Sunday, March 13, 2011

Todd Thompson Championship Motocross Academy

For those of you that can help pass the word along, I have decided to start a MX school here in Redding.
Fliers are going out this coming week, and I hope to get enough interest to have one a month..
The following is how the flier reads:
Email inquiries to   info@ttmx206.com

Ever wanted to ride like the pro’s you see on TV? Now is your chance to get started. Summer X Games Silver medalist, Todd Thompson, is holding a limited time, education based racing school right here in Redding.
In one session, the school will cover the following-
Safety
Fitness
Equipment Maintenance
On track instruction
This school is open to anyone truly serious about taking their riding abilities to the next level, young or old, from 50 to 450cc.
Catered lunch for riders, and 2 guests, after our first track session. Give away's to students courtesy of Power Curve Performance, Rockstar Energy Drink, Tucker Rocky, and more...
School curriculum subject to change, tentative schedule is as follows:-Classroom instruction- Safety, fitness, bike prep, video analysis of riding technique
Track walk- discussion of obstacles, and familiarity of track surfaces
Track instruction- Instructors on track teaching while students ride, track broken down into segments to enable plenty of opportunity for success with each obstacle
Catered Lunch courtesy of Mary’s Pizza Shack- Track instruction- More student riding
Open track riding- allows students to put what they have learned to use
Entries refunded if weather makes it impossible to ride
- Fine tune your abilities to clear double jumps, carve turns, rip ruts, skim whoop sections, and holeshot your competition with proper starting technique.
- Professional race team mechanic on hand to discuss race day preparation, tire selections, suspension adjustments, and fuel selection for your bike.
: Everyday Fitness instructor, Ed, will be on hand to discuss proper diet, nutrition, exercise, hydration, and stretching.
: Helmet, goggles, gloves, boots, pants, jersey, neck protection, knee bracing, and more

Warren Macdonald

For those of you who may have never heard fo this man, Warren Macdonald, his story is incredible..
Warren and I have been in contact, exchanging emails, I am hoping to meet him soon..
Check out his story.. www.warren-macdonald.com

Post Daytona Update

Well, I made it thru one of the toughest days of racing I have ever had.  I felt really good waking up, ate a healthy breakfast, and got to the track at around 7am.  The track looked great, super fast, with plenty of challenging obstacles. 
Daytona is notoriously rough, which is why people travel from all over the world to race there.  When you put over 800 bikes on a track throughout the day, it makes for an impossible surface to train for.  Leading up to raceday, I got to ride only 3 times, due to the weather, and work.  On top of that, my bike had been on the race truck for two weeks prior just to get back to Florida.  I have another bike that I borrow from my friend, Jayson Burris, that is set up similar to my race bike.  It is only a 250, my race bike is a 450, so it makes it tough to simulate racing with so many variables. 
I went into raceday confident, and ready, despite my limited preparation.  The classes I chose to race, were an age group, 30 plus, which means only riders 30 years or older, and 450B, which is a 450cc intermediate classification.  Both classes have really talented racers, 30 plus having former AMA pros, and 450B, very fast up and comers.
The format for the day is similar to the supercross schedule on TV.. Heat races, last chance qualifiers, and main events. 
They took 13 riders from each heat race, in my class, there were 2 divisions, plus top two from the LCQ.
In 30 plus, I qualified 5th I believe, which transfered me to the main event directly.. In 450B, I got 14th, due to a late race fall, in which I was running 6th.  The track was going away fast, getting really rough, and rutted.
Earlier on in practice, I hit the ground pretty hard in the whoop section, where my bike landed on me, then another rider hit my bike, so I was pretty banged up and sore, but good to race.
I was not looking forward to riding any more than I had to, so the thought of the 450B LCQ, was not too pleasing.
Needless to say, I geared up, went to the line, and told myself to just ride smooth.  I got the holeshot, and checked out, which suprised me, due to the track conditions, and talent of racers.  That gave me some confidence going into the main events.
30 Plus main, got a mid pack start, which is unlike me, I usually am always up front.  Worked my way up to top 5, settled in, and just fought the track.. On lap 4, I bobbled in a deep rut and hit the dirt again, pushing me back to 12th.  Pissed off, I passed 3 positions, and took 9th..
After the race, I was exhausted, physically, and mentally, and my bike looked like it had been thru a war zone, in which it had.. That track was ridiculously rough, nothing I had ever raced before.. I chose to forego the 450B main event, due to my condition, and my bike was hammered..
Hindsight, I am ok with my result of 9th overall, I got another plaque, which makes 2 now, something many racers will never have.. Considering I was the only adaptive rider there, in a field of 900 riders, and one of 60 in each of my classes, i guess it could have been worse..