Dade City – Florida Motocross Series

This is where you want to check back for pictures of the racing action on Sunday!

Interview with Nick Dionne/Dionne Racing!

Dionne Racing has been around for ever!  As long as I can remember they have been involved in Florida Motocross supporting the riders.  Lots of good times at the track!  Nick and his father Greg still go to all the races on a regular basis.  Look for them at the races!

Dionne Racing will be at Dade City this coming weekend for the Florida Series Race!

Questions by DZP:

DZP:  How long have you been in business?

Nick:  We have been building bikes since early 2000.

DZP:  How did your Dad get started with Dionne Racing?

Nick:  Back in 1998 he had an accident working on heavy equipment where he fell off an excavater and exploded his shoulder and weve been working on bikes ever since.

DZP:  Tell me about your childhood racing and your Dad supporting the riders through the years.

Nick:  I got my first bike when I was 3 on Christmas day.  It started out as just a hobby on the weekends for me and my dad to spend time together, and it was all downhill from there.  Ever since I can remember weve been helping a lot of the top pro riders at the races and a good number of amateurs as well, and its been snow-balling to this day.

DZP:  What are you most proud of?

Nick:  Im proud of a lot of things, but if I had to pick one it would be getting the overall for the 2001 Grand Prix race at Okeechobee FL when i was 14!

DZP:  Explain a little bit about Dionne Racing.

Nick:  Dionne Racing is a motocross shop based in Punta Gorda FL.  We build motors and suspensions for a number of top pro riders, as well as amatuers, across the US.  We also have a number of products to reduce wear and tear of bikes such as clutch springs and our new exhaust bracket.

DZP:  What is your specialty?

Nick:  Our main focus is headwork for four strokes at this time, and building and maintaining race bikes for our riders..

DZP:  Do you sponsor any riders?

Nick:  We sponsor a number of riders across the United States.  One of our pro riders, Jay Weller of New York, has been up and coming for quite some time and is looking to race the pro supercross tour next season.  Another pro rider of Florida we sponsor is Derek Hall, who we help out with support at all the races week in and week out.

DZP:  What races do you currently attend?

Nick:  We attend a number of races, including the Florida Series which is promoted by Dean Dyess.  We also attend the Sponsor Cup Races at Dade City on Saturday nights.  Also, be on the lookout for us at Loretta Lynns.

DZP:  What is the best way for someone to get in touch with you?

Nick:  If your looking to get in touch with us, our shop number is 239-573-7223 or 239-633-0402.

DZP:  Is there a website for Dionne Racing?

Nick:  http://www.dionneracing.com - Coming Soon!

DZP:  Thanks so much Nick!

DZP Rider Skylar Demuth – His 2009 Loretta’s Story

Skylar Demuth – Click For Larger View

DZP Rider Skylar Demuth had an interesting journey during the Loretta Qualifier’s this year. After a broken leg and training super hard for months, Skylar earned a spot at the Lake Whitney Regional Qualifiers for Loretta Lynn’s, and little did he know that he would have his chance ripped away.  Read on, the story gets better at the end!  Just goes to show, that you should never give up!

Posted by Eric Demuth on another forum:

This weekend at Lake Whitney my son raced the 65 ( 7-9 ) stock class for an opportunity to go to Lorettas.His moto finishes were 9-7-6 good enough for a guaranteed spot to Lorettas,so we thought…after celebrating his accomplishment we were blind- sided by what happened next…We went to the tower to get his trophy ,we were told he was docked 3 positions for cutting the track!! We were in disbelief and immediately called for the AMA referee. While reviewing the race moto 3 started really good,Skylar got a good start and was 3rd place thru the first corner and thru the big sweeper,as they made there way around the entire track and up to the bakers dozen whoop section, he was clearly in 3rd place as they entered the whoops. Skylar charged up the left side of the whoops,got squirrely,came off the left side of the track,slowed ,looked,and re-entered the whoops and continued racing. He clearly did not gain any positions on the race track ,and he did not impede any riders progress when he re-entered the whoops.The transponder verifies his race position after the whoops as 3rd place.Many witnesses including spectators ,parents, and riders verify my son did not commit an infraction…. After a lengthy discussion with the AMA referee Mr Richard White ,he said he did not see the infraction but said he received radio info and made his decision based on his people ,not an outside protest.Then after more explaining,and more facts were introduced Mr White then went into the tower and returned 10 minutes later with a new penalty of 2 positions for an infraction that never occurred! Based on the facts and the AMA rules,the rider did nothing wrong.He then said his decision was final and to send an appeal to the AMA.How can this happen? My son Skylar is crushed!! this is very UNFAIR…Please offer any help or opinions!

The forum was blowing up with all kinds of responses, with most of them agreeing that Skylar was totally ripped off!!  Below is an actual post from a reader:

I personally was standing at the tower when this race was going on because we were waiting for results to be posted. I happened to have been standing less than 100 yards away when this incident occurred. It is true that Demuth got out of shape in the whoops and it shot him out to the left (his left) off of the track. He missed about three whoops, however, he then looked back over his shoulder and re-entered just like he was suppose to. He did not pass anybody and no one passed him. He did everything just like he was suppose to do.

This is ridiculous that you are going through this when he clearly did everything he was suppose to do. This truly is a situation that it is too bad you dont have on camera – because there would not be any of this conversation taking place or energy wasted.

We attended three regionals this year – and we too witnessed “this is home cooking”. We know of another incident that occurred and the ref was not fair at all about the decision “again home cookin”.

We have learned that we need to start video taping everything!!!!

I was just informed by Eric Demuth of the following:

Shelly we recieved confirmation that our appeal was upheld and that there will be no penalty and the results will be revised again, giving Skylar his hard earned , well deserved, qualifing position to Lorettas.

Congrats Skylar!!!  Good luck at Loretta’s!!

About MX Sports and Loretta Lynn’s:

MX Sports, LLC, owns, manages and produces the two most prestigious and world leading Motocross championships: the AMA Pro Motocross Championship and the AMA Air Nautiques Amateur National Motocross Championship.

Through its various racing properties, MX Sports fields more than 60,000 action sports athletes each year and attracts millions of active fans, spectators and enthusiasts. MX Sports is a second-generation, family-owned business that has been in operation for well over 26 years and is an industry leader in the segment of off road/action sports race promotion in the United States.

MX Sports has assembled the most experienced and knowledgeable motorsports event production staff, which has successfully built the world’s most prestigious motocross racing championships.

MX Sports pioneered and developed the business model for the Air Nautiques AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship, the world’s largest amateur motocross race. Hosted annually since 1982 at the ranch of country music legend Loretta Lynn in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, the National Championship has served as the launch pad of virtually every top American Motocross and Supercross rider.

In 2008, there were more than 31,000 attempts to qualify in the available 33 classes for the 1,386 available positions at the National final. The national event, dubbed “The World’s Greatest Motocross Vacation,”is held annually the first full week of August. As a testament to the significance of winning an AMA Amateur National Motocross title, most of today’s top motocross and supercross stars, including Ricky Carmichael, James Stewart, Kevin Windham and Ryan Villopoto, won championships at Loretta Lynn’s before graduating to the professional ranks.

Commencing with the 2009 professional motocross race season, MX Sports will take the lead role in producing the world’s premier motocross series. MX Sports will also navigate and direct the AMA Pro ATV Motocross Championship, the most prestigious and successful professional ATV Motocross racing series in the world.

Co-branding with other race properties associated with MX Sports (i.e.  GNCC Racing, ATVA Amateur Motocross Championship), as well as its strategic media alliances (i.e. Racer X Illustrated, Road Racer X, Racer X Films, etc.) provides a unique opportunity for top-to-bottom vertical brand integration and identification. From amateur to professional racing, and from casual to fanatical fan, there is no other motorsports entity in the world that has this unique vertical integration structure by MX Sports.

Extremely Proud Of My Daughter Erica

Just thought I would share with you, I am so very proud of my Daughter Erica!  Erica is also heading up the rider interview section with DZP.

Erica Walker, Unfunded’s founder and editor-in-chief, has been smitten with consumerism and fashion since she was a very young girl – probably stemming from the fact that, until she was about 3 years old, her family had her convinced she was born at Wal-Mart (albeit not utterly fashionable, but that’s where her obsession with “things” started). Born and raised in Naples, Florida, a small beach town, she found herself sketching at every moment of the day, which led to her family giving her a sewing machine of her very own at the tender age of 15. She taught herself to use the contraption and began sewing up a storm. The highlight of her senior year of high school was when she was asked to design and create a friend’s senior prom dress (that friend won prom queen that year).

While she flirted with the idea of going to fashion school, she decided she didn’t want to miss out on the traditional college experience. This led her to the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies and a minor in Criminal Justice. Following her graduation from UCF, she attended law school at Barry University School of Law in Orlando, FL with the hopes of focusing on intellectual property and entertainment law. During the middle of all of this, she landed an amazing job at a recording studio, which transitioned into scouting out and booking bands for an Orlando venue. Her love of fashion, shopping and design, however, stayed with her the entire way.

Erica definitely has a style all her own. This style has been a natural progression of her growing up in and around the motocross, supercross and action sports industries – industries that are synonymous with edge. Her brother began racing motocross when he was 6 years old, and , from the age of 12, she found herself becoming a weekend warrior, attending the races every weekend in locations across the country with her family.  Surf/skate labels like Hurley, Volcom, and Fox were mainstays in the industry, and are the main reason for her edgy and graphic style. Her style has become a bit more sophisticated as she has grown, but she still sticks to what she knows by incorporating a little bit of toughness into everything she wears.

She met her husband-to-be at the races. He had been racing since he was about 5 years old and ended up with a pretty impressive racing career. He also decided to attend UCF and, after working in the industry for a few years, was offered a dream position with the best Lites Supercross team around, Monster Pro Circuit Kawasaki. The job offer prompted a cross-country move from Orlando, Florida to southern California, where the couple now resides. The move to California re-awakened Erica’s love for the fashion industry as she began to notice and love southern California’s signature low-key style and way of life and she realized she wanted to make an impact in fashion…so she started Unfunded.

The concept for Unfunded grew out of Erica’s love for fashion magazines, but frustration with the fact that nearly all of the items she loved that were featured in the magazines were completely out of her budget. She wanted a place to showcase affordable edgy fashion and trends. The surf and skate labels she grew up loving just didn’t seem to get enough exposure in the fashion world. Her years as a low-budget college student perfected her ability to shop her closet and make what was old, new again. She wanted to show that it was possible to stay current, trendy and edgy while not spending gobs of money. Most of all, she wanted to showcase awesome products that the normal girl could actually afford.

By day, Erica is working full-time at a law firm in southern Cali and she will be finishing her law school education soon. When she’s not in her office at the firm, though, she is exploring new designers, products and events to feature on Unfunded. Her witty writing and graphic, edgy designed site has garnered more attention than she could have ever dreamed for. She absolutely loves her little fashion niche, and has plans of expanding and growing Unfunded as much as she can.

Unfunded currently receives an average of 20,000 hits per month and gains faithful new subscribers and fans every day.

Marky Flanders STMX MX School Update

The below class at STMX is postponed until August – Date to be announced.

2 Day 1 Night Class
July 6th and 7th, 2009 Date to be announced…
*COST: $275.00
*Food drinks and snacks are included both days.
*Sleeping accommodations included – located 5 minutes from the track.
*Many fun activities scheduled, such as a “Mx Untamed Tournament” etc.
*$50 Down payment.
*Please provide the following information, for each entry, and give it to Marky Flanders at the track:
Riders name, parents name, Riders address, City state zip, home and cell info, insurance info, policy number and company
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT MARKY FLANDERS – blazinb65@yahoo.com