Cycle News

VOL. 51 ISSUE 48 DECEMBER 2, 2014 P93 bitchin the rigs are. He sees the riders in their new gear, sitting at the autograph tables and posing for pictures with their fans. It all looks gloriously magical and for the most part, it is glorious. It is those other parts, the parts he does not see and has no reason to think about, that are the bitch. And there is no such thing as magic. It's a bit like when you were a kid and your laundry always got done. You went to your under- wear drawer and just grabbed a clean pair, (insert joke about "growing a pair" here), never thinking about how they got there, or where those skid marks went. It was almost like magic. Then you grew up, learned that Mom was the magician and that she was now over it. It was a re- ality check, for sure, but I would guess that you had a newfound appreciation for your mom once you were stuck doing your own laundry. I know I did, because about six months before she passed away I made a point of thanking her—I also confessed to being so lazy that I sometimes threw clean clothes in the ham- per instead of folding them, or hanging them up. She laughed, but I still felt like a skunk. So, the next time you are ogling your favorite rider's bike at a Supercross race, think about the countless hours he and his mechanic spent at the test track, swapping parts and burning laps on his practice bikes. Then think about the long days and nights his mechanic spent prepping his race bike, making sure ev- erything is perfect. If you get a chance, let him know how sweet the bike looks. Most of these guys work way too many hours every week and don't get nearly enough appreciation—I know, I know, just like the rest of us. When you look at the factory semis, glistening in their newly wrapped livery, consider that somebody spent long hours de- signing how it would look, then submitted it to the team owner or manager for approval and was probably rejected and resubmit- ted several times before getting it right. It is one of the dirty little secrets of the industry: putting together a graphics and logo lay- out that makes all of your spon- sors happy is next to impossible. You probably will not run into the designer, but you probably can find the truck driver nearby, pos- sibly throwing some steaks on the barbeque. If the rig is clean, it is because he cleaned it. Give him a shout out; you might get a free burger. That said, if you ever get a chance to look inside one of the factory rigs, do so. They are a thing of beauty. The attention to detail, efficiency and all around trickness will leave you drooling. Believe me when I say that those rigs do not come that way. Even when they are bought from anoth- er team, there is a tremendous amount of work that still needs to be done before going racing. Or- ganization is the key to efficiency and it takes long man-hours to get there, usually by the team manager. He's the guy back at the race shop taking care of busi- ness while others are out at the track testing. There are sponsors to call, deals to be made, parts to be ordered, flights to be booked and egos to be stroked. Those duties and everything else all falls into the lap of the team manager. Then there are all the loose ends that need attention. I would not know about this stuff, but Dave Osterman, team manager for Team Two-Two Racing, stays at my house a couple of days a week. It seems like he is always on the phone and well, some- times I overhear things. A month ago, I swear he and one of his fabricators exchanged phone calls for a week, going over the details of Chad and Josh Grant's autograph tables! As I said, there is a lot more to fielding a race team than meets the eye. I have barely scratched the surface here, but you get the idea. So if you happen to find yourself standing in Chad Reed's autograph line this sea- son, check out his table set-up. If you think Dave O did all right, ask Chad to give him an attaboy! Everyone likes to get a thumbs- up from the boss, right? CN

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