Motocross Racing

Motocross racing has evolved dramatically from the 1950's. Racing has come from a back yard sport into a mega international phenomenon! Off road, dirt bike and mx motocross racing and free style performances are a wild thrill to behold! They feature the the baddest mx riders and couple them with today's latest motorcycles from japan. Japan's big 4 have continued to push the envelope of bike power, speed and agility. The average price of a motorcycle has risen from a few hundred dollars in the early 50's to tens of thousands of dollars today! Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha and Suzuki have all committed to spend mega dollars on research, sponsorship and the sport itself to push the envelope of the marriage of 2 wheel automated machine and man. The motorcycle and man will continue to do the wild dance of madness and the racers will harness this power into a single thresh hold of velocity to propel themselves onto the finish line!

2004 AMA Racing Schedule:

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (Oct. 3, 2003) - AMA Pro Racing has released its schedule for the 2004 AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Motocross Championship. Once again, the championship includes 12 events and, new for 2004, concludes in Southern California.

AMA Pro Racing CEO, Scott Hollingsworth said AMA Pro Racing worked collaboratively with key promoters to accomplish several important changes to the series. “We had a couple of fundamental objectives for 2004 and we’re delighted we were able to achieve them,” said Hollingsworth. “One of our goals was to build-in a break at the conclusion of the AMA Supercross season before the teams had to jump right into motocross. This was something that both riders and team managers had said was important to them so we worked hard to make it happen. An additional benefit to that change is that everyone now has Mother’s Day off.”

Hollingsworth added that the 2004 schedule is also more favorable to the teams’ travel patterns. “The logistics involved with transporting motorcycles, equipment, and personnel from event to event is a major undertaking,” said Hollingsworth. “Now after the opening round at Hangtown in Sacramento, Calif., the teams have a weekend off to get to and prepare for round two at High Point Raceway in Mt. Morris, Pa. This break, particularly at the beginning of the season when teams are adjusting to the new series, is advantageous. There’s also benefit to beginning and ending the championship on the West Coast because that’s where most of the teams are based.”

Lori Yarnell, General Manager of Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, Calif., echoes that sentiment. “We’re excited about the motocross season wrapping up at Glen Helen next year,” said Yarnell. “We’re already talking about our event internally and plan to give it a festival-like atmosphere. Southern California is the heart of the motocross industry so it makes sense to have the championship finale right here.”

2004 AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. MX Championship schedule:

May 16 - Hangtown Classic - Sacramento, CA
May 30 - High Point Raceway - Mt. Morris, PA
June 13 - Motocross 338 - Southwick, MA
June 20 - Budds Creek Motocross Park - Budds Creek, MD
July 4 - Red Bud Track-N-Trail - Buchanan, MI
July 18 - Unadilla Valley Sports Center - New Berlin, NY
July 25 - Kenworthy’s Motocross Park - Troy, OH
Aug. 1 - Washougal Motocross Park - Washougal, WA
Aug. 15 - Spring Creek Motocross Park - Millville, MN
Aug. 22 - Broome-Tioga Sports Center - Binghamton, NY
Sept. 5 - Steel City Raceway - Delmont, PA
Sept. 12 - Glen Helen Raceway Park - San Bernardino, CA

Motocross national numbers:
2004 AMA SUPERCROSS/MOTOCROSS NATIONAL NUMBERS
No. Rider, hometown
3* Mike Brown, Johnson City, TN
4* Ricky Carmichael, Havana, FL
5* Mike LaRocco, South Bend, IN
6* Steve Lamson, Camino, CA
7* Greg Albertyn, Coto De Caza, CA
8* Grant Langston, Lake Elsinore, CA
10* Larry Ward, Florence, SC
11* Ezra Lusk, Bainbridge, GA
12* David Vuillemin, Corona, CA
14* Kevin Windham, Centreville, MS
15* Tim Ferry, Largo, FL
16* John Dowd, Ludlow, MA
17* Robbie Reynard, Oklahoma City, OK
18* Brock Sellards, Sherrodsville, OH
19* Doug Henry, Torrington, CT
20* Damon Huffman, Canyon Country, CA
21* Stephane Roncada, France
22* Chad Reed, Australia
23* Kyle Lewis, Henderson, NV
24* Ernesto Fonseca, Canyon Lake, CA
25* Nathan Ramsey, Menifee, CA
26 Michael Byrne, Lake Elsinore, CA
27* Nick Wey, Dewitt, MI
28 Heath Voss, Mico, TX
29 Ivan Tedesco, Lake Elsinore, CA
30 Craig Anderson, Corona, CA
31 Keith R Johnson, Albuquerque, NM
32 Andrew Short, Colorado Springs, CO
33 Kelly Smith, Ludington, MI
34 Clark Stiles, Athens, AL
35 Chris Gosselaar, Corona, CA
36 Sean Hamblin, Sun City, CA
37 Eric Sorby, Murrieta, CA
38 Jason Thomas, Melrose, FL
39 Michael Brandes, Aptos, CA
40 Brett Metcalfe, Temecula, CA
41 Brian Gray, St. Augustine, FL
42 Steve Boniface, Temecula, CA
43 Ryan Clark, Albuquerque, NM
44 Ryan Mills, Clintondale, NY
45 Joaquim Rodrigues, Temecula, CA
46 Daryl Hurley, Riverside, CA
47 Matthieu Lalloz, Corona, CA
48 Paul Carpenter, Ithaca, NY
49 Branden Jesseman, Fombell, PA
50 Josh Woods, Flint, MI
51 Josh Demuth, Haslet, TX
52 Greg Schnell, Rancho Cucamonga, CA
53 Robert Kiniry, Skaneateles, NY
54 Steve Mertens, Sonoma, CA
55 Casey Lytle, Saugus, CA
56 Tim Weigand, Chatsworth, CA
57 Joe Oehlhof, Hesperia, CA
58 Brian Mason, Nashville, IL
59 Tyler Evans, Canyon Lake, CA
60 Danny Smith, Middleton, ID
61 Broc Hepler, Kittanning, PA
62 Troy Adams, Brooksville, FL
63 Travis Preston, Hesperia, CA
64 Keith S Johnson, Carver, MA
65 James Povolny, Mendota Hts, MN
66 Richie Owens, Wildomar, CA
67 Damien Plotts, Millmont, PA
68 Jean Sebastien Roy, PQ, Canada
69 Joshua Hansen, Elbert, CO
70 Bobby Bonds, Bakersfield, CA
71 David Pingree, Temecula, CA
72 Tony Lorusso, Rocky Hill, CT
73 Evan Laughridge, San Jacinto, CA
74 Erick Vallejo, Mexico
75 Billy Laninovich, Escondido, CA
76 Michael Treadwell, Enfield, CT
77 Ted Campbell, Meridian, ID
78 Kevin W Johnson, Albuquerque, NM
79 Doug Dehaan, Ontario, Canada
80 Josh Summey, Stanley, NC
81 Marco Dube, PQ, Canada
82 Craig Decker, Lake Elsinore, CA
83 Michael Blose, Phoenix, AZ
84 Tyson Hadsell, Hudson, FL
85 Jeremias Israel, Laguna Beach, CA
86 Ty Wallace, Phoenixville, PA
87 Jeff Gibson, Westerville, OH
88 Buddy Antunez, Temecula, CA
89 Blair Morgan, Prince Albert, Canada
90 Paul Veracka, Bridgewater, MA
91 Brad Modjewski, Hatley, WI
92 Ryan Dudek, Long Beach, CA
93 Tommy Hofmaster, Pearl City, IL
94 Dustin Nelson, El Cajon, CA
95 Turbo Reif, Atascadero, CA
96 Barry Carsten, Bayville, NJ
97 Jeremy Chaussee, Lancaster, CA
98 Tom Welch, Charlotte Hall, MD
99 Bruce Stratton, Clifton Springs, MD
103* Sebastien Tortelli, Temecula, CA
199* Travis Pastrana, Davidsonville, MD
259* James Stewart Jr., Haines City, FL
* Career National Numbers

___ other featured note ___
Racing motorcycles is an intimidating sport, and one of the most intimidating parts of racing is the start. The start is the easiest way to improve your chances of posting good results, even in a two-hour cross-country race. I think everyone gets nervous at the start of a race, I know I do. By preparing yourself properly for the start of a race you may be able to overcome some of this anxiousness. Here are a few hints:

The biggest thing you can do to improve your starts is to practice. On days when you are out trail riding with buddies, find an area to practice starts so when race day comes, you're familiar with your machine and yourself in this situation.

On race day, try and ride the bike a little. This will warm you and your bike up. It's tough to go as fast as you can when the gun fires if you're not loose.

Once you've warmed up and made it to the line, take a few moments to imagine yourself going into the first turn in the lead. Picture yourself starting the bike on the first kick and making every shift perfect. Mental imaging helps a lot. To get the holeshot you have to believe you can.

While everyone else is still warming their bikes up practice starting your bike a couple times to make sure you're confident you can start it quickly.

For on-the-bike-starts, warm your bike up with the clutch lever pulled all the way to the bar to free up your clutch plates, then keep the lever pulled in until the gun is fired. This will help ensure a one kick start with the bike in gear.

For "Le Mans style" or "straddle-the-front-wheel" starts, I usually start in neutral and quickly grab first gear. I want to make sure the bike fires on the first kick.

Now you're ready. You're anxiously waiting for the gun to fire. Put everything out of your mind and focus on the next few seconds. Anticipate when the gun will go off by watching the man with his finger on the trigger. Remember that even a fraction of a second may put you in front of the rider next to you.

Each of these things we just discussed help me cope with nervousness before the start of a race and I hope they'll help you. Play around with these a little and see what works for you. You'll soon develop your own style and your starting results should improve.

I've heard it said that to finish first, first you must finish. Offroad motorcycle racing is tough on rider and machine. To finish, let alone win, your bike and body need to be prepared. Here are a few suggestions for your bike to help ensure a finish in every race you enter:

· Wash your bike early in the week so you can assess the damage and wear incurred by your steed to order the necessary parts. Next day shipping is expensive and avoidable. There's nothing worse than realizing the night before a race that you need a new counter shaft sprocket, brake pads, clutch cable, etc...

· Clean your air filter every race. During long enduros have a spare filter and change it at the gas stop. The condition of your air filter is crucial to engine life.

· Change your transmission oil every race to promote clutch life. Have you ever thought about how many times you use your clutch during a race. A five dollar bottle of oil is cheap insurance against costly engine repairs.

· Brakes require a lot of attention to ensure that they work properly each weekend. I like to bleed my brakes, especially the rear, every week. While you're at it, be sure to look at your brake pads to make certain they are adequate to last through the next event. Keep in mind the conditions you will be riding in. Muddy races will cause your brake pads to wear out more quickly than a dusty race.

· Take a look at your chain and sprockets to make sure they look good. When you replace them, replace both sprockets and the chain if you can afford it. Worn out sprockets will wear a new chain out in a hurry, the same is true for a worn chain, it will wear out new sprockets in short order.

· Lube your cables frequently to make sure they work easily. I hate a clutch lever that requires vise grips to disengage.

· Check your spokes before each race. They have a tendency to loosen up, especially on new bikes, before the spokes and nipples "seat" into the rim and hub.

· It's probably my least favorite job, but shock linkage demands attention. If you let it go too long, your checkbook will feel the pain.

· If your top end is worn, your bike won't start as easily and you won't be getting all the power possible from your bike. I like to change my top end every six rides or so depending on the conditions I'm riding in. The dustier it is, the more frequently I'll do a top end.