Monday Morning Coffee

Monday Morning Coffee

By Billy Rainford

Hola, and welcome to another Monday Morning Coffee. This week, we’re coming to you from a quiet little fishing village about 40 kms outside Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, called Sayulita. Well, the last time I was here it could have been described as that, but that was 13 years ago.

Today, Sayulita has become a very popular destination for…everyone! This place is so different from what I remember that it is almost unrecognizable except for the perfect surf break. There are people, restaurants, and shops in all directions here now. I guess nothing stays a secret forever and surf spots are no different.

Truthfully, we’re staying in a pretty nice resort in PV and making the 1-hour drive into Sayulita every day. I didn’t think there would be enough for Emily to do if we stayed in the actual little fishing village. In hindsight, with how much the village has changed, we would have had plenty to keep us busy in Sayulita! I guess that’s both good and bad.

It’s kind of like when you ‘discover’ a band and think they are all yours until you see them on Much Music (old reference to when they actually played music videos…) and they become ‘mainstream.’ Have you ever seen the Community episode where Troy and Abed make the world’s biggest blanket fort? A classmate comes in and shows them that they’ve made the “flont page” of the school paper. They look at each other and realize they’ve become mainstream so they each grab special levers and when they pull at the same time the entire blanket fort self-destructs.

I’m not looking for a way to blow up Sayulita, but it’s amazing to return to a place and see it is so much different. I doubt the locals are complaining about walking the cheques and cash to the bank every day! However, when I commented to the surfboard rental guy about how much different it is today, he laughed and said that next time we come there will be a McDonalds! We didn’t laugh at that.

Anyway, we’ll head back again today once we’ve had our coffee and see how crowded it is on a weekday.

Hola from Mexico!

Supercross

Being on my second non-moto holiday since 2007, I haven’t even had time to watch Las Vegas yet! As soon as I find wifi here, my phone lights up with comments about how crazy the racing was. I can’t wait to sit down and watch it all!

Jeff will have his McThoughts up tonight so I won’t get into much detail. Of course, the only detail I have at this point is the results sheet anyway!

Ryan Dungey had already clinched the 450 title in New Jersey and I was happy I could be there for that. Malcolm Stewart is your East Coast 250 champion and Cooper Webb did what he needed to do to collect his 2^nd West Coast 250 title by just 1 point!. I’m sorry I missed Malcolm’s victory speech and dance.

I feel a little silly talking about this race since I haven’t even seen it yet, so I won’t embarrass myself by saying anything more until I have a chance to watch it for myself.

Happy Mother’s Day

When you’re a young kid you don’t realize it, but as you get older you become very aware of just how important your mom has been throughout your racing career. There were so many years that we were driving to and from a motocross track on Mother’s Day that I hope my mom knows just how much I appreciate everything she’s done and does for me.

Seriously, if you’re a young racer, be sure to go up and thank your mom. It will go a long way. No, she doesn’t do it for the recognition, but that’s what will make your sincere thank you worth so much more.

It wasn’t until I got a little older that I figured out just how much of a commitment racing motocross is for parents. It’s all taken for granted when you’re young. I remember some weeknights when my dad was out of town for work and my mom would race home on a Thursday night after her job and we would load up and head north to Hully Gully for Thursday night houseleague races.

My mom didn’t even like to drive outside the city but she would do it because it was so important to me. She would be the one to get all my stuff together and struggle with me to put my bike on the bumper brackets and drive an hour outside the city.

We’d get home well after dark, pull the bike off the car, empty my gear bag, and she’d go to bed to get up early to make my lunch and off she’d go to her full-time job at the bank without a complaint. Not to mention I have an older sister who required attention too, but this is a moto column, so…

So, Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there who keep the wheels of motocross rolling! ‘Unsung’ doesn’t do you justice for all the work and time you put in. You should be sung, and sung loudly. I’m here to say thank you for all the kids under the age of 13 who haven’t yet realized that what you do isn’t simply a given. Thank you. Love ya, mom!

MMRS/AMO/MX101/ANQ

The first Eastern Ontario Parts Canada TransCan ANQ took place at Muttco Mountain over the weekend. This is an interesting collaboration between all of these Ontario clubs and tracks. If’ you’ve been paying attention at home, you’ll already know that amateur moto is at a crossroads this summer.

Ryan Gauld has taken his AMO and split from the CMRC. The CMRC and the TransCan have parted ways. MMRS has joined forces with the AMO and MX101. It will be interesting to see, at the end of the season, which series flourishes and which one is left scratching its head.

Nothing stays the same, and amateur motocross is apparently no different. This is actually a huge story and I won’t be able to cover any of the details in this short coffee break. You can see the full results from Sunday’s racing HERE.

Results can be found HERE (when they are up).

AMSOIL Arenacross

The Ricky Carmichael ‘Road to Supercross’ finale also took place in Las Vegas over the weekend at the final round of AMSOIL Arenacross. Here are the results from that one:

Round 14 – Orleans Arena – Las Vegas, NV

MXGP of Germany

Here is the media Press Release that went out for the MXGP of Germany in Teutschenthal, Germany over the weekend. With Jeffrey Herrlings and Antonio Cairoli taking the wins, the weekend can best be described in David Attenborough‘s documentary voice (Google it, Bowker!): “And, once again, peace returns to the delta.”

Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Schedule

Rockstar Enrgy MX Nationals Schedule

Nitro Circus Website

NITRO CIRCUS UNVEILS NEW NITRO WORLD GAMES DETAILS AND LAUNCHES NITROWORLDGAMES.COM

Revolutionary Competition to Feature Innovative Ramp Technology, Groundbreaking Scoring Format and First-Ever Global Qualification Process

LOS ANGELES, CA (Monday – May 9, 2016) – With the Nitro World Games nearly two months away, anticipation is quickly building for the biggest event in the history of action sports. A new stand-alone website for this breakthrough competition – nitroworldgames.com – has now launched, revealing more information about the July 16, 2016 final at Salt Lake City’s Rice-Eccles Stadium, including its state-of-the-art ramp technology, all-new scoring format and global qualification process. The site will also be the go-to source for Nitro World Games news, including exciting qualification updates, in depth athlete profiles and much more.

Nearly six million Facebook fans got a sneak peek at some of the big ideas in development for Nitro World Games recently when global superstar Travis Pastrana posted a video clip of an experimental ramp test. In fact, all of the ramp systems for Nitro World Games, in development for over five years, are being researched and developed by Nitro Circus in consultation with athletes and industry leaders, the first collaborative effort of its kind. Pooling this expert knowledge will result in bigger and much safer ramps. “These are truly the riders’ games,” says Pastrana, adding that this proprietary technology, “will blow people away. It will let athletes dramatically progress, while at the same time give them the confidence to push themselves to the absolute limit.” Officials anticipate that riders will land dozens of world firsts by the end of the event. Go here for updated renderings of the Nitro World Games course.

The Nitro World Games’ scoring format also represents a quantum leap forward for action sports. Featuring all-new intellectual property crafted by Mike Porra, C.E.O. and creative director of Nitro Circus, this is truly a game-changer, allowing fans both in the stands and at home to know exactly where each rider stands at every moment of the competition for the first time. “I’ve thought about this for over 10 years,” Porra says. “At other events it’s impossible to compare one FMX rider’s two minute run to the next, and fans have no idea how the competition is unfolding. You simply cannot understand the competition as a fan.”

At the Nitro World Games, riders will be required to perform tricks against specific criteria, demonstrating their mastery of all aspects of their discipline. They will be judged by an exclusive independent list of industry leaders. Neither Nitro Circus, its event sponsors nor broadcast partners will be involved in the judging process at any point, creating the fairest and most pure action sports competition in history. “We’ve been waiting for just the right time to unveil this system to the world,” Porra says, “and now with the Nitro World Games at Salt Lake City it has arrived.”

The Nitro World Games qualification process is another bold step, making this the first truly global competition ever staged. The Nitro World Games will include seven Gold Medal events:

–        FMX (10 tricks from different categories)

–        FMX Best Trick (Two attempts at one trick)

–        BMX Best Tricks (Five attempts at three scoring rides)

–        BMX Triple Hit (Two runs each. Highest scoring run wins)

–        Skate Best Tricks (Five attempts at three scoring tricks)

–        Scooter Best Tricks (Three attempts at two tricks)

–        Inline Best Tricks (Three attempts at two tricks)

For FMX, BMX Best Tricks, BMX Triple Hit and Skate Best Tricks, 10 athletes in each discipline will be chosen in advance by an independent panel of industry leaders to compete in a qualification event happening Friday, July 15 at Rice-Eccles Stadium. In addition to these invited athletes, any professional rider on the planet can enter for a chance to compete in pre-qualification events taking place in various locations in the U.S. this summer. After battling it out during pre-qualification, six more athletes in each discipline will be chosen to compete in the July 15 qualifying round. Out of the 16 riders in each discipline that make it to qualification, the top eight athletes will then advance to the July 16 Nitro World Games final (note: for FMX Best Trick, Scooter Best Tricks and Inline Best Tricks, select riders will be chosen to compete in the July 16 final. There will be no qualifying trials for these disciplines). Overall, only the best of the best will get through to the epic July 16 final, making the Nitro World Games the definitive world championship in action sports.

Nitro Circus, NBC Sports, Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert and the Utah Sports Commission rocked the sports world in December 2015 when they announced the inaugural Nitro World Games. Created by Michael Porra and Travis Pastrana, this will feature action sports’ most exciting and popular disciplines, incorporating new formats and never before seen tricks. Each event will be a final round with everything on the line, creating intensity on the track, energy in the stadium and must-see television for viewers. “The industry has grown tremendously but the roots of the sport, competition, are dying,” explains Porra. “We felt a responsibility to step in and completely reinvent this space so that action sports competition could thrive again.” ” We are thrilled to host the Nitro World Games and welcome the top action sports athletes in the world to Utah,” says Jeff Robbins, president and C.E.O., Utah Sports Commission.

Nitro World Games is the next phase of Nitro Circus’ multi-year partnership with NBC Sports Ventures, combining NBC’s broadcasting excellence with Nitro Circus’ exciting brand of action sports entertainment. NBC Sports will present three hours of Nitro World Games coverage airing in primetime on NBC in the United States. For fans outside of the U.S. and Canada, more TV broadcast details will be announced soon (NBCUniversal International Distribution is handling the international linear and digital sales for Nitro World Games). In addition to NBC’s televised coverage, fans can also watch the July 16 final on Nitro Circus’ worldwide webcast.

The Nitro World Games is also a marquee destination event. Fans who want to experience the excitement in person can purchase tickets to the July 16 final. The Nitro Club VIP package is the next best thing to an all access pass at $79 each (plus applicable service fees). These exclusive passes include the best seats in the house as well as a pre-event track walk. Nitro Club pass holders will also receive a souvenir lanyard.

To purchase tickets and for more information go to nitroworldgames.com. Fans can also follow Nitro Circus on Twitter: @nitrocircus and Facebook: www.facebook.com/NitroCircus.

Jeff’s New Yamaha YZ250 2-Stroke

Jeff McConkey just picked up his 2016 Yamaha YZ250 2-stroke from Asselstein’s and is looking forward to bolting on lots of cool products to test. Watch for the cleanest bike and rider coming soon to a track near you!

OK, we’re off for our last couple days of relaxation before the outdoor Pro season starts and things get a wee bit busy. Have a great week, everyone.

…if you can call driving in this relaxing.