Eject
In new school terms, we’ve been around the block. Shooting photos and video at Mini O’s since 2004, we thought we’d seen it all. There were always tales of “that one kid who flew off into the lagoon” but those were just tails from the crypt. Or so we thought. Allow me to set the stage. The time, 4pm. The stage, Division two of the C class. As we sat in the bleachers taking in all the wonder of another good moto at Mini O’s, it happened. The unthinkable. An unlucky soul swapped out and hit the eject button into the ginormous rock gorge that occupies the middle of the track. While some may call him a “goon” we here at Vurb salute him. For while most will leave Mini O’s with meager memories, this fine gentleman will forever have this story in his back pocket. I can’t imagine the mixed feeling that went through his head as he watched his $7,000 dirtbike disappear into the deep abyss below? Our heart goes out to this racer so much that we decided to dedicate an entire lightbox to the rescue of his bike. This dude can roll with us any day.
Photo of the Day
Chase Bell and Bradford Young discuss options for how to wear a neck brace.
In Waiting
Mini O's probably has the longest staging line in all of motocross. Anticipation sets in as riders sit in waiting up to an hour before ever lining the gate. Here, some of our sports youngest budding talent awaits their destiny.
Dakota Alix: Sidelined
Dakota Alix was a ninja warrior in supercross. Despite a barely healed broken leg, Dakota toughed it out for two podium finishes in both of his classes. He then tried to line up for motos on the outdoor track, but the pain must have gotten to him. As he continues to heal, Alix will be sitting out the remainder of the weekend.
Last Gate Pick
42nd gate pick would put most kids in a battle for mid-pack stardom. For AC, it was but a mere challenge. When we happened to stumble upon AC in staging at the back of a nearly packed division he said, “I could have cheated (with my gate pick) a hundred times but I want to have good karma so I did it by the rules.” Well, good karma apparently pays off because AC pulled one of the sickest holeshots from the outside that we’ve ever seen. The kid gets a ton of press, yes. But in all honestly, with holeshots like that, he deserves it.
Battle of the Day: 
The racing has been good, no doubt, but there really hasn’t been too many epic battles to speak of so far on the outdoor track. Until the first 450 Pro moto that is. Justin Hill pulled the holeshot and sprinted to an early lead/race win. It was the battle for second, however, that caught our eye. Grant Ransdell held the position early and wasn’t willing to give it up easy to the charging Jessy Nelson. Nelson, who is trying to fend off an extremely sore/swollen wrist injury, hunted Ransdell for two laps before making his move. And while Nelson pulled away after making the pass, for two laps these two threw down like only pros can.
