It’s Thursday and we’re off again. You already know what I think about air travel so we won’t revisit that, but being able to surf the net while you wait in an airport is really good for your mental health. Toyota AMA Toyota AMA Arenacross Series and Supercross have embraced the internet like no other sport and thanks to the forward thinking of the Tech folks we all have instant access to stories and updates, literally, lap by lap. After an uneventful plane ride to Rochester, NY, I spotted some of the race crew when I landed and hitched a ride to the hotel (Thanks Robert!). After twenty minutes of inquiries we found a sports bar with the Packers/Cowboys game on the tube. So off we rolled, and low and behold we ran into the biggest Cowboys fan in SoCal, Mr. Toyota, Gavin and his shorts wearing cohort Greg. Yeah, its 20 degrees outside but that’s how Big Greg rolls. So the whole Toyota AMA Arenacross Series crew plunked down at their table and listened to Gavin hoot and holler as Dallas held off Green Bay. When we got back to the hotel we peeked in the lounge and were surprised to find our flight crew from the plane. The two pilots and flight attendant were staying at our hotel! It is a little weird to see these people who are responsible for a multi million dollar aircraft hanging out in the hotel bar talking about fantasy football and motocross. But they were cool and are coming to watch practice on Friday before they leave for the NYC.
Friday morning always comes too early, but I’m a trooper so I rallied and went down to the restaurant for breakfast. Big thanks to Harv Whipple and Travis for letting me sit down and stuff my face with them. (They are the AMA Toyota AMA Arenacross Series referees, VIPS!!) I found out something I didn’t know about Harv at breakfast so I will make it my first “Things you would never guess question“: What is Harv‘s other job? If you know the answer send me an e-mail and I will immortalize you in a future column. After chow I headed to the Blue Cross Arena for sound check. This is one of the more mundane aspects of the job, but it has to be done. You have no idea how ridiculous it feels talking to an empty arena with all the riders and crew standing around cracking’ jokes at your expense. I did have the pleasure of working with a legend in the Toyota AMA Arenacross Series world this weekend, Ehab our sound engineer. Ehab is old school and its great to have him back on tour with us. The rest of the day was a series of meetings to set up the night program. Pam Lambert (our director) put together a great show and it sure made my life easy. After the show some friends of mine from the Pro Jet Ski tour took me out to dinner at a rib shack called Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. It’s a cool blues joint across from the Blue Cross Arena. Being that close it was no surprise to find the riders and crew hanging out. I spent some time talking to Junior Jackson (yes the racing and performance guru) about the current season. Junior is helping out the Monster Energy/Team Babbits’ guys and he seemed really excited about where the program is headed. Since this was a two stop weekend he kept checking his cell phone waiting to hear how the other half of the team did in Rockford, IL. During our conversation Junior told me he was planning to dust off his 125 two-stroke to race on amateur day, Sunday. That will be sweet! The Formost Insurance/Carolina Xpress crew was in the house as well. They were celebrating a solid 2, 3 finish for the night in the AX class. Tyler Bright was taking it easy after the little tumble in the AX main event but didn’t seem too battered. I couldn’t believe all the people singing along with the Motown and disco hit’s the band was pumpin’ out. I guess the 70’s will never die. Lets just hope leisure suits don’t make a comeback!
Saturdays aren‘t quite as hectic so I took a field trip to the firehouse on Andrews St., here in Rochester, which houses Engine 17 and Rescue Company 11. Thanks to John and the guys at the station for making me feel right at home. There is no more straight forward place in the world than a fire station, except maybe the pits at a motocross race. You know what I mean, guys say it the way it is and they say it with passion. If you need an example of this just stand around before, during and after an event and listen to some of the bench racing that goes on. As I was walking thru the pits I stopped and talked to Nathan Skaggs. Nate Dog is a young up and coming rider with a great attitude, so I was interested to see how he was doing after getting the Toyota Certified Used Vehicles hole shot last night, but not making the podium. His response was as simple as this: “I’m going to do a better job tonight.” Like I said great attitude. When the show was finished I headed up on the concourse to talk with Brock Sellards. He was almost finished signing autographs and I wanted to congratulate him on his stellar weekend. Brock has been around a long time and has had success in Toyota AMA Arenacross Series, Supercross and on the Outdoor National circuit. I asked him how he was feeling and he said he was having as much fun as ever. It was cool to hear him say that and the little kids getting his autographed posters all left with smiles on their faces. On my way out of the Blue Cross Arena I met a little guy who asked me if he could come back and watch us race next week. It broke my heart to tell him it might be a little longer than that before we got back to town. He just smiled and told me it was okay, he could wait.
Sunday was great with all the local riders coming out and showcasing their skills. We had a nice turnout despite the frigid temps. I need to say a special thanks on behalf of the crew to Dave for the great chow he made, and remind him to bring along a bottle of his secret recipe BBQ sauce the next time he sees Pam. You’ve only been promising her one for like 5 years! As for me, my flight was cancelled but I didn’t find out about it until I got to the airport. So instead of connecting thru Cincinnati I am headed to the great state of Georgia in the hopes of catching the last flight home tonight! Big props to the ticket agent at Delta in Rochester for upgrading me and letting me sit next to Chris and watch Ratatouille on his little video player. You can’t have a bad flight watching cartoons! That’s it for this week if you have any questions or comments please shoot me an e-mail at: mxannouncer@hotmail.com. David Knisley
