My Latest Website Project

I've done a bit of work on my new website.

check it out www.motoxphotography.com

The 2009 MotoXDream Fantasy Motocross Season Wrap-up

After motocross history was made and the champions have been crowned, MotoXDream.com is wrapping up another epic fantasy motocross season. As true with most seasons at MXD, it came down to the wire to determine who the overall champion was going to be. Some might have thought they had it in the bag early on, but as any well seasoned veteran would know, you never count your chickens until they hatch.


The likes of Team Manager “foxstw” showed up as a contender after posting a top 10 finish at Glen Helen, but went MIA until round 4 at High Point before posting another top 10 finish and taking over the lead. Foxstw was able to carry his lead through round 5 before the flash of “HONDA 2610”'s fender tip seemed to come into his peripherals. Foxstw’s luck seemed to fade as it looked like HONDA 2610 was prepared to take on a battle for the lead.


As round 6 became the midpoint of the outdoor season, it showed some promise to some veteran MXD players. We had an exchange of top 10 players leading into this round that gave some seasoned players an opportunity to show what they had.


Our Australian brother “jock” posted a top 3 finish, joining Honda 2610 and foxstw in their battle. Jock was able to hold that final podium spot until round 9 before dropping out, and handing it off to another veteran player “Jarrod42”.


Jarrod42 showed up in the mix midway through and gave everyone on the top a reason to sweat. It looked as if he was going to carry his season best finish at Washougal through the remainder of the rounds. But for some unknown reason he fell off the pace, allowing the top 5 to devour him like vultures pecking at road kill.


Another veteran who gave a valiant effort was “Murder Inc”. Denny “Murder Inc.” Stephenson is probably better known for what he did on the track back in 1990, winning a 125 Supercross Championship. He made his entrance known early on but if you weren’t paying attention it could have easily been overlooked. It wasn’t until round 11 that he started to put the squeeze on and tactfully swooped under the radar to claim his stake on the podium.


For the 2009 Fantasy Motocross Season MXD added a new feature. After round 10 we did a drop of your lowest round. The idea was to stimulate interest and to see if we could stir up the top 10. It worked flawlessly and we will continue to have this feature down the road.


As the final gates dropped at Steel City the outcome of the 2009 MotoXDream Fantasy Motocross season was coming to head. The field was looking strong and contenders were nervously awaiting their final positions. Who was going to take home the Grand Prize?


The 2009 MotoXDream Fantasy Motocross Championship goes to HONDA 2610.


HONDA 2610 not only gets the privilege of holding the number 1 plate next year, but he also takes home Tommy Hahn’s MotoSport.com Kawasaki KX450F Team Bike. Congratulations HONDA 2610 and enjoy the endless fun that awaits you!


2009 Final Top 10 Overall Winners

1st Honda 2610
2nd Murder Inc. -152
3rd foxstw -254

4th jock -280
5th AJPC Racing -424
6th mitchell -608
7th Teamjamiestercer76 -692
8th Jarrod42 -696
9th Teamjamiestercer761 -712
10th berno -748


MXD would like to thank MotoSport.com for website development and Tommy Hahn's KX450F. The 2009 MotoXDream Fantasy Motocross: Division Sponsors - Fox/Shift Racing, Easton EXP Handlebars, No Fear MX and EVS Sports: Event Sponsors – Troy Lee Designs, FMF, Works Connection, Tag Metals, Acerbis, Cycra Racing and SixSixOne.


A huge thank you goes out to Dwayne “DW Racing” Williams for writing the Post Race Articles every week. Also thanks to Bullpen 58 for handling the Pre Race Reports and, lastly, Steve “BodyBag” Flanders from MXTalkRadio.com for all the support.


MotoXDream.com will kick start the 2010 Supercross Season starting at the first round at Anaheim. If you have never played a season with us, sign up now, make sure you do! Remember MotoXDream.com is the Premier Fantasy Motorcycle Racing League on the internet. Don’t be fooled by imitations, this is the best race in town!


See you in 2010!

motoxdream banners

More photos from Lakewood

I posted them up at my new website
motoxphotography.com

The Pre-Funk

It's the pre-funk preview of my newish website. I've actually had this set up for about a year but never really did much with it. So why not get a site going to see what can become of it. As of right now it's still under construction, but functional. My goal is to get my photo gallery built into my page better and then I'll just go from there. www.motoxphotography.com

Hangtown Classic Photo Gallery

Since I can't figure out how to embed this into my blog, you'll need to follow this link.

http://www.motoxphotography.com/picture_dump/photo_gallery/PS_Gallery_2/

My Glen Helen Race Report - Lucas Oil AMA Motocross Championship Race

I just got back from SoCal after a long 2 days at Glen Helen. The racing was off the hook and the new changes for the series are looking promising. I like to thank all of the guys at Vurb Moto, Brent and Wes for giving me an opportunity to shoot photos track side.







The 450 class results was surprising with RV2 going 1-1. Villopoto proved that he can work through the pack, taking control of his destiny. RV2 was asked if his goals were to go 24-0 and he humbling said no, he just wants to get the points and win the Championship. Looking at his results one might ponder if he might actually pull of a perfect season and obtain that #1 plate.

Reed wasn't looking like he could hold the pace to lead the pack. He did mention that he's had a one, 30 minute moto under his belt since the end of the SX season. His last minute decision to race the Nats might have hindered his performance on Saturday. I guess we'll have to wait and see next week if he can turn it around.

Mike Alessi showed off his starting skills once again. I don't understand how he does it, and if he could sell his secrets he could become a millionaire. Alessi did take the lead in Moto2 but was soon run down by RV2. I'm going to predict that he will win a moto and possibly a overall this season. He looked to have his A game for sure and with his starts there shouldn't be anything to hold him back.

Josh Grant rode his ASS OFF. He proved that he can ride that 450 better than his best days on a 250F. I have high hopes for this kid and with his results from this weekend he is a contender in the premium class. I'll admit that I never thought much for this kid, but after the past SX season, my thoughts about him have changed.


The 250 class is deep this year. The talent seems never ending and could really show a mix of podium finisher all season.

The hype was put on a few riders coming over from the GP series in Euro-Land. You have Rattray, Searle and Pourcel showing the American boys a threat or two.


But the Suzuki Kid Ryan Dungey proved that he might be the one to beat. He's been living and training with the Carmichael's and it shows. If he can dial his starts and get out front, from the beginning, he'll most definitely be the contender for the championship.


Pourcel rode a good race using his smooth style in a notched out bumpy track. He won his 1st moto but looked to struggle a bit in moto2. But you can't hold that against him because he did get 2nd overall for the day. And after a huge set back a few years ago, that's gotta be refreshing for him. Now if we can only work on his Euro accent. just kidding.

Rattray had some added hype coming into this race. He had a quite a bit of time off from racing coming into this round. I'm sure the nerves and butterflies were present in the first moto. He mentioned that he pumped up a bit and that was a big reason for why he finished where he did in moto1. But all of that seemed to be gone going into moto2. With him and Dungey motoring through the pack chasing down Barcia, taking away that final podium spot with 3rd overall. I'm looking forward to his future in the states and he will prove to be a front runner.

Rookie sensation, Justin Barcia blasted off the gate in Moto2 taking the lead for a good portion of that race. I would imagine the results of his 1st moto was stricken with a bit of nerves. This was his debut in the pro ranks and there is no doubt that he has the speed to run with the top guys. He's another rider that I'll enjoy watching throughout this championship series.

Tommy Searle rode a consistent race taking 4th in both motos. He's ridden with all of these Euro kids and I'm sure he'll be lighting it up once he settles in and gets a few races under his belt.

On a side note there was another Brit who has been riding the Amateur series and just recently decided to go pro. 16 year old Max Anstie made his pro debut on Saturday with a huge get-off in moto1. I saw him ride back into his pits and noticed his back torn up. He was able to get off the bike but needed assistance into the Asterisk truck. He didn't look good as he was holding his lower back. After talking with someone who witnessed the wreck and assisted him off the track said it was ugly. Apparently the bike landed on his back and some how his hand was stuck under the bike pinned up against the head pipe. YIKES! I hope he's OK and nothing major happened to him.



Well that's a wrap and if you want to enjoy some more photos, check out my gallery on MotoSpace.com.

~James

Play the 2009 MotoXDream Fantasy Motocross League

Get ready for another outstanding Fantasy Motocross Season

Portland, OR - Welcome race fans and returning Fantasy Team Managers. As we roll up another successful 2009 Supercross season, we are preparing to kick-off the 2009 Motocross National Fantasy Series. This 12 race Fantasy Series will run the entire Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship schedule.

Become a Fantasy Team Manager and direct your own team of real riders. Hire and fire who you want, when you want, and show the competition you have what it takes to dominate. Play against your friends for bragging rights, or play against the entire MotoXDream community of Fantasy Team Managers for a chance to win some of the weekly prizes, or the grand prize; a 2009 KX450F. Learn more about how to play here: http://www.motoxdream.com/About.asp

The grand prize is one of Tommy Hahn’s 2009 Team MotoSport Kawasaki KX450F race bikes, complements of MotoSport.com. On top of the grand prize, we will be giving away $10,000 worth of weekly prizes to the top 3 finishers of each round. These weekly prizes are from top industry sponsors: No Fear MX, Easton EXP Handlebar and Bar Mounts, Fox Racing, EVS Sports, Tag Metals, Cycra Racing, Works Connection, SixSixOne, Acerbis, Troy Lee Design and more to come.

Although the prizes and the opportunity to win a race bike would be enough reasons to play, MotoSport.com will also donate a portion of the sign-up fees to the RiderDown Foundation, http://www.riderdown.org/forum/.

Get signed up today and experience the MotoXDream. www.motoxdream.com

Real Testimonial!

“MXD is awesome!
It’s given some of my old racing buddies (and myself) the ability to keep the comradery going.
PLUS, if and when there is a run-away race, it keeps it interesting because you’re watching battles for 7th because you have different guys on your team. The HDCP [handicap] system is cool as well. MXD makes the races even more enjoyable and entertaining than they already are!”
By: Shawn Norfolk (AKA SND)
Director of Marketing
Tag Metals/Filtron Brands


About MotoXDream:
For 11 years, MotoXDream has been the ultimate spot for Fantasy Supercross, Motocross, Arenacross, F.I.M. World GP, and more! MotoXDream was recently acquired by MotoSport.com with the vision to take Fantasy Racing to a whole new level. MotoSport serves, maintains and secures the website onsite with the same care and quality that goes into their retail web store. www.motoxdream.com.

Motocross Northwest Loretta Lynn Qualifier @ Washougal

The mud was expected and made for some wild racing.





This section looked tough


I captured some weird light

2009 MotoXDream Fantasy Motocross Sign-ups Are Open

The 2009 MotoXDream Fantasy Motocross Sponsored by MotoSport.com is now open for sign-ups. The first round starts May 23 at the Glen Helen Motocross National.

Give yourself a chance to win Tommy Hahn's 2009 Canidae MotoSport Kawasaki KX450F Team Race Bike. If that's not enough, we will also be giving away $10,000 in weekly prizes from our great sponsors.

MotoXDream is the Premiere Fantasy Motorcycle Racing League. Add more excitement to the racing action, and root for your favorite rider. Become a Team Manager today and find out for yourself what MotoXDream is all about.

Sign-up @:
www.motoxdream.com

Xtreme Team Green- Canidae MotoSport Kawasaki - Seattle Race Report

I thought this was cool since I'm credited for the photo's, sick.
Check it out.

Sunny in Seattle

Well I made it to Seattle. The drive up went ok, except for the minor freeway flooding south of Tacoma. I'm talking dime size rain drops fell out of the sky. The water wasn't able to drain faster than it was falling. Made for some great hydroplaning though. But as soon as we hit Seattle, it cleared up and blue skies were shinning. I made it up to the track to scope out the mudder. not! The track looked awesome and very dry. I ran into Jim Holley, the announcer for supercross online webcast, and asked when he was gonna get the call from speed to do the coverage of the race, he laughed. What an awesome dude though, he's a way cool cat. I cruised the empty pits, watching everyone getting their riggs set up. It's kinda nice to be in there when there's not a million people around. I enjoyed that.

Here's to good weather and some tight racing for tomorrow. I'm gonna predict that Stewart will close that gap with Reed by 3 more points come tomorrow night. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I was able to snap off some shots of track and what not's.

50% Chance of Rain....

Having a 50% chance of rain is a given. see, the weatherman never says it, but it's true. As Luck would have it, when you flip a coin you have a 50/50 chance of hitting the side you call. Why couldn't that same logic be applied to weather prediction world wide. I mean common sense would tell ya. So after watching the local weather-women hottie, I got to thinking about why they use percentages when predicting rain. For example they're calling for a 40% chance of rain on Saturday. They even say light rain. what does that mean. If I follow my logic how is that possible. So I sit here and ponder it, and then I think back to the last 4 years of the Seattle Supercross. Being that I was there for all 4 races, I can say I've only been to 1 mudder. But it was nothing worse than '05 A1 or last years Daytona. By using the rule of percentages we should have a 25% chance of a mudder with a 50% chance of rain. Ok, now I've totally confused myself and don't really know what to think. Maybe I'll just stick my head out the window on Saturday morning and make my own weather prediction. If it's raining I'll put on a coat, and if its nice I'll bust out the short pants. Which ever Mother Nature brings I'll be prepared, because it's not like I get to watch a Supercross everyday.

Ahhh, weatherman porn!

Time for Another Weather Check..

The 6th day out report:

"Hey Ollie, can we get a weather report?"

A Cool New Supercross Game iPhone App.

A couple of days ago Apple released a cool Supercross game for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The cool part about this game is that one of the creators is Stephane Roncada. Stephane was the Y2k Supercross 125East Champion. He is a legend in the sport and has left a legacy for all Frenchies to follow. He went from racing to creating video games, and from the looks of it, he and the guys at 2XL Games seem to know what they're doing.



So, the graphics for this game are beyond any game out there for the iPhone. check it.


Roncada and the guys at 2XL Games got it right with the perfect splash picture as the app starts up.


Here's my weak attempt at a review. I would be fooling you in thinking the game play is super easy, with the tilt steering and all. But after awhile it becomes fun and challenging. If you don't like the tilt steering, there is an option to disable it and you can add a joy stick (on screen control pad). I haven't tried this, just because I like the tilt steering. Preloading the bikes suspension is similar, in that you can make it engage with a forward and back tilt option. Although, I did try this option, I'll admit that it's not easy. Instead I'll stick to pushing the little on screen spring button. The racing is tight and has an array of supercross tracks. You can select between 2 or 4 stroke bikes, and customize your rider, Super Sweet!

If you have an iPhone and you ride, this game is a must have. So here's to being productive and wasting time playing video games! Check out 2XL Games website.

Here's a cool interview with RonRon and RacerX Magazine

Seattle Weather Watch

I'm going to be a goober and follow the weather to see if we can avoid a mudder. I'm crossing my fingers for sunshine and 80 degree's. So here's to episode 1 of my weather watch.

Day 1: Rain, Dammn!
Day 2 8:00pm: I didn't watch it all day, but it shows a little rain up norte.

Chad Reed Called James Stewart A Little.......

So I was listening to Jason Ellis show on Faction Radio on Sirius and he said that Chad Reed told him what he said to Stewart in Jacksonville.

Ellis said he text Reed this morning asking what he said, and if he could repeat what he text on air and Reed said sure. Ellis said Reed's text read "its on, and Stewart is a little bitch".


Muddy-Mud Skippey

Ok, so Ellis is big time with shocking breaking news.

Round #3 Amateur Fantasy Motocross

The Vurb Moto/MotoSport.com Amateur Fantasy Racing picks back up on April 15. This round will be the World Mini's Grand Prix held in Las Vegas. I've been told that if you want to experience an amateur race, this should be towards the top of your list.

We've had some close racing with only two rounds down. There shouldn't be any reason why the World Mini's would be any different. If you haven't signed up yet, and if your actually reading this, head over to MotoXDream.com and sign up. It's free! Vurb Moto and MotoSport.com have some great prizes at the end of the series.

The whole idea behind this series is to get these amateur riders some recognition. These are the kids you'll be watching lining up with the Villopoto's and the Stewart's in a couple of years. Man, you may even see Malcolm Stewart lining up on the gates with his bro. How cool is that!

By the way, lock out for round #3 is 8am PST on April 15.

Oak Hill Amateur Fantasy Report

The 33rd Annual Answer Pro Taper GNC International Motocross Final presented by MotoSport.com wrapped up in Texas with a few surprises.








The top 3 overall winners in the 250A Pro went to #44 Christian Craig, followed up by #128 Dean Wilson and #385 Tyler Sjoberg. In the 250B Class the top 3 overall finishes went to #45 Lance Vincent with #312 Jason Anderson taking 2nd and #43 Eli Tomac rounding out that final podium spot. With the rest of the field claiming their final results, some team managers were left with a sense of accomplishment, and maybe others with a bit of rider selection remorse. Which ever the case may be the results are in and we have some team managers who deserve a little shout out.



Leading off the Series and getting the overall win at Oak Hill goes to Bone Head Racing with 130 points. Man, this guy must be relying on his magic 8-Ball to make his picks, or maybe he lives on VurbMoto.com, ingesting their info faster than Kobayashi can slam a frankfurter. Whatever Bone Head Racing is doing, he’s looking to be the one to beat.

Fending off a close finish and taking the 2nd place podium spot was MR Racing with 120 points. His team name says it all. To be able to get 4 of your 8 picks to podium is definitely the recipe for success in fantasy racing.

And bar dragging around the last corner to get the final podium spot, Team BrocH182 climbs the steps to take home 3rd with 119 points. Not much can be said about Broc, other than, “don’t let him by”. When it’s the last lap and the pit board comes out telling you to put your head down, BrocH182 will run you down and take away your lime light. With such a close point spread within the top 10 runners, nobody can afford to loose any spots.

A huge congratulation goes out to this week winners in our second round of the VurbMoto.com Amateur Fantasy Motocross. With the series only including 5 of the amateur nationals we should expect some tight racing with some close calls.

Until next time, don’t forget that we will have a break until the next race. So do your homework and get your picks in by 8am (PST) April 15, 2009.

Moto Photo Contest

MotoSpace - MotoSport Rider Community
Moto Photo Contest Details

Contest Details: This will give MotoSpace Community Members an opportunity to show off their best moto photos. The Judges classify "moto" as being a picture that would best depict your passion of dirt, ATV, offroad, and street. These images need to follow the terms of our "Photo Upload Agreement" so, if you haven't yet uploaded a photo, or read this agreement, you will be prompted to do so at the time of uploading your photo.

Entries must be submitted by the original photographer. Do not submit a photo taken by someone other than you. The contest will run for 8 weeks. Each week there will be 3 winners of a MotoSport.com gift certificate. The 3 weekly winners will be eligible to win the grand prize awarded by a random drawing to be held at the end of the 8th week.

The contest starts Friday, March 20, 2009 at 12:00am PST and ends
Friday, May 15, 2009 at 11:59pm PST.

Weekly Prizes:

$125 for 1st place
$75 for 2nd place
$50 for 3rd place

Grand Prize:

(1) Go Pro Motorsports Hero Camera (estimated retail value of $179.99 US)


How to Enter: You will need to be a registered member of MotoSpace.com to participate in this contest. At the time of uploading your photo, you must enter this into the "Tags" box: MotoPhotoContest

Photos without this tag will not be considered for the contest.

Judging Criteria: The judging will be done by MotoSpace.com Administration Staff using subjective evaluation on the basis of originality, visual appeal, photographic quality, user votes, and comments from registered MotoSpace Community Members.

Link to the Official Rules

Lake Whitney Round 1 Down in the Books

**UPDATED 3/17***We want to let every Team Manager know that we mistakenly posted the points results of the 250 A class incorrectly. The initial scoring was based off of 250 A/Pro Sport Class which shouldn’t have happened. We apologies for any misfortunes and will establish the correct scoring for each class here on out.

The 2009 Lake Whitney Spring Classic finally wrapped up yesterday with the first round of the Vurb Moto Amateur Fantasy series going down in the books.

The first round would not have be complete without a little watering from Mother Nature. Although it was much needed, the spring rain did cause some delays and I'm sure some skeptics headed for higher grounds. But as always, good things have to come to an end. After racing resumed, the start of the series looked promising for a few Team Managers.


Coming out of the gate strong and determined for the holeshot was Bone Head Racing. Taking the lead off the start seems promising, but hold your hats as we have Wayne Racing is getting ready to show his front tire, possibly setting himself up for a pass with only 5 points off the leader. With the heated battle out front, we have Team benlecornu not letting up the chase for the final podium spot, with only 8 points off the leader. Within the top 10 Team Managers finishing out the first round, we have only an 18 point deficit from 1st to 10th and knowing the topsy-turvy world of Fantasy Racing, anything can happen.

The rundown of the top 10 Team finishers after the first round are:

Bone Head Racing 129 pts.
Wayne Racing 124 pts.
benlecornu 121 pts.
MN Spode 119 pts.
The Empire 119 pts.
SS-BK 117 pts.
monda 115 pts.
b2racing 115 pts.
Team Lomaha 114 pts.
schoeneman244 111 pts.

Congratulations to all of the other Team Managers, and don't forget our next round will start this Wednesday Morning at the 2009 Answer - Pro Taper - MSR GNC Motocross International Presented by Motosport at OakHill Raceway. Lock out for the second round will be 8:00AM PST.

On a side note: After some possible confusion regarding how we are scoring, we are only crediting riders for points in their respected classes, 250A and 250B Stock only.

Lake Whitney Spring Classic Underway

Photos by John Parkinson & Ryne Swanberg

That's right the first Amateur National Motocross race for 2009 is underway at Lake Whitney Texas for the opener Spring Classic. Live racing starts today and carries over thru Saturday. The Guys over at VurbMoto.com and the title sponsor, Thor Racing, are offering a LIVE free webcast of the nationals. Click this link to open it up in your Windows MediaPlayer.


Photos by John Parkinson & Ryne Swanberg

If you go over to VurbMoto.com you can check out some video footage of yesterdays practice and some of today. They are constantly updating all results and any info throughout the week to bring us as much coverage as possible.

Did I mention they have the Vurb Chopper down in Texas. So expect some awesome high altitude coverage of the race.




You can also check the LIVE Timing brought to by tracksideresults.com.

And lastly here's a link to the Nationals Chat Forum offered up by VurbMoto for full frontal, and straight up, moto coverage.

Amateur Fantasy Motocross Kickin off March 10

Powered by MotoXDream

We're getting down to the wire in kick starting the 2009 Amateur Fantasy Motocross. The first round starts next week at the Thor Lake Whitney Spring Nationals.

Lock out for the first round is March 10, 2009 @ 8:00AM PST. So make sure you have your picks in to qualify for some great prizes that the boys at VurbMoto and MotoSport.com are offering up. Besides the prize package, you can get to know some of the kids that you'll see lining up as pro's in future AMA Motocross event. Follow the likes of Malcom Stewart (the little bro of James Stewart), Blake Dungey (Ryan's Bro), Dusty Pipes, Dean Wilson, Eli Tomac (the son of Mtn bike great) and many others.

So get your arm chairs ready for some great bench racing and to see who can be crowned the champion. See you on the starting gates!

The Guys over at VurbMoto have a little video teaser of Lake Whitney MX:

2009 Whitney Opener :: RD4 Texas Winter Series
Throwback: Lake Whitney 2003


Check here for more updates: MotoSpace.com