Cycle News

VOL. 51 ISSUE 32 AUGUST 12, 2014 P137 Reynard returned to claim his 10 th Loretta's championship. Former World Champion Trampas Parker was back battling for gold, as were James Povolny, Tony Lo- Russo, Robbie Skaggs, Scott Sheak, Dag Boyesen and many others. Jeff Emig would've been here too if he hadn't broken his collarbone a few weeks earlier. Maybe next year. But what perhaps impresses me most about the Loretta ex- perience is the organization. De- spite the huge amount of entries and the sea of RVs that must be orchestrated (not to mention the 108 motos that have to run), the MX Sports and AMA crew do an amazing job keeping the show running smoothly, orderly and promptly. It truly is amazing. You can set your watch by the motos: If the Schoolboy 1 class is sched- uled to start at 10:30 a.m., you can count on it starting at 10:30 a.m., unless, of course, weather fouls things up, which it often does. Even then, you know they will get things back under control as soon as humanly possible. I'm also impressed by how well MX Sports treats its racers. They acknowledge every moto winner, as well as the second- and third- place finishers, by giving them a chance to stand on the podium in front of a grandstand where they can give a shout out to their sponsors and thank everyone who helped them get there over the P.A. system. The top three racers even get medals for their moto performances, not just for their overall placing. The orga- nization also provides drinks, a water hose for a quick cooling-off "shower" and shade as soon as they get off their bikes after a hot moto. Racers are also assigned two- digit numbers for the week, which just looks cooler than three digits. I don't know if they do it for that reason or not, but I think it looks far tidier and a little more profes- sional, though it is easier to get one rider confused with another, since there are many racers with the same number. The MX Sports crew also does an amazing job keeping the track nicely groomed through out the day and week, and they go out of their way to make sure the track is raceable and safe for the real little racers in the "pee wee" classes. Plus, MX Sports gives the rid- ers plenty of time to race. You rarely hear a rider complain of the motos being too short. Even the trackside announcing at Loretta's is outstanding. It was, as usual, not only informative but entertaining – a rare combination indeed. And when the long day of rac- ing is over, there really isn't any need to leave the track (but where would you go anyway?). There is always some kind of entertain- ment planned for the racers and their families every night in the pit area, the highlight this year be- ing a concert performed by Ja- mie Lynn Spears (yes, Britney's sister, but you probably already knew that. I didn't. Should I be ashamed or proud of that? She did, I must admit, sound pretty good, though). There is also the popular fashion show and talent contest, so you see, there is al- ways something to do at Loretta's when the track is closed. There is, however, the ugly side of Loretta's - the weather, being one of them. The heat and humidity can be b-r-u-t-a-l. Throw in the inevitable thunderstorm and you have a recipe for some serious discomfort. Not this year, though. We were treated to un- usually cooler and drier weather so no one was complaining. Some "mini parents" can put a damper on things, too. The moms and dads that react poorly to their kid's less-than-expected results can get ugly. Luckily, I didn't see much of that this year at Loretta's. Instead, I saw a lot more positive encouragement. A growing trend, I hope. While the Pro Motocross Cham- pionship might be considered the ultimate in motocross, I'll argue any day that top-level amateur rac- ing is just as thrilling and entertain- ing as it is with the big boys, espe- cially at Loretta's. If you like great racing, Loretta's is, without doubt, the place to be. CN

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