Monday Bench Racing: Go Pro Crossover Challenge - Dirt Rider Magazine

As the 2011 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship skidded into Pala Raceway for the final round of the series, all eyes were on Ryan Dungey's dominant run at the 450 class and the yet-to-be-determined 250 title race. But before the fans swarmed the gates at Pala to watch the pros do battle, a series of motos took place that held what was arguably the most exciting racing of the weekend. Welcome to the Go Pro Crossover Challenge.Each year, action sports industry heavy-hitter Aaron Cooke assembles the top BMX, skate, surf, snow and alternative sports athletes to do battle on a motocross track. This Crossover event is typically run in conjunction with the AMA National at Hangtown and features some of the biggest names in action sports. From Shawn Palmer to Ian Price to Jason Ellis and Allan Cooke (Aaron's bro), the sign-up sheet for the event looks more like an X Games entry list than an MX race. As big fans of the Crossover Challenge, the Dirt Rider crew has become famous for crashing the party with a half-dozen editors/ test riders and a few kegs of adult beverages. After a few years of sneaking us into the Crossover Class-under the credentials of "extreme spelunker" or "professional canoe driver"-Cooke finally created a media class for us. When we heard that the Crossover event was coming to Pala, we loaded up the crew for what was sure to be an awesome day of racing.If there is one thing that disappointed us about the race, it's that more media members didn't show up to race. Other than that, the event was pretty much perfect-great dirt, a fun (albeit scary) track layout, awesome friends and nearly 80 different riders on the track at once. Despite the small turnout for media types, the Crossover class was massive, and there was even a special FMX class for freestyle heroes like Brian Deegan, Dustin Miller, Ronnie Renner, Jeremy Stenberg and Mike Metzger. The weather was perfect and with the exception of a few wild crashes, almost everyone made it through the racing safe. No Fear catered a massive lunch with delicious Chronic Tacos, and the Crossover athletes were treated to a grab bag of swag from Function, SRH, Skullcandy, Dunlop, DC, Asterisk, Ogio, Vention and more.When the final results came in, Jet Ski great Victor Sheldon nabbed the top spot (and a brand new Haro bike) in front of snow bunnies Michael Rosengren and Ian Price. The pace of the Crossover athletes was impressive, as most of the riders in the top ten spots were jumping nearly all of the big hits on the track-the very same that the pros had to negotiate on Saturday. DR commander-in-chief Jimmy Lewis, who was spotted chugging some sort of bubbly drink out of his huge trophy, topped the media class. Metal Mulisha general Brian Deegan showed some serious speed on the way to the FMX class win, but Deft's Brian Foster and Dance-Dance-Revolution hero Ronnie Renner kept him honest.To give you more insight into this sweet event, we thought we'd include some of the best bench-racing quotes from the DR crew following the race. Cover your head, because this is going to get ugly!"I cannot explain how cool it is for me to be able to get to do special events like the GoPro Crossover events. Riding around a perfectly prepped Outdoor National track is something that most guys would give their left nut for. I can't believe all the invited journalists who didn't show up? Being wussies or just too cool to show the world how slow they really are, I can't comment, but I'd be pretty pissed off if I was the guy reading this and someone else was too bitchen to pass up on an event like this (think about that next time you read about some of these other "experts" or "guys that love riding"). Our DR staff was out in force and there were a few other core editors in the mix. We got to race with the FMX guys and I was really impressed with the speed of some of them. I liked that a few puked in their helmets and I liked that some of them faded so hard that I got to pass them. But with the huge jumps and pent up moto skills from the past, there were others I had no game for. My KTM 150 was a perfect bike for me to keep my jumping in line and try and make it fair for the other editors out there who may have gone to college longer or know how to spell better than me. Double bonus for the front flip I completed (pivoting on my head while single jumping a big double) so I can even crash as good as the other guys too. I got lucky and bounced right back up and continued on. What does all this teach us? Appreciate the opportunities and maximize the fun. And let the other guys write an excuse list on how some fatter, washed-up, balding, ex-racer, cocky editor from Dirt Rider kicked some ass and walked away with the biggest trophy. Then enjoyed the Pabst Blue Ribbon sponsorship right through the great Pala National Weekend! See you at the next one, if you dare!" -Jimmy Lewis"I always look forward to the Crossover events, and after missing the last two Hangtowns due to College Graduation and knee surgery, I knew that there was no way I was missing Pala. This was my first time riding there, and I dug the track and the massive, third gear jumps. Seeing my former FMX colleagues was like going to a high school reunion, and the Crossover athletes are always a hoot to hang out with. In the first moto, I got a solid start and was ahead of some faster guys when I went down halfway through the first lap in a turn and almost got run over. I remounted and passed a few riders to settle into what turned out to be second place behind Lewis. But on the very last lap I landed on an FMXer over the first of the two big finish line doubles. The crash sucked and I don't really care to replay it, but let's just say it was ugly. Fortunately, I'm young enough to where I still bounce when I wad, and I was able to walk away with only a severe battering. The kid I landed on seemed to be OK too, and he even rode an FMX demo the next day before discovering that he has a broken sternum and three dislocated ribs. Big thanks to Aaron Cooke for putting on this rad event, my buddies at DR for loading my truck, Scuba Josh for driving me home and DR. Bruce Jacobs in Glendale for getting the excess fluid out of my back. Oh, and mad respect to the rest of the Crossover athletes-I can only dream of riding a skateboard, snowboard, surfboard or BMX bike half as good as they can ride moto!" -Chris Denison"Crossover to me always means rivalry with my sworn enemy Scott Denison. The weeks of smack talk (mostly mine) were settled, as far as I'm concerned, in the first moto where I caught, passed and held off Scottie (watch for some reverse-mounted helmet cam footage if I come off as heroic enough in it). It would be immodest of me to mention I was on a 250F and he was on a 450, or that the soft uphills robbed drive and momentum like I'd never seen before. It would also be rude to print that I kept Dave "Rig" Donatoni in sight. Dave's a former pro off-roader, my nutrition guru and my sometime social coach. He showed up with a 125, which didn't help out his cause, but he should be horrified that I was on the same straightaway as him when the checkers fell for both motos.

My overall memory from the event was battling with Scottie and Dave. I was almost laughing as we had a "roll the rhythm section" battle on consecutive laps. It was like watching the KTM Jr. SX Challenge from inside a helmet. I also cracked up when I stuffed Dave in the first corner of the second moto. That was fun, and I knew it would only motivate him more to beat me - so I guess he has me to thank for that 3rd place trophy he took home. But smack talk aside, congratulations to Dave and Scottie for besting me that day. I should have beaten them but I guess Dave still has some pride that hasn't deteriorated from his glory days (what's the half life of that stuff?) and Scottie surely still has something to prove after I repeatedly overpowered him in arm wrestling on the road trip to Hangtown a few years back.Aaron Cooke has done an amazing job since taking the reins of Crossover, so please check out the event sponsors who let him do it, and see some more great Crossover stories from FMX and other extreme sport athletes, at www.supportarf.com (watching the video will give the program a dollar!), and also check out Aaron's Athlete Recovery Fund at www.athleterecoveryfund.com. Now it's back to training to get ready for the next Crossover at Hangtown in 2011, where I assure you I will finally bury Dave and Scottie under the well-tilled loam of a national track." -Pete Peterson"Pete failed to mention I kicked his ass at Hangtown with absolutely no training to speak of and drinking beer for three months prior to the event. Pansy." -DR Art Director Joe McKimmy, who was working too hard the day of the race to come out."The annual crossover race has become one of my favorite events, the media class, which is really more like the "Dirt Rider and friends" class always makes for some great racing, the editors from the other mags don't know what they're missing. In addition to all the fun, food, and festivities that are arranged by Aaron Cooke and the Athlete Recovery Fund, it's one of the rare times when you get to hear Pete Peterson be quiet, for at least an afternoon anyway. In the morning of the race, his mouth can be heard running in the pits long before the first bike starts up. For reasons unknown, Pete painted a target on my back a few years ago, when he beat me at arm wrestling on the way up to Hangtown. Now he assumes he will be able to beat me at everything. Pete spends the weeks leading up to the race playing the J-LAW to my Dungey, talking trash to anyone who will listen. For me, this race is my yearly chance to beat Pete on a bike I've never ridden, which I've done twice before, first on an RM-Z250, then on an '08 YZF450. So this year, I again set aside my personal bike, and borrowed Jimmy's Long Haul 2010 YZ450F, I set the sag, moved the levers up out of the "weird old guy" position and went racing. Pete's J-LAW routine continued until the gate dropped, but this race turned out like the others before it, with Pete beating me in the first moto, barely. In the second moto, Pete's backward facing helmet camera recorded nothing but empty track. My solid training program of working 50 hours a week behind a parts counter really paid off. And for half a day, Pete was again silenced. At this race, everybody wins, for all involved it's a chance to play with some great friends on a perfectly prepped national track, and enjoy the best a friendly rivalry has to offer. I can't wait to give Pete his next beating at Hangtown next year, I might even just bring my own bike....." -Scott Denison"One should never pass up the chance to race on a professionally prepped AMA National MX track I have been lucky to experience the feeling on three occasions twice at hang town with the reputation of it being a rough track and now at Pala giving a new meaning to rough tracks practice was crazy 78 riders all looking to get the heavily over watered track dialed in for the moto's conditions were tough for my super cherry $1000 2004 CR 125 keeping it pinned just to get around the track after practice I had second thoughts about racing this monster of a track telling my Dirt Rider rivals I would wait a few seconds after the gate dropped to get going We picked are gate position from a can # 2 WOW great pick Ronnie Renner on my right and Brian Deegan on my left well the racer in this old man came out when the thirty second board turned sideways thinking A hole shot would be awesome I went for it getting pinched off into the first turn reality set in dude your on a 125 and your 47 what a challenge the ruts were foot peg deep all the way around the track with really big jumps mixed in I found my DR rivals Hand we had great battle in both moto's thanks to Aaron Cooke for getting the event together Pala Raceway, GO PRO." -Dave (RIG) Donatoni