Check out my latest Q&A session with pro rider Josh LaJiness! Click here to view the interview.
Photo courtesy of Josh LaJiness
In the pits with… Josh LaJiness
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Monthly Archives: February 2012
Electric Motorcycles – Dealer Expo 2012
Will electric motorcycles one day take over the gas powered machines of now? Or is the idea of creating an electric machine more of a fad or phase? Whatever the case, BRD revealed an electric dirt bike at the Dealer Expo at Indy that they say is comparable to a 250F four-stroke. Check out the video from the expo:
Although I think its a pretty neat idea and obviously would be better for our environment and the people who can’t stand loud noises but really? I know we have something out there called the Environmental Protection Agency who put regulations on anything you can think of on the bikes and constantly apply pressure to the sport we all love. One that we hear about constantly is the emissions and sound ordinances on the exhaust systems. I believe that part of the fun of the sport is knowing that you have a well oiled, gasoline powered engine between your legs. Am I wrong? I can’t really say that having a battery beneath you and having an engine with zero combustion would be that satisfying but yet again, I haven’t ridden one to tell you. And with a listing MSRP just over 14k for this bike, it won’t be anytime soon. Haha. We can count on this topic coming up more and more in the future and I’m sure that at some point it will come to a point where we all will cross over to the electric side… but in my opinion, that will be a sad day.
Reflections – Dallas
Well, where do I even start about the events that unfolded last night in Dallas? I am still kind of in shock and in awe. Both the Lites and Supercross classes had their share of events that anyone at all interested in Monster Energy Supercross would throw up their arms in excitement, frustrations, etc. If you did none of these things, then I wouldn’t declare yourself as a fan. 
Lites class – With the season premier of the East Coast division, the usual suspects were found starting the night in the front of the pack. Germany’s sensation Ken Roczen won heat #1 with ease as he had a substantial lead over Blake Bagget by race end. Coming back from a broken arm and have only been riding for 2 weeks prior to this race, I would say this was a very impressive ride for Roczen.
In heat #2, Justin Barcia showed that he wasn’t out there for someone to take his number 1 plate from him as he made his presence known while making the moves on Darryn Durham and then finally the lead away from Blake Wharton. What was surprising to me is how impressive Darryn Durham battled and came out of the gate flying. New to the Pro Circuit Kawasaki team this year seemed so far, to be a great fit for him. Durham would finish second behind Barcia.
In the pits with…Moto Star Global’s Scott Walters
Check out my latest Q&A session with the guy responsible for the concept of Moto Star Global. The company is currently this years official casual wear sponsor to Rock River Yamaha.
Ben Lamay of Rock River Yamaha supporting the Moto Star hoodie!
Reflections – San Diego
Round 6 in San Diego brought some very interesting stories that made it very engaging and exciting to watch LIVE on SPEED. Both the Lites division and the big bikes class didn’t cease to appeal the crowds. Seemed like every 2 minutes the vibrant crowd at Qualcomm Stadium would suddenly have a rush in cheers that you couldn’t help but notice during the broadcast. Which brings me to one of the downfalls to LIVE broadcasts is that most of the time, the camera will not show LIVE what the crowd is actually hollering at. It sucks for the hardcore fan but there’s little you can do about it. That’s what you get with LIVE TV.
The Lites class showed us that on-lookers need to stay on their toes as anything can happen and can change from week to week. Of course, most of the front runners were running where they need to be with the exception of Eli Tomac who suffered a pretty rough crash through the whoops section in the main event and went over the handle bars and landed on his right elbow and shoulder. See YouTube video below:
Dean Wilson seemed to have all of his mojo back as he had no problem taking both the heat win and the top finisher in the main event. To me, he seemed like he was having a lot more fun than previous weekends. A historic moment and an accomplishment that he will probably never forget, Matt Moss earned his first ever podium finish for his JDR-JStar-KTM team and didn’t hesitate to show his enthusiasm and excitement during the post race interview. Good for him and I hope he continues to improve.
Round 6: 2012 San Diego Track Comparison
Tonight’s race in San Diego at Qualcomm Stadium will present a much different feeling from that of last years event in which Chad Reed brought home the victory. The riders will have to come in with a new approach today and throw out what happened last year in San Diego as today’s conditions are vastly contrasting.
2011 San Diego track conditions
In addition to the track having a layer of dry dirt creating a little bit of dust, they have incorporated a difficult triple coming out of a turn that most riders are having a tough time with. Shown in the video below, provided by RacerX, the majority of the riders were double, tripling out in practice. Needless to say that the track conditions could change by race time, this feature provides a extra 10 feet from a standard triple, according to Eli Tomac in an trackside interview with Georgia Lindsay. In the video below, you can see that Eli had no problems clearing the beast, being one of the only lites riders to do so. We shall see how this monster plays out in tonight’s show in which undoubtedly will be one of the most covered topics by Jeff Emig and RC in the live coverage on SPEED at 7:30pm PST.
Go to RacerX.BNQT.COM for more videos.
MotoStar Racing on MXOT
You have a PS3? Do you own a copy of MX vs. ATV Alive? Make sure you check out mxonlinetournaments.com and sign up to race in the late night series with guys from MotoStar Racing. Created with help from company owner of MotoStar Global (motostarglobal.com), you can get a chance to race with some of the fastest guys out there – virtually, not necessarily in real life, haha. In addition to the stiff competition, these guys are some of the coolest guys and love to talk about what’s going on within the industry. 
It definitely makes for a fun night. If you’re looking a new online experience with MX vs. ATV Alive, check out www.mxonlinetournaments.com and sign up to race the MotoStar Racing late night series. You may happen to see me on there from time to time. Make sure you look for me, MotoStar_Tails! Brraaap!
Reflections – A2
With the completion of A2, I see much of the same trends as well but a few things have surprised me. I still don’t understand the philosophy behind how CBS covers these races, but at the same time, I can’t complain too much as they are at least covering the sport and reach out to a larger market than that of the SPEED channel. Anyway, in the lites class, Dean Wilson seems to be having some issues getting on the podium on a consistent basis. Not sure if he is putting more pressure on himself in attempting to defend his title or some other issue, but he doesn’t seem to have that flair right now.
It’s not hard to figure out that Eli Tomac is the man to beat right now. Although, it seemed that he had it a little rough during his qualifying rounds, when it came time for the heats, he had no problems whatsoever. Ryan Sipes started to show his true colors as he qualified 2nd in which he hasn’t been this close to the front all year and he showed all day that he does still have the fight to put himself in a position to win again.
In the Supercross class, I mean what else is there to say other than much of the same coming from James Stewart. All that speed and swagger doesn’t really matter if you can’t control the bike or keep the control within your means to last the whole race. I believe the reference came from Ryan Villopoto after winning last year’s Supercross main in Atlanta when he said “sometimes it’s not about being the fastest. You’ve got to be smart too.” That’s all I really want to say about Stewart.
Interviews – In The Pits With…
Check out my latest installment, In The Pits With…, a page dedicated to rider interviews and Q&A sessions. Check out my latest interview with Washington State local rider Kevin Niemela. He’s a local guy trying to make a name for himself.
Kevin ripping up Newport MX Park
Continue to check back in as more rider interviews to come.
TwoTwo Ready for A2
Chad Reed and his TwoTwo Motosports team are going into round 5 at Anaheim2 today supporting the red plates along side KTM Factory rider Ryan Dungey as they are knotted up with 85 points a piece, only 2 points ahead of Washington native Ryan Villipoto.
Chad Reed will be rocking red plates for A2.
Who will step up today and will Chad Reed continue to ride consistent races towards his chase of another championship? Currently I have not seen any other rider, other than Ryan Dungey, remain consistently towards the front of the pack and at the same time put in consistent rides like Reed has up to this point so far. It is tough to call what may result from this weekend as so many guys are pushing hard for the podium. With James Stewart’s win last weekend, is he on the move to acquire the consistency to remain upright? Only time will tell as the season just beginning.