The first round of the local MX series was cancelled , which was a bummer, except for the fact that the track was essentially flooded. I’ve raced plenty of mud races, and this was promising to be more of a lake race. A very dirty one at that. So the first round will actually take place a lot closer to home at the end of this month which gives me some extra time to get everything together. We have been so loaded at work that race prep has been challenging!

As you might have noticed, I ran an old graphics kit at the first race of the year. I am lucky to have had many of the same sponsors year after year, so I could still represent them. That being said, it’s a new year and time for new graphics! We sent off our request to Spider Graphix. Spider Graphix is located on the East Coast and has a plethora of cool designs on fast riders. Check them out on Instagram – they’re very busy people! We’ll be posting pics of the completed kit when we get it as well. Spider Graphix is a family business and we like that a lot. They have been easy to work with and have some big names riding for them on both coasts and various places in between. We’re definitely looking forward to getting our graphics dialed!

Speaking of Spiders… I used to run a few different brands of grips before I discovered Spider Grips. When I finally did get a set on my quad (this was perhaps on my 250R) I couldn’t understand why anyone would use something different. Even when given the chance to “test” other grips on other people’s bikes, or when borrowing a bike that doesn’t have Spider Grips, I’m reminded again and again why I like the Spider Grips best. I’ve ridden with/for Spider Grips for over ten years now and I still love them. They offer awesome grip, long lasting comfort, and they help prevent arm pump and blisters. They are also super durable. A set of Spider Grips will last you a long time. The ATV A3 grips come in black, grey, blue, yellow, and red. The colors add a little extra “pop” to your bike. A nice touch for the people that like have a show bike as much as a go bike. On the occasion I have had to ride a twist throttle, Spider makes a group of twist grips that work exceptionally well also, though the colors are more of an accent. Some of the twist grips even come with the ends already knocked out if you need to install handguard wrap-arounds into your bars.

Lastly, I’m back with MotoSport Hillsboro this year. I used to ride for them when I was riding for Kawasaki. They have great customer service and all the aftermarket and OEM parts you need. Plus, if you get the chance to actually stop by their shop in Hillsboro, Oregon, they have an awesome collection of vintage motorcycles and pedal bikes hung up around the place, including a CR500 that looks like it never made it out of the shipping crate. In fact, it’s still in a shipping crate and the whole crate and all is hung up. MotoSport Hillsboro works closely with my motor builder Arlan Lehrman of LED (another great sponsor). MotoSport Hillsboro recently hooked me up with a new Leatt cover since mine was practically falling off. Okay, it was literally falling off. It looks and feels much better now!

My wife and I are looking forward to the opening MX round in a few weeks and getting my race bikes all finished to do more racing and of course, looking forward to meeting Baby Brown. Look for more posts and reviews in the next week as we’re getting ready to go racing!