Rant 2/1/12

For someone who’s been unemployed for 3 years I’ve been busy.  I’ve written at least 3 other rants, but after rereading them over and over again I decided they were better left in the dungeon of my psyche.  Either too angry, too much like the others, or too specific.  I am not some anonymous blogger on the internet; I have a business that is dependent upon racers wanting to race with REM, the motocross industry as sponsors and supporters, and the motocross press even the ones that do not race with us.  So even though some of those same entities may have done things that I personally cannot stomach, I still have to be careful about what I send out into the World Wide Web.  As astounding as it may seem my rants are apparently read by more than my mother and a few friends.  I can track that via my website and they seem to be read by people all over the world much to my surprise.  Even though REM hasn’t had many races that past 2 months we’ve been busy, we have added a bunch of new stuff, new database, new transponder system that I have been working on for nearly 3 years, and a lot of things to hopefully make REM better going into the new year. 

While all of this has been going on Supercross season started again.  A deal was struck to put the Red Bull X Fighters onto the REM track in May.  They put a National at Elsinore and took one away from Pala, Ludo started a new company, I had another round of shoulder surgery and then another round of neck surgery, Jeff Surwall got his new company Alias off the ground, Transworld decided to get into the tornado that is amateur racing, and hopefully the giant slug that is the economy is finally looking to be changing course for the better. 

Supercross, what can I say.  All the hype, and all the bs.   Sponsors love it, racers like it, the bro crowd thrives on it, and America really could care less.  If it was as big a deal as the insiders would have us believe it would be on live for every round, not tape delayed the next day, with some markets preempting it for infomercials.  4 rounds down, and how many racers down.  The moto crowd is so starved for anything moto that we put up with being the bastard step child of motorsports and taking the scraps that they heave at us.  Bottom line; until the average American can appreciate what skills, courage, and physicality every racer has that even qualifies for the show, let alone the main, they will continue to watch grown men playing with their balls i.e.; basket, base, foot, and golf. 

Red Bull X Fighters, I’m not even sure what it is.  All I know is that REM will be racing on the National or GP or Front track whatever they are calling it for 2 races in April, 2 in May, and perhaps 1 in June.  This while Red Bull turns the REM track into a freestyle venue expecting 28,000 fans to attend.  Red Bull has promised, that they will rebuild the REM track the way I want it after they have finished.   We will see, I have had that promise made to me at every National, GP, ad nauseum.   It took us 14 years to get the REM track to this point, you’ll know if you start seeing the Monster logo on our website if they lived up to their promises. 

What can you say about MX Sports moving the National from the mother of all venues Pala, to the mother of all venues du jour Elsinore.  It will be interesting to watch what transpires.  I have heard what happened; I’ll just say that no soap opera story line could even come close to this one.

Why would a multi million dollar corporation decide to get into the local SoCal racing scene?  The only reason I could come up with is that they see a chink in the armor of the greatest of all amateur racing the LL’s and think that there is an opportunity there to go national.  Good luck to them, I decided a long time ago that REM wasn’t going to try to be the biggest.  Saddleback Saturday’s was the shit in the day, they ran at one track, raced on Saturday, and were the most consistent program of their day.  REM has now been around for much longer than SS.  And every time someone tells me that we are the Saddleback of this generation I take that as a huge compliment and it makes me proud of what we have done.  REM has now raced for over 25 years, and has promoted more events in those 25 years than anyone in the World. 

Hi, to all of the REM racers all over the world.  Mark in New Zealand, Bruce in Illinois, Ron in Germany, Joos in Estonia, the guys in England, Sweden, Latvia, Japan, Australia, Canada, and Argentina.  Hope to see all of you again.

Is motocross racing doomed?  Motocross defined in the dictionary is a closed course motorcycle competition held over very rough natural terrain, including mud, rocks, sand and hills. 

 What most people get excited over today is Supercross, even as it extends to the outdoors.  Manmade jumps, manmade obstacles, on a relatively flat track.  Most tracks in So Cal are simply outdoor Supercross tracks.  They are toned down versions, but they are Supercross based nonetheless.  These tracks are flat, hard, and once they dry out could probably be ridden with class C tires rather than knobbies.  I’m not against Supercross oriented tracks at all, just as long as there are motocross tracks that I can still race on.

 I prefer motocross over Supercross.  Don’t think for a moment that I am waxing nostalgic or into vintage racing, far from it.  I have never raced a vintage race and probably never will.  I like the new bikes and the new technology.  But, I want to be challenged by the natural layout of the land, not what a D-6 can create in an afternoon.  Maybe it’s because when I grew up there were no practice tracks that you went to ride on, just what was out behind your house, or the next hill over.  If it meant you rode around or between boulders, or cactus that’s what you did.  We always managed to create very challenging tracks with no earth moving equipment.  True, the step up triple was a very rare thing in those layouts.  But, they taught us how to ride, and race.

 Today you can’t do that in So Cal or at least most of us don’t have the freedom to do that.  Today you load up, drive to the nearest practice track, pay your money, and ride on what someone else (who probably doesn't race) thought would be fun.  And for the most part that is a bunch of jumps.  Jumps are fine, they can be a lot of fun, they can certainly be challenging.  But, I would rather race, and jumps turn a race track into something else entirely.  I want to race on downhills, off cambers, real obstacles not just jumps and manmade whoops.

 I know that I am in the minority these days.  Most people that own dirt bikes want to take them out and ride them where it’s easy but where they feel they were challenged, where their bikes don’t get too dirty, where they can pull off and check out their GOPRO footage, where they can get on their smartphone and tell everyone on the moto forums how they were ripping it up on such and such jump.  You notice you never hear how someone was killing that offcamber.

 I don’t consider myself old school, when I was young we had night tracks and day tracks.  Night tracks were similar to what most day tracks are now.  I always considered myself a day track guy.  I like rough natural tracks, I like muddy natural tracks, I like difficult natural tracks.  It worries me that not only are most of the tracks that are available today based on jumps, but that the National Outdoor Motocross Championships seem to be going that way also.

Motocross is and will always be a niche sport.  More than likely it will never be mainstream, because most people simply cannot fathom that racing a motorcycle in the dirt is that much fun.  The sport’s growth is an ebb and flow just like any other endeavor or business.  Right now it is not as big or as healthy as it has been, maybe in a few years it will be.  Regardless of what you may have heard, most of the National promoters don’t make a lot of money.  Supercross for the most part makes money at nearly every venue.  Trying to turn motocross into outdoor Supercross for tv ratings, and money is only good for a very few business people. It sells energy drinks, alchohol, and ski boats.   It will not sell bikes, gear or goggles.  But it will scare parents away from buying dirt bikes for their kids when they see what happens when you miss a shift over that fourth gear step up.  Every time we watch a spectacular crash online, or hear about another FMX rider being killed, or a motocross racer being paralyzed there is a parent or wife that is buying someone they love golf clubs and not a motorcycle for Christmas.

Of course I could be wrong, but after 13,140,000 minutes of being a motocross promoter I don’t think so.  

I was on my way home from the MTA Vet Worlds at Glen Helen Saturday afternoon thinking to myself, “I suck so bad that I should just sell my new Yamaha and buy a street bike”.  I went to the race not expecting to do well, really to not even race.  I just wanted to do a couple of laps on a race track before going under the knife next week.  I haven’t been able to race in a long time due to various problems that I’ve been trying to get repaired.  I know that my physical conditioning sucks.  I know that I haven’t spent any time on a race bike in a long time.  I know that the aforementioned various problems limit me in what I can and can’t do physically.  But, I still know how to ride.  How could I ride  like a hairy dog turd?  Yes, the track was extremely difficult, but I just flat sucked. 

Most people will never understand the way that a motocross racer thinks.  I really don’t care if I win anymore.  I don’t care if I ever win a trophy or a prize at a race ever.  I've gotten to do that over the years.  I once won 26 straight motos, and was leading the 27^th when the A arm on my 85 KX 250 gave up the ghost.  I won a race in front of my mother by a half a lap, when I was in my forties.  I won a CMC championship.  At my age which is the age of a lot of motocross racers these days, other than getting out of bed without crying like a baby, taking a really good pee, and being able to find the remote, the only other thing that matters is that we can still ride well.  Not flounder around, looking like someone who really shouldn’t be on the track.  Even if we aren’t fast, don’t hit the big jumps, or don’t scrub like the kids we want to look like maybe we once had a clue.  Racers aren’t posers.  Racers don’t show up to putt around the track, do the jumps, ride 3 laps and go back to the truck to hang with their homies.  Racers want to race even for next to last place. 

After I got home I couldn’t stomach that what could possibly be my last ever race (depending on my scalpel wielder) left me feeling like a toilet plunger at a fraternity house.  So I went back and tried again Sunday, what would any true racer do?  What I did could not really be described as racing, but at least for 2 laps I didn’t feel like I had crapped my pants wearing a white leotard.  It wasn’t how I did, but the fact that I rode like a racer.  Does it matter, absolutely not?  In the big scheme of things it matters to only one person, me.  Because no matter how old I live to, how much longer I get the privilege of being a racer, I will always be a motocross racer at heart.  If you are too young for any of this to make sense to you, take note young racers, you will soon wake up, look in the mirror and say to yourself,” who the f@#k is the old guy, and why can’t I pee anymore?”.

Rant  9/21

Douche bag, tool, asshat.  All of these have been used to describe me at one time or another.  It always depends on which end of the horse your riding, as to whether or not I meet the criteria.  This past weekend I know there is a father of a 250 Novice whom thinks I am all of the above.  As is sometimes the case I was innocent this time, I swear it.  

There have been plenty of times that I will admit to being the king of doucheness.  If you come to my door and try to sell me something I can be a really big douche, tool, or asshole.  If I want something I will go buy it.  I don’t want to purchase anything from anybody at my front door.  Don’t come to my door and try to convert me to your religion, that isn’t happening either.  I have zero patience for door to door solicitors, salesmen, etc., so yes douche will be the flavor of the day.

 One (time at bandcamp), actually at a Supercross race, in the Coliseum, probably about 94.  I was standing in the pits talking with a couple of people I know, when I was verbally accosted by an obviously inebriated gentleman who on the other side of the pit fence was demanding that I give him my pass so that he could come and hang out with all what he thought were cool people in the pits.  I told him to lay off the beer, to which he proceeded to call me an asshole at the top of his voice.  It really set him off when I walked up to the fence and told him yes, I was an asshole, but at least I wasn’t drunk and dragging a ten year old around with me.  To which he really got angry, and then called me an f#$% asshole, to which I again agreed I must be, but at least I had a pass.

There have been several times when racers decided to rumble with other racers.  I have had to physically stop some these adults at times when they crossed the line.  I’m not going to stand for racer kicking another racer who is stuck under a bike, or a one sided fist fight between someone twice as big as someone else.  In those cases, to the offending party at that moment I was definitely a tool, sometimes the whole tool bag.  Usually after a little time to think and cool off they change their mind and realize who the actual tool was. 

So this past weekend I was talking with a good friend who has helped me many times at the race track with engineering issues.  We were discussing the start gate and why it is so hard to lift now.  The angle on the lever was changed when we redid the center section, and it needs to be redone.  So Saturday after lifting the heavy SOB 25 times, we were talking about why it was so much heavier, to which I told him it was partially caused by racers packing the dirt around the bar.  I used a few choice words in my description not realizing that I was speaking louder than I should have been due to the headphones I had been wearing for 6 hours.  Apparently a father took great umbrage with my comments thinking I was talking to him.  I didn’t even know he had heard me, but I was tired, dehydrated, sick of picking up that heavy ass gate, and as is usually the case mentally dead at that point in the day.  So to that father I apologize for my comments.  It wasn’t you who made the gate any harder to lift; it was poor design, and a long day at the races.  I did go looking to apologize after the race but couldn’t find you.  Truth be known all I remember was he was wearing a red shirt.  So yes I can understand why he might think I was the master of doucheness, prince of tools, and head asshat.   I accept the label with regret this weekend because I really didn’t mean to be rude to this gentleman. And in this case I apologize. 

But, if he had been trying to sell me recycled, Church of what’s happening now made, solar panels for vinyl rain gutters, that he has left over from another job, at half price at my front door all bets are off.

Whenever a tragedy strikes the internet experts always have to take a stand, “something has to be done, someone is guilty, someone is wrong, the sport is worse today, racing is dangerous that’s why I never took it up, racing is dangerous that’s why I only practice race, motocross is more dangerous today than the old days that’s why I only ride vintage bikes,” blah, blah, blah, run chicken little the sky is falling…………….  

The sport of motocross has had at least 3 fatalities recently.   Each one is different, each one is significant for those whose lives were impacted, and every tragedy is just that, a tragedy.  In case you don’t know me, I have promoted over a thousand races.  I have watched over 20 thousand motos.  I think that makes me an expert, maybe you disagree.  Motocross is dangerous, as is any motorsport.  Anytime you travel faster than you can run, and are sparring with a 200 pound plus steel, aluminum, plastic and rubber partner there is a level of danger that can result in injury, traumatic injury, and death.  I have witnessed all of those at motocross races.  As a promoter safety has always been my primary focus.  Sadly not all promoters can say the same.  I willingly spend money on quality ambulance services, with an emt and paramedic.  I always have as many flaggers or cornerworkers as I can line up.  We have a state of the art radio system.  I spend a significant amount of money each week on safety.  That is my responsibility as a promoter.  It is my job to do everything I can to have a safe race track and to fix problems as they arise.  Bad things still occur.  

It is the racers responsibility to make sure that their machine is in top shape, that you have quality safety equipment, and that you are capable of racing on race day.  Someone on the internet is always saying how the promoters should mandate neck protection, chest protectors and any other safety item du jour.  Guess what?  I cannot guarantee that neck protection works.  I am not a medical engineer.  I cannot guarantee that if you wear certain items that you will not break your neck.  Or have a handlebar puncture your lung, or damage your liver.  You as the racer have to make that decision based on current facts as you see them.  I know that good boots will protect your feet to an extent.  I know that a helmet will protect you to a certain level, and that a good helmet will protect you even better.  But, it will not save you from every circumstance.  My brother in law died from head injuries and was wearing the very best street bike helmet made at the time.  I blew out my knee wearing the very best knee braces.  I saw a kid cut off the end of his finger wearing the most expensive gloves you could buy.  Crashes occur all the time; most racers pick themselves up and continue.  Some are far worse, some are heart wrenching.

There are not more deaths today in motocross.  Due to the internet, social media, cell phones, and every other communication device developed in the recent years you now hear about them within minutes of them occurring.  No one jumped onto a forum 10, 15 or 20 years ago to talk about the bad things that happen.  You used to have to wait a week just to hear who won a National or Supercross race.  And that was if you got Cycle News.  It was 2 or 3 months for a magazine with current coverage.  There was very little local coverage except what was in your region in Cycle News.  And that was usually a month or more in the past when it reached the public.  Even if you were in the industry you didn’t hear about what was going on until the next week because there were no cell phones, no internet, no email, no twitter, no facebook, just a plain old telephone hardwired into the phone network.  And people didn’t feel the need to network with every Tom, Dick and Harry back then.  There were plenty of tragedies in the good old days.  A fireman once told me they averaged a death a week at the old Palm riding area in San Diego.  You almost never heard about it unless it made the local newspaper.

This past weekend a young man in the beginner class stalled his bike, after numerous kicks and failing to restart the bike I offered my assistance.  I got the bike to fire, and then noticed that the throttle only had one of the two screws holding it in place, and I could move the throttle completely off the handlebar without much effort. I informed the young man that this was unsafe and that he could not continue until he repaired his bike.  Really, should I have to tell you your throttle is loose?  Yes, he was a beginner, and yes he has to learn.  But, if your survival is important to you basic things like a loose throttle should never come up on the racetrack.    

The most important piece of safety equipment that you own is your brain.  If you race at an unsafe track, with an organization who doesn’t put your safety first, if your bike is not maintained, if you don’t purchase quality safety equipment, if you are not physically well, or hydrated, or rested, or comfortable with the obstacles that you face on raceday then don’t race.   No promoter or organization can guarantee 100% that you won’t suffer some sort of injury or worse no matter how safe the organization, or the track is.  It is a team effort, you have to do your part as well.  It is after all your life. 

You can always reach me at remsatmx@gmail.com  please do not post this or any other REM rant on any other website or forum.

A lot of people who ride dirt bikes are like that person looking for the perfect spot.  Some spend all their time trying to find that perfect suspension setting, some wait until the weather is perfect, while others only go to the track if their buddies are going.   I’ve seen so many idiosyncrasies, habits, superstitions, and obsessive compulsive behaviour  over the years that it’s a wonder any one ever gets to the race track let alone does a lap.   Some people have to have that perfect pit spot, have the easy up, the lawn chairs, the big cooler, the mat on the ground for the bike stand, everything just perfect before they can put in a lap.  Others put on the right sock and right knee brace first.  Some have to wear a particular pair of underwear, or a particular piece of jewelry.  Some only wear blue helmets, some have to check and recheck their goggle strap ten times before the gate drops.  Over the years I have debunked all of my personal superstitions.  None of those things has kept me from crashing, kept the bike from breaking, made me any faster, safer, calmer, or better.  I realized it’s all in my own head, in my preparation, and just plain luck.  Sometimes you just know it’s not going to be your day, so you slow down, or don’t even unload.  I have driven 2 hours to a track only to realize after I paid my money that I am not feeling it.  On those days I would rather drive the 2 hours back home in one piece than leave in an ambulance.  I’ve also had several superstitions over the years about promoting races.  I  finally realized that nothing I can do will ever keep someone from crashing, from not liking a track design, from disliking REM, or just having a bad day.  That’s just the reality of life.  Once I rid myself of my own superstitions it was like getting rid of 50 lbs of baggage.  I don’t worry about which knee brace, or boot goes on first.  Who I’m with, where I’m parked, I don’t wear a particular color, or style.  I get my stuff on, start the bike and go riding, or get my headset on and start running the races.  Of course if you have your own qurks, habits, or way of motivating yourself  at the races or life that’s cool, if it works for you then keep it up, but while you’re still circling the parking lot I’m getting the last bag of Cheetos.

It is common knowledge that it is not if, but when you will suffer some sort of injury if you race Motocross long enough.  The longer your racing career the more injuries you will rack up.  Most aren’t serious injuries or else there wouldn’t be anyone left racing. 

I was asked to talk to a group of Trauma surgeons and nurses at a major trauma hospital in San Diego regarding the difference between off road motorcycling, specifically motocross, and street bikes.  It was an eye opening experience for me.  When you go to the hospital with an injury related to motorcycles the staff for the most part is instantly prejudiced against you.  The reason, they are in the business of saving lives and after witnessing so much street bike related carnage they generally don’t like motorcycles.  Yes, that is a general statement.  It does not cover every doctor, nurse, specialist and hospital employee.  Some of whom race; we have quite a few doctors that race with REM.  But, while I was explaining the difference between MX and street bikes, the difference between speeds, safety gear, the types of crashes, the difference in skill levels between many involved in road crashes and those who race, they were giving me a graphic picture of what they see on a daily basis.  Street bike injuries are catastrophic with great regularity.  For the most part a street bike crash involving speeds of 25 mph or more is considered a trauma incident.  Since most motocross crashes involve speeds from 0 to 30 mph we don’t see injuries involving multiple missing limbs, massive internal injury, and the types of brain, spine, and skin injuries common to street bikes.  Not that they don’t occur.  Just about every time a racer is injured today it is pretty much up for everyone to see on the World Wide Web.  Most street bike injuries rarely make the news. I once overheard a mother proclaim that she didn’t know that you could die from racing Motocross.  Yes, you can.  You can also suffer traumatic life altering trauma.

I had a great discussion with Ryan Hughes not long ago.  We are both on the same page with the idea that the most important piece of safety equipment you can own is that grey mass between your ears.  It is what you know, learn, experience, train, and see racing Motocross that can save you from injury more than any other item of equipment that could ever purchase.  When you watch a supercross or a national are you amazed at how they can hit those huge jumps, master those rhythm sections, slam into the huge braking bumps and kickers and still maintain control while racing at pro speeds.  It is because they have done those obstacles thousands of times, it is sensation training.  They know how the bike will react in every situation because they have raced, practiced and studied for those very moments.  Pros crash too, they get hurt, some more than others.  But, when you look at the great racers of every generation for the most part they almost never got hurt.  Those that did usually had some type of mental lapse due to exhaustion, miscalculation, or mechanical breakdown. 

That being said, it is still important to make the investment and purchase quality safety equipment.  If you feel that a particular safety product makes you safer then not only buy the best one you can, make sure you wear it.  Nothing drives me crazier than to see someone spend over 7 grand on a bike, put a grand into the exhaust system, and buy a $129 helmet.  Skip the exhaust if you have to, but buy a good helmet.  And buy a new one every year, or every time you hit your head.  Or at least send it back and have it checked out if there is any question about the integrity of the helmet.  If you want to know what the good helmets are watch what helmets the guys in the industry wear, especially the older guys, the magazine guys that race, the ones that get there stuff for free, and can wear whatever they want.   

Be realistic, safety gear is not invincible.  I’ve seen broken collar bones, broken ribs, and back injuries with racers wearing chest protectors or not.  I’ve seen footpegs break shin guards, puncture racing pants, and break knee braces.  I’ve seen broken sternums, broken ribs, and broken collar bones from neck protection, I’ve seen broken ankles and feet with the best most expensive boots, and I’ve seen plenty of concussions with racers wearing even the best helmets.  And just so you know I have personally experienced most of the pain and injuries above.

Just like the conversation I had with Ryan Hughes the safest thing you can do if you are going to race is know your body, your machine, and what it is going to do in every situation.  Don’t twist that throttle unless you know what is going to happen when the gasoline hits the combustion chamber.  This is an unsolicited plug, it is always good to take a class from someone like Ryan Hughes especially if like most of us you work all week, or go to school and don’t get an opportunity to work on your racing skills except at the races.  Let’s all be safe out there, life sucks when your injured and can’t race.

If you took every motocross promoter, every motocross track owner in So Cal and put them in the Staples Center, (where the Lakers play) it wouldn’t be big enough for all of our egos.  To be a promoter, any promoter you have to have a big ego.  Otherwise why would you be a promoter.  Every one of us thinks our poop doesn’t stink, but the other guys not only stink, but are Satan’s spawn.   We all think our motives are the most pure, our awards are the best, our track designs cannot be beaten, our operations have no peer, and that we are the best at what we do, ever.  We all fight over the same piece of motocross racer pie, down to the crumbs.  P.T. Barnum one of the most infamous promoters of all time supposedly said “that there is a sucker born every minute”.  I have always believed like the main character in Field of Dreams, who was ultimately a promoter that “if you build it they will come”.   I have always worked very hard to design a track that challenges you physically, makes you think, and is still fun at the end of the day.   I always get and take input, from racers, track crew, friends, and of course the Jodester.  The biggest failures for me have come when I allowed another’s agenda to influence track design.  I vowed several years ago after my biggest failure to never let that happen again.  Yes, sometimes I make a mistake and discourage (flow).   If you read the rants often you know that flow is a dirty word to me.  Flow is something that was coined after the four stroke revolution.  Basically a word for riders that don’t know how to use the clutch, have no throttle control, and can’t chew gum and walk at the same time.  Like I have said before, if you want flow, take up flat track.  Motocross bikes have clutches, and throttles, and gear boxes, and handlebars to help you overcome obstacles that impede flow.  If you want to flow around the race track, become a better rider by learning how to use those parts of your motorcycle.  I know better than anyone that racers will race particular tracks because they like the layouts.  And that if I have crappy layouts some will not come back.  I have always tried to change the layout weekly.  Maybe not by much, but some change.  After 12 years at Carlsbad where it was a constant fight to change even the smallest detail, I love being able to change the entire track at Glen Helen.  One of my strongest beliefs is that if you have the same layout every week racers start to feel their Wheaties and take chances.  They assume that they not only know, but can master every detail of the track because it hasn’t changed in months.  Unfortunately that mindset can lead to big getoffs.   The idea that you need to practice a track for hours to master it on race day is not valid.  Look at SX they get very little time to actually practice on race day.  But, they do walk the track, something you see very infrequently in amateur racing.  And they do watch the other practices, again something not all amateurs do.  What is most important is that on race day you get in your practice, know the obstacles, the tricky sections, know how your bike will respond to different situations, make lines for later in the day, know where the soft areas of the track are, and work on sections that are giving you problems.   Saturday motocross is about having a good time with your friends, getting a good work out, challenging yourself, and going home in one piece.  If you think a motocross track should be 5^th gear straighaways, easy turns, and lots of jumps REM probably isn’t for you.  And remember if you didn’t like this weeks track next week will be something different.  Of course I could be wrong, (but my ego says “no way”).

We have 2 of our REM brothers right now suffering, one is health related (non moto) and one has a son who is very ill.  Know that we love you, and are there for you in any way that we can.

Racing is a business, I understand that as much as anyone.  While many of us are in it for our love of the sport, many are not.  To some this is how you make your living or at least try to make your living, whether a factory pro, a privateer, a mechanic, a suspension company, aftermarket company, magazine editor, motorcycle manufacturer, promoter or track owner.  Not everyone is as stupid as I am and will stay in business losing money.  I was just fortunate I had a real job that actually paid.

 I kind of understand why some pros might not want to race the USGP at Glen Helen.  It’s hard, they might get beat by some Euro’s that Joe the Plumber never heard of.  They had to work 16 of the last 17 Saturdays, and they only had one weekend off.  I once worked 150 straight days without a day off, I feel for them.  Like I have said before, motocross racing is a stressful job, I’ve seen them around at Starbucks, Jamba Juice, the movie theater, you can tell they are all really stressed out and overworked.

 But, you could die racing motocross.  Of course you could die driving a truck, being a policeman, a fireman, working the late shift at the liquor store, doing just about any job can kill you one way or another.

 They have to do their National testing, if Glen Helen wasn’t closed Thursday for the GP half of the National pro’s would be there testing their outdoor settings, just like they are every Thursday.   The best practice, the best training is racing.  There are an awful lot of pros that are flat going to be sucking for air next weekend at Hangtown, they should be racing long motos with guys that can beat them instead of “outdoor testing”.  But, they might get hurt before the Nationals.  More racers are injured in practice or testing than racing.  Racing conditions are better than training conditions, there are flagmen, lots of flagmen, not only is there an ambulance there is a full  medical staff, there are prepped conditions, there are people watching your every move.  

They don’t get paid for racing GP’s.  Really?  They are getting paid to race the Nationals?  What they pay the winner of the National wouldn’t pay the fuel bill of the semi.  Let alone what they pay the farther back you go.  It hasn’t in the past, even paid their entry fee.  People that espouse the theory the Youthstream is so mean because they don’t have a purse are not quite seeing the big picture.  In truth neither does the American series. Without the factory bonuses and contingency there is almost nothing to gain by being a pro racer.  If you are not one of the elite you are basically a share cropper.  You pay all the expenses, you are the show, or at least part of it and you are expected to travel all over this country and get excited about $250.  More than 20 years ago the guys at Lifes a Beach which later were the same guys at No Fear asked me to put on a race for pros and amateurs at Carlsbad Raceway.  We called it Commotion by the Ocean, we did 10 of them.  The original idea was that we would have a race where any pro could come and race on any size or type of race bike, we could have a lot of fun, and in the end we would pay pros more than they made at the Nationals.  Guess what, 23 years later you would have still won more money racing a little  local race than you can make winning a National today.  That is pretty pathetic. 

 The sanctioning bodies, the promoters, the factories, the sponsors or even the racers themselves haven’t really made any changes so that privateers don’t go bankrupt.   A decade ago, a national pro told me purse money was “CD money” today it must be Ipod money.  So money cannot be the reason most American racers will not be at the USGP this weekend.  National pride, there’s plenty of that, just listen to them all talk at the MXDN, yet few will venture out to race the Euros on their homeland this weekend.  Negativity, there is a lot of that.  Since most of the magazines do little but promote their own self interests and even go to lengths to spin as much negativity about the USGP as possible you could say that might be a factor. 

In the end I don’t have an answer.  Is it apathy, the new mentality, the call of the surf, maybe they want some quality time at home, I give up.  I just remember standing on the other side of the fence at the Carlsbad USGP wishing I was fast enough to be out there racing with all the best racers in the world. Getting to checkout the exotic race bikes, see what racers on the other side of the world did was an awesome experience. Whether an American won the race or not it was a thrill to get to watch all of them.  I miss that mentality, which most of us as racers shared then. 

 In case you think I am just a mouthpiece for Glen Helen, or Motocross Action Magazine, Youthstream, or any other entity or group, you are way off the mark.  I want to see good racing, I want to see everyone prosper, I want to see more racers, more bike sales, more new products, I want to see all the pros that make the event make money, and obviously more racers racing REM.

I will be out watching some of the best racers in the world racing this weekend.  Yes, I am working, I am helping out in anyway that I can to make the event successful.   But, if I weren’t working I would be buying a ticket to watch the race, I love motocross whether its 250 beginners, national pros, old guys, kids, or yes, even racers that speak with funny accents.

Please do not post any of my blogs on any other website or chat forum.  You can always reach me a remsatmx@gmail.com

You are looking into a 19” black and white tv.  The host of the Twilight Zone is standing front and center of the screen.  He is smoking a cigarette.  He tells us that what you are seeing could be true, that it could be another dimension, another time, it could be a image burned into our psyche from the past or future, that we are entering the Twilight Zone. 

An image appears on the screen, a children’s classroom.  While the picture is black and white, a little grainy you can still clearly see that there are children in this room.  That it is a play area for small kids.  There is a teacher.  A man, a man who looks like he has seen it all.  A man who could be anyone, both kind and stern.  He is the teacher to all of these children.

A wailing comes from the corner, a child is crying.  The teacher approaches the child and says kindly, what’s the matter?  The child points across the room to another child and says he’s looking at me.  Okay the teacher says, why does that make you upset?  The child wails again, he’s looking at me.  The teacher approaches the second child, why are you looking at him?  Because, the second child says he pushed me, who pushed you asks the teacher?  He did pointing to a third child across the room.  And why did he push you asks the Teacher?  Because he doesn’t like me says the second child.  Did you push him back asks the Teacher?  No, says the second child.  The teacher now approaches the third child who is sitting in a corner all by himself blowing snot bubbles.  The teacher hands him a hankie, wipe your nose he says to the third child.  The third child wipes his nose on the hankie and proceeds to blow more snot bubbles.  Did you push him the teacher says pointing to the second child?  Yeah, I pushed him, cuz his friend peed on me.  The teacher taken aback says to child three, who peed on you?  To which the boys responds his friend peed on me in the bathroom.  Did he pee on you or was it an accident?   NO he wailed, he peed on my shoe in the bathroom.  Okay who is his friend asks the teacher?  Him, he says pointing to a fourth child.  The teacher approached the fourth child, did you pee on his shoe asks the teacher.  No, no, I did not says the fourth child.  His foot got in my way while I was peeing.  Well, did you ask him to move his foot, asks the teacher?  No, he was in my space, whatever is in my space I can pee on, says the fourth child.  Well that was not very nice the teacher admonishes the child.  Well, the child says, he is not very nice, he has a potty mouth, my mom says anyone with a potty mouth is a bad person.  What did he say to you, asks the teacher?  He said I was a stupido says the child.  And why did he call you a name asks the teacher?  Because his friend told him to says the child.  Who is his friend asks the teacher.  The child points to another child in another corner of the room.  The teacher shuffles his way over to this child.  Why don’t  you like him asks the teacher to child five while pointing back to the previous shoe pee’er.  Cause, once when I was playing he got in my way, and I had to slow down from playing and that’s why he is a stupido says child 5.  Well did he mean to get in your way and slow you down asks the teacher?  Yes, he did, and if I didn’t slow down I would have crashed into him and we would have all died, says the child.  Well asks the teacher, if you had just slowed down for a second all of this name calling wouldn’t be necessary would it, asked the teacher?  Yeah, but if he didn’t get in my way I wouldn’t have to slow down, and it’s all his fault, my momma says I am the best in the world and no one can get in my way.  The teacher looks at the ceiling, and thinks why didn’t  I take that janitor job?  Another child is calling for his attention now, a child who had been silent up till now is crying teacher, teacher.  He walks over to this child, only to hear the youngster say, …….I pooped my pants.

The picture pulls out of the playroom, the door slowly closes revealing a small white sign with black letters “50 Year Old Racers”.  Then the screen fades to black. 

Sarcasm, not to be taken seriously.  Please do not copy and paste to any other website. You can always reach me at remsatmx@gmail.com