It’s the calm before the storm.… Next weekend, the 2007 AMA Toyota Motocross Series begins, which means a new battlefront—the last one—for Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart. RC is returning for at least the first five races, and maybe one more later on. He returns to meet a red-hot Stewart, who absolutely demolished everyone the last six weeks of supercross.

The word is that RC has been riding more than one might expect of a pretty-much-retired racer, but then again, #4 always did things the hard way—the right way.

James is the series favorite, but what about Hangtown? photo: Carl Stone

In the Lites class, it’s shaping up as Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki—Ryan Villopoto, Ben Townley, and the returning Brett Metcalfe—against Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey, Yamaha’s Josh Hill, SoBe No Fear Honda’s Josh Grant and everyone else.

That’s not the only new front being opened. Racer X and Motocross.com have teamed up to cover American motocross like it’s never been covered before. Next week will see the world premiere of The Racer X Motocross Show on Motocross.com. It’s an online show dedicated to the series and the sport, hosted by Jason Weigandt and featuring a revolving cast of industry friends that includes David Pingree, Denny Stephenson, Sarah Whitmore, DMXS’ Kevin Kelly and David Izer, SPEED TV’s Jeff Emig, Leticia Cline, Simon Cudby, Rupert X. Pellett, and pretty much anyone else who wants to get involved (hey, it’s not a party unless everyone is invited).

We will feature a pair of preview shows beginning next Wednesday evening, then The Racer X Motocross Show will set up in the Hangtown pits and film a Saturday preview show—including exclusive, same-day highlights from practice and timed training, and interviews, as well as Saturday morning’s WMA race—that will go up on Saturday evening. We’re hoping for a Game Day-type atmosphere, so look for Weege and a few cameramen on the premises, then hold up your “Go (Surfing) Chad Reed!” signs, or whatever floats your boat!

On Sunday afternoon, you will hear the dedicated Hangtown Webcast on Motocross.com, just like the well-done Supercross Live! webcasts and not just the PA announcers, featuring Jason Weigandt as host, Denny Stephenson as color analyst, with some interactive features so listeners around the world can send in their questions and comments.

And finally, we will have a Sunday evening wrap-up show, featuring more highlights, interviews, and bench-racing, plus some analysis from well-known pit pundits like MXi’s Steve Cox, our very own Steve Bruhn, and anyone else who wants to chime in.

Wait, there’s more! Next Saturday, you will see another preview show, this time direct from High Point Raceway, with Hangtown highlights, interviews, and, of course, exclusive High Point practice footage, as The Racer X Motocross Show on Motocross.com moves to its next location.

It’s our goal to cover American motocross in a way that it’s never been covered before. I truly believe that this is going to change everything. Stay tuned!

Outgoing Parts boss Jeff Fox and Ivan and Teresa Tedesco photo: Simon Cudby

This week, the sport found out that one of the industry’s true giants was stepping down. What RC’s retirement meant on the track in America, and what Stefan Everts’ did in Europe, that’s what Parts Unlimited boss Jeff Fox’s retirement means to the motorcycle industry.

In 25 years at his family’s company, Fox grew Janesville, WI-based LeMans Corp. and Parts Unlimited into an industry giant. Parts Unlimited is the biggest distributorship in the motorcycle world, modernizing the supply business while building a massive army of sponsored riders along the way that included everyone from Jeremy McGrath to Josh Coppins, Travis Pastrana to Doug Henry, Chad Reed to Ryan Villopoto, Greg Albertyn to Ben Townley. It was also his vision (along with help of field generals like Hylton Beatty and the late Walker Garrison) he turned hospitality in the pits into a business in and of itself. Parts Unlimited and its affiliates also sponsor pretty much every major motorcycle series and race in North America.

Now Jeff Fox is retiring from day-to-day activities of being the head of the company, though he will remain on the board of directors and continue to attend the big races on the calendar. Hovering right around 50, what were his reasons for such an early retirement? More time with his family, and more time on his motorcycles. Well done, Jeff.

Under Jeff Fox’s direction, Parts Unlimited completely overhauled the concept of hospitality photo: Simon Cudby

Changing gears, the People’s Champion, Jamey Grosser, hit me with this “Dirt Bike Concerns” video on YouTube. It is pretty amazing!

Said Grosser, “I wish I had the balls to ride in a park! I’ve spotted some nice golf courses I’d love to ride at too—road trip to Baltimore?! We could get Pastrana to show us around his favorite downtown riding spots!”

Actually, Travis was as far away from downtown Baltimore as one can be this week: he was out in the Southwestern desert, going off for Greg Godfrey and crew as they got ready for another Nitro Circus blockbuster. Matt Ware went along and sent us this shirt message by smoke signals:

“I’ve been stuck in ‘the middle of nowhere’ literally, on a Navaho Indian Reservation with the Nitro Circus Crew. Cell phones didn’t work, nor did they know who what the internet was, but they sure did know the guy who got stuck by all the catci. After a long trip with Randy Richardson and some time in the desert with the Godfrey Films crew, I witnessed some of the most amazing scenery along with some of the most insane, if not idiotic ‘stunts’ go down. Here’s a brief sample of what’s to come on the latest Nitro Circus video which should hit sometime early 2008.”

Yes, that's Travis and Jolene Van Vugt! photo: Matt Ware

By the way, the downtown-motocross thing in Baltimore got a lot of press locally last month, and here’s Fox News’ version of the events.

In a possibly related story, Laurel Allen from Road Racer X sent this inner-office memo around: “I’m being semi-assaulted by a woman via Myspace who wants us to keep eyes and ears open for news concerning some bikes stolen from a McHenry, Maryland, dealership. There is a lot of fodder for intra-office jokes here, because according to her, A) a video tape shows the thieves wearing Racer X hats, and B) police told her that there were ‘three suspicious guys from Morgantown in the bar just prior to the robbery.’ The bikes stolen were all 2007 models: two YZ85s, a TTR125, a TTR50 (with no key), and a KX65.”

Has anyone seen Fubar or FoBro today?

Don’t miss our latest contest with DVS Shoes – a chance to win an autographed set of Carey Hart’s new clothing line. Visit www.racerxill.com/subscribe.aspx for more information.

We also have a new way for you to get your monthly fix from Racer X – the Racer X Illustrated Digital Edition! Are you sick of waiting by your mailbox for the new issue to arrive? Subscribe to Racer X Digital and a link with the new issue will be e-mailed to you the day after the magazine ships from the printer. You’ll be reading your favorite magazine weeks ahead of time, and it’s only $14.98!

Ben Townley is on the new cover of Racer X Illustrated, which now offers digital subs

This new format is key for our international readers – the digital edition will save you $30 off of the regular subscription price! No more waiting and wondering when the new issue will arrive; you will see it the same day as everyone else in the world, for the same price.

Still enjoy the print magazine but want the digital edition too? We also offer combination pricing so you don’t miss out on either.

Go to: www.racerxill.com/subscribe.aspx.

When I was a kid, one of the coolest things anyone ever gave me was a postcard-size sticker of a ’77 Spanish motocross race/magazine poster, and I’ve held on to it ever since. In fact, anyone coming to the Racer X Open House the Friday afternoon before High Point will see it blown up billboard size in the front lobby of the RX HQ (more on that next week). But I always wanted to make similar stickers to give away if this magazine thing ever took off.…

Well, send us a self-addressed, stamped envelope, and we will hit you back with some free Ricky Carmichael/Racer X stickers: Racer X RC stickers, 122 Vista Del Rio Drive, Morgantown, WV 26508.

Congratulations to Ryan Dungey, not only for winning the East-West Shootout in his rookie season, but also for scoring his first national magazine cover as a pro: Moto Kids! The Cycle News-produced kids’ mag (a must for young enthusiasts and their parents) has #62 front and center with the headline “Racer on the Rise.” For more info on how to get Moto Kids for your kid, check out www.moto-kids.com.

This might be Ryan’s first major cover

It had to happen eventually: there’s a fashion article shoot in the new Esquire with the FMX guys at the Mulisha Compound in the June issue, pp. 126-133. Nothing like wiping out in a $3,000 Prada jacket! Added Bonus: A two-sentence article on “What To Look For in a Dirt Bike” by Brian Deegan.

This is from Ed Youngblood’s awesome www.motohistory.net:

Imagine our surprise to find on the cover of the new Vanity Fair a picture of Bruce Willis busting a berm aboard a vintage desert sled, standing on the pegs, glaring at us with his best in-your-face face. Inside the magazine one finds a description of the image. We learn that Mr. Willis is wearing a vintage Abercrombie & Fitch shirt and a Calvin Klein Collection T-shirt. His grooming products are by Clinique and Kiehl’s, and his grooming is by Gerald Quist (Grooming? What grooming? This is Bruce Willis!) The photo was shot by Annie Leibovitz in Victorville, California. But VF tells us nothing about Mr. Willis’s ride.

So let us, with a little help from Triumph historian Lindsay Brooke, take up where VF left off. Mr. Willis’s mount is a 1965 Triumph TR6SC with aftermarket air cleaner and exhaust pipe extensions, and a fabricated bash plate.

That’s pretty cool

Through the Vanity Fair website, you can access a video about the Willis and Leibovitz photo sessions. The video shows Willis riding a black Triumph street machine—not the one used on the magazine cover—on a dry lake bed. He poses aboard the same machine for photos that apparently were not selected for publication. The bike used for the VF cover shot was mounted in a stationary position, and a fan was used to make Willis’s shirt fly out behind. To view the video, click here.

The third and final chapter of an astonishing MX trilogy about the 1976 AMA 125cc National Championship between Marty Smith and Bob “Hurricane” Hannah is up on MXWorksBike.com.

Let me turn this over to Ping right here.…

Marty Smith and Honda lost that #1 plate Bob Hannah and Yamaha in 1976 photo: Dick Miller Archives

I know it’s Las Vegas and all, but I think we’re getting a little out of hand with the female “spokesmodels” at the races. The Amp’d Mobile setup looked like Crazy Horse minus a brass pole, and I think we might have stepped over the line in our see-through shoes here.

Remember when everyone got their panties in a knot over the commercial with the prostitute and the businessman having a heart attack? We’ve gone to the next level with the whole “perv” marketing thing, and I think we need to pump the brakes…. Softly, at first.

On a less-sexy note, Scott’s Bevo Forti has lost 62 pounds in his Biggest Loser challenge. After taking pledges for each pound lost, Bevo raised a hefty sum of cash for his efforts, all of which will go to the Rider Down Foundation. He is also planning on continuing his weight loss with all proceeds made going to help Doug Henry in his rehabilitation efforts.

Jeremy Albrecht is leaving Bubba. The longtime mechanic and all-around good guy has been spinning wrenches for a while, working with guys like Mike Metzger, Pedro Gonzales, Jeff Emig, John Dowd and now James Stewart. His new gig is with the Joe Gibbs race team that is planning on fielding a two-man team, both top-five riders.

Uh, who are they going to hire? As far as I know, Stewart, Reed, Ferry, Tedesco, and Windham are locked up through 2008. So maybe Michael Byrne or Nick Wey or Tyler Evans? Or maybe they will pull from somewhere else?

Here Bevo has a weak moment after the weigh-in photo: Ping

There is an Australian kid that is on his way here. He hasn’t made a lot of waves yet and you probably won’t recognize the name, but Daniel Reardon is the next big thing from Down Under. According to Timmy Weigand, who has been racing the series down there, Daniel has been absolutely destroying everyone. Apparently, he can fall in the first turn and still win the moto by big margins. And that is racing against guys like Darryl Hurley, Craig Anderson, the King brothers and many other great riders.

Reardon did have a guest spot with Kawasaki at Glen Helen last year but injured his ankle just days before the race and didn’t get to compete. His agents have been running around southern California like chickens with no heads trying to line up a ride, and it sounds like he has several good offers. Chad Reed is headed down to Australia and will race against Daniel in an Aussie MX Championship race. It will be interesting to see how he does.

Stepping in to fill J-Bone’s shoes at Bubba’s side will be Mike Williamson. Mike worked for Ferry this year and is the next guy in line for the job. Mikey will do a great job.