They break out of the gate like aggravated wasps
from the hive. Their finely tuned engines biting into
a mixture of high octane fuel and oil, leaving a
detergent odor in the air with a backlash spray of
dirt and mud. The sprinkling of rain
during the pre-dawn has left the 60,000 cubic feet of
dirt moisty, meaty and perfect for these able racers.
Their trainers and mechanics rolling the two wheeled
magic carpets to the mark, while the jockeys kick a
well shaped cavity into the faceless dirt -- soon to
be bitten by the staggered teeth of their
chain-driven knobbie tires.
No longer the one jump event of "Evil Kneivel"
yesteryear, these neon painted mustangs routinely
complete seventy foot jumps, achieving heights that
could clear a two story house. Twice a lap, in fact,
in a multi-lapped heat, with no more than fifty feet
in which to return to earth and lean into a 180
degree hairpin turn. In roughly five seconds, they've
landed, changed direction, and begun teetering like
"California Gnarly" hand signs across the stuttered
moguls. Two minutes into the heat, the
dense team of wasps has become a wisping swarm of
scattered tumblers hovering over the entire
dirt-bowl, with the motion of a hundred football
games playing at once. It's simply dizzying. Without
the aid of the video screen, keeping my eye on the
battle for the lead is nearly overwhelming.
But the swarm stirs more than dirt. The blood in
my body races through my veins. I don't care which
corpuscle makes it to my heart first, the beauty is
in the turbulence -- the invigoration. As if these
poisonous florescent tops have jumped from the course
under my skin and are racing my goose bumps from one
end of my arms to the other.
Their steeds narrowly outweighing them by only
25%, the riders take to flight in an instant, leaving
vehicle correction an in-flight maneuver. Governing
wheel speed by breaking or throttling in the air,
they can actually manipulate the tip and lean of the
bike before it lands. During free style
"domestic" flights, daredevil riders challenge each
other with aerial acrobatics. How about leaping off
the bike so that your feet hook on the handlebars,
looking like a man on the wing of a plane before
finding your way back to the seat just in time for a
perfect landing? This is just one of the many tricks
with which trained stunt jumpers can wow their
cheering crowds. Much to the dismay of today's crowd
(myself included), the planned Xtreme Air Show was
canceled.
Nontheless, one lucky attendee went home neither
disappointed nor empty-handed, he won himself a brand
new Honda XR-400 motorbike, simply by triumphing at
EA Sports' Supercross 2000 video game for
PlayStation/N64. In between
heats, the eight people who were chosen from the 200
or so that had signed up early in the day, competed
from the safety of the stage with finger-point
precision through a video race course on a screen big
enough for all of us to watch.
An all day event, Rose-bowlers didn't go home
without a show. Those families arriving early could
plop their youngsters (3 to11) on a midget bike
(50cc) with or w/o an instructor (depending on the
level) for a relaxing ride around the looped haystack
markers. Says Scooter (one of the instructors),
"We're hoping to inspire a new group of riders while
promoting safety in the sport." This
"free-ride" is sponsored by American Supercamp, a
twice a year school for those interested in learning
the dirt. For more information check out
www.americansupercamp.com or call 970-669-4322.
An extra ten bucks buys you pit access. Noon is a
good time for this. Here you can watch the mechanics
make last minute adjustments to the beasts soon to
rip up the track. Or check out the newest gear. One
interesting development caught my eye. A clutch lever
that bends backwards instead of breaking.
Designed and machined by Bob and Bob at A.S.V.,
"The Lever" as
they call it, represents yet another example of good
old fashion American inventiveness from a couple of
local boys. For more information mouse over to
asv-usa.com. "The Lever" also sports a "handy"
reach-adjustment and can soon be grabbed up for
around 65 bucks.
Still in the pit you might choose to wait in line
for your favorite rider's autograph. During this
pre-event hour, America's #1 Supercross champion,
Jeremy McGrath steps away from his never-ending line
of fans to speak briefly with me. Cracking a distant
smile, he extends his hand politely shaking with the
grip of a thousand hours of hand-breaking,
throttling, and hanging on to a scrambling machine.
Not a crushing grasp, but a firmer grip I'll not
likely find.
RA: What do you ride on the
street?
JM: I don't ride on the street.
RA: Why not?
JM: I don't think it's safe. I mean it's
kind of a funny thing to say. But, I mean, everyone
thinks my sport's dangerous, but I do it everyday. On
the road, you can't really trust any of the drivers
out there.
RA: Encouraging words to
those new to this sport?
JM: Racing or watching?
RA: Watching..
JM: Our sport's great fun, a lot of action,
a lot of, I don't know ... It's great racing. It's a
good true sport. A lot of people think it's not a
sport, but it's good.
RA: What's it like to be up
in the air during a long jump?
JM: It's like the resting point. It's fun.
It's probably the most fun of the whole sport.
Jumping is the best.
RA: Any particular kind of
jump you prefer?
JM: No. All of them. I like them all.
RA: Do you have any advice
for up and coming young riders?
JM: I think it's important to have fun with
our sport. There's a lot of motocross families and
dads and stuff that put a lot of pressure on their
kids to be like, maybe be like me, and you know, when
you're at a young age -- it's really important to
have fun.
RA: Aside from biking, what
do you do? What's your favorite movie?
JM: Ah, I don't know. I haven't had much
time to watch a lot of movies. So ... I don't know. I
mean ... I can't even remember the last time I went
to the movies.
RA: How do you like your life?
JM: It's really fun. I'm really happy to be
able to do what I like to do and that to me is real
important. I'm lucky.
RA: You might just be the
Michael Jordan of motocross ... have you thought of
retiring or playing baseball?
JM: No. No. No. I like my motorcycle too
much. I'm not going to make any plans real soon. I'm
having a good time. I don't see retirement here
anytime that soon. So ... I'm not really worried
about it.
A two time World Supercross champion, Jeremy
finishes third on this the day after he turned 28. A
good sport, but obviously less than pleased with his
performance, he accepts the trophy like a Christmas
gift he hadn't asked for; he knew exactly what he
wanted and third place wasn't it. During the press
conference, he mumbles about the tightness of the
course, then leans over the table, face down on the
wood, arms stretched out in exhaustion. One reporter
hoping to end the session on an upbeat asks, "Does
this event mean less than others you've competed in?"
McGrath steers away from the easy out, his answer
reflecting the pure competitor within, "You know,
Ezra, and the other [top racers] were on the track,
it doesn't matter the series, if those guys are there
-- winning is important."
In the elevator, we bump into each other one last
time. "Did you have fun?" I ask grinning, hoping to
cast a lighter tone on his frustrating day. "Well,
the track was tight. It beat my back. My back never
hurts ... so did I have fun?" A gritting half smile
smirks below a rising one-sided eyebrow to finish his
answer. The elevator doors swing open, he sprints
out, catching up with his pals (the aforementioned
competitors), escaping like a puff of smoke from a
heated exhaust pipe.
For McGrath the event is over, but for Rose Bowl
general manager Darrel Dunn, the job of putting the
stadium back into tip-top shape for its signature
January first affair begins. According to Dunn, the
dirt will be removed by the Supercross people, then
the field will be completely re-sodded. Dunn,
concurring with the many cheering fans, remarks
simply, "The event went well."
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