So it’s 8 AM local time as I sit in the Brussels airport awaiting my final flight into Italy for the opening round of the 2009 MXGP. That means its midnight back in California where I took off. I wasn’t able to sleep on the plane…probably because of the phenomenal programming on the in-flight television and the delectable cuisine served to me. Or maybe it because its only midnight back home and I would still probably be up reading comments on the website while I watch syndicated Family Guy episodes.

While I was cleaning up the junk on my Blackberry, I came across multiple, uh, inspiring photos of Swap that I had snapped off when he wasn’t paying attention…or conscious. Here are two that are particularly telling of his dedication to motocross..and bowel movements.

Angel Stadium welcomed a bunch of Monster trucks and a slough of people last weekend and, yes, I was there to bear witness to the glory that is Monster Jam. It all started early last week at lunch. As the TWMX crew all sat down at our favorite Orange County spot for sliders, we noticed some Monster Jam action on the big screens. At first we chuckled at whole spectacle of it all, but after a while I realized we were glued to the TV. It was like staring at a bug zapper. Before I knew it, we were begging Swap to get us tickets; and since Feld Motorsports promotes both Supercross and Monster Jam, only a phone call was needed.

Since being stuck in Seattle over Christmas due to weather, I have had plenty of time to sit back and take my surroundings. I am from the Northwest and have spent my entire life there up until my move to California about a year and a half ago. And other than Seattle Supercross last season, I haven’t returned to my roots once.

While sitting in the airport, and then later walking through downtown Kirkland, I remember the look that has defined Pacific Northwesterners. You know the look, and it spreads far beyond the Northwest I am sure, but it seems most celebrated here.

I’ll break it down for you…

Pants: Carhartt denim; always in some sort of earth tone

Shirt: Tee from some local brewery or fly fishing shop, or a muted button-down from L.L. Bean or REI

Socks: In winter, wool. In summer, wool

Footwear: summer, Chacos or Tevas (with wool socks if possible); winter, Lace-up boots (Vasque, Merrell, etc) or slip-on boots

Headwear: Knit beanie with tassel on top, or cap from same brewery of fly shop on tee

Dog: Labrador with Silverfoot woven collar. leash made from climbing robe and attached with carabiner.

Jacket: Fleece, ski shell, or down jacket from Northface, Marmot, Patagonia, Arc’teryx, or Mountain Hardwear.

Accessories: Suunto Watch with altimeter. daypack from Mountain Gear or one of the companies mentioned above. Nalgene bottle with various stickers from mountaineering or non-profit companies. REI membership card.

What’s better than racing A Day in the Dirt? Not much of anything I can think of… But a distant second may be racing the exact same track with a fresh track prep and a fraction of the racers; and being able to be home before noon. Yep. Its awesome.

This last weekend the TransWorldMX crew met at LA County Raceway for the CRC (California Racing Club) Merry Christmas GP, where they were utilizing the ADITD track before the end of the year. This year’s track was incredible; rough, but fun as hell. The super-fast uphills and downhills, the concrete straightaway, deep sand… so much fun.

Ya know, I was actually doing semi-okay too…until the last lap. I just had to screw it up, just had to stare at the rut in the turn….stare and stare and stare, until I pushed the front end and was sent over the bars and onto the back of my head. I took it as yet another lesson learned: don’t look at the rut or your fender, eyes up, look ahead.

I have to be honest, getting dead-last kind of sucks. I don’t where I placed in this last GP, because the results still have yet to be posted, but I imagine it is somewhere near the back. Granted, a few dudes DNF’ed, but still…

Even so, I have been having a blast racing. Even if my results aren’t showing it, I know that racing has improved my ability exponentially. Riding practice days kept me riding in my comfort zone, and it left me no room to improve. Racing has forced me to ride faster and more aggressively for more laps at a time. So even if I don’t post great results, I am stoked on my progression.

If you have read any of Swap’s or my blogs, than you probably know that I have taken up racing as of late. And as you know, racing can put some damage on your gear as well as your pocket book. Well, its done exactly that with me. With all of the driving, race entry fees, bike parts, and gas station food, I’ve had to take out a second mortgage on the house that I don’t own. Add that to the constant abuse that my ego takes every time I see race results, and I am a pathetic case.

Well, thanks to Reidar Oyen at Scott USA, my race burden has been lessened a bit. He has heard that I’ve been trying to climb the never-was ranks of beginner racing, and was kind enough to support the cause. I was greeted at the office earlier this week with a box of tear-offs for my Voltage Airs from the moto marketing manager, and I was pumped. Since I run at the back of the pack, I get roosted a ton. Hence, I go through a lot of tear-offs. Let’s do the math: 10 20-packs of tear-off is 200 tear-offs, so… that should get me through at least two motos. Victory is mine.

Now, if I could only get the guys at Scott to send gas money…

Anyway, thanks Reidar.

CK

I just returned home from my Thanksgiving jaunt to the annual A Day in the Dirt, and although I hurt to my core, I am beaming with satisfaction. It seems more often than not that no matter how great an event is these days, you just can’t convince people that it compares to “the good ole’ days.”

“Mammoth was awesome! I just love that track; the mountains, the weather, the soil. It’s amazing.”

“Yeah, but you should have raced it ten years ago when it was really good…”

I hate those comments. I’m tired of feeling like I missed out on the special events and races that make our sport special. And that is why I am so happy today. I know that I was a part of something special this weekend; something just plain fun, unique, and real. And I am not going to cheat anyone by saying “you should have been there,” but I will say, you should be there next year. It was great this year… and it will be great next year too. Every year, Elrod Racing brings the Hollywood film and stunt community together with the motocross community for the most fun grand prix around. The track is amazing, the races are exciting, the comradery is second to none, the stories astonishing.

I met a guy named Chris from Munich, Germany who flew over to the States solely to race A Day in the Dirt. He told me in far better English than I speak that he loved it; better than anything in Germany.

Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks again to everyone who makes A Day in the Dirt possible. And before I begin to ramble, I think I’ll retire and continue flipping through photos.

CK

Last weekend I raced, once again, with Swap out at LA County Raceway. And again, it was a lot of fun. I had horrible arm pump and I finished both motos in the back of the back, but I did enjoy myself. I liked the concrete starts and I jumped off the line in both motos relatively well. It was the 6 and 7 lap motos themselves that ruined me. I don’t know if it was the excessive C.L’s I drank on Halloween still haunting me, or just my nerves, but I could not hold on after three laps.

The track quickly turned to rough, true motocross abuse early in the day, and the wind stuck around throughout, but the sun was shining and the layout was fun. So, the racing bug was still under my skin when we loaded up late that afternoon and I headed back to Orange County.

So with the racing bug still alive and well, and yet another race day slated for LA County Raceway, I was scheduled to meet Swap, P-Lo, and the Ladle early this Sunday morning. Yet, instead of racing right now, I am typing this. Yep, I flaked. I just couldn’t bring myself to drive the two hours after I saw the weather report late last night. With a high of 60 and a low of 40 predicted, the temperature wasn’t ideal, but it was manageable. It was the 30 mph winds that were set to complement the cool temperatures that turned my nose away.

The light winds the weekend before threatened to ruin my weekend; I don’t think I could bear legitimate winds after a two hour drive. I know, I am lucky to be able to race right now. Many of you are dealing with real cold and real weather, so my excuse holds little weight. But I say this, I will be ready for A Day in the Dirt, and I plan on not finishing dead last.

So there I am, sitting on my 2009 RM-Z250 watching Swap prep my gate, and all I can think about it is, Maybe I should have crapped first…

That’s right, not only did Swap prep my gate, he even filled out my race entry forms and prepped my bike. I tell you what, there is no better man to go racing with than Swap. Not only is he pretty damn entertaining, he absolutely loves racing. He makes racing that much better for everyone around him, and for me, it makes it far easier.

I have avoided racing for the most part, due mostly to my, let’s say, lack of enthusiasm toward competition. Well, that and I’m slow. I realized, though, that it doesn’t really matter. No matter how slow you are, there are a bunch of other guys that are just as slow to bang bars with. Although for me, winning isn’t really a driving factor for me to continue to tag along with Swap to races. Instead, I am motivated go back because the racing atmosphere just seems help me (and most everyone, I would guess) progress. Cruising around the track is pretty ideal for me, but I am not really getting any better. I easily settle in to my usual pace and hesitate to push myself. In the race situation, however, even if you have no intention, or chance, of winning, you can’t help but ride as fast as you can at that moment. I like that. I need that. Heaven knows I am not getting any better doing 3-lap cruising motos at Perris.

So, I guess I’ll see you at the races. I’ll be the one that Swap is pulling the downed bike off of.

Qualifying at des Nations kept the crew more than busy today, but we had a blast doing our job. The weather was, yet again, quite nice and the track was fun to shoot. Swap had the video rolling and Lutes and I shot stills while the American team reminded the rest of the world just how fast they really are. RV and Bubba dominated, while Ferry conducted a signature battle through the pack after a crappy start. Good times.

Team USA, however, weren’t the only ones making an impression. I must say, Zach Osborne surprised the hell out of me. After starting in 11th place, Osborne zigged and zagged through the rest of the Open class in route to an exciting pass on Michael Byrne on the finish line jump. He came in hot on Byrner in the final laps, and he didn’t leave any room for Byrner to breathe. He followed him into deep ruts and bumped his tire, just so he knew he was there. He was tenacious. It was a great final lap on a fun day.