Motocross of Nations 2007 - Thursday

This track is wide, cut deep, and ready. It doesn't look anything like the "shithole" track RC was talking about after the national.


Doc Bodnar shows off the cool custom stretcher Asterisk brought for this weekend.


Bikes are getting un-crated and assembled today (Thursday).


This is part of the area Fox has set up inside the paddock for Team USA.


A view of the start area.


Villopoto's Team USA bike.


Setting up the semi that RC rides out of.


Track view.


The Thor/Parts and Red Bull setups.


Team Ireland people.


Putting a bike together out of a crate.


Close up of RV's bike.


Townley's bike.


Monster Pro Circuit Kawasaki, home of some of the fastest Lites guys.


Setting up.


KTM has bikes for about 10 countries!


An old sign and a new sign.


Scott Taylor has to model the team hat.


Everything you wanted to know about Maryland.....

Cody Cooper's Glen Helen Crash

Visiting Kiwi Cody Cooper, who set the fastest time in Sunday timed practice wadded in the second moto. Here is the crash. We didn't get a full status, but at least he got up.

Glen Helen Saturday

Internet rumors that Chad Reed would join the last national of 2007 at Glen Helen were bogus, but Mike Brown did make an appearance and was 5th fastest Saturday.

The best times Saturday were posted by Ferry in MX, and Villopoto in Lites. The MX top ten were:

Timmy Ferry, Largo, Fla., Kawasaki, 2:33.207
Grant Langston, Clermont, Fla., Yamaha, 2:33.448
Josh Hill, Yoncalla, Wash., Yamaha, 2:34.646
Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM, 2:34.975
Mike Brown, Johnson City, Tenn., Honda, 2:35.816
Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 2:36.211
Kevin Rookstool, Klamath Falls, Ore., Honda, 2:36.418
Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda, 2:36.481
Michael Lapaglia Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha, 2:36.955
Cale Wallace, Walnut, Calif., Honda, 2:36.960

With the MX title chase so close, it never hurts to have as many names as possible on the track if you can. Yamaha's strategy to put Josh Hill in MX paid off big last weekend when Hill passed Short in moto 2, knocking him back 2 points to benefit Langston. And to make it worse, he rode the last few laps ahead of Short "mooning" him, since his gear wasn't staying on!

Tedesco crashed out of the first practice and will miss tomorrow, so that's it for his time at Suzuki.

The Lites top ten:

Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 2:34.450
Austin Stroupe, Lincolnton, N.C., Kawasaki, 2:35.382
Brett Metcalfe, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki, 2:35.459
Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Honda, 2:36.349
Ben Townley, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki, 2:36.658
Jake Moss, Corona, Calif., Yamaha, 2:36.948
Trey Canard, Elk City, Okla., Honda, 2:37.096
Broc Hepler, Kittanning, Pa., Yamaha, 2:37.276
Thomas Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 2:37.335
Jake Weimer, Rupert, Id., Honda, 2:37.980
Thomas Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 2:17.732

Villopoto is going into the last round with the points advantage over Townley, but those two are so far ahead, no one else has a chance even if both stayed home. Villopoto has put together his second motos in the latter half of the season and made less mistakes.

Some other buzz:

-Millsaps was at Motobowl and his inner ear problem is cleared up, but he's not racing yet.
-Stewart's knee is much better than expected, and his recovery time is more like a month, instead of 4-6 months. A lot of people were assuming his injury was an ACL, but it doesn't look like that was the case. He might even make the US Open but they are not pushing him.
-Kyle Lewis is retiring after this season, so Glen Helen is his last pro national.
-Langston made the switch to MSR gear and Bell Helmets. This must be his season to change everything. A couple weeks ago he signed on with Monster Energy too.

Motobowl 2007!

Where did you get the idea this was a Monster event?


Welcome to the Fourth Annual WMXF Motobowl presented by Monster Energy, aka http://www.wmxf.org/
What makes this event cool is the riders and attached people really do get behind it and have a relaxing night mixing it up with fans. Half of them suck at bowling so they just laugh it off. Well except Pingree. He was like really bad. At Motobowl you just forget half your game and wander from lane to lane anyway. Fans are chatting and posing with Erin and Leticia, and all of the MX class contenders, Langston, Short, Ferry, and Alessi, KW - all were there, and Millsaps, and Villopoto, Mitch Payton, plus lots of hotties :) . It was more fun than a track walk.


Even Jeff Ward was there.


All the championship contenders in MX were there.


Sorby, Beeker, and Tedesco.


Ferry has style.


Lots of cool stuff to bid on.


"You want to buy a raffle ticket, don't you?" OK, whatever, here's $5, can I get a hug too?


How did I get mixed in with such a fast crowd?



Leticia and Little D.


Hey check it out, it's Matthew, Mototalk's favorite jr photohound. "Here kid, take some raffle tickets and pay attention, you might win a hat or something.."


Ashley Fiolek, WMA superstar.


DV12 is back in the US, and he's with his son David Li.


Some racing heavy duties - Bruce Stjernstrom, Dave Gowland, and Mitch Payton.


Dana K messing with Paul Lindsey. Dana K is giving our man Matthew $1 for every pin he knocks down...


NHRA drag racer Ron Capps is a Roger DeCoster fan!





Silent Auction tables were full.



Young Albertyn.


Getting a picture with Erin.


Millsaps ear is doing OK, but he's not racing any time soon.


Sel and Tortelli.


What's that all about?


Nice going! Matthew scores $50 from DanaK, then something called 50-50 with the raffle tickets! That's another $450, now the kid is rich. OK, next time I pass a slot machine, I am putting in a $20 to score big and charge it to my karma card....


Amy Albertyn and their youngest.


KW had style, but sytle isn't everything. He did better than Pingree though. :)