The third round of the Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross National Championship practice is under way for the ATV Spring National at Muddy Creek Raceway. An overcast morning brings cooler temperatures for the day but the track is primed and ready to go. Only about 1/3 of an inch of rain fell yesterday, and all it did was help the conditions for today. The dirt appears to be much more loamy this year than last, as many sections have had a nice base of sawdust churned into the soil to help hold moisture. It is something that will help as the weekend progresses as the weather will be much warmer. 

As round three gets underway it is still hard to believe that we are only this far into the season. So much has happened in our sport and so much more is still going to happen. With the ATV racing worlds first ever ATVSX event at Daytona, to the return to the iconic Echeconnee, and finallly returning to Texas, which yielded great results. These have all been big occurrences for this championship, but then of course there was the announcement of the "Edge of Summer Motocross" taking place at Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in August. This is another big step for The ATV Racin' Nation, and these are all great positives for our sport.

Another big thing coming to round four at the legendary High Point Raceway in Mt. Morris, PA for the ATV Stampede will be LIVE coverage by RacerTV.com. The inaugural Daytona ATVSX was presented live and was the highest rated show to date for RacerTV. We are hoping to continue this trend for the ATV Stampede on May 16th. So to help out, make sure you share all information to your social media and maybe we can do it again. The full details of the broadcast are still being worked out but we expect to see plenty of Amateur racing as well. As far as Sunday goes, I have not heard but I am sure if there is enough support from a sponsor standpoint it could make doing it a lot easier. If you have product or business and would be interested in sponsorship be sure and contact RacerTV for details. It is much more inexpensive than you may think and if you need help contacting someone you can email [email protected] or [email protected] and I will help get you in touch with the right folks.

Leading into this weekend’s big event, Tennessee native and AMA ATV Pro Silas Lamons spent some time at an area school Valley Forge Elementary presenting a seminar and promoting safety, hard work, and the importance of staying in school and of course the race. Check out In The Loop with Gloop to see what he had to say in a social media post. A big thanks to Silas for taking time out of his schedule to make this happen. What I don't think he understands is that you don't have to be finishing top 5 every race to be a top pro all you have to be is positive and you are tops. So in my opinion Silas Lamons is a top pro.

Social media has been kind of busy the last few days. I have seen several posts and a couple of videos that are must see for any ATV racing fan. First BShipman films produce a rather exquisite piece of a day in the life of Thomas Brown. It was all behind the scenes type stuff and is actually a full TV Episode lengths worth of watching. About 22 minutes with no commercials but what I am getting at is that I see some possibility here. Anyway you can watch the video through this link http://youtu.be/L9myvM9D1Kw. It is called Thomas Brown: From the Ground Up is a rather intense look at the Texas ATV National a few weeks ago.

Another video worth checking out is a rather cute and entertaining look at the world of Youth ATV racer Tristan Evans. He races with a team called “Virus Racing.” I had never heard of the team before this season but there seems to be several who have caught it according to the number of pit shirts seen around so far this season. Tristan runs the 90 open Jr., 90 Automatic Jr., 90 Shifter and 70 Automatic classes. He is having the time of his life right now and it shows in this video. You can watch the video by following this link https://www.facebook.com/1432615960309958/videos/1611161139122105/.

As far as the racing goes this weekend, I am going to say that we may be in store for a few shocks and surprises. Don't be alarmed when you look at the results, read the reports and hear the stories after this weekend. I have a feeling something is going to happen to make things even more exciting for the ATV Racin' Nation.

That's it for me. Let's check in with Gloop and Ken Hill. Till next time, God Bless Your Heart and All Your Vital Organs.

In the Loop with Gloop

Before I head out to Muddy Creek I picked something I thought was awesome from our own Instagram account. ATVMX Pro rider, Silas Lamons headed out to Valley Forge Elementary School for a school visit. Let’s see what Lamons had to say about his visit with the kiddos: 

“I went to Valley Forge Elementary School to talk about this weekends race and give out tickets to the kids, we let them sit on our bikes and taught them a bit about ATV Motocross. We also pushed on issues of how important school is and working hard.”

I will see everyone at Muddy Creek! Also, don’t forget that after every race weekend The Racer X Show recaps each event on RacerTv.com. That means Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. you should be tuning in to check out all the highlights from this weekend’s ATV Spring National! You never know, you may even see yourself!

Catching Up with Ken Hill

Many of us are at the point where the race weekends seem to start blending together as round after round gets pounded out! The hustle of the race season is indeed in full swing and we sure have been treated to some great racing! I am still getting messages talking about Underground and what we can expect at Muddy Creek. The points are pretty tight with Wienen holding a slight edge, but a look at the rest of the field shows some only separated by a point or two so every moto will be hard fought!

Muddy Creek has been one of my favorite tracks to watch and to shoot. The new additions really add something, mainly more ground for me to hump! That back section just gets exciting as the racers sail over the jumps together and it makes for some great images and video as well as keeping the fans glued to the action. I am expecting some serious racing at this round and again, no rider stands out but you better watch Joel Hetrick and John Natalie closely.

Wienen may pull off another win, he doesn’t carry that number one plate for nothing and he is already proving he intends to keep it. I mentioned to John Natalie that Joel Hetrick has been following him long enough that it is hard to separate the two Honda riders when they are battling for position. Hetrick has the skill set and is quickly learning to do what is needed to remain upfront, and while I am sure he respects Natalie, I don’t think he will hesitate to put him a position down every chance he gets! And speaking of Natalie, does this man ever age? I have always had respect for his riding ability, but to be as competitive as he is at an age where most decide to hang up the helmet, he is out there going for the win in a class that probably has the most talent in the history of ATV motocross. He is truly an inspiration for many.

Another rider who seems to have stepped up is Nick Gennusa. Nick has been training with Natalie and it is starting to show. Gennusa is currently 6th in the Pro points and if he can ride smart and keep up the training, he could roll out a great season as a rookie. Nick is in an immense points battle with josh Upperman and Ronnie Higgerson, so some of the best racing will not be regulated to the top three. 

That is about all from me this week, packing and charging batteries then the trip down to Muddy to see you all do your thing!