Wow! What an amazing weekend and a great way to kick off the beginning of the season! I attended the first round of the Amp’d Mobile World Supercross in Toronto this weekend where it was my debut as Miss Supercross. Everything from the fans, to the racing action, and meeting so many new people was awesome. Also, being the first Supercross of the year, we were introduced to many changes: riders, numbers, bikes, sponsors, and 4-strokes vs 2-strokes. I counted only a few 2-strokes in the Lites and Supercross class.
I can remember years ago sitting in the stands at the Las Vegas Supercross and being able to pick out the few 4-strokes in the race. Now the 4-strokes are dominating the track. But I have to say I'm going to miss that 2-stroke smell. Ha-ha!
My weekend was filled with many fun activities and I learned so much. And finally, I got to see James race live, a much anticipated scene we were all waiting to see. Let the rumors fly no more, James Stewart is back!
When I landed in Toronto on Thursday night there were snow flurries, but I did prepare for the Canadian weather and brought my "touk". Being an Arizona girl, it was still cold! However, the Canadian people I met were so warm and welcoming. The guys at Racer X Canada even gave me a marriage proposal. I'm very flattered, but I think I will stay single for a while longer. Ha-ha!
I spent Friday morning doing an interview at CH News with three other riders who were competing in Saturday night’s race: Jason Thomas, Jeff Gibson, and Keith Johnson. I also had the opportunity to attend the MotoShow and visit with fans and promote the big show on Saturday night. A highlight was getting to sit next to RC and Ivan and sign autographs. I had to sit back for a minute and take in the moment. It wasn't that long ago I was the one in line waiting for the autograph.
Toronto’s large stadium made for a nice track, but a tough one because of the rock filled dirt and the developing ruts throughout the night. Both the Lites and Supercross class had exciting racing that kept my toes on the edge of the podium. Before the race had even started I knew that the competition and racing was going to be very interesting; new bikes, new numbers, and the start of a new season with stacked competition.
The Canadian fans got a real treat! As everyone knows the return of James Stewart and the defending Champ Ricky Carmichael was the highlight of the race action in the Supercross class. You could sense the anticipation of the crowd as RC, Stewart, Reed, and the new Supercross class rider Tedesco lined up for the main event. As the "New Beginning" for Stewart riding #7 for the first time, this was his time to show his stuff and prove his skills. I believe he accomplished this. During the main event on the podium Erin Bell and I were cheering like crazy and our hearts were pounding from the intense racing. Off the start Stewart and Byrne went one and two. Then Reed and RC right behind battling it out, with Tedesco trailing not far away. James held the lead with RC in second and Reed in third. Then Stewart washed out the front end and went down. He got back up right away and worked past Byrne, Tedesco, and Reed back up to RC. RC, Stewart, and Reed held the top three. The battle was on between RC and Stewart.
This is when the conditioning comes in to play with the dodging of lapped riders and ruts, and keeping up the momentum on the deteriorating track. Most of the riders were still working the bugs out and looked awkward on the 4-strokes, but kept up a good pace. RC and Stewart had a wheel to wheel race battling and teasing each other back and forth for the number one spot. But the "new" James Stewart took the win and made an exciting race, with RC in second and Reed in third followed by the new addition to the Supercross class Tedesco then Wey and Byrne.
The Lites class had its own crazy action going on. There were outstanding riders such as Davi Millsaps, Josh Hansen, Billy Laninovich, Andrew Short, and Nathan Ramsey all fighting for the podium. Hansen took the holeshot, but Short pulled into first right away while Ramsey set in third to battle with Hansen in the number two spot. Millsaps took fourth, but not far behind the podium spots. Millsaps made a quick pass on Ramsey, but the number 25 and 118 bumped tires, went down and pulled out of the race. Millsaps and Hansen, both aggressive riders, have had a lot of battles in the past and they were going at it bar to bar. Short was looking very good until around the seventh lap when he had to pull off the track due to mechanical problems. With Ramsey and Short out of the race, the battle was on for the first place spot on the podium between Millsaps and Hansen. It was a back and forth bar to bar race. But with the new number, bike, and team Millsaps took the win with Hansen in second and Laninovich in third.
I ended my night at the Toronto Supercross by having dinner at the Hard Rock where we sat overlooking the Rogers Centre. By that time, the stands were completely empty, not a dirt bike in sight, but there were the workers disassembling the whole scene. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes to make the Supercross come to life. These people are amazing as they work into the night packing up and getting ready to move on to the next venue. I know for us fans that can only be soon enough! If Toronto is any indication of what the 2006 season is going to be like, we are in for the best racing action in years!
I'm very much looking forward to Vancouver next weekend.
See you at the races!
Brittney
Miss Supercross
missupercross@yahoo.com
