BigMxRadio
The time has come again for me to bust out my rolodex and see who I can bug to answer a few questions for me. This week, we’ve got a series motley crew on our hands. A free rider, a business owner, legends of the sport and the CEO of SX Global.
Tyler Bereman – Red Bull Athlete – Free Rider
Vurbmoto: When you first refocused yourself from racing Supercross to pushing yourself in free riding, did you ever imagine it would evolve into what your career has become?
Tyler Bereman: When I graduated from pre-school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up and I said a professional dirtbike rider. Whether it was racing or anything else two wheels, I just never wanted to work a 9-5. And growing up in the ‘90s moto era, I was super inspired by moto films and never let that dream go of riding my motorcycle by any means necessary instead of working a 9-5 desk job. Very fortunate and thankful to see how far it’s came by never giving up on that childhood dream!
When was the last time you were legitimately scared of a particular jump or obstacle?
Hands down, the big Imagination jump last year. The mindset I had to tap into for that was something I’ve never experienced! Lots of visualization and trusting in your instincts. If you can see it, you can achieve it! Glad that one worked!
Is there anything from a bike setup standpoint that is an absolute MUST for you to do what you do?
Very important to have strong wheels and stiff suspensions that will withstand the beating of big jumps and hard landings.
Are you still acquiring skills on the bike? How do you continue to innovate?
Absolutely! Always learning and evolving! Love all things two wheels and I think riding other moto disciples helps keep the skills sharp and keeps it fun!
You’ve been able to participate in some really cool projects and events. What’s on your list of projects you’d like to conquer in the near future.
Being a part of Red Bull I’ve been able to make many dreams a reality! I have some projects and ideas brewing, but you guys will just have to wait and see! Very fortunate to have Red Bull’s backing and always working to continue to make these ideas and dreams a reality through film!
David Bailey – Motocross Legend – AMA Motocross and Supercross Champion
Vurbmoto: What was the biggest technology charge to the bikes during your career and how did you adapt?
David Bailey: Drastic! I started with a 60cc Yamaha that shifted on the left, four down. Then an 80cc that shifter four up. Then I got Bultaco big bikes that shifted on the right, one down four up. The rear brake was on the left and so was the kick starter. There were times I rode 2-3 classes and had to keep all that in mind as I straight out in the next class. Suspension wasn’t really a thing I thought about. You just ran it. It was more about taking care of the bike you had than buying all kinds of parts for it. There wasn’t that much available. This was early seventies. In the early ‘80s longer travels single shock suspension took over as did water cooling! That was the biggest thing I think during my era. Bikes broke, wheels, frames, chains, engines seized, they wouldn’t start. then they got strong and faster and soaked up everything. You could jump as high and far as you wanted and didn’t have to worry about the bike. Around 82/83 video became a big part of the whole experience and my focus shifted from the bikes to that the way I rode them. The bike wasn’t the limit, I was. I wasn’t about the bike. They had reached a point where they were good enough. It went from the bike being the focus to the rider. Rick Johnson almost won the 250cc title on a basically stock Yamaha against the ultra-trick Honda in ‘82.
What do you remember about the Lake Sugar Tree National before you turned pro, and do you remember your first time racing it as a pro?
Lake Sugar Tree was a special place from the moment we pulled in. Jon Rosenstiel was there with a big Honda truck and some trick Honda’s and Warren Reid was out doing laps on a cool track with colored nylon fencing. It was wide and had sawdust mixed in and went around the lake in a natural amphitheater type setting so you could see about 80-90% of the track and it had a downhill start and a giant finish line announcing tower and PA system. I loved it right away. Shortly after that first impression, a round of that infamous 1975 500cc national series made a stop there and it was stacked with every great legendary rider of the time. Brad Lackey won on a Husky. The owner sold my dad, Gary Bailey, an acre up in the trees a couple hundred yards from the tracks Evil Knevel jump and that was the birth of the Gary Bailey Cycle Barn and my amateur career going from the 125 B class to the 250 A class and my first win right there on what could be considered my home track.
Gary began doing four-day classes, I joined district 13/29 and raced Sugar Tree and a few places in the area all the way through my 1978 amateur national championship still on Bultaco, witnessing AMA Nationals and Trans AMA races there with Roger De Coster, Brad Lackey, Marty Smith, Bob Hannah, and company blowing my mind. When they lost the Nationals and the Trans AM series ended it sat dormant for a few years and I bought the place and held an AMA National in 1986 and won the 500cc class 1-1 and took the points lead. That really stands out as a highlight in my career. Unfortunately, I got hurt and everything changed and my vision for that place never became a reality, but if it had I believed it would have changed the face of outdoor motocross!
What is it about the ‘80s decade that to this day makes people look back on it so fondly?
Ah yes, the ‘80s… I don’t think motocross was the only thing special about the ‘80s, it was a special time across the board and motocross just happened to be thriving in that period. Supercross was becoming popular. Leathers we’re replaced with nylon, bikes, style, tracks, music, and the coverage was elevated with Europeans mixed with the Americans at the USGP’s at Unadilla and the ABC Wide World of Sports 500cc USGP at Carlsbad boosted the interest in a pretty new sport that was finding its stride. Americans started winning GPs, World Championships and the Trophy and Motocross des Nations in Europe. There was a sense of pride. Everything was clicking.
Bitchin works bikes, packed major stadiums, custom painted helmets, personalities and the addition of Motoworld to bring it all to our house! It was still exclusive, but it was becoming mainstream, and we were all riding that wave of discovery and opportunity.
Everything wasn’t all figured out. There were no phones, no internet, no nothing. When you went to a race, it was still a surprise. You had bits and pieces in magazines and Cycle News and a little more on Motoworld, but it was all still new and a sight to see in person and still changing a lot from year to year. Things were dialed, but still fresh.
What do you remember about the first race that you worked as a broadcaster?
The first TV experience I had, well actually let’s back up. I got a call from a friend that worked for Motoworld and was a cameraman and new me and Dave Despain and Larry Maiers and all the TV crew. He put me on speaker, I think, and Hannah had been doing the color, but wanted to be home more, Ricky Johnson was perhaps next in line but hard to pin down because of his schedule so I was the next consideration, but they weren’t sure in my condition how I felt about it, travel etc. I immediately was on board! I had just stepped away from working at the original JT Racing as a full in designer consultant and wasn’t sure what I was going to do next until I got that call. I knew right away THAT was a good fit. I just said yes! I didn’t even know what it paid. My first show was the first National of the year at Gainesville, FL. I didn’t go there; I went to Peachtree City just south of Atlanta and between a short intro in a studio in downtown Atlanta with a green screen and then a voice over sound booth in Peachtree I watched footage of the race sitting right next to Dave Despain and we just talked through it bit by bit until it was over.
Dave was, and I already knew, amazing and gave me excellent advice on how to enhance the show. He said, “I’ll talk about what is going on, and you talk about why! Tell the viewer what it’s like out there. Is it scary, how does it feel, what are they thinking about, is there any strategy etc.”
I thought easy! Spitting it out was harder than I thought, but I knew I was qualified to do what I was doing, and I cared about it as much as I did when I raced. I’d be happy with it sometimes, and disappointed sometimes. Dave reminded me to keep it simple, just be natural and be myself. He was fantastic and gave me a great foundation that later with Art Eckman I was able to polish a little bit more.
What do you enjoy most about watching and analyzing races today?
Today to be perfectly honest I’m only interested in the racing and most of the time the camera isn’t on what I want to see. I don’t think I’m alone on that. Motocross is unique, and you have to trust someone with a love for it and an understanding for what is probably going to happen and be all over it. The formula they must present it to us at home drives me nuts because I see what they need to do, and they don’t. I watch because I still enjoy the racing and who works their way to the front and how. The good guys are good, and I know how radical it is down there on the track and they make it look tame—and it isn’t! I’m very impressed with the riders’ abilities now. That never gets old.
John Anderson – Co-Founder of Dubya Wheels USA
Vurbmoto: Wheels are a luxury item for most in a sport that isn’t cheap to begin with. How has Dubya been so successful since you first opened up shop?
Anderson: Well, wheels would be considered a luxury item because of course your new bike is going to come with wheels, but we were of the mind that riders often look to personalize their bike and maybe they’re looking to set themselves apart with different coloured hubs, spokes, nipples, or rims. Going with Dubya Wheels is a great way to achieve that new look you’re seeking while also providing wheels that perform better than stock. We love that people have embraced the idea and we’re proud to provide a lot of great looking wheels for some die-hard racers out there.
For those who aren’t aware of the connection, Dubya is an homage to Tom White formerly of White Brothers who happens to be your late father-in-law. How much of what Dubya is as a business was inspired by Tom and his vision.
You know, Tom was a very special guy and there are so many people who got their start in moto by working at White Brothers. In the early days of our company Tom took so much pride in wearing a Dubya hat and going to the shows we would attend to promote the company. Tom opened so many doors of us and he was happy to do so. It was very obvious that he was really proud of us and our mission of the company. We’re proud to have Dubya named after Tom in a way obviously for the W in White. That way we keep him with us and in our hearts every day.
What would an 18-year-old version of John Anderson say about how things have turned out through your career in motocross?
It’s funny that you call it a “career” in motocross which I’ve never really thought of it that way. Motocross is what I love, and I wanted to bring myself closer the sport that I love by finding jobs in the industry and I’ve been fortunate enough to keep it going. It all started from riding motorcycles and not only loving riding the community around the sport and just everything about it. You call it a career, but I just see it as doing what I love and I was fortunate enough to make a living at it. The greatest things I’ve gained from my work isn’t money. It’s the things I’ve been able to experience alongside some of my heroes and the relationships I’ve been able to build.
What are your most fond memories about the early days of your career and what do you do today to rekindle that?
I don’t know if it was the early days that I cherish the most because so much of those days were purely grunt work. Later on, I think mostly about some of the neater opportunities that I got like getting to spin the wrenches for one of my dearest friends Spud Walters back in the day. Those are the days that always keep me going.
If you could have one of the old race bikes you used to wrench on as a mechanic back in your possession, which one would it be?
My time as a mechanic was very limited. I didn’t turn wrenches for 20 years like some of the greats, but I enjoyed what I did. I guess most would assume I’d pick one of those YZ400Fs or one of Spud’s bikes but honestly I would go with one of my own first bikes. I had a Hodaka Ace 100 and I’d love to have one of those again.
Ryan Hughes – Former Factory Superstar – Motocross Training Specialist
Vurbmoto: If could make a major change to Amateur Motocross in America, what would it be?
Ryno: I would make a series out of the Amateur Nationals. Let’s say three races with the fourth be double points at LL. You could still be LL champ but also be amateur national champ. It would teach kids how to races a series and it would be different conditions to find the best rider out of each class, not just one race to say that. The pros have the playoffs now so why not.
Not so many so you can get a trophy classes.
Is it still practical for the age a motocross racer is eligible to turn pro be 16 years old?
Yes 16 is a good age. Can’t deny the phenom that can win at 16 like some have done before. If the kid isn’t ready then hold him back in smaller pro races.
Have you gone back to watch the motocross skills video you made aboard a KTM back in 2005? What changes would you make?
I haven’t watched it in a while—years—but wouldn’t change anything, just add more techniques in there, but the video was more on approaching the track then what I look at now that I put on a DVD called Functional Technique in 2010.
What’s your proudest achievement during your career in motocross?
- Winning my first SX week after dad died
- Winning 2000 MX Des Nations
- Being the man I am today.
Of the current crop of pros, who do you enjoy watching the most?
I watch them all to see the good and the ugly in the technique and approach. I love to watch Eli just hammer, Jett and Chase flow and Kenny silently go fast.
I feel Jett and Chase are going to take this sport to a speed it hasn’t seen before, same as the Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart days, and their technique and approach was different than the rest and you’re going to see the same with Jett and Chase. Their technique and approach is a little different than the rest.
Adam Bailey – CEO – SX Global
Vurbmoto: What would 18-year-old Adam Bailey say about what you’ve been able to accomplish in the motocross industry?
Bailey: 18-year-old me only really cared about racing and wanting to be a pro rider! I had no idea that life would take this path then. 18-year-old me would never have imagined I’d now have this level of responsibility for the sport I love so much.
In my early 20s I started to feel like I had a flare for marketing and brand building and started to pay attention more to our industry, how it worked and how I thought it could be better. And it’s in my nature that if I think something could be better, I can’t help myself but try.
What would you say for you hooked on moto as a kid?
I went to my first Supercross in Melbourne when I was 12 years old. I was instantly hooked and wanted to be a rider. The crowd, the atmosphere, excitement… I’ll never forget how it made me feel. It’s this feeling, that we want to give kids all over the world, to spark the next generation of riders/racers who without Supercross, may never have been introduced to our sport.
What’s the hardest part about starting a new venture?
The hardest part of any new business I think is that you must grow quickly and build an effective team quickly and focus on running the business, all whilst building our brand and credibility around the world. We’re building the plane, whilst we’re already in the air, which is really challenging. We must learn and pivot incredibly quickly in real time.
Do naysayers discourage or motivate you? Or both?
Naysayers encourage me. I understand that not everyone will see as clearly the potential for WSX as I do and that it’s my job to bring them on the journey and show them, why that you should believe. We don’t hate on non-believers, we just ask that they see us for what we are: we are fans just like them, who believe the sport can be a truly global one. We’re just crazy enough to try and make it happen. We’d love everyone to join us on this crazy journey!
Finish this sentence. In five years, World Supercross will…..
In five years, World Supercross will be a truly global World Championship, that the fans, athletes, and industry can be passionate about.
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Big Dog, out.
Main image: Chris Tedesco/Red Bull
