Troy Dog
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Power Rankings are back! We had some troubles last week but don’t worry, we have TWO this week. Ginger and Troy went to Ironman and dropped some rankings. Slaw did not, so he is OUT this week. Shame on Slaw.
We will be back later this week for SMX.
Ginger Dog
-Media was provided with Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch at Ironman. I was already having a great day so I’m sure you can only imagine my excitement when I saw them unloading boxes and boxes of boneless wings. If you know me, you know my perfect date consists of beer and chicken wings. I’m pretty basic like that.
-Jett and Hunter did it. Title champs. Jett was able to go 22-0 and wrap up a perfect 450 class debut. He now sits alongside the greats, Ricky Carmicheal and James Stewart. How emotional it must have been for him during that second moto. I am guilty of sometimes looking at him as a total machine who has it all locked in, but I’m sure on the inside he was a complete wreck. What an amazing moment to share with his brother. Congrats to the entire team. Well deserved!
-Jo went 1-1. He looked good before the motos even started and it just took off from there. Solid starts and a confidence boost took him all the way to the podium. Good job, Jo!
-During the second moto Troy and I were watching Levi battle it out in the top five. Next thing I know, he didn’t round the corner. The day might not have gone as planned for The Chef, but he’s physically okay and gearing up for his next race. Before the race started, Troy and I had a chance to talk to Levi. I’m sure you’ve seen the custom chef hat. He’s a really nice guy and his parents are good people. Thanks for taking the time to talk with us Kitchen Fam!
-P6 which marks his best finish this outdoor season.
-22-10 for an overall P13. I was totally impressed with Freddie moto 1. He went down and messed up his bar on the throttle side. He powered from last place and climbed all the way to 22nd. The guy I was standing next to at Godzilla made sure to say, “Even the guy in last place looks fast as _____!” [Insert a curse word of your choosing] Dude. Duh. It’s Freddie freaking Noren. He’s a really nice guy and I got to chat with him and his wife while we were over at HEP. It was decided that day that even though we are moms, Amy and I will NEVER own minivans.
-I love Caden’s energy. He’s squad material. Yeah, I said it.
-I must be mature and professional here. Y’all saw AP chuck IT into the crowd after his podium speech….right? Prayers to whoever took it to the face.
-Darkside makes my list as one of the most genuine people in moto. Every time I see him, he has such a positive vibe and he’s easy to talk to. If you read my recap you already know he walked all the way to his car to try to find me sunscreen. While we were sitting inside the HEP tent, a girl walked up with a “It’s My 15th Birthday!” sign. She really wanted a picture with Chiz but he had already flown out. Dark made sure to get her in the tent. Her dad got a picture of her by the bike. Jamie told her not to worry, Chiz would like the photo. It made her and her dads day. Every time I see Jamie I know he has about a million work things to do BUT he never lets you know it. He always makes time. Thanks for being awesome Dark!
-Posted up on Godzilla we ran into the man himself, Big Rick Dog (Troy’s dad). A brief moment of cell service hours before somehow brought us together amidst hundreds of people. I gotta give it up to Rick. He is the reason Troy loves dirt bikes which trickled down to me. We have spent the past 13 years going to local races, outdoor nationals, and SX events together. I don’t get to see him a ton, but I know if dirt bikes are there I’m pretty much guaranteed to run into him.
Troy Dog
-I brought Levi Kitchen a chef hat and he’s going to wear it the next time that he makes a podium.
-The Godzilla jump at Ironman doesn’t get enough credit. It’s a blind jump up and then you take a blind jump down the hill after. I have no business jumping that. Godzilla sits perched on his hill and watches the races all day…and this year he had the chance to witness a perfect season and a clinching of a championship. Not a bad gig.
-I’ve written all that I can about this kid this year. 22-0. Jett is already a legend in this sport and he’s only just turned 20.
-Shoutout to DC and MX Sports on another successful outdoor season. Attendance was up, the fans were loud, riders were lining up to race, and we had great racing all season.
-McElrath joined the T-Dog Squad at Ironman and now he’s going to take us with him to the SMX Playoffs!
-JT was born to be a pit reporter. His knowledge, humor, and reporting is much neede in this sport. I hope he does the job forever.
-What do you know about the LPW? Lemon pepper wings are absolutely one of my favorite foods of all time. Buffalo Wild Wings was catered to the media at Ironman and it made my day even better.
-Hunter Lawrence finally captured the outdoor title that he’s been chasing since he signed with GEICO Honda in 2019. The HL story is too many words for this column, but he’s definitely had his fair share of ups and downs over the years. Props to the entire Lawrence family for dominating 2023.
-James Stewart was in the booth at Ironman and I could feel his legendary presence around me all day. He also had Chad Reed on his pod this week and I’ve been waiting for this my whole life.
-Jo went 1-1 at Ironman and won Pro Circuit their first MX race of the year. It was the first time Jo has won both motos for an overall win and he fought hard for it. Good for Jo, Pro Circuit, and Kawasaki.
