by Chris O'Neal
450 Words: Mini Olympics
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I've been involved in professional motocross at a variety of levels for over a dozen years now, but it was quite an eye-opener attending the Mini Olympics Amateur National for the first time last week. This event is huge. On the track, the event gathered more than 2000 entries. Off the track, the food vendors resembled something you'd see at the state fair, and each night featured some sort of scheduled entertainment—be it karaoke, contests, or the Miss Mini O's pageant. Kids are everywhere having fun ripping around on golf carts, scooters and mini bikes. Parts Unlimited brought in a semi truck that sat there all week in the front vending spot. I wasn't sure what its purpose was until Thanksgiving Day, when they had a free meal for everyone. The teams really step up for this event with semis, parts, mechanics and full race teams looking to bring home the titles.
I was most impressed by the high-end set ups so many of the racers were running. There were hundreds of "mobile mansions" set up around the pits, loaded with bikes, parts, gear, food, race gas and just about everything you could imagine. Mini O's is a great place to be if you're serious about amateur racing or just need a serious dose of motocross when the weather is starting to turn up north.
Cooper Webb was the star of the A Class at Mini O's.
Rob Koy photo
It's very clear that Team Green Kawasaki, Factory Connection/Amsoil/GEICO Honda, KTM, Suzuki, Yamaha and other teams put in serious effort scouting their riders, and it has taken events like this to another level. You don't often see surprise, unknown riders snapping up titles in the B or A classes anymore, as the top spots belong to the riders groomed by the big teams. The only rider I met all weekend that wasn't factory supported but had a chance at winning in a top class was Club MX's Jace Owen. Owen was once with Rockstar Suzuki, but was racing on his own dime at the Mini O's, and he really impressed me from the first gate drop by running up front and giving the factory guys a run. Based off of what I saw, and his results, someone will be picking him up soon—he is the real deal. The point is, no matter what kind of support a rider receives, you can't buy the will to win.
The big winner of the week was Star Racing/Rockstar Yamaha's Cooper Webb. He won six out of eight possible titles, and almost every time I looked, he was leading the A class races. Webb clearly did his homework preparing for this race and has excellent support from Yamaha. It wasn't that Webb ran away from everyone, it was more of a combination of good starts, staying out of trouble and consistent fast laps that helped him win titles. Lucas Oil/ Troy Lee Designs Honda's Shane McElrath stole some moto wins and two titles from Webb and had the speed to win more races, but everything just didn't click for McElrath as well as it did for Webb. Other notable riders grabbing some wins were Yamaha's Paul Coates and Kawasaki's Thomas Covington, but they lacked the consistency to be up front every moto.
In the B classes, Factory Connection/Amsoil/GEICO Honda's Jordon Smith completely dominated the field and nearly carried a perfect score throughout the week. The B class is rebuilding now that the likes of Webb, McElrath, Bisceglia and Cianciarulo (who missed the race with a shoulder injury) are in the Expert ranks, and Smith has established himself as the Intermediate to beat for the next year. He revs it in the air over the jumps just like Justin Barcia, which makes him fun to watch. Even if he didn't get the holeshot, it was only a matter of time before he was out front and pulling away for the win. His lap times were right up there with the top A riders and there is no doubt he is a future star. KTM's Bryson Taylor got his first Mini O's win and was riding great all weekend. When all was said and done though, no one was any match for Smith.
The A Class featured a ton of heavy hitters.
Rob Koy photo
In the mini bike classes, a lot of talk centered on KTM's Jordan Bailey, but there were many great mini riders riders taking home championships like KTM's Broc Papi, Kawasaki's Austin Forkner, Suzuki's Mitchell Harrison, Suzuki's Ashton Hayes, Yamaha's Chase Sexton, and KTM's Enzo Lopes. Other notable mini riders were KTM's Dylan Greer, Kawasaki's Tanner Stack, Honda's Max Markolf and Kawasaki's Garrett Marchbanks. All of these riders are filled with talent to make it in the big leagues and only time will tell if the puzzle pieces fall into place in the next couple years.
The Vet classes were pretty stacked, with former pro riders filling the gates. KTM's Mike Sleeter won three out of four possible titles in the plus 25 and plus 30 classes. He almost won a fourth title, but a small mistake at the end ruined his chance. Only Yamaha's Mike Sandoval was able to stop Sleeter from a perfect score, by winning the plus 25 Class on the motocross course. Suzuki's Barry Carsten continues his long motocross career and added two more titles to his resume by winning the plus 45 Class.
With over 2000 rider entries, qualifiers in almost every class were the norm, and races started at 8 a.m. sharp and ended at dusk each day. Even still, many expected the racing to spill past Saturday's schedule and into Sunday, but the quick work of the staff and shortening some laps allowed the event to finish on time. The track, too, certainly took a beating with that many riders in that many races—it's all a sign of how big this event, and amateur racing in general, has become.
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It was really stupid of the promoter to have the first set of motos longer than moto 2!! It was obvious from the start of mx that time would be a concern. Thus, they should have shortened the heat races!!! Secondly, if they had been working on the track Mon-Wed (instead of letting the girls and ktm riders use it) the track conditions would not have been so poor. Just a thought...
@ GetALife....maybe you should!
Heaven forbid......they let the girls use the track???? What were they thinking?
As a father of two bright, bueatiful and athletic daughters I'd like to give you a cyber shot in the head!
ahahahha ding ding
@ Ripdown In your case I hope the apple falls far from the tree.............Your spelling blows... LOL !!
What I do not like is all the talk about the top 3 riders in everything that you read about the Mini O. Hey guys there were other riders at the event and many that had fantastic results. Look at the MX Tritan Lane, winner of the 250c stock and 250c modified. He cam back from a broken femer just 3 months ago, and blew away the competition. What about the other classes, barely any mention of any other riders except the top 3. bla bla bla
Thanks for the article. I like to read about the soul of our sport - spread evenly between the young and starcrossed, and the legends of the past. RacerX online is really a one stop moto fix for bozos like me!
Ummmmm, is there something missing here? How about the absolutely horrible and tragic passing of Jantz Grodzicki, who was up and coming and had just recent raced the Monster Energy Cup? I am amazed at how the most important and significant part of the event was left out. Inexcuseable.
ramair350, chill out. Going by the time this was posted it was before they got word of him passing. Of course its important and tragic news, but doesn't necessarily mean it has to be mentioned in every article written about the week,
kflorida, its a 450 word article. Kind of hard to fit all 30 plus classes into a short article don'tcha think?
Does everyone just come on here to coplain?!
@Ripdown..... your "bueatiful" and athletic daughters got a chance to ride the track on Wed, Thurs, Fri, and Sat, like everyone else!!!!!
There is absolutely NO excuse for them not to be working on that track when they know that 2300+ riders are going to be beating the hell out of it for 4 days! WAY too many injuries on that track that were a direct result of gaping hole and kickers on every jump face....
@ GetALife
I agree whole heartedly about track prep and injury scenario. I have 2 children that raced. The word is beautiful ! Maybe related to ripdown. Lol !
why don't u cry babies that always get on here and complain go somewhere else and complain? Davey and the Racer-x crew are moto related to the fullest and do an awesome job at what they do,so go CRY and COMPLAIN somewhere else because i get so tired of hearing you,and i know i am not the only one!!!! Do you CRYBABIES EVEN OWN DIRT BIKES? Probably not because if you cry this much on here,you would FLOOD the M-X track with all your tears,go else where you little CRYBABIES, KEEP DOING WHAT YOU DO DAVEY AND CREW,you guys are the best moto related site,BAR NONE....................
mx413 You are a Douch'e Hope you dont have kids and there is a point of reasoning. I have rode in some very dangerous race conditions for 50 years. There comes a point wher ridiculous does kick in.
What i am saying is that its always the same people that are CRYING,i did not mean this in regards to the safety of any one,just saying some people cry over the track being to smooth and others for it getting to rough,as slow as you go leatherface,it does not matter if its rough or not,HA-HA. And by the way i do have a child that means the world to me.So go on and comment cause i know you will,I AM NOT ON HERE TO ARGUE,LATER LEATHERFACE......................
AND BY NO MEANS WAS I DISRESPECTING THE YOUNG MAN THAT LOST HIS LIFE DOING WHAT HE LOVED TO DO,JUST STATING THAT SOME PEOPLE LIKE ROUGH TRACK CONDITIONS,GOD BLESS THE GRODZICKI FAMILY...
Motohead279, the timeline is that Jantz was in horrible shape 3 days before this article was written. It is either poor reporting or an intentional omission, and both of those reasons are inexcuseable. Chill out? Did you get permission from your mommy to address adults online?
ramir350, racerX has been giving updates on his condition several times. We all have heard about the unfortunate accident and all of us care, but evey article written about the week of racing does not have to mention it. Go complain elsewhere. Better yet, go start your own mag if RacerX is so sh*tty. And from your last sentence you sound like a total douche.
Motohead279 and all, RacerX is in my opinion the best magazine out there of just about any type (even beyond the MX world, they are doing something special with this mag). Overall I have a great deal of respect for the writers and staff who absolutely bend over backwards to bring us the news in a fun, interesting, and informative format. I have posted hundreds of positive comments and even been included twice in the printed magazine over the last year with very positive letters. I will be a lifetime subscriber.
But I will be free to post my opinion when I see what I consider a serious breakdown in reporting. The purpose of this article was basically to summarize the Mini o's, was it not? And when one of the sports stars (he was on national TV in the MEC a few weeks ago) dies during the event, I think that merits at least a sentence in the summary of the event. What if during the Super Bowl a backup wide-receiver died during the game. Maybe it wasn't an important play, and say he was not a household name. Would that not merit a mention in a summary of the Super Bowl? Of course it would. It would be the main story, and would be mentioned in every article that summarized the Super Bowl that year. It is an outrage to not mention a death in this sport when summarizing an event.
For an example of a well-written article involving death and the impact on a sport (and how NOT to treat the subject), I would suggest taking a look at this:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/richard_deitsch/12/03/jovan-belcher-kasandra-perkins-cbs-the-nfl-today/index.html?eref=sihp&hpt=hp_c1
Motohead279, we are both entitled to our opinions. If you would like to have a serious debate, point out why an article summarizing an event shouldn't include mentioning the death of a rider. Just don't tell me to "complain elsewhere", because that goes against the spirit of free speech and the forum that Racer X generously provides. Part of the benefit of this forum is that you don't just read a bunch of "yes" and "I totally agree" straight down the list after every article. I will continue to read and subscribe to Racer X, which has a fantastic track record (I would say that if they nail 999 out of 1000 articles, that ain't bad!).