VOL. 51 ISSUE 38 SEPTEMBER 23, 2014 P27
of brush and Kudzu to reach the
downed plane.
Couch's TOBC Racing was
one of the biggest road rac-
ing teams in the country. The
team was personally financed
by Couch, president of Rand
Construction Corp. The squad
helped develop young riders from
the club ranks all the way to AMA
Pro Racing events. Couch was a
racer himself and had made his
pro debut in the AMA Superbike
race in New Jersey the weekend
before the crash. Couch was set
to participate himself in the CCS
races, according to team crew-
member Rick Matheny.
Memorial services have not yet
been finalized.
"Jon was a generous guy who
wanted to help riders pursue
their dream," Matheny said. "His
mother was a fantastic person.
She was there to help in any way
she could. She cooked and was
like a second mom to everybody
on the team."
Larry Lawrence
STRAIGHT RHYTHM WARM UP
S
outhern California fans got
a preview of the upcoming
Red Bull Straight Rhythm on
Saturday at Milestone Race-
way. The track was host to
the Red Bull-backed ride day,
which showcased a quarter-
mile Straight Rhythm course
and several of the star athletes
slated to highlight the October 4
event at the Auto Club Raceway
in Pomona, California.
Red Bull promised a "tamed
down" version of the Straight
Rhythm course so that Milestone
riders could try their hand at the
new concept, but there wasn't
anything particularly tame about
the Supercross-sized jumps.
"It's a little tame for the ama-
teurs," Malcolm Stewart com-
mented. "But it's still pretty Super-
crossy. This is a great test run."
The fans and locals who came
out to witness the spectacle
got to enjoy some up-close and
personal stadium-worthy action
that turned into more of a prac-
tice day for the Red Bull Straight
Rhythm hopefuls.
James Stewart, Malcolm
Stewart, Josh Hill, Ryan Morais,
Jessy Nelson and even some
Racers got a chance
to experience
Straight Rhythm rac-
ing at the Red Bull
Straight Rhythm Ride
Day at Milestone MX
in California.
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
JEAN
TURNER
continued on page 28
