8-24-10    I don't know what happened but about a week ago I got this new fire inside me. I can't stop thinking about the FPMX and how it used to be and how it needs to be again. I an 100% focused on it. I am actually having fun working on it. I have spent several days, and I mean 15 to 18 hours in my office on the computer over the last week working on it. It reminds me of the late 90's or early 2000's when I was obsessed with the business side of the FPMX and not so much my riding. I know that there has to be a balance there somewhere so I decided to go riding tomorrow at Pala to prepare for the Glen Helen Nationals. I figure that I will hit GH in a few weeks but right now I'll stay closer to home where the weather is a little cooler and the drive is much shorter. Last Sunday I spent the entire day putting data into my computer so that I can do bulk mailings to the FPMX world. If you haven't received the August FPMX Newsletter then please email me at firepolicemx@aol.com or firepolicemx@gmail.com to be put on the mailing list. When you do get the Newsletter or any other info that you may feel that others might benefit from please forward it to them. Boys and girls it's time to fill up the starting gate again. I am actually mad at myself for not being more active in recruiting LA County Firefighters. I look at L.A.P.D. and think "those guys are doing it right". I doubt if we will get Chief Freeman out to race with us but we should have more than a handful of County guys racing. I promise to be more diligent in getting the word out. In fact let's all do a better job of informing our departments on the activities of the FPMX. OK, got to got prep my bike for tomorrow...................e out!

8-7-10    It's been a few weeks since the Racetown event. We have had a really mild summer except for two days, July 14th & 15th................Brutal! 108*f, that kicked my butt. I had nothing left at the end of moto2 on the second day..........nothing. I considered faking an injury just so Blake Fair wouldn't be able to say that he beat me in a heads up race...................Boys it time for me to quit talking about it and actually get in shape. I started with the diet, cut out ice cream and cookies at work, chopped the Diet Coke consumption in half and started spending some time on the treadmill..........I lost 5 lbs in a week. Then I went on a backpacking trip to the High Sierras.......dropped 7 more lbs. Things are looking good. I looked at the Shape-O-Meter and saw a drop from 19.6 to 19.1. That is great, I love to see a (<) after the number instead of a (>). The (<) means that the (S.O.M) is on it's way down and that's a good thing. Yesterday at work I saw Ed Niemela coming out of the gym dripping with sweat, it was a rare sight so I asked him what was up. He said that he was turning 49 y/o during the next FPMX season and that that would make him eligible for the 50+ class. Look for a Fast Eddie Niemela comeback for 2011...............It's time to star putting away a few bucks for New York 2011. The World Police and Fire Games is going to be in NYC in late August and early September. It's a must go if you carry a badge and race motocross. Don't even think about not going, it is THE trip of your lifetime. I am working out the bike transporting issues now. Just tell me that you are going and we'll figure out all the details soon. FPMXers need to be in every class and Americans need to win EVERY medal in motocross! Let's do it!!!!!!!!!..............e

7-13-10.1    I made it to Racetown today just before 2pm. The track was in ok shape but needed water to keep the dust down. The wind picked up in the afternoon but it wasn't blowing that hard until about 5pm. I don't think that the afternoon wind will really affect the racing at all. There was a good turnout of riders getting ready for the event tomorrow and Thursday. We'll see you tomorrow.................e

7-13-10    So I just got finished packing for Racetown. I have gone full circle here. When the FPMX first started back in 1989 (aka F.P.M.N. back then) I showed up to the races in a pick up truck. As the years went by I showed up with a 16 foot Toy Box trailer, then a 28 foot house trailer and finally a 35 foot motorhome. I really loved the motorhome. I kept all my riding stuff in the outside compartments and Sue never looked in there so it was almost like my garage. I could keep it anyway I wanted to and I was happy about that. Packing for a race was really easy, load my boots, helmet and the rest of my gear and my bike and I was ready to go. This morning was a little different since the motorhome is gone and I am back in a pick up. I had to think of everything that needs to be at the race. First off my gear, including goggles, tear offs (which I kept extras in the motorhome so it was never on my mind), my AXO's and boots, bike, gas, and all my protective braces. Then there is the race stuff. Medals, computer, printer, an extra ink cartridge, entry forms, pens and race change ($). Now there is the issue of eating. The motorhome was always stocked with food. I could live out of it for 2 weeks and never go hungry but I don't stock food in my Tundra. So now I need to plan to eat. Oh and the biggest worry.......I am not looking forward to sitting in an outhouse in 100* weather. No bathroom, no shower and no bed. Tonight I will be in a hotel room away from the track and I am not digging that............The good news is that I spent a few hours yesterday working on the bike. It was actually relaxing. I took the day off of work just to get ready for the races and enjoyed it. Well I need to get off the computer and make the 2 hour drive to Racetown so I can get a few laps in today. I hope to ride well during the races but need to stay healthy because in a little over a week from now I will be going on a hike up in the High Sierras with a bunch of guys from work to do some fly fishing. I really can't wait for that, it's been a few years since I have been there and the Western Sierras is the most beautiful place on earth. I love to get 20 miles in and never see a soul (except for your group) and the fishing is outstanding. We should do an FPMX trip next year. Let me know..............e

7-3-10    Well I finally made it to Racetown. I bolted the forks back on the KXF Thursday night and woke up Friday morning at 0530 so I could wash my bike and gather all my gear that was scattered all over the garage and make it to Racetown before it got too hot. It takes me a little over 2 hours to drive North on the 15 to the 395 to get to RT, Vegas is just a little further. I enjoyed the track, it is sandy like Cahuilla and seems to be a safe track with one small double and a big step up jump. I didn't do the step up yesterday but will work on that next week. All in all I had a good time..............A few days ago I watched our motorhome go down the road with a new owner behind the wheel. It was a sad time for me, I loved that thing and used it a lot but times are tough and it was a necessity to down size for a while. I will be U Halling it for Racetown and also moteling it.............sucks................We have a new website that will be going online soon. Lindsay G built it for us, I am looking forward to learning how to update it. From what I gather, I will be able to make changes from any computer unlike now where I have to be on my laptop. Anyway I don't really know what I am talking about when it comes to websites and the internet too much, I just wing it. Please don't try to have a conversation with me about this stuff because I really don't have a clue. I know that RAM has something to do with Pro Football but that is it, besides that I an internet stooopid.........I'll try to write more often. See ya at RT............e

6-9-10    Hey, what's up? Yeah it's been a while.........oops. I have a lot going on and I kind of put the website on the back burner and forgot about it. But I'm back. I spent all day yesterday working on the website..... Now I'm neglecting my motorcycle. She sits in the garage with her forks off. RaceTech serviced them about two weeks ago. I walk by them but I have other things going on. I know that I need to ride and train for Racetown but .......... I don't. Maybe I'm finally getting "Older"......naw! I'll be back soon. See ya at the track soon....................e

4-22-10    I woke up yesterday morning about 5;00AM to the sound of heavy rain. I was planning to go to Perris to get a few laps in and learn the track prior to the upcoming FPMX National. I decided to stay home and ride another day due to the rain. At 10:06 AM my cell phone rang, Blake Fair was on the other end asking me why I wasn't at Perris. I told him that it rained hard and that the track would be a mess. He said that he was at the track and that it was perfect. I downed some eggs that Sue made for me and loaded up the KXF 450 and headed North to Perris Raceway. As I was exiting the 15 Fwy on Central Ave my cell rang again. And once again it was the Unofficial Official photographer of the FPMX, Blake Fair. The conversation went like this.........."Ed, where are you?" "In my truck" "Ok then where is your truck?" "in California" "Where in California?" "Exiting the 15 at Central" "I should have called you before now but Perris is closed" "What, are you kidding me....I am almost there" "There was only 3 people there, myself, Dave Gardner and Darren Strecker but we all got rain checks" "Do you want to ride at Pala?" "I would but I am already headed North towards home, if I were headed toward Pala I would go with you" "So you are already on the road?" "Yes, I would have called you earlier but I didn't think that you were coming"...................... So I made a left under the freeway and headed back to Carlsbad, an hour away. As I was driving South on the 15 a thought popped into my head........Is Blake smart enough to tell me Perris is closed just so I wouldn't get any practice in? I mean we are in the same class........It's a move Russell on SURVIVOR would do, it's brilliant...... At that moment I realized that Blake didn't have it in him, after all he's only an LA City Fireman, not COUNTY!...............e

3-17-10    Last week Cahuilla Creek separated the men from the boys, unfortunately I ended up being one of the boys. I still have that competitive streak in me and was very disappointed in myself for the lack of training required to compete at the level necessary to run up front and endure to the checkered flag. I know that somewhere under layers of double cheese burgers and fries there lies a worthy competitor and a challenger for the title. I just need to find him again. I am riding a 4 year old bike and to tell you the truth, I don't believe the bike has anything to do with my lack of performance. I don't plan on getting a new bike, this one is fine! I need a new attitude! I am so glad that I was able to race last week and in my forth moto grab the holeshot and race at a speed that was a little above my comfort level. Actually it was only the rutted corners where I felt uncomfortable. Anyway those few moments put things in perspective for me. I realized that I don't like losing to those guys, especially Charlie Beck. For some reason it was important for me to beat him and I failed. Personally I really like and admire Charlie, I just want to beat him. Over the past 21 years we have raced several times and for the most part he has beat me. I have learned a lot about his racing style and respect the fact that if we both need to occupy the same space during a moto, Charlie will give no quarter. I need to be willing to except the consequences or back off. I usually back off and wait for a better spot to make my move. I really don't want to go on the injured list again. I figure that I just have to be a better rider than I am and be up front or be faster and make a clean pass. My original goal for this season was to be top 5 at the end of the year. Right now I am pretty sure that I can do that with a little training and finishing all the motos. My new goal is to win a race. Normally I don't care about the medals, I just want that #1 plate but this season that #1 might be out of reach but a moto win or a race win is a good goal to work toward. Just as Cahuilla separated the men from the boys by being so rough and physically demanding, Perris does the same thing by being a very jumpy track. Not jumpy like Starwest but Perris has it's share of doubles. I rode there today to began my preparation for Rounds 3 & 4. Perris had 3 double doubles, I should be very comfortable with the double double thing after many trips to In N Out Burger but for some reason I was gun shy today. Finally I decided to jump one of the sections and had no problem with it. I cut the track and did it several times to get comfortable with it. Next week I will figure out another section and continue until I have the entire track down. Also I decided to drop 25 pounds before Perris. It's time..................e

3-13-10    How can a track with no jumps be so hard to ride? How can an uphill straight a way with small roller bumps in it be so hard to go fast? Answer: I have no idea but if you want to find out go to Cahuilla Creek and do a few laps. I know that I am out of shape but Cahuilla has no problem reminding you how bad of shape you are in very early in the moto. The past two days the Fire & Police Motocross Nationals made their home at Cahuilla Creek Motocross Track, just East of Temecula, Ca. The facility has no electricity and is very primitive compared to the other tracks that we have frequented over the years, namely Glen Helen and Perris. The track layout is very simple, there are some elevation changes, corners and a couple of table tops but mostly just natural terrain. The track gets rough and rutted, the up hills were brutal. I wanted to go faster up them I just couldn't figure out how to do it. I wasn't afraid to go faster, if I could have I would have. It seemed like everyone was having a difficult time with those hills. Some figured it out but most floundered. I have a new deep respect for Cahuilla Creek. It kicked my butt! For most of my four motos I spent the time with in 10 feet of Blake Fair. We must have passed each other twenty times over the two days. Finally on the fourth moto I grabbed a holeshot and decided to ride as fast as I could and see what happened. I led for a lap and a half  then Keith Ehlers grabbed another gear and flew past me on one of the whooped out up hills. I tried to stay with him and was able to keep him in sight for the rest of the lap as he was inching away. Then Angel Montoya got me in a corner and within seconds I hit the "Shape-O-Meter wall and was passed by Jim Eberle, Kevin Sleeth and Charlie Beck. After that I just tried to make it around the track until the checkered flag knowing that Blake Fair was somewhere back there closing the gap. Just before the last down hill I swiveled my head to spot Blake within about ten feet of me again. Even though I ended up in sixth place way behind the five riders who beat me I came away from that moto with a new confidence knowing that I have the speed to run with the fastest fifty year olds. It is a matter of endurance and that is something that I can work on. I am so looking forward to Perris Raceway in May. I have six weeks to get the Shape-O-Meter down a bit and into a little better race shape..............e

2-10-10    Well another splendid day at the Glen.........85 entries yesterday for the Wii GP. That is the second lowest amount of entries ever at an FPMX event including the Summer Series. What makes it so special is that the event before, the Christmas GP only had 111 entries. Right now the FPMX is sucking hind tit and I'm getting tired of it. We can't take anymore hits like this or the FPMX office (my house) will have to foreclose it's doors. Seriously, we need to get the numbers up. I know that the weather has had a lot to do with it and also the economy. Right now I am planning to continue with the FPMX for 2010 and hope to keep it going forever but I really need your help to get the numbers up again. Tell your work buddies, relatives, neighbors, the milkman to come out, we have classes for them. For those of you who made it out to the GP.....Thank You! Hey it was a great track. Blake Fair, Dennis Romero, Russell Lee, Justin Lee, Mark Davenport and myself set it up on Monday in sunny 70* weather. It was a beautiful day. Then at around 2:15 am I woke to the sound of rain drops on the top of my motor home. It only lasted a few minutes but my mind kept me up the rest of the night worrying about a rained out event. Luckily the weather held out until the last GP (Team GP/Ironman) was almost over. It actually started to hail on us. I wish I kept the nose piece on my SCOTT goggles. I took it off while putting roll offs on. My nose was getting pelted. At first I thought it was just rain but at the top of the hill on the R.E.M. track I noticed little white balls all over the ground. I stopped to take it in (and also to take a breather). It was my second race of the day and my third day on a bike since last October at rounds 5 & 6. I was exhausted after three soil/mud samples. Earlier in the day during Race #1 the track was the best ever but by the time we got to Team GP it was difficult to ride. Even thought it didn't rain much up to that point some of the corners became pretty slushy and you needed to stay in the main line or disaster could strike......Ask Ryan Chapin. All in all it was a great day. Let's hope that we get through Cahuilla Creek (rounds 1 & 2) with typical So Cal weather. It's time to get out of the recliner and train ..........e

1-3-10    Two Thousand Ten.........Can you believe it? Wow, a new decade of FPMX is on the horizon. We are starting our 21st season of Fire & Police Motocross, a few of us have been along for the entire ride. It's amazing how many people I have had the privilege of meeting along the way. I am so glad to have met them and to say that I have friends across the entire USA and in countries far away. Motocross is a unique sport, people are willing to travel great distances to compete on the track for a few minutes. I usually will drive anywhere between 1 to 2 hours just to practice, as many of you do too. Some further. To race, the distance becomes longer. On several occasions I have traveled out of the state to race. Even out of country. I'm not alone in this, the Arizona guys and Nevada guys do it all the time and I appreciate and admire them for that. I would love to reward them with FPMX races in their home states again. Hopefully the economy will take a turn for the better and we will be able to get the numbers up again and make those road trips. Some of the greatest "Racing" memories that I have are not of what happened on the track but the trip to and from and the time spent at the track after the day's racing was over. I loved the FPMX Banquets and the Marc Savard Hypnotist shows. I have never laughed so hard for so long in my life. Well I am looking forward to another decade of FPMX and anticipating all the fun that we are going to have. I have no idea what direction the FPMX will go, I never have, I just go along for the ride. It's a dynamic organization that is constantly evolving. I try to plan one year in advance and make changes as they are needed. I love the input from those who race with us. I always listen and then do what I think is best for this organization. Let me know your thoughts. The FPMX is "Our" baby and I want it to be the best that it can be. Keep coming to the races and bring your friends. Make memories that will take us past our days of racing and introduce us to our new life long friends.........................e