A Few Photos from Club MX Today
Photos and captions by Billy Rainford
Welcome to Club MX.
As this crazy two-week moto tour comes closer to an end, I find myself at the beautiful motocross facility called Club MX in Chesterfield, South Carolina. If you’re wondering if it’s that one you passed on your way somewhere…forget about it. Club MX is nestled in a part of Gamecock State that rarely sees interstate traffic. I assume it’s like this for a reason. If you want to immerse yourself in motocross and motocross only, this would be a great place to do that. There isn’t a whole lot in the periphery that will distract you from your quest.
As I neared the place last night, I began to panic at the prospect of finding a hotel for the night. Fortunately, there is a tiny 10-room motel in Chesterfield that gave me a small but clean room for $40. When I awoke this morning, I quickly got ready and heading into town for a bite to eat before making my way to the track. I went up and down the main strip looking but couldn’t find a little greasy spoon that so often fits my bill. When I finally pulled into Wendy’s and asked if there was a place to get breakfast, they quickly pointed me in the direction of some place called Bo Jangles that served breakfast all day.
OK, I’m not one to judge, but if people eat like this frequently down here I think we’ve found the reason for the ever-increasing waist band in the USA. There was enough butter and general grease on my breakfast sandwich to choke a horse. (Says the guy who devoured it in three bites.)
When I finally made my way out of town and onto the right road, I was amazed at how sandy the place is. The road in is pretty much like driving down the beach in Daytona. The colour is similar to Georgia’s red clay but a little lower on the saturation. All in all, the place is basically moto heaven. I hooked up with Nathan Bles and Alex Jeffery right away and they gave me the lay of the land. Here are a few photos from the day:
Redemption Racing Fly Dragon KTM riders Nathan Bles (lt) and Alex Jeffery gave me a guided tour of the facility when I arrived.
They claim to be spending a lot of time in the gym. The place has everything you need to get fit and faster.
Jake Streichert is also staying at Club MX.
As is our old friend #18 Sylvain LeGad (rt).
Nathan got his bike ready and they all hit the track for some video and photos.
Alex’s bike was already prepped.
Sylvain popped by to discuss when they should hit the track. The A riders did some sprints in the morning, then the B group hit the track, and then we were going to get our chance.
They all said the track was one of the gnarliest they’ve ridden, even though it doesn’t look that way from behind the lens.
We talked about parts of the track that they enjoyed and that would look the best on camera.
Jake has made the move over to Yamahas.
We messed around with this corner a while…
Then made our way to this big table top jump for a few whips…
The guys all commented on how tired they were from all the hard training going on down here. They should all be ready when our nationals get rolling.
Phil Nicoletti put in a bunch of laps on the SX track.
As did Zach Osborne.
We went back to the guys’ trailer and they showed me the main track before hitting the pavement for a road ride.
This is from the top of the big step up.
Nathan cleaned a filter for Wednesday.
Then put his bike away and went for his road ride.
It’s so sandy here that they have to drive their bikes to the main road before starting to ride.
Training is done for the day here and I think it’s time to throw a movie into the player and kick back before hitting the highway back to the snow. See you at the races…
