Rider Files

Stephane Roncada in 2001.

Roncada in action.

Stephane Roncada was one of the leading motocross and supercross racers of the early 2000s. The Frenchman won the AMA 125cc East Supercross title in 2000 and finished just two points behind Travis Pastrana in AMA 125cc Motocross Nationals that year. He became a factory rider for Kawasaki. Combined Roncada won 11 AMA 125cc Supercross and Motocross races during his career.

Roncada was way ahead of the curve in connecting with his fans via the Web. He was often refered to as the Bill Gates of Motocross. Roncada not only started his own website (www.ronronmx.com), but he was the CEO, the designer, webmaster and advertising sales manager all rolled into one.

That knowledge outside of racing paid off for Roncada. After his career he went on to develop video games. His latest work is a supercross game app for the iPhone. Roncada also became an excellent photographer. You can check out his photography and blog via www.ronronmx.com.

(News Release)

Most Important Race At The Budweiser Arizona Mile

Jake Johnson leads the points coming into the final AMA Grand National of 2010. He's one of four riders vying for the overall crown. (Courtesy AMA Pro Racing)

Daytona Beach, FL (September 30, 2010) — The 2010 AMA Pro K&N Filters Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com will conclude on Saturday, October 9th at Yavapai Downs in Prescott Valley, AZ. The climax of the series at the Budweiser Arizona Mile is expected to be one of the best in the history of the sport as Jake Johnson, Joe Kopp, Jared Mees and Henry Wiles have a shot at carrying the #1 plate in 2011.

In 1954, the AMA announced the establishment of a Grand National Championship series consisting of 18 points-paying races. While the AMA Grand National Championship format was predominantly made up of flat track events, a number of road race nationals were included to show the versatility of machines and riders. As the sport grew and machinery became more specialized, the AMA recognized the need to separate these two disciplines in 1986, flat track and road racing became two distinct AMA Championship series.

In 2006, the AMA Flat Track Championship was restructured to consist of two series: AMA Grand National Twins Championship events held on mile and half-mile courses best suited for the power output of twin-cylinder motors; AMA Grand National Singles Championship races held on TT and short track courses where the power range of single-cylinder motors is preferable.

Beginning this year AMA Pro Racing went back to the original format with points accumulated from short track, TT, 1/2 Mile and Mile to determine the AMA Pro Racing Grand National Champion. Included in this traditional format will be a $50,000.00 points fund paying back 10 places in the final point standings. AMA Pro Racing will still recognize a Singles and Twins Champion with a $2,500.00 bonus to each champion, however the rider to carry #1 in 2011 will the Grand National Champion.

In 2009 AMA Pro Racing added the “Dash” taking the 1st and 2nd place riders in the 3 expert heat races for a 4 lap race paying $1,000.00 to win….but more important 5 points for the win, 2nd 4 points, 3rd 3 Points, 4th 2 Points, 5th 1 point and sixth gaining no points.

How important is the Dash? The Dash at the Arizona Mile may very well be the most important 4 laps of the entire series. Going into the Arizona Mile Jake Johnson is leading the series with 265 points, Kopp 255, Mees 246 and Wiles 239.

The rider who has earned the most Dash points this season has been Kopp with a total of 41 Dash points, Johnson 30, Wiles 23 and Mees 22. Can Kopp, who won the May Arizona Mile earlier this year, win the Dash and cut the point lead by 5 points going into the 25 lap National Main Event?

As everyone knows…in racing anything can happen.

Jake Johnson , 2006 & 2008 AMA Pro Singles National Champion – 265 points (2 wins)
Joe Kopp, 2000 AMA Pro Racing Grand National Champion – 255 points (3 wins)
Jared Mees, 2009 AMA Pro Twins National Champion – 246 points
Henry Wiles, 2009 AMA Pro Singles National Champion – 239 points (5 wins)

Points Awarded
Dash: 1st 5, 2nd 4, 3rd 3, 4th 2, 5th 1, 6th 0
National: 1st 23, 2nd 19, 3rd 16, 4th 15, 6th 13, 7th 12, 8th 11, 9th 10, 10th 9, 11th 8, 12th 7, 13th 6, 14th 5, 15th 4, 16th 3, 17th 2, 18th 1

(News Release) 

Dean Wilson rode for Great Britain at the Motocross des Nations.

Coming off an inspiring 1-1 win at the final national of the year, Dean Wilson, the newly crowned AMA Motocross Championship’s Rookie of the Year, took his place in the MX2 class for Great Britain as the Motocross of Nations hit American soil at Thunder Valley MX in Lakewood, Colo. His 8-6 finishes helped his country finish fourth and earn him second overall in the MX2 class. We chatted with him to see how his sophomore appearance at the event compared to his rookie trip to Italy last year.

Q: You have raced the Motocross of Nations before, but this year was different in a couple ways. Tell me about that.

Dean Wilson: It was really awesome this year. My team this year made the main and we were actually just off the podium. It was really exciting right up to the last moto. I was down in the mechanic’s area cheering on my teammates and at one point we were tied for third. The rider for Germany made up a few spots, which gave them the extra point for the podium. We only were short one point so that was pretty awesome. I really enjoyed this year. Last year I was more of a spectator.

Q: Did you ever feel like you had to carry your team because you knew the track better than your teammates?

D.W.: Even though I knew the track, I believed in my teammates. I thought I could get the better results, but in the end I felt like I didn’t ride that well considering I knew the track better than anyone on my team. In the first moto, I had really bad arm pump. The second moto, I got a bad start and didn’t get by as many people as I would have liked. It wasn’t bad, but I really thought I would do better.

Q: How did you like the track?

D.W.: Honestly, the track was so much different that I don’t feel like I had that much of an advantage. It felt like a completely different track than it was in June. It’s still really fun to ride. The start is tough because I had the power disadvantage (250cc vs 450cc) during my races, but we managed to pull off two good motos.

Q: How did you put the bad race you had during Saturday’s qualifying out of your mind to come out and do as well as you did on Sunday?

D.W.: I just tried to forget what happened on Saturday. That’s the past and it’s over with. I had an open mind for Sunday. I went into my races wanting to do my best. I feel like I put in two good motos, I just wish the results were better.

Q: Since you rode for Great Britain, you had a different fan base cheering for you. Did you notice a difference in the fans that supported you this year versus last year?

D.W.: The fans from Great Britain were awesome and really supportive of me coming onto the team this year. I met a lot of cool fans that were here from Great Britain. I still have a lot of people that support me from Canada and I really appreciate that.

Q: Now you get to take some time off and go back to Scotland. Are you excited for that?

D.W.: I’m going to Scotland for two weeks. I get to stay with my cousin and see my grandpa, who I haven’t seen in about five years. I am going to try and enjoy myself. I haven’t taken time off in a while. It’s good to get away from everything so you don’t get burnt out. By the time I get back, I’ll be excited to ride.

(News Release)

GEICO Powersports RMR Suzuki’s Danny Eslick put forth a valiant effort to repeat as the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike at the Barber Motorsports Park finale but came up just a handful of points short following an intense season-long battle.

The Oklahoman fought through tire issues during Saturday’s brawl to salvage a fifth-place ride and them came up with a gritty runner-up finish in Sunday’s season finale to consolidate second-place in the 2010 championship standings.

Giving everything he had in his search for a second consecutive class title, Eslick pushed the limits throughout the weekend. As a result he crashed during practice and qualifying and banged fairings with his rivals on more than one occasion as he refused to give in.

Danny held the lead as late as lap 19 of 21 in Sunday’s decisive finale after a mid-race red flag gave him a renewed opportunity to retain his crown but he just didn’t quite have the pace to match his rival in the final run to the checkered flag despite his all-out effort n his Lucas Oil-sponsored Suzuki GSX-R600.

“I got a good jump on the first start but I just didn’t have anything for the leaders. After the red flag I got off to another good start. We made a spring change and there was a world of difference.

“I tore up a bunch of motorcycles this weekend. I feel bad. I crashed more times this weekend than I think I did all year and all the years leading up to this weekend just really going for it. There was a lot on the line and we were really going for it. But in the end we just got beat this year. We gave it a heckuva shot and we’re going to come back next year swinging.”

The GEICO Powerports RMR Suzuki team would like to congratulate Martin Cardenas and the M4 Monster Energy Suzuki team for winning a hard-fought championship ina fantastic season of racing in the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike class.

Eslick didn’t walk away empty handed, however, as he was awarded the 2010 AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 title despite sitting out the last two rounds based on the strength of his three straight victories to open the series’ history.

RMR Bruce Rossmeyer Daytona Racing’s Robert Tinagero picked up a fourth-place result in Sunday’s wet contest while Michael Corbino finished ninth.

Despite narrowly missing a championship repeat, Eslick and the GEICO Powersports RMR Suzuki squad enjoyed a spectacular season. Eslick ended the year with three victories, ten podiums, four pole positions, and eight lap leader points to his credit in what was a truly memorable 2010 campaign.

GEICO Powersports RMR Suzuki is sponsored by GEICO Powersports, Lucas Oil, Suzuki, Millennium Technologies, Vortex Sprockets, EBC Brakes, and Pilot.

RMR Bruce Rossmeyer Daytona Racing Harley Davidson is sponsored by GEICO Powersports, Lucas Oil, Bruce Rossmeyer Destination Daytona, Revolution Performance, Pilot, EBC Brakes, Race Tech, Orient Express, and Pit Bull.

(News Release)

J.D. Beach (center) staked his claim as the nation's fastest AMA Pro SuperSport competitor.

Leeds, AL (September 28, 2010) — RockwallPerformance.com racer J.D. Beach again staked his claim as the nation’s fastest AMA Pro SuperSport competitor during a tremendous season finale at Barber Motorsports Park.

Beach emerged from the final weekend of the 2010 season with another pole position and a dominant runaway victory in the last race of the season. Only a crash out of the lead early in Saturday’s race prevented the AMA Pro SuperSport East Region champion from claiming the ‘National Championship’, which was awarded in ‘winner-take-all’ fashion over the season finale weekend.

Starting from pole after qualifying with a best lap of 1:29.660 aboard his Rockwall Performance Yamaha R6 sponsored by Top 1 Oil and Red Bull, J.D. took control of Saturday’s 21-lap final on the second lap. However, he suffered in a spill in the Museum corner just moments later, ended his bid for the crown in disappointing fashion.

Eager to make up for his mistake, Beach came out swinging on Sunday and thrived in what were very difficult wet conditions while many of his rivals struggled around him. Beach ultimately claimed the checkered flag with more than six seconds to spare in what was a remarkable eighth victory on the year for the fast-rising star.

Beach said, “After the little rookie mistake I made on Saturday, I wanted to give the team another good finish to end the season on a high note. The team worked so hard for me this year and put a great bike underneath me all year. I picked my pace up in the rain and some other riders made some mistakes while I just rode a consistent race. I knew I had a good gap on second so I just made sure to not make any mistakes.”

Beach was awarded his number one plate on Monday at the AMA Pro Road Race Awards banquet.

Sunday’s superb performance was a fitting end to the 2010 AMA Pro SuperSport season for Rockwall Performance Yamaha. J.D. Beach and Cameron Beaubier were truly a force to be reckoned with, storming to a combined ten victories and the East Region title during an epic season.

Josh Hayes was the pre-season consensus to win the championship and he proved everyone right (except me of course). (Larry Lawrence photo)

It’s always a tricky proposition to forecast the top-10 rankings in a racing series before the season starts. The biggest wildcard in pre-season prediction are injuries. The safe pick to win the championship this year was Josh Hayes. Over on the WERA BBS Hayes was the overwhelming pre-season pick. That turned out to be a good call.

My pick to win the championship was John Hopkins. In retrospect that was my heart predicting over my head. Hopper had come through so much I really wanted to see him do well. I knew John’s wrist was not 100 percent, but I had no idea it was a potentially career-ending injury. His strong finish to the season (three straight podiums) after coming back from surgery at least gave some justification for my pick.

Josh Hayes did this year what Josh Hayes has always done and that was win races, races consistently and win championships. He had to come from behind after a slow start at Daytona (where he burned up his clutch in the first Superbike round). From mid-season on Hayes was outstanding, winning seven out of 13 races starting with a sweep at Infineon Raceway. He didn’t even take over the series lead until mid-season, and that was for just a single race when Tommy Hayden took the top spot after winning his first American SuperBike race in Sunday’s Road America. Hayes got the lead back in Mid-Ohio and from then on it was a battle between him and Hayden for the championship.

So if you take out Hopkins, I had Hayes and Hayden next, so at least the order was correct. Blake Young and Aaron Yates both missed much of the season due to injury so scratch them from my list. I then had Chris Ulrich in sixth. He was right there much of the season, but he too was injured late in the year.

The one I really missed was Jake Zemke. I thought Zemke was on the downside of his career curve, but he made my prognostication skills look horrible when he blasted off to a sweep of Daytona and led the championship for the first half of the season. Unfortunately Zemke went backwards in the second half of the season, but he started so strong he was able to hold on to third in the championship. Ditto for Larry Pegram, who had a much more solid season, albeit inconsistent, than I predicted. Ben Bostrom was another veteran who showed renewed vigor at times in 2010.

All in all I’m not totally embarrassed by my predictions. In most cases I had the order correct minus the injured riders. If Hopkins comes back next season and he’s healthy, I still think he’ll be a title contender. He proved that with his late-season performances.

I think the minurature Gyro Cam was one of the big developments in motorcycle racing coverage this year. Here’s a cool example of the special camera.

(News Release)

Other AMA Stars Also Put in Strong Efforts for Their Respective Countries

Team USA (Roger DeCoster, Andrew Short, Ryan Dungey and Trey Canard) stands atop the podium holding the Chamberlain Cup for the 21st time in 64 years. (Courtesy Simon Cudby/Racer X)

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (September 28, 2010) – The 2010 motocross season came to an official conclusion this past weekend with the 64th running of the FIM Red Bull Motocross of Nations. The event was hosted at Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship stalwart Thunder Valley MX Park in Lakewood, Colo., and marked just the third time the Motocross of Nations was hosted on American soil. After a tremendous day of racing amongst the best riders in the world, MX Sports Pro Racing would like to congratulate Team USA on its 21st Chamberlain Cup win.

A massive crowd of 32,000 diehard motocross fans from throughout the world were on hand at the Midwest’s home for American motocross, many cheering on reigning AMA Motocross 450 National Champion Ryan Dungey, 250 National Champion Trey Canard, and Colorado native Andrew Short to Team USA’s sixth straight victory. Despite some adversity, the trio stood strong, putting the finishing touches on a convincing win with a dominant 1-2 effort by Dungey and Short in the final moto of the day.

Ryan Dungey served as Team Captain for Team USA in the MX1 class. (Courtesy Steve Cox/Racer X)

Dungey, who served as Team Captain in the MX1 class, enjoyed his second MXoN triumph while also claiming the individual title in the premier class for the second straight year aboard his Rockstar/Makita Suzuki. After a stellar year, GEICO Powersports Honda rider Canard battled hard in MX2, overcoming some misfortune in both of his motos to provide solid results for his team while Short and his Honda Red Bull Racing machine bounced back from his own bad luck in the Open class to win in front of his family, friends and supportive hometown crowd. For both Canard and the veteran Short, it marked their first taste of victory at the Motocross of Nations, as well as their first time on Team USA.

For USA Team Manager Roger DeCoster, it was his 21st Motocross of Nations win as well since 1981, though he also enjoyed numerous wins as a winning rider for his native country of Belgium, which finished second on Sunday. Team USA Assistant Manager Mitch Payton, who has been an integral part of the team in recent years through his company Pro Circuit, also enjoyed continued success. Both DeCoster and Payton have set the standard for American motocross over the course of the last decade and have now established themselves throughout the world thanks to their contributions to Team USA.

Trey Canard represented Team USA in the MX2 class. (Courtesy Simon Cudby/Racer X)

In addition to the three members of Team USA, several other stars of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship also posted strong efforts at the MXoN. GEICO Powersports Honda’s Brett Metcalfe, who finished in the runner-up spot for the 450 Class title, captured a podium result in the MX1/MX2 combined moto while also finishing third individually in the MX1 class for Team Australia. Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil Honda’s Ben Townley captured the win in the MX2/Open moto during his return to the Motocross of Nations for Team New Zealand, while ARMA Energy Honda’s Kyle Regal enjoyed a solid debut at the event as a member of Team Puerto Rico, finishing just behind Townley in the MX2/Open moto. Additionally, 2010 AMA Motocross Rookie of the Year Dean Wilson was stellar in his second MXoN appearance, this time leading Great Britain to fourth overall aboard his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki and finishing second in the MX2 individual classification.

Andrew Short rounded out a talented Team USA lineup in the Open class. (Courtesy Steve Cox/Racer X)

MX Sports Pro Racing would also like to congratulate the Thunder Valley facility and track owner David Clabaugh on an exceptional event. As a member of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship schedule since 2005, Thunder Valley has quickly become one of the premier motocross facilities in the world. Clabaugh and his hard-working group have worked tirelessly to give American motocross a presence in Colorado and after a tremendous turnout this past weekend, will no doubt continue to grow the sport in the Midwest.

Special acknowledgement also goes out to event organizer Youthstream on not only a world-class race, but for also bringing the largest professional motocross competition in the world back to the United States. They graciously allowed American fans and riders an opportunity to be the host nation for this annual global event. MX Sports Pro Racing, along with the rest of the U.S. motocross industry who have come to enjoy this prestigious event each year, look forward to next year’s event in St. Jean d’Angely, France, where Team USA will be trying for a seventh straight win at the 2011 Motocross of Nations.

For fan and racing information on the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, log on to www.allisports.com/motocross.

Fred Merkel circa 1988. (Larry Lawrence photo)

Happy birthday goes out today to two-time World Superbike Champion, three-time AMA Superbike Champion and Hall of Famer Fred Merkel. It’s hard to believe, but Fred turns 48 today, even though he looks 15 years younger.

Merkel grew up in Stockton, Calif., racing flat track and switched to road racing while still a teenager. Fred spent his early years racing 250 Grand Prix bikes before Honda pegged him as the young up and comer to race AMA Superbike in 1983. Merkel racked up an amazing 20 Superbike wins making him the all-time winningest rider in AMA Superbike, a record which stood until eclipsed in 1998 by Miguel Duhamel.

Merkel won three consecutive championships for Honda. His reward from Big Red? A pink slip. Merkel used the firing as an opportunity. He moved to Italy, started racing Italian and European events and then became World Superbike’s first superstar when the series was launched in 1988. He will go down in history as the first ever World Superbike Champion. He backed it up and won a second world title in 1989.

As it turned out getting fired from American Honda turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to Merkel.

Merkel raced until 1995 when he hit an unprotected wall at Firebird Raceway and was forced into retirement. Fred moved to New Zealand, a country he fell in love with when traveling the World Superbike tour.

Today Fred lives in New Zealand with wife Carla and their new baby boy.

When the book of Superbike racing history is written Fred Merkel should have his own chapter.