Racer X On The Spot

Daytona Day 3: Are We There Yet?

2008-03-09T02:45:00.017-05:00

Someone warn me the next time the people in "charge" of things decide to move daylight savings time up a few weeks. Better yet, don't bother telling me anything until they do away with it altogether.

As it is now 3:47 a.m. I have made the executive decision to post tomorrow (er, later today), leaving you instead with a few pictures and some links to get you caught up.

Scott Wallenberg, Tim Kennedy and JB build burritos,
courtesy of Corona Honda Racing.

Pirelli's Kevin Allen and his posse.

Johnny "O'Hannah" took notes
from Kevin.

For the Daytona Supercross race report, presented by Kawasaki, click here.

For complete GNCC results and information regarding last week's opener in Melbourne, FL, as well as this week's races in Washington, GA, visit www.gnccracing.com.

For the Daytona 200 and Superbike race report presented by Kawasaki, click here.

If you want to check out a slideshow of the Ducati fashion show, click here.

Neil Hodgson didn't have much
to cheer about on Saturday.

Josh Hayes, on the other hand, had plenty
to smile about.

Chaz Davies was runner-up behind Hayes in the 200.

Daytona Day 2: Are We in Kansas Yet?

2008-03-07T22:10:00.014-05:00

Ok, so I was a little off on my weather forecast for tonight. The Boots-O-Meter still needs a little tweaking, and certainly not the kind of tweaking it got last night. You see, our hotel sits right next to the Daytona Ale House, a place frequented by many in the industry during bike week. Immediately following last night's update I headed over to there to gather some second opinions about the weather and wound up with a bottle of wine shoved in my face. I tried to fight it, but they made me drink it. Seriously. These guys just don't respect science.

I still stand by my assertion that I was closer than the professionals. We woke up this morning to a soupy mess outside: hot, hazy, overcast. You could feel the instability in the air. It was over my morning coffee that I learned of the first of four tornado watches issued throughout the day. So we tentatively headed for the Speedway with our eyes to the sky. We set up the booth in a way we were confident we could tear down on a moment's notice. When noon came and passed we breathed a sigh of relief; we were out of harm's way. Well, the forecasters were not about to be shown up, so they extended the watch until two, and when two came and passed they upped it to seven, then finally two o'clock in the freaking morning. Great. Just as we're leaving the Ale House.

And at least part of what I said last night held true: The Daytona Supercross race will run rain or shine. I was really looking forward to watching the race live, but I have to be honest with you, I'm glad in hindsight that I was stuck in this hotel room posting Road Racerhead during the race. Personally, I have to question the decision to run a race during a thunderstorm in the tallest metal structure in three counties, but at the same time it shows the dedication of the fans and riders alike to the sport. As I'm writing this the race has yet to air on TV, so I'll not go into any of the details I've received from the track except to tell you that the winner was....

Despite the threat of rain and tornado, Ducati Island was kicking this afternoon. We were fortunate enough to have a booth right next to the HyperMotard stunt show, performed by Eric Wood. That guy knows his bike inside and out. He performed tail-scraping wheelies, slides that came literally inches from the crowd surrounding the demonstration area, burnouts, and a plethora of other mind boggling stunts. There are plenty of videos available on You Tube; if you have the time you should seriously check some of his stuff out.

Another big draw at the Island is the Ducati Fashion Show. I managed to land a spot right at the end of the runway, camera in hand, and dutifully snapped away. The fashion show featured many of the products featured at their on-location store. From racing leathers to teeny-weeny bikinis, they have it all. I've posted a few photos from the show here and I plan to have a full slide show up on www.roadracerx.com sometime tomorrow-ish.

As the afternoon wore on, the skies continued to boil. It was sometime during the second Ducati fashion show (did I mention there were two?) that the clouds exploded on us. It went something like, blip...blip...blip-blip--fawooosh. I ran back to the booth, camera tucked beneath my shirt, to find JB and Scott Wallenberg scrambling to get everything under shelter. It was a lesson in futility. There wasn't a dry spot to be found. It was, as Forrest Gump put it, raining up. We finally managed to secure everything as best we could and made a run for the rental car.

It's been a crazy day, totally dictated by weather (as you probably realized by now). But no tornadoes...yet.

Boots-O-Meter forecast for tomorrow: Snow showers likely.

Damn, this thing is jammed again.Time for me to head over to the Ale House for some more fine-tuning....

Daytona: Day 1

2008-03-06T22:40:00.018-05:00

2008 marks the second consecutive year that we've flown out of snow and into the sunshine. Ok, so last year it was a blizzard and we all missed our flights, whereas this year it was snowing just enough to remind you how glad you were to be heading to Daytona.

Right now it's raining here in Daytona and as far as the so-called "weather experts" are saying, there is a good chance it'll be raining at tomorrow night's Supercross event. But what do they know? Just a couple of months ago I watched it snow six inches in a nine-hour period while the forecasters frantically struggled to keep up. They dropped the weather advisory during a period of particularly heavy snow, only to re-issue a winter storm warning during the waning moments of the storm. Bollocks. The Boots-O-Meter is holding steady at a 30% chance of rain.

Either way, rain or shine, the race will go on. That is not the case for Saturday's Daytona 200, which will be postponed until Sunday in the event of rain. Forecasts say it'll be sunny and mild, and that's really got me worried.

Speaking of road races, the AMA Superbike Series kicked off at the Daytona International Speedway as the Superstock and Supersport classes took to the track this afternoon, with the latter turning out one of the best finishes in Daytona history. Ben Bostrom (who earlier had predicted he would win every Supersport race this season) and his Graves Yamaha teammate Josh Herrin battled it out for most of the race, each taking turns drafting the other coming out of the bank and attempting a pass in the home straight. Monster Energy Kawasaki's Roger Lee Hayden was in the mix, even pulling off a very nice double-draft once, before getting caught up in lap traffic and falling a few seconds behind the two front men. Bostrom had the lead at the white flag and immediately everyone's attention turned to Herrin: Would he be able to draft his teammate and snatch the victory?

The last lap seemed to last almost as long as the entire rest of the race itself with the two riders seemingly joined together in a high-speed game of cat and mouse. By the time the riders had exited the last turn, Herrin had positioned himself for a run at the win. But Ben played it perfectly, shifting to the inside of the track and forcing Herrin to adjust. Though the bikes made contact (at near full speed, mind you), both riders managed to maintain control, and Bostrom went on to win by an amazing one hundredth of a second! The Supersport class was home to some of the best road racing last season, and if today's race is any indication, 2008 will be no different.

After the races were over and we had properly cleaned ourselves up, we headed back to the infield, where we were guests of Honda for their annual Honda Riders of America banquet. Both motocross and road racing were represented well there, with Greg White entertaining the crowd and interviewing the riders. (Davi Millsaps, Ben Townley, Ivan Tedesco, Andrew Short and Ben Coisey represented the dirt while Neil Hodgson, Mat Mladin, Jake Zemke, and Josh Hayes represented the road.) As an added bonus, each rider pulled a number out of a basket and gave the person lucky enough to have the matching number a piece of his gear.

After we adjourned from the banquet, we headed about five miles up the road to watch the second night of the AMA Flat Track races. Jake Johnson had won the first night and was poised to become the first person ever to win the "Daytona Double." Jake scored not one, but three holeshots (they restarted the race twice due to crashes) and immediately put himself in a comfortable lead on the way to victory and into the history books. Congrats, Jake.

Finally, on behalf of Racer X and Road Racer X, I'd like to give special thanks to Ducati North America. For the second straight year they've invited us into their "Ducati Island" to set up a booth. They always treat us wonderfully, and we are grateful. If you're in the area or know someone down here for bike week, come by tomorrow, as they have a full day of activities planned. A fashion show, for one, that you won't want to miss. If you're stuck at home, don't worry. I'll be back tomorrow to fill you in. Until then...

Dome Sweet Dome....

2008-02-17T17:09:00.023-05:00

Words and photos by Gregg Lowley

Greetings from Indy! We're in the waning moments of day two of the Dealernews International Powersports Dealer Expo and by all accounts it would appear that everyone is ready to call it a day and head to their favorite watering hole. A lot of people are walking around in a daze, most likely a result of not following the advice of Racer X's survival guide, neglecting the re-hydration portion of the night. But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let's go back a couple days....

Part I: The Puzzle

After ten years, the process of setting up for a trade show is like second nature to us. We know the rules, where to wait in line, what you can and can't do, and most importantly how to set up our display rack. So nobody seemed fazed when a large crate was dropped off in the office the day before we were to leave for Indy. Its contents? Our brand-spankin'-new display rack. What was missing? Our brand-spankin'-new directions for putting together said rack. Of course we didn't discover this until we had it completely unpacked. After a few frantic calls to the manufacturer we were promised complete directions would be sent to us via email.

To make a long story short, the directions didn't show up until after we had ad-libbed half of the rack together and the laptop battery had long-since died. Needless to say we've learned a valuable lesson from all of this...or maybe not.

Part II: And We're Off!

The Expo kicked off promptly-ish at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning. Exhibitors and dealers alike shrugged off the cobwebs spun the night before, consuming obscene amounts of coffee and Red Bull. No time for recovery, it was game time.

Things were crazy at the Racer X booth right off the bat. The special 10 Year Anniversary issue of Racer X Illustrated was a hit! It seemed like every time the table was restocked, someone was yelling for more mags. After eight hours of non-stop running around, we were ready to put some distance between us and the booth; preparations began in earnest for the nighttime festivities.

Part III: Racer X on the Rocks

After a quick shower and a bite to eat it was on to the Pan American Center for the annual Racer X Indy Hockey Challenge sponsored by Corona. After the opening ceremonies, which included the unveiling of the 2008 Corona Extra Honda Racing bike, the players took to the ice. A good crowd was on hand to watch a friendly, yet scrappy game.

The heavily favored Canadian team traded a pair of goals with the Americans before settling into a 2-1 lead that held until midway through the third period. It looked for a while that an upset was quite possible. The Canadians had other ideas and promptly reeled off three unanswered goals behind Rob McCullough's hat trick en route to a 6-3 victory.

The American squad played their hearts out, but once again the Canadian team proved to be the kings of the ice. How about we play a game of basketball next year, eh?

This year's Players of the Game Award goes to Corona Extra for keeping everyone's thirst level under control.

Part IV: Singing the "Blu"s

Next up on our agenda was a party sponsored by Ogio and Red Bull at a club called Blu. These guys did it up. We were set up on a balcony overlooking the entire club, with a self-serve bar to boot. I'd love to go into details, but I've been explicitly told that what happens in Indy, stays in Indy. A few of the highlights include DC handing out Alka-Seltzer Morning Relief to everyone, Brian Deegan showing off his battle scar to whoever was (or wasn't) interested, and the general antics of Fubar, Brozik and JB. Props to Andy and everyone else at Ogio and Red Bull for making us all feel so welcome.

Part V: Here We Go Again!

The second day of the Expo got off to a much slower start, partly because of the late nighters and partly because many people had turned their attention towards the weather forecasts and the storm moving across the nation. From what I hear connecting flights are being canceled or are in jeopardy of cancellation, which seemed to put a slight damper on everyone's mood. There were quite a few that opted for a quick escape and pretty much packed up and took the next flight out. Many others have adjusted their plans to leave immediately after the doors shut today.

The rest of us went about our normal business. Hell, we're here until the end so there's no reason to get worked up over something you can't control. Besides, the weather forecast will change no less than five times between now and tomorrow morning. Trust me.

We welcomed a couple of special guests in the afternoon, as Yamaha superbike racers Eric and Ben Bostrom stopped by our booth for an autograph session. They had been literally working their asses off this weekend, but being the professional and personable people they are, they were all smiles as they welcomed and signed posters for their fans.

In closing, everything and everyone has been wonderful here. Tonight we'll be co-hosting (along with Ogio and Red Bull) a party at a place called Jillians. There will be yet another open bar, only this time bowling will be involved. God-willing, I'll be in good enough shape to give you guys another update tomorrow. Until then...

Cheers!
-gregg

Morning Relief

2008-02-16T15:31:00.005-05:00

Davey swears by Alka Seltzer Morning Relief, and I'm now a believer. Whoever invented that stuff needs some kind of award. For all of you who may tip back a few too many tonight - get to the drugstore now. You will be thanking me tomorrow.

Our drive from Morgantown was pretty uneventful but we got here just in time to meet some old friends at the Canterbury hotel. We had a pretty epic bench racing session with some key players: Eric Perronard, Fred Bramblett, Andy Leisner, Jeff Nash, Nick McCabe, John Farris... And even our own Chris Jonnum was there (back from Katmandu)! It was a great start to a long weekend.

Did you guys watch the trade show survival video? I have probably seen it 30 times now and still laugh every time. I think I'm going to follow Emig's advice tonight and set my alarm for when it's time to go to bed.

I've been trying to write this for three hours and the words just aren't flowing. I'll be back tomorrow with a real update. We have the Dogger here right now picking the numbers for our Supercross pick board, so if you're one of the advertisers with your name on here, come back and see where you are!

If you're looking for something to do tonight, come over to the PanAm Arena and check out the hockey game. Free Corona beer!

Be sure to stop by to see me tomorrow (booth 1340) and play our photo search game.

Late from Las Vegas

2008-01-03T13:13:00.000-05:00

When we started the blog from Vegas I was really excited and had very high expectations of keeping you all up-to-date as the weekend went on. But really, it was New Year's Eve, and like my long list of resolutions, this fell to the side when I realized how many Red Bull and vodkas I had consumed in the Red Bull Energy Center. I could have done laps around that field on Monday night, but Tuesday morning sure was a different story! (But it sure was worth it.)

So anyway, I apologize for the delay in my reporting. But I have to tell you guys about the rest of our trip. Bill (my husband) and I went to the Strip for awhile on Monday afternoon just to check it out, and I couldn't believe how crowded it was already. I was thankful that we were going to be off the strip at the Rio and that we had very important plans for the evening!

We headed out back to pick up our VIP credentials and fill out the waivers for our media passes. In line there we saw Ben and Eric Bostrom and I started to get a little nervous about my duties as a reporter for the evening. I don't know why I get so shy and worked up about stuff, it's totally ridiculous.

We stepped into hospitality line to get our wristbands and the staff was passing out scarves and gloves! Red Bull really does think of everything. I don't know if they mentioned on TV how freaking cold it was there, but it was seriously like 30 degrees. Long underwear was not one of the things on my list to bring to Las Vegas. I actually did feel bad for the girls who dressed up for New Year's Eve instead of for a football game, because it was freezing. (And I'm from Pittsburgh, so imagine if they were from California?)

Anyway, so we get in and check in at the bar (what did you expect me to say?) and go over to the stage where Angles and Airwaves had just started to play. Bryan and Susan were already big fans so they were stoked. I had never heard of them before, but they put on a good show.

Then they introduced Mix Master Mike. I'm a pretty big Beastie Boys fan, but never got to see them in concert so I was really excited to see him. He mixed up some pretty sweet beats but after about ten minutes a marching band started that was the end of Mix Master Mike. Yep, one of the greatest DJs got put on hold for the marching band! The band was a pretty cool addition to the show, though, with the whole football theme and all. They even had Red Bull cheerleaders running Maddison 300+ jerseys!

Check out Mix Master Mike's dressing room. I think his tour bus must have been at Pep Boy's.

We went inside to warm up for a bit and check out the Energy Center and ended up upstairs where there was a DJ spinning. He reminded me of Davey Castillo for some reason. Maybe it was just the jacket.

The Energy Center was the place to be!

I got to see my old friend Andy Donahue from Ogio and snagged a quick photo of him and some other VIPs. Left to right: FMXer Tommy Clowers, Aaron Chapman from Ogio, Pro Wakeboarder Cathy Williams, Donahue, and FMXer Jeff Tilton.

We headed back outside to catch a good spot for the upcoming jump, and we ended up right on the 30 yard line. Here's Bill, Bryan and Susan trying to stay warm and prepare themselves to see some pretty cool stuff. I think they are a little blurry because I was shivering, not because I was bouncing off the ground. But at that point I can't say for sure.

Next thing I know there are people talking of skydivers, and you can see these little red glowing things in the sky. Those dudes are sick! Watching them land one after another was so freaking awesome. I know you probably can't see it in this photo, but there are little red blobs floating up above us here.

I also got to meet trials master Geoff Aaron and his wife Kerry, and they let me take their photo. I am kind of embarrassed because I know I was blubbering about how much I enjoyed his show at Loretta Lynn's, but I did. Oh well.

Everyone was kind of looking around at each other waiting for something to happen. People in the stands starting chanting, Jump, Jump, Jump!

And then Robbie came flying from the parking lot of the Rio and ... He totally killed it! The place went absolutely insane. It was one of those "no way!" moments and everyone was jumping and cheering and it was such a cool feeling. Then he said he was going to do it again and the place went really crazy! Can you see him on the TV with his hand in the air? And how stoked is the chick with the tongue ring?

I was nervous enough the first time, but to see him start to come towards us the second time and then turn around, we were all just like, what is going on? But then he came back and cleared it for the second time. Unbelievable! Not only did he break the world record, but he did it twice!

We hung out at the Energy Center for awhile after the jump, all huddled around one of the heat lamps, and then headed back to the Rio to thaw out. We ended up watching the fireworks on the strip from Bryan and Susan's room. We're Rosie fans now, because we're convinced that Trump threw off the whole fireworks display by not shooting them from his casino. But it was a great show, and neat to watch them coming off of different buildings at the same time. It was a cool end to a really amazing night.

We spent all day Tuesday (when I should've been blogging) nursing off hangovers and watching college football. We made an attempt to win back the money we'd lost, but my roulette numbers were unlucky that night. We were in bed early and for once I didn't get on a plane leaving Las Vegas with a hangover.

I might have lost some money on the tables but my luck was definitely good. I got to take a trip to Las Vegas with my husband, my closest friend from work and his very cool wife, meet some new friends (thanks for everything, Jordan!) and watch a record breaking motorcycle jump. Not bad for a work gig.

The New Record: 322' 7.5"

2008-01-01T11:37:00.001-05:00

You probably know by now that Maddo killed the record last night -- twice. As I mentioned before, the wind made conditions less than ideal, but Robbie was committed. (More on that later.) Shortly after the new year had been rung in on the East Coast, he came roaring toward the ramp, through a 12 mph headwind, and thrilled everyone in attendance by beating the old record by 45 feet. At 322 feet 7 1/2 inches, Robbie Maddison has jumped a motorcycle farther than anybody, ever. And he made it look easy.

As the cameras and microphones surged toward him, an ecstatic Maddison made a move that nobody -- himself included -- saw coming.

"I'm going to do it again!" he shouted spontaneously, and the crowd went nuts. The wind had died down a little, he was feeling good, and 322, while easily breaking the record, was a bit of a letdown to Robbie after nailing 350 the day before in practice. He wanted to give it another go.

"I told [my finacee] Amy, 'I'm going to do it again,' and she was like, 'No, you're not!' I said, 'Yes, I am!' " And Robbie lived up to that promise, hopping back on his Service Honda CR500 and heading back out to his launch pad. Little did he know the most excruciating moment of a day full of them was about to occur. As fans watched his initial approach on the big screen, which shows him screaming through a parking garage in his quest for speed, Maddison slowed down after a few seconds, turned around, and headed back to the starting point. I thought maybe he'd lost a little traction and wanted to start again, but in truth he was just waiting for the end of a commercial break.

"Man, that was the worst minute of my day!" he told me later in the evening. "When I got back, I was like, I'm ready to go, my tires are hot, the wind is down, I'm ready to go again. But they were like, We're on commercial break, you need to wait a minute." So Robbie did a little false start, kept his tires as sticky as possible, and then when he finally got the green light, he tore off again for what he hoped would be a bigger jump.

But the wind had kicked back up again. He was barely able to break 90 on his approach to the ramp, and after he hit it, he was blown to the left. Fans gasped as they saw the front of Robbie's bike lift in midair, but he easily adjusted and made a great, if off-center, landing. It wasn't enough to better his own record, but it was definitely enough to get the fans on their feet howling in delight.

After the fanfare died down, a handful of journalists got a chance to sit down with Robbie for a few minutes over a glass of celebration bubbly while Amy, finally able to relax, hugged friends in the background. As the questions poured in, so did the kudos. The Godfather himself, Mike Metzger, greeted him with a diving hug and, in reaction to the encore, jokingly muttered "Showoff!" A text message of congratulations came in from Broc Glover. Everyone was stoked. In Robbie's words, he was "Over the moon!"

But when I got to talk to him one on one, I could tell he was at least somewhat unsatisfied. After all, he'd had two days in a row with cold but otherwise perfect conditions, and then when the big day came, Mother Nature slowed him down. He may have beat the old record by 45 feet, but world-class athletes set their own goals and limits, and he wanted more. He wasn't exactly bummed about the record mark, but he was already talking about his next attempt. On March 29 he'll go head-to-head-to-head in a three-way showdown with Seth Enslow and Ryan Capes in Australia's Crusty Demon's Night of World Records.

Speaking of the wind, I asked him if there was ever a point in the day where he considered calling off the jump, or if he even felt like that was an option, given the money and publicity that had supported the event. Imagine how much pressure that must have put on him!

"My agent told me that if I didn't want to jump, that if I thought it was just too windy and unsafe, that I could call it off," he said. "But then he asked, 'So if it's really windy, what will you do?' And I said, 'I'll jump. I'm committed.' As cheesy as it might sound, I feel like a higher power was watching over me. There was no way I wasn't going to do the jump."

After a tense few days, Robbie was finally able to let his hair down and enjoy Las Vegas with friends. And there were some big-name friends in attendance. Throughout the night I saw Nicky Hayden, the Bostrom brothers, GP legend Mick Doohan, FMXers Jeff Tilton, Tommy Clowers, Metz and Ronnie Faisst, distance jumpers Seth Enslow and Trigger Gumm, skateboard/snowboard phenom Shaun White, U.S. trials god Geoff Aaron, Olympic gold medalist Amanda Beard, skateboard legend Danny Way, a bunch of people from the Evel Knievel camp, and I even heard Ernesto Fonseca was in the house. There was so much star power here that I thought I was in the Knothole Club at Anaheim 1.

So that's that. Robbie did it, and I'm so happy for him. Julie has some photos from last night, and there's a bunch of stuff I didn't talk about -- the Red Bull skydivers were insane -- so I'm sure we'll do another post later today with more odds and ends from this killer event.

Oh, one last thing. I asked Robbie what if felt like to be the best in the world at something, and he modestly responded, "Well, I'm not going to say I'm the best in the world."

So I will. Until somebody proves otherwise, Maddo is the undisputed king of distance jumping. He's the best in the world.

Photos: Christian Pondella - Red Bull Photo Files

Wind, Wind, Go Away

2007-12-31T16:27:00.001-05:00

It's a beautiful day out today, but unfortunately the wind has been picking up. Wind and distance jumping aren't friends, so here's hoping it settles down in the coming hours.

I ran into Robbie and his fiancee, Amy, in our hotel this morning. Robbie is brimming with excitement and Amy is the picture of calm, at least on the outside. I bet today is going to be a long, long day for that couple.

Tonight's going to be great. Besides the big jump, Angels and Airwaves is playing, and one of the best DJs in the world, Mix Master Mike, will be working the crowd. Stoked!

Live from Las Vegas!

2007-12-31T12:40:00.000-05:00

With this post I am officially out of retirement. That’s right, Julie Gives Good Interview is back. Well, not back to give good interviews, because I didn’t remember to bring a tape recorder, but back to write about our trip and actually use the journalism degree my parents paid for. Forgive me for any misspellings and/or run-on sentences - it is Las Vegas and I'm nursing a bit of a Red Bull and Grey Goose induced hangover.

Speaking of Red Bull, did you guys know that the only people allowed to wear anything with a Red Bull logo on it are their athletes? How cool is that?

The meet and greet yesterday was a cool experience, especially to see all the details that go into hosting such a large event. I made Bryan do all the real journalism - there was no way I was walking up that ramp to take a photo! It was scary enough just standing at the bottom. I am really looking forward to tonight though. I was so stoked to hear that Robbie made it 350 in practice.

After the meet and greet we were invited to to Bruzio's, a restaurant right here in the Rio, for a media dinner. If you ever stay here, eat there. The food was amazing and the drinks were smooth! We got to hang out and chat with Ryan Cropley from the Mulisha, Jordan from Red Bull and we also met an assistant editor from Maxim named Jesse. This "experiment" sure is getting some mainstream media coverage. And I'm here to watch it live!

After dinner we were invited to the VooDoo Lounge patio for a Red Bull party. When Red Bull does something, they really do it right! Bottle service with Grey Goose and Red Bull at a club overlooking the strip? I don't think it gets any better. Here are some photos from our night.

Happy New Year to everyone!

This is the view of the ramps from the VooDoo Lounge. I know you can't really see them, but they're there!

We were hanging out high above the Strip.

I wonder if Ryan Cropley will like this photo?

We'll see what Jesse from Maxim thinks of the show.

Bryan and Julie are reporting live from Las Vegas!

Mandatory crowd shot.

Jordan from Red Bull never stops working!

Chris Tedesco trades his camera for a Red Bull and vodka.

350!

2007-12-31T01:12:00.000-05:00

Maddo went 350, or very close to it, in practice tonight!

New Year's Eve With Robbie Maddison

2007-12-30T19:55:00.002-05:00

Wow, it's been a long time since we've updated this Racer X travel blog! Now seems like as good a time as any. Production Manager Julie Kramer and I (Managing Editor Bryan Stealey) decided to jet out to Vegas with our spouses to watch Robbie Maddison attempt to break the distance record at the stroke of midnight tomorrow night. And by midnight, I mean East Coast time, as it'll be 9 pm out here. You don't want to miss "New Year, No Limits: New Year's Eve on ESPN," so if you'll be out getting your groove on tomorrow night and can't watch it live, be sure to set your Tivo. If you're at a bar or a party, tell 'em a dropping crystal ball's got nothing on this.

We just got in today and got the chance to check out a small bit of Robbie's dress rehearsal, which mainly consisted of Robbie doing little press junkets and climbing to the top of his custom-made ramp over and over for photo ops like this:

It looked kind of fun, so I gave it a try. Here's the view from the lip of the ramp:

Hard to believe Robbie's going to jump this, seeing as how it sort of freaked me out just to walk up it. Imagine hitting it at close to 100 mph on a CR500! You can probably tell that this "football field" isn't as wide as a real field, and that's because it's been specially constructed for this jump in the parking lot of the Rio All Suites Resort. The base of the landing ramp starts at about the far 45 yard line, but by the time Robbie lands on the down slope, he's hoping to nail 360 feet. That's 120 yards, which is a football field, from the back of one end zone to the back of the other.

Thing is, for him to get that much distance, he's pretty much going to need to break 100 mph, and Vegas is so cold right now that his mechanic is struggling to get that much power out of his Service Honda CR500. They're juicing the gas as much as they can, and tomorrow they're going to gear his bike down, so we'll just have to wait and see how much power they get out of it. Trigger Gumm currently holds the record at 277 feet, so Maddo could come up well short of his goal and still get his name in the Guinness Book of World Records. Again, that is. He already holds the top marks for a jump on a 125cc bike and for a jump with a trick.

I was just about to mention how much mainstream press this is garnering when I heard Robbie's name mentioned on ABC News on our hotel TV. He was on Good Morning America this morning. Here's a cool story on him on ESPN.com. And whatever you do, don't miss this video. "Google News" him and you'll see just how much buzz this is generating. He's been working hard for years to establish himself as a top freestyle motocrosser, but he's getting more attention from this jump than from everything else he's ever done combined.

I can't tell you how much I hope everything goes well and he sets this record. This guy is smart, down-to-earth, and just extremely cool. He's also a hell of a jumper. I'm going to be crossing all of my fingers and toes for Maddo during his big moment.

That's a long enough blog post for now. I'll try to do at least a few posts during out trip. Comments are very welcome. Gotta go, now -- I don't want to miss this bit on ABC.

Morgantona SX

2007-03-12T10:25:00.000-05:00

Friday night Davey invited us to his house to watch the Daytona SX on the Jumbotron. Good times were had by all. Most of us lost 20 bucks in the betting pool. Then we had a post-race victory celebration at Farber's dad's bar.

Good. We're on the right channel.
Rebecca (who took most of our money), John, Davey, Shannon, Vance (asleep under the blanky), "Billy", Bowyer, and Fleming.

Erin Bates still looks good, even while blurry.
Apparently this is the 450 start. Young Vance and I had lunchbox races before nighty-night time. I got 3rd in the Lights class.
Fubar, Fubro, and bartender joined in the post-race celebration.

That's it from Morgantona. Next: MorganVegas. Later.

Racer X Trivia

2007-03-09T15:46:00.000-05:00

We haven't heard anything from the Racer X staff in FLA today. I'm calling out the Sunshine State staffers to a little office trivia. Guess who is gracing us with these brand new, patent-leather Adidas in the Morgantona offices today ...

... a hint ... with all the sunshine flowing through the windows, gleaming off the heels of these beauties, I'm forced to wear my sunglasses at my desk.

Morgantona Karaoka

2007-03-08T17:45:00.001-05:00

Karaoke and motorcycles go hand-in-hand. At least in WV. This time of year we tend to lean more toward K than we do the switchbacks of the Appalachians. Daytona definitely doesn't have karaoke like this. Here are some snapshots from Gibbie's Pub in downtown Morgantona. Home of the 2006 High Point party (Write this down, this year's party will be on Friday, May 25. Stay tuned for more details. All are welcome.) The crowd was extra giddy last night since the WVU basketball team putteth the smacketh downeth on Providence. While the Daytonians are resting their clutch-hands, we're going big with extreme karaoke and extremer crane freestyle. Enjoy.

Before karaoke, we stopped off at Chic 'N Bones for Red Bull's presentation of the latest Nitro Circus flick.
Gibbie's...

Yes, "Skaggs" wears his skunk-hat EVERYWHERE.Bowyer points out the elephant in the room.Good news folks, the little 80-ton crane that could was back on all eights by mid-afternoon.

Morgantona Mayhem

2007-03-08T09:51:00.000-05:00

I've had a few slips and slides, mostly on purpose, the past few days while on the roads here in Morgantown. But I can't say I had a ride anything like the man who was piloting this 80-ton crane, backwards on ice, over the embankment in front of the Racer X offices here in WV.

Now is a good time to plow the road ...

Madness in Florida

2007-03-07T20:38:00.000-05:00

What a wild couple of days! First Tuesday was the opening round of the Can-Am GNNC series. All eyes were on David Knight and long time verteran and former GNCC champ Shane Watts stole the show. I’ve never seen someone so fiery on the podium. He was so adiment about the victory being for everyone who buys their bikes and parts. Unfortunately we didn’t see the insane burnout we were all hoping for.
After the race Weege and I had planned on going back to Tampa to stay with Racer Production IT/score guy/ahhhhh-Tim Boryk. Enroute from St. Louis to Florida Weege had run into Chad Reed in the airport. We started talking about how cool it would be to meet up with him during the week here and get a Racer X Films with him. One thing led to another and it seemed like it was going to happen. A warm trail went cold when we hadn’t heard anything back from “Camp Reed.” At that point we sort of were hoping he hadn’t been hurt for a second year in a row before Daytona. After calling back to check in with the boss we figured out that Chad had been busy with teammate Nathan Ramsey and his wrist accident.
Over dinner at Steak-N-Shake we decided to skip out on Tampa and head north to Daytona. We made a few calls and met up with Road Racer X Senior Editor Laurel Allen. We were bummed on the whole Reed deal but things happen. Our back up plan was to head into downtown Daytona and have a little fun on video. Internet problems in the hotel had us up late and then some Russian (as per LCA) bikers we’re having some fun next door. Needless to say our wake up call came a little too early. We got it together and were off to get credentials and some much needed coffee when DC called and said he had just talked to Jason Thomas. Evidentally JT$ was heading out to Grant Langston’s place to go ride for the day. A few calls later and we were on our way to Orlando. Once we finally found the facility we were absolutely amazed. Grant has a huge chunk of land with an outdoor track and a SX track. It was even cooler that we were there on the same day he was cristening the SX track. Check out Racer X Films later tomorrow to get the scoop on Grant’s SX return!
After everyone had their fun on and behind the camera we had to rush to the Orlando airport to pick up ad man extroidinaire Jason Berry. We had heard rumors of some nasty weather in Morgantown and Jason confirmed the rumors.

Life in the Pressroom

2007-03-07T17:29:00.000-05:00

Well, I think we've had better weather than our colleagues back in Morgantown, but I can't be sure because I've barely set foot outside the DIS pressroom all day today. Laurel and I have been proof-reading pages for our next Road Racer X deadline, so apart from one walk by the garages and up and down pit row, I've pretty much just been in front of my confuser all day. We made good progress, though, and I'm hoping to head out to Daytona Municipal Stadium tonight for the dirt track races, which are always a good time.

Morgantona: Weather Check

2007-03-07T15:34:00.000-05:00

While it's 72 degrees and sunny in Florida, we're enjoying 27 degrees and a little snow.

Fleming poses for the yesterday/today photo splits.

Hooper measures six inches.

Morgantona (con't.)

2007-03-07T14:21:00.000-05:00

I'm late with this post, 'cause "work" got in the way this morning. This is a continuation of our Morgantona diary. Florida doesn't have all the fun this week. Here are some shots from our bowling league night. This is week 7 of 10. Racer X has 3 teams out of the 16. As you can see, actual bowling is secondary during the course of the evening. Enjoy.

Alisa (Weege's GF, but we just call her Weegette) does the victory "waitress" dance.Amanda (Bowyer's GF) does the pistol dance.
Reyna celebrates with the Shake n' Bake.Mrs. Farber to be, Jules, temporarily poses as my Pit Tootsie.

RXI team 1's "A" Game.
Farber and his pre-strike celebration.Farber and his post-strike celebration.
Fleming thought he was at the WVU football game all night.

Hooper guards the man-purses.

Billy and GF Kara take a breather from laughing at Farber.
Bowyer and Amanda swap bowling tips.
Davey finds "Pinky" right where he left her last week. RXI in post-bowling celebration. That's Fleming throwing the "Mountain-Eers."

Chris Carter Radio Show

2007-03-06T19:49:00.000-05:00

Ha, ha, very funny, Brozik and Fleming. You guys keep poking fun back there in frigid Morgantown, and we'll just enjoy this Florida sun. Or moon. That's right, the fun in Daytona really gets started at the end of the day, and we'll be trying to capture a little of that scene here on X on the Spot as well. For example, I just got back from the Chris Carter Radio Show, which is an institution here at Bike Week. For those who don't know, Mr. Carter is probably the best road race announcer out there, and every year, he also puts on a radio show in which he interviews racers and industry personalities. On deck tonight were Roger Lee Hayden, Aaron Yates, and Fast by Ferracci MV Agusta's Matt Lynn and Luca Scassa. (Honestly, the guests are really just there to serve as foils for Carter's jokes, but that's part of what makes the show so cool.) Anyway, when the fast guys were finished, Chris--capitalizing on my made-for-radio looks--let me on the show. If you're here in Daytona, be sure to listen to the show every day on WNDB at 1150 on your AM dial. It's on between 8 and 10 p.m. every night. Better yet, show up and watch the nightly recording, which takes place at the Courtyard Marriott near the airport, between 5:30 and 7:10 p.m.

Okay, I'm off to the Ale House, which is conveniently within walking distance of our hotel. We'll try to get some photos up from there later this week. Or not.

CJ

Morgantona: The Beginning

2007-03-06T18:06:00.000-05:00

Salutations from Morgantown, West by God Virginia, base camp for Racer X and Road Racer X. This may be an odd addition to the Daytona (Florida - for those of you shivering in the North) blog, but hear me out. Since 3/4 of our office is in Daytona, and we have basically no adult supervision, we decided to add our own additions to the blog. We are going to prove that we can have just as much fun without the sun, sand, surf, babes, beach, bikes, bikinis, and babes. Okay, so we missed a couple of days to post, but hey, we only thought of this today at lunch at Bob Evans.

You too can play along and unless you live in Daytontona, Ohio which just sounds silly.

Again, this is not to make light of the real reporting taking place by Jonnum, Laurel, Weege, Matt, JB, Scott W, the Racer Productions staff, and anyone else with the Blog password. Enjoy.

Here is our web guru, Jason Fleming, taking advantage of our 25-degree weather, our Wi-Fi, and our picturesque view on I-68.

Here's a screen grab of the forecast shootout for the week. See, nearly identical!

That's a short post for now. We have to get ready for league night at Suburban Lanes. Later.

CJ Checks In

2007-03-06T14:18:00.001-05:00

Hi guys. I flew into Orlando last night from Gay Paree, and
as we were landing, the plane flew right over Daytona. I don't have much to say, but I thought I'd throw a photo of that up here and tell everyone that Laurel and I will also be posting stuff from the road race side of things. (We'll try, anyway; we've also got a magazine deadline two days after the 200, so we'll be pretty slammed.) Anyway, after a good night's sleep in Orlando, I enjoyed the Sleep Inn's free Continental breakfast with a bunch of families with screaming kids, amped up to be going to Disneyworld, but the drive northeast to Daytona served as a reminder that I was definitely here on the right week, as I was sharing the road with a long train of bikers (made me feel kind of silly to be piloting a Toyota Highlander). Even without GPS, I managed to find the new credential-pick-up location, where Chris Carter hooked me up despite what must have been a bewildering succession of faxes from the Racer X headquarters over the past couple of weeks, as our plans were changing right up until the last minute. Then I checked into the Holiday Inn Express, picked up the many boxes of magazines that we had shipped here, and walked next door for lunch and a brew at the Ale House (just to get the week started off right).

Be sure to keep checking back here for more, and if you're in Daytona this weekend, stop by the Racer X/Road Racer X booth, which is outside the stadium, right next to our friends at Ducati North America.

Triton GNCC Bike Practice

2007-03-06T09:13:00.002-05:00

Monday here in Vero Beach was actually pretty relaxing. The GNCC series is on a slightly different schedule than normal because of the weeklong festivities of bike week. Monday was opened up for the bikes to ride practice. The ranch here is massive, something like 5,000 acres, so the riders still haven’t seen the actual race course. When we headed out to the track the skies were a yellowish gray, ash fluttered around in the air and the smell of burning lingered in the distances. Evidentially there were some forest fires within the area. Rain came threw Florida but went north of Vero leaving the area pretty dry. As the afternoon went on the haze blew out of the area the fires have seemingly been extinguished.
Even pro practice for the day was mellow. Riders were turned loose to ride the practice course as they pleased. As the session went on the Florida sand whoops got deeper and deeper. I personally haven’t been to a ton of cross country races but seeing these guys dodge trees and hammer through those sand whoops definitely was impressive. After the session I headed back to the hotel to work on this little preview of what’s to come Tuesday as racing kicks off. We got to sit down and talk to series newcomer and off road mad man David Knight for a minute as well so check that out.
While I was working on the video Weege and the rest of the GNNC crew were diving into the Parts Unlimited spaghetti dinner and then having fun with one of Rob Buydos mini-bike races. Tuesday morning we’re off to catch the final day of this Can-Am GNCC opener. Check back for details later.

2007-03-05T01:39:00.000-05:00

Florida is the place to be this week! Warm weather and motorcycles everywhere, what could be better? West Virginia this time of year is still in a dreary state of cold wet weather. Waking up and being able to walk outside to warm temperatures and blaring sunshine is a welcome change to say the least. After a few cups of java and a Florida orange I was off to the airport to pick up Jason Weigandt, who was flying in from a seemingly wild night of Supercross in St. Louis (Check out Andy Bowyer’s race report here). Once I got the terminals sorted out and had Weege packed in we were off for a two-hour drive toward Vero Beach for the first round of the CanAm Grand National Cross Country Race (GNCC). If you know Weege at all you know he’s quite the bargain shopper. We made a quick coffee/water stop and Weege walks out with a hearty breakfast consisting of two chili cheese dogs. Apparently, they had a 2 for $2 deal on the chili cheese dogs as well as a 2 for $2 deal on bottles of water. Weege was happy (and that was lunch, he had already eaten a month-old powerbar on the plane that morning. Yes, he got it on sale at CVS). Eating on the road can be a bit rough for a vegan like me, but after driving through miles of orange grooves and seeing trucks with massive trailers filled to the brim with citrus fruit I’ve challenged myself to see how much citrus I can eat this week. As we kicked off the drive we quickly realized there was a bit of a more direct route to the track. We made a quick turn and were on our way. We made our way into Vero Beach and were stunned to see we actually were at the entrance of the track. Because of the week long festivities in the area it’s a bit of a different schedule for the GNCC crew. Today the quads went off and seven time defending champion Bill Ballance passed his brother who led early to cruise to victory.

After the quads had finished their champagne celebration, Racer Productions set up a “photo opportunity” with the bike teams on the enormous ranch’s practice track. There was a good turn out from Team Gieco/TDI, Parts Unlimited Honda, and Red Bull KTM (although Racer X contributing photographer Jonty Edmunds stole new comer David Knight from us to go shoot some photos.) The day drew to a close after an hour or so of shooting and Tim Boryk jumped in the car with Weege and me for some dinner at local spot. We some how got in just in time 2 for 1 margaritas, which evidentally meant ons drink was mixed and poured into two glasses and then filled with ice. A bit of a bummer but the week is off to a great start. Tomorrow is more practice for the bike guys and Tuesday kicks off the start of the series for those guys. Here are some photos from today’s shoot.

Back to the grind

2007-02-21T15:25:00.000-05:00

Well, it was a fun weekend in Indy, wasn't it? Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, and the Racer X staff is all settled back into our normal daily routine of waking up and heading to the office for a 9-5 shift, so there's nothing really worth blogging about.

Well, we could tell you about our bowling scores from last night, but they're really nothing to brag (or blog) about! But we do have some cool events coming up real soon that we'll be covering via blog, so stay tuned for that. As for now, if you want to keep in tune with the sport of motocross and supercross, your best bet is to stay dialed in to www.racerxill.com.

I'm Bad Billy. You stay classy, Indianapolis!

Tear Down

2007-02-19T14:52:00.000-05:00

Okay, I hear the forklifts firing up, so it's time to tear down and sign off. Wish us luck on our way back to West Virginia.

Racer X hockey game: Night 2

2007-02-19T14:33:00.000-05:00

Although we couldn't make it over to the ice rink, Team Canada whipped up on Team USA last night, and even made it in to the double digits. I think I heard it was 11-4. Nonetheless, it seemed like everyone involved had a great time. I never knew this, but Scott Wallenberg actually plays hockey once a week back in Boise, Idaho.

I say next year we have a Racer X bowling tournament, or something like that. Any suggestions?

30 minutes to go...

2007-02-19T14:25:00.000-05:00

It's 2:30, and the show is winding down. It closes at 3:00, and then it's a mad rush to tear down, pack up and hit the road. At 3:01 forklifts will be buzzing around and everyone's booths will already be transformed.

Although today is slow, it gives everyone a chance to walk around and talk to people that they may not have seen, because the past two days have been hectic.

Hooper and I went and grabbed lunch at the Italian Trade Commission booth, which Scott Wallenberg told us about. As far as the word searches, Precision Motorcycle Products are in the lead with 10.

Lost in translation. by Dave Brozik

2007-02-19T13:42:00.000-05:00

I ventured out again into some of the side rooms which featured some international products. I can’t tell you how many different Asian companies make scooters and four-wheelers.

Check out the Subaru powerplant on this HSUN atv.

Zhejiang Xinyang is a newer ATV company that’s gaining steam in the US.

Dunlop had whoops AND Jeremy at their display. Although the riding style is all Weigandt.

This booth featured the redesigned AbLounger for ‘07.

Rick Smits’ ATV.

Here’s Patrick, Jeremy and the guys from Twin Air.

We had to drive six hours due-west to find our hometown Outlaw Bill Dailey and daughter Alicia.

I know I’m supposed to focus on dirt bike stuff, but these choppers are too cool to pass up.

We also found a new Racer X model. Tia predicts the “overwears” are going to be huge at the Outdoors this year.

Brett Metcalfe

2007-02-19T12:19:00.000-05:00

DC and Julie are on their way back to Morgantown this morning, and DC just phoned in to say that he just talked to his buddy Ryan Hughes who said that Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Brett Metcalfe is not going to ride the opening round of the East Coast SX series in Atlanta this coming weekend. Metcalfe has been recovering from an injury and just won't be ready to race. With Team Yamaha's Broc Hepler questionable, the east coast series looks to be wide open!

Grant

2007-02-19T11:43:00.000-05:00

Grant Langston posing with his stunt double. (John Hanson photo)

Sunday's winner

2007-02-19T10:38:00.000-05:00

I forgot to mention that yesterday's word search winner was Bob Ketchum from Spy Optics. Congrats, and good job on the party last night, boys.

The Mondays

2007-02-19T10:01:00.000-05:00

Good morning. Well, it's the final day of the trade show, and everyone is counting down the hours. The show ends at 2:00 today, and then we tear down both booths, load up the Ford Econoline and head east.

Today's word search is "motorcycle brands," so I think it should be a bit easier. Paul from Boyesen was the first to go, and he found six, but I doubt his score will stand long. J.H. Leale has already been over and he's pumping himself up for the search.

Possible 30-second board girl?

2007-02-18T17:52:00.000-05:00

DC just came by and told us to check out www.celestemanderville.com. So, go check it out with us!

More from Hanson

2007-02-18T17:36:00.000-05:00

Gary McClellan with the Hurricane boot that Bob Hannah helped develop.

They are taking applications for rider sponsorship at www. Sixsixone.com

The Puma boot

BBR's Duane Brown CRF 150R aluminum perimeter frame kit.

BRP's Eric Miller with the trick CRF150

Twin Air's Jeremy Garges with the Carbon Fiber subframe and air box

Throttle Jockey heading north...

2007-02-18T17:25:00.000-05:00

I was eavesdropping on the Matthes/Davis conversation in front of our booth and I learned that Throttle Jockey has signed on as the official graphics company of the Blackfoot Yamaha team in Canada. Eh!

Advice from Rob Buydos...

2007-02-18T16:18:00.000-05:00

If you ever have the shakes and you're not feeling well, Rob Buydos says to strip the duds! Thanks, Rob. You're a bad dude!

More Trade Show Photos

2007-02-18T15:33:00.000-05:00

After some technical problems the first day, Racer X designer Jason Hooper was able to get his photos uploaded. Check them out!

Jessica Maine

2007-02-18T15:15:00.000-05:00

A very cute, petite blonde just came by and dropped us off one of her cards. She's a professional stunt bike rider named Jessica Maine. Check out her website at www.roadrashchic.com.

Smooth

2007-02-18T14:50:00.000-05:00

DC just came back and uploaded some photos from earlier today at the Smooth Industries display. Take a look at some of the products they offer. From pillows and pajamas to backpacks, puzzles and even dishware, Smooth has it all. How lucky are kids these days? When I was a kid I was lucky if I could find a sticker with a dirt bike on it, and now you have all of these choices to show your love for the sport. Check them out online at www.smoothindustries.com.

Free Ad

2007-02-18T14:08:00.000-05:00

Every year at this show, we here at Racer X try and create a fun game that all of our advertisers can play each day to try and win a free full-page ad in a magazine of their choice (Racer X or Road Racer X.)

A couple years ago it was the battery-operated start bars which calculates your reaction time. Whoever had the fastest reaction time each day won a free ad.

Last year it was a dart board. Whomever tallied the most points throwing darts each day won the ad.

This year we went with the classic word search. We made three different word searches (a different one for each day) and whoever finds the most words in 60 seconds wins a free ad.

Each search has a total of 20 hidden words, and yesterday's topic was motorcycle hard parts. Sam and Chris Smith from Lang Originals were the big winners, as they found eight words to win the free ad on Saturday. Good work, guys.

Today's word search topic is champions, so if any advertisers are reading this, look for words like Carmichael, Stewart, Rossi, Evert, Cairoli, Henry and Schwantz.

Now I'm curious of what everyone thinks of these contests? Do you think they're cool and fun? And do you have any suggestions?

Hooper and I were thinking of how we could incorporate Texas Hold 'em into a contest ,but we couldn't figure it out.

Okay, I gotta get back to running the stopwatch.

Ren Dawg

2007-02-18T12:09:00.000-05:00

FMXer Ronnie Renner stopped by the booth to say hi on his way over to the Ogio booth this morning. I guess he's signing autographs over there today. If you read Racerhead on Friday, you probably noticed the picture we ran of Renner from down in Australia. Well, here it is again. That was from Thursday, and he flew all day Friday to get here for the trade show. That guy is super loyal to all of his sponsors. Check out his website at www.ronnierenner.com.

World's Fastest Motorcycle

2007-02-18T10:41:00.000-05:00

Right across the aisle from our booth is a big, red motorcycle. I really didn't pay much attention to it yesterday, but this morning, while enjoying a delicious breakfast croissant, I actually read the sign that said "World's Fastest Motorcycle." It was piloted by Chris Carr, who is a former pro dirt tracker, so that's pretty cool. Oh, I see Chris right now. I'm going to go get his autograph....

Some Words From CJ...

2007-02-18T09:32:00.000-05:00

Kevin Schwantz hasn't raced GPs in years, but he's still one of the most popular racers around, which is clear from one look at any of his autograph lines. Schwantz helps Suzuki out with various projects, including coaching reigning AMA Superbike champ and fellow Texas Ben Spies and attending official press launches, like the one Suzuki recently held for the GSX-R1000 in Phillip Island a couple weeks ago. With assistance from the lovely Marnie Lincoln (pictured here), he also continues to put on his Kevin Schwantz Suzuki Schools. Spies is here as well, but he's so fast we didn't get a photo of him.

One of the coolest things at yesterday's show wasn't actually at the show--it was next door at the Westin hotel, and it was based around racing legend, movie star, and all-around great guy Malcolm Smith. Smith is featured in the newest addition to Dunlop's incredibly cool "Legends" advertising campaign, which uses photos of old-school heroes to raises money for the Clayton Memorial Foundation (over $44,000 in the past two years). The poster features a shot of Malcolm at warp speed in the '71 Baja 1000, and it's a guaranteed instant classic. Smith showed up on crutches, having broken his hip last weekend in a dirt bike crash, but that didn't stop him from grabbing the mic and regaling those present with some bench-racing tales. Ken Vreeke put it best in his speech: "As Bruce Brown himself might have said, 'Typical Malcolm.'" Vreeke quipped.

No matter how cool your boss is, it's extremely unlikely that he doesn't top that of road racer Aaron Yates. The Georgian rides for Jordan Suzuki, and yes, that Jordan comes from the surname of His Royal Airness. After many years in the shadow of Mat Mladin at Yoshimura Suzuki, Yates is happy to be the focus of this strong satellite team. He was in the Teknic booth yesterday trying on some new gloves from his apparel sponsor, and he took time to pose with a set of his leathers from last year.

Most people associate AGV helmets with Valentino Rossi, but the Italian company has been around for a long time, and has also been associated with legends like Kenny Roberts, Barry Sheene, and Randy Mamola, as they reminded customers with this mini museum in their booth. The display also featured AGV's original lid (the one on the bottom) shelf, proving that they go back to well before The Doctor.

Indy is the biggest motorcycle show in the U.S., but it's not the biggest one in the world. That honor goes to the annual Milan show, and the Italians are on hand here, including EICMA General Manager Constantino Ruggiero, shown here making a speech during a dinner last night at St. Elmo's. In typical Italian fashion, the dinner was incredibly good and incredibly long, and Ruggiero took the opportunity to give the lowdown on next year's show, which will take place in November. Last year's show was a huge success despite having to compete with a big show in Germany, and since that show is taking a year off in '07, Milan promises to be the biggest motorcycle show ever. Mark your calendars, and if you're an American company looking to reach an international market, this is the place to be an exhibitor.

Sunday Morning

2007-02-18T09:05:00.000-05:00

Good morning, everyone! Road Racer X Editor Chris Jonnum and I are the first to the Racer X booth today, and I just got a call from Julie.

It went a little like this.

Julie: "Billy, where are you?"
Billy: "The booth. You?"
Julie: "I'm still in bed.....I think I'm going to be a little late. Why do the bars close at 3:00 a.m. in this town? I need to eat a real breakfast.....click."

So, I'll be holding down the fort this morning for awhile, but it's no big deal.

If you're wondering where we ate, let me tell you. We ended up going to The Spaghetti Warehouse, which was awesome. I had combo #1, which was Lasagna and Chicken Marsala. Rita and Carrie joined us as well. We were all curious if all of these particular restaurants look the same inside. Anyone know?

After dinner we all went to the big Corona Extra Honda USA vs. Canada hockey game, which is put on every year by our Publisher Scott Wallenberg. The game was close for a period, but the canucks really poured it on and won 8-3. It was a blast watching those guys and thanks to the Corona Extra Honda team for hooking everyone up with free Corona beer.

Next it was off to Have a Nice Day Cafe. Nothing special there, but it led to another late night.

Anyways, did you see who won the supercross last night in San Diego? If not, go and check out Jason Weigandt's race report from last night.

Well, I'm going to download some pics from Chris Jonnum now, so stay tuned....

Dome Alone

2007-02-17T20:04:00.000-05:00

Part 2 of my Tradeshow Odyssey. By Dave Brozik

I left the comfort of the Dome for about an hour to see what’s going on in the rest of the 750,000,000,000 square foot exhibition center. My feet are killing me and I still haven’t seen about half of all the stuff here. Well, I guess that’s job security for tomorrow and Monday. I gotta add, I’m in heaven typing this afternoons segment. I returned to the Dome to find a comfy seat in Section 101, Row F, Seat 109. Right up from the Utopia booth pumping out the good stuff like Poison, Crue, Ratt, and now Rick James. Thanks U.

Right before I left the Racer Productions booth, GNCC ATV legend William Yokley stopped by to wish us well, and to let us know he’s ready for the first GNCC in Florida at the beginning of next month. If you ever get a chance to hang out with William, do it. You’ll split your sides laughing.

I ran literally ran into Sherry Russell from Cycle News on my way to say Hey to Li’L D at FMF. Sherry informs me that she greatly enjoys communicating with our new girl Heather from the office on all matters that involve getting our GNCC, Loretta Lynn’s, High Point and Steel City ads to Cycle News on time. Unlike the guy she used to deal with. Me. Thanks, Sher.

Did I mention Li’L D? Here’s the mixmaster himself working on their next winning combination. Donny will be performing karaoke tonight. He gave me the list of the 4 places he’s headlining, but I only have so long to type this before my batter dies. Rock on.

Ogio has a cool two-story display; business downstairs and munchies and Red Bull on the roof. Our old pal Waldo was earning his keep, at least for today. We’re not sure what he does during the week. I think he’s in charge of metal-detecting the Ogio Compound in Utah for twisited bike carcasses. Then he hocks the “famous” pieces on Ebay for lift tickets at Snowbird. (Hi, Gina. We’ll look after him. You can trust us!)

Ronnie Renner was signing autographs at the Ogio booth. He was telling me he just got back from doing a show in Australia and the he’s not sure if he got 2^nd or 3^rd. Damn jetlag. Looks like he was in one piece, so we’ll celebrate with Steak & Shake at 3:30 tonight.

Speaking of freestyle, Travis was here hanging over Parts Unlimited’s Jeff Fox’s shoulder. Okay, it was Travis’s stunt double, but I bet it’s a toss-up of who’s been put together more times.

Matt Davis of Throttle Jockey had his eyes on the prize. Prize was unspecified.

PivotPegz looks like a cool product. That display boot showed that the pegs roll back and forth with your boot to keep constant contact. I watched the motorized boot for about seven minutes.

Check this out. That weird piece in the front wheel of this beach cruiser is a two-stroke engine. The motor, carb, gears, and flux capacitor all spin inside the hub at propel the bike to 17 MPH. The wheel only weighs about 20 pounds (I’m guessing).

This is the smallest ATV I’ve ever seen. It’s an AIM-EX. I think my shoe is longer than the seat.

The Oneal girl was kind to flash a smile. I didn’t get her name. Some guy ran his cart into my Achilles right after this shot. I made a dying hounddog yelp and decided to slither away before the tears started.

Rejuvenated, I gave the booth girl photo-op another try. Here’s Carrie and Rachael jazzing up the Castrol booth.

Our fellow West Virginians from the Hatfield-McCoy Trails in southern WV were on display. Make a weekend of it and blaze a few hundred miles in the Appalachian Mountains this summer.

Here’s an old CZ at the Ohlins booth. I was in another guy’s shot and didn’t stick around to get the specs.

Sara and new girl Jodi were womanning the Moto-Tees/Gear booth. They print all of our Racer X shirts and hats. They also make plaques, Tuffblock covers, event shirts, and just about everything else. Sara bails us out almost 3 times each month.

Here’s a different variation of a snowmobike from this morning. This one is more of a full-size snowmobile belt drive. Keep your feet on the pegs.

Custom bike guru Roland Sands signed posters for his fans.

These are just some random badass bikes.

High Profile P.R.’s/Racer X hockey coach Pat Schutte dropped by the main booth for the pre-game ramp up. PS smells victory tonight. Either way Corona is providing the pre/during/post celebration livations.

I found another favorite booth. This time it’s Fox Shox. I did not actually participate, I swear, but I did have three mentally.

Last but not least, I made it to the Throttle Jockey booth. Robert and Matt Davis make all- things stickers and graphics. This year, they’re unveiling the Mugen Honda graphics kit. Killer. Thanks to Roberto to taking care of us at the Pub last evening.

Gotta go. See you at the big game. USA. USA. USA.

Eats

2007-02-17T18:09:00.000-05:00

Okay, we're trying to decided where to eat. Farber is really craving The Old Spaghetti Factory, but Julie is partial to St. Elmos. Jason Berry wants to go to the Irish Pub again. DC is probably hitting up Steak & Shake, and Brozik wants Burger King. Does anyone have any suggestions on where we should go?

BT101

2007-02-17T16:46:00.000-05:00

Glenn Dempsey who works with Ben Townley and Josh Coppins just stopped by and confirmed that Ben will definitely be sporting the 101 on his bike during the 2007 season.

Ogio

2007-02-17T16:22:00.000-05:00

Props to Ogio, especially Andy Donahue, for ordering sandwich rings and a cheese tray. After working the booth for several hours, before I knew it, it was 3:30, and I was famished. Someone told me that Ogio had some food, so I took a stroll over and they hooked me up with some food. I also checked out some of their new bags and I was really impressed. I wish they made cool Ogio bags when I was in high school.

Brand New Stuff....

2007-02-17T14:50:00.000-05:00

John Hanson (www.hansonimages.com) took a stroll with Scott Wallenberg to check out some new products. This is how it all started.

Scott Wallenberg started singing "I gave my love a cherry..." It's all downhill from here...

Marzocchi's Johner Faulkner shows us the new shiver fork for the CRF150R.

Geoff Maloney (Pod MX) and Fox Racing's Bruce Parry.

Shift's Brett Nicholas shows off their Streetfighter jacket.

The new Takt 981 EVS helmet.

Franco Acerbis shows us the vented Unico handguard. It retails for $37.95.

Reidar from Scott USA shows us the new Genius boot. It's pretty cool!

EBC's Andy Freeman with their new offering.

Spy Optic's Bob Ketchum with some new goggles.

O'Neal's Chuck Kober displays their new Monster helmet which will be available on March 15, 2007.
Bell's Don Palermini shows off the new Bell Moto 8.

Alpinestars' Emily Orr shows off the new Tech-7.

This is the Racer X t-shirt that we're giving away to lucky advertisers.

Next Big Things

2007-02-17T14:13:00.000-05:00

DC here. I've been coming to this trade show since 1977, which was back in the days when it was held in Cincinnati. I used to love coming here to collect stickers and all, then later on to see all of the new gear. Now, the show is just packed with cool stuff, from bikes to people to the prerequisite "spokesmodels." (Ours is named Brozik.) It's here at Indy that you find many of the next big things.
Okay, I knew this work of art was going to be unveiled by those eighties-loving, moto-driven brothers from Kokomo, IN, Robert and Matt Davis, better known as Throttle Jockey. Regardless, I was blown away when I actually saw their Johnny O'Mara-themed CRF250. The brothers always like to bring out something special for their homestate show, and this may have topped even the silver Elsinores of a few years back. There's literally a crowd around the bike at all times, bench-racing and talking about Johnny O and those boot gators. Salad days....
That's the man, Bob "Hurricane" Hannah, probably selling an airplane or something. Hannah is on hand with his longtime friend Eddie Cole of Six Six One. At one point, Mike Bell stopped by too, which meant that every supercross champion from 1977 through 1980 was standing there. Later on, I ran into Kenny Roberts and one other moto immortal: Malcolm Smith. More on that later.
How trick is this? Rim decals from Factory Effex. I have a feeling we will be seeing lots of these this summer, in all colors, for all brands.

The Cobra folks are very excited about this future world-beater. It's the brand new CX65, and it's a stunning little piece of motocross beauty. The bike was made in Michigan and features more gadgets than a Lear Jet.

Finally, I ran into Andy Stacy, the subject of last week's Where Are They Now? feature, and his wife Jackie (who just happens to be a marathon runner). That's the thing about the trade show: Old friends and bench racing... And the next big things.

Dome Sweet Dome (By Dave Brozik)

2007-02-17T13:37:00.000-05:00

Greetings from the Racer Productions booth #5355. about the 20-yard line on Peyton Manning’s home turf. We’ve got a cushy spot across from Innova Rubber Co. and MX-Tech. Carrie Jo and Farber are holding down the fort, so I made a lap around the dome floor and checked out some cool new stuff. Forgive my picture quality. My pocketcam got a beer bath during last year’s Steelers Superbowl and neither of us have been the same since. But, I’m sure Indy fans can relate.

This beast is the display-piece for CTEK batteries. The little movie that plays on the TV inside the rear fender shows a guy actually riding this thing in a parking lot. It has a Jaguar V-12 engine, a sound system, and claims that one guy really hung on going more than 60 MPH! I’m working with the guy to see if we can take it for a ride to Steak & Shake later.

Attrax makes this cool bolt-on kit for the guys who just can’t keep their bikes in the garage for the winter. It comes with a ski on the front and a wild-looking track setup for propulsion.

Even Jack showed up. This is my other booth I’m going to work at this weekend. Apparently the poker tourney is later. Hooper already lost money just walking about the “Shack.” Here’s a quick plug and good luck to my co-worker’s brother. We work with Andy, but younger brother Clint will be piloting the Old No. 7 wagon tomorrow for the NASCAR Daytona 500. It’s still an ongoing debate on who’s the more famous brother. My vote’s on bro #3, Casey, the “quiet one”.

This Legacy bike looks like a real smooth ride. But what really caught my ear, of all things, was Bon Jovi blaring out of the tank as I went by. Nothing like pulling up to the red light and hearing “Always” pumping out from behind the forks.

Demon heads always make a good addition to any sport ute.

The dome also has it’s own food line. Looks good, the pancakes smelled great, but I had breakfast at the Omni Hotel with Jonnum/Wallenberg/Berry power-trio. One of those three will be hitting the ice tonight for the 12^th annual Racer X hockey tournament sponsored by Corona. Mmmm Coronas on ice. Like Ice Capades but better.

The Utopia girls were willing to pose several times while I figured out the camera/operator error. Oh, that’s right the little push-button thing on top. I always forget.

Who wouldn’t love to get behind a machine like this? I already have dismal visions of my shredded neighborhood after an afternoon free for all. I don’t know if this qualifies as a 4x4, or a Tankx4, but I want one.

Of course I had to stop by the Girlyz booth and say hello to our friends Dawn, who works at Girlyz, and Sarah Whitmore, who rides for Girlyz. They have a nice spread for lounging, lining up million dollar deals, and spreading Girl Power.

Lastly, on the other side of the booth, we have a TV celebrity signing autographs for the Innovations booth. Her name is Jenny Lee. She was on the reality TV show Beauty and the Geek. I told her I voted for her. She didn’t seem all that impressed. But she’ll be checking me out later when I wheel up to Steak & Shake later in my 20-foot CTEK Monstercycle. Bling-Bling!

Another thing we forgot...

2007-02-17T12:57:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I mentioned that we forgot a razor knife, but another thing we should've brought is hand sanitizer. I've already shaken 1,232 hands, so I'm kind of worried. Luckily, Wallenberg forgot his bottle of hand sanitizer at the booth, so it's ours now!!!

I kind of feel like Howard Hughes in the movie The Aviator.

Parts Unlimited's Steve Matthes just stopped by, so it's time to bench race.

Pics

2007-02-17T11:30:00.000-05:00

Okay, here are just a few pics from this morning...
Everyone is in good spirits so far, and it seems like today should be a good one. I've included a few pics of our booths out here, just to give you an idea of what we're doing.

Saturday Morning

2007-02-17T10:07:00.000-05:00

Well, the show is on. But lets first reflect on last night. We ate dinner and a very nice Irish Pub (Jason Berry's favorite) and we then had a few drinks with some old friends. We went to a place called "Six" and hooked up with "Sweet" Lou Lopez, from Parts Unlimited. All I know about Lou is that he used to work for Sunstar, currently works for Parts Unlimited, and I have no idea what he does, but he's a very cool guy. And he got a very impressive looking watch! But, he can be in the middle of a conversation with Jeremy McGrath and Travis Pastrana, and he'll still take time out to say hi to you. He won't "rockstar" you. Smith Optics' Denny Stephenson was also hanging out, and it's so much fun bench racing with a former 125cc East Coast SX champion. Did you know Denny's lowest national number was #11? He is also a former Factory Suzuki rider, too.

We didn't make it to bed as early as we'd liked, but we all thought the show started at 9:00 a.m., but it started at 10:00! (Thank you!) Anyways, we're still getting stuff set up at the booth as the dealers come by, so I'm going to go set up the slide show at the Racer X Brand booth. Stay tuned for some photos....

Starting at Guard.... Ben... SPIES!

2007-02-17T09:48:00.000-05:00

Turns out road racers are super competitive too. Last night, at the Parts Unlimited basketball game, I ended up guarding Ben Spies. He's the AMA Superbike Champion, an all-around nice guy and, most impressive of all, the boyfriend of Racer X model Leticia Cline. He's left-handed, can shoot the lights out, and in much, much better shape than I am. Like playing ball with Ryno or Jeremy, once the game starts, he turns into an animal.
The funny thing is, as we were cabbing it back, talking about moto and what-not, he told me two things that shocked me: 1.) He hopes to one day do a pro motocross national on an RMZ250, possibly an open track like Budds Creek or Steel City; 2.) He does not have an energy drink deal. Apparently, the big bucks that MXers see from the Monsters and Red Bulls of the world, have not found their way into road racing like they have in supercross. Sure, Nicky Hayden's a Red Bull man, as are the Bostroms, and John Hopkins just switched to Monster, but Spies has never been contacted about wearing a big claw on his helmet, or just running one of those silver and blue lids.
Bet that doesn't last long!

Set Up Day

2007-02-16T17:51:00.000-05:00

Well, the hard part of the trade show is out of the way. Today we had to set up two booths--the Racer X Illustrated magazine booth and the Racer Productions/Racer X Brand booth, which is in the dome. It's always hectic setting up here, as you have to find a place to unload, carry everything inside the convention center and set up. And no matter how much preparation, you ALWAYS forget something. What did we forget today? A razor knife. Luckily, our boy Jimmy Hicks at Tag Metals hooked us up. Oh, I have to send a shout out to Jeremy Wilkey and crew over at MX-Tech Suspension. Those guys always help us out with our booth!

Next we had about 1,000 issues of both Racer X and Road Racer X delivered personally by Dewey from RR Donnelly, so that was a chore lugging those to the booth. JB then had to help Scott deliver sign boards to all the advertisers, but it's 6:00 p.m. and we're finished!

I also got Racerhead posted up over on www.racerxill.com, so be sure to check that out. It's a monster!

It was good running in to some old friends, like Bob Ketchum from Spy Optics, Ronnie Lechien from Maxima, and Chris Wheeler from Nike. DC and Julie just arrived, so it's time to catch some dinner.

T.G.I.F.

2007-02-16T11:01:00.000-05:00

It's Friday morning, and we're about to get rolling over to the Indianapolis Convention Center. One thing I forgot to mention was everyone who is on this trip. In my crew, which left yesterday, is myself, Jason Berry, Dave Brozik, Jason Hooper (Racer X graphic designer) and Mike Farber, the Brand Manager. We also met up with John Hanson of www.hansonimages.com. Making the trek out as I type is our boss, Davey Coombs, and Julie Kramer, the Racer X Production Manager. Already here is our Publisher, Scott Wallenberg, who is really pumped up about the Racer X Hockey tournament tonight. (More on that later.) And tomorrow DC's mom, Rita, and his sister, Carrie Jo, will be coming to Indy. Okay, Brozik is out of the shower, so it's time to get some breakfast.

Destination Found

2007-02-15T22:38:00.000-05:00

Well, you could stop holding your breath now, because we made it. Surprisingly, a six-hour trip only turned into a seven-hour trip, and we only stopped at Steak 'N Shake once, and it wasn't till Indiana! (We usually hit the one up in St. Clairesville, Ohio.) Jason Berry (our ad guy) and Dave Brozik (our designer guy) guided the Ford Econoline van safely westward. The trip was pretty uneventful, actually. Well, except for the Steak 'N Shake debacle. There were only three tables inside--a total of 10 people-- and it took over 35 minutes to get our food! I'm sure we'll be eating there the next few days in downtown Indy, and we'll be "over it." Anyways, we just checked into our hotel and we met up with our favorite photographer, John Hanson, who is the biggest Chicago Bears fan in this hotel. It's probably killing him right now to be in Indy. Anyways, check out a few pics from the trip. It's time for us to relax and prepare for set-up day tomorrow.

Basketball Jones

2007-02-15T13:16:00.000-05:00

Apparently, there's an annual hoops fest that takes place in Indianapolis every year, with Larry Hughes of Parts Unlimited acting as commissioner/2-Guard. I have decided to pull my old Chucks out of the closet (not the one that NBA player was apparently in) and hit the hardwood in the city that Pacers' great Ron "Arrest" Artest made famous by cutting a rap album that sold 6,000 copies during his 70-game suspension for charging the stands at The Palace in Auburn Hills... Or did they shoot Hoosiers here?
Either way, after that I'm off to the Canterburry Hotel Bar to see how many tables Ronnie Lechien can fill when he starts telling his unbelievably cool stories from the 1980s. In the days of Day-Glo, boot gatorz, ERG Gookinaid and Scott Venturi face masks, "The Dogger" was King.

Thursday

2007-02-15T12:55:00.000-05:00

It's 1:00 p.m. EST, and we were supposed to leave for the annual Indy Dealer Trade Show two hours ago! Well, at least it's not snowing, yet...

Anyhoo, the Racer X crew will be blogging for the next few days, live from the trade show, so if you want to stay in tune with all the happenings from Indianapolis, check back as often as you'd like, or subscribe to the "Add Feed" below. For now, I have to go help the crew load the van, and then it's a six-hour trek to the Hoosier State. Talk to you in Indy, and wish us luck!