The Feed
The Feed
The Feed
The Feed

Email Icon I just finished reading the “Upside Down” feature on Jeff Emig. What an awesome article! With all the positive things said about Jeff, Ping forgot one thing: Emig still has a great head of hair! #baldisbeautiful
Mike Smith // Racer X Online

Email Icon I read with great interest Jason Weigandt’s well-written Voice Box editorial [March ’19] about the mainstream popularity (and money) in motocross. But Jason missed a few important points. I was already in the MX business when Mitch Payton entered the biz. Mitch entered the sport for exactly the same reason that everyone in the sport did (myself included): he wanted to do something fun and exciting, with fun and exciting people, and travel to fun and exciting tracks/places. I never met a single guy that got into the sport to become wealthy, Mitch included. Like everyone else in the sport, Mitch had the freedom to gravitate toward a part of the sport that he enjoyed most, and he succeeded because he enjoyed what he chose. Wealth was never in the equation.

I remember visiting with Mitch and his mom in his pit at an Anaheim 1. His hospitality area was filled with folks enjoying tasty catered food, but Mitch’s mom had just brought him a bologna sandwich from the transporter . . . because Mitch wanted one of Mom’s bologna sandwiches! To his good credit, Mitch understands that he doesn’t need gourmet food at the track, a castle, nor a private jet to be happy.

If MX ever did become a big-money mainstream sport like NASCAR, it would also have to face the big politics that comes with that mainstream popularity and big money—and that’s when everything stops being fun. Be careful what you wish for.
Harry Klemm // Corona, CA

Email Icon I have a Supercross Yearbook from every year dating back to 1980. It caught me off guard when there wasn’t a 2019 version in Atlanta. Were they just missing from that race, or was one not produced for this year?
Eric Muth // Racer X Online
Unfortunately, Feld Entertainment decided not to do a souvenir yearbook this year, which bummed out everyone here at Racer X—we’ve been producing it for them for nearly 20 years, and we collect them as well. My collection goes back to the 1972 Superbowl of Motocross, which was before there was even a series! Hopefully Feld will reconsider and bring them back next year. DC

LETTER OF THE MONTH
Racer X Branded Shirt

Email Icon I really like your magazine and the perspective on the sport we love. My question stems from some riders commenting that they didn’t ride much during the week after San Diego SX because of the lime issue. We hear this comment a lot—usually for other reasons, though. How big of an impact is missing one week of practice? How long off the bike before it almost certainly affects race day? At 58, I ride MX tracks almost every weekend, sometimes twice. As much as I look forward to it, if I miss a week, I don’t feel much different, maybe even a little more excited. I recognize my riding level is strictly for fun, and I stay below my 80 percent mark. What’s it like at the pro level?
Ted Jennings // New Bern, NC
Good question, Ted. I’m sure it depends on the rider’s personal preference. But you have to remember that in the case of San Diego and Minnesota, it was still relatively early in the season, and the guys probably were going from a full-on mudder to a normal indoor race, so some extra practice would have been welcomed by most. DC

Ted will receive a maroon racer x shield tee.