speedblogness

After spending a few years running an amateur road racing team I thought I would throw out a few of my thoughts on the riders I have worked with, sponsors and the current state of amateur road racing.

First off I'll talk about the riders.

From 2003 through 2006 we worked with Bojan Miljovic, Nathan Dressman, Randy Sherman, Rick Knuckles, Jonas McCluskey, Dave Theil and Allan Pett in both AMA, WERA regional and national competition.

The first rider we worked with was Bojan Miljovic and with Boo you never had to worry about effort or speed. He was a rider who should have had a shot at AMA Pro racing.

Boo was as mentally tough as they come and had no problem using muscle to get the bike headed in the direction he wanted it to go. He feared no one.

He probably put in the most work of any of the team riders. His long work hour and the fact that he worked nights with a lot of travel meant that it was not unusual for him to roll in from a job, load everything up and head off to Ohio, Virginia with little or no sleep and then racing for two or three days.

There were three highlights during his stay. The 2004 Grattan WERA National where he started dead last and hunted down the leaders to take three second place finishes. It was the shock of the day at Grattan as everybody wanted to know who he was.

Second was his complete domination of the Solo Twenty race at the Mid Ohio AMA Sports race in 2004. An interview with Speedvison TV surrounded by people wondering who the hell he was. He just came out of nowhere to dominate this race. Sadly while running second the following day he crashed in the keyhole destroying the bike. Oh what could have been that never was.

Lastly again at Grattan Boo as an Expert (2005) starting from last on the grid. Boo steadily ran down the leaders and had a massive three lap battle with Trackoholics rider Jonas McCluskey. End result taking second by a few feet over Jonas.

A few days later Boo wrote off the Gixxer in a massive crash at Mid Ohio. The lack of sleep, the endless outlay of cash pretty much forced Boo to put an end to the bleeding and he retired.

I have nothing but the greatest respect for the time and effort Bojan put forth for our team and without him we would have had to work a lot harder to achieve the results we did in the first year. His multiple race wins from the back of the grid are a memory of a kid who gave it his all every time out.

Nathan Dressman (Arnchu Racing), a multi-time WERA champion joined us in 2005. Nate was coming off two bad years in AMA pro racing. During our time together Nate and I joined forces in finding and bringing on sponsorship to the team.

I brought Nate in as our 2005 Lead trackday instructor. And he did not disappoint. Every customer we had loved Nate. His patience with new riders was awesome and so we also decided to work together with our two race programs. His being Anchu Racing, ours Trackoholics Racing.

Our work together was magic as we were able to go out and find the kind of sponsors we needed to make a run at the National Endurance Championship as well as provide for the whole Trackoholics race team who ran a mix of WERA regional and national events..

In 2005 Nate, Randy Sherman, Rick Knuckles, and Bojan Miljovic won a few National rounds and ended the year second in National points. In 2006 Nate finally realized his dream as Anchu Racing won the WERA National Endurance title with Randy Sherman, Rick Knuckles and Mark Crozier.

Although Nate and I spent a lot of time at odds. A lot of that came from the constant pressure of running multiple riders, two race teams in multiple race series as well as the trackday company.

During that time Nathan and I had formed a nice sponsorship package that covered the gamut. Those who helped us along the journey like Motion Pro, Kushitani, Oxtar, RK Chain, Pirelli, Bridgestone, Catalyst Composites, Vortex, GP Tech, Motorex, Ohlins, SBS, LeoVince, and Honda East made life a little easier on us. Their help was key to the successes we had.

Nathan currently races the MOTO ST series for the rightsforbikers.com team, as well as running various WERA regional and National events.

For 2005 I made a deal with Bridgestone to run their tires. This was ultimately the wrong decision as Pirelli had a far superior tire, not to mention awesome trackside service and assistance. Their ability to provide tires was always in question and we had a lot of issues that were never resolved. Despite the fact that they produced a very good tire in the BT-002, we were competing with Pirelli and Michelin. Bridgestone USA just never had the want to win as bad as the other two manufactures. Instead in 2006 they threw their money into becoming the title sponsor of the WERA National series, whatever that meant.

I spent 100% of 2005 working my full time job, Trackoholics trackdays, traveling to races and flying back and forth to California as I helped Aaron and Matt get Ti2TT off the ground. It's tough to recall la lot of the season as it all became a blur.

Another rider who I have worked with and have nothing but praise for was Jonas McCluskey. Jonas tops my list as a guy who puts it all on the table when he lines up on the grid. Another guy who works long hours, has a wife and a couple of kids and somehow manages to put together a handful of AMA and WERA National and regional races a year, usually winning most of them while running in the top 15 in the AMA Pro series.

His aggressive riding means he is always a threat to win.

He was very good to Karoline and I over the years.

Dave Theil was the youngest of the crop to race for us and was a Trackoholics trackday regular. Dave got his start on the track with us and when he talked to me at the end of 2004 about racing, I felt compelled to help him.

For Dave a former football player who was big and as strong as an ox the whole road racing thing was a new endeavor and learning experience.

Dave never won a race but like Boo he had his moments. By midyear he was in a groove and by August we rolled into Autobahn. By the end of the day after a couple of podiums that day he was leading the last race of the day going away when a bump unsettled the bike causing a major crash that destroyed the bike and his chance for his first win.

Another shot came at the final race of the year at Grattan. Dave ran strong early in the day and already had a couple of podiums. In thelast race of the day while contending for the lead on the second lap, another rider turned in early going up the hill running off onto the grass, he then turned back onto the track into the pack of bikes.

He T-boned Dave at around 100 MPH sending Dave through the windscreen and head first into the pavement. The bike once again was destroyed and that was the end of Daves' season.

This crash came as a bit of a blessing as doctors discovered that Dave had a tumor growing in the side of his head. The tumor was removed; Dave lost his hearing on the right side and retired.

I always liked Dave as a rider. As he gained experience his football player background came to the fore front and he ran as hard as any rider I have worked with. As well Dave developed as a rider and had very good tire control. He was the only one who could get the maximum out of the Bridgestone's. Great kid that I totally enjoyed working with.

Allan Pett is the last of the boys I have worked with. In the summer of 2006 Allan asked me to come out and help him at Grattan. At the time Allan was running both the WERA regional and national series. He had a slew of second place finishes up to that point and was trying to find a way to get his first win.

After working on a few specific rider issues with him we found the keys to the winners circle with Allan winning twice that day.

Al then went on to win a few Nationals and the WERA National 600 Superbike championship at Road Atlanta.

I continue to work with him in 2007 in his rookie expert season. Check out Allans website at 272racing.com

Based on what I've seen the past few years, amateur road racing continues to escalate in the expense to participate. Tires and fuel are the leading costs. Racers who run up front are constantly buying tires, and that requires additional wheels (another expense) and now that race fuel is legal in amateur racing they are kind of forced to run the (expensive) stuff to run up front. And to say the stuff is toxic would be an understatement.

Those who can learn and understand setup and can motivate them self’s to keep reaching for more are going to be the winners and today if you are young and can find support you have a shot at AMA Pro Racing and the chance to make some real money. Or the chance to go broke. WERA roadracing although it has produced a few champions, the Hayden boys are an example can be a very expensive venture. If you ex[ect to work your way into the AMA Pro ranks you need to be (1). young, (2). have serious financial backing, and you need to be prepared to work very hard because few make it to a paid AMA pro racing ride.

Three riders under 20 years old come to mind. Josh Herrin and Blake Young who are both AMA Pro riders now and 17 year old WERA expert Matt Lapham.

Josh and Blake both have families that supported them 110% while it appears that Lapham has the support and he certainly exhibits the skills and potential.

All in all the days of our house and garage being filled with people, bikes and parts are long over. The endless phone calls, travel, the differing egos and the insanity that is amateur and professional racing are now just a small part of my life. It is so much easier on me to work with one rider and yet I would not trade the days with Trackoholics and Anchu for anything. It was an experience and we all had a great time.

Thanks to all of the riders named above or putting it out there and getting the job done and to my wife Karoline who willingly sacrificed her time, joined in the fun and helps me make it possible.

To view the old Trackoholics Racing website follow this link.

Peace,

Jim

Give it up for Toyota and their creative sponsorship of the AMA National Motocross Series!

What they have done is unprecedented in motorsports.

They have designed a rolling facility that travels to all of the AMA National Motocross races and gives AMA professional privateers a home away from home and it is about time that some of the kids get a reasonable shot at top level racing. I'll be the first to admit that many will not make it to the top. Giving them the tools they need to take a shot at getting there is something that has been non-existent in the sport, until now.

Check out this quote by Toyota officials on how they plan to help AMA Privateers succeed.
"A rider is a rider whether they are on four wheels or two, male or female, at every AMA Toyota Motocross weekend. Our goal has always been to give back to the Motocross community through our sponsorship, which may mean improving the fan experience or providing support to Pro riders that do not have Factory backing," said Brian Smith, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., Corporate Manager, Truck and SUV."

"The Privateer's Toyota Zone is complete with a pressure washer station in the bed of a Tacoma truck available to privateers and take-away lunches for privateer racers and crew".

Topping that off, Toyota has offered the one of these riders the opportunity to earn a professional ride with a factory supported AMA pro team.

"All eligible athletes enrolled in TMX will have the opportunity to advance through the program and receive valuable media exposure and TMX rider awards. The ultimate reward of racing as a Toyota sponsored professional rider will be awarded to one deserving rider. The rider will represent Toyota by proving their ability, desire, attitude and passion".

This kind of talk is usually smoke and mirrors BS. However Toyota has stepped up in a major way and is giving AMA National Privateers some real support.

I say give it up for Toyota who is a huge corporate presence, who could have just shoved their marketing spiel down our throats for the cash they are laying out in sponsoring the AMA Nationals.

Instead Toyota has taken the long term position of growing the sport while promoting their products and I am finally on the side of whoever dreamed this kind of marketing program. Toyota is truly giving back to the sport of motocross.

It's actually amazing the guy or gal who dreamed up this "giving back to the sport" still has a job!

I worked for a company during Chevrolet's sponsorship of the AMA motocross series and it was a lackluster joke by comparison.

Bottom line is that I really wanted to throw out a big thank you to those at Toyota who dreamed up helping the young up and coming (and mostly poor or broke) AMA National privateers, their families and supporters. Next car or truck I buy now has a 99% chance of being a Toyota.

So there you go, a marketing program that gives a lot and takes a little and it works!

Check out the TMX website for more details

Of the many professional motocross riders who have won championships since I got involved in the sport (around 1966) You have to put AMA Motocross Champion Doug Henry near or at the top of the list in regards to greatness.

Doug is the man who developed the current generation 4 stroke motocross bikes. He was the guy who made them work. He was the guy who Yamaha laid their future in dirtbikes with.

Doug’s resume includes winning the 1993 AMA 125 Motocross and AMA 125 East Supercross Championships, the 1994 AMA 125 Motocross Championship, 1998 AMA 250 Motocross Championship and was named the 1998 AMA Professional Athlete of the Year. Winner of the gold medal in the 2005 X-Games Supermoto race. Doug recorded 25 AMA Supercross/Motocross overall wins during his pro racing career. In 2005 Doug was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

After semi retiring from professional motocross Doug won a GNCC cross-country race in his first attempt on a stock Honda.

From there Doug joined the AMA SuperMoto championship and was a title contender right from the start. And although he never won the championship, it was not for a lack of effort.

Doug Henry was the consummate racer and was a race fans dream. There were few time I can recall NOT seeing Doug accessible and hanging out with race fans. Where many of the bigger names hide in their toterhomes and come out only during autograph sessions. Doug was always out and always hanging out with his crew and the fans.

In early 2007 Doug suffered a devastating and what appears to be a career ending injury while practicing. At the 2007 AMA SuperMoto round in Detroit Doug was missed more than he can know. His legacy does however live on in his teammate Mark Burkhart who has finally ridden to his true potential. Mark won the race and you could almost see in Mark many of the qualities that Doug had in winning championships.

So the bottom line is that I feel that it is important for us to remember riders like Doug. A guy who did not just take the money and run. Doug was one of the few guys who accepted all of the corporate BS that goes along with motorsports racing today and gave everyone 150% of his time when he was at the race track. Guys like Doug and Mark Burkhart are what make motorsport racing a great place to be whether you are doing it or watching it.

Doug was and is an inspiration for any racer who is striving to win a championship.

Doug Henry was the man before and continues to be the man today.

We hope that one day Doug is able to recover and walk again. He deserves that opportunity.

At the 2007 X Games Mark Burkhart gave credit to Doug for his winning championship form.

Doug has suffered more than one devastating injury during his career. Budds Creek, MD was not a track that was kind to Doug over the years and his 1995 crash where he fell from nearly 80 feet in the air to flat ground resulted in Doug breaking his back. Amazingly Doug suffered no paralysis from this insane crash. No Fear sold a poster showing Doug's back and the incision and stitch marks running from below his neck to his waist. Check out the video of the crash. he suffered two broken wrists at Budds Creek, mere feet away from the jump where he had his earlier injury.

Despite all of the devastation to his body Doug rehabbed, rebuilt himself and went on to win yet another motocross championship on the YZ450 he developed for Yamaha.

He stormed into SuperMoto and I have to think this may have been his year had he not been injured. After talking to some Yamaha team members at the Detroit AMA SuperMoto round it appears as though Doug has a long road to travel before or if he ever rides again.

In today’s media driven celebrity, Doug Henry managed to be a credit to his team, his sponsors, to his fans and to himself. He stood out as a real winner in many disciplines of our sport and for that Doug ranks near or at the top in professional motorsports.

It's really hard to put into words all that Doug has done for the sport of motocross and SuperMoto. In terms of sheer will and determination Doug is ranks right up there with Rickey Carmichael one of motorsports elite racers.

I am hoping as I did with David Bailey, Danny Magoo Chandler, Ernesto Fronseca, Wayne Rainey and the many others who have suffered paralysis through a crash that they may have a complete recovery or something close to that so they can go on living a normal life.

As many know this was not the case with Bailey and he has suffered mightily.

One thing that Bailey has fought for and is pushing for riders to wear is the Leatt Brace and I hope that moms, dads and riders old enough to understand that they could suffer the same or like injuries as Doug Henry wear any and all protective gear that will allow them to live a full life long after their racing or riding career ends.

Karoline and I stay hopeful that we'll see Doug will walk again, we are fans Doug!

Additional information

View video of Doug Henry's 1995 crash at Budds Creek

Wings of life - Spinal cord research

If you want to see some of the Doug Henry photos Karoline and I shot at the 2006 Detroit AMA Supermoto race follow this link.

Ricky Carmichael did the one thing few racers at his level have done and that is to forgo or rather he had a very subdued farewell tour.

To many racers follow the ritual of milking their careers to the bitter end. Most are over the hill racers who haven't won in years who continue to find a way of pocketing that last ounce of cash from the fans. That is not Ricky Carmichael, who went out as a champion and rode every race to win right up to the end at the Motocross of Nations where the USA destroyed the world for a record 18th time.

Karoline and I were at the Red Bud National this year and you would have never known that Carmichael was ending his riding career. In my very humble opinion Ricky is as fast, if not faster than he has been in years past. There is no question that he could still win a slew of championships if he chose to.

Sadly for the motorcycle community he has headed off to ...... what else, Nascar. And so he joins the gang of Indycar drivers who have headed to Cashcar where he will drive around in circles until he is dizzy while making a boat load of cash.

Carmichael is one of the few riders to take motocross and supercross to another level and there are maybe two riders who have touched the level he set. Ryan Villapoto and James Stewart. Whether or not that can take that to yet another level has yet to be seen.

Carmichael's take no prisoners approach to racing might just be all that he needs to succeed in Nascar.

As could be seen in this years crop of top notch Indycar drivers who moved over to Nascar it can be very difficult to win against Cashcars regulars. Just ask Juan Montoya (multitime Indycar champion, Indy 500 winner and multiple Formula One winner) who has managed to do it. The bottom line is that if he succeeds he will be one of the few motorcycle racers to penetrate four wheeled motorsports and become a winner. John Surtees who won both motorcycle GP champions as well as the Formula One championship comes to mind, although many others have tried.

We are going to miss Ricky next year, however I think Ryan Villapoto is prepared to step into his shoes.

Best of luck Ricky, there is no question you have the talent and tenacity to do it.