Spent The Day At The Motorcycle Races Today

[ricky racer]

Being a huge fan of motorcycle racing, especially motocross, I never miss the July 4th weekend AMA National at Red Bud in Buchanan Michigan. This year is the 40th anniversary of this great race and I've been to every one. This year again, it was televised live on NBC. The attendance was somewhere north of 30,000 and the weather was perfect. I am fortunate to have the best seat in the house in a scissor lift with one of my best friends and track owner, Gene Ritchie.









Anyway, I had a great time with some great people and enjoyed some great racing.

[Bengt Phorqs]

Motocross the way it was meant to be. Outdoors with real dirt!

[bradzdotcom]

red bud and washougal are the "old men" of motocross tracks, along with Glen Helen and Unadilla.
hopefully they'll stick around a few more years.

it was a really good race, unless your name was dungey. if so...not so much.
villopoto could probably call in the rest of the series, and have them send his crown by ups.
that little red elf has them all covered, and then some.

what did they feed Tomac for breakfast? sheesh!

[Chris Canning]

This year in the UK for what ever reason info is zilch on a any of the US series,no TV coverage either which is a real shame.

[John Lyon]

Originally Posted by bradzdotcom

red bud and washougal are the "old men" of motocross tracks, along with Glen Helen and Unadilla.
hopefully they'll stick around a few more years.

Yikes! I didn't realize Puyallup was gone...

[ricky racer]

Originally Posted by John Lyon

Yikes! I didn't realize Puyallup was gone...

Southwick is history too.

[ricky racer]

Originally Posted by bradzdotcom

what did they feed Tomac for breakfast? sheesh!

Eli was on fire Saturday, that's for sure. Especially that second moto!! A poor start and a mistake dropped him way back in the pack but Tomac put his head down and laid waste to the track as he worked his way to the front. There just wasn't time to overtake a very fast, smooth and consistent Roczen. It will be interesting to look at lap times once they are posted. He was smokin'.

To me, the most surprising performance of the day was turned in by Jeremy Martin. His fight with Marvin Musquin was epic, both motos. Very impressive for the youngster.

[tim22]

I raced my KTM 525 there about four (five?) years ago during the annual "Vet" weekend when they have all the "+" classes (+30, +35, +40, etc.). Was fun to race on the same track as the pros.

...as usual, not contributing anything useful to the thread.

Tim

[bradzdotcom]

eli had everybody worried with his practice times. he shaved 3 seconds off the lap times. don't see that often.
kinda doubt he'll snag roczen for the title, but ya never know.

jeremy martin is johnny martin's son (former enduro and isdt guy, now has his own national mx race). he's always been fast, just been on...um...not-as-good equipment as some others.

original hangtown is gone. payallup is gone, as john noted.
these days, we're being subjected to mostly flat, parking-lot type tracks, with supercross obstacles thrown in. some of these tracks are like the dance club extended mixes: same stuff as SX, just spread out longer.

there used to be a couple of places we'd race, including unadilla and sometimes mid-ohio, where the track was still covered in grass when practice started.
now we get dirt mixed with corn husks, rice, playground sand and even portland cement powder (to keep it from coming apart).
often wondered what the earthworms below must think: "Marge, what the hell are they doing up there? and what's that horrible smell?"

[shreddr]

kick ass dude! I have been going to Unadilla for 40 years, can't say I hit every one though, pretty impressive, and although I know Robinson, I never got to sit in the scissor lift

I am sure you oldsters here remember the picture of Hannah at Unadilla with his pipe smashed in. I was in the bowl turn on the back at the Trans AMA (1976?) when DeCoster got fed up with his crap and t-boned him into the next county.

Those were the days!



BradZ, extra time on the big bore if you can post that pic I am talking about!

[ricky racer]

I don't think anyone really misses Kennworthys track in Ohio. It was kind of like Brad said " mostly flat, parking-lot type tracks, with supercross obstacles thrown in." The loss of Southwick is another story. A great track that is different than anything else on the circuit.

Budds Creek is another great track that reminds me of Red Bud. I was out there for the MXdN a few years ago. It was cool seeing Ricky race his last professional race.









And a much younger RV come of age and make the leap from a fast kid to a future Hall of Famer after a performance that will be talked about for years to come.