I headed to San Diego , CA and so did the warm weather. The pits were flooded with fans at San Diego and I got the chance to go around and catch up with some riders and check out the flashy displays set up in the pit area. I also got to catch up with Doc and the Asterisk Mobile Medical team, do a quick interview with him about the medical team and all of the support they give to Supercross. I also spent time watching practice. This track was in the dusty side for Supercross and you could tell it was pretty slick.

Opening ceremonies totally jazzed up the crowd. Each week more creativity with a touch of drama is added. It gets me pumped up and the crowd excited as they are treated to lasers lights, fireworks, and amped up music. The Red Bull Air Force Team, who is a big hit with the crowd, made another phenomenal landing right in the middle of the track. These gentlemen are totally amazing. It gets everyone going and sets the mood for the race action. I also love introducing the KTM juniors. They get to come out on the track all decked out in their bright orange Thor gear and run a lap around the podium giving high-fives to the SX stars. I get to see their little faces up-close and you can’t believe the smiles. This is so awesome to see. We actually had two little girls race in San Diego . They did great!

In the Supercross class, Stewart was already startled and uncomfortable with the San Diego track. He must have let it get to him when he made a huge spill on the finish line jump. He missed the jump by like 5 feet and had nothing else to do but let the bike go in the air. The crowd gasped and Reed, who was battling Stewart, moved in to take the lead. He was running at a fast pace and took advantage of Stewart’s fall and rose to a first place finish to make it his 4th time winning in San Diego. This win closed the point’s gap. The chase is on and Reed is going to put the pressure on Stewart!

The big talk of the night was how Villopoto could easily clinch his first Supercross title. And he did just that. After a flawless race to the to the checkered flag, he claimed his place on the podium were Steve Whitelock of AMA presented him with the #1 plate. He was pure smiles and took home the well earned #1 champion plate. On the podium, he mentioned he was looking into buying property in Texas. Needless to say, he’s probably looking for lots of space where he can build his own track in his backyard. This is common for riders. To have the opportunity to be able to open you backdoor jump on your bike and go ride your own track is a pretty cool deal. Villopoto mentioned that he plans on celebrating his title by finding some space out in Texas to build and train. Many other riders have moved or bought in areas where they can train and ride in good weather conditions. Tedesco and Short have both gone to Texas. Windham has a nice place out in Mississippi where he has his own tracks. Carmichael, Reed, and Stewart all live in Florida where they have their own facility.

Between the races, I had the chance to spend some time out in Cairo, Ga. I visited the Millsaps Training Facility as well as the tracks in Davi’s backyard. Many riders come to Georgia to ride and train with Davi. They have set up an amazing facility and have a wide variety of tracks to train for Motocross and Supercross. At the Millsaps training facility they have a Supercross track, motocross track, and an arenacross track. The facility also has a nice gym to train. On the 100 acres at Davi’s home, there are three Supercross tracks and a motocross track. More and more riders are moving to places where acreage is abundant so they can have space to create a practice track and a home. Having this kind of environment is ideal for SX/MX riders.

I ended my weekend on Sunday at the WORCS race at Racetown in Adelanto. Not only did my brother and cousins race, but one of my parents long time friends Rob Barnmun raced the Vet class. Rob also has races the Baja 1000/Ironman and has been a District 37 Champion. He is a true desert racer. In the WORCS Pro class Ryan Hughes was able to take the win after the points leader Ricky Dietrich had an unfortunate crash in practice.

I’m so excited for Atlanta! I had a blast at Atlanta last year and love the city. The Georgia Dome is enormous; a perfect venue for the debut of the East Lites class and in the Supercross class, Millsaps will be in the line up for his return to racing.

See you at the races!