy, he rode really well in practice and had great speed in his heat but really didn’t seem to carry that in to the main for some reason. And where on nights like Saturday when all the main guys were having their issues, he should have capitalized on their mistakes like he usually does. As for the race winner Dungey, I think he did a great job in the main, especially after his heat race performance. He put himself in a great position on the gate, got a good jump and off he went. I also think the track conditions suited the steel chassis really well. He rode 20 good laps with not much pressure and turned out to be a great points day. Hats off to Weimer, he was solid all night and earned his finish. Windham put in a great ride as well and I was pumped to see that.

As they move to next week I think it will be interesting to see how Stewart does, I get the feeling that everyone is waiting on that. I think Villopoto will be just as strong as he has been and wanting to prove to everyone that he is the fastest man out there. I believe it is very important for Dungey to come out strong next week to show everyone that he means business.

Can’t wait till next week at Dodgers Stadium to see how everything unfolds.

Let me know what you think about this post, your thoughts on this week’s race or anything else on the season and I will be checking back and respond to your questions.

Finally here. Opening round of the 2012 Monster Energy Supercross Championship at Anaheim.

After all the anticipation and talk about another great season ahead of us the time was here. I got out there the Wednesday before hand to visit the people at Oakley and Fox which is always worthwhile and great to see everyone. I also to attend the pre race press conference on Thursday before Saturday night’s event.

It was a great start to the weekend, weather was awesome and it was really cool to see all the faces of the sport and the great fans as well, it seems to me that every year the paddock gets more packed with big rigs, sponsors and of course fans which always refreshing to me to see the growth.

With all that said I want to get in to the good part and the part I been waiting for the most and that is race time. As practice got going it seemed that it took some time for the track to come to life, I don’t think it was best track that Anaheim has seen in years past but was still good to see the riders out there ready to race. I watched a few practices from down on the track while I was walking around and really got to see up close how guys looked and how their bikes were working so I think that really helped me on making my predictions for the race and who I thought would be race winning contenders.

Coming in to this first round I thought there was probably four guys, five max that had a legitimate shot of winning the race but in the back of my mind I really believed that only two guys could get the job done if they didn’t have a problem. And after practice it was clear that the little thought in my mind I kept having was right.

There was great racing for the most part all night in both the Lites and Supercross classes. It’s always a good time up in the booth commentating with my buddies Ralph and Jeff. Seems that we are on the same page on a lot of things and that makes for a good show especially when the racing is as good as it has been lately.

Looking back on the racing there were a few surprises and some who did just as I expected. I think if you want to win this Supercross Championship this year, and you are not Ryan Villopoto, you’re going to have to go out and get it. It’s been a while since I have seen someone put in that many solid laps and could sustain that pace all night with ease, and if he needed to have more he could do that. He looked so programmed and focused and hit his marks every single lap. If he keeps it up, which it is very possible; it’s going to be extremely hard to beat him.

I can’t wait to be back in the booth next week in Phoenix to call the race and watch these cats battle it out. I think some guys are going to work on some things for sure this week to give themselves a better shot at winning and to narrow that gap somehow on Villopoto and he is going to be doing the same to keep his advantage. Another reason I’m pumped to go to Phoenix is because I have had a lot of success at that dome, I got my first Supercross podium there back in 2000 and won my first Supercross race for Suzuki in 2005 along with a few other wins and some great battles.

Speaking of Suzuki look out for a cool promotion they are doing in trying to find Brett Metcalfe’s #1 fan. It is a fun promo and I helped out with the jumbotron spot. So if you are going to be at a race this season look for it during the show.

Thanks for the read and we will be back with you next week to give you my thoughts on how it went from my perspective.

RC