SUNDAY,
2/1/09, 8PM
Okay, its next year. It seems
weird to say two-thousand-and-nine (2009) but maybe that’s just part
of getting old. I have been doing a lot of traveling lately with a
couple of trips to Texas and another to Washington, DC. On my most
recent trip I was returning from DC and as I sat on a completely
full airplane I started to think about a boycott. Not a boycott
from work or a boycott from the racetrack but a boycott on all
airlines. I ask you this; where in life do we put up with this type
of treatment from a company that we are paying such a large amount
of money to? I couldn’t think of any either! We drop a huge amount
of cash on these airline companies to cram us in an aluminum
cylinder and then treat us like cattle for a period of 1-12 hours
depending on where you are traveling. I believe there may be some
sort of conspiracy involved in order to keep the “first class”
passengers in real “first class” seats. I think as travelers we
should demand that all seats triple in arm space between seats and
that leg room immediately doubles. I know that this will mean a
subsequent increase in ticket costs but to tell you the truth I am
willing to pay an extra $100 for these basic comforts. On my return
from DC I was moved to the exit row (extra leg room but still no arm
space) and I was sitting with several pilots that were flying
standby to get home from their layovers. They actually started the
conversation about the seating and layout of a commercial airliner
and that they think people are stupid for putting up these
conditions. Now understanding that this is a four hour flight you
can see that we had a rather in depth conversation about this
subject. They (the pilots) felt that most airliners could drop a
full column (front to back) of seats to widen the aisle and give a
few more inches of arm space.
Additionally, removing an average of ten rows (left to right) per
airline would add most of the doubled leg room that I am demanding.
It was they who said that this could be done with a minimal cost to
the passenger ticket prices. They suggested reducing the number of
flights since most of the time they are not full anyway. They
average only 75% capacity on domestic flights. After we landed I
told them that I was going to start the ball rolling on a nationwide
boycott until we the passengers get our demands. They just laughed
and said that when it comes to airline travel most people are sheep
and will not work together to make any changes. As I went down to
pick up my luggage I watched as all the sheep got in line to get
their luggage and realized that the pilots were right. I think that
next time I am just going to drive.
Next week we all meet at Comp
Edge for rounds 1 & 2 of the 2009 Police & Fire Nationals. I have
decided that in this screwed up world that makes people fly with
someone’s arm pit in your face that I am never going to complain
about the FPMX race series again. See you all next week for some
great racing and some even better bench racing after the motos.
STAY SAFE, more later.
SUNDAY, 12/28/08, 7PM
Well now, let’s see what we should talk about? Maybe we should talk about the 2008 FPMX Christmas Grand Prix? My race was rather uneventful. I had a terrible start (missed the shift lever after Marco waved the flag). After I worked my butt off for the first 30 minutes and passed about ten riders I found out that only a couple of them were actually in my class. From there I just cruised the last002* 15 minutes and finished outside of a medal. I do have to say that I really loved the course. Although I did hear from several riders that said they hated the course. But as I questioned them further about what exactly they hated they kept talking about the wind and the dry areas of the track. Lets get something straight, I am a huge critic the Glen20and the race tracks that they have given us (FPMX) over the last several years, but to slam them for the wind blowing and not being able to keep the course wet is just not fair. The GP course they gave us was still a little shorter than I like a GP but it had all the basic elements of a GP. So I say thanks Glen Helen and thanks Ed for a great event. Even with the wind.
Maybe we should talk about Christmas in general and who found a new bike under their tree? There seems to be a lot of talk this Christmas about the new ‘09’s and mostly about the four-fiddies. “Which bike is best?” is what I believe the posts on the message board read. Some of you have even chimed in with what this mag or that mag says about their in depth 450 tests. I will now throw my two-cents in on this subject. I read a variety of motorcycling magazines. All the usual ones that most of you read as well. First we have to put aside the handful of Honda maniacs out there that would buy anything made by that company. Next we have to take a no punches pulled look at whom and what these magazines are. That look should take you to only one place – MXA. Like them or not (and most of the time I hate them) Motocross Action is the only motorcycle based magazine that employs a full-time test crew (known as the “wrecking crew”). When these guys print something in the pages of MXA it is based on weeks, months, or even a full year of test and evaluation. For example; about this time last year every mag around was reporting about how the new 2008 CRF-250 and 450 would be coming with fuel injection. I heard many of you (mostly from the “Honda maniac” club) ranting about it as well. MXA was the only mag that actually tested a pre-pro bike (CRF-250) from Honda and reported it as being total crap and that it was highly unlikely that Honda would actually put them into production. Sure enough, no fuel injection for 2008. My point being, I do not listen to mag tests that hire a couple of test riders or sen d a few editors out to ride the latest in moto warfare for a couple of days on a couple of different tracks. That’s not a test session worth printing and definitely not worth reading if it gets printed. If you want to call it an informative test then you deserve what you get. Either way though, whatever color tickles your fancy (even if its red) I hope you found one under your tree (or garage) on Christmas morning.
Maybe we should talk about New Years - 2009? On second thought I will leave that one for next time. Dee and I are off to Lake Havasu for some camping, riding, gambling, riding, dining, riding, and drinkingJ. Everyone have a super-fun-safe-sane New Year and I will talk to you next year.
STAY SAFE, more later.
SATURDAY, 11/22/08, 6PM
I figured that since I went
riding today that I should update my Diary post. This was my first
ride since breaking the left foot back in August while I was
competing at the Police & Fire Western Games in Boise, ID. We went
to Perris Raceway and to my surprise the track layout was pretty
much the same as it was back in early August the last time I rode
there. I say “pretty much the same” because the difference was that
the place is now littered with jumps. This being my first ride in
over three months and the fact that my timing was a little off was
not a good mix for a track full of jumps. All in all it was a good
day with only one small spill and a lot of flat landings. So as I
sit hear writing this the foot is a little sore. I need to get
right back out again and keep at it to get the timing back and get
my hands in riding shape. I have my last doctor’s appointment on
Tuesday so as long as he doesn’t see anything funky on the x-rays I
should be ready to start racing again. Just in time to because the
last round of the AMA D-37 Big-6 GP Series is coming up on December
6th. I missed the last two rounds of the series due to
this damn injury but I figured if I make this last round and do a
top five finish I should still get a lower number for 2009. Then of
course is our own Fire & Police Christmas Toy Drive Grand Prix
coming up right after the Big-6 weekend. So, lots of riding and
racing on the horizon.
While riding today at Perris I
made a startling revelation about the recent neck-brace craze that
is sweeping the nation. I made my observation as today was my third
ride wearing my EVS-RC neck brace. As most safety equipment issues
go it gets better with each ride. It gets more comfortable and
starts to feel like it should just be there every time I throw a leg
over the bike. But my revelation was not solely based on my own
brace wearing experience but also on my observations of other
riders. I watched riders on the track and in the pits as they rode
to and from the track entrance. What I noted is that with the neck
brace in place on the rider’s shoulders he/she has little or no side
view. What I mean by this is that instead of simply turning your
head left or right a rider has to consciously turn his/her whole
upper torso to look left and right. The fallout of this is that
riders are simply not looking to their peripherals. They are just
cutting across the track, cutting across the pit roads, and
inadvertently pulling in front of other bikes, trucks, Rhinos,
pedestrians and anything else you can think of. I watched several
(thankfully) low speed collisions on and off the track today. On
the national level I have also seen this phenomenon play-out through
the year at the MX Nationals, WORCS, Big-6, and Hare & Hounds, as
well as many other race series and locations. If you remember the
movie “The Jerk” when Steve Martin made/invented the special hand
grab modification for eye-glasses that also doubled as a device to
keep the glasses from sliding off the nose and he inadvertently
caused millions of people to go cross-eyed. I think that we may be
on the verge of causing millions of MX and off-road riders to
inadvertently stop looking left and right as they drive to work, as
they walk across the street, as they push their shopping cart
through the market, and so on. It ended up costing Steve Martin
millions of dollars in restitution. LEATT, EVS, Alpinestars, ARE
YOU LISTENING because the litigation could get really deep. Don’t
say I didn’t warn you.
STAY SAFE, more later.
As the 2008 Fire & Police MX
season rolls to a close I think everyone feels that it was a
successful and competitive race year. Of the thirty (30) race
classes/divisions that were paying points this year there were ten
(10) that were decided by twenty (20) points or less. And several
of those were within five points for the title. That’s good racing
no matter how you look at it. Heck, even the night series had a few
close battles right through the last of the three rounds. Now there
were a couple of complaints here and there about “sandbagging” as
there always is. But I think as the year comes to an end we have
identified the “bump list” for the 2009 FPMX series. You know who
you are and the dignified thing to do is bump yourself up in class
rather than have the race committee do it for you.
We now look to the end of year
Christmas Toy Drive Grand Prix and the official crowning of the FPMX
#1 plate for 2009 (2008 National Champion). As I look at the
overall points for the Open Expert class it appears that none other
than FPMX #33 Eric McKenna has done it again. I think this will be
Eric’s third #1 plate. As for myself, I was able to get the #1
plate for the Lites class but I had a lot of help from the other
riders getting injured. With my foot in this cast I was not able to
make the call for the last two rounds last week at the Glen. I was
defending the #1 plate in the 40+ Expert class but I was never
really able to get on track all year in that division. I ended the
year in 4th for that class but I think if I had not been
injured for the Glen that I could have gotten back up in the top
three.
I know that Ed is thinking
about ending the Lites class for 2009. For the most part I am
ambivalent to adding or removing any particular class(es) from the
FPMX schedule. Most people that know me know that I am fiercely
competitive in anything that I do or compete in. However, at this
point in life (47 years) I am beyond worrying about
gold-silver-bronze medals (or plastic trophies). Now don’t go
taking this wrong because if you line up next to me you can bet that
you are going to get 100% of everything I have for that day. It’s
just that I don’t think I am going to be buying a new race bike for
2009. The mighty YZ-250F has only got three quarters of a season on
her. She looks and runs well and with a new sponsorship deal for
2009 (and an almost recovered broken left foot) we are ready for the
2009 season to get here. For FPMX, in addition to the 40+ Experts,
it means that I will have to find another class to compete in. And
more than likely I will be racing my 250F against 450’s. HMMMMM,
that new YZF-450 and CRF-450 are looking better and better.
Congrats to all that
earned an FPMX Class Championship #1 plate for 2008. You deserve itJ
STAY SAFE, more later.
SUNDAY,
9/28/08,
1PM
Many of you out there already know
what a huge Motocross Des Nations fan that I am. I have been to
multiple MXDN events around the world to include both of the historic
rounds that were held here in the United States (1987-Unadilla and
2007-Budds Creek). I think it is the Olympics of Motocross and this
year was our (USA’s) 19th victory. We are the undisputed
kings of outdoor Motocross. When I heard that this year’s race was
going to be in jolly old England (moved from its original site in
Ireland) Dee and I didn’t hesitate to get our tickets all lined up for
the flights and races. It also didn’t hurt that my sister lives in
London (approximately 100 miles from the race site at Donington Park).
To top it all off we were getting the best VIP race passes available
through Team USA. Everything was looking like gold for this trip. Then
of course came the broken foot and subsequent surgery. With my doctors
insi stence we begrudgingly had to cancel the trip to this years MXDN.
Just a simple break and cast would not have kept me away but since I had
to have such an extensive surgery he did not want me traveling on a
plane for 12+ hours and then trying to attend an outdoor race event. I
was bummed but I knew he was right. The UK is not a place that you want
to be hobbling around on crutches. I have been there many times and
they are not like the US with all our handicapped and disabilities laws
and ordinances in place. I have heard though that under the new AMA
management and direction from the FIM that this great event will visit
the United States every 3-5 years. I think that in this day and age of
Supercross only contracts that having this event here on our soil on a
consistent basis will be a good thing. I love all Motocross racing
(including Supercross) but let’s face it, SX is a show and MX is a
sport. I think that our current generation of up and coming kids from
the amateur ranks will see that and follow the footsteps of guys like
Carmichael and Villopoto rather than those of guys like McGrath and
Reed.
Congratulations to Team USA once
again.
STAY SAFE, more later.

WEDNESDAY, 9/03/08, 7PM
In looking at Uncle
Ed’s photo shots from his practice session at Perris Raceway I
can see several problems. Number one is obvious to everyone in
that he is still on a Kawacloggy. Time to change bike color
there Big-E. Come to think of it, why aren’t you on a KTM? The
next thing I saw was the sagging elbows. MX bikes simply don’t
handle if you don’t get the elbows up. Even a great cornering
bike like the Hondog will wander out of the good race line if
you drop your elbows. The next item is what Ed is famous for,
not standing up enough. They put the wide foot-pegs on there
for a reason. I will look the other way on that one since I
know he was there to primarily work on his cornering abilities.
Hey I am doing this from the seat of my pants while sitting on
my couch. If anyone else wants to send me some pictures I will
dissect them and get back to you with my seasoned expert
opinion. I don’t know why Donnie Hansen even shows up to his
riding schools when he could just have his clients email him a
few photos. Ed, this session was on the house but the next one
is gonna cost you.
You know that show called
“How It’s Made”. I have been watching a lot of that lately
while riding the couch. Yesterday I saw something that was
really interesting. They were at a factory that makes safety
helmets and they were doing a run of Firemen helmets. I had no
idea how much work and design goes into those goofy looking lids
that you guys wear. They made some out of fiberglass and some
out of leather. The leather ones were much more time consuming
to produce and the final product is a work of art. I have
decided that this is an item that I need to get my hands on
before I retire; a leather Firemen’s helmet. Anyone know how
much one of those things cost?
Yesterday I had my
first follow up doctor appointment since my surgery last
Wednesday. They really didn’t do much except put me in a lousy
cast. I absolutely hate casts. I have spent way too much of my
life in casts. My foot is totally immobilized with screws so I
don’t know what the cast is supposed to do. I think it just
gives the doctor a little more peace of mind knowing that you
can’t go out and totally destroy his surgical work. Next week I
will get a new cast when they take out the stitches. I am well
on my way to recovery and the next 8-weeks should go by
quickly. That’s my target date for the next surgery to get
these damn screws removed. Here are a couple of pics from the
post-op x-rays and when Dee and I were cleaning the dressing the
other night. ENJOYJ
STAY SAFE, more later.

MONDAY, 9/01/08, 7PM
Okay, some discussion items.
While at the Police & Fire Olympics in Boise, ID I went through two
folding chairs. You know the kind; they are the ones that you get
for few bucks at your local Sports Chalet, Big-5, or CostCo/Lowes.
It was a real disappointment and I will give my first hand
experience to ensure that all of you out there in FPMX moto-land
don’t make the same mistake. Dee and I had bought two $6.99 chairs
while at the Motocross des Nations last year in Budds Creek,
Maryland. We got them at Sports Chalet and had planned to just
leave them at the track when we were done. Well one thing led to
another (mostly because we always need more chairs at the racetrack)
and we ended up bringing these two chairs back across the country
with us. One of these chairs ended up going with us to Boise and I
believe that it made it all of two days before completely coming
apart. Needless to say that it ended up in the local trash barrel.
I think its total life span was somewhere around 8 to 10 total
track/trail ride days. In retrospect, I should have left it on the
hillside of Budds Creek.
Example #2 is a chair that had
a little more life span but was also a bad investment. This one was
a little more rooted in a charity than needing another chair. I
bought it at a Border Patrol raffle event for $10.00. I knew it was
a cheaply made chair but it was camo colored, had the USBP logo
across the back, and like I said, it was for charity. I think I
actually got twice the longevity out of that chair than the Chalet
sold models. The funny thing is that both of these crap chairs
actually crapped out on the same day, at the same track, on the same
day that I launched myself off the 450. That was bad day. When
this thing went it was like something out of a comedy. It
completely exploded and put me on my butt.
Now for the good example
of a high quality chair that went through many, many moto sessions.
I actually got it from a buddy who left the Glen right after his
second moto and left the chair sitting next to my tailgate. I was
never able to return it to him because he quit racing/riding (for
the second or third time) just a few short weeks later (thanks AndyJ).
It was a quality chair that was purchased around the year 2000 for
over $20.00. It was almost new when it found its way into my hands
but I can tell you that this particular chair went to a lot of
racetracks and trail riding areas. Its only negative was that it
was colored Hondog red. About four weeks before we left for the
Boise events I drove off and left it at Perris Raceway. I think it
was sitting next to my tailgate and I didn’t do my traditional look
back as I was driving off. It’s got the sharpie logo “MD #101” on
each arm but what the heck. That’s how I got it so I hope it serves
someone else for many more years to come. So, all in all 2008 has
been a really bad year for the Davenport’s and folding chairs. Yah,
I broke and dislocated my foot but all those chair failures really
have me bummed. My point to all this is that when it comes to
folding chairs you really get what you pay for.
STAY SAFE, more later.
MONDAY, 8/25/08, 7AM
I guess it is time for me to
complete my 2008 Western States Police & Fire Olympics report. We
(Donnie Fitch and I) returned home from Boise early Friday morning after
covering 1000 miles of driving in about 18 hours. That doesn’t sound
like much but when you are pulling a 13,000 pound toy-hauler (fully
loaded) that is really good time. Donnie came away from these Olympics
with Gold and Silver medals for Motocross but nothing from the
Scramblers (GP) event. He was a little disappointed about the Scrambles
but there were a handful of locals that really had the advantage for
that type of racing.
Speaking of the Scrambles course
it was really, really tough and on Saturday there was an all day open
practice. It pretty much had all the elements of a GP course with the
exception of a pavement section. In particular, the “endurocross
section” was one of the toughest I have seen in a long time. The course
was approximately 8-miles in length and included a short portion of the
MX track. Having only ridden the 450 once on the week before at the
Glen, I decided to get in as much seat time as I could before the races
started on Sunday. I was pre-running the back section of the course
where there are several high-speed valleys that allow you to really
cover some ground at 50+ MPH. As I came out of one of these valleys I
was greeted at the top by a very young kid (approx. 12 years old) riding
an adult size hunting quad/ATV (the kind with racks front and rear) and
he was going the wrong way on the course. I only had a brief second to
decide what to do so rather than meet this 500 pound quad head-on I
decided to jump off the side of the course and take my chances with the
local terrain. It was one of those long drawn out slow motion crashes
where you almost save it several time before finally succumbing to the
inevitable. The crash left me a little dazed and wondering what the
heck I hit. Luckily, although he was scared beyond belief, the kid did
not ride off and leave me alone. I didn’t think I was really hurt until
I tried to stand up . That’s when I realized that my left foot was
seriously screwed up. The kid helped me get the bike up and even gave
me a little bump start to get the 450 fired up again. He then led me
back to the pit area where I was able to get some medical attention. A
side note is that I was wearing my new EVS neck brace system and the new
One Industries helmet that I was wearing was completely destroyed. So
it leads me to believe that EVS got it right with this new neck brace.
After some recovery time in the
pits Dee loaded me up in the rental car for a quick trip to the local
emergency room. They took the pictures of the foot and said that they
didn’t see anything serious but wanted the radiologist to look at them
later. We returned to the pits and with a little extra medication (and
a few SilverBullets) we started getting the bikes ready for the Sunday
racing schedule. When Sunday rolled around I was just in too much pain
to throw a leg over my bikes. Not to mention that my left foot was way
to swollen to get it into my Alpinestars. As it turned out, we got a
call later that afternoon from the radiologist who wanted to see me
again for a CT scan. The result of all this was another visit to the
emergency room only this time they put me in a solid boot and said that
there were several problem areas that concerned them but they could not
be sure. Well, that was enough for me and we put my bikes and gear away
and called it quits for the week. So the long trip and all the work
leading up to this event were for nothing. I immediately went to see my
doctor when I got home on Friday and he confirmed what I was afraid of.
Surgery is scheduled for Wednesday and a 2-3 month recovery time. So my
race season is over.
It was more disappointing because
of all the support that was thrown our way to participate in this
event. I really have to take my hat
off to all the people that supported us for the 2008 Police & Fire
Olympics; the U.S. Border Patrol, O’Neal Racing, Race Proven Motorsports,
ZLT Graphics, C&D Cycle Center and of course our friends and families
that were there all the way for us. THANK YOU.
STAY SAFE, more later.
Even though the #101 bikes only saw a few minutes of track time they
sure looked good in the pitsJ

FRIDAY,
8/1/08, 6AM
I was at the Trevor Montgomery
benefit ride last Monday evening. The rider turnout was on the low side
but the event was definitely on the high side. By all appearance,
Trevor’s family and friends did an amazingly outstanding job organizing
this event. They had food and raffle items everywhere you looked. I
was even telling Ed that maybe he should recruit them to help out with
the FPMX events. It was that good. The Perris Raceway staff was also
working above and beyond the call of duty. The track was good and they
even had a short Team Race at the end of the evening. I was teamed up
with the very young and very fast Justin Lee. We had a little problem
on the third lap with our ba nner (Hawaiian lei). It seems that when
Justin tried to pull it off his arm to pass it to me for my lap that it
just came apart in his hand. For the following laps we tried everything
you can think of to hold on to that lei. We even tried holding it in
our teeth. Believe it or not even with a short minute-plus lap it was
really hard to breathe when you can’t open your mouth. I never realized
how much wind you suck during a moto lap. We were right there fighting
for first when this little incident occurred but then got shuffled back
to 6th or 7th. We did manage to claw our back to
3rd by the end. All in all it was a lot of fun and all for a
really great cause.
I am currently working on a major
sponsorship deal with the Border Patrol. Donnie Fitch (FPMX#52) and I
have been given the green light for a partial ride to compete in the
2008 Western States Police & Fire Games in Boise, ID later this month.
Currently, the ride includes transportation to and from the Games but if
all goes well we will also be decked out in new O’Neal gear with full BP
logos. Bike graphics from ZLT will also be on the ticket so stay tuned
for the next rounds of the FPMX nationals at Glen Helen to see our cool
rides. A little insight is available if you go to the Jay Robinson
NASCAR team web-site at “www.jayrobinson.com”.
Click on the “TEAM” icon on the top of the opening page and you
will get a look at the race car and team gear/graphics. Not yet sure
exactly what our final product will look like but if all goes well it
will be pretty close to this. I will report more on this next time.
STAY SAFE, more later.

SATURDAY, 7/19/08,
High-Noon
It’s Saturday and my day-off-duty
from work. I know I have been extremely delinquent in keeping up with
my Diary entries but my world since January has been WORK-WORK-WORK and
then catch up on sleep and R&R during the weekend. That is if I don’t
have to go into the office on the weekend as well. Anyway, as I sit
here today reading Uncle E’s Journal it hits me that he is speaking
right through me. First off, I have been thinking all weeklong how this
is the first FPMN/FPMX race that I have ever attended that did not
include Ed in the overall picture. I was at the first race in November
1989 and with the exception of a few missed races due to work (and a few
due to injury) I have been to nearly all of our races. I guess because
Sue was doing such a great job and with Russell and Marco (and many
others) stepping up with the basics it was all run with little or no
problems. It wasn’t until the next day that it hit me that Big-E wasn’t
there. I am not saying that this is a
good thing but I would think that it makes Ed proud to know that he can
miss a round of FPMX and we as a group will step up to help keep the
race on track. I will however leave the promoting and coordinating to
Ed because I sure wouldn’t want that headache on a permanent basis.
Sorry Ed, you are hereby precluded from ever leaving us on our own
again. Oh by the way, I think that deep down Sue is also MX positive
blood type.
I get a lot people pushing me
toward a 450 these days. Most of the ones that have known me for a
number of years say that they assumed I would only spend a year or two
on the 250F to get used to riding again. I will admit that after coming
back from my injuries and not riding for 30 months that it was my plan
to start on the 250F and then transition to the 450 after a season or
two. I think it was because I, and maybe a few others out there, assume
that a 250F is like riding a 125. The obvious move would be to go back
to the 450. I no longer feel that way about the 250F. You really can’t
compare a 125 to a 250F. The technology of a 250F is at the stage now
where the power to weight ratio has far surpassed that of the 125 two-stroker.
The power of a 125 has always been a light switch but the 250F is more
of a traditional grunt and go power band. Similar to the 450 only with
1/3 less the horsepower. While it may not have the raw power of the 450
it also doesn’t have the weight and arm-pulling rev. You really can
ride a 250F hard for 20+ minutes and still feel good enough to go right
back out again. The traits of riding a 250F are all appealing to me but
it’s the racing that I really enjoy. The FPMX Lites class has
traditionally been a dogfight each and every year. In addition, I
always look forward to the AMA Big-6 GP races. The long 45-minute races
are perfectly suited to riding the 250F. I will be riding a 45 0 (as
well as my 250F) at the Western States Games in Boise, ID. next month.
I will reassess this 250 vs. 450 dilemma and report on it then.
Unfortunately, this means I will have to miss the last round of the
Summer Series.
STAY SAFE, more later.
FRIDAY,
6/6/08, 6AM
It’s the dog days of summer. So
far the weather has not really been a factor for riding. I am sure that
we will see the usual scorching temps as we move farther into June.
After the last AMA D-37 round at LACR and the last rounds of the FPMX
series at Comp Edge I decided to take a few weeks off he bike. At the
LACR race I popped my right shoulder out of socket for like the fourth
time in the last five years. It really made hanging on at Comp Edge a
difficult task. It’s a low grade separation and it usually takes 3-5
weeks of little or no use/exercise before it starts feeling good again.
Last week was the first time I could actually do pull-ups and push-ups
without a major amount of pain.
Last weekend Dee and I went out
with a few friends (the Fitch family) to Big Bear for a fun relaxing
trail ride day. We parked at the Miller Canyon trailhead. That’s the
first (and the last) time that I have ever parked at that trailhead. We
usually just go all the way up the mountain to Big Pine Flats or Crab
Flats. I have even tried the Pinnacles trailhead a few times. Anyway,
the Miller Canyon spot was really nice as far as trees and shade but
there were so many SCUMBAGS that park there that I thought I was going
to have to go into enforcement mode. I mean these people would just
throw trash (kids diapers, water bottles, food bags, etc.) anywhere they
felt and we wont even talk about the bathroom facility. It’s situated
close to Silverwood Lake so we rode down to the shoreline and to my
surprise that place looked even worse. There wasn’t even a hundred
yards of shoreline that wasn’t trashed out. I remember fishing there
with my Grandpa when I was kid and it was a pristine lake back then. Oh
well, I guess that’s the price of progress.
Last night I was finally able to
do something that I have had on my radar for several years now. I was
able to visit Tom White’s Early Years of Motocross Museum. I had been
invited on two other occasions but something always came up at the last
minute to get in the way. This time, the invite came at the last minute
so I said yes and how glad I am that I went. That place is
spectacular. A lot of people know that I think racing vintage or what
ever you want to call it is a joke. If it were 1975 then maybe I would
ride a 1975 or even 1974 bike. With modern technology why in the hell
would I want to ride something that is 20+ years old? Now the flip side
of this is that I have a deep appreciation for the restoration of these
old dogs. I just think that when they get that old they should be
admired and looked at but not ridden or heard. There was a couple of
the old Yamaha DT-1 enduros that I sure would have liked to have.
That’s definitely a bike that I would own and ride. But only on
weekends and only down to the local café or In & Out for a burger.
STAY SAFE, more later.
-
It would be tough to choose
between the mighty Bultaco or the Yamaha DT. Hmmmm

-
This other pic is a flyer from
a 1968 International race at Carlsbad. Check out the names on this
list.
TUESDAY, 5/13/08, 7PM
WORK: That word has become a four
letter curse word in my vocabulary lately. Not to alarm anyone but the
Department of Homeland Security is hopelessly lost in a myriad of
paperwork. There was a lot of superfluous celebration when they
announced after 9/11 that numerous federal agencies (22) and over
180,000 employees would be melded into one great agency, DHS. What
might not have been contemplated was how all these entities were going
to work together, and that includes the communication part. DHS was
officially inaugurated in late 2002 and has seen several reorganizations
in that time frame. While I am not downplaying the significance of
having one centralized department responsible for the overall security
of our nation it has become more than clear that special interests such
as the Customs Service have pronounced themselves as the all knowing and
all encompassing leaders of the pack. That is fine but the results are
that in a normal/typical arrest by a Border Patrol Agent or ICE
Investigator it will now take that agent out of the field for nearly the
entire shift. Let’s look at the numbers: USBP = 18,000 Agents and
approximately 19,000 US border miles. ICE Special Agents = 8,500 and
the entire interior of the US. Now let’s do a comparison: NYPD
Officers = 37,000 for one city. How much sense does it make to turn a
basic arrest and deportation of a criminal (be it misdemeanor of felon)
into a mountain of paperwork. No wonder there is an estimated 20
million illegal aliens residing within the continental United
StatesL
Okay, enough of that stuff. I
will turn my mind to happier thoughts. Motocross racing, Grand Prix
racing, Motocross racing, Grand Prix racing, Motocross racing, Grand
Prix racing, Motocross racing, Grand Prix racing. That’s better. The
FPMX rounds 5 & 6 at Comp Edge turned out to be good and bad. I REALLY
hate the wind so that is my only complaint. After all the talk about
the facility operators (Comp Edge) not taking care of the course I think
they did the best job they could with the wind blowing all day and all
night. I would say that they needed to disc the track a little deeper
in order for some of the moisture to stay in the ground a little
longer. I would say that but for all practical purposes in the last
several years I only remember two races where they provided that type of
service specifically for our FPMX race. That would be the last rounds
that we ran at Perris Raceway for 2008 and the rounds from Frozen Ocean
Raceway in Auburn New York back on September 11-12, 2006. Those were
great rounds. Anyway, I continue to get my butt beat good in the 40+
expert class this year. After six rounds I still don’t even have a moto
win. I am the defending #1 plate in that class so I am a little
disappointed so far in my performance. With the exception of rounds 1 &
2 at ACP the Lites class so far has seen small turn outs. My main
competition has been Damian Lys and he didn’t even make the trip from
his home in Arizona to compete in the Perris rounds. Steve West has
been consistent but the points last year went down to the last round
between Damien and me. So what I thought would be a nock down drag out
fight this year for Lites supremacy may turn out to be a yawner. The
last race of the second day was a lot of fun as young Matt Fitch
(14-years old) and I rode on each others wheels for most of the moto.
We passed and re-passed each other several times and I think he beat me
to line (photo finish) by a slim half a wheel.
One thing I did notice is that
after the Comp Edge rounds I found myself seriously thinking about a 450
for next year. Normally I only get a new bike on even years but after
that long up-hill start and having to start from way behind and eating
loads of dirt and rocks I find myself daydreaming about the power of a
YZ-450F on the start. I was even doing the Chad Reed/Ryan Villapoto -
Thor commercial thing where I was standing there with my eyes closed and
my arms in the air as I was being introduced to the crowd as being the
greatest starter/hole-shot artist in the history of FPMX. The roar of
the crowd was deafening. Then I think it was one of the Fitch’s (Donnie
or Matt) that reached over and slapped me back to reality, “Hey Mark,
you are still on a 250F”.
STAY SAFE, more later.
WEDNESDAY, 4/9/08, 7PM
Last weekend was the 3rd
round of the AMA District-37 Big-6 GP series. It was held out at
29-Palms rodeo grounds. They have a small rodeo arena and somewhat of a
motocross course. I say somewhat because it looks like they haven’t
rebuilt it, graded it, or worked on it in several months. However, the
desert sections of this course were nothing short of outstanding. The
course was about 6-miles in total length (to include a half mile
pavement section) and a great deal of it was watered and prepped before
the start of each day. Some sections were even smoothed out before the
start of each race. Take for instance race #4 on Saturday. That was my
buddies race (14-year old Matt Fitch) and they really tore up the
course. You know, it’s mostly a sand track so it gets huge bumps from
over 150 riders hammering away at it for 45-minutes. So before my race
took off (race #5) they had the road grader and water truck working on
some of the more challenging areas.
I rolled up to the line and I am
always in row #2 which is for the +40 250 experts as all the 450 experts
are on row #1. There are usually 2-4 more rows behind me for all the
other +40/+50 250/450 intermediates and experts. Anyway, I am sitting
there on the line, waiting for the road grader and water truck to finish
up, and I hear someone hollering my name. I look up and there is none
other than FPMX rider Luke Terry sitting on
the row in front of me (row #1) on his mighty XR-650. Now did I say
this is mostly a sand track! I don’t care how much grading, prepping,
watering, pampering of the course you do because within 30 minutes the
racers turn the place into an absolute mine field of ruts, bumps and
rocks. The only advantage I could see for Luke riding that big 650 was
that it was probably geared to the moon and if he could get out front
early on the smooth course he could build some sort of a buffer before
the place rutted up at the 30 minute mark.
Long story shorter, I caught Luke
somewhere around the 15 minute mark and we ensued in a great battle for
the next 15+ minutes. Even though we are in different classes I think
we both knew that together we could pick-up our pace and gain ground on
the rest of our class. Then, on around lap #3 I began to put a few
seconds on Luke when I came into the finish line chute which has an
“endurocross” section preceding the flag area. I really hate the
“stupidurocross” sections with a passion but I will leave that topic for
another Diary post. Well, I hit the last set of tractor size tires in
this “endurocrap” section and my mighty YZ-250F comes to sputtering
halt. I mean it stalled. Davenport has been known to launch himself
into the ground from time to time, he has been known to blow up his
suspension from time to time, he has even been known to be late for the
gate drop every now and then but he NEVER stalls the motor. So there I
am, first I pulled the dumbbell SX Lites mistake of not taking my time
and finding neutral and then pulling the hot-start. No, I pull in the
clutch and start kicking. By around kick #25 I am gasping for air and I
stop kicking and start to find neutral. Only problem now is that it is
too late for that. This thing is going to take another 25-30 kicks
before she will fire and get me back into the race. I watch in
desperation as all the competitors that I spent the previous 35+ minutes
passing go right on by me. Including Luke, who meant more to me to beat
than the riders in my own class. And they and are worth
$100-$500 Yamabucks for a top five finish.
When she finally relit and I
got going again I was gassed. I felt as though I just finished a long
Glen Helen moto with “The Dogger” (Ed Niemela) chasing me down. It took
me the better part of the next lap to regroup and get my energy level
back to where I was again standing on the pegs and throttling towards
the front. Sure enough, I could see Luke ahead of me and to my delight,
he was banging bars with several other riders who just so happened to be
in my class. I watched this battle in front of me for several minutes
and then started to move up on the sandblaster-650 that Luke was
riding. I seriously think he took a layer of paint off my new EVS
helmet with that 120 rear tire of his. The good part was that none of
the other riders around him wanted anything to do with that tractor he
was riding so as he opened up a hole I would just slip on through and
gain valuable positions on the riders in my class. As we started to
pull away I ended up getting by Luke and the big red 650 near the last
desert section so I knew that I could hold him off in the moto area
before the finish. It was all good as I took my time getting through
the “lamedurocross” section and coasted home a few seconds ahead of Luke
and in third overall for my class. I was a happy (and tired) camper. I
spent the next 2-hours in a lounge chair in front of the “DogHouse” (my
Warrior) trying to recover. However, I did have a smile on my faceJ
Thanks for the great race Luke.
Lets have a rematch at the next Big-6 round at LACR in May.
STAY SAFE, more later.
SUNDAY,
3/23/08, 6PM
Ouch, my knee really hurts. I
still have this lingering pain in my left knee from that get-off at the
Perris FPMX round #4. And now looking at the message board and seeing
Frank Lowers picture of his knee (post knee surgery) and that just gives
me aches all over. I don’t know why but staples always look so much
gnarlier than regular old fashion stitches.
I picked up a new sponsor
the other day. Its a little shop called Race Proven Motorsports (RPM).
They are located right here in Temecula and coincidently it is almost
across the street from Temecula Motorsports. How convenient for meJ.
They are huge supporters of the AMA District-37 Big-6 GP series. I am
really involved with that series and getting closer to the podium in the
40+ 250 expert class. Actually, I did get one podium last season but
that was after a couple of disastrous rounds. I had to start looking
for some additional support since, as most of you know, White Brothers
Racing will be going away at the end of this season. It’s too bad
because they have been around since most of us were kids. I have worked
my way through all their levels of support and have been running their
pipes for almost twenty years. Many of you might even remember the
fully built White Brothers XR-600 that I used to run long before the
four-stroke craze hit. That is still to this day the fastest dirt bike
I have ever ridden. Hole-shots were almost a guarantee on that beast.
Unfortunately, so were broken transmissions. I was told that Vance &
Hines will be looking at all the rider/sponsor packages that the White
Brothers were supporting but that they will probably not be renewing any
contracts during the first year of transition. You know what that
means! Thanks, but no thanks.
I also just recently hooked up
with EVS’s racing division and received a bunch of great products from
them. I used one of their helmets yesterday for the first time out at
Milestone Ranch. I don’t know the exact weight but I swear it is the
lightest helmet I have ever worn. They sent me some gloves and knee
braces as well and so far I am really happy with the performance level.
I have had EVS knee braces for the last two seasons so I am already used
to their products fit and function. They said they are also going to
send me one of their new neck brace devices. It’s called the RC (race
collar) Evolution. It’s similar to the LEATT except they didn’t just
copy the NASCAR HANS device like LEATT did. The EVS race collar was
used for the last two years in Europe on the GP and national circuits so
it should be track proven and race ready. I should have mine next month
but they claim that they won’t be available for purchase until May or
June. Of course, any Fire & Police racer will be welcome to try it out
for fit and comparison.
STAY SAFE, more later.

THURSDAY, 3/6/08, 6PM
I have just lately started to feel
good again after hitting the terra firma at the last round of the FPMX
Nationals at Perris. That crash really rang my bell. I didn’t know how
hard I hit until this last week when Donnie Fitch started to tell me a
little more about it. There is about 20-25 minutes of my life that I
can’t seem to remember. But, a little sore on the left knee and a
sprain in the left wrist is all that lingers. Last week I rode the
Prairie Dogs Big-6 GP out at the Glen. I was a little hesitant before
the race because I wasn’t quite sure that I was ready to throttle the
mighty YZ-250F again. It was a really great course and the dirt was
unbelievable. All the rain for the last month has had time to soak in
and there were no standing puddles and no dust anywhere over the 8-9
mile course. I wish the Glen would let us lengthen our X-Mas GP to
something more comparable to the Big-6 or even an SRA event. It does
take a lot of staff and safety riders to make it happen though.
It looks like Comp Edge will
be the target of the FPMX crew for rounds 5 & 6 of the 2008 Nationals.
That place has really fallen out of favor with me. But then again, I
was really down on Perris for a great many years and resisted any
inclinations that Uncle Ed had about returning there. So what it really
comes down to is that it is all about the facilitators of the facility
and not the facility in and of itself. Boy that sounds like double
talk. What I mean to say is that as long as the right people are
running the show then just about any race track can appeal to the riders
and spectators. I will admit though that I was pulling for a switch to
Racetown-395. Actually that would have been my second choice as I was
really hoping for Cahuilla. Well now that’s not right either. What I
was really thinking is that the Mammoth Mountain Motocross track should
be hosting the next FPMX rounds and that would put Comp Edge in fourth
place on the list. Unless you want to change the direction of the
Perris raceway track to run the opposite direction then that would get a
close second place to Mammoth Mountain. Sorry Comp Edge, you are in
fifthL
And isn’t there a new track up there in the Dez that’s located close to
Comp Edge and Racetown. And isn’t it supposed to be away from the noise
of the highway. And it has free camping and hookups for all our
toy-haulers. And half price gate fees for badges. Actually, I just
made all that up. Must be the bump on my head. Let’s just go to Comp
Edge.
STAY SAFE, more later.
MONDAY,
1/28/08, 6PM
I haven’t had much time to
write anything in a while. I thought I would take the Sue Wilson escape
route. But after I saw that she posted up two days in a row I figured I
better make some time for my FPMX family. I also haven’t told many
people about my work schedule either. I have been sitting in for
several of the key players here at my Station. The hours have been
brutal and I am lucky if I get out of here in anything less than 14
hours. I am not one to complain about work because I think I have the
best job in the world. I use to think that being a factory rider was
the best job in the world but those guys are on the chopping block at
the end of every season. And unless you are one of the chosen few you
are lucky just to break even at the end of a long season of racing.
Anyway, Dee will attest that I leave for work before the sun comes up
and don’t get home until long after the sun goes down. When I get home
I spend a few minutes surfing the Speed channel to see when the next SX
race is going to air and then eat a quick dinner and that’s it. Off to
bed and then get up to do it all over again the next day. That’s my
life Monday through Friday. Not mention that with the introduction of
these damn BlackBerries I cant even get away from work on my days off.
No time to work on the bike during the week and then the rain won’t go
away during the weekendLLL
Last Saturday there was a break in
the rain so I decided to head to Perris Raceway for some needed practice
(with a dirty bike). The main FPMX class that I am going after this
year is the Lites Division and I was able to beat Damien Lys on his home
court at ACP (FPMX rounds 1-2). Last year Damien and I took our battle
to the last round at the Glen for the 2007 Lites title and he beat me by
14 points. So, this is a good start for the 2008 season and I figure
this gives me a little advantage since the next rounds are on my home
court, Perris. Anyway, I get to Perris Raceway on Saturday morning and
there are about 300+ riders and probably 600 spectators that are there
for practice. Apparently, Perris is running a series (Gold Cup) that
goes off every other Sunday and they are getting record crowds for the
Saturday practice and then races on Sunday. The pits were full, the lot
across the street from the entrance was full, and the road leading to
the gate was full (on both sides). The place was an absolute zoo and I
turned around and headed home. No practice. This brings me to wonder
what is going to happen the week after next for our FPMX rounds. That
will be the next Perris series race with the same Saturday and Sunday
record crowds. There will be no way to get our FPMX rigs into the pits
until late on Sunday night after the races have concluded. From what
they told me they don’t finish until the sun is going down. The girls
at the gate didn’t even have FPMX down on the calendar for our race
dates. She had Perris closed on Monday the 11th and then
open for practice on Tuesday the 12th. Uncle Ed, HELP, what
are we going to do? The sky is falling. Put the cat on it. Meow…
STAY SAFE, more later.
FPMX Toy Drive GP (Glen
Helen). The right way to take the finish line turn (elbows up, eyes
forward, foot out, finger on clutch) and the wrong way to take the
finish line turn (no comment DonnieJ).
Meow

FRIDAY,
12/21/07, 6PM
Dee and I just recently took a
trip out to Hawaii. It turned out to be a really good vacation. We
really didn’t do too much except relax and lay around on the beach. The
one tourist thing we did was make a trip out to the USS Arizona memorial
site. We were there on the 66th anniversary of the attack on
Pearl Harbor. It was of course very somber but at the same time I was
happy to be there. I met a few of the Pearl Harbor survivors as well as
a couple of the survivors from the USS Arizona. There were even a
handful of Marine survivors from the battle of Iwo Jima that were paying
their respects. As most of you probably figured there is only a few of
the survivors left. The “Greatest Generation” is slowly leaving us
behind.
I knew of my family history and
that my Uncle was a 20 year old Marine that went down with so many
others on the Arizona. I would often hear my Grandmother and
Grandfather talk about him. My Grandfather actually was with him when
he enlisted in the Marine Corps. My Grandfather was denied because of
age and medical reasons. But his cousin, Henry
Kalinowski (PFC USMC), was accepted and station as a shipboard
marine. In case you didn’t know it is common for the Navy to station a
small garrison of Marines on all Navy ships for security. Alright, I
know you are already saying it, “Hey, Davenport is a Pollock”. Yes, I
am about half Polish. I’d like to think the good half. Anyway, as I
stood on the USS Arizona memorial, I was able to listen to a few stories
that these survivors shared with us. When they spoke, EVERYONE would
stop and listen. It’s so difficult to get them to talk about the war.
When you hear them talk and see the tear in their eye you know why. I
felt privileged to be there with them. And I felt a great sense of
pride to look over at the giant marble carving that is located on the
wall of the memorial and see my Uncles name displayed. Merry Christmas
& Happy New Year to all. Especially those serving our country to keep
us safe.
STAY SAFE, more later.

FRIDAY,
11/30/07, 7PM
It’s absolutely pouring rain out
at this moment. I have an AMA D-37 GP first thing in the morning up at
Racetown-395. The weather forecast is for partly cloudy skies but VERY
cold, about 35-40 degrees. Not too sure how much rain they received
today but I know the desert will soak it up. There will be two races
before mine so I anticipate a really good dust free course. I was
hoping that YZErnie would be there as well for this GP but it looks like
he will be skipping it this time. He won his class there last year but
complained about how rough the course got. He complains but he is one
of the fastest riders out on the course. Those fast guys are always
like that, go figure…
Dee and I did the Day in the Dirt
event at LACR last weekend with the Fitch boys, (Donnie and Matt). It
was nice during the day but dropped down to the 20’s at night. My
little “Dog House” toy hauler had some ice cycles hanging off her in the
mornings. The track was one of the BEST TRACKS that I have ever ridden
on. I really love the desert sand and I really don’t mind the big bumps
and roughness that always forms in that kind of terra firma. They say
that although the gravel/sand pit company is digging the area all to
hell that LACR will continue MX/GP throughout 2008. That’s good news.
Maybe more FPMX riders should venture that way for some practice
sessions and then way in on that place for a possible FPMX race? Sorry
Ed, I know you are pulling your hair out already just with me saying
that. Quote from EDub’s sub-conscious, “Noooo, not another track”.
Dee raced as well on the LACR course and had a great finish in the
sand. She knocked down a 5th place in the woman’s 30+
class. This was a lot better than I expected from her because she hates
the sand and was having a heck of a time riding the course during the
Friday open practice sessions. I made her try my TTR-125 in place of
her trusty and mighty XR-100. I thought the torque and e-start button
would help her out in the deeeeeep sand. As it turned out though she
just was not as comfortable with only having minimal time on the TTR to
prepare. Matt is riding my old YZ-250F and really flying on her. He
and Donnie both had some decent top 25 finishes as theirs were
consistently the largest classes to line up each day. They typically
had 50+ riders on their gates. It was a great weekend and great daytime
weather. And did I say that LACR has a GREAT course these days… Oh,
and a really good pit area for the spectator viewing and after race pot
luck and medals…
STAY SAFE, more later.
MONDAY, 11/19/07, 7AM
It’s nice and early in the
morning and I am sitting hear in my spacious office drinking a
great cup of Starbucks that I just made in my Mr. Coffee maker.
Who the heck is Mr. Coffee anyway? Is it still that famous
baseball player Joe DiMaggio? Is he also the reason that they
call it a cup of Joe? Why can’t Mr. Coffee be Ricky
Carmichael? I heard that RC is a coffee lover and that other
than race days he never starts a day without a big cup of Joe.
Or should that be a big cup of Ricky. You can’t call it a cup
of RC because then everyone would have cola on their minds. Do
they even make RC cola anymore? This conversation with myself
is going nowhere. This morning, I had only written that first
line, “MONDAY, 11/19/07, 6AM”, when I decided to go check my AOL
mail account. What do I behold but a message from Doug Goff
asking why I haven’t been posting anything on the Diary lately?
This is from the guy that only shows up for a couple of races a
year. HmmmmJ
Speaking of only racing a
few times a year, I have my little pit tootsie, Dee, all signed
up for the annual Day in the Dirt GP at LA County Raceway. She
made a pretty good showing last year at Comp Edge, and the year
before that at I-5 MX in Gorman. This has become one of those
cant miss events that we like to hit each year. Especially
since it is one of the only times that Dee can race with a whole
group of woman racers. It is very cool to be holding the pit
board and yelling at her for a change, “stand-up, go faster,
attack, nak-nak, smile you’re on camera, have fun”. She is
usually the only gal out there on an XR-100 but she makes a good
run at the trophy positions. The only thing is that this race
is by far the most expensive race I do all year long. Even
rounds 1 & 2 of the FPMX series at Arizona Cycle Park are
cheaper for me than the Day in the Dirt event.
Long
pause………………………………………………………….
I have interrupted my
thoughts above because as I was typing, “Day in the Dirt event”,
I decided to check the FPMX message board to see who else might
be racing this Thanksgiving weekend. I have not checked it in a
few days and unfortunately I only made it to the first post from
FPMX CEO Ed Wilson, “Tragic News”. I say unfortunately because
this kind of event is one of those that stops you in your tracks
and totally consumes your thoughts, your breath, and every
movement you make for what seems like hours. After I re-read
the post at least 20 times my thoughts go to the Bestwick and
Gonzalez families. I don’t know how you cope with something
like this but I do know they have a great extended family in
that of the men and woman of LA County Fire. I think that this
will make a lot of us slow down to reflect, and I think that
Thanksgiving 2007 will mean a lot more to all of us because of
this tragedy. God Bless.
STAY SAFE, more later.
WEDNESDAY, 10/17/07, 7PM
I think I need to write
something in this Diary today. I have been neglecting it for
some time now. Some of my reasons are legitimate and some are
bulls&*t. Dee and I spent some time in Washington, DC and
attended the Motocross of Nations in Budds Creek, MD. I am
telling you straight up here and now, the MXON is the best race
you will ever attend in your lifetime. And to see it in the
U.S. for only the second time in history was “Priceless”. We
are already planning our trip to next year’s event in Northern
Ireland.
After we left DC we headed
home and then on to the final Fire and Police National rounds
for 2007. This in turn was followed by our now annual banquet
event. That is something that Dee and I really look forward to
each year. It’s just a really nice setting to sit down with all
your friends and competitors for some good food, good bench
racing, and of course a good show. Thanks to Ed and Sue for
making that happen. Oh, and I just heard that after trying
since 1989 (19-years) that I finally earned the #1 plate for
FPMN(X). Actually, I have never tried to earn it because I
figured that I was only good for a couple of classes per event.
Guys like FEN and McKenna have won it multiple times but they
had to ride like iron men and do 3-5 classes per event. I am
however very proud to earn it for 2007, Thank you.
After the Nationals
I took a three day break from riding and then headed out to
Ridgecrest for round #5 of the AMA D-37 Big-6 Grand Prix
series. I really like the Ridgecrest course because of the long
lap times and it gets super rough. I put my new 110x90-19 rear
wheel from PlatinumSpeedEquipment.com (Kris Waters company) to
good use for that race. The only thing that sucked was that
they threw in a dead engine start and I had a 10-kick start. I
guess I need to practice at that for the next round, Nov. 3-4 at
Gorman I-5 MX. Just in case they decide to try that dead engine
crap againL
After the Big-6 GP I took
another long break from riding and had a whole four-days to get
the bike ready and head out to Mesa, AZ for the 2007 Western
States Police and Fire Games. I decided to take along Doug
Goff’s bike as well so that I could maximize my riding
experience in the great state of Arizona. The event was fun but
the rider turnout was pathetic. They cancelled the second day
GP event so all we had was MX and there might have been 50
riders total??? The track was all air-time with jumps
everywhere. Once I figured the course out it was a good time
but it was just something I wasn’t used to. I mean you
seriously needed a pilots license for this track.
Well that pretty much
catches you all up to what’s been going on in my world. I
didn’t want to bore you with the work stuff because I am pretty
much boiling over with this whole DHS-CBP-ICE transition that we
(Border Patrol) are still going through. I wonder if they had
this much trouble when they transitioned over to the U.S. Dept.
of Justice from the Dept. of the Interior back in the 50’s.
On a side note, I
think Uncle E picked up his new green ride today and did a
little moto break-in. I saw him advertising on the message
board for some supporters to come out and ride with him today.
Man, I bet he is one sore puppy tonight. You know how it is
when you haven’t ridden in a while. Lots of sore muscles, sore
butt, and baby soft hands. Well, he is a Fireman so his hands
are probably soft all the time anywaysJ
STAY SAFE, more later.

2007 FPMX Banquet (Greg
Parquette, Matt Fitch, Mark Davenport) #1 plates for "the Compound
crew"
THURSDAY, 9/6/07, 7PM
Hey I got a
question; has anyone ever sold anything through the FPMX “For
Sale” board? Yah, I didn’t think so. I was going to wait until
tomorrow to write this Diary post that way I could say “please
forgive me FPMX, it has been one month since my last Diary
entry”. My jay-o-bee (job) has been seriously getting in the
way of my personal life lately. If you don’t believe me then
just ask Dee when you see her at the 3rd Annual FPMX
Awards and Banquet. And on that note there is a rumor that
someone with the initials of JMc will be attending our races and
banquetJ
I have been getting in
some good practice on my mighty 2008 YZ-250F. I am not quite
feeling it yet but I think I should be up to full-tilt by
October one. I have yet to put an aftermarket pipe on her and I
am not sure if I want to or not. I know that with the White
Bros. pipe my 2006 hit a lot harder in the mid-range than this
2008 does but I am leaning to ride a little differently. I am
trying a new concept on this bike; it is called the flow
method. Kay-Dub (Kevin Windham) described his riding method
like this a few years ago when he came out of retirement and
started beating AreCee (RC=Ricky Carmichael). Rather than just
trying to rip from corner to corner using the power and hit of
the engine I am attempting to flow with the bike and the course
and use momentum to carry me through the corners and over the
obstacles. Sort of like trying to teach an old dog a new trick.
I am leaving for
Washington DC on Sunday. I am scheduled to attend two-weeks of
classroom courses to make myself a better Border Patrol Agent.
At least that’s what they tell me. Someone should tell them
that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Maybe I should tell
myself that and just go get a new pipe for the ‘08. Anyway,
after the course is complete I will be staying an extra weekend
to attend the greatest race that was ever put on the face of
this earth, the Motocross of Nations. Budds Creek is only an
hour south of DC. I just confirmed my tickets to the event and
Dee will be flying out to join me. It should be an epic
battle. I think it was a slam dunk with Bubba in there but now
I am not so sure.
Last noteworthy
item, I say no to the Rhino racing at our events unless the Moto-Rooter
herself (Gigi Frieling) gets her entry in. Then I can stand on
the side of the track waving a towel and yelling at her each lap
to go faster, stand up, get your elbows up, breath through your
nose, look ahead, race the track not the other riders,
concentrate, have funJ
See ya at the Glen.
STAY SAFE, more later.
TUESDAY, 8/7/07, 6PM
Not a whole lot to write
about lately as far as the riding department goes. Obviously we
(FPMX) have been experiencing an inordinate amount of
crash-N-burns lately. The list is really long and it seems to
grow longer as the summer progresses. So, everybody just take
two steps back, now take two steps forward, okay forget about
that and just take two deep breaths and relax. NO MORE CRASHES…
A couple of weeks
ago Dee and I were doing some beach camping at Del mar Beach on
Camp Pendleton Marine Base with the Fitch family (and a whole
bunch of FBI Agents but we wont talk about them). I really like
camping on the beach at Camp Pendleton. You need some special
connections like friends or family that are active members of
the military in order to camp on the base facility. There is
something about having Military Police Marines in full battle
gear and loaded M-4’s patrolling through the campground that
makes you feel all warm and fuzzy. You know you don’t have to
worry about anyone messing with your truck or trailer. You know
that the kids are fine to wander around without disappearing.
There are no lewd and obnoxious people hanging around the camp
or playing loud music until all hours of the night. They will
only ask you once to change your behavior before they escort you
not only off the beach but off the base entirely. Did I already
mention that they patrol the area with loaded M-4’s. Anyway, we
spent two nights and three days on the beach and found out that
the entire time we were there that we had been parked/camped
next to non other than National Motocross Champion Marty Smith.
It seems that Marty’s son is a Marine so he frequently camps
there at Del Mar Beach. He was there with his family relaxing
and getting in a little surfing on the side. Let’s just say
that he no longer looks like he did back in the day. I was
never a big Marty Smith fan but I can appreciate his talent and
what he did for the sport of MX. I had a brief thought about
calling Mike “Walker Ranger” Dunn to tell him about it. But I
knew that being an ardent MS fan and being a former Marine
himself that he would probably get three speeding tickets and
crash his truck trying to drive from Murrieta to Del Mar Beach
just to sit and bench race with his idol. So I waited till the
next day after I got home to tell him about it. I will tell you
what Marty said about riding vintage bikes though; “I didn’t
like riding them back in the day so why in the hell would I want
to ride one now.” Amen to thatJ
STAY SAFE, more later.
FRIDAY, 7/13/07, 6AM
These are those slow
months in regards to Motocross. Its summer, it’s hot, and the
water always sounds like a better day out playing than the dust
of a Motocross track. However, a couple of weeks ago we made a
weekend trip up to Big Bear for some high altitude camping and
riding. The Fitch family and a few others met us up there and
we had three good days of riding. It had been a number of years
since I had done any trail riding in that area. We ended up
deciding on the Big Pine Flats campground that is located just a
few miles north of Big Bear Lake/Fawnskin Cove. It turned out
to be a really good riding weekend. The weather was cool in the
evening and a nice even 85 during the hottest part of the day.
And come to find out, there is a whole new (new to me anyway)
trail system that is exclusively for bikes and quads. We did
about 2.5 days of riding and I barely saw 25% of the trails in
that area. So needless say, we are planning another trip to
that area before the summer ends.
I see a lot of talk lately
about the so called FPMX “bump list” and next years’ race
schedule. Some people feel that it is disparaging to see/read
the comments/opinions on these recurring matters. I don’t look
at it that way. I feel that it means the FPMX organization is
alive and thriving. It means that you are all caring and
engaged in the direction of this great organization. I was
talking to my boss (Rene G, who is a former FPMN competitor) in
his office the other day about FPMX. Actually, we started the
conversation talking about the 450 and 250 MX Nationals on SPEED
channel. That’s a whole other topic but you gotta admit that
the racing in both classes this year has been phenomenal. I
just hope that RC stays for the whole series. Anyway, I was
telling him that I am pretty much done with racing Motocross
with any other organization than the FPMX. I will still ride
the Western States Games and any World Police and Fire Games
that are not on the other side of the world. But as far as
local MX clubs go, I am staying away. This was actually
solidified last weekend as I accompanied the Fitch boys (Donnie
and his son Matt) out to the Star for some Saturday night local
Motocross. I enjoyed the racing and I enjoyed hanging out with
Donnie and Matt but I was SOOOO disappointed in the MX crowd
that attended this Starwest event. I won’t go into details but
the crowd reminded me of type that attend the Supercross events
and make all the trouble for others. It’s the type of people
that are always going through life saying “everyone owes me
something in life” or “get out my way because I am in a hurry”.
It’s that sense of entitlement that this type of crowd
portrays. There is no courtesy and at least outwardly, no
integrity. That’s not the way I was raised and not the way I
acted when I was learning first-hand about this great sport so
many years ago. I know that I am painting with a broad brush on
this topic but the Motocross crowd that I grew up around seem to
be so hard to find these days. No, I am not turning vintage,
just a little old school in heart and mind.
STAY SAFE, more later.
The other day Dee stopped
by to bring me some lunch and decorate my office. At this nice
new Border Patrol Station here in Murrieta I have a very
spacious office that allows me to actually hang a few pictures
on the wall. Of course, being a Motocross fan and racer most of
my pics are related to that subject. The picture that I like
the best is an artist rendition of Steve McQueen. He is sitting
on a ’67 Triumph twin with the #141 on it. He has a cigarette
hanging out of his mouth and is wearing a Checkers M/C bib over
his racing jersey. I was told that it was from a photo taken of
him while he was heading to the start line at the 1969 Elsinore
GP. I know that it was 1970 that he entered that same race
under the alias of “Harvey Mushman”. Only that year he was on
new Husky 405. I also have a couple (2) of the “Legends”
posters from the Dunlop Legends series. These are really great
posters that benefit the Clayton Memorial Foundation to help
injured motorcycle racers. I’ve got the Bob Hannah poster from
the 1977 Trans-AMA race at Sear Point. It’s the one shot from
the rear that shows the print on the back of Hannah’s leathers.
It simply says “TROUBLE”. The other Legends poster that I have
is of Jeff Ward racing at the 1987 Motocross Des Nations in
Unadilla, NY. That race was basically a survival mud race and
this shot is of Wardy hammering his KX-500 through a deep mud
turn with his open face helmet and no goggles. A true Motocross
warrior picture for sure. If you’ve seen the advertisements for
the “Legends” posters you know that there is a new poster
release of Malcolm Smith. It is a classic shot of Malcolm
hitting top speeds at the Baja 1000 on one of his mighty
Huskey’s. That one is on my Christmas list.
Last week, Sunday, June
17, 2007, marked a somber date for the United States Border
Patrol. It was 40 years ago from that date that the BP lost two
of its Patrol Agents in the line of duty. Although the BP has
lost over 100 agents during our 88 years as an agency this was
that one defining incident that stands out in our history. It
was 1967 and these two Temecula Station Agents, Ted Newton and
George Azrak, were working the Oak Grove checkpoint when they
made a vehicle stop and discovered 800 pounds of marijuana.
Well, during the subsequent minutes/hours that followed this
drug bust they were kidnapped, transported to a shack in the
hills above Anza, handcuffed to an old stove and subsequently
murdered execution style. A few years after this event had past
the United States Border Patrol created the Newton-Azrak Award
for Valor. This is the highest award that a Border Patrol Agent
can be awarded for service to his country. On Monday of last
week we were honored at the Murrieta Station (formerly known as
the Temecula Station) to have over a dozen family members from
these fallen Agents attend the 40th anniversary
memorial event. The children of Agent Ted Newton (now in their
40’s) were in attendance to present the awards to several of our
local agents. It’s hard to really know how people feel or think
after living with this type of family tragedy. But I think
after seeing them here at our station, speaking with them in
person, and looking into their eyes that they are no longer
mourning the loss of their father. Rather, I think they are
celebrating his life, who he was, and what he stood for.
I know that nearly
every law enforcement agency and fire department around the
country has their own tragic stories of fallen comrades. This
is ours and I just wanted to share it with you. Always check
your six. That means look behind you for the fire guysJ
TUESDAY, 6/5/07, 7AM
WOW, race time is almost
upon us. I am a little surprised at the pre-entry list for
rounds 5 and 6 of the 2007 Fire & Police Motocross Nationals.
The list seems a little on the short side. There was a pretty
good turn out of riders at the Glen and I remember telling Uncle
E that I thought we (FPMX) would have a record number of entries
at the next rounds at Competitive Edge. I mean school is going
to be out for summer and CE is a great track/facility to hold an
event like this. June is a little on the warm side to be racing
in the high desert but what the heck. We are all super
physically fit athletes who chase bad guys and run into burning
building for a living. We can handle the extremes of summer. I
am hoping that similarly to Glen Helen we have a large number of
riders that post enter at the track on Monday and Tuesday
morning.
It seems like
everyone is talking about what “new bike” they are leaning
towards. The 2008 offerings from the big five manufacturers is
going to be interesting this year. There has been so much talk
about fuel injection and electric start that I think anything
less will leave a lot of potential buyers disappointed. I for
one am hoping for the magic button. An electric start 4-stroke
is becoming more of a necessity than a luxury. It has already
proven itself on the GP circuit for the last 2+ years. Now you
can indeed have an electric start and still bring the weight
down on a competition 4-stroke race bike. On my free time
J
here at the station I decided to give all the factories a call
and get the real scoop for 2008;
I was told that the Katoom
factory was no longer in business since they were attacked by an
extreme “kamikaze” group from Japan. Apparently they felt that
KTM was taking too much of the Japanese market share from around
the world. I heard that Suckzuki was seriously looking into
re-introducing the Ribi front end on the 2008 RMZ’s. And that
Yamahopper was going back to the mono shock design with the rear
shock running under the gas tank. Kawacloggy is going to stand
pat with their current motor and frame design but they are
bringing back the rear fender-number plate. Apparently they had
a few thousand of them laying around at the factory in Japan.
They did say that to keep the bike balanced they would also be
adding a front fender-number plate to the package as well. The
Hondog is getting the biggest makeover as they have brought Mike
“Texas-Walker-Ranger” Dunn into the factory to advise on
bringing back the nostalgia of the “Red Racer” team. However,
they are going to change from the name “Elsinore” to the name
“Murrieta” since that’s where Walker lives. And last on the
list was Team Harley Davidson. You can expect to see a large
push from the Harley factory to flood the MX starting gates of
America with the Evel Kneivel replica bike. They say it’s a
kidney killer in the braking bumps but that it can jump like no
bike ever made… See ya at the Edge…
STAY SAFE, more later.
SUNDAY, 5/13/07, 6PM
I just can’t get past
looking at those pictures of Uncle Ed holding up various
firearms. Not that I would put our fellow fireman out there
in the same league as a Postal worker but that is what comes
to mind when I see those pictures. Maybe some of the LAPD
or LASO guys out there can invite Ed over to one of your
range days and introduce him to some proper weapons handling
skills. And in turn, maybe Ed will then reciprocate and
invite you guys over to the firehouse for some proper hose
handling drills.
Dee and I
attended the 23rd annual Baker-2-Vegas Law
Enforcement Challenge Cup relay race a few weeks ago. This
is really a great event. Dee and I have been a part of the
Border Patrol Team for the last 15 years. I remember when
we got started with this it was a much smaller event. Less
than 100 teams competed back then. Now it has grown to over
220 teams and more every year petition to get in. The
running route is 20-legs of varying distance and covers a
total of approximately 120 miles. The event is run and
coordinated by members of the Los Angeles Police Revolver
and Athletic Club (LAPRAAC). I have spoken to them on
several occasions about inviting the fire services to
participate as well. The problem is that the race is
already too big to be handled over a 2-day event. For
nearly 24 straight hours the route from Baker, California
through the mountains and down to Las Vegas, Nevada is
jammed with racers and race support personnel and vehicles.
It’s a real nightmare for the two states highway patrols and
local sheriff’s units to handle the traffic control. If you
added a couple of dozen fire departments into the running
mix I think it would get out of control. I do remember a
few years ago (not too long after 911) that they had an
invitational team from the New York City Fire Department (NYFD).
I think they finished lastL…
STAY SAFE, more later.
I too am a total motorsports fan but it kind of scares me to
think of the kind of applicants that we might get from this
type of advertisementJ…
NASCAR Busch Series; Jay Robinson Racing Team

FRIDAY,
5/4/07, 6AM
“Would the rider
from the last race on bike #429 please come to sign-up,
I repeat, would the rider from the 40+ expert class on
blue Yamaha #429 come to sign-up immediately”. That was
me that the announcer was looking for at the last FPMX
round at the Glen. For round #4 on Tuesday I decided to
ride Doug Goff’s 450F (bike #429) in the 40+ expert
class to see if I could run with Chip Howell and his big
“All American KTM”. I think that KTM he rides is like a
750cc or something like that. All I know is that Chip
is the only rider big enough and strong enough to hang
onto that beast. It’s been a while since I threw a leg
over a 450F in a race. I have plenty of hours of desert
and moto practice on Doug’s bike but I don’t have to
tell you all the differences between practice and race
conditions. Anyway, I had a blast on it (Race Tech
suspension) and did pretty well. I even had a handful
of you out there come over and tell me that you thought
I should move back to the 450F from my mighty little
250F. I appreciate the input and I am definitely
thinking hard about which bike and what size to get for
2008. However, unlike Uncle E, I am pretty sure it
won’t be an orange or green one.
It’s been a while
since I have had the time to write in my Diary. I hate
those times when things around the house and job get so
damned busy that I cant even slow down for 20 minutes to
say “hello” to all of you. I am heading out tonight to
LACR for the next round of the Big-6 GP series. I was
talking with some of the agents here yesterday at lunch
about the race this weekend when it dawned on me that
the last time I raced at LACR I broke my leg. It was
also a Big-6 GP round and I think it was like 2002. I
didn’t do the morning practice race that they run
(unclassified race) so I really had no clue on what to
expect on the course they had laid out. The soil at
LACR is always good when it is prepped. It is very
similar to Competitive Edge. The LACR motocross track
is always full of jumps. That GP race was no exception
because they use part of the MX track to complete the
course. A long story short, I was running top-5 on the
first lap and I thought an approaching jump face was a
table-top only to realize (as I was in the air) that it
was actually a double jump. I came up way short and
when I hit the face of the second jump my right lower
tibia gave in to the impact and a nice egg shaped piece
broke completely off. It didn’t cause me to crash but
it was a very hard landing. It took two hours of
surgery to screw the broken piece back together. If
there is any consolation to this story I did find out
from the doctor that the bone had actually been
fractured at the Anaheim Amateur Supercross the weekend
before. Otherwise I don’t think the tibia would have
broken in such a weird way. That’s my story and I am
sticking to it.
STAY SAFE, more
later.
MONDAY, 4/9/07, 6AM
Last week was a tough
one here at the Department of Homeland Security. Well,
maybe I should just say that is was a tough week for MD03.
I didn’t even have time to report on the Big-6 GP that was
out at Twentynine Palms (or is that 29-Palms). I am not
sure what’s wrong with me so far this year but I just can’t
seem to get on track. And by on track I seriously mean
on-track, as in my racing. At 29-Palms (or is that
Twenty-Nine Palms) I had a great start (5th out
of 19) and my first lap was good but then the wheels sort of
fell of the wagon. I had one small crash but I kept the
bike running and was moving forward again in a matter of
seconds. So I can’t use crashing as an excuse. However, I
will be happy when all the 2-strokes are gone. It’s tough
on a fast race course to compete with 250cc 2-strokes. And
most of the guys in my class ride 2-strokes. I ended up
with an 11th overall in my class (0-250cc 40+
expert) and that gives me one DNS and two 11th
place finishes thus far for this seven round series. So
needless to say I am not happy with my GP season to this
point. Oh and the race course was great. About eight miles
long, a little on the fast side and they did have a long
pavement section that was at least a half mile in length.
Next round is at LACR on May 5th so maybe there I
will be able to get my GP season on track.
Moto practice this
last weekend out at Cahuilla was good. We (Donnie & Matt
Fitch and I) went out there on Saturday morning and the
course was groomed like a Mammoth Mountain morning practice
session. Absolutely beautiful.
Writers Note: HEY ED, WE (FPMX)
NEED TO HAVE A RACE OUT THERE! Since it was an off
weekend for the Supercross boys there were a lot of fast
pros showing the rest of us the short way around that very
loamy course. It’s amazing to watch a fast pro click off
laps on a loamy course. They never lift off the throttle.
Even when they are braking they are still running full
throttle only with the clutch in. It’s a thing of beauty.
Besides guys like McGrath, Dubach, Brown and Laninovich, the
Pro Racing FPMX Team was represented by Jonon and Charette.
Those guys were holding their own against the bigger 450’s.
Anyone who has been to Cahuilla knows that a 250cc 4-stroke
is at a serious disadvantage when going against a 450. The
loam and the hills really rob the horsepower from the bike.
Practice went good, other than little Fitch “Matt” taking
three soil samples and loosing a fingernail in the process
“OUCH”. The track got really rough as the day progressed
(as all loamy tracks do) so I think it was good practice for
the Glen. The only Motocross that I have done so far this
season was out at ACP for the FPMX rounds 1 & 2. I sure
hope my MX season doesn’t go the way of my GP season.
Otherwise it is going to be a long and frustrating year.
See ya at the Glen (AKA: The Hack).
Hey Uncle Ed, did you
check the garage door before you drove away this morning?
STAY SAFE, more later.
FRIDAY, 3/30/07, 6AM
The “DogHouse” is all
loaded up and ready to roll as soon as I get home from work
today. Dee and I are heading up to Twentynine Palms (or is that
29 Palms, or Twenty-Nine Palms) tonight for round #3 of the AMA
District 37 Big-6 Grand Prix series. It’s been a few years
since I last raced up in the Palms. I have always liked that
course because it usually has a good MotoX section and the
desert has good combinations of terrain (fast and slow sand as
well as a few rocky sections). They also had a pretty good
pavement section the last time I rode this event. I like a
little pavement mixed into the race course so I hope that it is
still part of the layout. For this event, I talked another FPMX
rider, Donnie Fitch, into giving the Big-6 Grand Prix series a
tryout. I was successful in getting him and his family out to a
few specialty GP’s last year (Troy Lee’s “A Day in the Dirt” &
Race Around the Lake) and they really enjoyed them so I am
thinking that once he does the D-37 Big-6 races he will really
be hooked. These are good family events and they are usually
very well organized. So I will give you a full race report next
week.
I wanted to make a comment
on an event that I attended last night here in Temecula. The
local Temecula/Murrieta Valley American Legion Post was giving
awards of recognition out to some of the valley Law Enforcement
and Fire Services personnel. Attending were officers and
firefighters from the many local agencies to include; CHP,
Temecula PD, Murrieta PD, Riverside Sheriff’s Dept, Temecula
Fire Dept, and the U.S. Border Patrol. As it turns out, the
Border Patrol nominee was a classmate of mine from the Border
Patrol Academy many years ago. So, I really had to attend to
show my support. It was a great event and for those of you that
don’t know much about the American Legion history you should go
to their web site and read up about it. They are a great
organization made up of true to life American heroes. I was
talking to several of them last night about the time they served
in the armed forces. Two gentlemen in particular were recalling
the battles they fought during WWII. These guys went to war in
1941 and didn’t come home until 1945. One of them was married
and the other was in college when they left to go to war. They
didn’t complain, they didn’t ask why, and they definitely didn’t
expect to go home until the war was over. Whether it took 5
years or 10 years these guys just knew that they were needed by
this country for the duration of the war. They confided that at
one point of the war when they were sent to Germany after Japan
had surrendered both had thought that they would only return
home in a pine box with a flag over it. They thought for sure
it was going to be their time. And for many of their comrades
it was. This was a great generation of warriors and we are
truly blessed that they were there for us. Next time you see
one of them you will know because they (American Legion members)
always wear a ball cap or patrol cap (AKA: piss-cutter caps)
with various insignias depicting the era they served in. The
WWII guys obviously stand out because of their age. Make it a
point, especially if you are on duty and in uniform, to approach
them, shake their hand and say thank you. You won’t have to
explain a thing as they will know exactly what you are talking
about.
STAY SAFE, more later.
MONDAY, 3/26/07, 6PM
Well, so far no moto practice but I have been getting in some good
desert riding sessions. Calico was a blast but it takes a different
kind of rider to really appreciate that place. I enjoy technical
riding and I would say that Calico ranks right up there in that
category. The place is littered with cat-5 4x4 off-road sections as
well as an ample supply of trails that run along steep ridge tops
(with lots of rocks). There are several long sand-wash trails that
flow up and down through the lower valley areas. And if that isn’t
enough then you can find some natural formation jumping spots to
hone your aerial skills. During the first ride of the day on
Saturday Dee ended up on her head while trying to “side trail” one
of the dusty main trails leading out across the desert to Mule
Canyon. I think she gets that from me. I hate eating someone
else’s dust so whenever I get a chance I will ride “side trail” in
order to avoid this and also to help keep my dust away from those
that are riding behind me. The other good part about “side
trailing” is that it can be very technical and when at speed it
requires some lightning fast reflexes to keep you on two-wheels.
This is great practice for the WORCS or D-37 GP events. Anyway, Dee
sees me ride this style of “side trail” all the time. So I think
she thought that she was the next Ty Davis and started doing the
same thing only to find a washout with a small 2’ step-off leading
into an equally sized step-on. Only problem was that they were
about 3’ apart. The end result was her lying in the sand for about
ten minutes trying to catch her breath. I gotta admit though, she
is getting pretty good on that little XR-100 of hers. Oh, but I did
end up getting a flat tire while running side trail. That’s
probably not the same as an endo thoughJ………
This last weekend Dee and I took a little trip up to Washington
State for a buddies wedding. It was in a little town called
Wenatchee. We (FPMX) have all been reading about Uncle Ed’s
adventures in the sky and I thought I would share my own torture
that I went though last Friday morning. We were flying out of
Ontario Airport at 0600am and heading to Seattle first. I didn’t
get off work until late Thursday night and by the time I was through
completing all my business and getting packed and ready for the trip
it was pushing midnight. I knew we had to leave the house at around
0400am so that meant a wake-up at 0300am. You all following me on
this one. Anyway, I wasn’t too worried about being tired because I
sleep great on plane trips. In my 21 year Border Patrol career I
have flown all over this county and destination beyond more times
than I can count. And, call me paranoid, but business or pleasure I
ALWAYS fly armed (that would be with a large caliber handgun for you
foundation savers). So there we are sitting in the terminal all
checked in and ready to go. We were flying Alaska Air and I knew
they had a good track record as far as being on time, not loosing
your luggage, and just being a nice clean airline to travel on. I
really had no worries at this point. They followed every procedure
to the letter and had us pre-board and meet the captain before
taking our seats. That’s when the lead stewardess told my buddy and
me that there would be no sleeping on the flight. I thought she was
joking and started to joke back with her when she started reciting
the fine print on the back of the armed law enforcement officer’s
paperwork that we had filled out at the check-in counterL
I was now in hell. At first I tried drinking a lot of coffee and
reading my newest editions of MXA and Cycle News. I thought for
sure that that would keep me awake for a measly three hours. I was
fighting it worse than Mouse McCoy at last years Baja 1000. My eyes
were very heavy. Every time I started to dose off she would come by
and bump my seat or just start talking, LOUDLY. Dee thought this
was the funniest thing she had ever seen. And to make matters worse
it was only Dee and I in our row of seats. So had it not bee for
the stewardess sleep Nazi I would have been able to stretch out and
use Dee as my pillow. Those three hours seemed like an eternity.
In all my years I have never had any other airline tell me that I
was not allowed to sleep. Alaska Airlines, cross them off my list.
STAY SAFE, more later.
WEDNESDAY, 3/14/07, 6PM
I was sitting
here writing this long dissertation about how screwed up our
United States Government really is. After 21 years as a
Patrol Agent and many years as a kid living on Air Force
Bases I think I am somewhat qualified to give that
assessment. I am not going to bore you with the long
(2-page) letter that I am writing to the Treasury Department
in regards to US Savings Bonds but I will tell you that they
have no idea of who or even how many savings bonds are out
there in circulation. Not that I am even contemplating
exploiting this discovery but I have found a way to actually
have them re-issue saving bonds with little or no proof that
they were even purchased. However, it would be an
interesting experiment to see how far they would go in
wasting more of our tax dollars by sending me $50, $100, and
even $200 saving bonds that I never bought in the first
placeJ
Stay tuned on that one…
I am heading out to
Calico Ghost Town this weekend for some long overdue rest
and relaxation. Dee and I will be hooking up with the Fitch
family for a little desert riding and some ghost town mine
exploring. The “DogHouse” has been sitting in storage for
too long now and we need to get out and use it. For anyone
interested the Calico OHV area is a lot of fun. Besides the
typical Ghost Town attractions there is 100,000 acres of OHV
and many of the areas are open to shooting target practice.
And then there are the over 200 open mines from the Silver
and Borax mining days of the 1800’s. Bring yourself a
handful of chem-lites and a couple of flashlights and you
can explore for days through mines that run for miles
throughout the Calico Mountain range.
Next, I think I will
be jumping in on some of that moto practice at the “Hack”.
See ya there.
STAY SAFE, more later
THURSDAY, 3/1/07, 7PM
I’m just sitting here at
my work desk wondering where the year has gone already. It’s
March 1st and all the racing series are in full swing. The FPMX
Supercross team is now on the East Coast and seems to be getting
better and better as the weeks past. I am happy not only for
our well traveled CEO (no not the cat) I am talking about EduW,
but also for FPMX in general. I can’t tell you how many times
now when I mention that I am a Motocross racer with the Fire &
Police MX Nationals I get the ten questions about the Supercross
team. When I tell people that the FPMX, formerly known as FPMN,
was established in 1989 they are amazed. Most have no idea that
we have been around for so long. When I tell them that we have
hosted races in California, Arizona, Nevada, and New York they
are even more amazed. They had no idea how big our group of
riders really is. When I tell them that we have former National
Champions as well as former AMA Nationals and Supercross
competitors (Eric McKenna, Donald Upton, etc.) that now ride for
our organization they want to hear even more. We are a very
diverse group that comes from many walks of life. I think many
of the riders from our organization have forgotten just how much
influence a simple term like Fireman or Law Enforcement Officer
can carry. For me, I think that the fact of having the FPMX
Supercross team out there has reminded me of that fact. I
always try and represent FPMX in the same way that I represent
myself as a Border Patrol Agent and that is with professionalism
and courtesy. Good luck in St. Louis Team All American KTM/FPMX,
I will be racing the D-37 Big-6 GP at Glen Helen but I will be
thinking, and talking, about you.
I have been off the bike
(YZ-250F) for a while now. I rode Doug Goff’s 450 and Mike
Dunn’s 250 2-smoke last week out at Ocotillo. Boy, what a
difference in character those two bikes represent. And I don’t
mean the two characters that own them. I am talking about the
450 that hits like a Rocky Marciano punch to the chest and the
250 2-smoke that snaps like a light switch at Anaheim Stadium.
Both bikes are awesome in their own right but when you try a
back-to-back comparison it is very difficult to feel comfortable
with what’s between your legs at that given time. I think I did
manage to walk away with two distinct impressions that will
probably stay with me for a while. The first is that I don’t
think I will ever go back to a 2-stroke. I know that many of
you are saying, “Well, that’s an easy assumption”, since slowly
but surely all the manufacturers are discontinuing those
models. And in today’s time and space you would be right. But
I just don’t think that we have heard the last of 2-stroke dirt
bikes. I know too many old timers out there who thought the
same thing about the 4-strokes some 35+ years ago. The other
impression that I was left with is that I absolutely love the
Race Tech suspension on Doug’s 450. When I am trail riding his
bike and hitting unseen obstacles at eye watering speeds and the
bike tracks perfectly while soaking up every change in altitude,
I can only walk away with a good feeling about our choice of a
suspension shop. And when you throw in the fact that the boys
over at the Race Tech shop give us great discounts and show up
to our races to support their work, I have to give them an A+
grade.
This last mention is for
the suggested “pot luck” get together at the FPMX Compound at
the Glen. The idea is that after the last motos are completed
on Monday, April 16, 2007 (round #3 of the FPMX Nationals)
everyone is invited to come over to the Compound for the awards
presentation and some great food, drink, and bench racing. I
like the idea, tell a friend.
STAY SAFE, more later.
FRIDAY, 2/23/07, 6AM
I have some information that
ALL FPMX RIDERS need to make priority of. Even though my race
season actually started at ACP with rounds #1 and #2 of the Fire &
Police Motocross Nationals I am preparing for an all out assault on
the AMA District 37 Big-6 GP Series. One of the items that I needed
to check off my preparation list was registering my Yamaha for the
2007 contingency program. I completed it on line through the Yamaha
web site. However, before I did this I called the race/rider
support office and talked to them about our FPMX series. To keep it
short, they told me that it was very important that all FPMX riders
who register their bikes for contingency (Yamaha,
Honda,
Kawasaki, Suzuki, or
KTM) that when they fill in the
column for “Series and Classes you are planning to compete in
during the 2007 season”, in addition to stating your desired
series events (WORCS, AMA D-37, Golden State Nationals, etc.), we
need to also add the Fire & Police Motocross Nationals. Even though
it is not on the pay-out schedule for 2007 they stated that if they
see it on the riders registration form we have a better chance of
the factories taking notice and adding it in the future. They even
went as far as saying that ALL FPMX riders that have a contingency
legal bike should register them for their respective manufacturers
program even if you do not plan on entering any of the pay-out
events/series races. This would assure us of maximum exposure for
our FPMX race series.
In other news, I had to miss
out on the first round of the AMA Big-6 GP Series. It was on
February 3, 2007 at Honolulu Hills Raceway in Taft. As I mentioned
in my last Diary post I had to attend a retirement party that
evening down in San Diego. So the schedule just wasn’t going to mix
well. I am not all that disappointed except for the fact that with
the Big-6 Series you only get one (1) throw-away round. So that was
my throw-away. If you have never been to Taft and raced at Honolulu
Hills then you really are not missing much. The track layout is
nice with mostly safe jumps but the soil is complete crap. And the
track prep is almost non existent so it only compounds the poor soil
conditions. In addition, the local track workers that they employ
at that place are from the town of Taft. They are probably
comparable to some of the degenerates that I was exposed to when I
was deployed to New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina. To quote a movie
line, “what are you all, on dope”. I am sure that Uncle Ed knows
which movie that was from. Anyway, that’s why I really wasn’t too
disappointed about not attending that round. Now I just have to
make sure that I don’t get hurt or end up on a duty assignment in
another state or country. Last year I finished just outside the top
ten overall in my class after only attending four (4) total rounds.
I think I can make the top three this year.
STAY SAFE, more later.
TUESDAY, 2/13/07, 6AM
First off I need to respond to
Uncle Ed’s action figure series. Very funny and, since we have to be so
sensitive to others feelings, I am laughing with you not at you. The
action figure that I liked the most was the “Glen Helen dog”. I swear
that dog is at least 27 years old. I say that because that’s how long I
have been riding MX and going to Glen Helen (which used to be known as
“Arroyo” back in the day). Over the years I think I have fed that dog
at least 150 cheeseburgers and 200-300 hotdogs. So I guess I am a
contributor his lioness appearance.
I went to another retirement
party last week for a couple of Agents that I have known and worked with
my entire career. For a Border Patrol Agent it is rare to actually
spend 20+ years working with the same people. I say this because we are
a national agency so chances are that while you may occasionally run
into them from time to time they are more than likely to transfer to
other locations throughout the United States. For those of you who have
been around for a while I am sure you remember going to a retirement
party now and then when you were still young in your career. It just
didn’t mean that much back then. Sure you might have shed a tear or two
for one of your Field Training Officers that showed you the ropes when
you were in your young and impressionable years. But other than that
all you cared about was getting back to work and hunting down some more
bad guys (or saving a few more foundations or rescuing some cat out of a
treeJ).
Now I see many of the people that I grew old with in this agency
retiring and heading out into the sunset. It really hits home and makes
you think and feel old. When I was young it seemed like people didn’t
retire from working until they were like 80 years old. I am not sure if
I just wasn’t paying much attention or if the world has actually changed
and people are now retiring at around 50-55? I have been thinking about
this subject for the last year or so. I even find myself looking at
different states or locations in Cali to setup for retirement. I am 45
now but I wonder if I stay around and continue to race at Glen Helen how
much longer that lion-dog will still be around looking for a
cheeseburger? If only that dog could talk, think of the bench racing
session you could have with him…
STAY SAFE, more later.
PS. Ed, get something for Sue on
Valentines Day!!!
FRIDAY, 2/9/07, 6PM
Ever since the little “Track Nazi”
posts on the message board from a few weeks ago I have been avoiding
writing anything in my Diary. To tell you the truth it just kind of got
under my skin and pissed me off. There was a lot that I wanted to say
but instead I took three deep breaths and walked away. I didn’t want to
start writing in here and then end up offending a whole bunch of people
that I really do have a lot of respect for but they obviously need some
guidance on how to get through life. I think I have written this phrase
before but every now and then it bears repeating for those with short
term memory; my Dad always told me “life is tough but it’s even tougher
if you are stupid”. Now this is not to be confused with the phrase from
Animal House, “fat, ignorant and drunk is no way to go through life”.
Enough said, but that’s why I haven’t been writing lately, SORRY.
I wonder how many of you out there
have seen the new David Bailey video that is out on the various Moto web
sites. David is making a plea for more riders to start wearing the
Leatt Neck Brace System. More directly, he is
challenging the so called elite of our sport to start wearing the brace
during national competition. This is a bold move on his behalf. Not
sure how many of you have even seen this brace but it is said to be
quite revolutionary when it comes to Moto protection. For more info you
can check
www.leatt-brace.com.
My buddy, Donnie Fitch FPMX #44, and I were introduced to the Leatt
brace last year at the Race-Around-the-Lake (Castaic Lake) event. A
Leatt vendor was there showing the device off to anyone who would stop
and give him five minutes to make his sales pitch. In the simplest
terms, it is a carbon-fiber and aluminum device that snaps on around
your neck area and rides just above the shoulder pads. It is said to be
designed with the NASCAR Hanns device in mind. The main objective is to
reduce the amount of head travel when impacting a stationary object,
like the ground. Anyway, I think that if Bailey has the courage to
think about other riders safety above and beyond all the health problems
that he has experienced over the last year, the least I can do is to
help spread the word. Even if that word is in our small world of
FirePoliceMX.Com.
STAY SAFE, more later.
FRIDAY,
1/5/07, 6PM
I was reading Uncle Ed’s Journal
last night and as I looked at the new pictures he posted on the top of
the page I found myself daydreaming about our trip to Frozen Ocean
(Auburn), New York. The overall racing was great but in particular the
races that I had against both Ed’s (Wilson
and Neimela) are what stands out the most
for me. Way back in the day when I first started racing with FPMX
(known then as FPMN), circa 1989, I used to bang bars with our CEO (not
the cat CEO "meow" but EDub) and we would have pretty good races. EDub
is the kind of racer that when he is just riding around mid-pack he
doesn’t stand up much (or more than normal) and really isn’t expending
much energy. Now I am not sure if this is a strategy thing or maybe
just a lazy thing but that is the appearance he gives. In fact, you
could almost say that he is just out practicing while actually in the
middle of a race. But when you press him for a position then he turns
into a whole different guy. He will fight for every inch of track, and
position. FEN (Ed Neimela) is the exact opposite. He rides with total
and complete concentration and is always going 100%. And usually doing
it while entered in three or four classes. That’s how FEN got the
nickname many years ago of “The Dogger”. Since then it has been changed
to FEN (Fast Ed Neimela) but the speed and determination are still
there. So for me he will always be “The Dogger”.
Back to those pictures on EDub’s
Journal page. When you look at the picture of us launching that jump at
Frozen Ocean (that’s me, #101), Ed is just a few bike lengths ahead of
me. I am looking over at him because although that jump wasn’t
particularly difficult it was a blind fall-away double and I was a
little surprised to see Ed jump it. It all started when I went down on
the second lap while leading “the Dogger” and by the time I got the bike
up and started Edub had also passed me and was by now several
straight-aways ahead. It goes to what I said above because I actually
caught back up to Edub in only about a lap. But as I came up to get
passed the mean green #519 Kawi he turned into that prizefighter of
old. All of the sudden Ed was a different rider again. He railed the
insides of every berm and then grabbed handfuls of 450F power down each
straight. He rode a wide track through anything that could be
considered technical and subsequently I was left with flogging the hell
out of my mighty little 250F motor to keep up. I say keep up because
just as fast as I caught up to him he would absolutely destroy me with
the roost from that 50+ horse power Maxxis driven 120/19 rear tire of
his green machine. As anyone that went to that race will tell you the
Frozen Ocean track was littered with mid-to-small-to-tinny sized rocks
and was mostly a wide open power track. The pass I finally put on him
was two turns from the finish line and I had to get a little physical to
make it happen. When that race was over I was sore and bloodied with
several paint chips missing from the top of my AXO helmet. But you
know, we were not racing each other for position, rather we were racing
each other for pride and bragging rights. For a brief 15 minute window,
3000 miles from our favorite track (the Glen), on a bright and clear
sunny day, with friends and family screaming at us each lap, we were
racing like it was 1989 all over again. It reminded me of what racing
was all about. No trophy, plaque, medal, or even prize money could
replace that feeling. See ya at the races.
STAY SAFE, more later.
"Dang,
that Mark guy is so fast, and his Yamaha is really mean too. I think I
chipped a tooth."

MONDAY, 1/1/07,
6AM
I was sitting back this
morning and probably like most of you I was reflecting on the year gone by,
2006. For me, the most important item on my year’s agenda was to just be
healthy enough to work and ride consistently. And for the most part I was
successful in accomplishing that goal. I received a great promotion at work
that has me mostly doing administrative functions and sitting at a
desk/computer doesn’t take a whole lot of physical abilities. I raced in
over 30-events this past year and apart from a couple of slight bobbles I
stayed up on two wheels. At the FPMX Nationals at Star-West I went down
really (REALLY) hard and was spitting up blood (4-weeks off riding) and the
other slight bobble was at Barona Oaks for the Western States Police & Fire
Games that left me with two cracked ribs (4-weeks off riding). By virtue of
consistency (and riding most of the series) I was able to grab the series
championship in the 40+ experts class at the FPMX Summer Series. As for the
National Championships, I was handed a gift by Don Rohmann (CDC) when he
cashed and snapped his ankle in practice at the final round in Mesquite.
Don had the 40+ expert class in his grasp as long as he raced and finished
somewhere near the front. Don is definitely the fastest rider in that class
and I hope he makes it back soon. In the Lites class, Kris Waters (Ventura
Co. SD) and I had been banging bars at nearly every round. Then at Mesquite
I was handed another gift when Kris was called in to work right before the
event started. So, all I had to do in that class was ride and finish and I
had that #1 plate in my hands. I ended the year with FPMX national #6 and
the coup de grace was winning the expert class team race at
the Christmas Grand Prix/Toy Drive. I was lucky enough to get teamed up
with two great and long time FPMX riders Chip Howell and Kris Waters
for that one. The only thing still on my mind is that “FPMX National
#6”. The last time I had that number was for 2003 and I don’t even want to
go over what happened then. I think I will just stick with the familiar
#101.
The other series
championships that I was racing for was the WORCS series and the AMA D-37
Grand Prix series. The WORCS racing is at a really high level and I don’t
think I was properly prepared for that series. Riders in my class (40+
expert) included guys like Eric McKenna (needs no introduction), Andy
Jefferson (former SX/MX rider), and Gary Jones (4-time National MX
champion). Not to mention that if you are really serious then you need to
travel all over the western United States to make all the rounds. As it was
I was only able to make it to four rounds in that series but I had a good
time at all of them. The highlight for me was running in the top five at
the Lake Havasu round before I faded back to like 9th overall.
Talk about a rough course. The only time/place that you could sit down for
the entire 45-minute race was at the start. The D-37 GP series was one I
was really riding hard for. The timing on my Fire and Police racing
injuries ended up really hurting me for this series because I wound up
missing two rounds of that seven race series. I finished up in 10th
place for my class (40+ expert-lites) after only racing five of the seven
events. There are 200 points up for grabs at each race and the difference
between 3rd overall and me in 10th was only 200
points. And that guy in 3rd raced all seven rounds. So it was
quit conceivable that I could have at least finished the series on the
podium. Oh well, there is always 2007.
HAPPY NEW YEAR to all.
STAY SAFE, more later.

FRIDAY, 12/22/06, 7AM
And so this is Christmas… It’s
that time of year and Ed is still looking for a gift for Uncle Jasper,
YZErnie is the new Rambo/Rocky, Walker is looking for a way to “lower”
his FPMX
YZ-250, and Harper wants the location
of Erv’s motorhome. That looks like a pretty tall list for Santa (no
pun intended Walker). Dee and I have it all worked out over in the Casa
de Davenport. We have put the word out (many years ago) that we only
buy presents for the “kids” of family and friends. Adults get nothing
but a card and good food, if they want to come on over for a
cheeseburger and SilverBullet. We
don’t even buy presents for each other. Well, excluding Christmas 2003
when my little pit tootsie surprised me with a mighty blue
Yamaha TTR-125. No, Dee and I just get
each other a nice card and then during the year when we see something
that we want, either for the house or for each other, we buy it. This
way we are not forced to do all this crazy Christmas time shopping.
Lets face it, Christmas has become way to commercialized. All the kids
drool over the latest Atari or Nintendo games (do they even make those
anymore) and that forces their soccer moms to wait a half hour for a
parking place at the local mall so they can get their name on a waiting
list to buy those items. To me that’s just absolutely crazy. You even
see them in the stores just grabbing clothes that they don’t even really
want. They just don’t want someone else grabbing them first. Then they
go place them on lay-away to give themselves time to figure out how to
pay for the whole mess before Christmas arrives. I mean, what kind of
people are they that would behave in such a manner. I’d like to talk
more but I gotta go now so I can get over to Temecula Motorsports and
put my name on the waiting list for an ’07 450F. I better hurry though
because I heard they just put out a whole new batch of riding gear… MERRY
CHRISTMAS to all.
STAY SAFE, more later.
MONDAY, 12/18/06, 7PM
Dee and I made a run out to our
friend’s house (Brent & Julie) in La Quinta over the weekend. Brent is a
long time friend and riding buddy of Dee and I. We first met him many years
ago (about 1989) while riding in Mammoth and we have been friends ever
since. Brent has even come out to our FPMX races a time or two to bang bars
in the civilian classes. He is one of the few friends that I still have
that is not a cop or fireman. Funny how that happens in this line of work.
All the friends that you made over the years seem to slowly disappear after
they pin that badge on you. Back to the story, Brent has sold his house in
La Quinta and wanted us to come hang out before he moves in January. Brent
is an entrepreneur of sorts and his latest excursion is a restaurant in
Salton City. For those of you who don’t know the area, Salton City is a
relatively new town that is slowly springing up on the west side of the
Salton Sea near Highways-86, 78, and S-22. Since he will be working
16-hours a day and seven days a week after it first opens, Brent wanted a
house that was closer to his business. That’s my little hint of why
never to enter the restaurant business. It can be very rewarding but the
initial investment of time and money means you have to work your %*# off.
Anyway, this area is of particular interest because it sits right-smack-dab
in the heart of one of the greatest riding areas in SoCal. That would be
the Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA). Brent’s new
restaurant will be called “The Travertine Grill”.
The building is brand new and very modern so it should stick out like a
Husqvarna at a local motocross race. It is located on the corner of Highway
86 and S-22. This is a strategic location in more ways than one. First of
all there is absolutely nowhere within a 30-mile radius to eat at. Sure
there are a few hole-in-the-wall restaurants that are splattered around the
area but they are weak at best and it is hit or miss on the quality of the
food, if you know what I mean. No offense there EDub but the “Blu-In” along
Highway-78 just doesn’t do it for me. The other highlight is that being
situated so close to the SVRA you can actually ride (or drive) right from
your camp site and be sitting in an air condition (or heated) restaurant,
watching the latest motorsports events on wide screen TV’s (oh yah, Brent is
a major motorsports fan), and be feasting on quality foods and beverages.
And I am pretty sure that he will have cheeseburgers and SilverBullets.
After our visit to the Imperial Valley
was over Dee and I headed back over the pass through the Highway-74
corridor. It had been rather cloudy all day and you could see some ominous
clouds that were hanging around the mountaintops. During dinner we noticed
a light sprinkle of rain in La Quinta but didn’t think anything of it. Sure
enough, as we got closer to the summit (near Anza, which is near the
Cahuilla MX track) that little drizzle turned into a full-on snowstorm. No
worries though, we were driving my little pit tootsies mighty Toyota 4x4
truck. It’s amazing how fast you can hammer the snow corners while in
4-wheel drive. And how easily you can make the pass stick on the poor
little red, yellow, green, and orange cars that were stupid enough to get in
our way. Every time I passed another car I would look over at Dee and make
a tear-off move.
STAY SAFE (and drive safe), more
later.
A pic from the "FPMX Toy Drive". Good
job by all... 
THURSDAY, 12/7/06, 7AM
I got this call last Thursday from
Big E asking me “Hey Mark, do have to work on Monday?” Apparently, Ed
needed someone to get out to the Glen and help them setup the GP course
for Tuesday. The crew that was scheduled to make this all happen had a
last minute injury that forced them to cancel on Ed. I said, “No, I am
taking that day off to get my bike ready for the X-Mas GP”. You see,
YZErnie and I raced the Big-6 GP out at Racetown-395 the Saturday before
and I don’t like going to any race, or practice for that matter, with a
dirty bike. So my plan was to take Monday off to get the bike ready.
So you are saying get the bike ready for the X-Mas GP on Sunday. I
couldn’t do that since Sunday was a very special day. It was our 18th
Wedding Anniversary and Dee and I
ALWAYS get our Christmas tree on our Anniversary.
Well, Dee was a really good FPMX trooper when I told her about Uncle E’s
dilemma. After we picked up the tree she gave me the rest of the
afternoon to get the bike and gear and camping and food all ready to
head out early on Monday. I made a quick call to some of the reliable
FPMXers (Doug Goff, Mike Dunn, and Marco) and just like that we had a GP
course crew ready to go for Monday.
During my years of racing GP’s at
the Glen, I have raced everything from a one-mile course (if you can
call that a GP) to as much as a 12-mile course. I have raced through
the Glen Helen Pavilion, the Sheriff’s pavement pursuit training
facility, the big sand wash, and all the hills that surround the park.
So I feel that I have a pretty good estimation of what a true Glen Helen
Grand Prix should look like. So I arrive at around 11:00am on Monday
and a course worker and light but consistent 20-30 MPH breeze out of the
north greets me at the gate. I tell the guy, “Hi, my name is Mark and I
am here to setup the course for the Fire/Police Grand Prix”. That’s
when I am told that John (another Glen Helen course worker) has already
setup the course but that it will just a little water on Tuesday. My
first impression is cool. Now I can just unload the mighty YZ-250F and
go out and bang bars with Doug and Mike on a groomed course that we have
all to ourselves. After Doug and I take a couple of sighting laps we
catch up with John (the course worker) and start telling him all the
changes that we want made. I said, “John, you need to add in all the
wash area that leads up towards the Pavillion and I want some of the
ridge up on top above the flagpole added in with a few miles of single
track to boot”. John looks at me with a smile and says, “Mark, you will
need a permit from the county to run the Pavillion wash and have you
been up top yet on any of those trails?” So I put the helmet back on
and Doug and I take a quick trip up to the trails above the flagpole.
Those 20-30 MPH winds turned into 40-50 MPH gusts that nearly put us in
the bushes on several corners. That’s when we rode back down and met up
with John again, “Hey John, awesome course, thank you”.
So that’s the story about my first
time setting up a GP course for the FPMX races. As it turns out, I
could have not even been there and the course would have been all ready
to go. But who knew. The course turned out to be a lot better on race
day once we got a little water on it. And the lap times were all
between 3-4 minutes depending on how much throttle and brake you used.
So it was a respectable GP course. And as always, the highlight of the
event was once again that Team Race. Too much fun on two wheels and
Thank You for all the
toys that were brought in by all of you and the departments that you
represent. It seems like every year we set a new record on the toy
collection.
STAY SAFE, more later.

Ahhhh, the happy couple, 18-years
and still going strong. This was taken in NY at Frozen Ocean so I think
that is JJ's butt in the pic...
FRIDAY,
12/1/06, 6AM
Happy Thanksgiving. Oh wait, I
think I missed that post. Don’t get too crazy that I missed a few weeks
of Diary posts. At least I am not saying Merry Christmas. You’re right
though. As representatives of this fine upstanding organization (FPMX)
I think it incumbent upon us to be timely with our posts. I mean the
fate of the entire free Motocross world is dependant upon it. What if
one month Jody decided that he was going to just sit back and not write
up an article for “Jody’s Box” in the next issue of MXA? Or what if
David Pingree ignored everyone when they “Ask Ping” some earth
shattering questions in Racer-X? Or absolutely no one sent in any
insightful questions/comments for the “Voices” section of Cycle News?
This is the finest news there is, Moto news. I have to admit that I get
a little squirrelly when I see that Uncle E or his lovely “Pit-Tootsie”
(Sue) have a new post in their journals. They always have interesting
stories about the life and times of the FPMX executive staff. I still
can’t believe that Ed’s cat makes so many high level decisions. I just
can’t figure out how Ed is communicating with him (meow). No wonder we
are having a race in the high desert in the middle of summer. And I
always look forward to YZErnie’s “High-Side” because he is such a crack
up, “foundation savers”. That one almost made me laugh a mouthful of
coffee through my nose. Someone asked me the other day, after they
chastised me about not posting a Diary in several weeks; they said
“Mark, why are you always so serious in your Diary?” I never really
thought I was being so serious. I just write what’s on my mind at the
moment. I know I have strong opinions about politics and Motocross.
Hey wait a minute, what else is there in life except politics and
Motocross?
All right, I got a GP tomorrow out
at Racetown-395 and then the FPMX Christmas Toy-Drive GP. I am about
GP’ed out these days. Like I said, it’s all about Motocross. So I
think I am going to take some time off from riding for a few weeks and
recharge my motivational batteries for the 2007 Fire & Police MX
Nationals. Round-1 should be a doozy.
STAY SAFE, more later.
FRIDAY, 11/17/06, 6AM
I purposely avoided writing in my
diary for the last two weeks. I was waiting to simmer down a little
after the national elections/voting was done. I think I am better now.
It just really gets to me how the American public is so short sighted
and apathetic towards the real issues that face this country. They
would rather vote for anything and anyone that would guarantee their
uninterrupted viewing of MTV than to face a decision on the future of
our state or country. I watched the Shawn Hannity show the other day
(before the elections) and they were stopping people on the street and
asking them some basic pointed questions. On a scale of 5:1 more people
knew the names of the hosts on MTV than knew the names of the people who
run our country. I am talking about the VP, the Secretary of State, the
Secretary of Defense, etc. I don’t know about you but I really find
this disturbing. I am not going to say much more about this because I
know that if I keep writing I am going to end up alienating some of you
out there. I guess this is just the way of a modern society. I guess
this is also why no modern civilized society has ever lasted more than
300 years. Hmmmmm.
I have been racing a lot of Grand
Prix’s lately. I wrote last time about how much I really enjoy GP
racing. There are just so many good events out there that it is hard to
say no to any of them. The Day in the Dirt GP is coming up over T-Day
weekend and then the FPMX GP & Toy Drive is right around the corner. I
will have to check my schedule but I do believe that there is an AMA
D-37 GP the weekend before the FPMX GP. Dee says that we have been
racing too much lately. I never really thought about it but I think now
I see her point. I was wondering what kind of set-up you might do on
your trusty but rusty motocrosser before a GP race. I usually do a few
things on mine just help with the overall handling and protection
package. I like to run a full aluminum skid plate because there seems
to always be a rocky section or two on most Grand Prix courses. And for
the same reason I will also run a set of hand guards. Tire pressure is
another thing that I pay close attention to. I run my tires on the soft
side (10-12 pounds) for MX but for GP I run them a little harder (14-15
pounds). Obviously the handling is not quit as good but it beats
getting a flat. You can ride out a flat on an MX track but with a GP
flat you are pretty much done. On the suspension side I will speed up
the rebound front and rear to help with all the rolling whoop sections
that most of these courses develop into. I will also slide the fork
tubes as far down as possible to add stability to the front end. All GP
courses have several long straights that get rougher as time goes by. I
don’t run a steering stabilizer so the fork trick is the next best
thing. Another little trick is to tighten the steering stem just a
little to help with the headshake as well. The bike wont turn on a dime
anymore but there is always a price to pay for stability. Besides, I
would rather lay it down in a corner than on a high-speed straight.
I have my little “pit tootsie”
(Dee) signed up to ride the Day in the Dirt woman’s event. This will be
only her third race ever but she is really getting the hang of it. She
even told me after the Race Around the Lake at Castaic that she could
have picked-off a few more riders if she had throttled it up a little
more. I guess competitiveness just runs in the Davenport
family.
STAY SAFE, more later.
What do you think it will take to
get this baby ready for the FPMX Christmas Grand Prix?

THURSDAY,
11/2/06, 6PM
I am going to post this at the end
of the week but it is Monday right now and I am real excited about the
race we did this last weekend. There were a few posts earlier on the
message board about it and most of it was negative. I am talking about
the “Race Around the Lake” at Castaic Lake that was promoted by Shane
Trittler. The race was a really good event. I’ll stop short of calling
it a great event but with a few minor changes it could very well be a
great event. For those of you who attended last year I read all your
complaints and from my estimation most, if not all, of those concerns
were mitigated for this year’s event. Those of you who know me know
that I really like doing Grand Prix’s. I like the idea of a long course
(4-10 miles) and I like knowing the schedule days and even weeks before
the race actually takes place. As much as I love Motocross the big
downer always has to do with waiting until after practice to actually
know when you are racing. And then more waiting for my motos to come
around. Lets take this weekend for example; Dee and I are heading up to
I-5 MX at Gorman for round six of the AMA District-37 GP series. I
already know that my race is scheduled to start at 11:30 on Saturday
morning. All I have to do is back-plan from there and that means we
leave the house in Temecula at about 0800, we get to the track at about
1030, we check-in at sign up (I always pre-enter these races), drink a
little “magic power water” and go to the line. After the race is over
we load up and leave. A quick stop at In-n-Out burger in Castaic on the
way home and that completes my race day. I will probably even have time
to get the bike cleaned up when I get home. So now I am ready for the
following weekends races. And the courses are usually a fun mix of
several types of terrain. A little motocross, a little fire road, a
little single track, maybe a sand wash or two, and even a little
pavement. Anyway, I just wanted to give all of you a good complete
report of this race. I will definitely put it on my race calendar for
next year. Oh, and I needed to add that Dee Davenport and Liz Fitch
finished 6th and 7th in the woman’s class out of
sixteen entries. And I think the other Fitch girls (Donnie Fitch’s
daughters, Breanna and Lindsey) were only a few more places behind at
the finish. Even more reason to bring out the whole family.
Okay, now it really is
Thursday and it looks like Uncle Ed is finalizing the FPMX schedule for
next year. We, as a group, have gone around and around about this.
What’s good, what’s bad, where to go, where not to go, etc… I have
thrown my two cents in on more than one occasion so I will not beat that
dead dog anymore (whoops, sorry about that Rob, how is Cloeie doing?
How is Erv doing?). Anyway, the FPMX National race schedule has now
been broken down to the basics. Four venues, eight rounds, one X-Mas
GP, and whole lot of fun. Lets make this next season one for the
records book (record turn-outs). And remember to pre enter. Now lets
talk about Comp Edge in June. Ed, are you out of your mind? Do you
know how hot it is going to be up there in the Dez in June?
J
STAY SAFE, more later.

Breanna, Liz, Dee, and Lindsey.
Girl Power!!!
FRIDAY,
10/27/06, 5AM
I got to work this morning and
instructed the duty officer to lower our flags to half-mast. As I
was making the short 10-mile drive to the station I was hoping (and
praying) that I would hear on the radio about how the
Cabazon fire was contained and
that the criminals that started the fire were behind bars. No such
luck on either. It seems like over these last few years that when
we lose firefighters it is never just one. Please be safe out there
guys and if there is no one in the structure then just let the damn
thing burn.
I have only been back in town
for a few days now. After the Mesquite rounds of the
FPMX series Dee and I went over
to Pismo Beach for a little R&R
and of course, some more racing. Round #11 of the
WORCS series was held on the
beach (in the dunes) at Pismo.
Talk about a rough course. Not to mention that I was still really
beat-up from my crashes at Mesquite. Actually, I
shouldn’t call them my crashes I
should say someone else crashed me. The first one
wasn’t so bad as I went down in
the first turn of the first moto
of the first day. Someone (a Honda) slammed my rear tire just hard
enough to put my little 250F onto the ground. And then the dog pile
started as one after another more Hondas
were falling on top of and all around me. I guess those Honda
riders really get pissed when a blue bike with half the motor gets
to the first turn before they do. The next crash is the one that
really got me. Rob Harper and I
were going at it for the lead in the “Lights” class and Rob took my
line away coming out of a turn. The only problem is that coming out
of that turn is a rather large tabletop so we were about 15-feet up
in the air when he took that line. The angle of the impact took my
feet (and bike) out from underneath me so I ended up landing on the
right side of my body. I hit the ground with a lot of force and by
the next day the whole right side of my body looked like I was in a
major car accident. It was all good as nothing was broken and the
bike was still in fairly good shape. And the best part of all is
that I had enough of a points cushion that I was able to cruise the
rest of the motos and still get
the National Championships for the 40+ Expert and “Lights” class.
So I was happy about that. And oh yah, the banquet was
FANTASTIC.
STAY SAFE, more later.
Rob
Harper under the hypnosis powers
of Marc Savard at the
FPMX banquet.
Pay-backs are bitch
aren't they Rob…

FRIDAY,
10/6/06, 7PM
Not much to report on this week.
I have been feeling a little under the weather so I have been trying to
drink a lot of OJ and get as much sleep as possible. The work has
really been piling up at the new BP station and my motivation level has
been severely cramped by not feeling 100%. It has been nice though to
look out of my grandiose office window and see the mighty yellow FPMX
hauler shining in the bright Murrieta sunlight. I did have a great
weekend last week. I raced at the D-37 Grand Prix over in Ridgecrest.
I must say that the Ridgecrest course was everything that everyone was
saying about it. Really, really fun. I even picked up my first top
five finish (4th place) for an expert AMA grand prix event.
The only bummer was all the mud. Yes, Ridgecrest is out in the high
desert. No, it did not rain last weekend. Yes, they have a lot of fire
hoses around this 8-10 mile course. In fact, one particular area
(approximately a mile of the course) was so wet that if you looked at it
and only looked at it you would say that it must have been a hell of a
downpour. But the course and the overall coordination of the event was
so much fun and so well run that I really didn’t mind that I was soaked
from head to toe after the race. I strongly recommend this race next
year to anyone looking for a long race (45+ minutes) and a long
racecourse.
Another thing that has me a little
bummed out lately is that Uncle Ed was injured just over a week ago. I
feel especially bad for Ed because I know he was looking forward to the
Mesquite event. I know that he will be there to yell at all of us to go
faster and stand up through the rough stuff but it is just not the
same. He has really been riding well lately and I think he had finally
figured out that mighty green Kawacloggie. I think that his Race Tech
suspension provided that extra dose of confidence that he was searching
for. Back in New York, Ed and I were in one of the last motos of the
second day out at Frozen Ocean Raceway. I got the start on him and FEN
but made a bobble on the second lap that let them both get away from
me. After I got up I could see that Ed was pacing FEN and I knew that
if I didn’t get going fast that they would just pull away and
disappear. I put my head down and had a good third lap and found myself
at Big E’s back tire. It was a bit of a work out catching him but
passing him would be a different matter. My mighty blue 250f has a
little motor work but it sure as heck couldn’t match a 450 especially on
this wide-open track of Frozen Ocean. I spent the next three laps
eating some prime roost of New York loam. Compliments of the FPMX CEO.
I kept watching his lines so I knew where he was leaving the door open
but like I said, 50 horsepower will outdo 38 every time on a course like
this. But I give Ed kudos as he was really riding well. Get well soon
Fireman brother, round one is only around the new year
corner.
STAY SAFE, more later.
Donnie Fitch and I got this shot
in NYC with some of our new friends from the Chicago Fire Department
Pipe & Drum Band.

MONDAY,
9/25/06, 6PM
This morning on my way to work I
noticed a lot of trucks hauling bikes. I am only on I-15 for about 6-7
miles but I usually don’t see this very often on a weekday. And of
course being a rider I notice anytime there is a truck/trailer driving
along with a few bikes on board. I know that this is systemic with all
of us because we are all MX+. Sometimes when I am with Dee and we are
driving by a vehicle hauling bikes she will purposely make a few
comments like, “hey is that yellow one a Suckzuki and the blue one a
Yamahopper?” This is when I try and look the opposite direction and act
like I didn’t see the bikes at all. When in reality I noticed the
vehicle with bikes long before I drove past them. In most cases I
already identified how many and of what brand each bike was. I already
figured out what style graphics and seat cover they used. I already
determined if they had after market pipes and which brand they were.
And depending on my viewing angle I would even make a quick inventory of
what type of stands and gas cans they used. “No Dee, I didn’t see the
bikes. What side of the road were they on?”
The mighty yellow FPMX hauler is
still in the station parking lot. I was thinking about loading it down
for a weekend trip to Ocotillo Wells. The weather has been cooling off
significantly and I haven’t ridden the Dez in a long while. How great
would that be? I mean this thing is the ultimate toy hauler. The only
thing missing is the giant canopy that covers the entire right side of
the trailer. It is still being repaired after a major windstorm
destroyed it in Las Vegas at the final SX round. I wonder if that thing
has 4-wheel drive? Would it get stuck in the sand? Could the mighty
Ford F-150 pull it out if it does get stuck? I know a Chevy couldn’t
pull it out. What kind of mileage does she get?
Well, I finally got the word from
my doctor today that after a thorough review of my x-rays from New York
he has determined that I did indeed break a bone in my right ankle. He
wants to see me next week to take another x-ray in order to get him a
better view but he said that he is certain of his diagnosis.
Apparently, a small piece of bone broke off the front of the ankle talus
joint and is just floating around in there. He didn’t seem to concerned
and basically said that it would not need to be removed unless it is
causing pain. The problem is that I don’t know if the discomfort that I
am feeling is from this or just the ligaments being stretched beyond
what they were designed for. More info next week. I just wanna
ride…
STAY SAFE, more later.
MONDAY, 9/18/06, 7PM
As I stand here looking out
the window of my new spacious office within the new and very modern
Murrieta Border Patrol Station I reminisce about what I saw only a
few hours earlier. I was standing in this exact spot watching that
FPMX God himself, Hurricane Ed Wilson, work tirelessly on the mighty
yellow FPMX hauler. The hauler is being stored at the Murrieta BP
Station for a few days and I must say that it looks really sweet
sitting in our parking lot amongst all the marked BP vehicles. Ed
was lying under the rear of the hauler replacing a split hydraulic
hose that operates the rear lift gate. Apparently, after all the
Arizona bikes were dropped off one of the zip-ties that holds up
that particular hydraulic line had snapped resulting in the line
being dragged for 400 miles. So Ed was working like a DOG/mechanic
trying to get her up and running again. Not to mention that there
were still five bikes in the upper compartment that couldn’t be
moved until it was fixed. Its not that I wasn’t willing to get out
there and help Uncle E with this laborious work but it was my first
day back to work in over two weeks and I had a pile of work on my
desk. When I did get a break I went out to check on Master Ed and
bring him a cold Gatorade. At that moment I really wished I had my
camera with me because he was covered from head to toe in black
grease and oil. But you know what, Ed always smiles no matter what
the problem at hand. Big E was successful in his repairs and we
moved all the bikes down to the lower level. And that big yellow
rig really looks good in our parking lot. I already said that
didn’t I…
Ed has already written a bunch
of good stuff about our trip to New York. For me it was like this:
I didn’t want to be one of the gang that always looks back and says,
“Yah, ya know, I should have done that race”. Because that is
exactly what several hundred FPMXers nationwide are either saying or
are going to say. I have been racing for many years now and have
raced in several other states and Canada and Mexico. I can honestly
say that the Frozen Ocean track in Auburn New York was the best I
have ever ridden on. The layout, the preparation, the soil, the
staff, and every little aspect of having a motocross course were the
best. Traveling to a new Motocross track and meeting new racers
(especially Fire and Police racers) is always a highlight for me.
This was one of the best vacations that I have ever been on. And to
top it all off, we were able to go to “ground zero” on the fifth
anniversary of 9/11 and pay our respects to the 344 Firefighters
(including one Jersey City, NJ Firefighter) and 71 Law Enforcement
Officers that lost their lives doing what we all do everyday. We
visited the NYPD museum where we left several agency patches and
spent some time at different locations around the “ground zero”
construction site. It was a strange feeling but it was like I
didn’t want to leave. Like something or someone was holding me
there both physically and mentally. Mostly though I was left with a
good feeling because I knew that Ed and Sue left an FPMX plaque that
was signed by all the racers that attended rounds 7 & 8 of the 2006
Fire and Police Motocross Nationals. I know it was a monumental
task but Thank You Ed and Sue for making this happen
because Dee and I had an unforgettable
time.
STAY SAFE, more later.

TUESDAY, 8/22/06, 7PM
There are so many things that I
want to comment on for this Diary post. First of all was the post put
on “Inside the FPMX” by Run-Around-Sue. That was a real pleasure to
read. There are not many posts that I read twice let alone three
times. This was one of those. Sue’s email relationship with Michael
“BigDogThumper” is very inspirational. In a way it sort of reminds me
of the many schools throughout the United States where the kids write
open letters postmarked “To Any Soldier”. Except that Michael is
obviously one of our own. I am glad to see that he is well and you can
read it in his words how proud he is to be over there in the “sand box”
helping to assure our safety and way of life. It is hard to say
anything more than thank you Mike and return home safely.
The FPMX web site seems to be
going through another transitional period. I am not bagging on this
because I think it is a good thing. Every now and then I think Uncle Ed
gets tired of looking at the same old thing so he changes the profile
just enough to make it interesting. I must say that I really like the
way he has put the “FPMX Update” as a side bar to the opening page.
This is a great feature because it gives you the opportunity to see
what’s new in our little world of Fire and Police. That’s one thing I
have been big on my whole Border Patrol career. Getting information out
in the most efficient manner possible in order to inform people of the
most pressing issues of the day. Looks good Ed.
After I broke a couple of ribs at
the Western States Police and Fire Games held at Barona Oaks back in
June of this year, I was sure that I was out of the running for any
overall championships in the FPMX Summer Series. As it turns out, I was
able to finish just enough motos to grab the top podium spot for the 40+
expert class. This came as a big surprise as I was sure that someone
else, namely Ed “The Dogger” Neimela, had enough points to put me down a
few spots. I guess us old guys are just getting a little too brittle to
finish out an entire series injury free.
The last thing is something that I
will write more about later but it has been a really sad day for me.
Dee lost her Grandmother this morning and it has been all I could do
today to stay focused and concentrate on work while she ran to
Huntington Beach to be with her parents. This was not a long drawn out
illness or anything like that but we did know the time was very near.
Particularly, I think that Grandma knew the time was near and she more
or less prepared all of us for this day. She was a special lady from a
very special era in American history. We are rapidly losing all of our
contact with that generation as more and more of them are passing on.
The WWII generation that was in their 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s during that
time are rapidly leaving us and I seriously question whether we as a
country have the fortitude to stand on our own. In more ways than one
this country owes nearly everything we have and everything we are to
that generation. The question is, did they instill enough of the
strength, patriotism, respect, and humility into us that they seemed to
grasp when they were growing up. That is another reason why I think
that Sue’s post was so inspirational. Michael gets it and he
exemplifies it.
STAY SAFE, more later.
FRIDAY,
8/18/06, 5AM
Yesterday was a good day at
Racetown 395. Last I heard before I had left the track at around
5:00PM was that we raised a little over $9,000. This is a very good
amount and I will tell you why. A few weeks ago at the last 250/450
Nationals (I believe it was Washougal) they (AMA, riders, and local
clubs) held a raffle and auction for injured rider Ernesto Fonseca.
They held this over the entire weekend (Friday-Saturday-Sunday) and were
able to raise a very respectable amount of approximately $14,000. So
for a David Bailey benefit ride, raffle and auction that was held on a
Thursday out in the middle of the desert where it is guaranteed to get
at least 90 degrees I think those of you that participated did a
fantastic job. Makes me think of what you guys could have done if we
attacked this on a full weekend at a track like the Glenn? I think we
had at least 20-30 FPMX riders show up and somewhere around 100+
locals. I was a little surprised that Uncle E didn’t win a majority of
the prizes like he usually does at these things. I think I may have won
more items in the raffle (two shirts) than he did. Steve Marquez kept
his streak alive and didn’t win a damn thing. Cheer up Steve, maybe
this means you will be the big winner in Mesquite. A final thought on
this event was that I never really noticed over the years but that
David Vuillemin guy is really cool for a
frog. I think I can call him a frog since my heritage is French
Canadian.
I have a whole new appreciation
for Race Tech these days. Let me explain myself. I have tried Race
Tech suspension several times during the 80’s and 90’s. I never really
liked any of the setting they came up with. Currently, I have
full-blown Race Tech suspension on my mighty YZ-250F and that includes
heavier springs front and rear. After a little tweaking (some by me and
some by the Race Tech gurus that come to our races) I have come to
really love my suspension. I run my suspension VERY stiff so most
people don’t like it. I recently had my buddies (Doug Goff) YZ-450F
also done at Race Tech. Doug is a big boy (not fat, just tall 6’4”) and
weighs in well over 200 pounds. So I originally had them set the
suspension identical to mine, heavier springs and all. This was not
good as I could hardly make two laps at Barona Oaks without pogoing
myself right off the track. Well once again with a little tweaking the
boys had the mighty 450 hauling you know what. I was able to take home
a Gold at the Western States Games after only minimal practice on that
450. And now yesterday at Racetown I was able to get in a few laps on
Big E’s mean green Kawacloggy. I really
didn’t like his suspension setup as it is WAY too soft for my taste.
But that bring me to my point. Race Tech has really stepped up their
customer service end and can tailor the suspension to your particular
liking. This is what aftermarket suspension work is all about. Getting
the right ride for your riding style. They are obviously a huge
supporter of FPMX and that is why I originally decided to give this
company another try after so much dissatisfaction many years ago. We
really need to support those that support us but when it comes to
something like suspension it is hard to support someone that provides
crap. That is what makes this so satisfying to me is that Race Tech’s
quality is now top notch and you really cant beat the price. Get it,
use it, and you will be satisfied…
STAY SAFE, more later.
TUESDAY, 8/15/06, 6PM
WOW, almost made it another month
without writing a Diary post. I am not bragging and I am definitely not
proud of that. And this is one of those rare occasions that I
didn't receive a single email from
one of the FPMX regulars complaining
about lack of reading material. Even Doug Goff
didn’t bag on me this time. Although
he did throw in a minor complaint on the message board. I consider it
an obligation to my brother and sister
FPMXers to have some quality information for you all read at your
leisure. There is actually a lot
going on these days. The FPMX Summer
Series just concluded. I don’t know what Ed’s final thoughts are on
that series but I hope that we have a record number of riders turn out
for the remaining National rounds. That would be a great boost of
confidence for our entire FPMX
organization.
Speaking of the Nationals, the New
York rounds are just around the corner. Dee and I have all our
arrangements made. I think the only thing left is to find a rent-a-car
for the trip from NYC to Auburn. Maybe I should rent a box van? Or
maybe just a hybrid with gas prices the way they are. We just got back
from a camping vacation up in the high Sierras and I think I went
through about six tanks of gas on the mighty Ford
F-150. The DogHouse drags the gas
mileage down to a ridiculous 7-10 MPG.
Long down hills and a tail wind is definitely a good thing when you are
towing a trailer. There is something really great about riding dirt
bikes up in the mountains. I think that it is just something so
different from our norm. We (FPMX)
used to do several mountain rides every year up in the Big Bear area.
Maybe we need someone to organize that again. I think I put a little
over 16-hours of time on my mighty little
TTR-125. Including one day when we were gone from camp for about
seven hours. It was a total of six days of riding and I felt like I was
doing the International Six Days Enduro.
Hey maybe that’s what we need, the FPMX
National Six Day Enduro race. We
could run the first three days down in the
Dez near Barstow and then relocate up to Big Bear to finish the
last three days in the mountains. Then conclude with an awards
banquet/ceremony in the town of Big Bear. You can start the race in the
15-20 range on the “shape-o-meter” and by the time you finish it will be
somewhere in the range of 8-10. Of course the bikes will be thrashed
and you will be so sore that wont be able to move from the couch for the
next 2-weeks.
FRIDAY,
7/21/06, 6AM
Thank God it’s Friday. Yesterday
was stage #17 of the Tour De France. If anyone saw that race you saw an
epic event. They are already calling it the greatest single day
performance of any rider in the modern history of the Tour. I think
Landis proved again that when you want something bad enough you should
never give up and fight till the end. This has really motivated me for
Mondays race of the “Tour De FPMX Summer Series”. I feel like I haven’t
been on the bike for ages but in reality it has only been about five
weeks. My training is going good and although the ribs are still sore I
know they are basically healed. Apparently there are webs of cartilage
between each rib that take a little longer to completely heal. That is
the only lingering pain that I am feeling.
Everyone has been talking about
the course layout at the Star. I hear that they have made a few
changes. The mighty YZ-250F is ready to go after a little visit to the
bike doctor. Since I knew that I would not be riding for a few weeks I
sent her to see the mechanics over at Temecula Motorsports (TMS) to have
the intake valves replaced. This was a warranty recall item that was
suggested by Yamaha. I figured that since they were that deep into the
motor I might as well have them replace the top end as well. So word to
the WaterBoy (H2Oboy8), I have a fresh motor and the hole-shots should
be as simple as lining up on the gate. So don’t be Sceeeeered when you
hear the roar of the #101 passing by.
STAY SAFE, more later.
FRIDAY, 7/14/06, 6PM
It looks like the Doc will release
me next week to race round #5 of the FPMX Summer Series. I hope it is
really hot because I am ready for the heat. I know that Kris (H2Oboy8)
will throw a little heat my way. I have been watching the Tour De
France every evening after work and it has really motivated me to start
working out again. Mostly just biking right now. It’s been tough to
sit back and not get on the race bike. I must say though that it is an
easy reminder whenever I try to lie down and the ribs start screaming at
me. Ribs are a tough injury to get past. How do you ever heal when
those bones are fractured? I would think that they would heal in a
separated position. Every time you breathe in and out you re-injure
yourself. Lets not even talk about the occasional sneeze. Isn’t it
like walking on a broken leg? How will it ever heal if you keep walking
on it? The human body is an amazing thing.
Speaking of the Tour De France,
the first week (flat stages) just didn’t seem the same without Lance on
the course. And now that they are moving into the mountain stages there
is this big void of leadership. The teams are all looking at each other
to see who will take control. I guess it will be a little like next
year when RC won’t be out there on the SX and MX scene. At least there
is an American in the yellow jersey for the weekend. Hopefully Floyd
Landis will keep that jersey all the way to Paris. Go Floyd, Go Ricky.
STAY SAFE, more later.
MONDAY,
7/3/06, 6PM
We (FPMX) are on an off week
for the Summer Series. Come to think of it, the AMA Motocross
Nationals are also on an off week. I know they raced at Red-Bud
yesterday but now they will have a two week break before the next
round in New York’s Unadilla Valley. That is a race/place I would
really like to see some day. Maybe while we are racing in NY at
Frozen Ocean I will take a drive over to check out the Dilla. In
the mean time, we have a great Summer Series heating things up (no
pun intended) on the FPMX race scene. However, we need more of you
supporters/racers to get out there and bring a few of your buddies
as well. I understand Uncle Ed’s frustration with the low turnout
so far for this series. It seems like just a few months ago there
were dozens of posts on the message board calling for more races.
And in addition you wanted races in the local (inland empire) area.
So you get both items on your wish list and we still have a low
turnout. I guess I just don’t get it. Maybe some of you were just
waiting for school to let out so you could bring your kids along?
Or maybe the Monday evening thing is not working out for your work
schedules? I ask the questions; would the Summer Series work better
for all of you if it were run on Friday or Saturday evenings
instead? Would the series work better for you if it were run on
consecutive weeks for one solid month? Would the series work better
for you if Racer X were there taking your picture and Jammie Little
was handing out the Medals?
I pre-entered all the Summer
Series rounds. I was unable to make the last round (#3) due to a
couple of broken ribs. I may not be able to make the next round
(#4) either. I consider myself a tough individual that can handle a
fair amount of pain. The ribs are really in a bad place for doing
just about anything in life let alone trying to moto. It turns out
that it is the #7 and #8 ribs located on the right rear side, mid
chest level. So every time I sit or lay down it hurts. Okay, I
hear you calling FPMX’ers, “Excuses, excuses, just get out to the
races”.
TUESDAY,
6/27/06
I heard it was a little on the
HOT side at the Star for round #3 of the FPMX Summer Series. I
think the WaterBoy (H2Oboy8) was reporting it to be around 105 or
something like that. I had to pull a no-show last night since I
discovered that I had a couple of broken ribs on my right-back
side. This was a result from my over the bars experience last week
in the State Games at Barona Oaks Raceway. I thought I would be
good to go but after getting them checked early yesterday morning
the Doc said I would be out of my mind to try and ride a Motocross
track. However, I was still holding out until the last minute for
some sort of miraculous recovery. Dee promised me that they put
wings on my feet after crashing at Perris Raceway three years ago.
So I just figured that I was indestructible. Anyway, there I am
sitting in my garage yesterday afternoon, bike already loaded up in
the truck, gear bags in the back, ice cooler chocked full of water
and Gatorade when my cell phone rings. It was Mike “Walkero” Dunn.
As Mike and I talked about his new Weekend Warrior I had to pause
for a sneeze. That was pretty much the last thing I remember. I
seriously think I blacked–out for a brief moment. The sneeze
basically knocked the wind out me and put me down on the garage
floor for a total and complete timeout. The cell phone hit the
floor only a couple of feet from my curled up body and I could still
hear Mike on the other end “Hey dude, are you all right?” It
seriously brought a few tears to my eyes as I lay there trying to
catch the smallest breaths of air. It has been many years since the
last time I broke any ribs and on that occasion they were the ribs
on the right-front side. I sure don’t remember them hurting like
this. So now it looks like I am doomed to sit around the house and
not ride the Yamahas, not clean the Yamahas, not work on the
Yamahas, and right now it would probably be a good idea to not even
look at the Yamahas. So how long is this going to
take?
STAY SAFE,
more later.
TUESDAY, 6/20/06, 8PM
Here is a brief rundown of my
last two weeks. WORK, RIDE, WORK, WORK, WORK and RIDE. Tomorrow,
WORK again. A schedule like that would probably kill most Firemen.
The work has actually been okay to deal with. I just finished my
first major project since returning to the Temecula Station. It was
all about planning and budgeting and a physical audit from some
big-wigs that were visiting us from the Washington DC Headquarters
Office. It was all very boring but I did learn a few things so all
in all it went well. My dad always told me that no matter how much
you hate doing something it is all worthwhile as long as you learn
something doing it. Good advice, I think…
I am one of those guys that
don’t like to go to the track (practice or race) with a dirty,
ill-prepared bike, or truck for that matter. However, I have been
so busy that I almost ended up in that predicament several times
over the last two weeks. Round #2 of the FPMX Night Series went
pretty well. The turnouts have been fairly small so far. Maybe it
will pick up for the remaining rounds as more and more kids are
getting out of school for the summer. Like I stated on my last
Diary post, the track prep/setup at the Star has been really good
for these first two rounds. I think I might make a suggestion to
Uncle E for next years Summer Series that maybe we can hold the
races on Friday or Saturday evening instead on Monday’s. I know the
track rental is a much higher $$$$ amount for those days but it
might work out better for the mass majority of Fire/Police riders.
Yesterday I competed in the
2006 Western States Police and Fire Summer Games. The races were
held at the Barona Oaks MX course located on an Indian Reservation
near Ramona, CA. As most of you probably already know, the European
Scrambles event (Grand Prix racing) was cancelled at the last minute
by the Indian Tribal Counsel. This caused many of you to cancel
your participation and ask for your money back. Even so, there was
a decent turnout of rider for the Motocross event. The course was
fun and actually had some VERY technical obstacles. There was a
combination step-on step-off jump to tabletop combo that had guys
screwing it up all day long. There was also a blind double jump
that resembled the one that I crashed on at Perris Raceway three
years ago. It was right out of a left hand corner and had such a
steep/tall face that you couldn’t see the landing until you were
already committed and flying 20’ off the ground. It was just far
enough (50+ feet) that very few of the Int/Exp were clearing it on a
consistent basis. It was my first race on my buddies YZ-450F.
After riding my 250F for the last eight months now I must say that I
really miss the raw power of the 450. I even over jumped that long
double on a couple of different laps. I was able to grab Golds in
the 4-stroke and 450cc classes and a Bronze in the 250cc class after
a first moto over the bars dirt dart experience. It was right after
they watered the course and I just wasn’t able to stop a two-wheeled
drift slide that sent me into the weeds. Two notable events took
place that stood out at the Oaks during this event. First was when
old school FPMX regular, Rob Harper, was jumping the big double on
his YZ-125 2-stroke. This is significant because no other 2-stroke
(125 or 250) would even try this jump and Rob weighs in at a lean
200 lbs. When Rob was out on the track with that 125 howling from
turn to turn nearly everybody there was on the fences to watch. The
other notable event was my Border Patrol buddy, Donnie Fitch,
getting a special recognition award from the event organizer during
the medals ceremony. Donnie was in medal contention when he stopped
on a blind jump in the back section of the track to help a fallen
rider during his second moto. The rider was really banged up at the
time and couldn’t get off the track so Donnie laid his bike on the
top of the jump and proceeded to wave down all the other riders as
they approached the jump face. This undoubtedly prevented further
injury to that rider as well as many others. He sacrificed his shot
at an Olympics medal so that a brother Cop or Firefighter could be
as safe as possible until the medics and flaggers could respond to
the scene. Next time you ever question why you/we ride the FPMX
events please remember this. It is only one of many, many reasons
but it is the ONE that counts most to me.
STAY SAFE, more later.
WEDNESDAY, 6/7/06, 5AM
Yesterday I got home from work
and slept 12-hours and drank about a gallon of water. This was the
side effect from racing the night before at the Star, FPMX round #1
of the Summer Series. Two classes, six motos, and 95-degree
temperatures took a little more out of me than I thought. I
actually felt pretty good most of the day yesterday but I could feel
myself fading at around 1700 (that’s 5:00PM for you Fire Dogs). I
recognized the early signs of post moto syndrome at
around noon yesterday but I failed to make the Starbuck’s move.
That’s where you hit a local coffee house and ask for the triple
shot espresso. Not that I like those foo-foo drinks but I cant deny
the pick-me-up factor that comes from drinking one (or two or three
if you are on the mid shift). It is a little bit easier for me to
take the coffee route than the energy drink route. I have never
developed a taste for what I call the RedBull high. They say it
gives you wings (probably from the high you get after drinking one)
but I just can’t get past the taste factor. And they all seem to
taste, smell, and cost about the same. Not to mention that the
doctors are now saying that energy drinks are not good for you to
consume on a daily basis. So I will stick to what man has been
drinking for the past 2000 years and try to be better prepared for
round #2 next week.
My personal race report was
pretty good. The biggest highlight for me was to get back into a
bar banging all out fight with my old nemesis,
Ed “The Dogger” Niemela. Actually, a little too much bar
banging as Ed went down during our second moto fight over the top
podium position. For those of you too young to remember, Ed and I
used to do battle on a daily or nightly basis. It didn’t matter
where or when the FPMX races took place you could always count on
“the Dogger” and I getting into a battle. Back in the day, I was
always on some variation of a big-bore 4-stroke and Ed was always on
his trusty, but green, KX-250. I would always get the start in
front of Ed. It didn’t matter if I got the hole-shot or a 5th
place start, Ed was always right behind me. And if for some strange
reason we weren’t riding on each other’s fenders we would always
find each other shortly after the first lap. That’s how he got the
famous nickname of “The Dogger”. In fitting tribute of course to
the first famous dogger, Ron “The Dogger” Lechien of factory Honda
and Kawasaki fame. Time has changed us a little. Ed is now on a
big bore 4-Stroke and I am now on a 250. I can’t wait for next
weeks race. Bring it on Dogger.
STAY SAFE, more later.
THURSDAY, 6/1/06, 5AM
I have had two good days of
practice this week. Prior to that I had only taken three short
weeks off the bike but my body feels like it has been three months.
It’s amazing how fast the muscles and joints forget that your blood
type is MX+. I think that is the part about getting old (older)
that really gets to us. When I am on the bike I feel as good as
ever. It’s the part that comes after the ride/race/practice that
kills me afterward. About the time that I get home and start to
unload the mighty Ford F-150 is when I start to feel the pain.
That’s when I try to figure out if I can just park the truck (still
loaded with bike and gear) in the garage and put it off until
tomorrow. The problem with this idea is that tomorrow I am always
much sorer than I was today. Just think how much worse it would be
if I was riding a poorly suspended bike without the mighty Race Tech
suspension. The soreness would probably kick in on the drive home.
I called Uncle E the other day
to ask him a question about the New York FPMX rounds. I needed to
know which hotel he and the Official FPMX Pit Tootsie, Sue, were
going to stay at. The Auburn, NY hotel of preference seems to be
the Holiday Inn. I am a little surprised though that there isn’t
more of you out there scratching and clawing your way into the FPMX
transporter. Dee and I are not merely looking at this as a race
event that is 2500 miles away. We are making a mini vacation out of
it. How many times do you get to visit a place like NY and be able
to not only attend a race but also actually race in the event
yourself? Not to mention the five-year anniversary of what is
arguably one of the most powerful events to happen in this country
during our lifetime. The chance to visit NYC and the 911 ground
zero on this anniversary should, in my opinion, be at the top of the
list for all Law Enforcement and Fire Service personnel nationwide.
I hope that more of you out there are still working out logistics
for this event and we just haven’t heard from you yet. I hope that
you are getting the family truckster or whatever means of travel you
are contemplating ready for the road or plane trip. I hope we have
more representation from the SoCal and surrounding chapters of FPMX.
Maybe we just need to charter the FPMX private jet to get all of us
out there. Move over Ed and Sue.
THURSDAY, 5/25/06, 6PM
Well, I have been on the new
job here in beautiful Temecula for about 2-weeks now. Things are
going pretty well and most of the local Agents here are warming up
to me. For those of you that don’t know me as well as say Uncle E,
Walker, Haz, or YZErnie, I have been known to rub people the wrong
way. Especially during that “first impression” time when you first
meet someone. I have what is described as an abrasive personality.
I have gotten a lot better in the last couple of years with this
problem. I think mostly because of my little pit tootsie Dee. That
is probably why the Border Patrol finally decided to promote me.
They figured that maybe now I could get along with people. I am
however usually pretty understanding with my friends. Like when
Walker starts talking to me about his last moto and how he was
jumping most of the tabletops and the little double along the back
straight. I usually just listen to him as he rolls on about how in
the next moto he will be launching the big double in the infield
area. The thing is, I almost always watch Mike when he is out on
the track. And while I will admit that as long as he keep that old
Elsi running he can usually run with anything on the track, save for
the bigger 450’s. But the fact is that his bike has not seen more
than 6” of air in over 10-years. Ed doesn’t talk much about his
motos in person. If you want to hear about his racing you need to
read his FPMX Journal. Of course then he will talk about how he was
standing on the pegs throughout the entire moto. When we all know
that he was really wearing out/breaking in his new CEET cover. And
then there is YZErnie. He is kind of like Ed. He doesn’t say much
unless he is talking about the kooks that are riding way over their
head and are a danger to anyone within 100’ of the track. And Haz,
he just cruises in from his motos and sits right down in his lawn
chair and stairs blankly into space. He just has a smile from ear
to ear on his face. But we always have the Rooter (that is Haz’s
pit tootsie, Gigi) and she is always there to fill us in on all the
moto news. Typically, it is something like this:
“Man, Walker can really fly on
that old bike but it is so loud that it sounds like it is going to
blow at any moment. And you should have seen Ed, he was really fast
for the first two laps and then he started sitting down and everyone
that he passed started re-passing him. Ernie’s moto was going great
and then he crashed. I don’t know what happened because he looked
like he was on a Sunday ride with his buddies and then WHAM. I
don’t know what’s up with Haz. Just when I think he is riding the
couch (Quad) really well he goes and throws in a fantastic ride on
the YZ-250. And then he sucks in the next moto on both of them. It
sure is a good thing you guys have me here to keep you all so well
informed”.
Yes Gigi, it sure is a good
thing we have you in the Compound. Thanks for being
there.
MONDAY, 5/15/06, 5PM
Well, I didn’t quite make it.
One of the Fire/Police regulars made a statement (probably trying to
be a smart-ass) that there was no way I could go a whole month
without writing in my Diary. So it looks like he was right, just
four days shy of one month. Some people just don’t realize how busy
a person can get. Try putting yourself on a schedule where you are
going to sit down once or twice a week and write down a few
interesting thoughts that you might have. I made a stop by Uncle
E’s house the other day to drop off my Summer Series pre-entry check
and as I was looking at his cool checkerboard garage floor I had a
great idea of what to write about. Ed and I had a good laugh
because he was talking about all the great FPMX Journal ideas that
he gets when he is driving or riding or watching TV or playing
basketball or on a fire call or, well, you get the picture. Most of
the time when a good idea comes along it is just not important
enough to actually stop all of those high priority activities to sit
and write it down. Besides, I know I will remember what it was I
was thinking when I am ready to actually write it down, right. Now
what was I going to write about? Oh yah, Ed’s garage floor reminded
me that I have one of those Home Depot epoxy floor kits that has
been sitting in my garage since last summer waiting to be applied.
Now I just need a few hours one weekend to actually do the work.
But I can’t take the time to do that when I need to add a new post
in the Diary.
Today was my first day on the
new job at a new station. In reality its not a new station because
I have actually been stationed here since 1992. But it has been
many years since I have spent any real time working in Temecula. I
think it will be a good move for me. I have really been burning the
candle at both ends lately. And by lately I mean over the last
several years. You can only go wide open for so long before you run
out of gas. Sort of like going on a two-hour ride out at Ocotillo
Wells on a borrowed YZ-450F when there is only enough gas in the
tank for a 1.5-hour ride. The further good news is that very
shortly (1-2 months) we will be moving into a brand new 30,000
square foot building in Murrieta. For the first time in my life I
will have my own office. Not sure yet if they are going to change
our name to the Murrieta Border Patrol Station. Lastly, I am hoping
that having a solid, set work schedule I will have the time (and
energy) to get out with some of the FPMX gang for some real moto
practice.
STAY SAFE, more later.
WEDNESDAY, 4/19/06, 9PM
I am working a double shift
today so I am sitting in my office down in south, south San Diego.
It’s so far south you could call it San Ysidro. Way south. I don’t
mind working these doubles every now and then because I seem to get
a lot of work done. Probably because the second shift is a swing
(2P-10P) and most of the guys are out of the office and out of my
way. Besides, I can clear my mind, watch a little NBA (Lakers and
New Orleans, 65-38 Lakers at the half), and take a few minutes to
talk to all of you. Anyway, I was getting a little tired of working
on the same report for the last couple of hours so I took a run
(drive) by my favorite Mexican Restaurant, Lolita’s, in Chula
Vista. They have this burrito called the “California Burrito”. Its
basically just grilled Carne Asada meat with thin cut American fries
(or in this case I suppose they would be Mexican fries), and sour
crème all wrapped in a flour tortilla. I get mine without the sour
crème since I am watching my “Shape-O-Meter”. Add lots of hot sauce
and you have a burrito fit to be called a meal. You have to eat it
with two hands. I’m picturing all of you Firemen out there right
now drooling all over you computer keyboard. The funny thing is
that I have been eating these burritos for years and now I am
starting to see California Burritos on the menus of restaurants all
over the southland.
I just took a quick peek at
the pre-entry list for the Glen next week and it is sitting at 172.
That’s a lot. I wonder what the record pre-entry is for an FPMX
event? When you figure that there will be at least 50 or so
post-entries it will be a busy two days for Uncle E. I haven’t
ridden at the Glen since last year and I have never ridden a 250F on
that track. I did ride in a D-37 GP a couple of months ago but
that’s not the same as Motocross. So I am really looking forward to
trying out the mighty little 250F on the big track. Okay, its time
for me to get back to this damn report that is due at 6:30 in the
morning.
STAY SAFE, more later.
TUESDAY, 4/4/06, 8PM
Today is my little sisters
B-Day. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Phyllis. She
lives in London, England and on numerous occasions we have used her
residence as our jumping off point for trips to the
MX Des Nations in Europe and
England.
I feel really stupid right
now. First let me say that I am a big fan of Dogs and Cats.
Sometimes I even feel that I would save a dog or cat over some of
the less than acceptable people that we have living among our
society. Having had dogs and cats all my life you would think that
I would know better than to get in the middle of an all out battle.
Anyway, last Sunday my cat (male Siamese) was stalking one of the
neighborhood cats out in front of the house. I had just gotten home
from work and was busy loading the bike and gear to head out for the
Monday desert ride with the FPMX
gang. Anyway, I shouted at the cat and then approached him to
redirect his movement back toward the house. I don't know how many
of you have ever had a male Siamese but they are extremely arrogant
and basically one-way thinkers. This cat apparently
didn't agree with my approach and
decided to take his aggression out on me instead. He went into the
launch mode and his aim was my right leg. I caught him in mid
flight so instead of my leg it was my right arm that took the impact
(fangs and claws). I wont go into what transpired over the next 30+
minutes as I attempted to catch him but I will say that there was a
lot screaming (foul words and cat wails), blood (from my arm) and a
high-speed pursuit (throughout the house). The bite was bad but I
was able to get up the next morning and make the ride with the boys
out to Ocotillo. I got to work
the next morning and by late afternoon my arm started to look really
ugly. Apparently, when a cat goes to battle they secrete a lot of
saliva that infects any puncture wound that is made during the
fight. Well, to make this long story short, I have now had four
doctors office visits since last Sunday and several injections in
the rear (buttocks) to get rid of the infection. The worse part of
all is that because the infection was raging in my right arm on
Fri-Sat of last weekend I was forced to miss another trip to Honey
Lake MX. We were all ready to
head north for the next round of the WORCS series. I really hate
missing any race so needless to say I think I learned my lesson.
Let the cats fight. Oh, and all is good now with the cat and I. He
is not the Assistant CEO around the house like Ed's cat but he is
once again my buddy. MEOW.
Since it is now early April I
am sitting here writing out my pre-entry forms for the Fire & Police
MX Nationals scheduled for the
Glen on April 24-25, 2006. In addition, the pre-entry for the 2006
Western States Police & Fire Games is also due by April 15, 2006. I
am really looking forward to both of these races. The FPMX
Nationals is going to be great as always but after riding at the
Star for the last rounds I am anticipating some close battles on the
much bigger Glen Helen national track. The Western States Games
will be held at Barona Oaks
raceway. It has been a long time (mid 90's) since I have raced at
the Oaks. I think we (FPMXers)
will have to plan a few practice sessions out there in the near
future to check the place out. I do remember that the pit area is a
real classic. It's covered with oak trees and has a large
grandstand area for full view of the racecourse. In fact, if any of
you remember the Disney movie, "Motocrossed",
it was filmed on location at Barona
Oaks. And, since it is on Indian land the
GP or Scrambles as they like to
call it should be a great event as well. Even for those that only
do Motocross.
STAY SAFE, more later.
TUESDAY,
3/28/06, 6AM
I had to write about our ride
yesterday out at Ocotillo Wells. We had Uncle E, Steve Marquez,
Mike Dunn and myself to start the day and then Joe Benson and his
buddy Shawn (Team Kawasaki Factory Mechanic) to finish the day. It
all started at 0900 on highway S-22, which is the north side of the
Ocotillo riding area. Mike Dunn was the last one to come rolling
into the pit area in his mighty Ford F-150. Except that he was
minus part of his back window. Apparently Mike had gotten off of
the highway on the wrong dirt road and as he was playing Ivan
Steward over a few stutter bumps his rusty but trusty XR-250 slammed
into the rear window. All I have to say is that it could have been
worse Mike. So now after sitting around and bench racing (laughing
at Mike) about other broken back window stories we were almost ready
for our first ride. Ed had been doing a lot of talking about how
much faster his formerly mellow-yellow Suzuki now was with the
Factory Fatty FMF pipe installed. I must admit though that Ed is a
completely different rider out in the Dez. It seems that over the
years Ed has been getting more and more timid about hanging it out
on the Motocross track. Not so in the Desert. I think he found out
that his RM-250 has a fifth gear. And he seems to stand up a lot
more. I was riding my buddies YZ-450F so whenever I felt the need I
could reach out and slap him down with a burst of 450 speed and
power. I tend to lolly-gag and look at the scenery when I am riding
in the Dez so I did find myself falling behind on more than one
occasion. We took a long ride to the south side of Ocotillo (Hwy
78) and had a great lunch at Rose's Café. We then started the long
ride back to camp when Ed decided to take us to a sand wash that was
still a little on the wet side from all the rains. Well, I found
out just what the gas tank capacity was on that 450. Yep, I ran out
of gas almost in sight of the trucks. No worries though, Mike
hooked me up with some race fuel out of his XR. That last ride
pretty much did everyone in so Mike and Steve decided to load up and
head home.
It was pushing 3:00PM but Ed
wanted to take one more short ride. Like I said, Ed is a different
rider out in the Dez. He just didn't want to quit. So I joined him
as we raced one last time through the long sand wash that cut west
from our trucks. That's when we found Joe and his Buddy. Ed and I
were hanging out in this area that looks like a bunch of giant
anthills. We were hitting these little homemade track sections but
we kept hearing a couple of two strokes just hammering away at the
rev limiters. The sound was to our south and we could tell that it
was very close. Sure enough, as we went to investigate there were
Joe and Shawn riding two almost identical KX-250's. One with a #26
and the other with the big #7 on it. It seems that when Joe called
Shawn about going riding on Monday he told him that he would need a
bike, so Shawn grabbed the factory KX's that weren't being used. We
continued to play in the hills for another 30+ minutes before saying
our goodbyes and heading home.
A day in the Dez does more
than just get you out of the house. It is a refreshing change from
the organized world of moto practice and it is a much-needed break
from the business of Fire and Police. Don't miss the next
ride.
STAY SAFE, more later.
WEDNESDAY, 3/22/06, 9PM
Well it appears that the word
got out that I was gunning for Gary Jones at round #4 of the WORCS
series at Lake Havasu. Yep, he didn't show up. He pulled the old
no show trick and blamed it on an injury. So now I will have to
wait another two weeks until Round #5 up at Honey Lake MX Park. I
have to tell you though that in my 26 years of racing dirt bikes the
Lake Havasu course ranks in my top five of all time rough tracks. I
was at the Southwick Nationals last year and that place looked like
a speedway track compared to Havasu. It was a four-mile course and
with the exception of a few corners there was absolutely no place to
sit down and rest your arms and legs. Uncle E would have really
hated this place. Even taking a hand off the bars to pull a
tear-off was a sketchy proposition. FPMX #1 plate holder, Eric "was
that a rock buried in the sand" McKenna, once again ran away with
the 40+ expert class. And that was after finding a rock buried in
the sand with his head while running full tilt in 4th
gear. Kevin Bailey (Cedar City "but works in Vegas" Fire) was also
there and I think he ran something like three different races. That
adds up to a weekend of torture. I bet he is paying for it today
though.
Yesterday was a great day at
the Glen. Actually, it was a so-so day for riding (very wet track)
but it was a great day for James Marshall. And God knows this guy
needed a good day. For those of you who couldn't be there don't
worry, the attending FPMXers contributed a lot of green backs for
this great cause. Joe "I am so fast I cant be seen" Benson was
there and while I was talking to him he walked up to the raffle
ticket table and plunked down $300 bones. That was cool but what
happened next was even better as Ed "I am on the pegs" Wilson walked
up and plunked down $400 of his own. Then he looked over and gave
Benson a long steely-eyed stair. Joe immediately reached back down
for his wallet but came up empty. He had apparently spent ever cent
he had. I guess you can chalk that one up for the Hose-Draggers,
good job Ed. The best part for me was that I was able to get my
favorite set of Smith goggles back from Benson. All I had to give
him was his $750 .511 Gear watch that he had left in my glove box.
Is that a good trade?
STAY SAFE, more later.
TUESDAY,
3/14/06, 8PM
I was talking to Uncle E the
other day and he paid me a pretty good compliment. We were talking
about racing, of course, and then something about the Shape-A-Meter
and Motocross vs. Grand Prix. He said, "Mark, you have always been
in good shape, you workout and everything". I didn't want to
immediately tell him that for the past 3+ years I have not been
working out. The doctors have more or less put a stop to me doing
anything that has to do with running, jogging or using my feet. I
do some basic strength and cardio (push-ups/sit-ups) on a daily
basis but as I finally admitted to Ed, the main thing that I do now
that I never did when I was younger is stretching. With all the
time I spent in a wheelchair and then on crutches and in and out of
casts over the last four years the stretching has more or less been
forced upon me. I really think that the stretching thing goes
unnoticed by most athletes. Because lets face it, we are athletes.
Some of us more than others but the reality of it is that no matter
how fast or slow you are we are still doing moto. And moto is the
most physically demanding sport known to man/woman. I like to use
guys like Gary Jones as an inspiration. Most of you know him as a
4-time National Motocross Champion but Gary does much more than just
moto. He rides all types of different dirt bike disciplines. And
the guy is now in his mid 50's and doesn't show any signs of slowing
down. I will be heading out to do round #3 of the WORCS series at
Lake Havasu this weekend. Gary Jones comes to mind because he rides
in my class (40+ expert). I think they are forecasting some rain
for the Havasu area this weekend. I am a very good mud/sand/wet
rider so maybe that will level the playing field just a little. The
races are just over an hour long and I finished about two minutes
behind Gary at the last round in Taft. My full race report will
follow next week but if I beat him I am going to tell Gary that I
want one of his National Championship trophies. Watch out McKenna,
you're next.
STAY SAFE, more later.
TUESDAY,
3/7/06, 6AM
This is sort of a two-part
Diary entry. As you can see I wrote just a few words last Sunday
about one of our fallen Brothers. I have Officer John Bailey's
memorial flyer as well as the 2-27-06 "High Side" post from YZErnie
hanging on the door to my office. I can tell you that not too many
Agents/Officers are passing by my door without spending a few
minutes reading and reflecting on their own vulnerabilities. It's
definitely a tough pill to swallow. And to make matters worse I
recently found out that the drunk driver that killed Officer Bailey
was an undocumented alien from Mexico. As a Border Patrol Agent
working in a BP office this feels like getting run over in the first
turn by 30 other bikes. As officers and firemen we are all well
aware of the secondary consequences of illegal immigration. It's
too bad that more of the general public doesn't see this. I guess
that I just wanted to add that I hope everyone out there watches out
for one another and lets focus on the important things in life.
Lets get some good practice days in and get ready for the next FPMX
rounds at the Glen. I am predicting that baring any emergency
activation (LA riots or major brush/forest fires) this will be the
all time largest turnout in FPMX history. Excuse me Sir, I just
wanna ride.
STAY SAFE, more later.
SUNDAY, 3/5/06, 8PM
Last Friday I attended the
memorial service for fallen California Highway Patrol Officer
Gregory John Bailey. When I got home after the memorial I sat down
here at my laptop but I just couldn't put anything into words. It
wasn't that I didn't have anything to say it was more like I had so
much I wanted to say that I couldn't focus on just one aspect of
this officer's life. I finally decided that there really is no way
to put into words what a great loss this was. After learning more
about John Bailey I think that I can safely say that he was
a true American hero. He served
his country, his state, and his community in many ways. I want to
also say that the CHP really did a great job of putting together his
memorial service. From the California Governor to the Honor Guards
of the CHP, U.S. Army, and California National Guard, I think
Officer Bailey would be proud and humble to know that he will not be
forgotten. It has been a number of years since I attended a CHP
memorial and I truly hope that I never have to put that black stripe
across my badge ever again.
STAY SAFE, more later.
TUESDAY,
2/28/06, 6PM
I'm getting ready for a D-37
GP this weekend and I was going through my gear bag when I
discovered that my blue set of Smith goggles was missing. That's
when it all came back into focus. Maybe I hit my head a little
harder than I thought at the Star during round #4. I know that not
too many people are going to believe me but Joe Benson was in the
grandstands during my race on that Tuesday. He had sent me an email
shortly after the race and said to heal up from my crash. I didn't
put it all together until I found that set of goggles missing from
my gear bag. I mean how would he know that I crashed. The guy
lives in Washington, DC for Pete's sake. Apparently, when I went
down and then didn't get right up Joe had jumped out of his seat and
ran across the track to see if I was okay. By then, Ernie was
already on scene and was helping me off the track. As he was
pushing my bike back to our pit area I guess he gave Joe my goggles
to hold. The problem is that he never gave them back. Hello Joe
Benson, I want my goggles back!
I am a little down today
because I didn't get to ride. I was planning on meeting some
friends out at Cahuilla to get some laps in. The rain, of course,
has stepped in and put a stop to that. The bike is still sitting in
the back of my truck all clean, dry and warm in my garage. I was
going to take Doug's bike (YZ-450F) so that I could get a healthy
dose of that arm wrenching feeling that only a 450 can give. It's a
feeling that you just don't get with a 250F. At least not when you
weigh in at 190 pounds. I have been really happy with my starts on
the mighty little 250. It just takes a lot more thinking before the
gate drops to get the jump on the 450?s. So getting the bike to
jump out of the hole has not been a problem but after that there is
no real feel of RUSH when you crack the throttle. Brad Hannig
pretty much spelled it out for me several times when I told him that
I was thinking about getting a 250F. He said that he just got tired
of working so hard to keep up with all the 450?s. I recently spent
a weekend on Doug's bike out in the Dez and I have been thinking
about getting it on a Motocross track ever since. I think that all
of the GP racing that I have been doing has me thinking about the
450 again. It is going to be a long season.
STAY SAFE, more later.
WEDNESDAY,
2/22/06, 6PM
I just finished my first shift
of the day (5A-5P) and now I have a two-hour break before I start my
next shift (7P-11P). Since I have to be back at work at 6A tomorrow
morning I will not even go home tonight. You know it is borderline
ridiculous when you have a military foldout cot next to your office
desk. The reason for most of our work lately is, and I am sure you
have all heard about it, is the numerous tunnels that have been
found in recent months. These tunnels all start in somewhere
Tijuana, Mexico and end up in somewhere south San Diego. Well, now
we have nearly every U.S. Senator and Congressman west of the
Mississippi wanting to take a tour and do a press conference. I
wish some of these lawmakers worked as hard at being proactive as
they do at being reactive. I think then that many of our border
problems would no longer be a problem.
It has been just over three
weeks since round-4 at the Star was put into the books. I am still
having trouble sleeping on my right side. That's because I am a
side sleeper (right side, left side, back side) and my right
shoulder is still a little sore. Last weekend I rode the WORCS race
at Taft. Right from the drop of the gate when the bars begin to
pull at your arms I could tell that the shoulder was weak and sore.
The first two laps (my lap times were around 10:30) I had a lot of
trouble holding on and then after that the shoulder just sort of
went numb. Initially, that kind of concerned me so I slowed down a
bit and started to shake it out. That would make it tingle a little
and then go numb again. After a few minutes of this I figured that
as long as I could hold on I would go ahead and soldier on. I knew
I was not 100% but Taft is a four-hour drive from Temecula so I
wanted to make the most of it. One interesting note is that in my
race (the 40A class all lined up on the second row) I had some
pretty good competition. Eric McKenna, Andy Jefferson (the original
"Bro Show"), and 4 times National Champion Gary Jones were all lined
up for battle. I think I was the only one on that line riding a
mighty, but little, 250F. I found that out rather quickly after the
flag went up and all those 450's roared past me. I was working them
pretty good in the tighter MX section but as soon as we got to the
open, fast straights that dominated this course I was toast. I
still had a great time though and I am looking forward to some more
GP events (AMA D-37 and WORCS). Maybe I should think about riding
that 450 that's in my garage instead. I better ask my buddy Doug
first.
STAY SAFE, more later.
SUNDAY,
2/12/06, 10PM
I re-sent the message below
this one, dated 1/31/06, because Ed forgot to post it for me before
the races. I really don't blame Uncle E though because I know just
how busy the guy has been lately. Normally I would have just forgot
about the post and moved on to another one but I really wanted you
all to see it. I had the message archived so as I was looking at it
I started to think about how prophetic I could have been had I
really not been able to show up at the Star. I mean I would have
saved myself a trip in the meat wagon (ambulance) and my little pit
tootsie a lot of heart ache getting that call from Ernie. I would
have saved myself from having to replace the throttle tube on the
mighty blue 250f. I would have saved myself having to shovel out 20
pounds of sand and dirt from the DogHouse. I have ridden and
practiced through a lot of windstorms in the past but I cannot ever
remember having to race during two straight days of heavy winds.
The first few motos on Tuesday were not too bad but then it all
started again and it seemed to get worse as the day progressed. I
don't know what to blame my crash on except the wind. There is no
other explanation. It was one of those crashes where you don't even
have time to think about, "oh sh#%, I think I am going down". No,
it was more like, "why am I sitting here on the ground next to my
bike" and, "why is my head spinning and why cant I catch my
breath". At least that's what it felt like.
The Star should have been a
great track for me since I am on the mighty little YZ-250F but I am
really looking forward to the next rounds at the Glen. That big,
fast outdoor style track will have me revving the f-model to the
moon but I always enjoy that place. I think I am going to follow
Ed's queue and work a little more on the conditioning side of my
race prep. I have several AMA and WORCS GP's over the coming weeks
so as long as I stay on the bike (no crashing) I should be better
prepared for the longer track/motos. It also looks like we (H2O and
I) might be getting a few more riders to the Lites class for those
rounds as well. At least that was the talk in the pits.
STAY SAFE, more later.
TUESDAY,
1/31/06, 6AM
Hey all, I just wanted to drop
a quick note and let everyone know that I am not ignoring my
Diary... If anyone has been watching or listening to the news
lately then you know that we (Border Patrol) are extremely busy
these days. And when the BP gets busy then my Team gets slammed
with all kinds of new missions. In fact, as it is looking right now
I don't even think I will be able to make it out to the Star to bang
bars and do some pit racing with all of you. That's really
disappointing to me since I am healthy now and I had such fun at
rounds 1 & 2 in Arizona. Anyway, I will write something new as soon
as it slows down. Until then, I hope you all have a great ride out
at the Star and everyone stays on the bike/quad. The quad part is
for you HAZ...
STAY SAFE, more later.
THURSDAY,
1/12/06, 10PM
I figured I would take this
moment to write down a few thoughts before this weekend hits and I
have no time to do anything else. I was able to ride three times in
the last two weeks. That always feels good. The best part of all
is that all my White Brothers Racing parts came in for the mighty
blue YZ-250F. This last Tuesday I went out to Cahuilla and ran a
couple of motos race testing the new pipe. That's an amazing thing
when you bump up a 250F with about three more ponies. It really
brought the bike alive in the middle of the power band. I know that
I am a little on the big side for a 250F so any added horsepower is
a welcome thing. Speaking of Cahuilla, it looked like a national
out there this week. Dubach, Ward, Hughes, Pastrana, LaPaglia, and
whole swarm of Euro's that included Tortelli and Sword were putting
on an amazing display of speed. One cool thing that happened was
that I heard this screaming little 125 approaching the left side of
the line that I was in so I moved right, looked left and it was non
other than Travis Pastrana. We were exiting a left-hander that
leads to a LONG and fairly steep uphill. I decided to test my new
pipe and the drag race for the top ensued. I was able to actually
pull a couple of bike lengths on his yellow Suckzuki before we hit
the top and started down. Needless to say he passed me like I was
standing still on the way back down.
I didn't get a chance to ride
with all of you last year at ACP. I wasn't even able to make the
trip as a spectator since I had just had surgery and was on a new
set of crutches. Not so this year boys and girls. My speed is
good, my fitness is good, and my bike is even better. This thing is
more fun to ride on the last lap than it is on the first lap. I
heard a lot of good things from all of you about the ACP track last
year. Well, I should say that it was good from everyone but Uncle
Ed. I think it was a collarbone or shoulder? I am sure that Ed is
trying to put that out of his mind right now so we wont even go
there. I hope we all make it through this season without so much as
a hangnail. We all need to stay healthy for the big trip to Frozen
Ocean and NYC.
Like they say at the Indy 500,
"Riders, start your engines". Okay, so they say "Drivers" but who
cares about drivers, riders rule.
STAY SAFE, more later.
SUNDAY,
12/25/05, 10PM
Well it is now Christmas day
and I am sitting here trying to figure out where the year went. I
remember when I was injured I would sit and think how 6-12 months
seamed like so far away that it was almost depressing. I think for
a change I will start today and write something everyday in my
diary.
SUNDAY: Christmas day, Feliz Navidad, Happy Hanukah,
etc, etc? I don't want to be a scrooge or anything but there are
only a couple of things I like about Christmas. One is the trees,
and I mean real Christmas trees. Don't even go there about FAKE
Christmas trees. That would be like riding a Husaberg and saying it
is just as good as a Suzuki because it is yellow. The second thing
is eating. I love all the overflow of different foods and
especially the desserts. I DO NOT LIKE the presents. I don't mean
for the kids. That is different. But for the adults I think it is
really lame to spend as much time and money as the American society
does to shop and get presents for family and friends. On a side
note though I did get some real cool presents. Mostly stuff for the
garage.
MONDAY: It's an official government holiday so this
has got to be a good day. I spent the day in the garage working on
the bikes. The FPMX unofficial practice day at Racetown is coming
up on Wednesday and my 250F is just a frame and engine sitting on
the bike stand. My standard is to ride a new bike 2-3 times and
then clean it really well before stripping it down to the frame and
checking/greasing every nut bolt and bearing. I know it may come as
a surprise to most of you but I am a big fan of Yamaha. But I truly
believe that they are almost out of grease in Japan. With each
successive year the amount of grease that is put on bearings in the
steering stem and swingarm linkage gets to be less and less. Is
this just a Yamaha problem??? Is this just a Japanese
problem???
TUESDAY: Work on bike.
WEDNESDAY: A great day riding up at Racetown 395. I
haven't been to this track since my days of racing the Golden-State
and Trans-Cal Nationals (1990's). The place is just as good as
ever. Thanks Bruce and all the others that made this event happen.
But the coolest part is that nearly everyone was there with Frank in
mind. What a great family.
THURSDAY: Work on bike.
FRIDAY: Work on bike.
SATURDAY: Practice day at Cahuilla. I love that
place. Smooth as glass in the morning and Unadilla rough in the
afternoon. Man, am I sore.
SUNDAY: HAPPY NEW YEAR FPMX. Lets make it a good
one. Oh, and I worked on the bike today.
STAY SAFE, more later.
THURSDAY, 12/22/05, 6AM
YZErnie has been writing in
the "High Side" lately about being in a riding funk. He says that
he is having a bit of a problem getting motivated to ride. I have
actually been in the opposite direction on this matter. All I can
think about lately is riding. I am finding it really difficult to
concentrate at work, to drive by a motorcycle shop without stopping,
or to not surf the web for more parts or riding gear. As most of
you already know I have an almost new 2006 YZ-250F staring me in the
face every night when I pull into the garage. You know how it is
when you have a new bike, you have to add the bling to it. My
riding bling is usually pretty basic but it is still bling. Now
what Uncle Ed is doing to his Suckzookie would be called Bling-Bling,
Bling (motor-suspension, gadgets). In addition, I have my buddy's
bike (Doug Goff, USBP) in my garage as well. It will be there for
the next 12 months as he has been detailed to the Border Patrol
Academy in New Mexico as a Firearms Instructor. Of course, since it
is in my garage Doug said to go ahead and take it out anytime I
want. So now I have a 2004 YZ-450F as well. Problem is though that
I just can't look at it and ride it but I have to also add some
parts and gadgets to it. It's that MX+ blood type. After Doug
dropped off his bike a few weeks ago I took a picture of my garage.
There is a lot of bikes in there for someone who couldn't even ride
six months ago, and couldn't even walk one year ago. Oh, and that's
the 2026 World Motocross Champion, Bryce Goff, posing for his future
fans.
STAY SAFE, more later.
Hmmmm, decisions, decisions.

SUNDAY, 12/11/05, 10AM
I finally have a chance to
take a seat and write down some of my thoughts from last weeks Toy
Drive Grand Prix. First of all, is this a great race day or what!
I have never heard anyone say anything negative about this race day
at the Glen. Even when the wind gusts were at the worse everyone
still had a big smile on their face. Ed did away with the "Field
Events" for this year's race. Even though they were a lot of fun I
think it was more of headache than it was worth. The whole program
was very smooth this year with a lot of time between events to get
your bike and body ready for the next race. I think the only snafu
was in the scoring of the team race. You gotta still hand it to the
FPMX score girls for doing such a great job for us year after year
and race after race. Lets face it, no one would want to try and sit
there and score nearly 50 race teams over a two hour event. That
makes my head spin just thinking about it. Good job girls, thank
you.
When it came time for the team
race I had the fortune to team up with former FPMX Grand National
Champion, Steve Coster. Steve, like myself, has been missing in
action from a lot of FPMX races this year. He just got married a
couple of months ago and like most Fireman has also been busy with
his other business ventures. I guess when you have 25 days off each
month you have to find something to do. Anyway, we rode my new
mighty blue YZ-250F and were able to pull off a 6th place
finish in the expert class. And that's with a flat rear tire on the
last lap. We spent the whole two hours only a few bike lengths from
the Hannig/Ashby team. Next year boys.
After the morning parade lap I
returned to the DogHouse to find a couple of old friends (Ken
Armstrong-CDC and his son Aaron) leaving a special X-Mas gift on my
trailer doorstep. If you remember from an old diary post that I
made after the Mesquite rounds I slammed Ken a little bit. His
campsite was running out of firewood so he sent his son Aaron over
to the compound (HAZ=WhiteHouse, YZErnie=Cabin, MD=DogHouse, and a
few others) to BEG for some extra wood. After a little
harmless teasing we sent them over a little bit of wood to get them
through a few cold Arizona hours but I told Aaron to tell his dad
that he owed me. Well, Ken decided to pay me back at the Glen with
a care package of Crown Royal. Thanks Ken, that was very graceful
of you. I will remember to bring extra firewood out to ACP for
rounds 1 & 2 next year.
On Monday evening I was trying
to get the DogHouse and all my gear ready to head out to the Glen.
Dee had called me and helped out by picking up nearly a truckload of
toys from the Temecula Border Patrol Station. I had to pickup
several bicycles that my SRT unit had donated so needless to say I
was running around like I was already in a race. It was all
starting to come together as I got home around 3PM. But as I opened
the door to the DogHouse I saw that Dee, in her attempt to help me
out, had loaded all the bicycles and toys into the trailer. That
was cool but the only problem was that I still had to load the
mighty YZ-250F. In the end it all worked out but it was tough
trying to find a place to sleep in there.
STAY SAFE, more later.
The DogHouse, AKA: Santa's
Sleigh.
TUESDAY, 11/29/05, 10PM
Dee and I went out to I-5 MX
(Gorman) over the Thanksgiving holiday to attend the Troy Lee "A Day
in the Dirt" race. This is an annual event that has traditionally
been held at L.A. County Raceway but this year was moved to I-5 MX.
I have read about this event over the years in Cycle News and I have
always wanted to do it. That's one of the best things about a
weakly rag like Cycle News. You learn about so many great racing
events. Come to think of it, that's how I first learned about the
Fire & Police Motocross Nationals the first year it was held back in
1989. Lets get back to "A Day in the Dirt". There was a class for
woman so I asked Dee if she would like to race it and to my surprise
she emphatically said, "YES". I mean Dee has only been riding for
about two years now and I know that she likes to ride but I never
thought she would want to get out there on a racetrack. Especially
after seeing the damage that I have done to my body over the years.
This is the kind of race that you have to pre-enter because they
have so many entries. In fact I believe the final count for the
weekend was around 850 riders. So when I went back to the web site
to get Dee's entry form filled out I was disappointed to see that
the woman's race was SOLD OUT! It seems that they had put the
Vintage riders with the woman and only allowed 120 total riders.
They had about 30 woman and 90 Vintage riders already signed up.
Luckily we brought Dee's mighty little XR-100 with us anyway and on
the Friday practice we were able to get her through sign ups (thanks
Troy Lee). I gotta tell you that I was really anxious and nervous
about her being out there on a full blown race course. But after
seeing her work her way around the 4-mile course on Fridays practice
I was sure that she was going to be just fine. She was in the first
race of the day on Saturday morning. She pulled off a good solid
start and began battling right away with the other woman in her
class. She attacked the turns with elbows up and blew threw the
rough sandy whoops like she was on a beach ride at Pismo. Every
time she past by us she was waving a thumbs up and laughing at the
top of her lungs. It was a great first race for her and out of the
15 riders in her class she knocked down an 11th place
finish. I think the next FPMX medal that I win (that's if I can
ever win one again) I will give it to my little pit tootsie for her
outstanding performance in her first motorcycle race. Yah, I know
what you are all thinking, for 30 minutes + 1-lap I was her little
pit tootsie.
Oh and I have to make a
mention to my 11 year old Goddaughter, Lauren, that was also at the
races. It seems that she put something about me in her little diary
book but wouldn't let me read it. She has this little pad-lock on
it and I just couldn't get it open. So I told her that I was going
to put her into my diary. Maybe I should also get a lock for my
Diary???
STAY SAFE, more later.
Girls Rule!
FRIDAY, 11/18/05, 6AM
Dee and I took a short
vacation last week and flew back to New Jersey. An ex teammate of
mine was getting married and we thought it was a good opportunity to
visit with a bunch of old friends and see a state that we had never
been to. The trip was good and I even had time to play some
Texas-hold-em in Atlantic City. We flew on an airline that we have
never used before, Frontier Air. I am the kind of guy that just
pulls my hat down over my eyes and goes to sleep when flying. I
have been known to not wake up until the wheels are touching the
runway again. However, Dee does not do well when flying. I can
usually keep her mind off the airplane ride but when there is
turbulence she is a bundle of nerves. On this trip we encountered a
lot of turbulence. There were even several passengers in the
lavatories tossing up their lunch. Dee hung tough and made it
through the flight but I got no sleep. Did you ever notice that
when on an airplane and the guy in front of you reclines his seat
back then you basically have no choice but to also put yours back?
If you don't then the top of his ratty little head is almost in your
face. I was trying to read my Motocross Action mag and I was all
cramped up by the seat in front of me. They should just announce
that shortly after takeoff all passengers will be instructed to
recline their seats back simultaneously.
After we landed in San Diego
on Sunday, Dee and I stopped by the grand opening of Fun Bike Center
in Kearney Mesa. You really need to see this place! It is hands
down the largest motorcycle dealership I have ever seen. Not to
mention that they are FPMX friendly (ask for Jeff Whitmer in
sales). Anyway, we loaded up a new 06? YZ-250F and a new set of
Tech-10?s. Needless to say I was pretty stoked about that. And
then on Tuesday I got a chance to run some laps on the mighty blue
250F out at Cahuilla. Now I know why FEN and H2O love their 250F?s
so much. These things are a blast to ride. No matter how many laps
you do you just don't seem to get tired. It did take me a little
while to get used to the feeling of a new bike, a new set of boots,
and to top it all off a new set of knee braces. It's strange how
you forget all these little annoying things when you are out riding
some laps. FUN.
STAY SAFE, more later.
WEDNESDAY, 11/9/05, 6AM
Okay, it's the day after the
statewide elections in California and I for one am glad its over
with. I don't know how all of you feel about our election process
but I always feel used and abused by the whole system when it is
over. Needless to say, I am really disappointed about the final
outcomes of the propositions. I usually avoid talking politics with
most of my friends because it seems to really agitate some people.
Since most of my friends are Police or Fire I value my friendships
more than I value this screwed up state. Dee and I have pretty much
decided that we will not spend our retirement in California. Being
with the Federal Government I have a little more "say so" on where
my retirement taxes are spent than most of you local, county, and
state workers do. No matter where some of you retire you will still
be hammered by the state of California. That's why it frustrates me
to no end to see and hear how some of you act on issues that will
very soon be overwhelming this state. No matter what your opinion
was on the various propositions I think we can all agree that this
state is morally and fiscally broken. It is like a bus that is
going down hill without any brakes. Some of you seem to think that
is fine as long as it doesn't affect you or your profession. The
only problem is that there is a cliff at the end of this down hill
road and we are quickly approaching it. All in all though I think
the thing that bothers me the most about this particular election
day is that nearly every one of my Fireman buddies that I talked to
had the same thing to say. When I asked if they had read any of the
initiatives they said NO. And these are guys and gals that voted
both ways. When I asked them where they were getting their
information they said it was from union flyers at the station. So
yes or no, they basically made decisions based on what they think
about their union rather than on the true issues. There is one
thing that I always try and remember when it comes to anything we
encounter in life, information is power but ignorance is bliss.
This is a blissful day for many people in the state of
California.
STAY SAFE, more later.
THURSDAY, 11/3/05, 5PM
I had a golden opportunity
this last weekend to do some riding out at Ocotillo Wells with a few
big name Mxers. My buddy had called me a few weeks ago to let me
know that there would be a big camping trip and MC, Hughes, Antunez
and a lot of fast Pro/Expert level riders would all be out there.
In addition, it seems that the four wheelers (not quads) are all the
rage lately. The Yamaha Rhino and Polaris Ranger are as popular
with these guys as the CRF-50. The dealerships can't even keep
these things on the showroom floor for more than a day. Anyway, my
buddy wanted me to see his new tricked out Polaris and do a little
bit of fast trail riding with these guys. I don't know how many of
you have ever been to Ocotillo but the place is great during the
winter months. There are so many different trails and types of
terrain that you never get tired of riding. You just tired from
riding. Besides, I think I can beat MC in the desert.
I never got the chance to ride
with all these fast Pros because I had already promised some of the
boys at work that I would do some beach camping with them on Camp
Pendleton. Camping on the Marine Corps base is also a golden
opportunity as it is very difficult to get reservations for this
place. You have to have a special inside connection or they will
just hang up on you. We were there with a bunch of FBI Agents, one
of whom is married to an Officer in the Marine Corps. It was a
great weekend (even without bikes) as the whether was good and I
even played a little over-the-line. That was another first for me
since my big crash 30 months ago (2 ½ years). I used to play a lot
of softball before the crash but with the broken feet and especially
the broken right elbow and wrist I had to pretty much hang it up.
It felt good though and I even got a few hits. I think my next big
adventure will be to try and get back into a softball league.
STAY SAFE, more later.
TUESDAY, 10/25/05, 7PM
My buddy Scott who lives in
Hollister called me the other day and wanted Dee and I to meet them
at Glen Helen this last weekend. Scott is a member of the Over the
Hill Gang and they were having the South Nationals at the Glen. He
has been bugging me for some time now to join the Gang. Besides,
since it is his YZ-250 that I have been riding for the last three
months now I figured I owed it to him to hang out and do a little
racing. I didn't write this to talk about the Over the Hill Gang
but rather I wanted to point out my race results last weekend. On
Saturday I decided to race the back track at the Glen with the REM
crew. REM has been known to put on a great race program as well. A
few years ago I hooked up with an old FPMNer, Andy Guth, to do an
REM race and they impressed me then. So I figured that I would do
an REM race on Saturday and follow that up with a Gang race on
Sunday.
Saturday went really good. I
rode aggressively and concentrated on hitting all my lines each
lap. I kept telling myself to race the track and not the other
riders. Dee even said that I was looking a little bit more like
myself on the bike. Even though I still cant seem to get a start on
that 250 2-stroke the race worked out well for me. I ended up
getting 4-2 in my motos and 2nd overall because I had the tiebreaker
in a three way tie for second. My gate had the 40+ Experts and
Intermediate on it. All in all there were 19 guys on the gate. I
was running with the Intermediates but was able to beat a lot of the
Experts as well. I think this says a lot for the FPMX racers. At
Mesquite, my first race in 30 months (or 2 ½ years), I was racing
with the 40+ Intermediates and they were a lot faster than the REM
racers. I remember back not to many years ago Uncle Ed would tell
the guys to race in the next higher class from what they normally
race. If they were a 125 Novice with CMC, CRC, or AMA then they
should race the 125 Intermediate class with FPMX. I don't think
this is the case any longer. The FPMX racers are every bit as fast
as any other racing club. And if you want to try and compare some
of the eastern states or even Canada, then I think those results
from the Ohio Fire & Police Benefit races as well as the World Games
have spoken for themselves. FPMX racers have a whole pile of
plaques as well as gold, silver, and bronze medals from those
events. Bottom line, FPMX has come a long way and you guys, and
gals, are flat out fast. Good job!
Oh and by the way, I didn't
make it past the morning warm-ups on Sunday as I had some bike
problems but I think I won practice...
STAY SAFE, more later.
THURSDAY, 10/20/05, 5PM
Two weird things happened to me
during the Mesquite rounds. The first was something that has not
happened to me since my old racing days back at Saddleback Park. I
missed my race. That's right, I missed the call to the gate and when
Dee and I rolled up to the starting line I realized that the guys out on
the track were all in my race. At first I was absolutely livid about
what happened. You see, our professional race announcer, Erv Braun,
said that race #3 was out on the track when it was really race #4.
There was one other guy that missed the first lap of the race because of
this announcement. If you recall, on the first day there was race #0
and race #1A added to the schedule. I guess even Erv got confused over
all these changes. Anyway, after I rode the last three laps of that
first moto (scored as 18th place) I came back to the truck, threw my
helmet, and went and sat on the scoring tower for a few races to
basically chill-out. Remember now, I had been dreaming about my first
race back after 30 months (2 ½ years) of injury and rehab and this was
definitely not in my dream. After sitting on the tower and being by
myself for a few races I felt okay again. I surmised that there were 18
guys in my race and 16 of them obviously made it to the line in time for
the moto. So I chalked this one up to that thing that gets many of us
frustrated in life, poor communication.
The other thing that happened was
sort of funny. It was definitely funny at the time. Those of us that
were parked in the compound (Haz, YZErnie, Walker, and myself) were
sitting around a nice warm fire pit (washing machine tub) enjoying some
cheeseburgers and a few SilverBullets when out of the darkness
approached a young lad. He tentatively walked up to our fire and asked
us for some firewood. Actually, he said that his dad sent him over to
ask us for some firewood. It was probably around 10PM when this
happened and of course we had all been tipping the SilverBullets since
the last motos had finished about four hours earlier. So we asked this
young lad his name and he replied, "Aaron Armstrong". We then proceeded
to grill him on where he was parked, how old he was, was his dad a Cop
or Fireman (Cop), what agency did he work for (CDC), did he bring any
money, etc? Well, after a few minutes of this we had little Armstrong
thinking he had just stepped into a pop quiz at school and he wanted
nothing to do with it. We had mercy on him though and made sure that
before he left he had a handful of firewood to take back to his
campsite. A few minutes later we see Aaron returning with a two-way
walkee-talkee in hand. I guess little Armstrong laid a guilt trip on
big Armstrong so he wanted to call us and offer a payment plan for the
firewood. If I remember right it was something like a bottle of JD, JB,
CR, or something like that. I will have to make a note to be sure and
find the Armstrong campsite at the FPMN Christmas Toy Drive Grand
Prix.
STAY SAFE, more later.
SUNDAY, 10/16/05,
9PM
Yesterday afternoon I
was ready to give Uncle Ed a call and console him on the USC loss to
Notre Dame. It looked like the Trojans had finally stumbled and I
knew that Ed was going to be very disappointed. I think next to the
Los Angeles Lakers his favorite team is the Trojans of USC.
However, after that last second comeback I knew he would be all
smiles :)
Last week was a great week.
The U.S Open was a bit of a disappointment but hey, any day at the
races is better than a day at work. The FPMX races went off really
well and I was successful in my comeback. I think that after lining
up on the starting gate at the Mesquite rounds it puts a final
exclamation point on my injury, rehabilitation, and return to
racing. It only took 30 months, or as Big E likes to say, 2 ½
years. What place I finished in was of no consequence. The goal
was to be competitive, race hard, not get hurt, and most of all
finish. Mission accomplished!!!
The FPMX banquet was a total
and complete success. Other than a slight snafu by our professional
announcer/promoter (Erv Braun) with the hotel reservations all went
well. I can't remember laughing that much over a Vegas style show.
Dee and I caught Danny and Ursula Lowers in the lobby later that
night and Danny still couldn't believe he was doing all those
things. A big high-five to the FPMX crew that made this happen for
all of us. It has been a long time coming. Ed, Sue, Brad, Ryan,
and Erv, you guys did an awesome job. Thank You.
Last thing, I really want to
thank all of you out there for keeping me motivated and feeling at
home with FPMX during my injured time. Even though I was not racing
many of you made me feel like a racer and competitor that was just
taking a little time off. It is great to be part of this
organization. Most of all though I need to thank my little "Pit
Tootsie" Dee. She was the one that never let up on me. When I was
down she was always up for me. When I was struggling she would
remind me of the goal and helped me focus and look forward. There
is no doubt in my mind that without her I would have never ridden a
bike again or cared about anything again. Its like Winston
Churchill said in 1941, "NEVER, NEVER, NEVER QUIT".
STAY SAFE, more later.
I took this pic on the final
morning as I was leaving New Orleans. It was a fitting picture
because these helicopters were running 24/7 for three solid weeks
before they were finally given a break. It was a job well done by
the Department of Homeland Security and more directly, Border Patrol
Air Operations.

TUESDAY, 10/4/05, 10PM
The word has been put out. I
have had several calls and numerous e-mails about the subject. Yes,
I have been riding again and not on the mighty little TTR-125
either. I have been riding and practicing on a heavily modified
YZ-250. That would be a 2-stroke. It is very light and nimble and
a hell of a lot of fun. It's got a full on Pro-Circuit motor and
Enzo suspension. This bike flat out rips. I rode YZ-250's for many
years but I have been on 4-strokes now since 1998. That's a lot
longer than most so needless to say I have been a 4-stroke advocate
for a long time now. I have to admit that since I have been riding
this YZ I am slowly becoming a HUGE 2-stroke fan again. The bike
belongs to my best friend who lives in Hollister, CA and
coincidently bought a new 4-stroke (RMZ-450). Apparently he had so
much work done to this YZ that he didn't want to get rid of it so he
told me to take it for a while. I guess he didn't want to do the
flip-flop thing between 2 and 4-stroke. Anyway, I have had this
thing since the week before Gorman (July). So I would guess that I
have about 8-10 rides on it, mostly at Cahuilla.
Now lets talk conditioning.
Big E might be in the 16.5 range but it had been exactly 30 months
since I threw a leg over a full sized Motocross machine. I have
endured nearly 24 months of physical therapy and many hours of trail
riding on my little TTR. But nothing can prepare you to ride/race
like riding itself. Granted, I took it pretty darn slow the first
couple of times that I rode this 250. I wicked it up a bit the next
few times and then threw caution to the wind the last two outings.
I probably shouldn't put this out there because I know FEN will use
it against me but so far anything more than 3 laps and I am smoked.
I remember being able to put in 10 hard (95%) laps at any track and
then wanting more. Now, its three laps and then wanting a chair and
Gatorade.
Long story short, I am
bringing this bike with me to Mesquite. Not sure yet if I will race
it but I am very close. Either way, I will be there to yell at
Uncle Ed to stand up and yell at McKenna to sit down. And if I do
decide to race, well you get what you get, but it will be a great
day for sure?
STAY SAFE, more later.
FRIDAY, 9/30/05,
8PM
HOME. Even the word is
great. Anyway, it feels wonderful to be back home again. I feel
that I have seen enough death and destruction to last a lifetime.
It is different talking to all of you versus talking to family
members or the general public when it comes to the job. Unless you
are new to the FIRE/POLICE world most of you out there have pretty
much seen it all and done it all. And if you are new then welcome
and it wont take long before you are indoctrinated. Fire and Police
are a strange group indeed. They will dig through tons of ruble,
wade through the nastiest water ever seen, and check dozens of dead
bodies just for the hope that they will find someone that needs
help. Sometimes I wonder what this job has done to me. Through all
of that mess I never shed a tear until I saw some of the animals
(dogs and cats) that were being rescued by the many volunteers that
showed up to help. I know it is part of the job but sometimes it
really sucks.
I will stop here and show you
a few pics that I took while I was there. Unlike others, I did not
take any pictures of the bodies that we saw but I did get to meet a
lot of great people.
STAY SAFE, more later.
WEDNESDAY, 9/14/05, 2AM
It now looks
like this long ordeal here in New Orleans is almost over. At least
for me it is. I should be coming home in the next few days. I have
really seen and had enough of this mess. Please understand that I
am more than happy to help and even give some of my own time to the
disaster relief. Even though I only get paid for 12-hours a day I
have logged countless 20-hour days/nights during this operation.
And that's status quo for most of the thousands of Police, Fire,
Medical, Search/Rescue, and Military that have been here almost
since day-1. Tonight I met up with some of the FDNY boys while
getting some chow at the Dept. of Forestry aid station. They were
really cool to talk to and I mentioned to them about the FPMX
road/air trip next year for the race and five-year anniversary for
the 9/11 memorial. They thought that was great of us to be there
for that. I even took a few pictures around one of their Search &
Rescue suburbans. I will post it when I get home.
I think that's
the real story of this tragedy. The people that all came together
and made a difference when our leaders couldn't figure out the five
basic W's of crisis planning (who, what, where, when, and why).
There is still no definitive leadership when it comes to the basic
Police operations in the city. Despite all this, we have managed to
completely secure the area and get the rebuilding phase started. Of
course since there are so many cops and firemen in this town they
even managed to get a couple of bars open down on Bourbon Street.
STAY SAFE, more
later.
THURSDAY, 9/8/05, 11pm
I have only got a few minutes to say HI to all you racers out there. I
am still in the middle of this hurricane thing down here in New
Orleans. I really have no words to describe what I have seen here. I
have seen things that I hope I never see again. I guess if I could add
anything to this it would be that when you hear some of our elected
officials out there blaming people and pointing fingers you can take it
from me, a boot that is here on the ground, that they are absolutely and
categorically full-of-shit. Sorry
for the bad words folks but sometimes I am disgusted to be an
American. I gotta go now as my team
is heading out for another shift.
STAY SAFE, more later.
WEDNESDAY, 8/31/05, 9PM
Good grief, I have been so
busy these last two weeks that I haven't even had a chance to click
over to
WWW.FIREPOLICEMX.COM.
I usually don't let more than a few days go by without checking out
what's up on the message board. I am sitting at my desk in the SRT
office in San Diego and I have a pile of administrative paperwork to
prep for tomorrow morning. I said to myself, "self, you have worked
for over 14-hours today and you need to take a break and check in
with the FPMN world". First place I always go is to Ed's Journal.
Ed has been jumping from one side of the bike spectrum to the
other. 2-stroke, 4-stroke, and then back again. Suzuki, Yamaha,
Honda and now even a hint of green. Hey Ed, how about a purple
Bultaco or an orange Hodaka? Ernie's High Side is always good for a
laugh and sometimes a HMMMMM. This last one was a laugh, with some
nostalgia. The one prior to that was a HMMMMM. Ernie, I cant
believe that some nozzlehead, or excuse me, some firefighter had an
issue with that term. Must be one of those County boys.
Tomorrow morning I have to get
most of my team onto a transport flight out of North Island heading
for Louisiana. We have been on standby for this since last Sunday.
As the hurricane was downgraded and then slowly moved through its
path of destruction we wrongly assumed that it would just be a
cleanup exercise. We determined that this was it and we wouldn't
need to deploy. WRONG. That place is a mess. As I sit here
working on travel orders and writing an operational plan I started
to wonder. I wondered about all of the FPMN family out there. I
wondered just how many of you are possibly already deployed or
perhaps just now preparing for deployment. Either way, this is the
largest emergency deployment of Fire, Police, Rescue, Medical, etc,
in the history of the United States. One of the items that we
always calculate when developing deployment/operation plans is a
threat assessment of the target area. In this case the target area
covers nearly four entire states. When you have an active
mobilization of this magnitude one of the many threats is the
inevitable injuries and unfortunately some deaths that are related
to the Fire, Police, Rescue, Medical, etc, personnel that are trying
to get to the problem area. While everyone else is running from the
disaster, these civil servants and military are running towards it.
Please keep all these heroes in your thoughts and prayers.
I should be heading out to the
disaster area in the next 48-hours so I will try and get you a
report and some pics from the scene. And I will try and stay
dry.
STAY SAFE, more later.
MONDAY, 8/15/05, 6AM
Other than the AMA round that
was held in downtown Reno, NV last year I have never really liked or
bought into the SuperMoto movement. In fact, some of you out there
sent me an e-mail or two commenting on my references to those races
as SuperRetard. I love all types of motorsports racing but I saw
the SuperMoto races as a crossover that didn't need to be crossed.
I saw it as a backyard sport that catered to a bunch of retired
racers that could no longer compete at the national level. Don't
get me wrong here because Jeff Ward and Doug Henry are two of my all
time favorite racers. Not to mention they are just great all around
human beings. So it was hard for me to not want this new (or old,
depending on how you look at it) sport to sizzle and then fade away
like a Kyle Lewis holeshot. I found myself putting SuperMoto into
the Freestyle Motocross category. It still kills me to this day
that they have the word Motocross and Freestyle in the same name.
For the most part the bikes are no longer even Motocross worthy.
And these so called athletes are not even close to being what you
and I know a true Motocross racer is. However, this years X-Games
track was absolutely fantastic. When I first envisioned SuperMoto
making its charge back into the mainstream of racing this is exactly
the type of tracks that I was hoping for. This year's track
reminded me of watching the old school SuperBikers races from the
80?s, only with a more progressive and modern twist (steel ramps and
jumps). Adding the extra dirt section was just what the doctor
ordered for this type of racing. The whole race was really
entertaining and the long moto (main event) was a true test of their
athletic skills and stamina. I am still not sure about the
mandatory pit stop but it seemed to add a little bit of that NASCAR
appeal to the event. Lets see if the AMA was paying attention to
the X-Games format?
I am really getting anxious
for the 2006 Yamaha 250f?s to come in. I recently changed my order
to a 50th Anniversary yellow model from the original
Yamaha blue. I figured I could get a set of blue plastic to go
along with the yellow and then have two bikes for the price of one.
Although it could just be a subconscious thing that is in reality
pushing me toward a Suzuki? Or not. But seriously, I did get the
chance to put a few laps (although very slow laps) on a new RMZ-450
and the thing absolutely ripped, and turned on a dime. Anyway, I
think the FPMN 250f class is going to be really big next season. I
just hope I don't get in the way of some of the faster riders out
there. I know that I am going to be pathetically slow when I
finally start riding again. I just need to get back out there and
hang with you guys for some practice sessions. I will just have to
let the races fall where they may and not worry about it. Just
don't run me over FEN.
STAY SAFE, more later.
THURSDAY, 8/11/05, 6PM
Its kind of funny but I
have been hearing about this over and over again since the I-5
rounds last month. Yes, it was extremely hot at Gorman. The
average temperature for the area during July 2005 was a blistering
95 degrees. And to make maters worse it was 99 degrees (average)
for the week that we had our FPMX races. All this said being said,
I-5 is a fantastic place to have a summer race. Average
temperatures for the month of July are normally in the mid 80?s.
The bottom line is that unless we are racing at Pismo Beach during
the summer it is going to be hot wherever we go. Take a look at
what Kris "H2O" Waters said about this season
"I
thought this season has been great! New tracks in new places with a
few new racers. I'd be up for a few more rounds to keep us racing
more often for sure!"
and this from a
guy who broke his femur.
The banquet is also a hot
topic right now as we get closer to the next FPMX rounds in
Mesquite, NV. I don't know any other way to say this but I am
really amazed at how cheap some of our Fire &
Police brothers/sisters are portraying themselves. As a Federal
Agent I am one of the lowest paid law enforcement officers in the
state of California. I have been told that I will have to work a
long (60+ days) detail in Washington, D.C. in the coming weeks.
However, I fully plan on buying a plane ticket and getting a hotel
room in order to be there for this banquet. And hopefully get to
watch you go-fasters race a little bit on the Mesquite track. And
from what I hear on the Fire Department side of the house you guys
are also paid fairly well. So I keep asking myself, "What is it?".
I know for a fact that as a rule of thumb you people are not cheap.
I know this because I have run a few charity BBQ's over the years
and you guys have given money out of your pockets like it was on
fire. I think it is that when we race with FPMX we all
expect to get the race experience for a dramatically
reduced price. That includes race fees, camping fees, spectator
fees, entrance fees, and anything else that goes along with racing.
I look at this banquet similar to how I look at the race that Uncle
Ed has planned for us next year in New York. This is a very big
step in the evolution of the entire FPMN program. If you ever
wanted to be recognized and legitimized as a serious and
professional organization then these are absolutely must do events
for ALL FPMN RIDERS. Furthermore, I don't
count on this as a crutch, but when you have the recognition of
other professional organizations that are out there watching what we
do, sometimes the discounts and fee-bees comes along with it.
Lastly, FEN was very eloquent in his post about the '05 FPMN
Banquet. I am not going to quote his entire post but the last thing
he said is that after spending a great evening with hopefully some
of your loved ones and a lot of Fire/Police brothers and sisters, if
you leave the banquet with only a t-shirt and a smile is this not
worth it? I guess only your heart or from what some of you seem to
feel, your wallet, can answer that question.
STAY SAFE, more later.
TUESDAY, 8/2/05, 5PM
I have never liked Tuesdays.
I think most people seem to, as the song goes, hate Mondays. For
some reason Mondays are okay with me. I never look at Monday as the
start of the week. Maybe that's the civil servant side of me coming
out. I, like most of you, start my week whenever my work schedule
dictates that I start. That may be on a Sunday or it may be on a
Wednesday. Whenever I have to work on a Sunday or Saturday it seems
like just any other day of the week, only with a little less
commuter traffic on the freeways. Not too long ago my little "Pit
Tootsie" Dee had a four-day workweek. She would have
Friday-Saturday-Sunday off every week. She got real spoiled real
fast. Unfortunately for her the company she works for down sized by
several employees and so she had to give up the semi fireman's
schedule of only working four days a week. I know there are a few
departments (Police) out there that have four-day schedules. We
(Border Patrol) have tried several times to incorporate this but
they (BP management) have always fallen back on our overtime system
to explain why we must maintain a five-day schedule. Sounds kind of
suspicious to me. In fact, we have often been required to work a
mandatory sixth day shift to add more agents to a particular area.
And have even on occasion had to give up on scheduled leave in order
to fulfill an agency enforcement enhancement. Sometimes it makes
you so mad that you just want to march on in to the Chiefs office
and slam down your badge and gun (or badge and fire hose in some
cases) onto the Chiefs desk and tell him (or her in some cases) to
take this job and shove it! But then of course you let cooler heads
prevail and you start to look at some the nowhere dead end jobs that
some of your friends have. Then you realize that those few who
might have a good high paying job are usually unhappy and never have
time for themselves or their family. Then you start to smile and
say, "Hey, this Fire & Police stuff isn't so bad after all". Plus
we get to go racing, FPMX racing.
STAY SAFE, more later.
WEDNESDAY,
7/27/05, 5PM
To start off with I must add
my two centavos about a few topics:
EDub- If
cloning me is all it takes to get you to stand up more out there on
the track then I will make a special run or life size cardboard
cutouts to set up in all the turns. So then no matter what part of
the track you are on you will be able to see my bright smiling face
and a caption that reads "STAND UP!"
Sue- All guys
hate to put on sunscreen. It's like the beer commercial where the
guy excuses himself from the poker table so he can go outside and
talk baby-talk to his wife on the cell phone. Then suddenly out of
nowhere a giant can of beer falls from the sky and crushes him.
Well, none of us want that to happen so we avoid the girly smelling
sunscreen and then walk around looking stupid with pink arms and
faces for the next few days?
MXdN- In past
years the subject of the Motocross Des Nations has inspired more
than a few message board posts. This year's announcement of our
(United States) riders should hopefully change a few minds about our
involvement in this event. Personally, I look at the MXdN as a
bigger event than the World Olympics. Of course being a Motocross
fan I am a little bias. There have been many AMA and FIM champions
throughout the years but can anyone honestly say that they don't
genuinely like and/or love Ricky Carmichael? And Kevin Windham,
what's not to like about that guy. The only knock about Windham is
probably the year he took off from racing to get his head straight.
And then there's Mike Brown. Brownie is a Ryan Hughes type of
racer. He never quits and never complains. Yes, he knocks a few
guys down every now and then but hey, I have always been of one
mindset myself, LEAD OR FOLLOW BUT GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY!
Tour De France-
Or should that read Tour De Lance? Is this guy for real or what? I
really think as sports fans we have been privileged to watch this
guy in action. I mean if you had grown up in the era of Babe Ruth
would you really have known what you were witnessing? They say that
the only guys who compare to him as far as a total domination of a
sport is Wayne Gretzky and Richard Petty. Of course they overlook
the great sport of Motocross and RC. Ricky says he has two more
years in him. If he goes out on top then I guess he will stand
right next to Lance Armstrong on that podium. The book is still out
on Tiger Woods and a few other stick and balers but time will always
be the deciding factor on that. In the 100-year history of the Tour
only four other riders ever won it five times and they couldn't do
them all in a row. Lance did it seven times in a row and all after
recovering from cancer. I truly believe that he may well be the
greatest sports athlete that the world has ever seen, period!
STAY SAFE, more later.
Future Governor of the
great state of Texas, Lance Armstrong???
THURSDAY, 7/21/05,
2PM
We're home from vacation and
it sure sucks to have to go back to work. Maybe I am just getting
old or maybe I am just getting tired of dealing with all the
politics that revolve around immigration and border issues. I used
to really look forward to getting back to work after a few days
off. I will leave that one for another time.
The FPMX races at I-5 were
pretty awesome. There were so many good races on the track that it
was hard to keep up with them all. There would be two or three guys
battling up front for the overalls and then a few seconds behind
them there would be another three or four guys battling for that
position. I think all these different tracks are really leveling
the playing field in most of the race classes. I know the ruts were
a big concern. When I saw the man, Eric McKenna, take a header on
the back straight-away on the first lap of the 30+ expert race I
knew the track was a little technical. I know a lot of people have
already written on the board about the track so I guess all I can
add is "that's racing?. All I know is that there were plenty of
great races to watch. Gotta give a shout out to Steve Marquez. Not
only was he competing on the track as a racer but he was also
organizing the flaggers. A few of the Fire Explorer kids needed
some coaching on what to do but all in all they did a great job.
Also, Chuck and Tim Dollison for all their hard work running the
gate. Like Steve, the Dollison brothers were both racing and doing
other duties around the track. I tried to help out wherever I could
but those guys really worked hard.
The next thing on the agenda
was our trip to Pismo. There is just something about camping on the
beach with a roaring fire going and some cheeseburgers on the grill
(and some ice cold Bullets in hand). YZErnie couldn't make it due
to some work scheduling problems. H2O (Waters) couldn't make it
because he had to take an ambulance ride for some sort of weak
little injury. I think the final diagnosis was a broken femur.
Come on Kris, that wouldn't keep me away from the beach. Haz was
there with his wife GiGi and the whole Pixie clan was also there.
One thing I found out about Pixies crew, watch out for flying sand.
I borrowed a quad from another Border Patrol racer that was supposed
to also be at Pismo. I must admit those couches can be a lot of fun
when you throw in some dunes and lots of sand. Danny Lowers had
just returned from Hawaii (that's why he was not at the races) take
note Waters, that excuse is weak too) so he showed up at Pismo with
his grill in the back of his truck. I must say that without a
doubt, Danny is the best BBQ chef I have ever met. I have had his
BBQ several times now and in different locations but the quality is
always the same, simply amazing. When Dee and I got home I had to
catch up on all the Tour De France stages that I missed during the
prior week. The Tour is on OLN and during the commercials they were
advertising the great American BBQ cook off. I think it is going to
be in Texas or something like that. Anyway, my thought is that we
should enter Danny into the cook off. Get him an FPMX apron and
chef's hat and have him cook up a storm. I think he would have a
great shot at a podium finish?
STAY SAFE, more later.
THURSDAY, 7/6/05, 6PM
I decided to take a ride out
to I-5 MX last Saturday with a few friends. It had been a while
since I had been to the racetrack and even though I can't ride it is
still nice to get out and watch some moto practice. My BP buddy
from San Diego, Donnie, brought out his XR-400 to run a few laps
around the course. The track was in pretty good shape but you could
tell that his XR was beating him into submission. I am by no means
an expert at setting up suspension but I do understand the basics of
which way the clickers should be pushed. After some trial and error
we had the big (heavy) XR working fairly well. Donnie also brought
out his son, Matt, along with him and together they had such a good
time that they both decided to run in next weeks FPMX Nationals.
There was a time not so long ago when we (Border Patrol) had enough
riders competing at FPMX races that you could almost call us a
team. Since I will be making my comeback at the end of this year
it would be really nice to add some teammates once again.
On Sunday I drove out to the
Cahuilla MX track to meet up with another buddy that was testing
some new Race Tech suspension on his CRF-450. I thought that there
were a few rough sections at I-5 but it is like a road course
compared to Cahuilla. The bumps at Cahuilla were huge. As I
watched my buddy dial in his new suspension it was apparent that
there was absolutely nowhere on this racecourse to sit down but
definitely a good place to break in your suspension. I met up with
a few other riders that I hadn't seen in a few years and then we all
hit the Rubio's on the way home. So all in all it was a great 4th
of July weekend. The only problem is that it got me really pumped
up to ride. Oh well, I guess I will just have to get my fix
watching all you FPMXers do battle next week. See you at the
track.
STAY SAFE, more later.
FRIDAY, 7/1/05, 6PM
I can't believe its July
already. It seems like last week it was January. I have heard that
as you get older the days, months, and years all meld together.
Well, I ordered a new '06 250f last week and it should be in around
October. So as far as that goes I hope the next few months do pass
quickly. After a lot of hard thinking (no jokes please) I decided
to stick with Yamaha and drop down to the 250f. I know there that
there are a lot of great bikes out there these days but I just don't
have the time to get around and ride all the different ones that I
am interested in. I am hearing nothing but great reports from all
the RMZ-450 owners. Of course, the CRF-450 owners are very happy
with their product as well. One bike that we are hearing a lot
about is the KTM 250f. The early reports are that it is fast and
actually has good handles. However, I always worry about the KTM's
ability to stay together for an entire season. FPMX +40 expert,
Chip Howell, has been riding KTM's for many years now and they
always seem to stay together for him. By the way, Chip did a great
job (2nd place overall) up at the Mammoth Mountain MX
with four solid motos in the Masters class. And all on his trusty
KTM 520.
It sounds like the boys are
doing a bang up job up there in O' Canada. Did you really expect
anything less? I mean there was no way anyone was going to keep
Bush and Hannig away from the medals. It sounds like the pep talks
about our illustrious leader, Big Uncle E-Dub, got him going as he
grabbed a medal as well. I am still waiting to hear how they all
made out in the European Scrambles events? Even though that is not
our forte, especially in the woods of Canada, I know they will race
their buts off to get a few more medals. I was lucky enough to grab
a few World Games medals over the years and they are a real piece of
artwork. Anyway, for now, GO TEAM FPMX.
STAY SAFE, more later.
MONDAY, 6/27/05, 9PM
Now that was a quick trip to
Texas. If you are going to Texas then a quick trip is the only way
to go. I think the longest stint that I ever had to do in Texas was
120 days. It was during the summer and it was in a place called The
Valley. The Valley is in south Texas with town names such as
Laredo, Rio Grande City,
McAllen,
Brownsville, and
Kingsville. That was about eight
years ago but it seems like yesterday. The heat in south Texas
during the summer is beyond description. It saps the energy out of
you like a 35-minute (plus 2-laps) moto
at Hangtown. Anyway, I stopped
in Laughlin, Nevada on my way home from El Paso and I was amazed at
how many boats and personal watercraft
there were in that town. I rolled in around 9AM on Sunday and the
road leading from the casinos out toward the river was three miles
deep with traffic. And I saw a lot of fire stickers on back
windows. Man, don?t you Fireman ever work???
Speaking of
watercraft, has anyone out there
ever loaded a SeaDoo into the
back of his or her toy hauler? I am seriously considering taking my
buddies Doo with me to
Pismo in a couple of weeks. You
know, Monday-Tuesday at I-5 MX
for rounds 5 and 6 of the FPMX
Nationals and then off to Pismo
Beach for some rest and relaxation. Haz,
Ernie, did you guys make your reservations yet (ReserveAmerica.com)?
I don?t want to bring the Doo
trailer but I am not quit sure how to stabilize and tie this thing
down into the back of the DogHouse. I think I can barrow one of
those big wheel watercraft
dollies from Temecula
Motorsports so moving it from
trailer to water shouldn?t be a
problem. I think just a couple of 4x4 wood planks covered with some
carpet should work for the ride. Please let me know if anyone out
there has an idea on this one? Oh by the way, Dee says she will not
go into the water for fear of a shark attack. Is that the funniest
thing you have ever heard? Sharks, what sharks?
STAY SAFE, more later.
This is the last
pic of our trip to
Massachusetts? Boston?s finest?

SATURDAY, 6/18/05,
11AM
Well I am home now from
beautiful Massachusetts. This will be a short stay at home though
as I have to leave tonight for a long drive (12-hours) to not so
beautiful El Paso, TX. The 250 Nationals from Southwick are
supposed to be on OLN at 1PM today and even though I was actually
there I want to see RC?s first moto crash all over again. While we
were there at the race Dee just happen to get a great picture of
Ricky as he hit the big kicker which he rode out for about 10 feet
before flying over the bars. At the Wick they call it spending time
on the beach when you crash. By the way, have you all heard RC's
new nickname that all the riders have been calling him? The GOAT,
which simply means, "Greatest of All Time". However, I think RC
will loose a couple of more motos as the season progresses. Like I
had said before, I don't think anyone can beat him except himself
and his yellow machine. When I comment on RC breaking his yellow
4-fiddy I am only basing it on past practice of that brand. Heck,
if they didn't get clapped-out so fast I would seriously consider
getting the new KTM 250f. Contrary to what Uncle Ed believes I am
not a Yamaha loyalist. I don't believe that he is a loyalist to any
one brand either. It just comes down to what you are comfortable
with at the time. It just so happens that my Yamaha time has
extended over the past five years now. Ed has been comfortable with
bouncing from one brand to another over the last five years and that
is great. But is it really working for him? It seems that Big E
has been the hospital/rehab bunkmate of Travis Pastrana over those
same years. For those of you who weren't around then or don't
remember that Ed was once, although a very long time ago, considered
as an FPMN speedster. In fact he was probably in everyone's book as
a top ten pick on any day of the week. And by top ten I mean of ALL
FPMN riders. And I think he was on a YAMAHA back then. Hmmmm?
STAY SAFE, more later.
Here is that pic that Dee shot
as RC was heading to the beach?

WEDNESDAY,
6/15/05, 8PM
Dee and I had to make a run
out to Massachusetts last weekend for a wedding in Cape Cod. We
were only planning on being in town for a couple of days. Fly in on
Thursday, hit the wedding on Friday, hit Boston for a day of site
seeing on Saturday, then fly home on Sunday. It didn?t dawn on me
until late Friday evening that the AMA 125/250 Nationals would be in
town Sunday at Southwick or ?The Wick? as the locals call it. This
meant a big change of plans, now we would not be heading home until
Tuesday. Sue would be proud of Dee for how she helped me make these
last minute plans. Dee has seen her fare share of professional
Motocross races over the years. From the AMA Supercross series to
World Championship Motocross races in Europe and even a handful of
Motocross Des Nations events. However, she had never been to an AMA
Outdoor National event. The Wick would be her first. All the
rumors that I have heard throughout the years about the deep power
robbing sand of Southwick were true. From start to finish, the
entire track is sand. The track is located on the west side of the
state near the New York border. In fact, Southwick it is a lot
closer to New York City than the Frozen Ocean track in Auburn, New
York. I only say this because I was reading in the FPMX web site
that the track of choice for the 911-memorial race next year is
Frozen Ocean. A great track to be sure of but I thought I would add
this to the mix just in case Uncle Ed is listening. Big E knows
that I will race wherever he holds this race. Heck if I had my way
I would have them (New York City) build us a track right in the
middle of NYC. If the city of Oxnard (Police Olympics 1989) and the
city of Santa Ana (Police/Fire Games 2002) could do it for us then
why not NYC? Both of these events basically took place in the
middle of the cities. Think about it, Motocross in Central Park?
STAY SAFE, more later.

This was the man of the hour,
+40 rider John Dowd with a 3-3 performance at the Wick.
I was just reading all the new
journals, diaries and inside stories of the FPMX. Wow, spend a week
away from the FPMX web site and the next thing you know everyone
becomes a writer. I guess I should get busy writing. "Get busy
writing or get busy working", I think that was from the Shawshank
Redemption. Anyway, first I read Uncle Ed's story about Aron Briggs
and it made me think about those race days so many years ago. And
yes, it kind of brought a few tears. I had a lot of good rides
against Aron back in the day and Ed was right about him. Aron was a
fast learner and an up and coming rider. His is definitely a story
of triumph. After that I started reading Ernie's "High Side"
stories and I cant figure it out either. Why does Ernie hate Big E
so much? I hope those two don't ever meet in a dark alley. Lets
just keep it on the track boys. Then I see that Sue is now giving
us the woman's point of view. That's a nice twist on our FPMX
world. I mean we have had several women racers over the years and
many of them were pretty darn fast. I believe you see more wives,
kids and girlfriends at FPMX races than you do at a typical race
weekend at old Chickenlicks Raceway. So why not have one of them
add a touch of class to our program. And what better person to do
that than Sue Wilson. Maybe she will give us a little dirt on Ed.
I have thought a few times about having Dee (my little pit tootsie)
write a Diary entry or two for me while I was away for work. Just
to give everyone a different point of view on what it is like to be
on the other side of the starting gate. The side that sweeps the
gate instead of riding over it. I got skeeered though that she
would throw too much dirt on the paper about me and then I would
have to edit it down to just a couple of sentences.
Speaking of Dee! Do you ever
notice that when you have been working a really long shift and then
you get home and you are so tired that you see and here people
talking to you but you don't understand them? Its almost like they
are speaking Chinese to you. I had to pull a 20-hour shift last
Friday and when I got home I was really, really tired. No, this was
not a Fireman 20-hour shift where you work for 2-hours and sleep/eat
for 18. My team had a call-out to the Campo area (east county San
Diego) for an Agent that was shot by some dope runners and we had to
try and track these scumbags out of the brush. It was about 2AM
when I got home and I kind of remember Dee talking to me but I cant
recall if I was talking back. She said that I told her all about my
night. Hmmmm. The next morning I had to get up early because it
was my Grandmas birthday and I promised Dee that I would get up and
go get flowers with her. Then I volunteered to drive from Temecula
to Orange Hills and I hardly remember Dee talking to me. Its like
you go on low energy mode and the only way you can get through the
day is if you conserve power by shutting down the listening
function. I think I shut down the vision function also because I
don't really remember driving either. Don't try this yourselves
boys and girls. Get your rest.
STAY SAFE, more later.
SATURDAY, 5/28/05,
8PM
Its Memorial Day weekend and
it seems that the roads are jammed with holiday travelers. Trucks,
trailers and motor-homes are converging on their favorite riding
areas. I think the Memorial Day weekend is the last chance for the
die-hards to ride out in the desert. Anything past this weekend and
it is just too darn hot. Dee and I decided to do our last desert
ride last weekend at a place called Calico Ghost Town. It’s a place
that I haven’t ridden at for many, many years. Calico Ghost Town is
just off I-15 about 10 minutes northeast of Barstow. It turned out
to be unseasonably hot last weekend. The almanac had said that for
May it is usually in the mid to high 80’s with lows in the 60’s. No
such luck though. It was near the 100 mark everyday. The nights
were a nice 75 so I was thankful for that. Last year Dee and I
decided to make the Memorial Day trip up to Pismo and the place was
a complete zoo. We vowed not to ever go anywhere again for Memorial
Day. Just stay home and have a BBQ, and Silver Bullet of course. I
think our next few trips during the summer will be up to the Big
Bear area. It has also been many, many years since I have camped
and ridden up there. I hope the bird and turtle people haven’t
turned that place into walking/hiking trails only. I guess I will
have to check once again with HAZ for the local info.
I watched the Hangtown race
today on OLN. It was sure nice not to hear the whining voices of
the ESPN Supercross broadcast crew anymore. The OLN show was well
done and I have always liked David Bailey as a broadcaster. I don’t
necessarily always agree with his ideas and opinions of the various
riders but he has a great demeanor about him and a good TV/radio
voice. You never hear the monster truck or NASCAR mantra from him.
I like that. I predict that RC continues to stomp everyone but I
think he will break the Suzook before any of his competitors beat
him straight up. Sorry Ed but I just don’t have a lot of faith in
anything green or yellow. Maybe time will prove me wrong.
Hey it’s Memorial Day. Don’t
forget to fly your American flag and remember those who made the
sacrifices for us to be here and be free. God bless America.
STAY SAFE, more later.
SUNDAY, 5/15/05,
10PM
Okay, the Las Vegas Supercross
finale was a good one and thus the 2005 SX series is a done deal. I
think it only right that we recognize those out there in FPMN land
that called the ball on the #1 plate. That is figuratively speaking
of course since there is no such thing as a #1 plate in the modern
NASCAR style Motocross world that we live in. We are all true
Motocross fans so we all know who the #1 rider is be it indoor or
outdoor, be it 125 class or 250 class. The permanent numbers are
for the non-fans. In case you didn’t get my satire I am not a fan
of the permanent number system. I will leave that one for another
diary entry. But I think that there were a few out there that
warned us to watch the mighty yellow #4 RM-250. E-Dub and bad Brad
Hannig I remember made the right predictions back in early January.
I for one was calling for a Reed and Bubba dogfight with Chad
pulling away in the middle rounds as Bubba broke himself into
pieces. I was wrong about Reed winning the whole enchilada but I
(and many, many of you out there also) was right about young James
not being able to stay on the bike. I can only wonder how bad he
might hurt himself at outdoor speeds. Hopefully he will learn the
lessons of many a past champion and one current champion. That
would be to slow down to actually go faster and consequently win
many more championships. I think one surprise was that K-Dub only
won one race. I thought he would get a couple more. I hope he has
a really good outdoor season. The big news this week is that for
the umpteenth time Tortelli will sit out another full season with
injuries. Seb was another guy that I really wanted to see have a
good outdoor showing. As it looks though, Reed will once again
carry the momentum into the Nationals. Reed is a fighter but I
don’t think he has the raw speed to stay out front at too many rough
and tumble national tracks. So the final draw for my call on the
outdoor national series, who else but #4 (or #1) RC. E-Dub, would
you agree?
STAY SAFE, more later.
FRIDAY, 5/6/05, 6AM
This last Tuesday
(FPMX Round #4) as I watched you guys (and gals) hammer
through the deep rutted turns of the Glen, I found
myself unable to control my verbal outbursts. Over the
years I have noticed how a little bit of on-track
encouragement can seriously motivate a weary rider.
Guys like Ed Wilson, Chip Howell, Kris Waters, Mike
Frieling, or Joe Benson can make up several positions
based solely on some well-placed corner antics.
Sometimes it’s just a clap of the hands and thumbs up or
other times its shirt off frantically waving over your
head while howling like a 1974 Maico with a blown out
silencer. Either way, the passing rider or riders will
get the message that you are watching their every move
and he (or she) better start moving. I remember back a
few years ago at the Glen when I was locked in an
intense battle against a Kawasaki thumper. I can’t
remember the riders name but the laps were winding down
and I just couldn’t make a pass stick on this guy. They
were using the “Budds Creek” section of the track (sandy
and rough) and I was getting really frustrated not to
mention exhausted on the big Glen Helen track. Near the
end of the moto we were running only a few bike lengths
apart and as we once again entered the “Budds Creek”
area that’s when we spotted it. It was Mike Dunn
(DHS-Investigations), Marco (starter), and I believe
Bart Carragan (Sunnyvale PD-Retired). They were
standing in one of the deep sandy corners and they were
all hanging a “BA”. We had seen them there each lap as
we passed and they were doing the wave and the yelling
thing but I surmise that they were not getting the
reaction from me that they wanted. So on this
particular lap they decided to reach down deep in their
bag of fan tricks and pull out all the stops. It was
“BA” time. Well, it completely shocked the Kawasaki
rider and motivated me to the point that for the last
two laps I not only passed his screaming green thumper I
was able to gap him for a 15 second win. So remember,
when you see your buddies standing on the side of the
track trying to motivate you to go faster, you better
listen.
The only thing I
was disappointed about from the Glen was not getting to
see Joe Benson in the expert class. I guess he had
shown up for practice on Monday and then was called out
to an emergency at his department. Last year he was
winning most of the intermediate classes by big margins
(30+ seconds). So it would have been really interesting
to see him take on the experts. I even heard from Uncle
Ed that Benson was claiming to be able to stick to
McKenna’s rear wheel during practice. Oh well, maybe at
Gorman (I-5 MX) round #5-6 the questions will be
answered. Either way, I will be standing in the corner
yelling at McKenna to go faster.
STAY SAFE, more
later.
TUESDAY, 4/26/05, 2PM
I am now completing the last
leg of my Florida trip. The Continental flight that Dee and I are
returning to San Diego on is completely full. Dee is lost in a
movie about Peter Pan (Johnny Depp) that I could only handle about
10 minutes of before I broke out the laptop. I bet Uncle E would
know the name of the movie. I swear, I think that they are
purposely making airliner seats smaller and smaller. It’s a known
fact that Americans, in general, are taller and yes a little fatter
than people from other parts of the world. I think it has something
to do with ice cream. Anyway, since most planes in the world are
manufactured right here in the good old US of A why don’t they make
them fit us, Americans. This could be another European conspiracy
plot and I am sure that the French are behind it. Next time you see
Tortelli or Vuillemin ask them about
it. Just remember, you are going to have to look down when speaking
to them.
This was a good trip and my
Border Patrol teammates performed as usual, OUTSTANDING. We
received nothing but praise from the Washington, D.C. and Miami
command staff. However, there is always a caveat. When you
consistently perform at your best, which I believe is bred into all
Fire/Police personnel, the problem is that they always want you for
other missions. Some of you might be thinking that this would be a
cool position to be in. Depending on the time of year and the
location of the next big adventure it could be a nightmare. Over
the years I have narrowed it down to a 50-50 proposition. Take this
Florida gig for example. Just a few months ago the southern part of
this state was a disaster zone. Luckily for me it was beautiful for
this trip. Last year I was sent to the northern border area of New
York. It is usually mild during the winter months with great
skiing. However, I just happened to be there during the longest
sub-zero cold streak that they had seen for that area in over 50
years. Even the vehicles stopped running. Not to mention what it
did to local Motocross racers. Have you seen how poorly up state
New York resident Paul Carpenter has been riding lately?
SUNDAY, 4/17/05, 8AM
I am sitting on a plane
enroute to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Another one of my work adventures.
This should be a good trip because we will only be working for about
a week or so. After that Dee, my little Pit Tootsie, will be flying
out to join me. She has never been to Florida. I have been several
times but only to work. I have never had the opportunity to take
any vacation time while there. So I am really looking forward to
it. I don’t consider Florida as much of a state. From what I
understand there are many tourist type things to do and that is
great but what I mean is that ever since the 2000 Presidential
elections, that state just seems to make one wrong decision after
another. Several years ago (about 10 years) I went to southern
Georgia to teach at the Border Patrol Academy for about four
months. That’s when I learned about how big Motocross is in the
state of Florida. I went to watch a few races and even saw the
outdoor nationals at Gatorback. I was really kicking myself for not
bringing my YZ-250 with me. I could have been racing almost every
weekend. But I had left it behind with Temecula Motorsports (TMS)
to sell while I was gone. So while I knew that I didn’t have a bike
to ride I at least had the satisfaction of knowing that when I got
home I would have a nice check waiting for me. The plan was to buy
a new 250 as soon as I got back to SoCal. Unfortunately they never
sold the bike. I wasn’t sure why because anyone who knows me knows
that I keep my bikes in top shape. I sold the thing on my own the
second weekend that I was home. And I sold it to the first guy who
came to look at it. It all worked out though because I made TMS
give me a bike to ride for several weeks before I finally decided
not to buy a new bike at all. No, instead I was going to build my
own race bike. I decided to build and race one of the first full-on
Motocross 4-strokes. It was a mighty XR-600 built by White Bros.
It was a great bike and although I didn’t always win on it I was
almost always guaranteed a hole-shot. I wish I still had that bike
today.
STAY SAFE, more later.
WEDNESDAY, 4/6/05, 10PM
I was just reading some mail
as well as Uncle Wilson’s Journal. I must admit that I totally
agree that the state of Texas in general is really screwed up. The
highways, the airports, the cities, the motorcycle shops, the soil
(yah, the soil), and most definitely the people are all strange.
The only good soil they have in that state is the red clay of Rio
Bravo but one lap will muck up your bike worse than a whole day at
Elsinore. Those one-way frontage roads that Ed was talking about
are all over that state. Once while I was detailed to El Paso I got
off the highway (I-10) on a
frontage road because I missed my meeting place by one exit. I was
meeting with some El Paso County Sheriff’s Deputies and they were on
the opposite side of the highway watching me drive off into the
sunset. I figured that I just had to drive a mile or so and then I
would be able to turn around, get back on the highway, and make the
meet. Well 12 miles, 25 minutes, and getting pulled over by a State
Trooper for driving my H-2 through a culvert to make a U-turn, I
made my meet. Of course I had to make up a good story for the
Deputies about wanting to check out the east side of town. Another
time while in El Paso I stopped into what they describe as the
largest Harley shop in the western United States, Barnett’s. This
place is really big too. My buddy and I left our driver licenses
with the salesman and they let us take a couple of new bikes out for
a joy ride. My buddy took a new softail
but I chose a really hot (and very fast)
Buell. We were gone for about 30 minutes and when we got
back I decided to buy a few t-shirts. As I got up to the counter to
pay for the shirts I asked the sales lady if they gave discounts to
AMA members? I have been an AMA member for 25 years now. Anyway,
she looked at me with a blank stare and said, “what’s that”. I
figured that she was new or something so I asked another
saleswomen, negative results
again. As it turned out, no one in that God forsaken shop knew what
the AMA was. That goes for the boys in the back also, the
mechanics. No wonder we are losing all of our riding rights as well
as areas to ride in this country.
Another bit of mail that I
received was from FPMX rider
Mark Goodman
(Pasadena PD). Apparently
Mark was hurt at last years Glen Helen
GP. He, like many of us FPMX
racers, knows about the trials and tribulations of recovering from
an injury. After I read Marks mail I sat here for about an hour
thinking about all of the FPMN
riders that I have known throughout the years. I was thinking about
the various injuries that either side
lined them or forced them to take up another sport. The list
is pretty long. This is a tough sport that we have chosen. But you
know, I wouldn't have it any
other way.
Stay safe, more later.
MONDAY, 3/28/05, 11PM
My body is aching all over and
my hands are calloused and sore. That’s what three hard days of
riding in Ocotillo Wells will do to you. I must say that this
little trip out to the dez was the hardest I have ridden since I
darted myself at Perris Raceway two years ago. It’s a good feeling
but it also makes me reflect on just how good of riding shape I was
in before that black Wednesday at Perris. My shape-o-meter would
have read pretty low back in those days. I could do 20+ laps at the
Star without even getting tired. I could post consistent lap times
and run with any of the FPMN experts. I could get a top 10 finish
at any WORCS or District-37 Big-6 GP race in the expert classes. So
although I feel good about riding hard and aggressive once again, I
do feel a real sense of loss in what took so many years to achieve.
Speed, balance and timing are not something that comes easy when
racing a dirt bike. I know that in the back of my mind I will never
be able to race or even ride like I once did. I don’t think this
injury will ever let me forget that. Some things are
forever.
One thing I did find out this
past weekend is that I need to get a new pair of boots. My feet are
permanently swollen (particularly the left foot) and my almost new
Tech-8’s are just too tight. I am considering the new Tech-10’s but
I also like the new O’Neal’s. Actually, my gear is mostly the
O’Neal 2001 stuff and it is starting to look a little OLD. I will
need to spend some time talking to many of you at the next FPMX
National rounds. Maybe I need to get some fashion ideas from Danny
Lowers...
TUESDAY, 3/22/05, 3PM
I need to
ask Uncle Ed what’s up with Highway 78. The part of 78 that I am
talking about is a short little route that runs east and west for
approximately 17 miles between Interstate 5 and Interstate 15. It’s
a regular route of travel for the Wilson’s. I have had to travel
this route about ten times in the last few weeks and it seems that
there is an accident in both directions all the time. It was just
yesterday that I was heading east toward I-5 and once again the
traffic slowed to a crawl. As I got closer I could see a motorcycle
down in the traffic lanes. As I got even closer I could see that it
was a bright yellow Suckzuki. And as I got even closer and passed
this mangled bike I could see that it was an RMZ-250. I know I was
thinking the same thing, “what the hell is an RM doing on the
highway”. As it turned out, there was a multi vehicle collision and
this RM decided to eject itself from a small pickup truck. The
first thing I thought about was Ed and I immediately started looking
for his black Ford F-250. I was relieved when I saw the small red
pickup and that’s when I remembered that E-Dub doesn’t ride a
4-stroke. He is a two smoke guy.
It looks
like Dee and I will be heading out to Ocotillo Wells tomorrow. The
forecast has been calling for rain but I really don’t care. As far
as I am concerned, the desert and rain go together like cookies and
crème. I love it. Last month when Dee and I went out to Ocotillo I
told her not to worry about the rain because you could go to the
desert a hundred times over the course of many years and never see
it rain. Of course we were there for three days and it rained
constantly. Needless to say she keeps teasing me about that one. I
have been telling her all week though, “don’t worry, its not going
to rain”. More on this story next week.
STAY
SAFE, more later.
It’s a late night here at
work. No, I am not working the graveyard shift but I am still at
work. It’s a long story. I was reading the Journal, Big E, when
you stop at the top of a triple and sit on your bike (like RC or CR
after winning a big race) you are asking for a face full of roost.
Nice job EK. Anyway, reading about you guys’ meeting down in
Ocotillo for a day of riding has my mouth watering. I love that
place. As long as you can stay away from the kooks then everything
is great. The riding is always good but the campers out there are a
little on the whiskey tango side of the county. My buddy is getting
a new CRF-150 for his wife this weekend so I feel a road trip in the
“DogHouse” coming up.
The feet are doing great. I
had a short trip to El Paso a few weeks ago and I was on tilt the
whole time. It’s amazing how a little tendon takes so much longer
to recover than a completely broken bone. There was a couple of
days/nights that my left foot looked like a softball stuffed into a
dress shoe (I had to wear a suit the whole time I was there). A
little physical therapy and a few Celebrex and everything is
working, and looking, like normal. I received my registration
package for the upcoming Reno Police and Fire games. I am really
going to be bummed that I can’t ride this one. Honey Lake is a
track that I have wanted to ride and race on ever since it opened.
I have heard nothing but great things about that place. I am
however planning on being there to support my buddy Doug Goff. Of
course I know that means I will be cleaning his bike between motos,
sweeping his gate during his motos, and making him cheeseburgers
after his motos. It’s all good though, I will be at the racetrack
enjoying it all. I wonder if they will let me race the 125-beginner
class on the mighty TTR-125???
Stay safe, more later.
Doug Goff and I
went over to the local Indian casino this weekend to participate in
a Texas-Hold-Em tournament.
These days that is the only competition I can handle. We both got
smoked in the tournament but all we could talk about was the
AWESOME Daytona SuperCross.
It was probably a good thing that I didn’t
have a computer at home to write a diary entry after that race. I
was still fuming a little over the ESPN
broadcasts. It was such a pleasure to watch and listen to the Speed
Channel presentation after putting up with the
ESPN2 clown show for the first
nine rounds. The Daytona race was so exciting that it was a win-win
situation for Speed Channel no matter what else happened. However,
listening to Bailey and RJ do the
commentary of the race was the best. It was great to finally hear
someone with knowledge of our sport talking about the race action.
I had just gotten home from work with a few minutes to spare when
the race broadcast started. I was in the living room alone but Dee
thought that I had company because I was yelling at the TV. Not
yelling because I was pissed off at Todd Harris but yelling for
little Hanny to make the pass, then yelling at Josh Grant to get up
first, then yelling at Reed to hold the inside line, then yelling at
RC to get up and get back into the fight. I was exhausted after the
250 main.
Well I
gotta hit the road to get home
soon. It takes about 2-3 hours drive time from San Diego to
Temecula these days. I am kind
of wasting time right now hoping that the traffic clears out a
little bit. I am suppose to meet with some buddies to get in some
Hold-Em practice for the next
tournament. Hey you guys keep hitting the track for
FPMX practice and I will keep
practicing my poker face. I figure that when I am ready to
ride/race again I can use that poker face on the 40+ experts… ALL
IN.
Stay safe, more
later.
MONDAY, 3/7/05, 8PM
Hey I am back. I don't think I have written in about a month. I am a little
embarrassed to say that I had another laptop melt down. I had received several
e-mails from FPMN'ers after my last computer crash telling me to get off the
fence and buy a new laptop. After all you can get a new unit from Dell or
Compac for about $800 and it will do almost anything you need. So what am I
waiting for? I guess I am waiting for them to be $700…
Hey I am back. I was out of town again to my home away from home in old El
Paso. The big Border Patrol Chiefs were having a pow-wow and they somehow
decided to do it in El Paso. For those of you who have never been to El Paso
then you aren't missing much. It is right on the border with the Mexican state
of Juarez just to the south of the raging Rio Grande River. That's a joke boys
and girls, ever since the federal government damned up the northern tributaries
the Rio Grande has been nothing more than a trickle. Many of the BP agents
stationed there call the city of El Paso "north Juarez". The elevation sits at
about 4200 feet and the weather is very unpredictable. But most of all they
have no Motocross in El Paso. I think Texas is suppose to be a big motorsports
state but along the border there definitely aint no Motocross. I get tasked
with attending these Chiefs conferences on a regular basis but the only real
cool part about going is that I get to see a lot of old friends. After almost
20 years in the BP I have friends scattered all over this great country. And
every once in a while they have the conference somewhere nice.
Hey I am back. I have only been home for a few days and I have a promotional
assessment test to take tomorrow. There are a few jobs out there that I am
thinking about putting in for and the assessment is 60% of your overall
promotional score. The other 40% is based on your background, experience and
training. I will let you know how I did later. I had a doctor's appointment
today and everything on the feet is coming along well. I haven't even thought
about asking him when I can get back out on a racetrack yet. Dee did mention to
him at the last appointment (three weeks ago) that I was getting antsy about
riding soon. He just laughed and said "of course, its in his blood". How did
he know that I was MX positive?
STAY SAFE, more later.
MONDAY, 2/14/05, 8PM
Don't ask me to be your Valentine because it's just not going to happen. I am
not in a good mood. This Diary page for Monday, February 14, 2005, is my
official complaint session about the ESPN-2 coverage of Supercross. Maybe this
should be directed more toward Clear Channel than ESPN but I feel a lot more
comfortable complaining to all of you instead of going right to the source. I
have sat quietly by for the first six races of the year and kept my thoughts to
myself. As long as you don't count the times I went off on my buddy, Doug Goff,
about the idiots at the unclear-ESPN-Channel. Don't get me wrong here FPMNers,
I am a race fan and as such I truly appreciate the next day coverage of the
sport that I love. In fact, ever since the SX series started with all the
monster truck antics I have stayed away from physically attending any events. I
think David Bailey put it quite well a few years ago when he said, if you want
to see 100% race fans then you need to attend a National. Supercross is 20%
race fans and 80% WWF. UnClear Channel knows this so they run any type of
circus that their PR department can think up and then ask the big stars to go
along with it. And heaven forbid that a few privateers and a star or two try to
pull a boycott, AKA: Las Vegas a few years back. And don't even get me started
about the payout system. Now with the next day coverage I feel that I have
gained the best seat in the house, my house.
I really must start with the two well meaning but woefully uninformed
announcers, Todd Harris and Cameron Steel. While I like Cameron Steel and I
know he is a former racer he is too damn immature to be anything more than a
spectator. Todd Harris, well lets just say that he should be at home like me
watching it on the television. He is so misinformed that I truly don't believe
that he would even watch Supercross on TV as a fan. I can handle looking at
Jamie Little but when she tries to act the part of, lets say a Davey Coombs, I
just have to switch the sound to mute. Next item is that ridiculous helmet
camera. This is proof positive that the idiots at unclear Channel are catering
to the non-race fan. You and I know that it gives absolutely no real life
impression of what a racer really sees while hammering a Supercross track. The
thing just pisses me off every time I see it. And worse yet is that the
greatest Motocross racer of all time was pimped into wearing the thing. Last
thing and then I will feel a little bit better is the split start. I don't care
if the race is 20 minutes long or 2 hours long, the start is 25% of the race,
also quoted from David Bailey. Most of you know how long it took you to master
a good start and what it takes to slide into the first turn with 20 other
bikes. It's like a race within a race and we are cheated every time they throw
the split in. Okay, I feel better but only until next Sunday when they air the
next day coverage of San Diego. Get ready to yell at the television some
more...
STAY SAFE, more later.
FRIDAY, 2/11/05, 10PM
I had my cast removed today and after seven weeks of jumping from one cast to
another I needed a long hot bath. I am usually not a bath kind of guy but as
many of you recovering MX positive types out there know, there are usually weeks
of dirt and dead skin under the cast. It was also nice to take a bath, and then
a shower, without having to hang my foot over the tub or out the door of the
shower. I think I might invent some kind of cover to protect the cast from
water. I can make them in different sizes to fit any type of injury. You have
all seen filter skins that the desert boys use for the dusty race environment
that they are exposed to. You just pull the drawstring that hangs out the back
fender and presto, you have a fresh filter to carry you through the race. Well
this is the same concept. It's a space age plastic bag that's disposable and
fits over the cast in seconds. It will have a standard elastic top that seals
to the skin with an optional (and more expensive) Velcro closure that can be
installed for the bath or even swimming pool. I know there is waterproof cast
out there but those are for basic breaks. A Motocross racer does not have basic
breaks. A Motocross racer has a serious break that requires surgery and many
weeks in and out of various casts. Motocross racers tend to heal faster than
the average person but a Motocross racer also tends to return from the injury
too soon. The "Cast Skins", as I will call them, will come in packages of 12
and have various colors to choose from. We will even have a silkscreen shop
that can preprint your sponsors logos on the Cast Skins to cover all the factory
riders. I will probably be the only guy in the stands wanting to see the riders
get hurt. That's how I make money. Next time you see RC lining up for a
Supercross race take a close look at his visor and back fender. The Cast Skins
sticker is my company.
STAY SAFE, more later.
WEDNESDAY, 2/2/05, 6PM
I need to take a break from typing out my on-line resume. I don't know how your
agencies/departments do officer promotions but ours seems to change every year.
You would think that it would be different but Federal agencies seem to be a
year or two behind everyone else in the country. This counts for everything
from operational duties to administrative functions. When they rolled my agency
(USBP)
into the Department of Homeland Security they changed the entire promotional
process. Other than taking an actual written test (that takes an entire day) it
is now an on-line process. So it seems that we are moving forward. How's that
saying go, "take one step back in order to move two steps forward".
I know that the big time factory riders have business agents and financial
advisors that do all the groundwork for them when it comes time to renegotiate
their contracts or to get a new ride. However, I wonder what the privateer guys
do. Is it as simple as typing out a resume and then going for a tryout? Think
about what a cool tryout that would be. You show up at the track, lets say I-5
MX. The factory truck is already parked and waiting for you, lets say
Team Suckzuki.
The Team Manager, lets say "The Man" Roger D-104, and technicians are all smiles
and standing next to a bright and shinny new RMZ-450. The guys from AXO are
also there with five sets of new riding gear so you stay clean and fresh
throughout the day. There is a perfectly groomed track with no one allowed to
run a tire over it except you. You put in a couple of hours of tuning and track
time and then the catering truck, lets say Rubio's or Baja Fresh Grill, pulls up
and is standing by waiting for the lunch bell to ring. During lunch the track
workers once again go back out and groom the entire course. After a long lunch
break and a few words of encouragement from Roger, you fire up a fully prepped
RMZ-250 and start the whole process over again. When the day comes to an end
Roger and some Japanese guy from Tokyo call you into the team bus-motor home and
offer you a contract for big bucks, lets say $5,000,000. You drive a hard
bargain so you have them throw in the team bus-motor home and they happily
agree. All is perfect in this world. Of course after they fly you home in the
Team helicopter you receive your new bikes the next day and proceed to
completely destroy your knee while loading the bikes into your new F-250 Super
Special truck. You spend the entire race year in and out of surgeries/casts
never to once throw a leg over your practice or race bikes. You know, I feel a
lot better now. I think I will go back to writing my resume.
STAY SAFE, more later.
SATURDAY, 1/29/05, 12PM
I am starting to get around pretty well now without the crutches. However, if
it involves walking more than 100' then I still need them. The leg just isn't
strong enough yet and the pain on that ankle is a little more than I can bear.
All in all though, I am optimistic about the recovery. As in the past, I am
several weeks ahead of the doctor's recovery schedule. It shouldn't make a
difference since I am not paid to race dirt bikes. Its not like I am under the
pressure of say James Stewart. I am sure that Kawasaki pays Bubba whether he is
on the track or not. Minus the bonuses of course. I get paid by the Border
Patrol whether I am on the couch or out arresting people. I wonder if Bubba has
to earn a certain amount of sick leave to get paid?
Work did go well this week after I got past the Monday blues. It's hard to get
up at 0400 in the morning when I have been sleeping in until 1000 everyday for
the past six weeks. It's hard to skip my morning coffee and waffles in bed
instead now only to head out the door and spend two hours in traffic. And where
did all this traffic come from in the last six weeks. I-15 and the side roads
around here have gotten way too crowded. All of you Orange County and LA County
people need to stay away from my quiet little valley. I think more people
should get motorcycles to drive to work so I can have the road and gas for the
H-2 all to myself.
I was able to get a new seat cover for the mighty little TTR this week. The
boys over at CEET Racing in San Marcos hooked me up with a cool all black
gripper CEET. Now with the White Bros graphics this thing is begging to be
ridden. I have been reading that most of you out there have been riding despite
this record rainfall that we have had so far this year. I think that is great
but it is so hard to read about your practice sessions at the Glen or the Star
or even that crappy Elsinore place when I know I can't come out and play. Dee
and I did get invited last weekend to go out to Ocotillo Wells with some friends
for a weekend in the dez. Since I wont be riding for another couple of months
they were volunteering me to be the grill guy. You know, that's the guy that
makes sure the cooler is always stocked with SilverBullets and the grill is
always hot with cheeseburgers and dogs when everyone comes in from a long ride.
That's a hell of a way to treat a former FPMN National #3 rider. How do you
like your burgers?
STAY SAFE, more later.
SUNDAY, 1/23/05, 1PM
Let me explain the "I'm hopelessly stuck in the mud" pic at the top of my Diary
page. I figured that to commemorate the Anaheim-1 mudercross event and since
Uncle Ed had put a nice shot of him being swamped by the mud in Ohio at the top
of his Journal that I would add a little of my own mud history. This photo was
taken at the 1997 World Police and Fire Games in Calgary, Canada. This was
day-3 of the Dirt Bike events and it was scheduled to be an easy European
Scrambles. The hard day was supposed to be day-4 with a long Cross Country
event (60+ miles through the dense Calgary forest). On the first lap of the
scrambles I fell while doing a 60mph clip down one of the many fire roads they
incorporated into this course. The crash face planted me into a downed pine
tree and cracked the face guard on my helmet (thank God for full face helmets).
So needless to say the race wasn't going well right from the start. I was able
to get myself back up into contention in 3rd place but I still couldn't even see
the front-runners on this tree lined 6+ mile course. I was chasing a couple of
guys named Ajax (CA Dept. of Corrections) and Shink (Kennewick, Canada FD). It
was somewhere near the end of this 1.5-hour ordeal that I got the big White Bros
built XR-600 stuck in this monster mud hole. I had observed the carnage going
on in this mud hole, or should I say mud field, on the previous laps but my bike
was running great and I was cruising through that area without too much
trouble. I have tried to remember what I did wrong on that particular lap but I
think it was more the case of I was just lucky on the previous laps.
After the race was all said and done we were doing a little bench racing in the
pits and I came to find out that nearly everyone was stuck somewhere in that mud
field at one time or another. All I remember is being so completely exhausted
after that race that I was seriously contemplating withdrawing from the next
days Cross Country event. Not to mention the various lacerations/abrasions on
my face and neck from the first lap crash. Thankfully, Dee and my buddies Bart
Carragan and Don Hutchinson (Sunnyvale PD) talked me into racing and not giving
up. To this day it is without a doubt one of the most visually spectacular
rides/races that I have ever done. The forest and valleys were amazing and I
actually saw a lot of wild life. And the cool part was that I actually kept it
up on two wheels and pulled down the Silver Medal for 2nd place. I still
couldn't catch that Ajax guy. I wonder what ever happened to him?
STAY SAFE, more later.
FRIDAY, 1/21/05, 6PM
FINALLY, a computer that works. I have never had a computer that crashed as
hard as my home desktop unit did last week. I mean it was the mother of all
crashes. It made Bubbas little fall over at Phoenix look, well like a little
fall over. A small side note on Bubba, it seems that many of you called it
right about Bubba taking Bubba out of the series. Back to my computer endo. I
am now working on a totally rebuilt notebook and it is fine except that it is
slower than Uncle Ed after a visit to Cold Stone. Looks like it is time to give
that Dell 1-800 number a call. I am just not sure of weather to go with a new
desktop or throw a little extra cash toward a high-speed notebook with all the
bells and whistles???
I am guessing that our illustrious MX positive leader, Big E, is pretty happy
about the outcome of the Phoenix Supercross. After all, he is such a proponent
of the mighty yellow RM 2-strokes. RC and Hepler were definitely on their game
last weekend and it looks like Roger D finally has a good bike and great racers
to showcase them. If anything, I am happy for them. Roger and Big E that is…
I received a new cast yesterday
(green)
and the okay from the Doc to return to work. I can start to put some weight on
that foot (left) and hopefully in a week or so I can drop kick these crutches.
So, next Monday I will start some light duty deskwork over at the SRT office
(Special Response Team). I know all of you have had desk duty at one time or
another and you know how much it really sucks but it sure beats sitting around
the house. Especially when you can't even hobble into the garage to mess around
with the bikes. I was able to throw some new White Brothers Racing graphics on
the mighty little TTR-125 this week. The bike only fell over on me twice and I
escaped with minor injuries. So the bottom line is get back to work because
sitting around at home just has me raiding the freezer for more Tasty-Freeze
Dilly Bars. Not sure which one is worse, Cold Stone or Tasty-Freeze???
STAY SAFE, more later.
THURSDAY, 1/6/05, 1PM
I was looking forward to my doctors appointment last Monday because I was going
to confirm with him that I will be in a walking cast before rounds 1-2 of the
2005 FPMN series. I love a road trip and adding the Phoenix Supercross to the
whole mix was a brilliant idea by our Motocross leader, Big-E. I have read a
lot of comments on the message board from a few racers out there that were
complaining about the new schedule. I think that overall the goals set by Ed to
expand and nationalize our race program is the way to go. I know that only time
has a way of sorting out right from wrong so I truly believe that in a few short
years we will be very happy with this new direction. I think that Waters and
McKenna put it well when they said that this is the whole idea of a national
series, just make it to the races that you can and do your best while having
fun. Anyway, the Doc said that there is no way that he can remove the pins and
get me into a walking cast before that race weekend. So, I cannot take the
chance of putting this foot down and ruining the work that he has done. Arizona
Cycle Park looks like a great venue for our FPMN race and I will really miss
hanging out with Ernie, Haz, FEN, and everyone else. Have a cheeseburger and
SilverBullet for me boys. At least this whole week hasn't been a bust because
Tuesday turned out to be a good day when the
USC Trojans
proved to the whole nation who the true National Champions are…
I think that at one time or another every one of you FPMNers out there has been
laid up at home. Maybe not from a riding injury but with the hazards of our job
it could have been from a work-related training or duty accident. I have been
thinking about this a lot lately because a few months ago when the Doc said that
I would need another surgery to fix these current problems it threw off my whole
rehab schedule. I have talked about setting goals when doing anything in my
life and being injured is no different. When I got hurt I knew this would be a
long and sometimes difficult recovery so I right away set myself a five-phase
rehab schedule. I am definitely into phase five now but there seems to be
several levels to this final phase. The completion of phase five will be when I
am lined up on the starting line at an FPMX race with the +40 beginner class and
looking down the start straight at Marco as he gets ready to start the race.
Once that gate drops I know I will be at my own finish line. I know that I will
already see my own imaginary checker flag that will be the end of this three
year long injury race. Don't get me wrong, nothing short of a full on motor
melt down will stop me from finishing that first moto with you guys. It is just
that I know now that where I finish (first or last) makes no difference.
Dropping the clutch and crossing over that starting gate will be the greatest
medal, plaque, or trophy that I could ever receive. And Uncle Ed, I am just
kidding about the beginner class thing. I was however thinking about racing
with you (+40 Int) since I think that my first moto ever with FPMN (circa 1989)
was with you in the 250-novice class. Should be a good start to a new comeback
don't you think?
STAY SAFE, more later.
SUNDAY, 1/2/05, 1PM
Boy, that feels weird to write the year down as "2005". I was just sitting here
looking at the 2005 BBR Motorsports catalog when the notion that it is really
2005 just reached out and grabbed me. When my Mom called me on New Years eve
the last thing she said was that she would talk to me next year. I have never
really thought too much about a New Year coming around. During my life, I have
measured the New Year during the month of October and sometimes September.
That's usually when the new bikes are shipped to your favorite local shop, mine
being Temecula Motorsports (TMS). Now, in my adult life I work for the U.S.
Federal Government and as most of you know they measure the year fiscally
(October 1 through September 30). I just can't get away from it. So I figure I
will stick to the same old calendar that I have conditioned myself to and that's
when the new Motocross bikes hit the market. Remember the old days (maybe 10+
years ago) when the shops were known for the particular brand they carried.
When I was a kid it was Orange County Suzuki for me. I was a big Suzuki fan in
the late 70's and early 80's. The first shop I remember going to the "Motorsports"
emblem was Malcolm Smith's shop in Riverside. He was Malcolm Smith Husqavarna
for many years before adding more brands to the mix. I was a big Husky fan in
the early 70's. When I first moved to the Temecula Valley it was Temecula
Yamaha. I was a big Yamaha fan in the 90's. It seems that for the most part it
has been a financial thing that has forced most of the old school shops to
expand/transform into the motorsports market. I know there are a few shops
around that have maintained their originality. Beach Yamaha on Beach Blvd. in
Huntington Beach was always a favorite of mine. They were known as Premier
Yamaha back in the day but they have hung tough and stuck with the Yamaha only
line of bikes. I remember I would ride my bicycle over to their shop on
weekends just to look at the bikes and get a sticker or two. I think I will
make a run (with crutches) over to TMS to say hi to the boys, and get a sticker
or two.
HAPPY NEW YEAR FPMN.
STAY SAFE, more later.
TUESDAY, 12/28/04, 8PM
Christmas is over and I sit here now wondering how many of you out there in the
FPMN world found a present of plastic and assorted metals waiting for you under
the tree on Xmas morning. I was reading on the message board that Luke got his
son a new RM-85. From a kids standpoint (lets face it, from an adults
standpoint as well) that has to be the single greatest gift to find on an Xmas
morning. Unlike last year when I found the mighty little TTR-125 under my tree
there was no such luck this year. I really didn't want a bike, at least not yet
anyhow, and Dee knew that. I was however thinking about getting her a new
bike. She has really been getting good on her XR-100 and I thought that she
would fit quite well on a new CRF-150. Or even better, she gets my TTR-125 and
I get a new CRF-150. Never stop thinking like a racer.
I am feeling pretty good now from the surgery before Christmas. I am finally
starting to come down from all the drugs and feel like myself again. I went to
the doctor's office yesterday and he took off the splint and put me in a cast.
This cast should be the first of many. The Doc was real impressed with the cool
"Yamaha blue" paint job and tiny snowman on my toenails that was put there by my
little pit tootsie Dee and her 13-year-old niece while I was asleep (heavily
medicated) on Christmas day. Yah, that was funny. Next week the stitches come
out and they add a new cast. This one is Yamahopper blue but just to show my
solidarity I will go with Hondog red or maybe Suckzuki yellow for the next
cast. You know when I look back to almost two years ago when I hit the dirt
there at Perris Raceway, it now seems like a lifetime ago. If I had known that
I was going to miss three entire seasons of racing then I probably would have
just asked the ambulance paramedics for an OD shot of Morphine. Just kidding of
course. But the reality of time and space to us as Fire and Police, let alone
as racers, is that we need to feel there is always a goal or end to our means.
Not to get too philosophical on all of you but I cannot start anything without
knowing there is a finish line somewhere in the immediate horizon. Three years
is not an immediate horizon. I was reading something tonight in the January
2005 issue of MXA. It was in the "Jody's Box" section of the magazine. It made
me think about that day three years ago because I was up most of the night
before that crash fixing a problem with my rear wheel. It was one of those bike
problems that "one thing leads to another" if you know what I mean. I wont give
it away so just read it if you get a chance. Any old time racer or garage
mechanic that likes to work on his/her own toys will get a laugh out of it
because it has happened to us all.
STAY SAFE, more later.
Dee has gotten into the habit of wanting to record all this damage I am doing to
my body. You can see the pins sticking out the bottom of the heel area. The
Doc says he will let me take them out (under his supervision of course). Now
that's a garage mechanics dream. I might even use my own pliers… Sorry, no
pics of the blue snowman toes…

THURSDAY, 12/23/04, 10PM
How many sets of crutches do you have hanging around the house? Before I took
off to El Paso a few weeks ago, I knew that I would immediately need my crutches
when I got home. So I started to look everywhere that they could be hiding and
to my surprise I found three sets. That's gotta be some kind of bad luck having
those things lying around waiting to be used. Having a few extra sets of wheels
is a good thing. Having a few extra sets of side panels is a good thing. When
I am through with these things in the next 3-4 weeks I am throwing them in the
recycle bin. Hey, they are made of aluminum.
I was reading about all the toys that the FPMN riders gathered for the toy drive
GP at Glen Helen. I think it was great that Uncle E was able to get them all
over to Camp Pendleton for our Marine families. That was a great thing that you
all did and that was a hard event for me to miss. I have been there either as a
rider or as an assistant to the race for the past couple of years. I really
enjoy that part of our job as public servants. You know, when you have a chance
to do something in the name of Fire & Police and not have to add the politics
that go along with it. Something that just comes straight from the heart, from
your heart as representatives of the Fire & Police community. Dee always says
that she likes it when I am riding and racing because it allows me to get away
from work and forget about trying to save the world for a while. It allows me
to fill my need for speed and yet forget that we have to get back to the high
stakes world of saving lives and enforcing the laws of this country. The toy
drive is a different story though. This is a good time of year to shine up your
badge, put on the dress uniform and get out into the community (or your local
motorcycle shop) and get lots of toys donated for a great cause. You guys and
gals stepped forward once again. GOOD WORK.
Today I started my workout routine. It started with a few one-legged deep knee
bends. My right leg should be pretty strong after a few weeks of this. I think
I will wait until after Xmas until I start to get too serious about the
Davenport Shape-O-Meter. I think that even Big E is putting the workouts aside
for the holiday season. Politically correct or not,
MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR FPMN.
STAY SAFE, more later.
WEDNESDAY, 12/22/04, 6PM
I am back from Texas and I am lying on the couch eating chocolate chip cookies,
drinking Starbucks coffee, and its almost Christmas. Life is good. I guess I
should add that I just woke up a couple hours ago from surgery this morning.
The Doc fixed the stretched-out tendon (Boston Red Sox, Curt Schilling injury)
in my left ankle and as an added bonus he re-broke the left heel in order to
stabilize my planter-flexion. In other words, I should have a lot more
stability and balance when this is all said and done. In the mean time I will
be spending a good deal of time here on the couch. It should be about 3-4 weeks
of non weight bearing on the left foot followed by the whole healing process of
about 3-4 months. I will be writing a lot in my diary during this down time.
Dee is being a good sport about this whole medical thing. Over the years I have
read in the message board from time to time about how some of you guys get a
little bit of grief from the spouse about the racing and injuries that go with
it. I am a very lucky and blessed person to have a girl like Dee and some very
special Guardian Angels looking out for me. The one good part for
her is that the Department of Homeland Security has to leave me alone for a
while. They have been really burning me up over the past year. I checked my
annual travel status the other day and I have been gone for over seven months
this year. Including that one long stint of four months in Honduras. So I am
almost looking forward to 3-4 weeks on the couch. I am just plain worn out.
As you probably already remember I had to cancel the order I made for a new race
bike from TMS. At the time I placed the order we (the Doc, Dee and I) had no
idea of this impending problem. I had just returned from Honduras and I was
somewhere in about the top ten best shape of my life. My feet were still
bothering me but I was strong and my endurance was way up. We all know that
being in good shape and being in riding shape are two different things. I am
now a firm believer in cross training on a mini trail bike. The few times I
have spent on my little but mighty TTR have helped me tremendously with balance
and timing. I think that speed is something that you don't loose but
maintaining that speed for a full 20+ minute moto is the trick. If someone has
the answer to that trick be sure and let me know. I would also be all ears to
any suggestions on how to add to my workouts while I can't walk. We will talk
more about that later.
STAY SAFE, more later.
SUNDAY, 12/5/04 11PM
I am a long way from home right now, about 800 miles to be exact. I am sitting
in a cold lonely office in El Paso, TX. I have been here for a week already and
I still have another two weeks to go. I wish I were sitting in the pits at the
Glen with a big fire going and lots of friends around to bench race about how
fast they were at last years FPMN GP and how much faster they were going to be
at this years GP. Of course this conversation goes down much better with a
SilverBullet or two. And maybe even a steak or cheeseburger that was cooked on
Ernie’s grill. I like using Ernie’s grill better because then I don’t have to
unpack mine and then clean it after the camping is done. Actually, I am having
some fun here in old El Paso. I am getting to shoot a lot at the many ranges
that they have here and because it is located on a military base (Fort Bliss
Army Base) I am getting to see the live fire training that the boys (and girls)
are doing before they ship out to Iraq. Let me tell you, they got some stuff
here that is down right frightening. The other night we were doing some night
drills with chemical agents (tear-gas) and on a range that was only about a ¼
mile from our range they were firing some very large machine guns and turret
guns from some tracked vehicles. They lit up the night sky here like it was the
fourth of July.
There was a group of reservist here from Hawaii that was in their transition
training before shipping out and I had a chance to sit down and talk to them.
They were all in very high spirits and said that they were receiving a lot more
training than they had anticipated. I guess that would be a good thing. There
were several Border Patrol agents with me so we passed the hat around and bought
these young (and some old) Marines a few dozen-pizza pies for their unit. They
were sure happy about that since they had been eating MRE’s twice a day for the
past four weeks. I wanted to get them a few 12 packs of SilverBullets but they
were not allowed to consume any alcohol. I guess that would also be a good
thing. I talked to a Sergeant named Tuowana. He was a big Hawaiian and he told
me that he loves trail riding on his 1999 YZF-400 and that he has even raced the
Mauna Kei Enduro. I think it is held on the big island of Hawaii. I hope that
Sgt. Tuowana makes it home again to ride many more endures. I will definitely
think about him from time to time over the next year. And I hope all of the
FPMX gang out there has a fun and safe ride on Tuesday out at the Glen. I will
try and read the message board over the next few days to see how everyone
faired.
STAY SAFE, more later.
TUESDAY, 11/9/04, 8PM
One of the FPMX fateful left an e-mail for me that said, "where the hell are
you?" I had to make a run for the border, the border being the west Texas town
of El Paso. It was a short eight-day trip and I got home on Friday, picked up
my "DogHouse" and Dee and I headed out to the Dez. Ocotillo Wells to be exact.
I had been reading so much about Uncle Ed doing his first desert race and others
talking about a true to life FPMN desert race that I just had to go. After
driving twelve hours home pulling a trailer from Texas I really wasn't looking
forward to pulling another trailer back out east to get to Ocotillo. I am
really glad I did it though. Dee knows that I have been a little bummed lately
since I had to cancel the order for my new Yamaha. Not to mention the thought
of having to go under the knife again. Speaking of the knife, I confirmed a
surgery date of December 22nd. Yes in deed, three days before Christmas. The
prognosis looks good. It should be a one-day hospital stay followed by three
weeks on the couch (no weight bearing) and then three months of rehab. All of
the work will be on the left ankle/heel. That should have me up and going
strong by summer. I think…
Anyway, back to the Ocotillo ride. The ground was still a little moist from all
the rains the week before. We even got a small sprinkle on Sunday as we were
driving away to come home. That was my second ride at Ocotillo. I went there
for the first time a few months ago and was amazed at just how many miles of
trail there are. I always thought it was a small riding area. The mighty
little TTR-125 was a blast but I must say that I was yearning for a big open
class four stroke to really open up on some of those whooped out trails or hill
climbs. Speaking of the whooped out trails, Dee took a pretty good soil sample
during a long ride that took us across the park toward the Salton Sea. We were
cruising a sandy trail when the front end on her trusty little XR-100 washed
out. I was following her on the same trail so I had the best seat in the
house. It spit her over the right side of the bike and she did a big head plant
into the soft soil. A few scratches on the helmet and a bent rear brake lever
were the only damage. After all the years of Dee watching me launch myself into
the soil at different tracks around this great country, that was the first time
I have ever seen her step off at speed. It kind of scared me for a minute or
two. It was all good though as she got up laughing. Another thing I noticed is
that the Rangers out there were really nice. One even pulled over to our camp
because he saw the giant Fire & Police sticker on the back of the "DogHouse".
Had to take a short break just now to talk to my buddy and former FPMN rider,
Andy Guth from the Vernon Fire Department.
He keeps telling me to give up on the riding/racing thing and get a boat. I
dont know, I like dirt better than water...
Tonight was the first chance I have had to check up on the FIREPOLICEMX.COM web
site and I see that I have missed a lot. Its funny how no matter where you go,
no matter how long you are gone, you always feel like you are missing something
really important if you can't check on your favorite web site.
There's no place like home,
(hey FEW, what movie is that from?).
STAY SAFE, more later.

WEDNESDAY, 10/20/04, 11PM
Here it is Wednesday night and I am once again sitting in my San Diego office
doing paperwork. It is kind of lonely tonight. A lot of heavy rain here in the
southland so it is actually a good night not to be out on the road. Dee just
called me to say goodnight. Now I am really lonely. I started at 0500 this
morning so by my count that is an 18-hour shift. Next time someone spouts off
to any of you public servants out there that we are paid too much, you can tell
them for me to shut their pie hole. I guess the one good thing about tonight
was that the Boston Red Sox beat the New York Yankees. Its not that I really
like the Sox all that much it's more that I hate the Yankees that much. I am a
Yankee hater. And the way they beat them has to be so humiliating to all
Yankees fans. The Yankees overall budget is nearly double to what the Sox
have. It's like a privateer beating a full on factory racer.
I really enjoyed reading about Uncle E's adventures in the desert. I had been
telling him for years just how much fun a good desert race really is. Most
Motocrossers think that a GP course of over 1.5 miles is a desert race and
anything over 4 miles is a full on cross-country. I personally would like to
see Big E put on a complete desert race. It doesn't have to be a long drawn out
race with 30-mile loops. Gorman (or I-5 as it is called now) has a great course
that is in the 6-8 mile range. All you need is a group of 5-10 chase riders
that could follow the racers as safety personnel. Or even better, get one of
the big clubs to add a few Fire & Police classes to their program. Like in the
D-37 Big-6 series or the WORCS series. That way we don't have to worry about a
prepped track or getting medics and chase riders out on the course. I am just
throwing a few thoughts out there to get my mind off of another year of rehab.
Now that I know that I need this next operation I just want to get it over
with. I am to the point that I am once again a very impatient patient.
STAY SAFE, more later.
MONDAY, 10/11/04, 8PM
I have been a little on the edge of my seat for the last five days now. Last
week, Thursday to be exact, I had to go and see an orthopedic specialist that
has a subspecialty of dealing with tendons and nerves. About three months ago I
started to have a problem with a tendon located on the outside of my left
ankle. This of course is an after affect of crushing the heel back in March
2003 and then having them completely rebuild it. Well, this tendon was popping
out of place on an irregular basis (1-2 times a week). As time passed and as my
rehab (running and physical training) progressed the problem became more and
more frequent. Now this little tendon pops out at least five times a day and
even does it while running. Needless to say that when it does pop out I am in
an extreme amount of pain for a brief period of time (2-5 minutes). Today I
went to get a second opinion from another specialist that is located here in
Temecula and who came highly recommended by others in the law enforcement
community. To my dismay, he confirmed what the first doctor had told me last
week. The only way to repair this problem is through surgery. On top of this
problem they also want to re-break the heel and change its position relative to
the rest of my foot. Although it is only Monday I think I can officially call
this a bad week. I don't care about what ever else happens this week it is a
bad week. I have yet to cancel my order from Temecula Motorsports for the new
YZ250f but I will probably do that by the end of the week. I was so looking
forward to this next year of racing. All the FPMX events, the Western States
Summer Games in Reno, the Mid West Fire & Police Nationals in Ohio, the World
Games in Quebec City, Canada, and not to mention all the D-37 GP's and WORCS
races that my BP buddy, Doug Goff, and I were going to race at. So yes, this is
definitely a bad week.
It is tough to think ahead right now. I know that this will all pass and I will
be back on the race scene by the end of next season but it is just so difficult
to comprehend that I have to put another year under my belt before I can make a
comeback. This is getting so very old. The basic procedure for this operation
will be a two hour surgery followed by no weight bearing for 4-6 weeks followed
by a slow rehab that will take another 6-8 months off of my life. Then if all
goes well I can get back into Temecula Motorsports and order the 2006 250f or
maybe even the 450f. I guess it just depends on how well they put me back
together this time.
NEVER, NEVER jump off the bike in midair. Always stay with the bike…
STAY SAFE, more later.
WEDNESDAY, 9/29/04, 8PM
I can't believe that rounds 3 & 4 of the 2004 Fire & Police Motocross Nationals
are next week. It seems like it was just yesterday when I was practicing on the
Wednesday before rounds 1 & 2 of the 2003 F&P Nationals that I hit the ground
kind of hard. Come to think of it, today is the Wednesday before the F&P
Nationals. I hope anyone who decided to practice today took it nice and easy.
I am getting a little antsy waiting for my 250f to come in at Temecula
Motorsports. I will need a long, slow break-in period for the bike and my
body. I must admit that I am feeling rather tentative about getting back out on
an MX track. Only time will tell I guess.
This week's topic is "NAME THAT TRAILER". I have to go
back a few years but the first time I met Mike "HAZ" Frieling he said to come
over to "The White House" and have a Coors Light. At first I thought he was
crazy but as we walked through the Perris Raceway pit area I could see that we
were walking towards this giant 5th-wheel toy hauler. This rig was all white
and towered over most of the other toy haulers that were parked close to Haz.
It truly was "The White House". Shortly after that I was introduced to Ernie "YZERNIE"
Kopasz. Next thing I know I am sitting in the shadows of another monster rig
(drinking a Coors Light) learning the story behind "The Cabin". "The Cabin" is
every bit as large as "The White House" (in fact it is the same make and model)
but it seems to always have food, friends, and Coors Lights flowing from
within. I remember one year at the Glen we were sitting around a campfire with
these two twin towers on each side of our campsite and somehow we came up with
"The Dog House" for the name of my little Weekend Warrior. "The Dog House" is a
fitting name because most of the time I am in some kind of trouble either with
Dee, with work, with the bike, or physically. Well, that brings us to one of
the newest additions to the FPMX pits. If you weren't at Santa Maria then you
probably haven't seen Mike Leckliters new '40 Warrior. This thing is big and
wide with two slide outs and enough room to probably put both my Ford F-150 and
"Dog House" inside. Last I checked Mike had yet to find a name for his rig.
Maybe we should have a name that trailer raffle. I was thinking that if the Haz
rig is "The White House" then maybe Mikes should be "The Taj-Mahal" or
"Buckingham Palace". Did I say that this is a big trailer?
STAY SAFE, more later.
SUNDAY, 9/19/04, 10PM
I just got through watching the ESPN-2 telecast of the Glen Helen National.
What can you say about a guy like RC? Another undefeated season under his belt
and to win all 24 motos is just unreal. I think that Bubba had a little bad
luck on his side this year or he would have surely gone undefeated also. You
gotta give props to both of those guys for acknowledging our troop over in
Iraq. That was definitely a nice touch to hear those words coming from the
podium of what we all believe is the greatest sport on earth. I wonder if they
have Motocross over in the Middle East?
Speaking of Bubba, it was interesting that he was on a 250f for the Glen since
that is the next topic I wanted to talk about, 2-stroke vs. 4-stroke.
Bubba said from the podium after the first moto that riding the 4-stroke was so
much easier than the two. He said it made him feel lazy. Despite what I wrote
about Bubba last week I do know that he is a tremendously gifted rider. I think
that his input on the differences between the two bikes is the word. I think
that the 125 class is the one being affected the most by the 4-stroke movement.
There are definitely a lot of 250 riders switching to the 450's for outdoors but
the hot conversation seems to always revolve around the 125 class. The 250f's
are getting lighter and lighter each year but now with the introduction of the
194 lbs. YZ125 we may have a better race on our hands. It seems that you can
now put a true 125 rider (140 pounder) on this bike and really give the 250f's a
run for their money. It will be interesting to see just how many YZ-125's are
on the starting gates come January, or is that December? And what's with
everyone bashing the AMA about the 4-stroke takeover? The 4-stroke rules have
been on the AMA books ever since most of us were little kids on our XR-50's.
(That's funny, I just thought about all the guys that are all grown up and still
on XR-50's). Anyway, why blame the AMA for this? Do people really believe that
the AMA is this all so powerful organization that can change federal government
EPA rules. Or that they can somehow dictate to the Japanese factories on what
the best or most economically sound bikes are to build. And how many people
know that three of the big four factories have representatives on the AMA board
of directors. Bike sales for the sole purpose of racing Motocross are so low
that it barely registers on the scale of total bike sales. That aside, if
everyone that owned a bike in this country were AMA members then we really would
have some political clout. I always feel these days that we the
people/consumers generally like to look for someone to blame for everything.
The AMA spent YEARS organizing rallies to attend governmental meetings on these
matters. I know because I went to a few of them. Every time that I did go I
was tremendously disappointed at the turnout. Bottom line, no one cares about
this stuff until it is in his or her backyard. Then as any good American, they
become fighting mad. I just think we need to look in the mirror before we blame
the AMA for the 4-stroke movement. On the good side, my bike should be in at
Temecula Motorsports sometime this week. What kind of bike you ask, a 250f of
course.
Next topic, name that trailer...
STAY SAFE, more later.
WEDNESDAY, 9/15/04, 10PM
Well here I am still sitting at work in San Diego. I have about a 90-minute
drive if I want to leave right now to go home. It is kind of warm outside
tonight but at least the AC works in my truck. Sorry Ed, I couldn't help saying
that. I guess I can just sit here for a while and talk to all of you. I also
have my LAST WEEKS COPY OF CYCLE NEWS. I say LAST WEEKS COPY because I just got
it in the mail yesterday. I swear there is someone at the Temecula Post Office
that is reading my Cycle News before they forward it to my mailbox. I say this
because the pages are always slightly ruffled and I think I have even seen a
coke or coffee stain on a few issues. Since today is Wednesday this week's
issue is already due in the mail. I have had a Cycle News subscription for
nearly 20 years now and I must admit that I have never received my copy on the
Wednesday due date. Occasionally they arrive on a Thursday but usually on
Friday.
Okay, here we go with some Motocross topics. It seems that there are several
issues on everyone's mind lately. The one issue that seems to be kind of hit
and miss among everyone out there is the Motocross of Nations (MXoN). I think
that I have made my position on this matter very clear over the last couple of
years. Especially since the FIM/DORNA/Indian fiasco of 2002. I believe that no
matter what the circumstances, the US of A should be fielding a team every
year. I read every journalistic approach on this subject that I can find. I
like the "Voices" and "In The Wind" sections of Cycle News the best. It has
been evident that many MX fans out there keep putting the blame on the AMA for
our lack of participation over the last couple of years. I on the other hand
blame the riders. I know you are saying, "Mark, how the hell can you blame the
riders for this." Very simple, in Europe it is not uncommon for the riders to
pay their own way to and from the MXoN. They consider it an honor to race for
their country. While we have had some great champions in the past (Johnson,
Bailey, Ward, Stanton, Carmichael) that have been willing to race any where and
at any time it seems that we are now fully engulfed in the "ME" generation. If
its not the U.S. Open with a six digit pay day then they don't have the time for
it. If it is old school to consider the heart of a rider as part of his
credentials for greatness then you can hang that "old School" moniker on me
anytime. For the past two years now the AMA has asked the so-called and self
proclaimed "greatest 125 Motocross racer of all time" to represent his country
at the MXoN. His team has given the AMA the thumbs up but yet he is always too
busy to help out. Until he goes to Europe and puts a whipping on the open class
riders like O'Mara did in the 80's while riding a 125, his championships mean
nothing to me. Until he puts his own special interest aside for one week of his
year to give 110% for a USA team effort like Stanton and Carmichael did for many
years, I will ignore his beak dancing at the Supercross events. I am sure that
by now you are saying, "well that's just your opinion Mark" or "you sure are
being tough on the guy." Well, you are right, I am. It is just my opinion but
I think that with the current world environment that we live in today you, we,
they, and I need to be prepared to step forward and do something for someone
else or our country every now and then. In the case of the Motocross of
Nations, that stepping forward has the potential to do something for over 250
million other people. American people.
Next topic, 2-strokes vs. 4-strokes.
STAY SAFE, more later.
TUESDAY, 9/7/04, 10PM
In my last Diary entry I performed as any good Copper and passed on some rumors
and hearsay about Ed's on track performance during this seasons Summer Series.
Well if you missed the Santa Maria rounds then you missed a brilliant
demonstration on how to handle a mighty 2-stroke. It's a story that did not
have a happy ending if your name is Ed Wilson. It's a story that was written
for television. He needed five wins and had six motos to get it done. And no
matter what class you ride in, let alone the highly contested +40 Intermediates,
this would be a tall order for any one of us. In the end, when the smoke from
his mighty yellow 2-stroke had cleared he had four wins and lost the
championship by only a few points. But this story isn't about how he lost the
championship it is more about how he won second place. His two moto wins from
day-1 were both come from behind wins. The Santa Maria start straight was just
long enough that getting a good start meant that either you were on a full Pro
Circuit race bike or you had a 450f. Ed used his many years of riding skills
along with the agility of the lighter 2-stroke to methodically move through the
pack and take moto wins. However, getting that third one would prove to be a
little out of his reach. How a guy can go so fast and yet never stand up is a
mystery to me. Day-2 was more of the same with only a slight bobble to drop him
off the pace for just one moto. But that's why Ed always ran a three-moto
format for the Summer Series. You need to be consistent. All in all, I know
that Uncle E had a good time racing against all his buddies. I don't know if
the Summer Series will return next season but one thing is for sure, they will
be bench racing this one for along time to come.
I made a few observations during the Santa Maria race days as well as my
vacation on Pismo Beach.
1) Why does everyone unhook their trailers from their trucks/SUV's when
they get to the track? Most of them aren't going anywhere so what purpose does
it serve?
2) Why do so many racers with toy haulers have a portable generator that
they have to carry outside and manually start? Then they always put it next to
someone else's trailer so they don't have to hear it run.
3) Why do the guys on the 50cc bikes think they have a say so on track
prep? If you want to have input on track prep then get a real bike.
4) Why do a few quality people (whiskey tangos) that hang out in the
dunes and on the beach during big weekends stay up all night drinking and
smoking dope and then let their kids get up at the crack of dawn and run their
quads and 80's back and forth through the camping areas? I think they need to
establish a party zone and a family zone just like they did at the Supercross's
a few years ago.
5) Why does it always seem like you need a vacation immediately after
returning from vacation?
STAY SAFE, more later.
SUNDAY, 8/22/04, 12PM
YES, I am home to beautiful and sunny SoCal. I just rolled into town
yesterday and I bet you can guess the first thing that I did. Okay, so I have
been gone for four long months, lets say the second thing that I did. That's
right race fans, I fired up the mighty little TTR and took some parade laps up
and down the street. Normally I don't like to ride my bikes around the
neighborhood. I figure that dirt bikes have enough bad press as it is so we
don't need to make any more enemies. But after sitting for all these months and
add to that the pathetic XR-250's that I was riding in Honduras, I needed to
hear the roar of a real 4-stroke. Even if it was a little TTR-125 with a White
Bros pipe, it still roared. That little parade lap took me almost 30 minutes to
complete. All my neighbors that were working in their yards or garages were
stopping me to welcome me home. I felt like RJ (Ricky Johnson) on his farewell
SuperCross tour.
Okay, it's taking forever to write this. One reason, English television. More
accurately English ESPN & ESPN-2. I am running back and froth from the TV to
the computer (I need wireless). I had my share of ESPN & ESPN-2 down in Hondo
but it was always in Spanish. My Spanish is fine when someone is talking to me
but when you have it on TV it is very difficult for me to keep up with it.
Right now it's the little league World Series. Last night it was the Lance
Armstrong interviews on OLN. Speaking of Lance Armstrong, is there a greater
athlete in the world right now than this guy? The things that Ricky Carmichael
is doing in the 250 Nationals and over his whole career are beyond words. And
we know how Motcrossers don't get the athletic respect they deserve. But the
whole Lance story is almost too perfect. And the best part of it all is how he
is sticking it to the European press regarding their accusations of illegal
doping. ESPN has reported that over the last five years there has never been an
athlete subjected to more mandatory drug testing than Lance. They just don't
get it. The more you make a guy like that mad the harder he is going to train
and the more he is going to beat you. It's kind of like that Ed Wilson guy. I
heard that some Copper called him slow and fat at one of the Summer Series races
this year. I heard that he also said that Ed makes a better roadblock than
racer. Rumor has it that this guy got on the PA speaker and was announcing that
Big E was in the market for some turn signals to mount on his RM. Wrong thing
to do. Now Ed is training like a mad dog. He has gone from the bowl to the
pintsize cup of crème. He has quit using the fire-pole and now runs the stairs
when there is a fire call-out. You can log on to the FPMX Journal and watch the
"Shape-O-Meter" click down a tenth of a point almost on a daily basis. Like I
said, you don't want to make a guy like that mad. Ed needs to be careful
though, if he starts winning too much we might need to start mandatory drug
testing…
Well, I am off to pickup the DogHouse right now. I know the Santa Maria races
aren't until next week but I really miss the DogHouse and I have a lot of work
to do on it. It's good to be home. I think I hear another parade lap calling.
STAY SAFE, more later.
SUNDAY, 8/1/04, 9PM
I am sitting here in my spacious Tegucigalpa apartment after spending the last
two weeks in the south part of the country near the Nicaraguan border. Anywhere
outside of the capitol city of Tegucigalpa is like going to a sauna where it
rains everyday at 5:00 PM. You can almost set your watch to it. Hot and wet
any direction you go. I really don’t mind the hot weather that we have this
time of year in SoCal but I am not used to all this humidity down here. When
you throw in having to wear a ballistic vest, 12-pound gear belt, 30-pound
equipment pack, and carry a 10-pound rifle and then walk 2-4 kilometers to set
up an interdiction site, it’s HOT. I know what some of you Firefighters are
saying right now. You guys wear a lot more gear than that and on a regular
basis have to run into a multi story building and then possibly carry someone
out on your back. I have practiced that firemen’s carry a few times and I think
I will stick with my tactical gear. But things are starting to look up for me
here. I should be getting out of this place in about two weeks. I have to make
a quick stop (one week) in El Paso and then home to Dee and wonderful Temecula.
Just in time to set up the “DogHouse” for a trip to Pismo Beach. First stop of
course will be the Summer Series rounds at Santa Maria. Not to race though
because I am not quite ready for that. I think I will stick to just helping out
with the event and seeing all my FPMN Brothers and Sisters. Although my TTR is
starting to look race ready now that I have the suspension done and a few motor
mods. HMMM, I will have to think about that one. I can hardly wait to get
home.
I was thinking about Ed and the crew up at Washougal today. Even though I have
a sister that lives only ten miles from there I have never been to the Washougal
track. That’s gotta be some kind of bad MX etiquette. Never waist an
opportunity like that to visit a track or see a race. I have met several local
racers here and all they want to talk about is our local SoCal tracks. These
guys live and breathe Motocross. As Uncle Ed would say, “they’re blood type is
MX-positive”. I am starting to get really pumped up about the race season next
year. I have put in a lot of hours on these XR-250’s and feel real good about
my riding. I have stuck my feet into a couple of holes and kicked a few rocks
here and there and with the exception of a little pain I think I am good to go.
One thing is for sure, I can ride a lot better than I can walk. I have been
down here for over three months now and I have been on a regular routine of
stretching and running. I just started on the pavement a few weeks ago. It
sure is a lot tougher than the treadmill. I was even thinking of starting a
shape-o-meter like the one Ed has on The Journal. That way I can track my
progress as I slowly inch my way towards the 5th best shape of my life. I’ve
got a ways to go yet.
I thought I would throw this pic at you to prove my point about the gear we have
to wear. It was about 95/95 when this shot was taken (I think it was about 4:00
PM). That’s 95 degrees and 95% humidity… Dee, HELP ME…
STAY SAFE, more later.
click
to enlarge
FRIDAY, 7/9/04, 6AM
I know I have not been writing much lately but we (my Team and I) have been
really busy here. You coppers know how tough it is fighting crime. Not that it
isn’t a tough job to put out a fire its just that personally I would rather
start a fire than put one out. I think that comes from so many years of seeing
trashed out, rat infested, S#%T whole houses/apartments that were used to either
store illegal aliens or drugs or both. I wrote a few weeks ago about how they
don’t seem to have any fire departments here in Honduras. Well, the other day I
did see a fire service vehicle. It was just a little SUV painted all white with
a red stripe down the side. However, I was able to confirm that they do not
have any fire trucks, as we know them in the states. When there is a large
structure fire in the city they just send out a few pickup trucks with fire
hoses in the back. If there is a large brush fire or forest fire they just let
them burn until they either go out on their own or the rain puts them out. Oh,
I should mention that the old fashion bucket brigade is still widely used here.
Now the cops here in Honduras are nothing more than security guards. They are
paid about $300 a month and they are all extremely affable. That is they are
too nice/timid to do their job. The gangsters in L.A. would love it here since
all they do is wreak havoc on society and then complain when an officer pounds
on him a little when he wont take his hands out of his pockets to get the cuffs
on. As you can tell I am being rather philosophical this morning. Anyway, the
newest police force in this country is a national police called the Policia de
Frontera. All of their police tactics training comes from us, the United
States. Most of the other officers in the country wont put in for this agency
because it is such a tough course. The failure rate is extremely high. If they
fail then they are released from duty that day. No ifs, ands, or buts… But if
they make it they are paid double the salary of a standard officer, $600. Life
sure is good in our world.
Today is my overtime shift (about $380) so I thought I would come into the
Embassy a little early and say hi to all of you (my shift starts at 0700). I
have been reading about the night series and it sounds like everyone is having a
blast. It’s been two seasons now since I have been able to bang bars with Ed
“The Dogger” Niemela. Or hammer through a long moto only a few bike lengths
from my good buddy Steve Coster. I think all in all though I miss the Summer
Series the most. It always felt more like a practice session than racing. The
three motos is fantastic and the close proximity of the pits (StarWest, Perris,
Glen Helen SX track) makes it a great family like atmosphere. I think I have
made up my mind on which new bike to get. Sorry Uncle E, but I don’t think I
can ride a two-stroke anymore. The YZ and RM-250’s look awesome but I think I
am going with a 250F. Probably the Yamaha. I know all the hype about being to
big for the bike and thus being underpowered but I am quickly approaching the
5th best condition of my life. Sorry again EEE-DUB, but I have not fallen off
my training program. I have found that I can still have my Cookies & Cream as
long as I work that much harder on my next rehab session. I am actually looking
forward to the challenge of trying to make that 250F go as fast as possible. I
guess only time will tell.
STAY SAFE, more later.
MONDAY, 6/14/04, 10AM
Okay, first things first. I was successful in locating the local Motocross
track. Its not a bad little track. It is located right on the edge
of the city (Tegucigalpa) and actually has a really good layout. It is in
a valley and has many long tabletops and one short whoop section. The
track was recently covered with straw/hay and then disked to help with the rain
runoff. It is now the rainy season and it rains about every other day.
I met one of the local pro riders (Jhonny Villeda, yes that is the correct
spelling) who is also the local regional champion for this part of the country.
When I told him that I have ridden at the Glen and Hangtown he had about a
million questions for me. He was riding an old clapped out 1999 CR-125.
I watched him ride for a while and he is pretty good. I think that most of
our FPMN experts could beat him. So Hannig, Niemela, Bush, if you guys
want to be a National Champion then this is the place for you. Just
don’t drink the water. He told me that the next time I come out to watch
him ride he would let me take a few laps. I think I might take him up on
that next Sunday. They only race here in Tegucigalpa once every few months
but they do race every week in San Pedro Sula. That is the next largest
city here in Honduras and is about a five-hour drive from here.
I just finished my first motorcycle-training course last week. It was
pretty interesting considering that several of the students don’t even know
how to drive a car. I was able to really get a good feel for these third
world countries Hondog XR-250’s. The motors are seriously restricted but
the main problem was with the suspension. Can you say VERY SOFT? I
can. Especially after I hit my first kicker on a fast trail and the back
wheel came all the way around and almost passed the point of no return.
You know the kind of kicker when you usually just nail the throttle and the bike
will correct itself through power. Well that brings us back to the other
problem, there is no power. Anyway, I have a whole new respect for the
word trail bike and Luke Terry riding that 650 so fast. I cant believe
that I used to be one of the XR moto crowd.
We are heading out to an island known as Roatan in a couple of days. They
say that it is a world-renowned spot for scuba diving and surfing. It is
also a world-renowned spot for the smuggling of cocaine. Usually coming
north from Colombia and Nicaragua by way of boat and plane. I don’t
think I will do any scuba diving but the surfing sounds like some fun. I
haven’t surfed in about 25 years but I am sure it is like that riding a bike
thing…
Oh and the donkey pic, I paid the guy like three days wages (20 Lempiras or
$1.20) to let me sit on his pride and joy. I couldn’t get the thing to
move though.
STAY SAFE, more later.
FRIDAY, 5/21/04, 11AM
I knew that I was in a third world country the other day when I saw an old
clapped out YZ-125 going down the local highway. The thing was bellowing a
cloud of smoke and I don't think the DG silencer had been repacked since the
last Bush was president. Add to that the rider was in some sort of casual
business suit (casual for Honduras) and he was wearing an old road race style
helmet that looked as if Eric Bostrom had slid across a GP track with (about 10
years ago). Yes, while all of you FPMX racers and fans bask in the
beautiful SoCal weather and prepare for the opening round of the night series I
am stuck in the twilight zone. Driving in this place is like something out
of "The Blues Brothers" movie when they are driving through the mall.
People, animals, and even the kitchen sink are in the roadway. I think
every old used school bus from the good old U.S. of A. has found its way south
to get in my way. Its not all bad though. The food is excellent.
The one caveat is that you have to like Mexican food, with a Honduran twist.
And the water is sketchy at times so you just need to know if your restaurant of
choice has a filtration system or not. The people are very friendly and
they generally look up to Americans (yes, they are all short here) being in
their country. By Honduran standards I am in the upper 1% of total wealth
for this country. Now who took the wrong test, eh Uncle Ed... There
are NO FIRE DEPARTMENTS in this country. If something catches fire, they
just let it burn. I was also able to find out about a local Motocross
track that is only a few miles away from where I am staying. I will
venture out there this weekend to see if it is for real. More on that
later.
The National Police force, known as "Policia De Frontera" or "PDF"
as they are called, have purchased a handful of 2004 XR-250's. Now that
sounds cool but these are not your ordinary XR'r. I have ridden a 2004
XR-250 in the states and that thing absolutely rocks. These things have no
resemblance of any XR I have seen. Governors on the motors, throttle
stops, no clickers on the suspension, no preload on the rear shock, and they
weigh about 400 pounds. I am now even more disappointed in the Honda
brand. Anyway, they want me to put on a 40 hour training course for these
cops. Now that sounds cool also but most