Well folks it is that time again. Starting this coming Friday night in Des Moines, Iowa, the 2007 – 2008 Toyota AMA Arenacross Series will be under way. This will mark the fourth year for my return to the most exciting type of indoor motocross racing. Once again I will be the man in the trenches behind the Speed T.V. cameras bringing you all the ins and outs of Arenacross. For those who don’t know who I am, my name is Ryan Gauld. I am from Gilford, Ontario, Canada. I have been racing motocross for 24 years. I have been a pro for half of that and have been a pit announcer for the CMRC Canadian Nationals that you Americans love to watch so much in the winter. For me the job that I have was something that I never really thought would be part of my future. My mom always said my big mouth would get me into something, I just figured it would be trouble and not T.V.

Glen Selig, producer, John Dewey, ENG camera man, and I will be making our way across the great United States, hitting up seven different stops to bring Arenacross right into your living room. We start in Des Moines, Iowa, and then head to Rockford, Ill. Then in the New Year we start at Grand Rapids, Mich., then travel to Youngstown, Ohio, Sacramento, Calif., and make the series end in Green Bay, Wisc. Now for Glen, John and I this will be the second year working together. Last year was definitely the best year for the show as well as the best for racing. The names for the series read like a regular who’s who of racing. They include Danny Smith, Robbie Reynard, Kevin and Keith Johnson, Chad Johnson, Teddy Maier, Justin Buckelew, Jim Neese, Brock Sellards and Matt Barnes. With names like these we knew that the series was going to be one for the books and it was not disappointing. In Des Moines last year Arenacross had a record number of entries. With the rule change in the AMA making riders earn points to get into Supercross, that made “motocross in a microwave” (Tim Cotter’s saying for Arenacross) that more important. AX is now the stepping stone for riders to achieve the higher level of competition in Supercross. This year will also be cool now that all riders are on lites bikes. As race fans we know that the lites class is always more exciting to watch.

Now for us in the T.V. crew the first round is always the toughest. We have to make sure that we are a bit early with everything because we are not sure how many riders will show and who we will be interviewing. We have to get head shots of every rider, and we have the get b-roll of all the riders because we just don’t know who will be in the main. As the series moves on and we see who the players are it will all be a lot easier. For me the tough part is making sure I get enough footage and interviews for Glen to put a good show together, while borrowing a bike to do the helmet cam. Last year marked the first time we did it with a live mic in the helmet so I talked while I rode. Some may think this is easy, but if you’re like me and out of breath, when hitting the first turn it makes it tough to get the words out. For those who watched me last year, you will know what I mean. There were a few times I was huffing and puffing after a lap.

Well that’s all I got for now. I will be writing this column after all the events I attend. It will be up the Monday after each event. For you fans of Arenacross, I hope you enjoy the show and this column. I will do my best to bring you some good stories from the weekends. Until Monday, See ya

Gauldy