Josh and I hanging out in line for the Legends & Heroes autograph session.
Since I now live in California, I am pumped to be able to attend so many of the Supercross races. I literally live 15 minutes from Angel Stadium in Anaheim, so that’s also beautiful when it comes to California traffic. My boyfriend, Josh, and I hung out in the pits for eight hours before the races started. It was a blistering hot day, but we soaked up as much sun as we could (after all, we are from Ohio where winter is COLD).
Kurt Caselli bike on display at FMF tent.
Immediately after entering the pits, I was touched to see that the FMF tent was collecting donations of any amount for the Kurt Caselli Foundation. #RIPKC66 I still am heartbroken over this tragic event, but am so proud to see the industry come together to support him and his family with the establishment of this foundation.
This race was unique, as it celebrated the 40th anniversary of the AMA Supercross Championship. Nearly all of the past Supercross Champions were in attendance for a special ceremony and autograph signing event.
Standing with the Penton bikes.
I ran into Jack Penton who was there promoting his dad’s (John Penton) upcoming film release. I encourage you to check out Penton: The John Penton Story. I absolutely adore John and his family. I enjoy the hugs I receive from John every time that I see him, and I revel in the stories he tells me about the “old days.”
Standing with Pierre Karsmakers, the very first Supercross champion in 1974.
While walking around in the pits early in the day, I spotted Pierre Karsmakers, the VERY FIRST Supercross championship winner. I geeked out a little bit, pulling on Josh’s arm and telling him that was the first Supercross champ. Then, I worked up the courage to walk up to Pierre and introduce myself. He was such a sweetheart. Now, even though this was LONG before my time, I read that he had moved from Holland in 1973 after Yamaha hired him to help develop their U.S. program. He now lives in Belgium, according to CycleNews.com.
The numberplate signed by nearly all of the past Supercross champions.
Josh and I were on a mission to get shirts autographed for his sisters’ birthdays. We waited in line about 10 minutes to get a ticket to allow us to have James Stewart‘s autograph, to have the cut-off done long before it reached us. So, we then went over to the Kawasaki tent and were third in line to get a ticket. We waited two hours to get the shirts autographed, but we succeeded! During that two hours, we talked Supercross with a very sweet Canadian family waiting in line in front of us. Then we flipped over the the Legends and Heroes line to have nearly all of the past Supercross champions sign a numberplate for me. Of course, whenever I have neat items / memorabilia signed, I tend to gift them to my parents for display in their powersports dealership, Wheelsports. (How nice, I know.) I think the items receive more appreciation there, than hanging in my home or office.
I got to check out the Ryan Villopoto replica bike.
The racing was thrilling and the outcomes were definitely unexpected. Cole Seely snatched the 250SX win, with Rockstar Energy Racing’s Jason Anderson and Yamalube/Star Racing/Yamaha’s Cooper Webb in second and third respectively. However, following the race Anderson was docked two positions, because he failed to roll over a jump when the red-cross flag was out.
While I thought Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey was going to run away with the 450SX win after grabbing the holeshot, his luck changed on lap 6 when he crashed. Yoshimura Suzuki’s James Stewart took the lead for a while before Discount Tire Racing/TwoTwo Motorsports’ Chad Reed passed Stewart at the end of the race and captured the win. Meanwhile, Ryan Villopoto, the reigning champ, was only about to salvage a fifth place finish. I’m sure that a lot of people didn’t see that outcome happening.
This Supercross season is certainly shaping up to be exciting, with three different winners for the first three rounds. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the season has in store!
Results via SupercrossOnline.com:
250SX Class Results: Anaheim
1. Cole Seely, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Honda
2. Cooper Webb (YAM), Newport, N.C., Yamaha
3. Malcolm Stewart (HON), , Haines City, Fla., Honda
4. Jason Anderson (KTM), Rio Rancho, N.M., KTM
5. Justin Hill (KAW), , Yoncalla, Ore., Kawasaki
6. Shane McElrath, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda
7. Dean Wilson, Wesley Chapel, Fla., Kawasaki
8. Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda
9. Michael Leib, Menifee, Calif., Honda
10. Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda
250SX Class Season Standings
1. Cole Seely, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Honda, 69
2. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.M., KTM, 68
3. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha, 53
4. Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda, 53
5. Dean Wilson, Wesley Chapel, Fla., Kawasaki, 50
6. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Honda, 49
7. Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Kawasaki, 44
8. Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda, 35
9. Dean Ferris, Murrieta, Calif., KTM, 31
10. Shane McElrath, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda, 29
450SX Class Results: Anaheim
1. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Kawasaki
2. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki
3. Ken Roczen, Murrieta, Calif., KTM
4. Justin Brayton, Cornelius, N.C., Yamaha
5. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
6. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
7. Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Suzuki
8. Josh Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Suzuki
9. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM
10. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki
450SX Class Season Standings
1. Ken Roczen, Murrieta, Calif., KTM, 60
2. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 59
3. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Kawasaki, 57
4. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 57
5. Justin Brayton, Cornelius, N.C., Yamaha, 55
6. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki, 44
7. Justin Barcia, Pinetta, Fla., Honda, 42
8. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM, 38
9. Wil Hahn, Menifee, Calif., Honda, 30
10. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki, 26
The KJSC once again boasted a talented group of young riders. These kids could kick my butt on that track!
KTM Junior Supercross Challenge
1. Reed Vogan, Cameron park, Calif., KTM
2. Justice Rutledge, West Valley, Utah, KTM
3. Ricky Negrate, North Hills, Calif., KTM
4. Dylann Dranke, San Jose, Calif., KTM
5. Dylan Howard, Julian, Calif., KTM
6. Mikayla Nielsen, Riverside, Calif., KTM
7. Jordan Dowell, Ventura, Calif., KTM
8. Aiden Otten, Lakeside, Calif., KTM
9. Raul Gutierez, Temecula, Calif., KTM
10. Maddix Laughton, Escondido, Calif., KTM
11. Landon Glodowski, Twin Falls, Idaho, KTM
12. Niko Munoz, Los Angeles, KTM
13. Mackenzie Caverill, Frazier Park, Calif., KTM
14. Braxton Horta, Mesa, Ariz., KTM
15. Jeremy Garcia, Phoenix, KTM