Troy Dog
Welcome to the Vurbmoto Roundtable! It’s a feature we had in the early days and now it’s such a legend that it makes a return. Our panel of experts, Bird and T-Dog, give their best opinion on hot topics in the sport. We also let Slaw give his opinion, but no one cares what he has to say. Let’s get to it!
The World Mini is quickly approaching on April 4-7 at Mesquite, what are you most looking forward to at our second running of this event?
Bird Dog – From my perspective, it’s the overwhelming support we’ve received from the OEMs. Yamaha is bringing their entire Blu Cru, along with two rigs to support their athletes. Kawasaki is offering triple contingency. KTM House of Brands and Honda are also offering contingency and are fully buying into the future success of the event. From a brand perspective, that means more to us than anything.
Our turnout wasn’t huge last year, so I’m looking forward to seeing this event grow. We have a plan in place to make this the largest amateur motocross event on the west coast, and I love watching a plan come together.
Troy Dog – I’m most looking forward to the fact that I get to go and be a part of the greatness! It’s been 14 years since I’ve set foot at an amateur national! I’ve actually never been to a track on the west coast either. The only times I’ve gone to Nevada I’ve gone straight from the airport to Steve Matthes’ palace, then back to the airport. I’m looking forward to being a part of this event and helping it grow.
Slaw Dog- Trophies. I don’t usually get all riled up for a stick of hardware, but have you seen these things? Watching people try to get these things through airport security could be a reality show.
Troy Dog has a really good chance to become Aaron Plessinger’s hat holder at the Indianapolis SX. Like, he’s one confirmation away from securing the gig. Does he make this happen, or does AP ghost him?
Bird Dog – Hat holder? WTF is this?! Like, Troy is just going to walk around and hold AP’s hat? Since Troy is now a full time boss here, I’d assume he can make this happen. Also, because they both hail from the state of Ohio, I’ll assume that will have some impact, as well. AP is nearing the top of his game as is Troy Dog, so they’re both kind of peaking at the same time. Why does Troy want to use his newfound influence to hold someone’s hat? That is a question I can’t answer.
P.S. After submitting my response I was made aware during a staff meeting yesterday that AP was straight ghosting Troy and hasn’t even dignified his request with a response. This one looks like it’s going to come down to the wire.
Troy Dog – It’s going to happen. WE still have four weeks to make this happen. That’s plenty of time. I know how these guys work. They live from event to event. AP hasn’t even thought about Indy yet, nor does he probably know when it falls on the calendar. He will text me the week of and we will make the vlog happen. I promise. He’s in a serious battle for the points lead at the moment and I hold the red plate here at Vurb. We’ve got this.
PS: Bird Dog clearly doesn’t read my Takes columns. I’ve outlined why this is my new life goal twice already. If you missed it, catch up here and here.
Slaw Dog – Bueller. Bueller. Bueller.
Poor, T-Dog. Looks like he’s been ghosted by the former points leader. Ohio native, even. I thought they were dogs? Guess not. Shame.
The 2024 Vurb Shred Tour schedule is released with stops all over the country. What are some of your favorite things about the Shred Tours and why should everyone and their moms go to our events?
Bird Dog – This is difficult to answer. It really all depends on which event you choose. We all have pretty severe ADHD, and perhaps nowhere is that more reflected than at our Shred Tour events. No one is exactly like the other.
For example, the Gypsy 500 is a 500 minute Fundurance race where the average rider age is around 35. Next month we host the World Mini Grand Prix (April 4-7) where the fastest racers in the world show up, and the average age is probably closer to 12. Follow that up with some more ridiculous activities like local wrestling in Illinois, J Day in New York, and what I’m extremely excited about, the Vurb Classic of Nations at Fox Raceway this Fall.
The main thing to remember at all Shred Tours is the mission is simple: have fun and ride dirtbikes…and get free hotdogs.
Troy Dog – The main reason to attend a Vurb Shred Tour is for the amount of fun that the events provide. We honestly should put a disclaimer warning about the dangers of having too much fun. We race, we grill out, we have an awesome activation area, we camp out, and we shred. What more do you want from a race weekend? Racers race and this is a very organized and proven weekend to make great memories with your family.
Slaw Dog – Imagine the greatest event of your life, then triple it. You could attended an event with live wrestling (Summer Slam) or a pit bike straight rhythm (Washougal). The cool thing about shred events, you literally never know what you’re going to get. Including staff. Ideas run rampant and we run with them.
Main Image: Octopi Media
