Nine days and 5000 miles since my last post, I have arrived in Munich, Germany for the World Cup. Before I dive into that topic though, I must mention the rest of my experience in South Africa. Upon arriving at the airport for my early morning trip to Durban from Cape Town, Chris Endean and his Red Circle Racing crew were nothing but kind and welcoming to me. As I followed them on their racing endeavours, I could not stop relfecting on how amazing and unique was my experience. The chance to travel with a race team to a professional motocross event, no matter what country its takes place in, was an experience of pure joy and one that I will not soon forget.
The race team dynamics, interactions with the other teams, track crew, sponsors, and various other participants at the Maritzburg Motocross Club track was absolutley a dream come true. This is an informal thank you to all those who made my experience possible. I will soon post some pictures from the race so that everyone who visits this site can get a taste of what I witnessed.
As for Germany, what can I say? Family, friends, bier gartens and fussball...does life get any better?
-Bayo
Friday, June 23, 2006
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
I figure by posting a blog, it saves me a lot of time emailing people indivdually. Check out the PHOTOS link on the right side menu. Click on SOUTH AFRICA for some of my favorite pics so far from this trip. Deji has been treating me, well, like a brother I guess and I cannot say enough about the life he has set up for himself here. He is doing very well. Please feel free to leave a comment on this blog or just send me an email when you get the chance.
This weekend I am off to Durban to cover the sixth round of the South African National Motocross Championship and will be following one of the race teams around. I'll post some more pics next Tuesday.
-Bayo
This weekend I am off to Durban to cover the sixth round of the South African National Motocross Championship and will be following one of the race teams around. I'll post some more pics next Tuesday.
-Bayo
Monday, March 27, 2006
The End of CA
Another two weeks has passed, and its hard to believe we are already leaving the Golden State. This is coming to you from our last stop in California, from the town of Redding...about two hours northeast of San Francisco.
Two days ago we had the unbelievable happen to us: rain once again hampered the school we put on in Marysville. Throughout the night, rain accumulated more than an inch, but once day broke, so to did the rain. In an amazing twist, and thanks to the efforts of the Marysville Motocross track crew, the sun came out and the track dried to where it was not only rideable, it was fun. Thanks again to Charlie and Mike for doing such a great job with pumping the water out of that small river basin (not an easy task).
Two nights ago we made our way up here to Redding to stay with some more long time friends of Tony. Yesterday, for me, was my first day of enjoyable, non-school oriented riding in over a week (which is a long break when you are on a MOTOCROSS tour)! Coyote Ridge track is located only fifteen minutes from where we are staying and is tucked into the hills and canyons of the Mount Shasta area. With both Mt Shasta and Mt. Somethingortoher snow-capped in the distance, the green hills and deep canyons, for me its safe to say Coyote Ridge was in one of the more picturesque track locations I have ever visited.
Another two weeks has passed, and its hard to believe we are already leaving the Golden State. This is coming to you from our last stop in California, from the town of Redding...about two hours northeast of San Francisco.
Two days ago we had the unbelievable happen to us: rain once again hampered the school we put on in Marysville. Throughout the night, rain accumulated more than an inch, but once day broke, so to did the rain. In an amazing twist, and thanks to the efforts of the Marysville Motocross track crew, the sun came out and the track dried to where it was not only rideable, it was fun. Thanks again to Charlie and Mike for doing such a great job with pumping the water out of that small river basin (not an easy task).
Two nights ago we made our way up here to Redding to stay with some more long time friends of Tony. Yesterday, for me, was my first day of enjoyable, non-school oriented riding in over a week (which is a long break when you are on a MOTOCROSS tour)! Coyote Ridge track is located only fifteen minutes from where we are staying and is tucked into the hills and canyons of the Mount Shasta area. With both Mt Shasta and Mt. Somethingortoher snow-capped in the distance, the green hills and deep canyons, for me its safe to say Coyote Ridge was in one of the more picturesque track locations I have ever visited.
Saturday, March 18, 2006
143 Day Record
What a wild few days it has been. Driving, eating, driving, sleeping, driving, riding...oh, and did I mention driving?
Staying alert on the road can be a challenge at times, but you adjust and find new forms of entertainment.
Beginning on Wednesday afternoon, and ending about 45 hours later on Friday, the Tony D Moto express made a non-stop journey from Yardley, PA to Phoneix, AZ via the Great American interstate system.
Watching the landscape go by, slowly changing from state to state is something everyone should experience at least once in a lifetime.
Steve Ballmer, an old friend of Tony’s, is kind enough every year to let us crash at his house outside of Phoneix. They know each other from the very early days of Pro Circuit, back when it was called Anaheim Husqvarna. Steve worked with Mitch Payton there, and Tony helped out and rode their machines...many good stories.
When we arrived, the weather was a bit cold and with a forecast for rain. Actually on our way through Flagstaff, we ran through some snow so we knew the forecast couldn’t be far off. Although we had our doubts, considering there had not been rain in Phoneix for 142 days.
Sure enough, at 12:03am on Saturday, the rain started dropping, marking the record for no rain at 143 days! And why not let the deluge occur on the one day of our motocross school? Needless to say, the school was a quagmire. Of the students signed up, about 2/3 showed up, but by the end there were only four remaining. We had to give those guys some extra goodies just for sticking it out and making our 2500 mile journey worth the trouble.
Jeff “The New Kid” Yeomans and I just returned from the Speed World track after a nice, calm day of riding. Yesterday was just short of hell on earth, and unfortunatelyI was not able to take any pictures, but the bikes were still in the same condition this morning as you can see. Not the best way to break in two brand new motorcycles, but one must use the cards that are dealt.
Next stop is Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernadino, CA. We will be out there for about 10 days, getting the bikes set up by Pro Circuit, doing some meeting and greeting with moto-industry big shots, and trying to take in some Cali warmth...if its not raining!
What a wild few days it has been. Driving, eating, driving, sleeping, driving, riding...oh, and did I mention driving?
Staying alert on the road can be a challenge at times, but you adjust and find new forms of entertainment. Beginning on Wednesday afternoon, and ending about 45 hours later on Friday, the Tony D Moto express made a non-stop journey from Yardley, PA to Phoneix, AZ via the Great American interstate system.
Watching the landscape go by, slowly changing from state to state is something everyone should experience at least once in a lifetime. Steve Ballmer, an old friend of Tony’s, is kind enough every year to let us crash at his house outside of Phoneix. They know each other from the very early days of Pro Circuit, back when it was called Anaheim Husqvarna. Steve worked with Mitch Payton there, and Tony helped out and rode their machines...many good stories.
When we arrived, the weather was a bit cold and with a forecast for rain. Actually on our way through Flagstaff, we ran through some snow so we knew the forecast couldn’t be far off. Although we had our doubts, considering there had not been rain in Phoneix for 142 days.
Sure enough, at 12:03am on Saturday, the rain started dropping, marking the record for no rain at 143 days! And why not let the deluge occur on the one day of our motocross school? Needless to say, the school was a quagmire. Of the students signed up, about 2/3 showed up, but by the end there were only four remaining. We had to give those guys some extra goodies just for sticking it out and making our 2500 mile journey worth the trouble.
Jeff “The New Kid” Yeomans and I just returned from the Speed World track after a nice, calm day of riding. Yesterday was just short of hell on earth, and unfortunatelyI was not able to take any pictures, but the bikes were still in the same condition this morning as you can see. Not the best way to break in two brand new motorcycles, but one must use the cards that are dealt.
Next stop is Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernadino, CA. We will be out there for about 10 days, getting the bikes set up by Pro Circuit, doing some meeting and greeting with moto-industry big shots, and trying to take in some Cali warmth...if its not raining!
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Final Preparations
Yesterday was a flurry of activity at Tony D's house. On top of getting all of the equipment ready for the road, the DiStefanos are in the process of finishing details for their new home so they can be granted their official occupancy papers.
Its always exciting to work on new motorcycles, and thanks to Suzuki we have the pleasure of working on five untouched bikes all at once.
Okay, so I haven’t really been working on them so much as applying decals, but believe me that is no easy task. Greg (aka, Greghead) is our go-to-guy when it comes to bike maintenance and has been working overtime to get us ready for the road. I tried to snap off a good photo of him for all the ladies out there.
No major changes to the graphics scheme this year for the bikes or the trailer. However, we may try to add a 25th Anniversary theme to the bike graphics after this West Coast trip.
That’s right, Tony D has been doing this gig for 25 years now, teaching motocross schools in every corner of the US (and apparently Canada at one point). Needless to say he feels very comfortable on the road.
Jeff (aka, New Kid) and I are both psyched to be getting out of this cold weather and get a whirlwind tour of motocross in America. This will be the New Kid’s first venture out west, and while I have done it before, every experience is a new one.
That’s all for now, this train...err trailer, leaves in two days. All aboard!
Yesterday was a flurry of activity at Tony D's house. On top of getting all of the equipment ready for the road, the DiStefanos are in the process of finishing details for their new home so they can be granted their official occupancy papers.
Its always exciting to work on new motorcycles, and thanks to Suzuki we have the pleasure of working on five untouched bikes all at once.
Okay, so I haven’t really been working on them so much as applying decals, but believe me that is no easy task. Greg (aka, Greghead) is our go-to-guy when it comes to bike maintenance and has been working overtime to get us ready for the road. I tried to snap off a good photo of him for all the ladies out there.No major changes to the graphics scheme this year for the bikes or the trailer. However, we may try to add a 25th Anniversary theme to the bike graphics after this West Coast trip.
That’s right, Tony D has been doing this gig for 25 years now, teaching motocross schools in every corner of the US (and apparently Canada at one point). Needless to say he feels very comfortable on the road. Jeff (aka, New Kid) and I are both psyched to be getting out of this cold weather and get a whirlwind tour of motocross in America. This will be the New Kid’s first venture out west, and while I have done it before, every experience is a new one.
That’s all for now, this train...err trailer, leaves in two days. All aboard!
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
I thought any of you moto-hounds out there might appreciate this one. This photo is also from Tom White's motocross museum. While the image is just of an old yellow, lined piece of paper, its significance is priceless. This is actually Edison Dye's original, hand written invoice for his first shipment of Husqvarna motorcycles. The description says:
"Edison's hand written allocation of the first container shipment of 15 Husqvarna 250cc Cross's. Note his calculation of cost to him in Swedish currency...as he estimates his cost...His margin of 37% assured that he would be able to afford proper promotion of his proprietary product"
"Yeah, so what...its still just an invoice", you say. Not so fast! This parchment signifies one of the essential milestones for the modern era of motocross racing in the US. Without Edison's drive to promote and sell motocross machines stateside, motocross racing may have never caught on in North America.
Along with that, of course, were the original checks made out to Edison's brigade of European riders, namely Roger DeCoster, Torsten Hallman, and Christin something (can quite make out the name) for US$350. Very Cool!
Well, just got the word from Tony D. Looks like we will not be leaving for our cross-country tour until next week. Apparently there was some miscommunication, and the Suzuki flyers for Three Palms were not distributed. While riders on other brands had signed up to participate, Suzuki is the school’s main sponsor, and it does not look good if no Suzuki’s show up, especially since they can attend for free.
Now our first stop will be at Speed World MX in Surprise, AZ. While I was looking forward to getting on the road, I cannot say I’m too disappointed in skipping Texas...although we will probably still go there, only now at the end of the trip. This extra time can now be used for better preparation of the new RM-Zs we only just received on Saturday. Those 450s are MONSTERS and I’m a little intimidated, but with a few days on them I’ll adjust. They are probably the best fit for my 6’3”, 190lbs. frame anyways.
Otherwise there is not too much excitement here on the New Jersey front, so in order to retain the moto-theme of this blog, this is a photo taken a few weeks back at Tom White’s (of White Bros. fame) private motocross museum in Anaheim. The collection is really incredible if you are into moto-history (Tony D on the left, Tom on the right).
Now our first stop will be at Speed World MX in Surprise, AZ. While I was looking forward to getting on the road, I cannot say I’m too disappointed in skipping Texas...although we will probably still go there, only now at the end of the trip. This extra time can now be used for better preparation of the new RM-Zs we only just received on Saturday. Those 450s are MONSTERS and I’m a little intimidated, but with a few days on them I’ll adjust. They are probably the best fit for my 6’3”, 190lbs. frame anyways.
Otherwise there is not too much excitement here on the New Jersey front, so in order to retain the moto-theme of this blog, this is a photo taken a few weeks back at Tom White’s (of White Bros. fame) private motocross museum in Anaheim. The collection is really incredible if you are into moto-history (Tony D on the left, Tom on the right).
Monday, February 27, 2006
Hello everyone,
This will be my first of hopefully many posts (if I stick with it) documenting my up coming travels around the country and abroad as well. I am currently building a website that will offer more than just a blog, with audio, video, and photo files, but this will suffice for the next few weeks.
On Thursday, March 2, I will be leaving from the east coast with 3 time 250cc AMA National Champion, Tony DiStefano, for the beginning of his Motocross School year. Check out his website here www.tonydmxschool.com
Our first stop is Three Palms Raceway in Conroe, TX ouside of Houston. That should be interesting. I have had some sketchy experiences traveling south of the Mason Dixon, so I look forward to...well...the unexpected. Its a different culture down there, and my past experience is you either feel welcomed or you want to get the hell out, there's no middle ground. I'm hoping for the former.
This will be my first of hopefully many posts (if I stick with it) documenting my up coming travels around the country and abroad as well. I am currently building a website that will offer more than just a blog, with audio, video, and photo files, but this will suffice for the next few weeks.
On Thursday, March 2, I will be leaving from the east coast with 3 time 250cc AMA National Champion, Tony DiStefano, for the beginning of his Motocross School year. Check out his website here www.tonydmxschool.com
Our first stop is Three Palms Raceway in Conroe, TX ouside of Houston. That should be interesting. I have had some sketchy experiences traveling south of the Mason Dixon, so I look forward to...well...the unexpected. Its a different culture down there, and my past experience is you either feel welcomed or you want to get the hell out, there's no middle ground. I'm hoping for the former.
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