By Steve Matthes

In honor of the three Tragically Hip concerts that Angie and I are going to this week, I thought it would be appropriate if this week’s column had a Hip song title or lyric from these master musicians for each observation.

“Driving down a corduroy road,
weeds standing shoulder high.
Ferris wheel is rusting, off in the distance.”---- At The Hundredth Meridian
This week the series was in Orlando Florida, home of the happiest place on earth, Disney World. Well that may be the happiest place on earth but they held the supercross in the most downtrodden place on earth. The Citrus Bowl is in a rough section of Orlando to say the least and I heard from a good source that the series is not coming back next year. The crowd is small, the stadium is old and I really think some of the population just doesn’t want to go down there.

“Can you spare some change dear
we've only got three hundred feet to go”---Impossibilium
It was a sandy supercross! The track rutted up pretty good, in fact the riders were complaining about getting right down to the plywood in spots. There was lots of work done on the track in between sessions to try to help out, but it seemed like they didn’t see some of the ruttier parts. The bobcat was out there fixing jump faces, would it have killed them to fill and pack some of the ruts?

“Where all songs are one song and that song is ‘Don't forget’”---World Container
Jeremy McGrath was back riding at the Honda test track this week, just easing back into riding mode from his broken neck. It seems that the Honda guys attribute some of the team’s struggles with not having MC around to test—he really was able to sort some things out for the other riders.

“It was handsome at the auction
Oh but when we got it home
It grew into something that we could no longer contain”—Pigeon Camera
What the heck happened to the over/under bridge? It offered the riders some variations and seemed to give the designers some options for track layout. I haven’t seen a bridge once this year and I (being the investigative reporter that I am) found out that the bridge takes a whole semi by itself to carry around, and Live Nation decided to cut back on some costs and leave it at home. Word is that you might see it at Las Vegas this year. If money is really that tight, would it help if we passed a collection plate around at riders meeting?

“And it only lacks your presence and nothing else
Nothing else and no one else”—The Drop Off
Andrew Short is in full training mode, laying down some good laps at test sessions and is coming back next weekend in Indianapolis. He could’ve come back sooner but he really wanted to be up to speed, in good shape and come blazing out of the gate. Kind of like the exact opposite of what Davi Millsaps is doing.

“Music that can take you away”---Use It Up
Speaking of music, one of my other favorite bands was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the great Van Halen. It really cheeses me off when I hear people talk about how good original singer David Lee Roth was and how they were never the same after he left. First of all, Halen sold more records with Sammy Hagar than they ever did with Roth, Sammy was in the band longer, and they never had a number one record until Sammy Hagar joined the group. When Sammy came on, Eddie Van Halen said more than once how Sammy caused him to raise his game and create better music. The DLR years were okay, but hardly the cause for celebration that I have been reading this week. When your most popular song is a cover (You Really Got Me), how great were you? In case you didn’t know, Roth wrote deep introspective lyrics like:
Jump! Might as well jump..
Jump, Jump, go ahead and jump.
Might as well jump!
So, remember this next time somebody is telling you how good Roth was, and while you’re at it, punch that guy in the face for me.

“Complete with the grip of artificial chaos
And believin' in the country of me and you”---Fireworks
Jason Thomas rode well and got a 16th in the main. But enough about him—did you know his dad/mechanic, Frank, used to race pro? Did you know that Frank holeshot a moto at the 1978 St. Petersburg 500cc national and finished 11th overall? What about the 1984 Loretta Lynn’s title that Frank has? I have known this man for eight years and had no idea, until this week, that he accomplished those feats. That’s cool.

“I always loved that guy
and he's not on T.V. anymore”---The Wherewithal
Josh Hansen sent out a text message to some sponsors in which he thanked his sponsors for all the help and announced that he is officially retiring from the sport. Now I’m not sure if this is real or not, I kind of doubt it as he has just two more races to do in his strenuous season. Why quit now? I think it was more of a big joke to a few friends. I didn’t see Kurt Nicoll doing any cartwheels either, so don’t count on this being real yet.

“Hear the ol' whistle blowin'
they're pulling the plug”—Are You Ready
Travis Preston sat this race out and, from what I hear, could be sitting out the rest of the season. Seems like TP crashed on Monday and has a shoulder problem that could require surgery.

“Tonight the non-essential worker
Is hunting the problem bears”—Problem Bears
I heard the announcers talking up the Motocross Des Nations, which will be held in Budds Creek, Maryland this year. This is great for everybody over here that wants to see the best in the world line up on the gate. What I didn’t like to hear is the plug about how you can pay $50 and ride on the very same track on Friday before the race. This is the biggest, most prestigious race in the world and you are going to sacrifice the track and the staff so amateurs can race the day before? What’s up with this? Does anyone else agree with me that this is a bad idea? Think of the work involved for everyone at that facility, think of the riders that might possibly get shafted by not having the track prepped properly. What if it rains? What about the parking? Now I heard that promoter Jonathan Beasley has to put up close to a million dollars before a ticket is sold, so I understand the appeal to make as much money as he can, but can’t the amateurs ride the same track as the pros on Monday after the race for $50? You can then advertise “Ride the same ruts as RC!”

“They don't know how old I am,
they found armour in my belly”---Locked In The Trunk Of A Car
MX101’s Kevin Tyler was in Orlando and hanging out with the family. He got to go riding for a few days and seemed to be enjoying himself. Maybe he can use the over/under bridge for the Sand-Del-Lee track?

“Your imaginations having puppies”—Something On
The Live Nation guys obviously didn’t read my complaints about the 30-second girl a few weeks back. Just to really give that porno-like feel to the race, the scoreboard camera guy was all up in her junk with the camera like he was her gynecologist.

Darcy Lange earned another podium in Orlando and is six points away from the series lead. One more time ... a Canadian has two podiums in a U.S. Supercross series and might win the thing! All hail DL.

photo: Simon Cudby

“Should we stay for the Dark Canuck
Yea, everyone hands up!
Who’s for the Dark Canuck?”---The Dark Canuck
Darcy Lange didn’t ride as good as he has been but for a guy who had to ride the LCQ, he still got third. He is six points back and still looking good in the title chase. He rode a smart race also. When Mike Alessi was pulling away from him, he didn’t banzai it and ride over his head, he simply accepted his position and was rewarded when Mike crashed in the last turn. I tried to get a post race comment from him but when I said good race to him he just looked at me like I was speaking Swedish or something. Maybe next week I will try again and use hand signs.

“We were a blow-out of wicked proportions
An accidental company”—All Tore Up
We had another red flag this week in the Lites main event. There was a massive pile-up involving Matt Goerke, Ryan Sipes and Ryan Dungey, among others. The race was stopped when Sipes was down for while; he eventually got up and was helped to the medic cart. Dungey’s bike sustained a lot of damage and when the Suzuki guys tried to get him back in the race after repairs, the AMA wouldn’t let them. I heard there was an Exxon-Valdez-style oil spill coming from Ryan’s bike, so it was doubtful he would have finished. The guys who got screwed the most were Tommy Hahn and Darcy Lange who were first and second before the red flag but came out worse on the restart.

“The kids don’t get it, that’s right, kids don’t get it”—The Kids Don’t Get It
Factory Connection’s Billy Laninovich was leading early on and looked like he was going to get his second career victory. That was until he got tired and starting blocking like mad. This wouldn’t be so bad except it was the ninth lap! I am all for this practice with a lap or two left but six? Ben Townley came up on him and was all over him trying to make the pass, when he finally did, Billy took him wide and caused BT to crash. The move was kind of Ben’s fault as he should have backed off when Billy cut him off. But really, what was BL thinking? He was obviously tired, and wasn’t going to win this thing—why not just settle down and ride your own pace? When I worked for Nick Wey, he would sometimes just let guys by and get me all mad, but when he explained to me that he knew the guy behind him was going faster, and he didn’t want to hold that rider up or crash, it made sense to me. Why not let him by and see where he is going faster?

Branden Jesseman scored an emotional win in Orlando. Unfotunately his team manager, Paul Lindsey stayed home!

photo: Simon Cudby

“It's warm and it’s safe here and almost harkening
off to a time and place now lost in our imagination”—The Darkest One
The 2007 season has produced the comeback of two of the world’s most battered, bruised and punch-drunk former champions: Rocky Balboa and Branden Jessemen. The Motoworld/PPG rider won his first main event since 2003 in convincing fashion. Okay, he got a little tired at the end, but that was probably because he was actually thinking how he was going to win this thing. Good for him, it is a great story and good for Paul Lindsey, the team manager/owner who has been through a lot over the years. Now, can he follow it up next week?

Ryan Morais continues to put in consistent results. Can he podium again in Indy?

photo: Simon Cudby

“We're forced to bed, but we're free to dream”---Giftshop
Ryan Morais showed this weekend that he is for real—not that people weren’t thinking that, it’s just that he has yet to really impress. This weekend he started up front, worked his way into third and was there to capitalize on Alessi’s mistake to get second. He may win this championship without winning a race, but who cares; he’ll still get the check and the plaque. He was also in on the opening ceremonies hot lap and I noticed that the two Lites guys (Morais and Dungey) who’ve gotten that honour were both in the first heat and have both gotten holeshots this year. I’m sure the thrill of being out there and whipping it helps them get the blood flowing and the focus needed to get the start.

“I'm on the last American exit to the Northland
I'm on the last American exit to my homeland
I'm on the last American exit to my last dance
They keep calling out my name-I shout it down.”—Last American Exit
Doug DeHaan was back this weekend and, what has been typical for him this year, he struggled with crashes and some rust from the layoff. He was second in his heat for a while before fading out of the top nine. In the LCQ he was also second but crashed hard. Marco Dubé was also in contention for the main, running second in the LCQ but snatched defeat from the jaws of victory (or at least qualifying) when he made some mistakes.

Can anyone beat Stewart now that RC is gone?

photo: Simon Cudby

“I don't know what to believe,
Sometimes I even forget
And if it's a lie,
Terrorists made me say it”---Giftshop
James Stewart and RC had a pretty good battle with Stewie breaking everybody’s heart in the stadium for not giving up and letting RC ride off with the win. They were really going at it and getting around the lappers added some drama as well. They even glanced over at each other in the air over the triple one lap, always a cool move. What irked my cynical ass was when they were literally going at it, side by side, dueling to the death, the announcers were not talking about what was going on but the fact that all of us needed to get to the souvenir trucks and buy something to commemorate this historic occasion. They did it a couple of times, do you think that maybe sometime in the previous nine hours they could have gotten enough souvenir mentions in?

“Everything is bleak. It's the middle of the night.
You're all alone and the dummies might be right.
You feel like a jerk.”—Music at work
Tim Ferry’s mechanic, Mike Williamson and I have been pretty much debating all year who is A) the better mechanic and B) the one responsible for Red Dog’s season. Well, I finally wore him down with enough stats this weekend for him to declare me the winner! It seems that my 15 podiums with Timmy finally intimidated him enough. Dana Wiggins thanked us as he was ready to beat us up if he heard any more about why we were so great.

“Just don't wake daddy”—Don’t Wake Daddy
My lovely airline, Continental, thought it would be a great idea to notify me that my Sunday morning flight was either delayed or cancelled and I should call them ASAP. The only problem was it was four in the morning! They called me four times as well, so I figured I’d better look into this. After calling a bunch and getting the message that they cannot take my call—no hold or anything—I was getting worried. Did the whole fleet crash at once? Did they go out of business? After finally getting a hold of somebody, I was told that there would probably be a two hour delay but I should still check in on time. You call me at four in the morning to tell me to be on time?

“I'm gonna talk about nothing
til nothing's enough”---The Dark Canuck
I had a pretty cool moment in the riders’ lounge at the Kawi truck. I was up there watching some video with Ferry (like I am going to add anything at all worthwhile) when Stefan Everts came in. He wanted to get a jersey and talk to James Stewart and they carried on about riding technique and GPs and Stefan’s career. He congratulated Timmy on his year before saying, “You’re pretty old right?” After that, Everts talked about meeting Timmy in Japan when Red was 16, and taking him out to a bar after the race! Then I asked Stefan about his riding and he said that he doesn’t ride too much anymore and how his arms pump up (I guess US Weekly magazine is right! Celebrities are just like us!). I asked him who is going to win this year and he mentioned that Kevin Strijbos is riding very well, and then Stewie piped in and said that he didn’t care how he did at the MXdN last year, he just wanted to beat Strijbos. He must have seen my puzzled look and told me that in 1995, when James was on 80s, Kevin beat him in Germany and now, finally, he would have his revenge! We talked about tracks over here, and he agreed that the American tracks are rougher, except for the sand tracks. I also mentioned to Stefan that Timmy wants to do GPs the last year before he hangs it up, and Stefan got all serious and said to call him when that happens. Then he repeated it again. After he left all Timmy could say was, “I can’t believe he called me old!” Moments like this make me realize how lucky I am to be in the industry.

“He bought two-fifths of lead free gasoline
Said, the bottle is dusty, but my engine is clean”----Opiated
Speaking of the self-proclaimed “fastest active plus 30 rider in the world” Timmy Ferry rode a really good race. He passed Kevin Windham early in the race and then motored by DV12.com only to have DV12.com get him back in the first turn allowing KW to pass both of them! After dealing with DV12.com again, he chased down KW and Grant Langston to get fifth. He was also catching Ivan Tedesco for fourth until the last few laps when a tricky triple out of a turn started giving him trouble. He backed it down and settled in.

“Hope I’m a fast healer. Fast as hell”
Heaven is a better place Today
Moto XXX/Moose racing rider Yoshihide Fukudome made his first main event this week. That was the good news for the two-time Japanese champion, the bad news is that he crashed and has a suspected broken wrist. In other XXX news, the team is still not telling Josh Summey what spot he is in or anything else but lap times and laps left. Must be working as he once again got a top ten.

“Bring me back in shackles,
Hang me long out in the sun
Exonerate me, forget about me”----Fully Completely
One of the weekend Racer X Canada supervisors, Danny Brault wrote in his Frid’Eh Update that I might be spending a little too much time being a food critic and not working for Parts Unlimited/FMF. I took this to heart and didn’t eat at the Kawi truck; I really didn’t eat dinner at all. Instead I was checking out FMF exhausts and speaking with dealers whenever I could. Although Big B (Kawi truck driver) did buy me the requested Cherry Coke this week. Thanks B! Danny, please don’t write me up.

“He said, "Bring on the brand new renaissance
Cause I think I'm ready”---Three Pistols
Now with RC gone, look for James Stewart to sweep the rest of the races, the only way he will lose a race is if he crashes. Come to think of it, look for James Stewart to sweep the next decade or so, get your tickets now! We tracked his dad down for a comment about RC leaving and he told us, “I'm always happy. This is Big James! This is me. I’m always happy. You guys know that. Everybody knows Big James. I'm always happy.”

“We can have strictly cactus relations”—Summer’s Killing Us
OTSFF’s Ron Ashley had a pretty interesting interview on Racer X Canada this week. In it he mentioned that it has taken six years for the grooming of Ryan Lockhart and Mitchell Cooke. Is he talking about riders or cactuses?

“Here's a glue guy, a performance god”—Heaven Is A Better Place Today “
It’s great that RC wants to go car racing, more power to him and I hope he makes it to NASCAR and kicks ass. I think he will, I mean, when you can be leading the points and be sixty years old like Mark Martin, then how hard can it be? It’s a fact that the human body loses reaction times and endurance as one ages, so I don’t buy this whole NASCAR as the ultimate racing series thing.

“Use it up, Use it all up, don’t save a thing for later”—Use It Up
Michael Bryne is struggling right now; he is battling a shoulder injury and didn’t make the main again this week. But he used his last provisional to get in and ended up with a 12th. I bet he is really looking forward the two-week break that is coming up soon. Did I mention that I think the provisional is the dumbest rule ever?

What an era! Ricky Carmichael hangs up his boots (for Supercross at least) after one of his best rides.

photo: Simon Cudby

“I had my hands in the river
My feet back up on the banks
Looked up to the Lord above
and said "hey man thanks."—New Orleans Is Sinking
Well that’s it folks! Ricky Carmichael has ridden his last supercross. I was there for the first one (LA Coliseum, 1997) and his last one. I also bet that I have seen 90 percent of his entire supercross career and I have to say, the thing that impressed me the most about him was his ability to change. When he first started, he was wild, and out of control, and it bit him a lot. He smoothed out and started winning but never lost the ability to just pin it and hold on, never being a true finesse rider. In 2003, when I was at Yamaha, Chad Reed was probably faster than him. RC won a lot in the first half of the season, but by midseason he wouldn’t win again. Reed was winning and RC was second every race. My rider had gotten hurt but I was going to the races to spot and help out. Now if you look back, a lot of the magazines were saying that RC was just riding around protecting his points lead but trust me, I was there on the side of the track and Chad had him covered. CR was better in the whoops, (remember RC had that funky set-up that really didn’t work in the whoops but he was too stubborn to change) and better in the sections that took timing and precision. RC was trying to win the only way he knew how: by twisting the throttle harder! Now think about RC now, he still has that ability to hang it out, but with James Stewart coming up, he has learned to scrub, and has gotten really good at whoops and timing sections. He has almost re-invented his riding style. That is very impressive to me—to learn and adapt to what the competition is doing better. Perhaps instead of the GOAT, we should call him the CHAMELEON.

That’s it for me, Allison will be doing her very own observations column next week and I will be back for Detroit. If you want to comment on anything you read on here or in Racer X Canada drop us a line.