450 Words: Going East
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Good news for everyone—Monster Energy Supercross is moving east. Yup, that’s awesome if you’re Ryan Villopoto, because you have a house and tracks in Florida and it helps you get out of the Southern California rat race. That’s awesome if you’re Ryan Dungey, because you have a house and tracks in Florida and it helps you get out of the Southern California rat race. That’s awesome if you’re James Stewart, because you have a house and tracks in Florida and it helps you get out of the Southern California rat race.
Notice a trend here?
Heading east is no longer an advantage as much as it is not a disadvantage, as in, if you don’t go and everyone else does, you’re missing out, but if you do go, you’re merely matching the competition. If you want to be a player (and you have the money to handle dual citizenship in both California and Florida) then you have to put down some roots in the Sunshine State, or maybe just a bit further north in Georgia.
The riders will tell you their practice tracks on the east are better. The California clay only has a short sweet spot between watered and as slippery as ice, then rideable, then baked. The Florida soil can be ridden on for hours with the right prep. Plus, it more closely resembles the dirt used on this swing of tracks—Atlanta, St. Louis, Daytona, Indianapolis, Toronto—than the hard stuff out west. But riders with tracks down here admitted to me that they’ll probably prep things differently than the actual race track builders. The Atlanta track was tacky in spots but dry and slippery in others. Davi Millsaps told me that his track near the Florida/Georgia border is the same, “Tacky when you water it and slick when you let it get dry.” But Millsaps doesn’t let his track get very dry or slick. Justin Barcia, with a track near Millsaps, does the same. Millsaps, Barcia and Dungey all told me that riding Florida practice tracks helps a little with dealing with the dirt at the eastern races, but that's not the best reason to stay there.
Ryan Villopoto, along with a host of other riders, will be setting up shop in Florida the next couple of weeks.
Photo: Simon Cudby
Moving east gets them away from everyone else. Back east, you’ve got trainers, practice mechanics and other riders. That’s all. Out west, you have everything else, like sponsors, and you get booked up for so many visits, hangouts and appearances that it really cuts into the day. Plus, most riders in California don’t live as close to those tracks as they do to their eastern ones, and even when you do drive, you’re not dealing with as much traffic, so the commute is a bit shorter and a whole lot less stressful.
After Dallas, Ryan Villopoto’s trainer Aldon Baker said he couldn’t wait to make the switch back to Florida, because they’ll have much more time to focus on the work. In many ways, basing your operation in Florida is more relaxing than doing it in California. But in other ways, it just opens up the opportunity to do more work!
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Only the top few can have the luxury of having east coast compounds, I have a small private practice track on 18 acres and it costs me around a grand to keep it maintained over a year, diesel, gas, oil, hrs mowing and discing with me doing the work.. imagine what it costs to keep one of there places....
The Okies split the difference and stay in between FL and CA. It's probably a lot easier to find affordable land, and neighbors that leave you alone, in Oklahoma than it is in Florida.
Spent 10 days training at GPF (Georgia Practice Facility) in December with another Vet A buddy (GPF is right next to MTF). Really nice soil. Stays tacky and loose all day. The best thing about the practice facilities versus public tracks, you don’t have the hacks and boneheads. Everybody there is fast and knows how to keep a line in traffic.
@MX Bob, my riding partner just got back from a week at Oklahoma Motosports Complex. He said it was awesome. He was also at Cycle Ranch for a week earlier in TX and said also very nice.
There are really a lot of top level places out there to ride and train.
having a track is a LOT of work, keeping mine up gets old. It makes me jealous of the guys that have theirs done for them.
Yes I have been taken out by "pro practice" riders that think a practice is a race and it is VERY dangerous and stupid
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Oklahoma is a great place to ride!!! I live near Perry,Ok just off I-35, I can be at any track in the state in 3 hrs, at least 15 or so tracks to chose from, most within an 2 hour drive. Wind is the major bummer here, we have alot of it!!!! Unpredictable weather is the norm, last yr we saw -17 with out wind chill and 2 foot of snow, this year most days are in the 50's or above...but come visit and ride Oklahoma!!!!
yeah, i used to make a trip out west every year, but then finally realized that although the atmosphere is cooler out in California, the tracks here in Texas are actually better. CycleRanch is possibly the best track in the country and it's 45 minutes from my house. Three Palms is possibly the best ran and most fun. Its not super challenging but you always know you're going to get great prep and plenty of selection. This year i'm headed out East to Florida and hit some tracks along the way, Hoping it will be better than my previous California Trips!
The florida practice tracks will become even more valuable when the nationals start. Huge sandy whoops and killer high humidity. It worked for RC.
East is probably the best place to train (Pennsylvania down) because of the Heat and added Humidity. I like 15-20 mins from Budds Creek (Where I do a lot of my riding) and i tell you that even though you live in this heat and humidity year round.... You never get used to it. Budds is horrible during the summer because it sits in a pit where a lot of the humidity stays. I can't believe what it feels like to people who come here from out West. Florida is by far worse than Maryland though.
I live in Clermont Fl, a medium to small sized town in central FL. Allegedly RV1 has his top secret east coast moto retreat around here somewhere? Riding in Florida is nice, hard to beat year round riding, the down side is that unless I go to Dade City for 3 laps of practice and four lap motos all the other tracks are at least 2 hours away. If you ever come down for a Motocation, The best track IMO is Bostwick. I prefer the soil in the midwest over what we have here though, hard to beat tacky clay and the mild temps. Riding here in the summer is freaking brutal!
The best prepped track I've ever ridden was Smith Road Raceway in Ohio. A guy named George Singler has owned and ran that place since the 60's and that guy knew how to prep a track, we all hated practice because he put down a lot of water but come race time the track was always prime. I think he sold the track last year finaly. And the guy could ride too. Nothing like seeing a 70 something year old dude in jeans and work boots haul ass on dirt bike
Chad Reeds track and compound is in Dade City, about 20 minutes from my parents place in Florida.. It is sweet, as is Dade City motocross track, and there are several other places down there.. There is a handful of places close to home here too. There is even a free city owned track in Harrison Ohio that isnt too bad, gets kinda rutted, but its free..
Yeah ,Smith Road Raceway went there in like 89 and met George.Super nice guy and he did know how to prep a track.Kenworthy's also knew how to prep a track and it was muddy in practice but prime for the moto's.And Monster Mountain is always good.
The guys at Victory Sports are also track prep masters.It's not muddy in practice but they have to work at it all day to keep a consistent track.
Let's look at this from a different angle The big four, RV, RD, CR and JS are all based out of Florida. Why? Why did LeBron James move to Florida? Why is Tiger Woods based out of Florida? And, many other multi-millionaire professional atheletes, including these BIG FOUR. Income taxes, my friends. Over the course of a 6-10 year career in motocross, the BIG FOUR will pocket hundreds of thousands, maybe even a couple of cool extra million dollars, by not having to pay individual income taxes in Florida. These guys, albeit world class racers, are also smart business people that have top notch financial advisors helping guide their careers. Just a thought.....
Someone finally shed the right and principal reason these guys are Floridians.
Congrats Jarbuckle,I learned something today.
1 grand a year BD25 ??Man your OK ...thats almost nothing for a whole year,even if you do it!!
I dont work it unless we are going to ride, we have been riding here for 42 years, have taken a few donations over the years, but have never charged any one to ride here. I have one guy who started riding here at 5, he is in his 30's now, his 5 yr old is starting out...mostly now its vet crowd and the beginers.
California dirt is crappy. The hard pack dirt is like riding on the street. It wears your tires down after one ride. They mix in everything & anything to try & make the dirt last. Rice hulls, almond shells, mulch, wood chips, bark, etc. The dirt is all messed up! At the races they overwater like crazy in the morning to keep the dust down in the afternoon (which never works). Riding/racing on the east coast the dirt is awesome! Real loamy dirt or 'Georgia' red clay which makes good jumps! No more buying tires every other week. Riding on hard pack gives you certain skills that cant be found elsewhere but I dont miss that California dirt. Not one bit!