Travis Pastrana is to motocross, as the Harlem Globetrotters are to basketball. Travis Pastrana, with a 26th birthday on October 8, has youthful potential as a serious motocross and supercross racer in the mode of Ricky Carmichael or James "Bubba" Stewart. He even won the 2000 AMA (American Motorcyclists Association) 125cc "Lites" season championship at the age of 17. Indeed, he still competes from time to time in motocross and supercross races, but his niche is as a stuntman, in the Globetrotters' tradition of Goose Tatum and Marcus Haynes, Meadowlark Lemon and Curly Neal. That's why Travis is a star on MTV's Nitro Circus.

Pastrana's legacy remains his status as the first and only person to land a double back flip on a motorcycle, first achieved in front of stunned fans on August 4, 2006, as the 12th X Games in Los Angeles. Videos of the momentous occasion abound on places such as YouTube. More difficult to find, is an in-depth explanation from Travis Pastrana regarding exactly how he figured out how to perform such a stunt, and then how he mustered the courage to make the first attempt. Travis, like a magician, appreciates the value of mystery and he's not about to explain his tricks.

Courage? Craziness? Maybe a little bit of both. Travis Pastrana not only performs double back flips on motorcycles, but he once did a back flip in a monster truck, albeit "only" a single back flip in this case. Furthermore, Travis has jumped out of an airplane without a parachute, relying on a co-jumper with a parachute to catch him and ease him to the friendly surface of Planet Earth.

One witty analyst wrote that MTV and Travis Pastrana's various corporate sponsors recently honored him in Hollywood with a lifetime achievement party, "in order to honor the living legend, while he's still, you know, living." With his carefree outlook, Pastrana himself laughs at these types of jokes. The King of the Double Back Flip clearly loves his sport and appreciates his fans.

SOURCES:
/en/TRAVIS/Bio/
http://www.motorcycleshows.com/motorcycleshows/Home+Page+News/Travis-Pastrana-King-of-the-Double-Back-Flip-and-M/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/482990
http://laist.com/2009/08/16/travis_pastrana_gets_toasted.php

The American Motorcyclists Association (AMA) supercross season from January through May often seemed like a two-man show involving James "Bubba" Stewart and Chad Reed, but the summer motocross circuit on the rural dirt tracks is providing a stronger balance of competition. Chad Reed leads the motocross season points standings near the midway point. Still, new faces are emerging with seven first-time event winners. The latest is rookie Josh Grant of Riverside, California, who on Independence Day captured the Monster Energy Motocross National from RedBud in Buchanan, Michigan.

Every sport needs its superstars. Supercross and motocross are no different. Still, most fans don't want the same old same old. Josh Grant is among the up-and-coming young lions who are eager to share some podiums. "I really needed this win," says Grant, reflecting the impatience of a potential emerging star in his own right. "I finally got a decent start and just made all the passes I needed to get to the front. I knew we had the speed. I just needed to get a start and today everything worked out." Furthermore, Josh Grant's day in the sun came on a live national telecast on NBC.

Josh Grant moves to his own beat. He still lists Riverside as his hometown, but in October 2008 he moved to North Carolina, saying he sometimes wants to get away from the "circus" and train in more quiet surroundings with the Joe Gibbs Racing Team. Also, he wants to avoid a tendency to over train and wear himself out. "It took a couple weeks (in North Carolina) before we really got into a groove where I started riding a lot. Then a couple of weeks after that, we started testing. Then we just really hit it really hard from there on in," Josh explains.

Josh Grant paid his dues in the junior 250 Lites class before his gradual advance to joining the big boys on the 450s. He says the more powerful bike "suits my style" and demonstrates that he has "the power to do it." The summer of 2009 indeed is demonstrating that budding stars in supercross and motocross are ready to challenge the old guard.

SOURCES:
http://www.allisports.com/news/grant-adds-list-first-time-winners-redbud
http://www.allisports.com/news/practice-report-redbud
http://www.racerxonline.com/article/5-minutes-with-josh-grant-1-9.aspx

Ryan Villopoto's victory in a recent Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series event was good for three reasons. First, the 20-year-old demonstrated that his month on the sidelines stemmed from a viral infection, not something for serious or permanent. Second, Villopoto captured his first crown at the top level in his hometown of Seattle. Third, Ryan Villopoto demonstrated that a rider other than Bubba Stewart or Chad Reed can an AMA Supercross event.

Stewart and Reed not only have been hogging the AMA Supercross winner's circle for a long time, but it's also usually a one-two show with the other finishing second. Furthermore, the third place finisher and his followers often are quite distant. Many fans are really enjoying the Stewart-Reed rivalry, but is it good for AMA to have two individuals so superior? In golf, for example, even Tiger Woods wins "only" one out of every three tournaments he enters. Supercross and motocross could benefit from a wider range of true contenders.

Ryan Villopoto is a small (5-foot-5, 135 pounds) but fiery rider who is seen among the heir apparent, with 31 Lites victories on the supercross and motocross junior circuits. His father, Dan Villopoto, and his grandfather both are dirt bike enthusiasts. Ryan was 5-years-old when he took his first ride and soon he was competing. Dan Villopoto says that at first it was "just a hobby" to help father and son bond together and that, "I never knew it would become as big as it is today."

Does Villopoto's Seattle win portend that Bubba Stewart and Chad Reed will face more challenges? It's difficult to judge. The Seattle track was so poorly prepared that Chad Reed skidded out at the start, and had to struggle mightily to recover for seventh place. Meanwhile, Bubba Stewart apparently decided to play it safe in the Seattle "sand" and settle for second, seizing the season points lead from Reed.

But now that Villopoto is healthy and with some experience, maybe he can start to transform the sport's Big Two into the Big Three.

SOURCES
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2009078582_supercross18.html?syndication=rss
http://www.racerxonline.com/article/450-words-seattle-supercross.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Villopoto
http://www.racerxonline.com/rider/ryan-villopoto.aspx

Mike Alessi is living, but out-of-action, proof that injuries are a big part of motocross and supercross racing success.

After turning 21 years old on May 19, Mike Alessi placed second in the season-opening motocross meet on May 23 at San Bernardino, California. He followed with his first-ever victories on May 30 in Sacramento and June 6 in Worthen, Texas.

Then, two days later, Alessi broke his kneecap in practice, of all things. He says it was a freak accident in which he suddenly found himself on grassy terrain and took a nasty spill.

Mike Alessi still has a bright future, but his route to the AMA 2009 motocross season championship has been short-circuited. He simply hopes to return before the 12-meet season closes on Sept. 5 at Steel City Raceway in Delmont, Pa. Steady veteran Chad Reed slipped into the season points lead after Alessi's mishap.

Mike Alessi, half Italian and half German in heritage, is a tightly-packed 5-foot-7 and 150 pounds. He is especially known for his daring fast starts, leading to "Holeshot" as one of his nicknames.

Alessi started riding motorcyles when he was 3 years old and was a popular Loretta Lynn's youth amateur champion. In fact, Mike Alessi won 11 junior races to tie a record established by none other than James "Bubba" Stewart. Alessi then turned professional at 16.

This isn't the first time that a practice injury has sidelined Mike Alessi. He broke a collarbone early in 2008 while he was warming up for a supercross event.

After the collarbone healed, Alessi suffered his only major in-race injury. In a July 2008 crash, he broke both shoulder blades and a rib, bruised a lung and suffered a severe concussion.

The summer motocross circuit now has lost three of its biggest names. Ryan Villapoto, Alessi's up-and-coming peer and former youth amateur rival, has a torn knee ligament and Bubba Stewart is sitting out the season.

Mike Alessi still has star potential, but he has to learn to stay upright on his bike.

SOURCES

http://www.alessiracing.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61&Itemid=64

http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/events/raceschedule/2/mc/2005_ama_chevy_truck_us_motocross_schedule_and_results.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_alessi

http://www.myspace.com/mxmike800

Ricky Carmichael is giving motocross and supercross fans a reason to become fans of NASCAR. Will Ricky Carmichael possibly achieve so much success in NASCAR, that he will cause more NASCAR fans to become fans of motocross and supercross?

This season, *Carmichael*'s main focus is on the NASCAR Work Truck Series campaign. He's sponsored by Monster Energy and will drive for the KHI team, sponsored by legendary NASCAR racer Kevin Harvick.

"I believe he will put the same effort toward his stock-car career," Harvick says. "He knows how to race, and he takes care of his equipment. Every time I've seen him race, he has shown great promise."

Carmichael, 29, hails from Clearwater, Florida, and he helped to put motocross and supercross on the map while he earned the enduring moniker of G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time) and became a multi-millionaire. He was a five-time champion and winner of more than 150 races in the AMA, American Motorcyclist Association.

However, Carmichael also ended up needing a different AMA, the American Medical Association, because of his various injuries. Motocross and supercross can be even more risky than NASCAR.

Ricky Carmichael blew out a knee during the 2004 motocross season. He returned in 2005 and for two seasons he had a series of memorable battles with his heir apparent, James "Bubba" Stewart, who aims to follow Carmichael's steps to NASCAR some day. Then Carmichael had another terrible crash, this time messing up his shoulder. In 2007, Ricky Carmichael decided to take comfort in his motocross legacy and retire, while he was still in one piece.

Motocross won't forget Ricky Carmichael, and Ricky Carmichael won't forget motocross. He has formed a company, Ricky Carmichael Signature Course Design, and for the second year in a row he will lay out the course for the Daytona Supercross By Honda on March 7. Carmichael won the event five times.

But think of Ricky Carmichael's motocross injuries. Who else but Ricky Carmichael can say they moved over into NASCAR for safety's sake?

Sources:
http://www.scenedaily.com/news/articles/truckseries/Ricky_Carmichael_lands_Monster_Energy_as_primary_sponsor_for_2009_Truck_series_.html
http://www.racerxonline.com/article/ricky-carmichaels-plans-for-2009.aspx
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricky_Carmichael

James "Bubba" Stewart may be known as Tiger Woods of motocross, but it might better be said that Tiger Woods is the Bubba Stewart of golf. After all, Bubba Stewart entered 24 outdoor motocross races during the past summer and won all of them. Tiger Woods won consecutive pro golf tournaments back in 2006, but 24 in a row? It boggles the imagination.

Bubba Stewart, as of early February, also was on a winning streak during the winter/spring supercross competition under the auspices of the American Motorcyclist Association, drawing crowds in the 40,000 range at baseball stadiums in places such as San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix. Bubba Stewart's only defeat was at the start of the year at Anaheim Stadium, when competitors knocked down his bike not once, but twice.

Speaking of bikes, Bubba Stewart has switched to Yamaha after many years with Kawasaki.

James "Bubba" Stewart and Tiger Woods have many similarities that go beyond their status not only as the first African-American superstars in their respective sports, but also as arguably the best ever in motocross and in golf, respectively. Bubba Stewart pursues Ricky Carmichael, while Tiger Woods pursues Jack Nicklaus.

To start, Bubba Stewart (12/21/85) and Tiger Woods (12/30/75) both were Christmas-time babies.

Both grew up with hyper-involved fathers, James Stewart Sr. and the now-deceased Earl Woods. Golf fans and sports fans in general are acquainted with a film clip of a 2-year-old Tiger Woods appearing on the old Mike Douglas Show and knocking a golf ball into a net with perfect form. Well, James Stewart Sr. reportedly took Bubba on his first dirt bike ride when Bubba was 2 DAYS old! Bubba Stewart entered his first motocross race as a 4-year-old rider and had a sponsor as a 7-year-old competitor.

Eldrick Woods was "Tiger" from birth, but James Stewart Jr. wasn't "Bubba" under the age of 8. His favorite motocross racer was Jeff "Chicken" Matiasevich, and so the younger became "Baby Chicken," which somehow evolved into "Bubba." He admits his nickname may seem odd, explaining, "A typical Bubba looks like an older white gentleman, kind of fat, who lives on a farm, has a toothpick and wears overalls and a straw hat."

Bubba Stewart's parents traveled the country so that Bubba and younger brother Malcolm could follow the junior motocross circuit, and so the two children were homeschooled.

James "Bubba" Stewart, at age 22, hasn't forgotten from whence he came. His home back in Haines City has an outdoor motocross track.

Sources:
http://www.motopress.net/Main/Riders/jamesstewart.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Stewart_Jr.
http://www.kidzworld.com/article/3776-james-bubba-stewart-biography
http://www.pgatour.com/2007/tournaments/r473/03/19/tigernotes031907/
http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/events/raceresults/1/sc/374/supercross_january_31_2009_san_francisco_ca_results.aspx