Mike Martin, of mikemartinracing.com, submitted this write up of his recent trip out to Californa. Check out his website for a unique perspective on the motocross industry

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to attend round 3 of the 2009 AMA Supercross Series, Anaheim 2. I had been to two Supercross events before, both in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. While these events were a blast, and the racing was always great, I was really excited about Anaheim. Why? Because, well, its Anaheim! Something about the event captures the spirit of Supercross in ways no other race can. This year was no different. With upsets in both classes at Anaheim 1, the top riders in each class wanted to redeem themselves. Here is the story of my journey to the 2009 Anaheim 2 Supercross.

Background

As many of you know, I’m from New England. So why choose Anaheim? Well, my Dad is working out there for the winter, and we felt it would be good for me to visit him, go to the race, and check out some of the California culture. The plans were rushed, and I flew out early Satruday morning. After arriving at LAX, we drove straight to the stadium (thanks Garmin!), to check out the pit party.

Pit Party

There is no denying that the actual race at a supercross event is great, but the pit party is phenomenal. Passes are easy to come by, and getting into the pit party gives you a chance to get up close and personal with your favorite riders. The key, however, is getting there early. Once the crowds start to pile in, riders escape into their motor homes and getting a chance to actually meet them is rare. Thankfully, I got to the pit party before the crowds, and had a great time checking out the bikes, trucks, and even meeting some of the riders.

The first rider I had the pleasure to meet was Josh Grant. Josh had a great race at Anaheim 1 when he won the Supercross class, and was hoping to have another good day. I got a quick picture with him and exchanged a few quick words. Unfortunately, he did not have another winning night, but it was cool meeting him, and he seemed like a cool guy.

Afterwards, I was able to get a quick picture with Ryan Villopoto, but he was visibly in a rush, so I tried not to take up too much of his time. Finally, I had a little surprise. As you may or may not know, Southwick MX338 is one of my favorite new England tracks. Surprisingly, I met the owners, Ralph and Dianne at Anaheim. In addition, I had the pleasure of meeting Miki Keller, who runs the Womens Motocross Association (WMA), Sarah Whitmore, professional womens motocross racer, and Shasta Johnson of Racer X. it was great to meet all of these really nice motocross industry personnel, and they made the pit party even better.

 

Race Time!

After the pit party, it was time for the races to begin! After watching a little bit of timed practice, it was obvious that the track was very technical and many of the riders were having trouble with it. Even top riders, like Stewart, Reed, and Villopoto were having trouble putting in solid laps. Nevertheless, it was obvious that the races were going to be great.

The night show started off with an extremely impressive fireworks and laser light show. Followed by a memorable parade lap by Ricky Carmichael, Grant Langston, and Jeremy McGrath. The video which showed before the race outlining Grant’s battle with eye cancer and how it has been affecting his racing made the event even more special.

After the opening ceremonies came to a close, the riders lined up for Supercross Lites Heat 1. Monster Energy / Pro Circuit riders Jake Weimer and Ryan Morais came in first and second. followed by Geico Powersport Honda/Factory Connection rider Dan Reardon. Jason Lawrence had a tough race and failed to qualify directly into the main once again.Lites Heat 2 was just as exciting. Ryan Sipes came out with the win, while Ryan Dungey was pushed back to second after suffering from a small bobble. Lites qualifying was over, and the big bikes were up next. Supercross Heat 1 had two of the big players, Reed and Villopoto. While Reed came through to a rather easy victor, Andrew Short rode great to second, and Ryan Villopoto rolled across third. Heat 2 featured James Stewart with the win, Anaheim 1 winner Josh Grant second, and Kevin Windham third. Stewart faced a little hiccup midway through the race when he stalled. Fortunately, he was able to bump-start his bike without loosing time or the lead. While the heat races were good, it was obvious that the whole crowd was ready for the main events.

After the LCQ races, and the Jagermeister Freestyle Demo, the Supercross Lites heat lined up on the gate. It was a great race. There wasn’t a ton of passing, but it was still a pleasure to watch. Dungey came out on top followed by Ryan Morais, Jake Weimer, Jason Lawrence and Chris Blose. Lawrence did alright with his 4th place finish, but it looked to me as if he never really got into his groove. It was not his night.

The Supercross Class was up next and the big question of the night was who would come out on top. Could Stewart stay up long enough to put in a solid ride? Does Reed have the speed to beat Stewart? In a short 20 laps they were all answered. Surprisingly, Kevin Windham lead the opening laps and was looking the best he has all season long. Stewart and Reed both had horrible starts, and in the first lap, Chad was in dead last. Stewart moved through the pack quickly passing Villopoto for third and eventually Windham for the lead. Although he led the rest of the race, and ended up with the win, he visibly had a tough race. He was fast, but struggled the entire time with one of the more difficult rhythm sections. While it was definitely technical, Villopoto, Reed, and even some of the Lites riders were landing it smooth lap after lap. The real story of the race, however, was Chad Reed’s impressive comeback. After a horrendous start, Reed fought back to second on a track that was hard to pass on. He was flying and was the fastest rider on the track, without a doubt.

The track at Anaheim 2 was innovative, the race great and the riders fast and skilled. Overall it was an excellent event. The open-air stadium helped reduce the noise slightly, and the buzz all day was great. I had a blast, and hope to return to Anaheim Stadium one day.

California Culture

For the two days after the race, my dad and I had two free days to enjoy California. I have never been to California before, and it lived up to its reputation! The weather was incredible, the scenery beautiful and the entire atmosphere was incredible. We traveled from Los Angeles south to as far as San Diego. Our first stop was in Huntington Beach, which was a beautiful and busy beach. We walked down the pier and checked out the scores of surfers and volleyball players. From there, we visited other beaches including Laguna Beach. One of the things I noticed most about the culture was the fitness level of everyone there. No matter where we went, everyone was doing something. Whether they were running, biking, surfing or playing volleyball, no one there was lazy. They all had a hobby and loved what they did. Obviously, this is a result of the weather, but it was still shocking to me.

California was a blast, and I really love the weather and the culture as a whole. I would love to live out there at one point in my life as the cycling looks incredible, the scenery beautiful and the culture exciting and diverse. If you’ve never been to California, I would recommend you visit it if you ever have a chance.

 

Conclusion

Prior to this trip, I had never been to California or Anaheim Stadium. Both were great and the racing at A2 was incredible. I had a blast out in California, and would love to return, either to watch another Supercross or to cycle with the hundreds of other cyclists out there. If you live in California and have never been to a Supercross at Anaheim, definitely do so as soon as possible.

Mikemartinracing.com started off as a site for me to write weekly updates about my amateur motocross racing. The original site was crude, but as my internet skills improved so did the site. Last winter the site was upgraded to a full wordpress blog. I kept up with the site writing about my racing and the motocross community in general for a few months, however, eventually my hosting plan ran out and I procrastinated renewing. After a few months of an absence from the internet, mikemartinracing.com is now back for v3.0! It is running on wordpress once again, and hosted on Godaddy. I will still be writing about my racing, and the motocross community in general, but will also write about my cycling as I strive to stay in shape for motocross and life in general.