After we heard 137 people ask us why, we decided to crash seeing as we had to get up early to build and do this radio show in the morning.
FRIDAY 1/14/00
All the equipment started rollin' in Friday morning.
First was the storage container (Which Carl would manage to collapse),
then the dirt , the loader, and finally Jim and Mike from the ASC crew
brought in my ramp and set it up on the other side of the barbed wire fence.
Carl started to build the landing and finished everything up. This was
friday morning before we had to go over to the local radio station Q97
to be a part of their morning show. It was really a cool time being able
to answer callers questions and talk to the people in the town and to let
them know that MTV was doing a show in their little town.
After we left the radio station we went to IHOP
and had breakfast. At breakfast Carl told us we had to be back at the bus
station by 12:30 later that day to do interviews for the show. We had to
get up really early in the morning to do the radio show so I was pretty
tired, so my mechanic Tim and I went back to the hotel to catch up on some
sleep. So we pulled up at 12:30 and everthing looked perfect . Some of
the MTV crew came over to me and wanted to know if I was ready to do some
interviews - of course I was. Part of the interview was that they wanted
to shoot me getting dressed in my gear so that they didn't have to do it
on jump day. So I got all dressed and they wanted me to do some runs at
the ramp, so once I got done doing the runs at the ramp I was feelin really
anxious to jump it.
There was no way I was gonna get geared up, practice, and not jump. So I told Carl that I wanted to jump it, and he said, "are you sure", I said, "ya, I feel good". So he radioed to the producers, "stand by Mike want's to jump". Everyone was shocked that I wanted to jump it a day early. Now everyone was anticipating the jump as I made a few passes at the take off. I felt ready and anxious myself. So finally I jumped it, and made it perfectly. I jumped it a few more times, then put the bike away for the day. I was glad I hit the jump a day early because I wasn't ready for what was in store the next day. I Went back to the hotel and ate some dinner. Some callers that we met on the radio show came over and we stayed up kind of late and had a lot of fun. I was reminded to be at the jump at 8:00 AM so I could do some more pre-interviews before the jump. We decided to call it a night around 1:30.
SATURDAY 1/15/00
Tim and I woke up and hopped in the truck, threw
on some "TOO SHORT" and we were on are way. As we pulled up at 8:30 there
were all ready people there. I guess from hearing about the event on the
radio the day before, over 2,000 people showed up and lined the streets
to watch the jump. On the radio they told everyone that the jump time was
12:00 noon and here it was 8:30 in the morning and all these people were
already there. These people had signs made that said all kinds of stuff,
one was really dope it said "MIKES A PIMP" that was the best one. When
I got out of the truck people started screaming and yelling, it was a cool
feeling. When we walked around back the entire crowd followed, they came
up to me and mobbed me. They started pulling on my shirt and clothes and
secuirty had to pull me out of the crowd, it was wild.
They (MTV) still needed a few soundbites so we
had to do all these interviews and get all of the interview stuff done,
now we were just waiting for the time to jump. As we were waiting people
just kept coming and coming, there were cars lined up at least a 1/2mile
in each direction. I was really suprised at how many people showed up.
I got geared up and sat around for a while, until the time had come to
go and jump in front of all these people. I had jumped in front of more
people than this before but this was different, everyone was watching me
and only me, so there was kinda, well actually a lot more pressure than
what I was expecting. What if I crashed now in front of all these people
they would think I was an idiot. Oh well, there was only one thing that
I could do - jump.
So I got on my bike,warmed it up, I could here all the people screaming and yelling in the back ground, then took off down the street to clean the bike out. I came back into the area that was roped off to hype the crowd, everyone was real excited as I made my way to the other side of the barbwire fence. I made a few runs at the ramp to get my timing back, then it was time. Carl waved the clear sign to take off and I said to myself, "here we go". Shifting gears all the way to the take off - before I knew it I was over the top of the station with no problem looking at the sweet spot of the landing. I landed smooth, everyone was yelling as I went for another jump. This time I whipped the shit out of the bike, everyone went even crazier Then for the last jump, the finale I did a big "Superman seat grab Indian Air" I landed smooth once again and stopped to take off my FOX helmet and did my last interview. I signed tons of autographs, It most have taken at least 45 minutes to sign everyones stuff. I signed everything from some ladies dirty old shoe to some guys sunflower seed bag, it was pretty funny. Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of die hard moto fans that came out and it was good to see that the vibe was strong in Central California. After things calmed down a bit we loaded up and drove home. I guess you could say that "It's just another day of my life".
Check It Out Here
Vans Joins PACE As Triple Crown Of Freestyle Motocross Sponsor
Skateboard Shoe Giant Sponsors Largest Purse Ever In The Sport Of FMX
AURORA, Ill. PACE Motors Sports announced today
the addition of Vans to its list of sponsors for the 1999 PACE
Freestyle Motocross Series. The California-based
company, which also sponsors the PACE Supercross Vans Triple Crown of
Supercross, will add freestyle motocross (FMX)
to its long list of Vans Triple Crown events.
Vans, a footwear, clothing, retail and entertainment
company, is well-known throughout the extreme sports industry with its
"Triple Crown Series" events. In addition to
the Vans Triple Crown of Supercross and Freestyle Motocross, other Vans
Triple
Crown events include: The Triple Crown of Surfing,
Wakeboarding, Snowboarding and Skateboarding. Vans’ involvement with
the PACE FMX Series over three events (Anaheim,
Calif., San Diego and San Francisco) will provide the richest purses in
the
sport’s young history, offering more than $175,000
in cash to the riders."
"The Vans Triple Crown Series is well established
with our world-wide audience and we’re totally pumped with their addition
of the Triple Crown of Freestyle Motocross Series,"
said PACE Vice President T.D. Lovett.
According to Vans’ Vice President of Marketing,
Jay Wilson, the relationship between the PACE Freestyle Motocross Series
and the Vans Triple Crown Series is certainly
a natural. "We look at PACE and Vans as a great marriage," said Wilson.
"It will
be insane when we get it all locked in."
Wilson went on: "We found it a natural evolution
of the Vans Triple Crown to move into freestyle motocross," he said. "Our
sponsors that we bring with us to the Triple
Crown events have supported these type of sports in a big way over the
last five
years.
"And when you throw in PACE and Vans’ combined
relationship with espn2 and International ESPN, PACE Freestyle
Motocross will be an exciting edition to our
Triple Crown Series and fans of freestyle motocross around the world will
be
stoked."
PACE Motor Sports presents the PACE Freestyle
Motocross Series and Vans Triple Crown of Freestyle Motocross. For
more information on the PACE Freestyle Motocross
Series, contact Pat Schutte at (630) 566-6100. Also, keep an eye out for
our freestyle motocross web site.
PACE Motor Sports Launches Freestyle Motocross Competition Series
Vans Triple Crown Events Highlight Inaugural 1999 PACE FMX Series
AURORA, Ill. PACE Motor Sports, the largest producer
and promoter of stadium motorsports events in the world,
announced today that they will enter the new
and exciting world of freestyle motocross (FMX).
PACE, which delivers the most prestegious motorcycle
racing tour on the planet – EA Sports Supercross – will launch a five
city freestyle motocross series beginning in
September of 1999. The Series will be sanctioned by the International Freestyle
Motocross Association (IFMA). Joining PACE as
a sponsor will be Vans, a footwear, clothing, retail and entertainment
company. Vans will sponsor the Vans Triple Crown
of Freestyle Motocross – a three-event series within a series to reward
one
lucky FMX rider with the highest purse to date
in this cutting edge sport.
"We have watched the growth of freestyle motocross
over the last several years and are full-on into the sport’s participants
and
direction," said PACE Vice President T.D. Lovett.
"We’re dialed-in on the potential of this cutting edge competition and
are
stoked to be able to deliver FMX to a much more
mainstream and popular status." The dates are as follows:
Date Site City
September 24-25, 1999 - Selland Arena - Fresno,
Calif.
October 15-16, 1999 - The Idaho Center - Nampa, Idaho
November 5-6, 1999 - The Sports Arena - San Diego
November 12-13, 1999 - Arrowhead Pond - Anaheim, Calif.
November 19-20, 1999 - The Cow Palace - San Francisco
* Vans Triple Crown Event
The Vans Triple Crown of Freestyle Motocross will
be worth $50,000 in purse money to the competitors per event, with the
other two
events being worth $20,000 per event. Also, a
$25,000 Series points fund has been established for the top three overall
riders. The
grand total purse of all five events will be
approaching the quarter million dollar mark! In addition, PACE announced
that espn2 will be
the "official" broadcast network of the Vans
Triple Crown FMX events.
For more information on the PACE Freestyle Motocross
Series and the Vans Triple Crown of Freestyle Motocross, contact Pat
Schutte at (630) 566-6100. Also, keep an eye
out for our upcoming freestyle motocross web site www.pacefmx.com.
Van's Warped Tour '99 Denver
by John Clifford
photos by De Jae Forte Images
The Van's Warped Tour just kicked off
this July, and the Racer X-sponsored
event is a DON'T MISS slamming good
time. Going almost non-stop across
America and then to Europe, this
Festival boasts four stages that are
ALWAYS pumping music with
awesome blends of Punk, Ska, Rap,
etc. You can't keep up with them all.
Add great BMX, Skateboard and
Motorcycle stunts and you're in awe.
The energy level is very to chaos, yet
somewhat subdued by everybody's
groove on the event.
Some of the top-shelf acts in Denver
include Suicidal Tendencies, Blink 182,
Lit, Cypress Hill, Pennywise, Less Than
Jake, Sevendust, Black Eyed Peas, 7
seconds, Drop Kick Murphys, and
Deviates. Over 30 bands on 4 stages
"go off" non-stop.
The bands are the coolest down to
earth people. They dig their fans. Suicidal
Tendencies threw a barbeque
for all the bands and friends after the
show with plenty of Jaegermeister,
and needless to say, it was a blast.
The Tour is already averaging 10,000 crazed
and happy fans per event,
according to Kevin Lyman (the tour promoter),
who has worked with
Lollapalooza in the past.
Great booths are set up for a 3-D
Experience, band gear, free Yoo-hoo
drinks, event Tee's, and even a model
contest. A hot tip is to go the the Van's
tent at 12:00pm and check the list for
which bands play when and at what
stage. Also they have free programs with
band info, trading cards to
keep you up on the many up-and-coming bands
at the event.There is
even a tent for shade and beanbag chairs
for chillin (but don't lay down
too long, the bands start at 12:30 pm and
follow each other immediately
till 8:30 pm.
Is motocross REALLY part of all this? Ice
T hangs out in Fox gear all day
and wears the gloves on stage. With Cary
Hart, Mike Cinqmars, Trevor
Vines and Cliff Adoptane jumping, and Mickey
Dymond designing jumps,
I would definitely say so. This is like
a rolling X Games with way better
Music! Check it out for yourself.
It’s Tuesday and we here are not sitting at a
desk with a shirt
and tie on plugging away at a computer. There’s wet
chocolate cake dirt, it’s all about moto, SMP and T-boning
each other, breaking femurs so the sleepy ambulance drivers
have something to do," when Brandon at SMP asked me to
announce the event. I told him it’s not really my thing. If I have
a mike in my hand I usually say what’s on my mind. Even if it
isn’t true.
Ken Block of DC shoes was leading a moto when I decided to
say, "Ken Block was recently quoted as saying that all other
shoe companies suck. Globe Kastel, Etnies, and Vans, they
all suck. DC shoes are the best. Ken is a Scorpio, he likes
summers in Switzerland and has an extensive collection of
nude photos of people in clothes."
Of course it was all false, Ken Block never said that. He was
too busy winning every moto he entered. Poor Ken had back
to back classes so he was a tired soldier at the end of the
day.
This event is a chance for folks outside the immediate moto
industry to come out, play hooky from work, and bust some
casual moto. Surf, skate and snow were all represented at
Barona on that fateful day. Also a few real racers showed up
upon hearing someone was running the water truck. Idaho’s
Kris Rourke, local intermediate Billy Lanovich and "Twitch" the
infamous young Jeremy Stenburg all came to play.
Barona Oaks is a sweet track located near Ramona, CA. It
has been in existence for 27 years. The tabletop jump that
sits in front of the announcing tower is also the finish line.
Brock Harden told me a few weeks ago a kid launched his
bike off the edge of the jump and into the tower taking out the
four by four post in the far corner! Aren’t dirt bikes cool!
The atmosphere was low key and everyone was chilling
under the shade of the trees. Brandon from SMP received the
brunt of my jokes with his new hillbilly look. He just got his
front tooth knocked out when some punk sucker punched
him. Brandon chased him to his car and the kid launched him
over the hood! Aren’t dirt bikes cool!
I try not to leave out any details. Race related or not, there’s
always a story out there in MX land.
"Jerry, what does SMP stand for you ask?"
If I tell you promise you won’t tell your mom? "Sex, money and
power" there, I said it. The secrets out. They have an
extensive line of clothing including the "baggy pant" riding gear
the "crazy kids" love. Do you think we’ll ever see Scott
Summers in some baggy ass Answer gear? Probably not, but
it would make a good ad.
And whom does SMP sponsor?
Well the guy that tops my mental list (pun intended) is Mad
Mike Jones. Jonesy has been running SMP for a while. (Not
running the company, wearing the gear.) Mike Jones is a
family man who is safe around children and doesn’t burn or
injure anyone. OK, he injures himself on occasion, but not on
purpose. Well, he did take his shirt off in Europe and slam his
front brake on sending him tumbling over the bars of his bike
at a jump contest. I guess he does act kooky on occasion, but
it breeds good press. At the X-Games Jones donned a helmet
bag over his helmet and jumped a 55 foot hit blind. Does that
fall under the category of "sane?" I think not. Mad Mike is Mad
Mike and no one can contain his antics. Maybe that’s why
SMP sponsors him. I just don’t know any more.
Know what I did that was stupid? I left my digital camera on
and it ate the batteries so I couldn’t take any pictures.
"Why didn’t you have extra batteries Jerry?"
Because I’m a dork and dropped the ball. It’s the first mistake I
have ever made in my whole life (right!) All in all it was a
kicking day with no injuries and lots of good motos. There was
a few cherry pickers but I called them out over the p.a.
causing severe embarrassment.
The closing Jerry Springer monologue was so inane you just
had to be there to believe I said it in public. And what did it
have to do with moto? Nothing at all. But that’s the beauty of it
all. Rule number on in the Jerry announcers handbook, "There
are no rules" well, you can’t swear, but I didn’t want to.
Thanks to SMP, Scot Harden and family including the mouse
we murdered the night before. Thanks to John and Gracie
from the track. And most of all, thanks to my mom and dad for
rubbing together. Have a nice day, wear a sweater.
The whole deal was built on the 30-32 Pier south of the Bay
Bridge in San Francisco. The only disciplines not on location
were Sky Surfing, Street Luge and Wakeboarding. The luge
riders admit that ESPN is responsible for helping expand their
once cult sport, aiding it along in TV land with five years of
great coverage at the X-Games. Last year Jon Beekus and
Paul Page were the talking heads for luge, elevating the
professionalism of the "bad boy " sport. This moniker is
tagged due to the non-availability of open roads to fly down at
60 plus mph. There are usually cars on said roads. I
absorbed the buzz of delight, as the riders found out a
nutcase such as myself would be hosting their venue.
After that all hell would break loose, promoters tearing their
hair out trying to contain Leemo Dansie, Beagle Jarvis,
Lugenstien Thompson and me. We all come from good
families, but those days are over. All in all it went well with
multi-time medallist Dennis Derammelaere winning the Dual
Luge and David Rogers taking the gold in the Super Mass.
Upper management finally kicked Lugenstien out of the
games for counterfeit credentials. By the end of the week he
had moved himself up to the status of ESPN "Staff".
At the time of my hiring I knew nothing of street luge. I did the
homework, asked questions and obtained some history of the
sport from Darren Lotts book, Street Luge Survival Guide,
hopefully I didn’t sound like a dumbass. Sometimes I do.
I’m not an expert on free riding, but a majority of the riders are
buddies of mine. This makes for better TV and an overall
group hug. [That might not sound right given the location] a
source of immediate controversy had to be the course. There
was not much room for run off and it had been built on a
sacred burial ground according to Brian Deegan. When the
top riders crash out during practice it is often a sign of danger.
Cary Hart came up short and knocked himself out for 5
minutes, jacking up his knee in the process. Mike Metzger
also cased it and tore the ACL in his knee. Metzger would
also take 6 stitches in the chin for his troubles. Red Bull’s
Tommy Clowers paid the highest price of all. On his first
practice of the second day he nose dived on a 55-foot hit and
snapped his left wrist. Tomcat wins with three pins and a big
hospital bill. The other riders upon viewing all this carnage
were apprehensive to say the least.
The day of the event it all had been sorted out and everybody
was going huge. Kris Rourke, Mad Mike Jones, Jeremy
Stenburg, Mike Cinqmars and Travis Pastrana blew the huge
crowd away with their death defying action. Rourke pulled of a
double saran wrap; Pastrana had a new trick called the
"rodeo" it was insane. X-Games creator Ron Semiao hurt his
arm patting himself on the back due to the overwhelming
response of the Moto X.
Cameron Steele and myself did the race call and it was a
blast. I think it was fun because ESPN let us be ourselves not
some made for TV talking heads. They did pull back on the
reigns somewhat whenever I got near the host set and within
five feet of Chris Fowler.
ESPN had over 500 production people on location; fan
attendance was 240,000 over the course of 9 days. There
were at least 500 athletes and one big class clown named
Jerry. X-Games host and resident ball buster Chris Fowler
asked if I would have to "mend any fences." He only saw the
tip of the iceberg, the veritable receptacle end of Jerryland. I
actually contained myself somewhat during the course of my
adventures. Some by choice and some by management. My
only suggestion to the executive producers would be when
buying a pitbull don’t muzzle it and then show it pictures of
poodles. Let the dog run.
1.MIKE METZGER 133
2.MIKE JONES 122
3.TOMMY CLOWERS 105
4.CAREY HART 100
5.BRIAN DEEGAN 99
6.MIKE CINQMARS3 97
7.CLIFFORD ADOPANTE94
8.JUSTIN HOMAN 64
9.TRAVIS PASTRANA 54
10.GRAYSON GOODMAN 48
11.RONNIE FIASST 46
12.KRIS GARWARSIUK 43
13.JEFF TILTON 37
14.DAVE CASTILLO 28
15.TREVOR VINES1 27
16.JEREMY STENBURG 26
17.KENNY BARTRAM 24
18.DONALD UPTON 21
19.KRIS ROUKE 20
20.COLLIN MORRISON 19
21.ADAM PIERCE 18
22.TIM O'BRIAN 14
23.LARRY LINKOGLE 12
24.MIKE HARRIS 7
25.JASON ABBOT 5
26.BRIAN FERRELL 3
1. Mike Metzger - Crusty Demons of Dirt.
2. Joel Albrecht - Crusty Demons of Dirt 2.
3. Jeremy Middough - Chrome (I think that is
what Aaron K told me)
4. Pedro Gonzales - Terrafirma 2. This is an
epic example of a flat nac-nac. Speedy is too cool. Thanks to Chris Hultner
for pointing this one out, but I couldn't reply to your email address dude.
The winner was Byron Gwilliam and he gets a copy of MotoRacer for the PlayStation compliments of Electronic Arts and MXworld.com
As a side note, the nac-nac pancake was best done
by Joel Albrecht. With Pedro taking seconds based on hair factor. Well,
that is my opinion anyway.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So you want to win a copy of MotoRacer? Be the
first person to answer this question and you will get one. If you don't
know the answer, don't worry we have several copies to give away and more
questions.
Who was the first person to do a pancake AND a
nac-nac as one jump and what video was he in? I am aware of two people
that have done this in videos, but I am looking for one person in particular.
If you know both answers, send them in...
Best rider: It’s pretty obvious that Jeremy McGrath deserves this title more than any other contender. After all, he’s won every supercross title but one since 1993. He lost in 1997 to Jeff Emig in a title chase that came down to the final race.
The ‘Close, But No Cigar’ award: KTM rider Kelly Smith led 14.5 laps of the 15-lap 125cc Eastern Region main event in St. Louis only to be taken out by Ernesto Fonseca a couple hundred yards from the checkered flag.
Biggest disappointment: There are many this year,
but we managed to narrow it down to five:
1. Ricky Carmichael was supposed to make this
one of the most exciting seasons of all time. Instead, he spent most of
the season on the ground. We expect him to change that for the year 2000.
2. Ezra Lusk was thought to be better prepared
this season. Last year he caused McGrath fits and looked as though he would
be in it for the long haul. Unfortunately, he blew his
chances before the halfway point.
3. Legal problems kept Kevin Windham from riding
and testing before the start of the
season. As a result, K-Dub came out of the blocks
slow, and despite his mid-season surge and a few race wins, he was almost
invisible in the point race until it was too late. Then he injured himself
in Minneapolis and missed the rest of the season.
4. Jeff Emig, Jeff Emig, Jeff Emig. Everyone
thought his problems were behind him once he started racking up outdoor
wins at the end of the ‘98 season. Unfortunately, he only broke the top
five once, then got hurt in Houston.
5. The disabled list grew to frightening proportions
this year, gobbling up Ricky Carmichael, Jimmy Button, John Dowd, Kevin
Windham, Mike Craig, Jeff Emig, Robbie
Reynard, Casey Johnson, Tallon Vohland, Scott
Sheak and Shae Bentley.
Biggest surprise: 125cc supercross rookie Costa
Rica’s Ernesto Fonseca coming out
swinging and pulled off four consecutive wins
to start the season. Even more impressive is the fact that he had never
raced a supercross before!
Best-looking bikes: Team SplitFire's fleet of Kawasakis dressed by Troy Lee Designs
Most laps led: Team Chaparral/Mazda/Yamaha’s Jeremy McGrath with 140 laps led (through round 14 in New Orleans)
Ugliest-looking injury: Ricky Carmichael's crash in San Diego, which left him minus a chuck of flesh from his thigh and a chipped pelvis.
Best comeback: Team Pro Circuit/SplitFire’s Nathan Ramsey didn’t earn a single point in the opening round of the Western Region 125cc SX series due to a broken chain in the main event, but he came back to win the championship by six points.
Best 250cc privateer: Noleen's Tim Ferry was consistently the top-placing privateer.
Best new team: This one’s a tie between DeMarini and Planet Honda. Both rolled out new semis at the start of the season and routinely put riders in the main event.
Shortest comeback: A broken femur mandated two separate surgeries for Mike Craig and sidelined him for eight months. Still, he came back at Houston with a win in his semi and 14th in the main. He was then a no-show for the rest of the series when it was discovered he had broken a bone in his ankle at Houston.
Most missed rider: Doug Henry is always a crowd favorite and consistent frontrunner. His decision to leave the lucrative world of stadium motocross for the working-class world of snowmobile racing is hard to understand, but he has retained our respect nonetheless.
Best crossover rider: Nathan Ramsey won the 125cc Western Region title and finished 10th in a 250cc main event. That’s impressive.
Trickest new works part: Suzuki’s billet shocks used at the beginning of the season.
Most talked-about new product: The No Fear riding gear worn by Jeremy McGrath, Kevin Windham and Sébastien Tortelli
Best team overhaul: Honda hasn’t had a full house since the early ‘90s, but the team certainly changed that for ‘99. Its roster consisted of four riders, it handed factory bikes to Mike LaRocco and it had more support vehicles on the road than any other team.
Highest paid rider: Jeremy McGrath has put himself on the path to becoming the first off-road motorcycle racer to make over $10,000,000 in his career. Although it’s hard to calculate his annual income because he doesn’t draw a salary from No Fear and Spy since he owns a good portion of each company, it’s estimated he will earn between $1.4 and $1.8 million in 1999.
Best new obstacle: This year there were several new items, but the coolest for spectators was the astrodome’s Mt. Bomber, created by former supercross champion Mark Barnett. Second place was the elevated downhill start straight with three rolling whoops at the first Anaheim race.
Costliest mechanical failure: During the second Anaheim supercross, Jeremy McGrath's bike lost a few motor mount bolts, forcing him to settle for second behind Ezra Lusk. This took him out of the running for the $250,000 bonus offered for PACE's Triple Crown.
Worst news: The friction between supercross promoters PACE and the AMA.
Best news: PACE continues to dump more money into the sport to make it more lucrative for riders and more appealing to fans. Changes include a laser light show, more contingency/prize money, family seating sections and better tracks. The result produced more network television coverage on ABC’s ‘Wide World of Sports.’
Biggest fan complaint: Poor sound systems
Most improved rider: Heath Voss used to be better known as Heather Voss' brother than as a racer. Now he consistently makes 250cc main events and is being eyed by several factories.
The ‘Take That’ award: Florida’s Tim Ferry was passed up for a factory ride for the second year running, even though he and his Noleen-backed YZ250 regularly beat half of the factory riders.
Fastest learner: Jeremy McGrath. On the highly technical supercross track in Houston, he jumped everything by the third lap, including jumps that most factory riders never attempted. Essentially, he did in three minutes what some riders couldn’t do in 50.
Most confident 125cc jumper: Many people used to laugh at Yamaha of Troy's Casey Lytle when he walked the track, scoping out monster leaps. Then he jumped the quadruple at Anaheim that claimed Steve Lamson, a triple at Houston that took out Jeff Emig and a combo jump in the Astrodome that only seven riders jumped all evening. Perhaps these feats can be attributed to the flying lessons he’s been taking.
Biggest clash: Tie. At the start of the season, Jeff Emig and Steve Lamson tangled several times. As the season progressed, the bitter rivalry slowly died. Jeremy McGrath and Mickael Pichon went head-to-head in a heat race in Dallas and later did the same in the main event. MC wasn’t pleased, since Pichon claimed the standard. That’s racing!
Best move for women’s lib: Women’s Motocross League riders Nikki Harris and Tania Satchwell (New Zealand’s Women's National MX Champion) both tried to qualify for the Houston Supercross. The two teenagers, who are sponsored by Planet Honda and Kawasaki of Mexico, respectively, participated in the preliminary qualifiers but did not make the night program. To date, a woman has never made a 125 or 250cc main event.
Best exposure: Dave Damron, owner of Chaparral Motorsports, bought two 30-second spots for a commercial that aired during ABC’s broadcast of the Houston supercross.
Best privateer career move: Fast-starting Rusty Holland’s mid-season move to Team DeMarini/Honda from his privateer Suzukis.
Most consistent rider: It would be easy to give this one to McGrath, but we’re going with Mike LaRocco.
Most inconsistent rider: Ezra Lusk could be on the podium one week, take a win the next, finish a crash-induced 17th the next, then knock himself unconscious as an encore.
Longest winning streak: MC, with five wins in a row
Most resilient rider: Ricky Carmichael banged himself up pretty good this year, but he also proved that he’s extremely tough.
Most controversial subject: Riders such as Italy’s Alessio Chiodi (FIM 125cc World Champion) and our own Tallon Vohland (a 250cc GP contender for several years) can participate in either 125cc supercross division, while riders such as Mike Brown and Mike Jones can’t because they are considered to have pointed out.
Worst-kept secret: Lusk is considering switching to Yamaha or Kawasaki in 2000.
Most weight on a rider’s shoulders: Team Yamaha of Troy’s Casey Lytle was in a position to win the 125cc Western Region Championship. With three laps to go in the final main event, he bobbled while dealing with lappers, handing the championship to a hard-charging Nathan Ramsey.
Best news for Honda: Even though the Red Riders had numerous wins and exposure with their regular four-man squad this year, Mike LaRocco thanked Honda for consistently giving him works bikes and helping him earn second overall.
Best news for Yamaha: Jeremy McGrath
Best news for Kawasaki: The outdoor season is just around the corner.
Best news for Suzuki: Larry Ward gave the team a victory when he won his hometown race in Seattle. All the more sweet was the fact that Ward was participating in AMA supercross racing at the Kingdome for the 20th consecutive year and had won the 250cc main event nine years earlier on a Suzuki.
Worst news for Honda: Two-time winner Kevin Windham departed from the series in Minneapolis (round 11 of 16) after he cased a triple in practice and suffered a broken clavicle and bruised lung.
Worst news for Yamaha: Yamaha’s beautiful semi sat empty for much of the latter half of the season when Jimmy Button badly bruised himself in Dallas and John Dowd broke his arm at the Daytona SX.
Worst news for Kawasaki: The entire 250cc SX season
Worst news for Suzuki: Even though riders said they had the best race bikes ever produced under Roger DeCoster, the team still watched Honda and Yamaha grab most of the glory.
Best birthday present: Team Honda’s Kevin Windham gave himself a great B-day by winning his second main event of the year in Dallas.
Best luck: Nathan Ramsey got lucky when Casey Johnson, who was enjoying a comfortable point lead in the 125cc Western Region series, broke his arm at the second Anaheim race, allowing Ramsey to catch up and battle it out with Johnson’s Yamaha of Troy teammate Casey Lytle.
Worst luck: Casey Johnson missed third gear off of a triple jump, came up way short in front of a pack of riders and was consequently landed on by Rusty Holland. The often-injured rider suffered a broken upper arm and missed the rest of the season.
Hardest-charging rider: Team Kawasaki of Mexico’s Erick Vallejo, who may also be one of the most invisible guys on the track. When he wasn’t on the ground, he was on the gas. Now if only he could get better starts!
Best news for privateers: More purse and contingency is spreading the wealth further down the pack. There's also more opportunities to land a decent support ride through teams like SplitFire, FMF, DeMarini, Yamaha of Troy, Planet Honda, Primal Impulse and Noleen, among others.
Worst news for privateers: There are so many factory or factory-supported riders vying for the 20 spots in the 250cc mains. On any given night, 16 to 18 of the chosen ones would make the main, leaving little room for hard-working privateers.
Best publicity stunt: Shaun Palmer's assault on the podium at the San Diego supercross. The extreme-sports specialist rushed the podium and gave Palmer-brand snowboards to winners Nathan Ramsey and Jeremy McGrath.
Most naturally talented rider: Kevin Windham
Most costly DNF: Ezra Lusk's crash and consequent DNF at the Daytona Supercross where the Georgian was knocked unconscious for nearly 20 seconds. Lusk just wasn’t himself the following week and took it easy on his way to third at Houston, killing his hopes of winning the $250,000 Triple Crown.
Most popular privateer: This is a tie between Moto XXX's Phil Lawrence and Noleen’s Tim Ferry. Besides having plenty of support from the fans, the two have regularly made 250 mains in the factory-stacked field.
Biggest letdown before the season even started: Tie between Team FMF/Honda’s Christopher Gosselaar and Team ProCircuit/SplitFire/Kawasaki’s Shae Bentley. Gosselaar, son of Ezra Lusk's mechanic Mike Gosselaar, broke both ankles on Press Day for the opening round of the SX series in Anaheim and Bentley broke his right wrist in a practice crash a week before the start of the 125cc Eastern Region SX series.
Most broken collarbones in a career: Team Honda’s Kevin Windham has broken the bone seven times. The most recent injury occurred in Minneapolis. He was second in the point standings at the time. Ouch!
Most concussions this season: Ezra Lusk, with two
Fastest brothers: Doug and Brian Stone have both qualified for 250cc main events, on occasion, during the same night.
Ironman awards: Brian Stone qualified for both the 125 and 250 mains in Minneapolis, while Tyler Evens did the same in St. Louis and Pontiac.
Most dominant brand in the 250cc class: Honda. Nine CR250Rs made the main event in Houston, and six to seven CRs have made mains consistently all year.
Best new sight: Seeing more than just Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki and Yamaha in the 125cc main events. Several times throughout the year Husqvarna and KTM 125s have led main events and qualifiers.
Fastest 125cc privateer: Isaiah Johnson on the West Coast, Robbie Horton on the East Coast.
Biggest reality check: Tallon Vohland learning that 125cc supercross was a lot harder than he remembered
Best media coverage: Ads featuring supercross graces the pages of magazines such as Newsweek and Slam for the first time.
1) Travis Pastrana Annapolis MD Suz 36
2) Tyson Hadsell Hudson FL Yam 21
3) Mark Thompson Copper Canyon TX Yam 39
4) Mike Corder Rainier OR Kaw 25
5) Nick Metcalf Ulysses KS Suz 19
6) Hans Neel Bristol TN Hon 51
7) Dennis Stapleton Capitola CA Suz 52
8) Ronnie Clark Farmington NM Yam 14
9) Austin Raubs Cedar Falls IA Yam 40
10) Oscar Valdez La Puente CA Yam 34
11) Mark Wundrack West Milford NJ Kaw 45
12) Tom Kelley New Philadelphia OH Kaw 11
13) Robby Mc Quary Bristow OK Yam 55
14) Jason Mc Donald Pontiac MI Suz 86
15) Bryan Piccirelli Southlake TX Hon 31
16) James Abbott Trivoli IL Kaw 17
17) David Gaylord Kalamazoo MI Kaw 16
18) Michael Martin Chesapeake VA Yam 24
19) Josh Whitmire Conyers GA Yam 27
20) Darby Fowler Bristol WI Suz 47
21) Mark Glenn Brighton MI Yam 28
22) Austin Gomez Dallas GA Kaw 23
23) Jon Boy Monk Vinemont AL Hon 58
24) Samuel Forrester Elkton MD Kaw 35
25) Zachary Devaul Saegertown PA KTM 43
26) Josh Glueck Cape Girardeau MO Yam 49
27) Jeremy Riesenberg Manson IA Hon 53
28) David Lowery Cottonton AL Hon 50
29) Chad Albritton Barnesvllle GA Hon 32
30) Barry Anglemyer Wakarusa IN Yam 41
31) Jason Hunt Argyle NY Suz 29
32) Dwayne Bone Macon GA Hon 15
33) Jeremy Garges Chalfont PA Yam 42
34) Joe Dibella Glens Falls NY Hon 26
35) Joshua Sheffer Airville PA Yam 46
36) Douglas K Knight Oxford MS Hon 8
37) Michael Barto Pittsburgh PA Suz 12
38) Scott Meredith Cadiz KY Kaw 22
39) William Cheney Little Meadows PA Hon 20
40) Antonio Magaro Mechanicsburg PA Kaw 33
41) Devin Banks Murray KY Kaw 37
07 125 A Loretta Lynns Amatuer (Aug 2-7)
1) Travis Pastrana Annapolis MD Suz 36
2) Tyson Hadsell Hudson FL Yam 21
3) Mike Corder Rainier OR Kaw 25
4) Chad Johnson Rhinelander WI Kaw 54
5) Hans Neel Bristol TN Hon 51
6) Tom Kelley New Philadelphia OH Kaw 11
7) Nick Metcalf Ulysses KS Suz 19
8) Dennis Stapleton Capitola CA Suz 52
9) Robby Mc Quary Bristow OK Yam 55
10) Justin Buckelew Albuquerque NM Yam 24
11) Mike Dougherty Jr. Whitesboro NY Yam 12
12) Travis Elliott Alvin TX Hon 41
13) Ivan Tedesco Albuquerque NM Yam 49
14) Billy Wood Zepherhills FL Yam 42
15) Mark Thompson Copper Canyon TX Yam 39
16) Bryan Piccirelli Southlake TX Hon 31
17) Oscar Valdez La Puente CA Yam 34
18) Chad Albritton Barnesvllle GA Suz 32
19) Mark Wundrack West Milford NJ Kaw 45
20) Jon Boy Monk Vinemont AL Hon 58
21) Jason Mc Donald Pontiac MI Suz 86
22) Kyle Kelly Lithia Springs GA Yam 50
23) Charlie Dagner Ava IL Yam 48
24) David Hill New Philadelphia OH Suz 57
25) Michael Stevenson Brooksville FL Yam 23
26) James Abbott Trivoli IL Kaw 17
27) Chris Lowell Ypsilanti MI Yam 43
28) Darby Fowler Bristol WI Suz 47
29) Michael Rothstein Hanover MD Hon 33
30) Jason Laplante Buies Creek NC Suz 14
31) Adam Clark Macadonia IL Suz 28
32) Jeremy Riesenberg Manson IA Hon 53
33) Michael Barto Pittsburgh PA Suz 18
34) Austin Raubs Cedar Falls IA Yam 40
35) Chad Sharrow Shrewsbury VT Yam 16
36) Matthew Murphy Mt. Pleasant MI Hon 30
37) Gary Schroyer Jr. Toledo OH Yam 38
38) Justin Riddle Brighton CO Yam 15
39) Jason Prouty Boone IA Hon 78
40) Robert Motsinger Benton IL Kaw 9
41) Devin Banks Murray KY Kaw 37
PRESS RELEASE
Showtime Racing, Inc., Fox Racing, Inc. and No
Fear, Inc. are pleased to announce that an out of
court settlement has been reached today in relation
to the civil action that was filed earlier this year in
the Superior Court of California, Santa Clara
County.
Through the dedicated efforts of No Fear and Fox,
their involvement in the sport of Supercross and
Motocross over the years, as well as both companies
ultimate desire to support the sports most
successful racer of all-time, Jeremy McGrath,
No Fear and Fox have decided to take control of a
dispute that ultimately could have damaged the
sport of Supercross and Motocross for years to come,
and "hammered out" a settlement that was fair
to all parties involved.
No Fear and Fox would like to take this opportunity
to congratulate Jeremy McGrath for his
unprecedented accomplishments in the sport of
Supercross, and to thank him for the success he has
brought to No Fear and Fox through his affiliations
with our respective companies over the years.
BEYOND THE CROSS-UP
What started out as a way to show off after a
race win has become its own entity. The original cross-up dates back to
an era when bikes boasted four inches of suspension, helmets were open
faced, leathers were made of leather, boots had laces and water-cooling
was when your buddy poured a bucket of water on your head. Back in the
day riders would tilt their bikes to the side, cock the handlebars to the
stops and the crowd would go wild. Today, that move is called goon riding
and would prompt boos and rotten fruit.
Nowadays riders are defying both gravity and every principle of motorcycling. The limits of motorcycles have been reinvented year after year, and now riders are performing mind-blowing maneuvers on dirt bikes. At one time, you could tell who was the fastest rider on the track by what jumps he did. Lately it's hard to tell: Some young rider will jump a huge double, then get passed by half of the field.
WHO? WHAT? HOW?
With the increased interest of outside sponsors
from other extreme sports, freeriding is headed in one direction: straight
up. If the popularity of moto videos is any indication of things to come,
look out for cavalcades of crazed jumpers in a town near you.
They'll be at Gravity Games in Providence, RI,
this September for sure.
(Travis Pastrana is the latest Racer X Illustrated
columnist, and his first
column will appear in the next print issue
of the mag. In the meantime,
Travis wanted to take a dry run through
his writing with this Internet
column, exclusively on Racer X Online.
We think you'll like his style!)
By now, the hectic time
of year for all of the top
professional
motocrossers,
commonly known as the
"silly season," is quickly
coming to a close. But it
being my first time
actually participating in
the mayhem, I can
honestly say that the
general public doesn't
know the half of what
really goes on. My silly
season started right
around the beginning of July, almost entirely
because I won the X Games
in San Francisco. Even though most of the
top riders, Mike Metzger,
Tommy Clowers and Carey Hart, were injured
during practice, no one
seemed to notice and I was immediately
bombarded with more video
game offers, clothing deals and basically
everything that could possibly
relate to motorcycle riding than I ever
thought possible. Jay Leno called
up and wanted me to do a jump in his parking
lot, but I was so busy
training for Loretta Lynn's and so tired
of doing interviews and negotiating
contracts that I had to turn down his offer.
A toy company even called up
and wanted to make a Travis Pastrana X
Games action figure. I don't
know how ridiculous that sounds to you,
but personally I was
dumbfounded with the offer. Naturally I
had to say yes, but I still feel kind
of embarrassed about the whole thing.
Before anything had really
slowed down as far as the
non-industry offers, I competed
at the Loretta Lynn Amateur
Nationals where I won both the
expert classes and received the
AMA Horizon award. This is
when everything truly started to
get interesting. During the
24-hour period from the time
preceding my last moto until we
left the ranch, my parents only
stopped negotiating my 2000
contracts to eat and sleep. The
four major players were Fox, No
Fear, Honda and Suzuki.
Personally, I would prefer to keep
all of my current sponsors
because I can't think of even one
of them that hasn't always
supported me in every way
possible, but unfortunately for
me, some of my best sponsors
have commitments with others
that compete against the ones I already
have. Even sponsors that don't
have obligations sometimes refused to give
me the same offers if I
stayed loyal to sponsors that they had
a falling out with previously. My
parents assured me that I always have the
last say in who I ride for, but I
prefer to avoid as many negotiations as
possible. For me, all I want to do
is ride my motorcycle, and I still have
trouble comprehending that anyone
could actually benefit from paying me money
to use a product that they
gave me for free; but I like the concept.
As everyone already knows, the '99
season was marked by the ability of Jeff
Surwall and No Fear to entice a majority
of the nation's top riders, many from the
ever so dominant Fox tent, to switch
over and ride for No Fear. This deal was
extra sticky for me because I was
currently sponsored by Fox Gear and No
Fear casual line. They were both
extremely important sponsors and I had
a close tie with the managers, Jeff
Surwall and Pete Fox, as well as being
close friends with Todd, head of the MX
department at Fox, and Malcolm, head of
the MX department at No Fear. As a
matter of fact, Todd was the guy who
pretty much enabled me to get
sponsored by No Fear in the first place.
He even managed to get me set up with
Specialized bicycles. Malcolm
McCassey, the No Fear guy, on the
other hand, had become a very close friend
of mine. Malcolm even let
me borrow his Z-50 to flip into the water
on Mini Warriors 2. Anyway,
what the decision really came down to was
the substantially different
impacts that they would have on my other
sponsors.
To switch to No Fear Gear would mean that
I would lose two of the
sponsors that had supported me and done
everything that I ever could
have asked for in my amateur career: Fox
and Etnies. Switching to Fox
casual line would mean that I would be
able to keep Etnies but I would
have to drop not only No Fear, but also
my first-ever sponsor who has
supported me since I was seven: Shoei.
The final decision to leave Fox
and stay with No Fear was one of the hardest
that my family and I have
ever been forced to make.
The second I agreed to
ride No Fear, Jeff Surwall
started working with
Suzuki to ensure that I
would receive factory
parts, a mechanic, and
would be able to ride for
a team. As it looks right
now, I am set in the
Suzuki big rig for 2000
with the World
Supercross Champion,
Robbie Reynard and the
soon-to-be Outdoor National Champion, Greg
Albertyn. I am really
looking forward to turning pro and living
my dream of racing (and
jumping) motorcycles for a living. Racing
is by far my #1 priority, but
jumping is something that I truly enjoy
doing. The feeling I get when I
innovate a new trick is virtually unmatched
by anything that I have
experienced to date. Besides, the sport
of Freestyle needs as many top
jumpers to keep innovating new tricks as
it can get. Now is a very crucial
time in the sport's development.
This winter I hope to stay in California
so I will be able to test and ride on
supercross tracks as much as possible.
I am really hoping that my
teammates and I will develop a good rapport
and that they will be willing
to work out as well as ride with me. I
truly believe that Robbie Reynard is
the most talented rider on the circuit
today, and I know that he will be a
positive influence on my riding style.
It would also be nice, however, to
ride with some of the top 125 guys, but
I am not exactly sure what
Suzuki is going to do for a 125 team or
who will be riding on it. It would
be real nice if I could manage to get back
in touch with Ernesto Fonseca,
however, because right now he is the man
who seems to be almost
unbeatable in supercross.
When I was eleven, Ernesto stayed with me
in my motorhome for the
entire winter in Florida and we got to
know each other pretty well. I
always enjoyed racing with Ernesto because
he never took anything that
happened on the track personal. One time
at the Winter Olympics in
Gainesville, Florida, I railed him so hard
in a corner that my pipe
smashed in with one lap to go. He was a
little stunned but still managed
to catch me with two corners left in the
race and unintentionally ended up
taking us both over the berm, through the
banners, into the woods…
bending my handlebars, breaking my clutch
and leaving my pretty yellow
bike with large blue streaks. I believe
that Shae Bentley ended up
passing us both as we tried to untangle
our bikes, but it didn't seem to
matter. The cool part was that even though
neither one of us won the
race, we both came off the track with the
biggest smiles on our faces.
Ernesto even came by later to tell me what
a great race it was. The only
supercross event that Ernesto lost last
year was the one where Nick
Wey dropped him in a corner before he managed
to pull out a lead. If
anyone else was in his situation they would
have probably been really
upset (like Kelly Smith at the race prior…)
but instead of yelling, Ernesto
told ESPN that it was his fault for trying
to make an outside pass and that
Nick was just racing. I definitely had
to agree with Rick Johnson when he
said in an interview, after a race in which
he repeatedly ran David Bailey
over every berm on the track, that "The
job of being the fastest rider on
the track is to avoid conflict, the job
of everyone else is to initiate it."
Next year I am looking forward to battling
with the likes of Ernesto and
the rest of the best that the world has
to offer. Wish me luck… I'm gonna
need it!
"Donn! This is Lance Bryson from PACE MotorSports! We would like to invite you to the PJ1 National Arenacross series opener in Des Moines, Iowa," said the voice mail. "I understand that you've never been to one of our events and I think you'll really enjoy yourself. Heck, maybe you can even race on amateur day! I'll see what I can do about getting you a bike."
I should have never returned Bryson's call. Though I did indeed enjoy watching the pros race on Friday and Saturday night, I'd be a liar if I said that my stomach wasn't queasy as the checkered flag flew on Saturday night's final. In less than 12 hours I would be racing Arenacross Champion Buddy Antunez's factory Suzuki RM250 on the same track as the pros-wouldn't that make you nervous, too?
6:00 a.m.
The hotel operator isn't very friendly as she
delivers my wake up call. I lay in bed and momentarily ponder the past
few weeks. Soon after accepting Bryson's invitation, I told my friend,
National pro and moto video star Rich Taylor, of my plans to race Antunez's
bike. "You're gonna do what?!?! Man, you're gonna get hurt-you aren't exactly
a jumper, you know. As a matter of fact, you're so lame that you can't
even jump to conclusions!" That said, Taylor offered to take me under his
wing and instruct me in the fine art of jumping doubles and triples. After
a couple of weeks of practice at Taylor's private SX track, RT had me jumping
every obstacle on the course. "You should kill the Vet class," he said.
"None of the jumps will be as big as the ones we've been riding on."
7:00 a.m.
By the time Antunez's mechanic, Ed Longacre,
finally shows up, I am already fully geared up and ready to puke. "Just
don't wad my bike into a little ball of junk," he pleads as I fire the
bike to life. Right off the bat, I can tell that the Bill's Pipes-modified
motor runs strong.
7:15 a.m.
On the first lap, I am amazed at how well the
RG3-modified suspension works. Even though I outweigh Antunez by at least
30 pounds, his superior skill level mandates valving that is stiff enough
to support my over-adequate girth. The bike is amazing in the whoops-even
when I veer off the worn-down line in the middle, the fork and shock gobble
up the gnarlier whoops on the sides of the course.
7:45 a.m.
After sneaking into three other practice sessions,
I return to the pits, satisfied with my on-track performance. The bike
is awesome and I can't believe how easy it is to negotiate the obstacles
on the track. The motor pulls like a tractor down low and revs out plenty
far for a tight arenacross track. There is no comparing it to a stock RM250
motor.
8:00 a.m.
During the riders' meeting, the realization comes
over me that amateur day is a long, drawn out affair. It seems that there
is no chance in hell that I'll get my main event in before my 5:00 p.m.
flight back to Los Angeles. Oh well, at least I'll get to ride my heat
race. Six laps of glory is better than none at all, right?
11:00 a.m.
As I line up for my six-lap heat race, I eyeball
my competition. I'm confident that a top finish is in the cards, and as
the gate drops I get a pretty good jump off the line. Second into the first
corner, I decide to make my move in the whoops. My bike is, after all,
"magical" in the tricky section and I should be able to pass the leader,
even while taking the rougher line on the right. Right?
Wrong.
About halfway through the whoop section, my front
end drops and I perform a nose wheelie that would make Doug Domokos blush.
After teetering through three whoops on my front end, the fourth bump stops
my front wheel in its tracks. In the blink of an eye, I feel myself become
weightless as I fly over the bars, looking much like the FTD Florist.
It didn't actually hurt that bad when I plowed
head first into the ground, but a split second later the bike came crashing
down on me. Seems that it missed me on the first flip, which snapped the
rear fender off and ripped the silencer out of the exhaust pipe. When the
bike comes down on me, the torn-loose end of the silencer hits me in the
right butt cheek and leaves a perfect cookie cutter slice in my hindside.
As soon as I crawl off the track, my associate
editor, Cameron Coatney, and Wiseco Piston's Jay Clark are by my side.
While Clark asks if I am okay, I can see that he is holding back laughter.
(The tears in the corners of his eyes were the dead giveaway.) Cameron,
meanwhile, looks spooked. "Air Coatney" is scheduled to race Antunez's
125 a few minutes later, and it seems that my spill has him thinking twice.
11:10 a.m.
Clark pushes the bike back to the pits while
I sit on a haybale and wait for the cobwebs to clear from my shaken skull.
When I return to the pits, I fear what Longacre and team manager Billy
Whitley will have to say. Surprisingly, they are all pretty good about
it and share a laugh or two (or three or four) at my expense.
Damage to the bike includes a busted rear fender
and sidepanel, tweaked subframe, torn seatcover and mutilated silencer.
Damage to myself is minimal-the aforementioned cut on my butt and a seriously
bruised ego-and all in all, I feel good about my limited arenacross experience.
Like they say-it's a tough job, but someone's
gotta do it. MXr
I WAS NEVER A TOP AMATEUR RACER
I only went to the big amateur races a couple
of times. The best I ever did overall at Loretta's was like 10th or something.
One year I went in the B class, and I could've probably been one of the
guys to win. I pulled the holeshot in the first 125 race but I crashed
in the Ten Commandments. At Loretta's, they have these 10 jumps that you
can double or triple through. I hit a big hole and crashed right in front
of everybody and got ran over. That was the closest I ever came to winning
a big amateur race.
I STARTED LATE
I started a little bit late compared to most
of the other racers. I didn't race until I was 14. I had always ridden
motorcycles and trail bikes and I raced a couple of times when I was 11
but I ended up breaking my leg and I didn't really get back on a bike until
I was 14.
I JUMPED HEADFIRST INTO THE PRO CLASS
Back in '93, I raced the AMA Winter AM Series
in the 125cc B class and my mechanic Bundy and I were staying at Tall Pines
RV Park in Florida. Anyway, when the series ended, we headed over to the
Tampa Supercross and just entered. I guess I went straight from the B class
to racing the AMA Pro series. I never got to learn the ropes in the local
A classes. I just figured if I was going to do it-go for the big time-that
I had better just do it since I was a little bit older. I figured that
I would just get my butt kicked for awhile and learn the hard way. Anyway,
that night I didn't even make the program. I raced a few more that year
and ended up going to Pontiac, where I made the program for the first
time.
I MADE MY FIRST MAIN AT HOUSTON
In '94 I rode for a local Yamaha shop and did
most all the races. I made my first main event at the Houston Supercross,
so Houston's always been a special race for me. I finished ninth in the
heat race and I was all pumped. When the main event came around I started
hyperventilating because I was all excited and didn't know what to think.
MY NAME IS NAY NAY
I was so nervous before the start of the main.
Not because of the race, though, I was nervous about saying my name into
the microphone and camera as they introduce the riders! When the announcer
got to me, I had what I was gonna say all planned out and everything, but
I got up there and choked. There was a little delay on the mike and I started
saying Nathan Ram... and I looked up at the screen and saw my face on it
and I just felt like the biggest bonehead! I just looked at the screen
and I stopped and just turned around and walked back to my bike. I never
even finished saying my name and everyone was laughing at me. The funny
thing is people still make fun of me today because of Houston!
ATTENTION
I'd say that people started to notice me for
the first time back in '96. I was riding for Suzuki of Winston Salem and
Performance Engineering and at the series opener at Orlando I got fourth.
That was the best I ever did and I was stoked! That would have to be my
first break. I knew all the riders and stuff, but until then I don't think
anybody really took me seriously. They just knew me as Nay Nay-a cool guy
to hang out with, but not a guy to take seriously on the track.
GUEST ROOMS
Around '95, I started to hang out a lot in California
and also with some fast guys back East. Being from Tennessee, there aren't
a lot of fast guys to learn from back at home. In California, I was able
to train with other riders, ride with them and try to pick up tips. I got
tips from everybody I could. Buddy Antunez really took me under his wing
in the beginning and let me stay with him during the off season. Emig made
the same offer too. Back east, I stayed with Timmy Ferry and I also stayed
with Ezra Lusk in Georgia a lot. Ezra's dad Ronnie helped me out a lot,
too. In '96 I ended up getting third in the East Coast series and that
was definitely my breakthrough year.
FULL FACTORY
Thanks to my '96 results, I had a couple good
offers for the '97 season. As the season approached, it looked like I was
going to ride for Honda's Primal Impulse team. But some things went kind
of weird and I ended up on Team Suzuki. In hindsight, I don't know if I
was really ready for a full factory ride that year. At the time of course,
I wasn't about to turn it down! Anyway, I took the ride with Team Suzuki
and the year didn't end up going that well.
PRESSURE
There was a lot of pressure being a factory rider
for the first time. I felt that since I was a factory guy, I had to win.
The year before I had only been on the podium two times, but I thought,
"Oh, well I'm a factory guy now, I've gotta win!" At the time I didn't
realize how much more learning I had to do, so I kind of went out there
and rode way over my head. Eventually, I got on the podium once or twice,
but then I broke my arm while practicing and basically ruined my season.
When I broke my arm I thought, "Oh no, now I've done it. When you lose
your factory ride you are finished!" When I healed up I tried real, real
hard to make a good comeback, but little things kept happening that screwed
me up.
WILD MAN
I've always been the type of rider who rides
on the edge. I've always been a go-for-it kind of guy and that style has
probably cost me a little bit. When I was at Suzuki, it was mostly the
fact that I was young and dumb that messed me up. I let the pressure get
to me. All of my friends and family have always tried to give me advice,
telling me to relax and that they knew I could do it, but I've always got
to learn the hard way.
CHANGES
Towards the end of that season I was talking
with Suzuki and they said that they were keeping their options open and
that they might have room for me. I had been talking to Mitch Payton from
Pro Circuit though, and I really wanted to ride for Pro Circuit because
I knew that they really focus on the 125cc class. Team Suzuki was good,
but they really focused on the 250cc class and sort of rushed through the
125cc program. With Mitch and Kawasaki, though, I knew that they focused
on 125s and I really wanted to try that team out. At that point I knew
that I had to do something or I'd be on my way out of professional motocross.
My career developed very quickly and I knew that I could also watch it
fade away just as fast.
OPPORTUNITY WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN PAY
After some meetings, Mitch and I came to a pretty
good agreement. I went for it-everybody knows that Pro Circuit doesn't
pay much money-but I was in it for the bikes and the ride and everything
that comes along with that team. I knew that the team had won a lot of
championships in the past, and that they must be doing something right.
I wasn't really worried about the money.
MORE PRESSURE!
You might think that with a factory support team.
there would be less pressure. (Laughs) When I first got on Team SplitFire/Pro
Circuit/Kawasaki, Mitch put pressure on me, but it was a different kind.
Mitch was on me so hard from the beginning! We butted heads really, really
bad and even though I knew he had my best interests in mind, I would get
so mad at him. There were so many times that I was ready to just quit.
I didn't want to ride for him, you know? Finally, we kind of came to a
common ground where he decided he wouldn't drill me as hard as long as
he knew I was doing my part. As time went on we started to become friends
and worked together a lot better.
SERGEANT MITCH
I had always heard that Mitch was gnarly with
the pressure and all, but I was like, "Oh, how bad can it be?" Until I
got on the team, that is! Let's put it this way-Mitch runs the team kind
of like a military operation. He's not afraid to yell at you. He wants
to make sure you don't walk around thinking you're the coolest dude, too.
The only thing he wants you to worry about is riding a motorcycle fast.
If you have a bad race, he's not afraid to tell you that you stunk. He's
not going to pat you on the back and say, "Oh, you tried your hardest."
He digs into you and digs and digs until you crack. When I wasn't doing
well it got to the point where I avoided talking to him at all. I didn't
want to go to Pro Circuit because I didn't want to see him. But like I
said, it worked out well.
UP AND DOWN
The '98 season was up and down for me. There
were signs that I could do it, but I still wasn't convinced in my own head.
I guess confidence in myself has always been something that I have lacked.
It seemed like every time that I'd have a good sign that I was really gonna
make it, I'd turn around and do something stupid. When the outdoor season
rolled around, I really wanted to show people that I could ride outdoors.
I've always been better at supercross, but it's not because I like it better,
I'm just better adapted to it, I guess. I wanted to dig in and do well,
and I started getting in the top 10 at every race. At the last national
I got my best outdoor finish, which was fourth overall.
THIS SEASON STARTED ON A BAD NOTE
At Anaheim I had good lap times but I just kept
getting bad starts and kept putting myself in positions I shouldn't have
been in. I barely made it out of the heat race because I got a bad start
and fell trying to come back up. Then at the start of the main event I
ended up getting in a first turn pile-up. After that, I got up and was
going crazy trying to come through the pack. I was doing pretty well and
I got into fifth place with two laps to go. Then I came through the end
of the whoops and I heard something snap. I thought I had hit neutral or
something, and I was kicking my bike into gear. Finally, I looked down
and the chain was gone and I couldn't believe it! I almost wanted to push
my bike to the finish. Bundy and I were just heartbroken, we thought our
championship hopes were over.
TURNAROUND
At the next round in San Diego I got a bad start
again but came through the pack and ended up third. I was right on Casey
Lytle at the end-I almost got him. At first I was happy to be on the podium,
but then I realized that Casey Johnson had won again and knew that made
my title hopes even more grim. I still didn't give up hope, though. At
that point, I knew that I just had to try to win as many races as possible
and hope for the best.
MY PROBLEM HAS BEEN STARTS
I think that a big problem my whole career has
been bad starts. Before San Diego, I went out with our team truck driver
Paul Cortez and he was like, "Man, I don't usually do this, but I'm going
to help you with starts." Paul brought his video camera and we went out
to the Kawasaki test track to work on starts. He was a good starter when
he was racing, and videoed me and we just worked on starts all day long.
We found out what I was doing wrong-and it was just a couple little things-but
they made a big difference. At round three in Phoenix I was second behind
Lytle off the line and I passed him right away. Then I got nervous because
I hadn't even led a heat race this year. I made a bunch of mistakes at
first but I smoothed out towards the middle. At the end of the race when
I saw that white flag I thought, "Okay live it up, this is the white flag
lap-here it is!" I was cruising and all of a sudden I heard the crowd going
crazy. I looked and I saw Johnson right behind me. I thought, "There's
no way I'm going to blow this on the last lap!" I gave it as much gas as
I could and when we came over the finish line I had like a second or two.
That was probably the most nervous and excited I've ever been at the same
time.
OH, WHAT A FEELING!
I can't even describe how I felt winning my first
race. Everybody tells you how they felt, but you really have no concept
until you've done it yourself. The look on my mechanic's face when he ran
down to the finish line was so great! Then I had to walk behind the starting
line to get up to the podium and a lot of the 250cc class riders were all
turning around yelling for me. They weren't even thinking about their race,
at least it didn't look like it, they were just all turning around and
giving me thumbs up. Everyone was so pumped for me-that made it even better.
I had been working forever just to win, and to finally do it was incredible.
DOUBTS
I've always been my own toughest critic. After
I won the race, I thought, "Oh God! I had such a big lead and Johnson caught
up to me! Did I really deserve to win?" Everyone told me that I was pulling
away and not to worry about it. I knew that if I didn't win another one
right away Phoenix would look like a fluke. So I went to the next race
in Seattle and I was feeling good and I wanted to show Johnson what was
up-that I was not a fluke. We were in the same heat race and I ended up
passing him and beating him. In the main I came out fifth while he got
into the lead real fast. Once I started to gain on him and could see it,
that it gave me all the power in the world. Eventually, he crashed and
when I went by I just took a deep breath. We had a good lead on the other
guys so he still ended up coming out second. I was really happy with that
win too, it was a really good feeling.
THE POINTS GAME
After Seattle I started looking at points and
I realized that even if I won every race after that, Johnson could get
second at every race and still beat me for the title. At that point I realized
that I just had to win as many races as I could, and the only way I could
win the title was if Casey got a flat tire or something. As it turned out,
Johnson got hurt at the next round in Anaheim. Some people might think
that when I heard about Casey's broken arm I might have been like, "Yeah!
I'm in there!" But that is the furthest thing from the truth. I would much
rather win by racing against him head to head. That sort of thing is not
anything you would ever wish on anyone. Nobody deserves that.
WINNING IS EASIER NOW
Everyone always says that winning your first
race is the hardest. Even after I won the first one, I still didn't believe
that until I won the second one. When I got my third win, I thought, "Hey,
maybe they're right!" Once you've won you have a different thought process.
Even if you're not in first at the time, you know that you can catch up.
I know now that things will work out if I just ride the way I am capable
of.
CONFIDENCE
I have always lacked self confidence. If I sit
and think about it, I've never really won races. You've got those guys
like RC who grew up winning so they don't know how to lose, really. Me?
I was good at losing! Winning is so different-until you get there, you
don't know how to do it. I've always believed in myself, but in the back
of my mind I still doubted myself. When my fiancée Monica and I
got together, she kept saying that I needed to believe in myself. She kept
drilling that into my head, telling me every day and leaving cards in my
gear bag and stuff like that. My family always said it too: "We believe
in you. There are people giving you rides and obviously they believe in
you, too. Why don't you just do it?"
PRESSURE
At the start of this year I was under a lot of
pressure. I've always been pretty religious-I grew up in the church and
stuff-and one day I prayed for God to help take a little bit of the pressure
off me. All of a sudden it was like I had taken a deep breath of fresh
air. Something was lifted from me. I don't think God really cares if I
win the championship, but He knows how hard I work and how much I've put
into it and only He knows whether or not I deserve it. When I feel myself
getting real stressed out I just try and think about that day and it helps
a whole lot. You know what? It didn't really matter if I had won the title
or not. As bad as I wanted to win the championship, I knew that even if
I hadn't, I've still had the best season of my life, five wins in a row,
a beautiful fiancé, and everything else that is good in my life.
RACING THE 250cc CLASS
I raced a couple 250cc class races and people
were asking me why I was racing when I was in the running for the 125cc
Western Region Championship. Everyone was telling me to go out there and
ride and to take it easy. At Tampa, I did ride easy and I ended up 13th.
That was the first time I ever rode a race and didn't give it all I had,
and I didn't like the way I felt afterwards. At Atlanta, I still stayed
cautious, but I did try harder and I ended up getting 10th. That felt good
because I was racing with a whole pack of the top 250cc class guys.
BUNDY
John Mitchell is Bundy's real name. We grew up
together. He only lived three miles from me in Tennessee and his family
knew my family and we went to the same church. I always rode a little Honda
XR100R, but he had a CR80R! One day he said, "Here man, try this thing
out, it's got a powerband! Watch out-when it kicks in, it'll throw you
off the back!" So Bundy had the first two-stroke I ever rode and after
that I was hooked.
MECHANICAL FAVORS
My family had a motorhome for me and my brother
to take to the races and Bundy started to come with us. He rode the C class
just for fun. Pretty soon, he and I started trading favors. I'd say, "Hey,
if you clean my air filter, I'll do something for you." That's how it all
started. As I got better, Bundy started to work on my bikes more and more.
For him, it became his passion, and that was really cool. Bundy's always
been real flighty, he could never settle down or get satisfied with what
he was doing. He didn't really have any kind of dreams or goals, but in
wrenching he finally found something he liked and he was good at. He learned
a lot real fast because he is not afraid to ask questions. Wanna know
where Bundy's favorite place to be is? It's working
in the shop at Pro Circuit!
He has a fiancé named Susan and he loves
her and he loves to be with her, but for him, being in the shop is his
favorite place to be. Me? I can't understand it, more power to him, that's
why he's so good at what he does. MXr
This, in itself could be a book.
Everyone knows who Jeremy is.
Soon his Elvis like status will
elevate him to the single name
level. Madonna, Prince, Cher,
Bono, Jeremy. It’s as if he was a
rock star already.
My story will base itself around my
dealings within the six-year period I
have known "Il Rey" (the king) I
can’t tell you how many times
people have asked me "you hang
out with McGrath, what’s he really
like?" I tell them the truth.
The fact of the matter is that in my eyes Jeremy handles his status
like the champ he is. I have rarely, if ever seen him in a foul mood
around the fans. He will sign till the pens run dry or he has to go
and ride. Fans who don’t get what they want from riders have to
understand that the reason they are there is to compete not sign
autographs. That is a privilege not an obligation. If you had
everyone hanging on you, asking you for your goggles, helmet,
firstborn, it would get old. Jeremy has been on that tip for nine
years. More ink has come off the end of his pen than Mike Healey
has in his body.
Recently, Jeremy and I shot the video to introduce the 2000 YZ
line. Only Yamaha dealers get a copy of this and it debuts at the
dealer convention. If you think McGrath is sitting by the pool all
summer your not entirely wrong. As often as I imagine his
presence is requested by sponsors he always steps up. He rolled
on location in his fat new truck at 7:00 a.m. on the dot.
" I haven’t gotten up this early in six months" he joked.
I said," You probably have gotten home at this time once or
twice!"
Different people are good at different things. This kids good at
riding, whipping it, and cornering over and over for the camera.
We worked for thirteen hours. Both of us. But when I was sitting
down Jeremy was on the bike doing his thing.
They had us dressed up like Austin Powers. Now you know if
someone says "Jerry, we want you to act like a dork." I’m on it. No
hesitation whatsoever. I’m quite sure McGrath wasn't quite as
comfortable as myself dressed like a weirdo in front of 30 or so
people. Plus it was hot in those velvet suits. We had the teeth, the
wigs and the glasses. It was pure comedy. Between takes we'd
stay in character and bust out the locker room talk.
"Huh, huhh. You said wood." The outtakes are priceless.
After that was done we walked
around interview style and talked
about the new bikes and
contingency and competition. The
thing I enjoyed most was when
Jeremy and I had a half-hour break.
We sat in his truck and blasted the
stereo. We both reminisced about
the time at the Dallas SX I played
the drums at Grayson Goodmans
house. For one half-hour we sat
there and played old school NWA,
Ice Cube and no one bugged us.
Talking about the pressures of
stardom (his of course) he gave me
one of the best quotes ever.
Jeremy said, "When I’m not at the races, I’m not that guy."
The point is Jeremy McGrath is just like every 26 yr. old in the
world. Sure he’s rich and famous with moto skills like no other.
But when he’s home in his neighborhood he’s outside playing RC
cars with the kids. Cruising around the river, going out with friends
or hanging with his girl Kim.
When I left the track that day after 13 hours the still photographers
had Jeremy on a quad in the late afternoon light doing big slides
on a corner. It’s real fun for the first few turns but try doing it for
an
hour or so straight. We said goodbye and I went to the hotel and
took a well-needed shower. Jeremy was still on that quad being
pimped out for yet
another ad.
Someone has to be the king.
The whole day he never once complained about anything. Even
for the king work is work. So when you see him at the races just
treat him like everyone else and he'll be stoked. If you see me at
the races you can push me into a tree chipper or steal my wallet.
Jeremy is the king; I’m just the court jester.
SAN FRANCISCO -- He blew out his ACL just hours earlier, but Mike Metzger limped into ESPN.com's office on Pier 30 Monday afternoon on crutches with fellow Moto X rider Kris Rourke to chat with Freestyle Motocross fans about this year's newest X Games event.
While Metzger will miss this year's competition
in the City by the Bay after injuring himself in practice, he still had
several unique views on the wild world of freestyle motorcycle riding.
How high will Moto X take the X Games in San Francisco
this week?
Rourke also was nursing a sore right wrist from
a 50-foot jump on the pier gone wrong Monday, but he will be in the competition
on Tuesday. Here is what each had to say when asked about everything from
their favorite tricks, to worst injuries.
Punchy: What new tricks are (were) you guys planning on breaking out for the comp? Do any of the other guys like Pastrana have any new tricks?
Kris Rourke: Pastrana is busting out a Superman Seat Grab. He's grabbing the whole fender on the back wheel. He's all the way back on the rear fender. I'm trying to get totally flat and grab the left fender. I'm also leaning back and grabbing the back frame with both hands. I don't have a name for it yet. Any suggestions?
Fred: Mike have you come up with a name for your new trick the one were you do a no-footed can-can saranwrap?
Mike Metzger: It's a "Stale Fish Saran Wrap."
Volcom: How do you guys think Jeremy McGrath would do if he competed in the Freestyle Event?
Metzger: Well he's not here, so I guess he's not a freestyle rider. But I'm on the No Fear team with him and Carey Hart.
Kevin: I'd call your trick the suicide slide.
Rourke: It is kind of like a suicide, but I grab the fender. I like the suicide part, but I'm not sure about the slide. Maybe a "Suicide Click?"
Volcom: What happened to Warpt?
Metzger: I handed over my share to my partner, who is in the BMX world. I'm not in the clothing business anymore. Besides, there not much fun, or much money in the clothing business. I'll just take the royalties and ride my bike.
Brian: How long did it take you to learn the moves you do?
Rourke: I've been doing like heal-clickers and
can-cans, and taking my hands off the bike for quite a while, back when
it all started up. Pretty much since the beginning of the video era. It's
cool now because if you have a big enough kicker, you can mess up a trick
and still have time to recover.
Metzger: Slowly but surely, I'd just add new
moves to each trick.
Mike: Hey what's up? I'm just hanging out in boring Pa. I was just wondering if anyone has ever done a backflip on a dirt bike? I was just wondering if anyone has ever had the ballz to even try it?
Metzger: Our buddy John Jesne does back flips
on z50 Hondas. That's the only guy I know who does it. I haven't thought
about doing it anytime lately.
Rourke: I think it will evolve into a trick sooner
or later. Back flips, barrel rolls and 360s. Some crazy dude is going to
come out and start busting tricks. There are guys out there with tons of
talent.
Volcom: Kris, any video credits to your name?
Rourke: Yeah, but nothing I'm really to proud of. I'm in the new "Fifth Gear Pinned 2," "Air Style" and the new soon-to-be video "Rath Child." Oh, and also "Terrafirma 6." There are some other ones I've had some small sections in, but all the good ones are coming up pretty quick.
Sadie: Mike, what is your favorite sport to watch at the X Games?
Metzger: I'd say BMX dirt jumping. Cause that's
what I do in my spare time.
Rourke: I like the dirt jumping also. But the
bicycle stunt vert comp is also cool. I like the skaters too. It's all
extreme, even though that word is played out.
YZ125 Rider: Mike and Kris, who would you say is the most talented freerider in the sport? Got any favorites?
Rourke: By far the most talented is Pastrana --
he's the most naturally talented rider.
Metzger: I'd say all the riders are pretty talented.
Just to step on a dirt bike a jump as far as we do is pretty mental.
Cassey Terry: What's it like to be known as the
best in the business? And what's it like to ride with the little one Travis?
Love always, Cassey Ps: Freestyle Moto X 4 Ever
Baby!
Metzger: It's just fun to hang out with all the riders and be able to talk freely with them about anything -- whether it's bikes or anything else. Travis is definetly a very skilled professional athlete with a lot of injuries.
Ryan: Hey Mike, what is your worst crash?
Metzger A year ago at the Glen Helen Motocross when I got wedged between the back tire and real fender of another rider. I got a third-degree burn across my back. One of the many.
Fred: What is your bike of choice?
Metzger: A Yamaha 250.
Rourke: I agree.
Volcom: What do you think of the Metal Mulisha? Stupid? or just good shock entertainment?
Metzger: It's just good shock entertainment. They are just crazy. Brian Deegan and Larry Linkcogle are my friends. They are just a little wacked out in their way.
Volcom: What do you guys think of someone like Robbie Kenevil?
Metzger: Robbie is pretty much of a joke in our
eyes.
Rourke: I don't know much about him, but he's
got balls to do what he does. I'd like to see him him try to bust a 75-footer
like one of our freestyle jumps. He's made his name going big, but it's
always ramp-to-ramp on concrete. But I will give him props for what he
does. I think Seth Enslow will go bigger than Robbie ever has.
YZ 125 Rider: Where is your guys favorite place to ride?
Metzger: Ocotillo Wells near Glamis, Calif. in
the Southern California desert. It's the Disneyland for motorcycles.
Rourke: I agree with him all the way.
Ryan: Mike, are you ever going to go back to racing?
Metzger: My goal for next year is to be on the Chapparel Racing Team with Jeremy McGrath.
Volcom: How'd you guys like gay pride day yesterday?
Rourke: I stayed away.
Metzger: I'm not into it at all.
MXfreeRdRz: Which would you rather do if you got paid the same amount: A FreeRiding vidiot, or be a racer?
Rourke: Freeriding for sure, because you can do it longer. It's an awesome sport, where my name being named. I'll probably do it as long as I can until I start getting busted up. I'll always bust big gaps. I'll always do the occasional Supercross, but for now freeriding is where it's at. I'm totally loving life right now.
Adam: How would you rate a Kawasaki from a scale of 1-10?
Rourke: I like 'em OK. I used to ride them a little
when I was riding 80s. The last time I rode a big Kawasaki was at a Vegas
night photo shoot. I jacked my knee all up.
Metzger: I'll ride whatever is free.
YZ 125 Rider: Mike, what happened in practice today? What trick were you doing before you fell?
Metzger: I cased (came up short) a jump and blew out my knee that was already hurt.
Ryan: Do you think that the Olympics should have Freestyle Moto X? Or is there a bad vibe between Olympics and alternative sport?
Metzger: This is pretty much the Olympics of our
sport. But there are rumors that during the opening ceremonies in Sidney
that we will do our sport as an exhibition. If that happened everyone would
want a dirt bike.
Rourke: It would be cool if some day they did
get our sport in the real Olympics. If we got in that exhibition it would
be huge. These X Games are pretty much as big as you can get for this sport.
There is no motocross racing in the X Games, so this is big for our sport
to be at the X Games. I like being right in the middle of a brand new sport
that's getting huge and being one of the many who is helping it grow.
YZ 125 Rider: What kind a of music do you guys like?
Rourke: I like, what's it called, core music?
Kind of like metal rap, with metal and rap mixed together. I like a lot
of hip-hop stuff to, but I like bands like Cotton Mouth Kings and Biskit
for sure. And a new local band from Idaho called Substance.
Metzger: Everything really, but my favorites
are Limp Biskit, Korn and Even Rude.
MxFreeRdRZ911: What advice do you give to young freeriders trying to get started?
Metzger: Wear protection! And plan on many hospital
visits. It's part of the business. Pray a lot. That's what I forgot to
do today.
Rourke: All I can say is keep heart and keep
faith and it will happen.
Rourke: Sorry we couldn't get to everyone's questions,
but I've got to get geared up for my next practice session. Everyone stay
healthy and be sure to watch us on the X Games later this week.
Metzger: I've got a doctor's appointment, so
peace out. Oh yeah, '99 X Games kicks butt.