Monday Morning Coffee Opinion Column

By Billy Rainford

Well, this Monday Morning Coffee was supposed to be coming to you from somewhere along I-75 southbound as I made my way to Florida for this ultra-busy trip to the Sunshine State. Unfortunately, the old DMX Van had other ideas.

I change the oil and filter in our driveway every 8000kms. So yes, that means this was the 50th Anniversary oil change!

I noticed a new leak a couple weeks ago, but wasn’t overly concerned with it. My plan was to leave this morning so I waited until Sunday when the weather warmed up and I’d feel like crawling underneath the van.

Like I said, I’ve done this a lot, so it’s pretty much automatic at this point. I did everything the same way I always do and got ready to add some Lucas Oil Transmission Fix for good measure.

The instructions are to let the vehicle idle and get up to running temperature, so I hopped in the driver’s seat and turned the key.

No problem…

I walked around to the front and into the garage. As I turned around with the can of Lucas Oil, I saw oil spewing out from underneath on the driver’s side all over our freshly resurfaced driveway (Sorry, Emily.).

WTF?!

I ran and shut off the van and then grabbed the oil pan and placed it underneath. The damage was done, so I told Em what had happened, grabbed her keys, and headed to the nearest Rona up the road to get some oil soak.

Of course, Rona is shut down…

Next, I headed to the Mr. Lube down the street and asked if they had any I could buy from them. The kid told me they had actually just run out of the stuff but that kitty litter would do the trick. Across the street to Sobeys I went.

I’m a dog guy so I couldn’t help but bore the cashier with the story that the litter wasn’t actually for a cat but for an awful oil spill in my driveway. Why on earth did I care that it was clear to her I wasn’t a “cat guy”?

Anyway, I got home, rolled the van back, and dumped a bunch of the stuff on the spill as poor Emily did everything she could not to freak out on me.

Em works in the hospital so she sees “experts” who’ve gotten their diagnosis from Dr. Google, but I had to do the exact same thing, but for an automotive application.

It didn’t take long to find a Youtube video with exactly what happened to me described in the comment section by many, many people.

The guy doing the video said it was a 2-hour job if you can find the part, so fingers crossed I can still head out tonight. 🤞

My race schedule for this week is as busy as it gets on my entire calendar. It looks like this:

Wednesday – Pax Trax for the $$$ race

Thursday – Amateur Arenacross in Daytona Beach

Friday – Meet n Greet at Daytona Intl Speedway then the Pro Arenacross

Saturday – Supercross

Sunday – GNCC at Hog Waller in Palatka

Monday – RC Amateur Supercross at Daytona Intl Speedway

That’s a very full 6 days of race coverage! Getting the content is always the easy part. The more difficult part is trying to get all the information up on the site and social media before the next event starts!

I stay with my old buddy Brendan Goldstein in Palm Coast for these Florida trips, but getting time to actually “visit” with him and his lovely wife Alex is never easy. We usually manage to get out for a breakfast or two at Flagler Beach, a mountain bike ride at Graham Swamp, and a hot tub to end the nights. Partzilla PRMX owner Julien Perrier and Veronique are usually there too, so it’s a good time.

This entire schedule is in jeopardy now.

When I got in touch with our closest mechanic, he was nice enough to get me in first thing, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll have the part or the time to get it fixed today. I took a nice new pen from them, so it already feels like a win for me…

So, I’m in a holding pattern for the day until I find out what the deal is. The good thing about having this Dodge Caravan is that I’m sure mechanics have seen everything multiple times with these things that seem to be every 3rd vehicle on the road.

Arlington Supercross

#221 Tyler Gibbs in Texas.

We had Canadian CREO KTM rider #221 Tyler Gibbs in action in Texas for his first Supercross in a few years alongside his Estonian teammate #108 Jorgen Talviku.

Both riders made it into the night show with Tyler qualifying 34th.

Qualifying: 34th

Heat 1: 18th

LCQ: 17th

Team owner Jeff Crutcher was nice enough to help us out with a couple interviews with Tyler as he headed through qualifying:

Thanks for doing that, Jeff.

We’ve got a podcast interview scheduled with Tyler today so he can take us through the LCQ etc. and talk about heading into Daytona this week, so watch for that.

Jeff also provides us with very detailed and insightful summaries after each round of racing, so check this week’s out from Arlington:

Sheeeeeesh!!! Our first SX of the season couldn’t have been more fun for everyone. The guys were wicked speedy, our pits were packed with friends new and old, and best of all my fiancé Aubree was with me all weekend for the first time since we launched into SX. 

Off track:

I want to give props to Marek and Sean for professionally working over the motorcycles so I could tend to the pit, manage hospitality, engaging fans, and perform the custodial busy work – if a broom is in my hand that means the plan is working perfectly. 

Jorgen and Tyler delegated social jobs off to myself and their mechanics to get all the good content, which we strategized to keep them focused on riding. 

We had a couple moto influencers and micro celebs set up shop with us thanks to The Collective Experience, and it brought more folks into the Bolt pit for photos and fun. 

I cannot overstate how RIGHT the vibe was in our pit. Special thanks to Luc and Tarvo for providing food for the team which kept spirits high. 

On track:

Holy cannoli was I impressed. The track was absolutely cannibalized by the time 250 group C took to it, and the guys persevered through the gigantic ruts in practice and Q1. Dirt Wurx prepped the course up before the 250 groups went out, and though it wasn’t perfect when we started circulating, the track was fast and solid. 

Jorgen set a burner for P22, and Tyler iced it for P34 – putting both men in the show. I was doing cartwheels the whole way back to the trailer and we had a big celebration when we all got back. They did everything just right. 

I was so jubilant when I saw it before us.. my long play bears fruit! Bringing these guys into the states in October, the adversity they overcame in AX, the team building and bonding, learning American style race craft, all of it. I took a chance and bet on myself to be able to develop these guys into being SX weapons. 

In the night show Jorgen and Tyler were both in the same heat, and JMT had a great pick and a phenomenal drive going into the first corner but got pinballed off the track. Tyler got pinched out of the gate and the both of them took the opportunity to get more laps in on the treacherous track. The LCQ went about the same, but I think we all felt that the goal of making the night show was achieved and we needed to walk before we run. 

I believe both these riders are main event capable. This is a first for the team. 

Dawson (Kaub) joins us and will remain with us for the rest of 250 E rounds, from Daytona on. 

Results:

250 East

#38 Haiden Deegan got his first 250 Supercross win. He did a very calculated ghost ride in tribute to his dad’s (Brian Deegan) famous ghost ride over the finish line after his win.

You have to wonder how many times the family has sat down for dinner and discussed what he would do after his first win. I think it was cool that he did what he did, even if it was a little more subdued. However, he could have left out the part about pressure getting to #64 Austin Forkner after that crash.

During the post-race press conference, he said he has a “Little Beast Mode” in his for Daytona this week, in reference to Eli Tomac‘s now famous “Beast Mode.”

I also found it interesting that he said, “Proving haters wrong is my favourite thing.” A lot of racers say they hate losing more than they like winning. I guess this is along those lines, but I can’t really relate to this motivation. It seems weird to me.

There were also rumours swirling around that he was considering moving up to the 450 class next year. He put that to rest, straight up.

The equally big news was that horrific crash Forkner took while leading the 250 Main.

You just knew something had to break hitting the concrete like that.

The update was that he apparently fracture his L3, L4, and his scapula.

#16 Tom Vialle said he had pretty much the same crash as Forkner during practice but to the left side. His 3rd place ride was good. I’m on record saying the Pro Motocross series is going to be between Deegan and Vialle, and I stand by that. Luckily, his crash didn’t have the same result.

I don’t think #63 Cameron McAdoo meant this exactly how it came out but it was pretty funny when he said, “We’re all warriors in this sport, but, unfortunately, I’ve had to show it…”

The strangest thing about the whole week was how the points look in 250 East as we head to Daytona this week. #37 Max Anstie now has the points lead ahead of #39 Pierce Brown, and #59 Daxton Bennick. And #69 Coty Shock is 4th. None of these riders were even on the podium in Texas!

450:

#18 Jett Lawrence led 23 of the 27 laps. He looked like he had another gear or maybe 2 if he needed it, then he crashed…

It was a pretty simple mistake that lost him the lead. He regained his composure and was making a charge back at #2 Cooper Webb until he tried to not follow Webb in to a corner and found #125 Vince Friese there. He hit him and went down, dropping him to 4th on the last lap!

Speaking of #125…

I don’t think any of the crashes were his “fault” per se, but how wild was it that he was the rider in the picture for at least 5 factory riders hitting the dirt?!

Our old friend Hammertime is going to give it one more watch and give us his thoughts on the whole thing, so be sure to check back for that.

Webb has now won 6 times in Dallas. He said that all riders seem to have their “spots” where they excel. He was also quick to point out that “it’s Eli’s next week” in Daytona.

About his success in Dallas, he said: “This is a great place and I’m a bad dude!“

Eli said he had arm pump in Detroit but that he was comfortable in Texas. He added that “this was a race I needed.” It sounds like he’s sick of being referred to as the “old guy,” so watch for a statement ride in Florida this week.

#7 Aaron Plessinger rounded out the podium in 3rd and admitted that he “got lucky tonight,” referring to the crash by Lawrence. He also said that he’s having more fun this year than he’s ever had in a season.

The crowd was torn in two as Eli closed in on Aaron to make the pass. If you’ve been to a recent Supercross live, you know that these two riders get the biggest cheers from the crowds at every stadium. By a long-shot, actually. I think seeing the “real Eli” trumped any hard feeling #7 fans had as Eli went by. I liked it when he said “this guy’s going fast!” to himself as Eli closed on him.

Standing out was the solid ride by #96 Hunter Lawrence in this one. If this Arlington 450 Main was any indication, he looks to have found his 450 legs taking 5th place.

Herlings Wins in England

Check out this video from MotoHead that has Jeffery Herlings taking the win, Glenn Coldenhoff on the Fantic, and Colt Nicholls on the Triumph, among others at Hawkestone Park:

OK, so I just heard from the mechanic and it is the oil filter housing I need replaced on the van. He seemed confident he can get the parts quickly and that I’ll be on my way this evening. It makes me sick to think of how much this is going to cost, but in reality this van doesn’t really owe me anything. It’s been pretty bulletproof over the years.

If I pull an all-nighter, I could still make it to Pax Trax in Bunnell, Florida, for the money race! Sure, I’ll be a zombie, but I’ll give it a shot.

Have a great week, everyone, and be sure to check in on our socials for coverage of all the racing action happening this week.