Budds Creek MX Park MD. 2nd pilgrimage

Cool movie. Thanks for the post RT! I absolutely love the MXdN. The best race of the year hands down in my opinion. It just has such a great vibe and energy that just can't be matched by other races. Sooo much fun! I always try to stand next to Estonian fans. They aren't quite a threat to win exactly, but their fans are ultra dedicated and enthusiastic. It's contagious.

I've been to 4 MXdN races with the first being in 2001 at Namur, Belgium. Team USA didn't go at the last minute because of 9/11. I was one of only a very few americans in the crowd. Everyone kept asking me why I still came when we had no team. I said, well I already bought the plane tickets and the race is at Namur. Team or no team it was still going to be a great memory. Namur was such an amazing track I simply can't do it justice with my explanation. A track that's inside an old castle, that races down city streets under stone bridges and right in front of a bar? Incredible! I became a Stefan Everts fan that weekend. I wasn't too hot on Everts because he was supposed to ride for Husky a year or so earlier but crashed and broke his leg if I remember correctly. There was some fallout drama and I sided with Husky of course. Anyway, I was standing next to some access path behind the Citadel picking my nose or something when along comes Everts down the path on a little yamaha pit bike. I got my camera up to take a pic expecting him to ride past like I wasn't even there. You know, like most big shot US riders do. Instead he slowed to a crawl so I could get a good pic and put on a huge smile and a friendly wave. Said hello as he passed. Done deal, I am now a fan for life.

In 2006 I went to England with a friend of mine who doesn't follow MX at all. He still asks me every year where the MXdN is at and if we can go. Haha. He loved it. The brits know how to throw a party, that's for sure. A full on Carnival, beer garden and even a gentle mans club at the track. Lots of entertainment when there was no racing. It was supposed to be Carmichael vs Everts in Everts last race of his career, but Carmichael crashed at Glen Helen and Tedesco went in his place. Villopoto was fun to watch but so was this kid from Italy. Cairoli was throwing huge whips and nac nac's. Super fun to watch ride. Everyone was excited to see if old man Everts could match Stewart. In typical Stewart fashion, it was checkers or wreckers and he fell too many times trying to keep up with Everts. It was pretty cool hearing the crowd go wild when Everts rolled across the line in first place in the last race of his career.

I was at the race in 2007 at Budds creek. Watching that video that robertaccio posted reminded me of a lot of things I had forgotten about that day. All I can remember is that Villopoto was simply untouchable. He was on it so perfectly, that even if Carmichael hadn't fallen in that first moto and had started right next to poto I don't know if he could have kept up. Villopoto was absolutely flying! He was laying such a beat down on the world that I actually turned to the Belgian fans next to me and apologized for Villopoto embarrassing their riders so badly. He made everyone else look like C class riders. He was hucking that downhill triple that some of the 450 riders couldn't do. I was excited to see Cairoli ride again since he was so impressive the year before in England, but it just wasn't his day. His bike had trouble getting through customs and was late getting to the track, and things just never got better for him. Too bad, because he can haul some ass too. Below are a few pics from that race.

The race was here in Colorado in 2010 and I was super pumped. I really don't remember much about this race because I had gotten a concussion a month or so earlier and was still in kind of a haze. I remember we won. That Andrew Short kicked ass, because he was riding in his home state for the des Nations and that's pretty cool. And I remember some kid from Germany being really fast on a Suzuki. I wander what ever became of that likeable young German?

Sorry for the longwinded post, but as you can see the des Nations gets me fired up. haha. Some pics from 2007 below. It is the only race I have pics of on my computer as 2001 was before digital cameras and I forgot my camera for the other 2.

Carmichael and Everts on their parade lap.



Villopoto almost ripping the space time continuum.



Cairoli, He's hard to get on film also.



One of the Mexican riders broke down. This was heartbreaking to watch. He kicked and kicked but the bike wouldn't fire. He broke down in tears and the whole crowd almost did too.

Carmichael and Ferry's victory lap.