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Racer X Notebook: Thunder Valley
Monday, June 27, 2011 | 5:20 PM
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Print- Shane Schaefer from Schaefer built tracks helped work on The Thunder Valley track. A few sections had changed since last year’s AMA National, most notably the new mechanic’s area, which was made to accommodate the Motocross of Nations. In the past, the track hooked back onto the start after the finish line, but now it snaked back across the back of the start, similar to a supercross layout. The Lakewood track started out prepped up like many of the other national tracks this year—sand softened the soil and held the moisture in the early motos. It also led to deep ruts, and then later in the day that soil began to harden, so the ruts were treacherous. But you can’t argue with the amount of lines that could be used to make passes.
- Kevin Windham was back in action after saying he’d be out of action starting this weekend. “We just had too much fun,” said Windham about his comeback, which could go on for, well, he’s not sure how many more races yet. Honda had said all along they would be ready to host three bikes under their tent in case Josh Grant and Trey Canard both return, but they also provide a bike for Chad Reed, which could mean up to four CRF450Rs to prepare for a squad that only planned on having two riders in the first place. If everyone were to be racing, that would mean a lot of work for the crew, but they’re not going to hold K-Dub out if he wants to race.
- Then the good news of getting Windham back was offset by the bad news for Josh Grant, who crashed in practice and tweaked his knee, then popped the knee out in the first moto. It’s not the same knee that was surgically repaired earlier this year. Grant is getting the knee looked at this week and we’ll post more whenever further information is available.
How long will Windham stay around for this summer?
Photo: Garth Milan
- Several of the top 450 riders had a tough time logging two solid motos. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer crashed twice in the first moto and then went down in turn one of the second moto, resulting in 19-16 scores and 18th overall. It’s been a tough summer like that for Weimer. When he crashed in the first race, Davi Millsaps ran into him, resulting in a broken front brake for Millsaps, who then had to pull into the pits for repairs. He ended up 24th in that moto and bounced back for sixth in moto two, giving him 15th overall. Millsaps, a Muscle Milk/Toyota JGR rider, also won the $500 Muscle Milk recovery award for making the biggest improvement in his first and second moto results.
- Tommy Hahn also had a much better second moto than first on his MotoConcepts Yamaha. A first turn crash in moto one put him in 38th place early, and he charged back to 11th. In moto two he scored fifth to collect sixth overall. Meanwhile Red Bull KTM’s Mike Alessi took fifth in moto one after a close battle with Windham, but crashed out in a pileup with Weston Peick and Kyle Chisholm in moto two. Chisholm, who is still recovering from a tough crash in supercross, didn’t finish the race, and Peick finished 32nd.
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Tough break for Josh Grant this weekend as he injured his other knee at Thunder Valley.
Photo: BrownDogWilson
- In the 250 class, several riders had small mechanical glitches, including Kyle Cunningham, who DNFed moto one but came back for eighth in moto two. Martin Davalos also had a problem in the first moto, but the team fixed the bike and sent him back out several laps down. Davalos may be the first rider in history to do a mid-race interview with TV reporter Erin Bates and later reappear in the race! He finished 36th and came back for a ninth in moto two.
- GEICO Powersports Honda rider Lance Vincent had brake troubles in the first 250 moto, but the rookie got a good start and turned in the ride of his life in moto two, battling Ryan Sipes and Dean Wilson hard for second. Then mechanical troubles set in again. Vincent’s 22-36 scores did not at all show his true speed.
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Davalos did a mid-race interview in moto one, and still finished 36th.
Photo: BrownDogWilson
- Vincent is a replacement rider for the injury-riddled GEICO Honda team, but they will finally get one of their injured riders back in Wil Hahn, who should be racing at Red Bud. Blake Wharton attended the race but is still a long ways off from racing after multiple shoulder surgeries.
- And no one has played the replacement-rider card better than South Carolina’s Les Smith, who filled in for Justin Brayton at Muscle Milk/Toyota JGR for three races, and then picked up a spot at Rockstar Suzuki at Lakewood. Smith had never ridden a Suzuki until Saturday morning practice. He went 21-19 for 23rd overall. Smith is filling in for the injured Hunter Hewitt, who is filling in for the injured Ryan Morias. Meanwhile, Jason Anderson’s bike sat idle for the weekend while Anderson was dealing with, according to team owner Bobby Hewitt, “personal issues.”
- Privateer Jimmy Albertson made his return from a knee injury that occurred at the very first practice at the very first supercross of the year this weekend. The number #108 Honda rider had more than respectable finishes of 12-12 for, yep, 12th overall. Last season Albertson went to Europe to race the MX1 GP’s and he eventually returned home partway though that season when it wasn’t working out. The season before that, Albertson rode for the Valli Yamaha team and ended the year tenth overall in the 450 class. Let’s hope that the Merge Racing Honda rider can keep on getting solid results the rest of the this summer.
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- One rider that struggled at Lakewood is Motoconcepts Yamaha’s Kyle Chisholm who is still recovering from his injuries suffered at the Houston Supercross. Chisholm badly bruised his lungs at that race and they aren’t at capacity quite yet which made breathing at the over one mile elevation of Lakewood something that was tough to do. Chisholm knew it was going to be a tough day going in and pulled out shortly into moto one and didn’t start the second race.
- Maybe BTOSports.com/BBMX’s Michael Byrne turned a corner with his strong 9th place finish in the second moto of the 450 class this weekend. Byrner travelled up to New Hampshire to get in some suspension testing with his sponsor Factory Connection before High Point and although that race was rough, Byrner was up there this weekend in the first moto before having to stop to get mud out of his rear brake. And like we were saying, the 9th place in the second moto was his best moto of the outdoors. Let’s hope that upward trend continues for Byrner and his team.
- A ride that mostly stuck to riding the 250 west SX series, Jake Canada, came out and rode what we believe was his first ever 450 national at Lakewood. Canada (who is not from Canada but California) had an amazing day as he went 10-13 for 9th overall and top privateer on the day. And with this great ride, Jake will probably get to drop one digit from his #592 for the 2012 season. Great ride for Canada!
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Isn't lakewood where 33 helped Alessi's season.end with a knee injury. I'd call uncle on that one Josh.
Pala374
Alessi's dad said the Universe will get him back, 2 years later it did .....lol on the same track
Alessi's dad said the Universe will get him back, 2 years later it did .....lol on the same track
Pretty amazing that Chisholm did not start the second moto, but still managed to get in a crash with Alessi and Peick. Just think what he could do if he started the race.
And so the streak continues... How many seasons does this make that Grant has not completed an entired season? Or an easier question: How many complete seasons has he ever finished? I like Grant, I just wish he could finish an entire season without getting hurt.
Also looks like K-Dub still has a bike to ride! Seeing how Honda continues to need a fill in rider! Can't wait for Canard to get back!
I predct that Dungey will go 1 1 at Red Bud and 1 1 again at Spring Creek.
Who agrees and/or disagrees?
he knows how to roll her in flour now,..yeah I see a few 1-1's comming up
What in the heck happened here folks!?!????!!! I was hoping that J-Law would show up since he was entered to race, but obviously "Houston we have a problem" !! Hey Jason where are you Man??? You say that you are better than Dungey... come on! prove it!!! and put your money where your mouth is! Ha ha! Rubber baby buggie bumpers! Can you say that three times really fast?
Dungeous Crab I agree with you and I think you can add Southwick and 'Dilla to the list. He is about to go on a tear.
It is hard to feel bad for Grant. Let's see- don't wear shoulder pads, then hurts shoulder. Don't wear knee brace then hurt knee. Get knee fixed but still don't wear knee braces, then hurt other knee.
Whatever. If I were Honda I'd be pissed.
21-19 gets you 23rd?
7-8 gets 5th?
Sure got jumbled up!
I think Reed will win 1 moto at Red Bud. I he doesn't, Dungey will take over.
Too bad CP322 wanted so many dead kennedys that honda balked and hired grant instead,if not maybe we would be seeing fourway battles at the front instead of three...
Ya see Davalos has speed. Watch his holeshots, around 30-35. But this feisty focker still makes it to top ten. If i were carey hart I'd be looking for Davalos as a SX rider next year. Pourcel and Stewey are not doing good for yamaha. Who wants to spend 9 grand on one when the "fastest man on the planet bs" isn't even comfortable, neither is superman. But the flipside, Look at tommy hahn. This has to be the worst bike he's ridden in recent years and he's still top 5. If I were Hart and huntington I'd look for Martin Davalos and Austin Stroupe for 2012. I'm gonna agree w/ the crab and say Dungey surely cant be beaten at Millville. as for Red Bud, I can remember like 3 years where dungey was the only lites rider doing laroccos leap on a 250f. He's gonna be hard to beat there. I swear i'm not a fan. I'm a fan of Poto, but seeing dungey's bike run outa gas on the last lap w/ a 30 second lead makes me feel for the guy. That and he (as well as reed and poto) are like Navy seals. They dont get hot, they dont get tired. Lovin' this 2011 season.
I still have the motor drive photo sequence I shot of Alessi trying to stuff Grant over the first turn berm in the 450s at the World Mini in the last amateur race of their careers...Alessi over-amped, went over the berm and ate it, couldn't start his 450, Grant roosted to the win and Alessi quit the race after about a lap.
Nice photo sequence capturing Alessi's final amateur takeout attempt on Grant.
The only people who have seen that sequence so far are Alessi and Grant.
Have any of ever seen RD1 ride the way he did this past weekend? Let's call him the "Renaissance Man". Mister Super Conservative just moved a little closer to the edge. I really think he's riding at 95-97% of his ability. Thunder Valley was a break out weekend and I agree with some of you that RD1 well be a force to be reckoned with for the remainder of the season.
I'm surprised a lot of you did not have much to say about RV2. While CR22 is hanging in there. I just don't see the intensity that he displayed in rounds 1and 2. I expect to see him fade during the latter part of the series.
I really use to like JG33 (junior gangster) but, since his personal B.S. with MA800 and the Metal Bullisha involvement it seems like he turned into a bit of a punk. There's a lot of talk of Karma but, it doesn't work that way. Eric Kehoe will show him the door after this season. It's a long fall from where he is now. Just ask CP.
I am fairly confident that during the 2010 SX season, RV2 crashed while leading and got dirt in his exhaust pipe. While his mechanic was fixing the problem, Erin Bates interviewed him and then RV2 hopped back on the bike and finished the race.
250 moto 2 #46 Alex Martin went from 31st to 13th, 11/13 for 10th overall. Proud of my homestate boy and can hardly wait to see him race at home in a couple weeks.
At Milleville (spring creek) I think that Dungey will have a lot of fans and step up his riding... if that is possible, since it is his hometown track. He is doing great this year, I love that there is 3 guys that have a chance to win any race, definately more exciting than just watching 1 rider leave the pack behind.
Also, is Alex Martin the Spring Creek track owner's son? I heard that before, but you know how that goes.. just looking for some confirmation.
motofan758...I'm pretty sure I read that here last year and heard it on TV, that Alex Martin's parents run that track and he grew up literally at the track.
Yes, Alex's parent own Spring Creek and live there. Can you imagine having that track in your backyard growing up?
so what happened to alessi? did he get hurt again?
RD finally wins another moto (2nd moto win all series correct) and his first O/A at round 5 and he is going on a tear? If we learned anything so far, wining 1 moto isnt a sign of anything... So far the top 3 have been pretty equal.....I think RV and RD have the edge over Reed in the speed department....but Reed takes advantage of their bad starts....Like in SX, RD is right there and will be right there but was never able to stick the knife in and dominate like the year before....I dont think we'll see that outdoors either....RD, RV and Reed will swap motos the remainder of the series I am sure....but I think RV and RD will swap 1 and 2 more often....we'll see....
Kevin Windham is going to sweep Red Bud!! He is a motocross artist. I like to put Mozart on my ipod and watch videos of him riding. If it weren't for arm pump he would have many championships and smoked RC. He is such a down to earth guy to... except for when he's flying his private jet, haha. I can't blame him for not doing the MXDN because he would have to fly comercial. None of my friends fly comercial.
It seems like Erin Bates has tried to interview people mid-race before. It seems like there was a supercross when RV had to pull into the pits and she started to talk to him. The bike was repaired and RV jumped on and raced away.
I go to Spring Creek every year for many years with my father (Im 15) and seeing as KDUB has already raced more races this year then he was said too, I would love to see him & Milville! He's my favorite rider, so smooth & if he sees someone do a section differently he try's it (Vegas SX for ex when he went QUAD, QUAD after bubba did) not to mention hes 35 or so and still constantly gets top 5!
GO KEVIN WINDHAM #14
Alex Martin is the son of the owners of Spring Creek.
Alex Martin grew up there with his parents and they lived at the track! (There house is there)
I too wondered how Weigandt states that Chisolm DID NOT start moto two, but earlier he tells us he was involved in the MOTO TWO first turn crash with Alessi and Pieck????? WTF??
I can't think of a single season Grant has finished and ran the entire season. Maybe he did when he was on 250f's, I don't know, either way, he isn't that significant anymore, and Honda wasted a butt load of money on him.
Dungey wins Red Bud
Wilson wins 250f. Great to get Wil Hahn Back!!!!
Loosers, they are no good for the sport, and as we can see the sport dosent need them.
Thank you very much for your replies joemotocross589, JB37 and Organ Donor. Dungey better not let me down or I will have to return to being a Reedy fan.
And if you are reading this Dungey ... GO FOR IT!!!