FLORIDA MOTOCROSS MAGAZINE
R A C I N G
•
L I F E S T Y L E
•
P R O D U C T S
FLMX: NEWS
UPCOMING RACES Florida Gold Cup Series
October 26th - WW Ranch Location - 1445 Otis Road, Jacksonville, FL 32220 Website www.wwmotox.com www.unlimitedsportsmx.com
Tampa MX
November 9th Location - 6334 Burts Road Tampa, FL 33619 Website - www.tampamx.com Contact - 813-909-0948
Dade City MX Points Championships November 15th *November 22nd *also a Vortex Lites event Location - 36722 State Road 52, Dade City, Fl 33525 Website - www.dadecitymx.com Contact - office -352-588-4697 track (thurs&sat) - 352-567-0792
Bithlo Motorsports Fly Florida Night Series
November 1st November 8th November 15th Location - 19400 E Colonial Dr Orlando, Florida 32820 Website- www.bithlomotorsports.com Contact - 407-455-4358
Florida Trail Riders
October 25th-26th - Palatka, FL Location - 440 County Road 440 November 8th-9th - Bartow, FL Website - www.floridatrailriders.org Contact - 352-538-6291
Miami MX Park
October 26th Location - 16665 Krome Avenue (SR997) Hialeah, FL 33018 Website - www.miamimxpark.com Contact - 786-975-4024
I4 MX Winter Series
November 1st - Sunshine Motocross November 9th - Sunshine Motocross Location - 4300 126th Ave N Website - www.i4mx.com Contact - 813-900-9652
Direction 2.1 WRITTEN: RONNIE RENNER
Success can only be measured by one person accurately and that person is you. Don’t let society and the ‘norm’ dictate your level of satisfaction. It seems like the World as of late has put such a bright light on popularity, such as amount of ‘followers’ and ‘likes’. It really doesn’t sit will with me. At the end of the day the real measurement of happiness comes within your heart. But ultimately, happiness is success and popularity is overrated.
FLMX MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2014 • PAGE 6
6400 W 20 Ave, MiAMi, FL 33016 palmettomotorsports.com inFo@pALMettoMotorsports.coM
Palmetto_Full.indd 1
pHoNe305-557-1311 toll Free888-565-2555
9/10/14 8:32 PM7 FLMX MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2014 • PAGE
FLMX: BETWEEN MOTOS So right now we’re halfway through the gold cup series how has it gone for you so far? I haven’t raced the Florida Gold Cup state championship series since I was 9 years old and I think the series is going pretty well for me right now. I’ve had a few motos that I would like to do over, but hey that’s motocross. Do you know where you are sitting in the points right now? After four rounds of racing, I am currently sitting in first place in 250B, 450B, and 250 open all (no A) Have your results been about what you’ve expected or better? I didn’t really have any expectations other than to ride to the best of my ability and go out try to win every moto I’m racing in. Racing at the Gold Cups you get to ride a variety of tracks and conditions do you feel any specific tracks better suit your style? If you would have asked me this question a couple months ago I would have said Dade City and Thundercross, but since I have started training with Tim Ferry I have come to like hard packed over sand. How do you feel about the next two tracks coming up? I feel really good coming into Dade City, since I have been riding there periodically since I was a little kid, I haven’t been to WW Ranch yet, but it looks like an awesome track and can’t wait to go rip it! What is the plan for the rest of the year? Mini O’s, Winter Ams, Local races? My plans for the rest of the year are to race the Winter Olympics, in the 250B limited, 250B, 450B limited, and 450B in both supercross and motocross. I also plan on racing some of the Winter Ams, Loretta Lynn qualifiers, the Amsoil Arenacross in Tampa, RCSX at Daytona and continue full time training. Anyone you would like to shout out for helping you get here? I would like to give a huge thanks to the following people who have stepped up to support me; Steve Reis at Reis Auto Service (Tampa) Frank Valente (Sunshine Motocross) Craig at Jotos Pizza (49th St Pinellas Park) Rick at Mac Tools
KEVIN STEELE
FLMX MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2014 • PAGE 9
FLMX: TRAINING CAMP
COOL WORKOUT
Crossfit, Spinning. P90X. These days, the new, new thing in fitness seems to pop every time you turn on the TV. Meanwhile, working out has never been so scientific, technologically sophisticated, and just plain engaging. And that, of course, is a good thing: The more workout options you have, the better those options are, the lesser the chance you’ll burn out from boredom. To help kind of make sense of this new, new world of fitness workouts; I did some research to see where fitness has been and where it’s headed. Credit goes to Adam Bornstein from Men’s fitness for the original research information and material presented.
OLD TREND: CROSSFIT NEW: SELF-LIMITING MOVEMENT
Movement—simply, being able to move athletically and without restriction—is becoming one of the biggest buzzwords in fitness. The better you can move, “the more likely you are to have less fat, more muscle, better cardio and impressive flexibility,” says Mark Cheng, Ph.D., a human performance specialist in Los Angeles. Of course, all exercise involves movement, but most people have lost the ability to move correctly. Sitting at desks in front of computers causes muscle imbalances, poor posture, and, subsequently, bad movement patterns during exercise. As a result, you won’t get as much out of your workouts and can injure yourself. “Self-limiting” exercise is the prescription. These are movements that require “complete engagement,” according to Gray Cook, the founder of Functional Movement Systems, a group that educates trainers on movement pattern screening and assessment. Think about pushing a sled or performing an inverted row (where you hang underneath a bar, body parallel with the floor, and pull yourself up). If you can’t do the exercise with near-perfect form, you won’t be able to do it at all. If your hips are too high pushing the sled, you won’t be able to move it, and if your hips sag on the row, you can’t pull yourself up far enough. So what happens? You recognize your weaknesses, work to correct them, and customize your training. Movement-focused exercise is already popular in adventure races and mud runs, and in the obstacle courses
KIRK LAYFIELD, PH.D, EMT-P
you see on hit TV shows like American Ninja Warrior. These courses aren’t just great tests of fitness, but look like something out of Spider-Man. On a novice level, exercise classes are prescribing more movements associated with children’s games: Bear crawls, tree climbing, and carrying logs are all functional ways to build strength, stamina, and mobility while making training feel less like work and more like play.
OLD TREND: BOOT CAMPS NEW: CUSTOMIZED CLASSES BASED ON SKILL
People who feel isolated by personal training—or simply don’t want to pay high prices for it—often sign up for boot camps so they can work out with others who have similar goals in a more playful group setting. But boot camps, which boomed through the past decade, are now on the wane. “We’re already seeing the death of the fitness boot camp on every corner,” says Pat Rigsby, CEO of the Fitness Consulting Group, a company that helps fitness professionals build their businesses. “The model isn’t providing the best results possible, and those trainers providing low-quality programs are slowly disappearing.” The problem with boot camps is the one size- fits-all approach. When everybody in the class more or less does the same workout, individual weaknesses are rarely targeted. That holds clients back from achieving their goals. “It will be replaced by a blending of more thoughtful and specific evaluations and programming while still taking advantage of the group format,” says Jonathan Fass, P.T., a physical therapist and strength coach who has lectured at Rutgers University. What’s next is a new, hybrid fitness approach that offers individualized group plans. The boot-camp format of big-group training will remain, but participants will work on their individual weaknesses within it. It’s a system more akin to what martial arts dojos have done for hundreds of years already. Everybody trains in the same room practicing punches, kicks, and holds, but the white belts work with one another while the black belts do more advanced training.
OLD TREND: FITNESS GAMING NEW: VIRTUAL-REALITY WORKOUT
There’s a good reason why the much hyped home-gaming fitness revolution never took off: “Fitness” video games suck. Studies show that they burn only slightly more calories than playing conventional video games, which is less than taking a walk, says Yoni Freedhoff, M.D., director of the Bariatric Medical Institute. In fact, research published in Pediatrics Digest showed that gamers burned a measly 91 calories per hour—not enough to have any significant impact on one’s physique or health. Freedhoff sees the future of fitness gaming heading toward augmented reality; one new approach, called the Omni, by Virtuix, is a virtual-reality device that allows you to play a video game more actively than ever before. About the size of a La-Z-Boy chair, its special 360-degree treadmill fits easily into a living room and syncs with your game, allowing you to live within it— whether you’re hunting down aliens, climbing a mountain, or following a virtual workout. You can run, jump, pivot, and crouch, and the sensors on the platform will interpret your movements through the accompanying pair of sneakers the Omni comes with. You can move through different landscapes, battlefields, and worlds, getting your heart rate up as effectively as you would in any body-weight or running workout. Or, if you just want to take an easy stroll (or scenic run), you can visit exotic cities you wouldn’t be able to afford to travel to in real life, or ancient ones you could only imagine up till now. The Omni will let you take a virtual, and startlingly realistic, tour through them. The Omni is due out in March 2014 and will retail for $500. That’s it for this month; hope to see everyone at The Winter Olympics. Questions or comments to klayfield@yahoo.com. Please visit www. innovationtrainingsystems.com for all your fitness and nutrition needs.
FLMX MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2014 • PAGE 11
FLMX: REPPIN
JOEY CARCOPA
TUCKER ROCKY DISTRIBUTING STORY BY JEREMY WINSLOW
Joey Carcopa is a Florida native and longtime rep for Tucker Rocky. After a long day of holding down the Tucker Rocky display at the recent AIMexpo in Orlando we had a quick chat about the job, the brand, and the changes we can expect to see for Tucker Rocky brands in the future. Can you give me a little background on yourself in relation to motorcycles and such? So I pretty much started riding motorcycles at 3 and i didn’t start racing until around 14. Like everyone else I realized I didn’t really have the talent. I started working at a dealership and I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. So what exactly is your position and what does the job entail? I am a sales representative or sales consultant. I handle the accounts and basically the face of Tucker Rocky How long have you been at your current job with Tucker Rocky? I’m going on 8 years in December. So how did you get to this job? Right place right time, after working at a dealership for so long you get to know the right contacts and when I Ieft the dealership I had some opportunities. I was asked if I was interested in the job and when I started I had to move to Georgia for few years. Then I came back home and have been here for the past 2 years. What is it in your opinion that sets Tucker Rocky apart from the competition? I think it is that we treat our dealers and customers the best. We are true partners with the dealers. I can’t speak for other companies but I always hear from people that Tucker Rocky is so easy to work with which makes having a rep job much easier. Tucker Rocky really seems to have grown over the last few years what are the plans to keep the brand continually growing and improving? You’re right it is so much bigger than 7 or 8 years ago when I started. It has been good and there have been a lot of big changes. Through all of that change however it has always remained our priority to keep the best interests of dealerships at heart. One particular thing we’ve been working on recently is the resurgence of Answer. A few years ago Answer wasn’t really in the mix in the motocross and supercross world but now we have been more aggressive with it the last few years as you’ve probably noticed. Going forward you will see more Answer on our motocross and supercross riders and less MSR.
RED BULL MEDIA HOUSE IN ASSOCIATION WITH FREERIDE ENTERTAINMENT
PRESENT A
DANA BROWN FILM
MOTORCYCLES AND THOSE WHO RIDE
IN THEATERS NOVEMBER 7TH ONANYSUNDAYFILM.COM
FLMX MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2014 • PAGE 13
FLMX MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2014 • PAGE 15
FLMX MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2014 • PAGE 17
FLMX MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2014 • PAGE 19
FLMX MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2014 • PAGE 21
FLMX: FROM THE FENCE
Moto Dads cheer on their little guys
One handed and eyes closed? Seems sketchy
Ken Roczen donated his jersey to Breast Cancer
I think this guys wants a bike
Family First MX getting the shot Biggz needs directions to get back to his truck
And sometimes they all join in to cheer on each other
These guys are making sure they know the fast linews
The breast Cancer shirts for sale at Thundercross FLMX MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2014 • PAGE 25
FLMX MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2014 • PAGE 27
Picone having some fun at Dade City MX last year. He now resides in Texas.
MIKE PICONE Florida transplant Mike Picone was once one of the top amateur prospects coming out of the sunshine state. He garnered a Suzuki support ride in the heyday of that program and battled up front all around the country. In 2009 he turned pro with some support but was never able to quite reach the level that allowed him to make a career of racing. We caught up with Mike to talk about the old days and the new ones. So how did you first become involved with motorcycles and then motocross racing? Well my parents owned a Suzuki/Kawasaki dealership back in the day and my dad was real involved in woods racing. So I got myself a little JR 50 when I was 5 and just started getting after it! As an amateur you moved from Massachusetts to Florida and became one of the top amateur riders in the state and country for a long time. what were those years like? Man, those days were the golden age for me! It was before all the injuries! I was spoiled, had support from Suzuki and a lot of other people that made everything easy. Those years I’ll never forget that’s for sure. In 2009 you transitioned to the pro ranks what was that change like to be racing for money and your career every weekend? Yea I made the transition to Pro right after a solid year at Loretta’s in 09 finishing 4th in lites
Pro. Got to be a fill in on the Butler Brothers team for the last few races and felt like a dream! The change was huge, you go from being a top guy in your class to battling 40 of the best guys in the world. Those 14-16 extra minutes are a big deal to when the tracks are longer rougher and more technical. It’s just a big step but was awesome to be out there!
What were some of your most memorable experiences as a professional motocross racer? Honestly the whole experience as a whole was something to remember, but if I had to pick a certain one it would have been Unadilla when I made my first national points. It was just one of those weekends where everything was clicking and the motos seemed easy. It was also one of those weekends where everyone stayed up and was going fast so it was just a cool experience. How did you decide that it was time to step away from racing full time? I don’t think I ever really raced full time. I never really got the chance to do a full season, it was always select races on a budget. I turned pro when the economy hit and also had a knee injury so it was bad timing. But it hit me that I needed to find a different path about 2-3 years ago, just was tired of the struggle as a privateer and needed to decide where my life was headed. I didn’t want to be getting to my upper 20s and not have a path. Moto is very
STORY & PHOTOS BY JEREMY WINSLOW
tough to leave behind at that level because you are on the verge of making it. Where are you now and how has life changed since then? Well that’s an easy one, my whole life has changed in different ways. One being I’m managing residential building and moved out to Texas! Totally different lifestyle than riding dirt bikes all the time and hanging on the beach in Florida. What are the plans for the future? My plans for the future are pretty simple, just work my butt off and get to a point where when I’m 60 years old be back in Florida sitting on a beach or golf course! I love what I am doing for work and still shred every weekend. Moto is in the blood and never will leave. Do you still ride or race? Of course I still ride and I haven’t raced much. I did the Area Qualifier for Loretta in the plus 25 and went to go to the regional until I got protested for racing an SX at Daytona 2 years ago. I am sure I’ll be around at one of these racing mixing it up in the old man class! Thanks for your time Mike good luck with your future endeavors and we hope to see you around the track sometime soon. Thanks for the opportunity to get the interview, I see your Instagram showing you killing it on the Bung Bung, keep it up! See ya around!
YZ 450F ®
450 power with 250-style handling. • Revolutionary rearward-slanted engine design achieves unmatched mass centralization. • Four-titanium-valve cylinder head matched to fuel injection system provides superb power feeling across the rpm range. • Aluminum Bilateral Beam frame offers excellent rigidity balance which, in conjunction with class leading front and rear suspension, provides unmatched lightweight corning and handling • Accessory GYTR® Power Tuner lets you match engine performance characteristics to riding style and track conditions instantly.
CSC
Cycle Sports Center
4001 John Young Parkway Orlando, FL 32804 407-299-9191
* Dress properly for your ride with a helmet, eye protection, long-sleeved shirt, long pants, gloves and boots. Do not drink and ride. It is illegal and dangerous. Yamaha and the Motorcycle Safety Foundation encourage you to ride safely and respect the environment. For further information regarding the MSF course, please call 1-800-446-9227. Professional riders depicted on closed course. ©2014 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. All rights reserved.•YamahaMotorsports.com
FLMX: LAST TURN
Not the last turn, but the first turn. The most nerve racking obstacle in any motocross race. It isn’t a question of if but when will you be the one stuck at the bottom of the pile. Will you get up and charge to the finish or pull in and call it a day?
FLMX MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2014 • PAGE 31