Monday Morning Coffee Presented by PR-MX | KTM Canada Road Trip Edition

By Billy Rainford

Brought to you by PR-MX.ca

Hello from sunny and hot Southern California! Like I ask myself every time I’m in BC, why doesn’t everyone live out here?! Seriously, I wonder what people are doing living through winters in Wisconsin when people are out here cycling, surfing and riding dirt bikes all year long. You want snow? Head to the mountains. Yes, I realize this is being said by the guy who lives in Ontario. Anyway, maybe there really is such a thing as too much of a good thing, after all, but I can’t see it.

Huge thanks to KTM Canada for getting Chris Pomeroy and I out here to cover all the cool things going on this week. In fact, as I’m typing this, the KTM Canada-supported riders in the Orange Brigade are out tearing up Cahuilla Creek. James Lissimore and I will head out there a little later this afternoon to catch riders like Canadian Jacob Piccolo and a whole host of young America rippers.

This adventure started last Saturday when we got out to Santa Clara and were able to hit the Supercross. Did you give Jeff McConkey‘s ‘McThoughts’ a read yet? Jeff has given his one-of-a-kind recap on this past weekend’s racing that is always sure to please most and leave a few wondering what’s up with this guy. I challenge anyone, when they see Jeff next, to name a rider and ask him what gear he wears. Jeff is probably at 100% on his answers. It’s uncanny.

A famous Jeff statement: “That rider cares more about how he looks than how he finishes…and I respect that.”

I won’t dwell too much on the Supercross action here because I was on the floor shooting photos and will post a bunch of action shots and our usual ‘Faces at the Races’ column as soon as I get back to my laptop later today. This time zone sure puts a lot of pressure on a guy!

#KTMRoadTrip

Our first stop after landing at the airport was over into San Francisco. I’m still not really sure how these things work.

This guy started crisscrossing North America 11 years ago. He said he had a two-minute set to do and yet he was still at it after we had lunch.

The inescapable Alcatraz Prison…that now has a triathlon where they swim to shore.

Of course, we had to check out Fisherman’s Wharf. If this was ‘Smell-o-vision,’ you would not enjoy it so much.

That’s KTM Canada’s Florian Burguet and Claudie Lapointe escaping.

We went looking for Dirty Harry.

Golden Gate Bridge.

I tried for a period piece shot here.

My goal this whole week is getting Florian to make time for a group surf Tuesday evening. Come on, Florian!

It’s all about social media these days.

The drive south changes every five minutes.

I’m not really sure what this is.

Sorry, Jacob Piccolo.

And I thought I liked coffee!

We stopped in at Maverick’s Surf Company and bought up the place. This is where the famous wave is that actually only goes off a select few times a year.

That’s Max when we arrive at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. He’s the one shooting all the cool video for KTM Canada this week.

Max, Claudie, and Tanner Ward Saturday morning.

We had no Cole Thompson to cheer for on the Slaton team but Zach Commans (right) was back in action.

Yesterday, we made the long drive from Santa Clara south to Temecula with a lunch pit stop at Pismo Beach. That’s ‘Joe Cool’ checking his likes.

Pismo Beach.

Pismo.

Another attempt at making things look old.

James Lissimore acting out that time Brock Hoyer walked right into a light pole and basically knocked himself out.

Claudie drove the whole way. This is passing Zaca Station.

Seriously, when does NorCal become SoCal? Is there a MidCal? What’s the boundary?

The Talking Heads’ song ‘Road to Nowhere’ came to mind.

Supercross Results and Point Standings

Amsoil Arenacross Results

AX Class Overall (Friday)
1.	Chris Blose	1-2	Kaw
2.	Gavin Faith	3-3	Kaw
3.	Ben Lamay	7-1	Hon
4.	Jace Owen	2-7	Hon
5.	Jacob Hayes	6-4	Kaw
6.	Chase Sexton	8-5	Hon
7.	Gared Steinke	5-8	Hus
8.	Travis Sewell	4-10	KTM
9.	Kyle Regal	9-6	Hus
10.	Kyle Bitterman	13-9	Hus

AX Class Overall (Saturday)
1.	Chris Blose	3-2	Kaw
2.	Gavin Faith	1-3	Kaw
3.	Jace Owen	4-1	Hon
4.	Jacob Hayes	2-4	Kaw
5.	Travis Sewell	5-6	KTM
6.	Gared Steinke	6-7	Hus
7.	Ben Lamay	14-5	Hon
8.	Jon Ames	8-10	Yam
9.	Kyle Regal	12-8	Hus
10.	Jared Lesher	10-9	KTM

AX Lites West Overall (Friday)
1.	Cheyenne Harmon	KTM
2.	Cody Vanbuskirk	KTM
3.	Ben Nelko	KTM
4.	Jared Lesher	KTM
5.	Scott Zont	KTM
6.	Dylan Rouse	KTM
7.	Dave Ginolfi	Kaw
8.	Parker Fleming	Hus
9.	Dillon Cloyd	Hon
10.	Blake Green	Yam

AX Lites West Overall (Saturday)
1.	Stone Edler	Yam
2.	Cheyenne Harmon	KTM
3.	Cody Vanbuskirk	KTM
4.	Jared Lesher	KTM
5.	Carlen Gardner	KTM
6.	Ben Nelko	KTM
7.	Dave Ginolfi	Kaw
8.	Scott Zont	KTM
9.	Dillon Cloyd	Hon
10.	Blake Green	Yam

AX Class Series Standings
1.	Chris Blose	68pts	Kaw
2.	Gavin Faith	66pts	Kaw
3.	Jace Owen	59pts	Hon
4.	Jacob Hayes	57pts	Kaw
5.	Travis Sewell	50pts	KTM
6.	Ben Lamay	46pts	Hon
7.	Gared Steinke	45pts	Hus
8.	Kyle Regal	36pts	Hus
9.	Cody Vanbuskirk	15pts	KTM
10.	Daniel Herrlein	1pts	Hon

AX Lites East Series Standings
1.	Daniel Herrlein	105pts	Hon
2.	Dylan Walker	63pts	Hon
3.	Jacob Williamson	49pts	Kaw
4.	Sean Cantrell	46pts	KTM
5.	Steve Roman	43pts	Suz
6.	Justin Cooper	42pts	Yam
7.	Lane Staley	39pts	KTM
8.	DJ MacFarlane	38pts	Yam
9.	Tyler McSwain	35pts	Yam
10.	Henry Miller	34pts	Hon

AX Lites West Series Standings
1.	Cody Vanbuskirk	86pts	KTM
2.	Ben Nelko	85pts	KTM
3.	Cheyenne Harmon	77pts	KTM
4.	Scott Zont	63pts	KTM
5.	Carlen Gardner	58pts	KTM
6.	Jared Lesher	57pts	KTM
7.	Dave Ginolfi	56pts	Kaw
8.	Dylan Rouse	50pts	KTM
9.	Brandon Marley	29pts	KTM
10.	Dillon Cloyd	26pts	Hon

OK, we’ve got to get out to Cahuilla Creek now and shoot some photos of blistering fast KTM amateur riders. Thanks for checking in, and have a great week. I hope that was enough to get you through another cup of coffee. Oh, one last thing…