2010 AMA Motocross Schedule
Posted on April 7, 2010
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Round 1 – May 22 – Hangtown Motocross Classic – Rancho Cordova, Calif.
Round 2 – May 29 – Glen Helen Raceway – San Bernardino, Calif.
Round 3 – June 5 – Freestone Raceway – Wortham, Texas
Round 4 – June 12 – High Point Raceway – Mt. Morris, Pa.
Round 5 – June 19 – Budds Creek Motocross – Mechanicsville, Md.
Round 6 – June 26 – Thunder Valley Motocross – Lakewood, Colo.
Round 7 – July 3 – RedBud – Buchanan, Mich.
Round 8 – July 17 – Spring Creek Motocross – Millville, Minn.
Round 9 – July 24 – Washougal Motocross – Washougal, Wash.
Round 10 – Aug 14 – Unadilla Valley Sports Center – New Berlin, N.Y.
Round 11 – Aug 28 – Moto-X 338 – Southwick, Mass.
Round 12 – Sept 4 – Steel City Raceway – Delmont, Pa.
2010 AMA Supercross Schedule
Posted on April 7, 2010
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Round 1 – January 9 – Angel Stadium – Anaheim, CA
Round 2 – January 16 – Chase Field – Phoenix, AZ
Round 3 – January 23 – Angel Stadium – Anaheim, CA
Round 4 – January 30 – AT&T Park – San Francisco, CA
Round 5 – February 6 – Qualcomm Stadium – San Diego, CA
Round 6 – February 13 – Angel Stadium – Anaheim, CA
Round 7 – February 20 – Lucas Oil Stadium – Indianapolis, IN
Round 8 – February 27 – Georgia Dome – Atlanta, GA
Round 9 – March 6 – Daytona International Speedway – Daytona, FL
Round 10 – March 13 – Rogers Centre – Toronto, ON, CANADA
Round 11 – March 20 – Cowboy Stadium – Arlington / Dallas, TX
Round 12 – March 27 – Jacksonville Municipal Stadium – Jacksonville, FL
Round 13 – April 10 – Reliant Stadium – Houston, TX
Round 14 – April 17 – Edward Jones Dome – St. Louis, MO
Round 15 – April 24 – Quest Field – Seattle, WA
Round 16 – May 1 – Rice-Eccles – Salt Lake City, UT
Round 17 – May 8 – Sam Boyd Stadium – Las Vegas, NV
James Bubba Stewart aiming for Houston Supercross
Posted on April 7, 2010
Filed Under AMA Supercross | 3 Comments
James “Bubba” Stewart is aiming for a return to the AMA Supercross series for round 13 in Houston Texas. The 2009 AMA supercross champion is continuing rehabilitation on his right wrist and is hoping to make his return to racing the open class.
James Stewart
James Stewart started riding a dirt bike at the age of 3 and entered his first race the following year at just 4 years old. Bubba has since won AMA Supercross, FIM World Supercross and AMA Motocross Championships, and also has the Motocross of Nations and US Open of Supercross titles in his list of achievements.
When James does return to Supercross he is sure to give the points leaders a run for their money.
Black Duck Valley Dirt Bike Park Open Easter 2010
Posted on April 6, 2010
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Black Duck Valley is once again open to the public and I was fortunate enough to spend two days riding and camping over the Easter long weekend 2010. The tracks are exactly the same as they were when the park closed down in December 2008.
It seems that the park has seen little use since it closed going by the grass growing over the tracks
Black Duck Valley - Circle Track
If you haven’t been to Black Duck Valley before there are two tracks to cater for complete beginner and junior riders, another two for intermediate junior riders and one for advanced junior riders. Then there are three more tracks that cater for senior riders from novice to advanced.
Track one is for advanced riders only and includes an awesome 90ft table top that launches you high into the air. I hit this one in 3rd gear in the meat of the power on my CRF450 to clear it. As well as a bunch of other fairly big table top jumps there is also a set of three fairly short table tops in succession which are pretty cool once you get the correct rhythm.
Track two attracts riders from novice to advanced probably due to its wide sweeping corners and fast flowing open straights with a mix of step up, step down and an 80ft table top jump. The first step up jump on this track is awesome and the 80ft table top lies at the end of the main straight which gives riders ample time to set up before tackling the ramp.
Track four is a tight track packed with table tops which will have you jumping more than you’ll be on the ground. This is a fun track once you get a decent rhythm going with a couple of medium length table top jumps mixed in.
There are a few payment options if you want to pay a once off registration with a yearly subscription fee which will save you heaps if you go to the park regularly. You can also pay on the day now, which is sure to attract more people to the park once again.
Yearly subscription will cost you $360 a year after a once of registration fee.
1.$1100 Upfront ( 1 payment )
2.$360 Upfront ( 1 payment ) Followed by 10 monthly payments of $80 ( total cost $1160 )
3.$100 Upfront ( 1 payment ) Followed by 11 monthly payments of $100 ( total cost $1200 )
Alternatively you can pay on the day based on your age.
Under 8yrs $10
8-12yrs $20
13-18yrs $40
over 18yrs $50
Camping costs $10 per night for a registered family or single member.
The facilities haven’t changed. They still have 3 hot showers at the top camping area. Flushing toilets in both camping areas and cold showers in the bottom camping area, but from what I’d could see the cold showers didn’t appear to be hooked up anyway.
Drinks, ice and firewood are available from reception. They don’t however, carry any spare parts so it might be worthwhile to pack some spare levers and stuff if you plan on staying a few days. They do have a tyre changing machine if your stuck.
There is a renewed focus on safety at Black Duck Valley. You must complete an induction before you are permitted to ride on any of the tracks at the motorcycle park. It is also made clear that you are not covered by insurance if you participate in any activity associated with a dirt bike, including unloading the bike from a trailer. I initially wasn’t concerned with this as I knew the problems the previous owners had with liability but thinking about it now, I have a Motorcycling Australia (MA) licence which includes insurance at MA affiliated clubs. Clubs like Fort Lytton have their own public liability insurance, but Black Duck Valley still can’t get it?
In contrast to this it is also made clear that the park wants to create a place were you’ll be coming back for years. A relaxed environment were you do not exceed your abilities, do not attempt ramps that are beyond your ability and keep a moderate pace.
On Easter Sunday 2010 there were over 50 riders spread over all of the tracks. There was a person delegated to each track to keep an eye on the riders and also to assist in the event of a crash. I did see the flashing lights on the patrol vehicles go off a couple of times and delivered riders back to their campsites with fresh ice and assistance.
What else would you expect, after all it is all about dirt bike riding. A big thumbs up to the guys making a visit to Black Duck Valley again a reality and lets hope they get enough support to continue and improve the park into the future.
Wrong Way
Dirt bike insurance
Posted on March 30, 2010
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I was curious about how much dirt bike insurance would cost and what the insurance companies were prepared to cover in Australia so I had a look around to see what’s available out of the insurance companies that appear online.
JLT Dirt Bike Insurance
First one I looked at was JLT Dirt Bike Insurance. To cover a dirt bike worth $10,000 they will charge you an annual premium of $321. The bike is only covered for theft if it is chained up when not in use and chained up in an enclosed building when kept at the garaging address.*
Insure My Ride
Insure My Ride came in at $754.86 including the 25% discount for applying online with an excess of $400. I also specified that the bike would be keep indoors at my home address. Looking briefly at the policy it also states that you can’t claim if your bike is being prepared for or engaged in racing. I couldn’t find anything specific about theft from home or elsewhere but the policy did say
“You must take all reasonable steps to protect your bike,
riding gear and personal valuables from loss, theft and
damage, and comply with all legal requirements regarding
the safety and maintenance of your bike.”
*
Famous Insurance
Famous Insurance gave me an online quote of $291.06 for the year with an excess of $150 basic and $350 for theft. Their conditions include that the dirt bike must be in a secured trailer or premises.
QBE Insurance
After filling out a request for an online quote QBE sent an email stating that the information provided was insufficient to make a quote. I stated basic information without anything out of the ordinary so this may provide them with a reason to call your directly?
There are a few other insurance companies that will insure dirt bikes. Most of them seem to have the same requirements should you need to claim against theft and none that I saw will cover the bike while you are riding it. Be careful as there may be some circumstances where you’re not covered even moving the dirt bike from one location to another.
I guess the best thing you can do is secure your bike the best way you can in all situations.
Why you should check your sprocket bolts
Posted on March 29, 2010
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I recently went camping for 4 days at a 4WD and Motocross park in Northern NSW. I’m usually pretty good with staying on top of bike maintenance and always do pre-ride checks. I’ll check the spokes, chain tension, axle and other bolts. I’ll also rev the engine and look over the bike checking for rattles or vibration. Anything that’s working loose on a dirt bike should be obvious when the engine vibrates as you rev it.
I tightened up the sprocket bolts before the first days riding and everything else checked out fine. On the morning of day three of the trip I was eager to get out and do some laps as the rain had been on and of since we arrived and the weather had cleared for now. I quickly looked over the bike for visual signs of loose parts and didn’t see anything suspicious.
Dirt Bike Broken Sprocket
After cutting quite a few laps and landing on the down ramp of a table top the motor stopped suddenly and the bike felt weird. I new something was wrong as the motor seemed to just drop out without the usual drag from the engine when it stalls.
Sure enough, i looked at the rear wheel only to find my rear sprocket had broken into three separate pieces, torn the bolts and tabs clean off a couple of points on the hub, and jammed the chain into my now broken my chain guide. After pushing the bike back to the camp site and stripping the broken parts off the bike I noticed that it also took a gouge out of the inside of the swing arm and tore teeth off the front sprocket.
Dirt Bike Broken Hub
Now I’ve fitted a new Talon sprocket on a new set of rims and used medium strength loctite to make sure they stay tight. Also fitted a new chain, front sprocket and chain guide. I’ve had to learn an expensive lesson, so hopefully by reading this you won’t do the same.
Seized Chain Tension Adjuster Bolt
Posted on March 16, 2010
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I recently had the misfortune of my chain adjuster bolt all but seizing up on my crf450r. The bolt couldn’t be turned without stripping the head of the bolt. The only way I could adjust the chain was to remove the axle and use a socket to cup the bolt end to avoid stripping it.
Chain Tension Adjuster Bolt
With a few squirts of INOX lubricant (like CRC), quite a few actually combined with working the bolt in and out a few times using a socket wrench I managed to return the movement to normal. It’s surprising how much heartache a little bit of build up can do. There was only a small amount of build up on the bolt but this was enough to almost completely seize it.
The lesson here is to always spray on some anti rust/lubricant on all adjustable bolts and other parts that are exposed to water and such. I regularly spray my spoke nipples, foot peg springs so I’ll add chain tension bolt to the list of maintenance items.
Black duck valley reopens but it won’t please everyone
Posted on December 9, 2009
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Black Duck Valley reopened on the 6th December 2009. However it will cost you a one off registration fee of $800 plus an annual fee of $360 dollars to ride there. Camping is $10 per night per card holder.
They are also offering a direct deposit payment plan for the $800 registration fee but the $360 yearly fee must be paid up front.
First Corner Blues
Posted on November 11, 2009
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Down and out
You race into the first corner after getting a great start only to find yourself tangled up in a mess of bikes. You change your line at the last minute and narrowly miss out on taking a soil sample of your very own. Great, you are out of trouble, but because you came in so hot the bike stalls and you are left with the task of firing your bike up again.
With all the adrenalin running through your veins you’re eager to get going so you try to start your four stroke while it’s still in gear in an effort to save time, instead of worrying about finding neutral like you know you should. Finally you give up and click the gear lever a few times rolling the bike to make sure you’ve got it and then kick it over again, even pulling in the hot start lever this time.
Left behind
Now the problem you have is that the rest of the pack has been speeding away the whole time you’ve been trying to get moving. The biggest problem you have is the feeling of failure, there is a huge gap between you and first place and if your in a relatively short moto the tension and disappointment builds quickly.
Choices
So what do you do? Give up, take it easy and save your strength for the next moto or dig deep and chase them down? Ask yourself this question. If you were watching someone in the same situation what would you expect them to do?
A helping hand
Imagine you have seen the guy stall or crash in the first corner and you’ve run over to help, only he’s handed over the bike to you because he thinks its all to hard to catch up. You’ve got nothing to loose so you decide to go for it! Now if you look at it as if someone else caused the problem and your trying to salvage as many points as possible you will most likely have a much better outlook on the race and restored confidence.
Pride and glory
So now the race is over and you gave it everything you had. You chased down a bunch of riders and maybe even got them all. It’s a great feeling to know you can come from behind and still put on a good show.
In the end
It’s times like these that make us better riders. You may have picked up some new lines or more speed because you rode more aggressively. That feeling will stay with you in the future. It’s important not to give up, always ride to your ability and try just that little bit harder sometimes..
Chad Reed No 1 in Motocross
Posted on August 25, 2009
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Chad Reed has wrapped up the 2009 AMA motocross championship in round 10 of the series at Budds Creek. Reed finished 2nd in moto 1 after a late charge but Millsaps hung on for the win. Josh Grant slid out on a corner and didn’t complete the race after aggravating an injury he suffered whilst competing in the X Games.
Moto 2 saw Ivan Tedesco hold on to an early lead until pressure from Chad Reed forced a mistake and Reed lead for the remainder of the moto. Reed threw away his goggles with 2 laps to go after using rolloffs in wet conditions.
Andrew Short, who holds second place points in the championship finished 10th in moto 2 increased the margin by more than 100 points which makes it impossible for anyone else to take the championship with only two rounds remaining and 100 points up for grabs.