For starters, Supercross is awesome. I'm surprised it took me so long to get into it, but I'm grateful I got into it when I did. Daytona was my first sx event, and now Saturday I added East Rutherford, NJ to the list too. I think attending Red Bud had to have ignited the initial interest, and it's only grown from there.
It's funny how some of the best times are created from last minute planning. I had been wanting to go to the NJ sx since it's been on the schedule this year, but wasn't sure how it would play out logistically. One day a friend offered to buy the tickets if I drove. Less than ten minutes later tickets were purchased. Saturday came and we made a full day out of it, departing at 8:30am.
One of the wisest things I did this past Saturday was taking my Polaroid camera to the race. I managed to capture some pretty awesome shots on film. Below are a few digital and print snapshots of the event. In case it's not apparent, I am also equally obsessed with panoramas as I am with Polaroids. Below are some shots from the event.
It's been one of Throttle Down Speed Co.'s missions to create more videos and generate more content. Some of our first footage taken has finally taken form and was released on the blog today under the name of "Tear Off Talk".
Define: Tear Off
A tear off is a key product that nearly every racer needs to bring with them in their gear bag to the race track. A tear off is a thin piece of plastic that is attached to a motorcycle racer's helmet visor or goggles. Based on the surface of the track and the weather conditions, the amount of tear off's added to the racer's helmet or goggles varies. The bigger the roost, the more tear off's a rider will need for each time they are out on the track. While racing a rider will reach up, pull the tear off tab across their line of vision and release the single tear off and continue on racing, restoring crystal clear vision. A tear off is essential for every dirt tracker and motocross racer.
The name Tear Off Talk originated after a brief brainstorm session between Brian and I. We tossed names back and forth several times until one caught our attention. From there I designed a logo, which also took a few versions to get it to a solid point.
I believe down the line this logo could evolve into something more, however, it does the job well and works well for video intros.
Brian got down to editing our footage of his 8 year old daughter Emma interviewing various flat track motorcycle racers. On race day, Emma came prepared with a list of questions and when it came to time for the open pits, the Throttle Down Speed Co. got behind the scenes to get Emma's questions answered. The entire process was a blast, and seeing the interviews pieced together takes on a whole new form.
Throttle Down Speed Co.'s Tear Off Talk: What Do Professional Racers Eat On Race Day has now been released. Check it out on the Throttle Down Speed Co. Blog!
Stay tuned to see the second Tear Off Talk video next week.
Ice racing has always been a fascination of mine, and going to a race has been on my bucket list for a few years now. Friday I finally got to cross it off the list as I attended Round 1 of the 41st World Championship ICE Racing event in Reading, PA. Lucky for me, I got to play a bigger role than just a spectator that night.
About a month ago I got in contact with the McGrane family to help with the design of the trophy plates. Fallen flat tracker Kyle McGrane called this race track home, and his brother Tommy wanted to make these plates extra special for this round. I was more than happy to help, and I got into Illustrator to put Tommy's vision to life. The whole process went really smooth, and the final printed product turned out really rad. Below are the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place plates for the bikes main event.
All three plates are very similar in their design, but the placement of the transparent picture of Kyle in the background is unique on each. I designed the 1st place plate first and made sure the 99A was large and centered. When I began to work with the 2nd and 3rd plates, the shape of those numbers were significantly different, so the placement of the 99A had to shift. I made the image a bit smaller so that when I placed it, you could see the 99A number plate clearly on each plate, while it still being fairly centered. In my opinion, this also made the 1st place plate stand out a bit more. I also did a second version of the plates for the quad class that just swapped out some copy. Tommy was really happy with the designs and printed them.
On race day I ran an Aid to Injured Riders booth at the arena and had a great set up right inside the doors. AIR had stickers for Kyle, Charlotte, Morgan and Dominic for sale, Kyle bracelets and our flat track trading card sets.
I ended up having some really good conversations with the fans. Some knew flat trackers, others didn't. Even those who didn't know much about flat track, still donated money, and it was yet another humbling experience. Below is an action shot of the AIR set up with Throttle Down Speed Co.'s Em front and center!
At the end of the night I got my very own copies of the number 1 plates that Logan McGrane got signed for me! I've already found a sweet spot for them in my apartment to show them off. Congratulations to Jake Mataya for making a last lap pass for the lead to put the #99A bike on top of the box.
The flat track community is now facing yet another serious injury by another young, up-and-coming racer. Morgan Monroe had a scary high-side at Savannah this past weekend, which has left her with many serious injuries and a long road to recovery. It's been very alarming and heartbreaking to experience so many racing injuries as well as fatalities in such a short amount of time this season. No doubt has this made the importance of fundraising and supporting riders been more apparent. I have proudly been apart of the Aid to Injured Riders for over two years, and I can't say enough how wonderful it is to see the flat track family come together week after week to lean on each other and generously donate to organizations helping the riders and families.
To help in the fundraising efforts, I have designed a sticker for AIR to sell where all proceeds will go directly to Morgan and her family. The design features a shooting star and the color pink, two of her favorites. This sticker and two other very different designs are available for a $3 donation through AIR. If interested, please send a message to AIR on Facebook to get your order in. Heal up soon, 10J!
Nicalee Sowders and I of AIR have been diligently working on making sure we have everything pulled together for the Aid to Injured Riders' Meet the AMA Flat Track Stars at OKC autograph signing. If you find yourself in Oklahoma City tonight (Friday, June 17th), be sure to come by Pole Position between 5-8pm. Riders will be there throughout the night to sign autographs. There will be food by Mutt's and it's at an indoor karting raceway, so strap on a helmet and get racing! The ladies of AIR have worked hard on this event, so I hope everyone enjoys themselves. See you there!
Today at the AMA Pro Flat Track Arizona Mile, Throttle Down Speed Co. rider Dan Bromley made the GNC1 main event. This is a huge accomplishment for any rookie rider and it means next year Bromley will no longer have a letter on his number plate. Not only did Bromley make the main event early in the season, but he finished the race 11th out of 18, which is also an impressive statistic. I couldn't be more proud of Dan Bromley for representing TDSC in quality fashion. Below is a photo taken by mrsjjfive (Jodi Johnson).
Logistically speaking, now that Dan Bromley will be rocking a new number without his "A", I will have to revise his logo that has the 54A incorporated. It was definitely something I had recognized would eventually become out of date, in fact I hoped for it. I'm positive I can handle the revision, well worth it! Much congratulations to Bromley on losing that "A".
In 2014 I joined the Aid to Injured Riders to design projects for their fundraising efforts to support injured flat track motorcycle racers. We designed a 76-card deck, that was a successful project to say the least, that included the national numbered racers of the 2014 season. When the following season ended, there was a need to design a set for the 2015 season. This season saw several new riders make the main event to earn a new national number for the future 2016 season. There were also a set of rookies all gunning for The Saddlemen Rookie of the Year award, riders with X-Games medal stats and also a brand new national #1. With all of these riders with new accomplishments, we brainstormed to find the most efficient way to include the new riders in a 2015 set. I had thought of an idea of an "expansion pack" that could be included with the original 2014 set. We still had some unsold 2014 decks, so to make a full new deck in 2015 seemed like it would waste the 2014 set. Therefore, the additional 2015 "expansion pack" could be sold individually or alongside the 2014 set. The 2015 set included 17 riders with new statistics and is shown in a flyer design below:
The 2015 and the 2014 sets are available for sale at the race track typically in Jake Johnson & Chad Cose's pits. They are also available online at mkt.com/aid-to-injured-riders. Check them out and get yourself a full set. Also follow AIR on Facebook because we're all working very hard to put on several exciting events this year while supporting the sport of Flat Track. Another huge thank you to FlatTrakFotos for providing the killer action shots for the fronts of the cards.
