2011 – A year in review
As 2011 winds up and we look forward to 2012, I thought I would share some of my observations of 2011. Like any year, we have had highs and lows. Motocross isn’t a cheap sport to be involved in. Motocross is down in attendance, no two ways about it. Tracks are feeling the crunch, race promoters are struggling, track owners are hurting, and shops are barely afloat. Even Norcalmotocross.com is way down and it costs nothing for people to use it. Why would you want to spend any time on a Motocross website, when you are not riding or racing? Motocross is down to its core, the people riding these days are the nucleus of the sport. Is 2012 the year of rebirth for our sport? Maybe, maybe not, the global economy still seems to be struggling, Motocross is still going to be a luxury that many people simply can’t afford so I am leaning towards the notion that Motocross, although it won’t grow much, isn’t going to shrink much either. Like I said the people that are riding now are the nucleus of the sport. They will keep a light on for everyone and look forward to the return of friends and family who were not able to ride much in 2011. … Continue Reading
The riders of Norcal that made it out to the track this past weekend experienced prime conditions. The weather was amazing! It was warm enough that it wasn’t chilly when you were off the bike, yet it wasn’t so hot that you were roasting while you were riding. For those of you who didn’t make it out, shame on you; you missed what will probably prove to be one of the best weekends of 2011.
Clear skies and highs in the mid 60s, the weather report said. The favorable forecast, combined with several days of no rain, meant there was a possibility that today could be one of those epic days of moto, the kind where there’s not a puddle to be seen, but the water truck stays parked all day. There were no two ways about it, I was going riding. I hadn’t been to E-Street in a while, so I decided to check it out. When I pulled up, I was greeted with a long line at the gate; apparently, a lot of other people had the same idea. Normally this would be no big deal, but I had been guzzling coffee and water in mass quantities on the 45-minute drive to the track, and I thought the wait was going to do some serious damage to my bladder. Fortunately, the line moved fast, and I made it in before the situation became critical. After handling business and unloading my bike, I threw on my gear and hit the track. 
November 14, 2010 The last time I rode at Riverfront Park in Marysville, CA, was roughly a month ago. Todd Nelson and company had just taken over, and I remember being impressed with what they had done with the facility. Today, as I pulled up to the track, I was excited to see what kind of progression the track had gone through in a month’s time, and a single lap was all it took to notice several more changes; some good, and just a few that weren’t so good.