Muc-Off/ClubMX Yamaha Just Released a Fantastic Pre-San Diego Report and You Need to Read It

Many moons ago, when I was a young dog just getting my bun into this industry, teams PR were well, not great. A lot of teams didn’t even issue press releases, pre or post-race, and when they did, they didn’t provide much. Not even so much a quote. 

Over the years, teams have gotten much better. They release injury news, provided great post-race updates with QUOTES and photos and such. And even pre-race reports. 

I typically don’t open too many of the pre-race reports, but man, am I glad I opened this one. 

Mike Bonacci runs the PR for the Muc-Off/ClubMX Yamaha squad and does a great job. He mixes in humor with real, actual information. His pre-race report for San Diego this weekend is gold!

Of course, we have to start with some Phil jokes:

Two quotes to start off this edition of the pre-race report:

“A man’s got to know his limitations”

CLINT EASTWOOD – OUTLAW JOSEY WALES

“Jump the jumps .. You have to jump the jumps Phil”

JEREMY ALBRECHT – JOE GIBBS RACING

Then he gives some details on the riders, which you can read further down. But this is really what I found interesting. With the new partnership between Feld Motor Sports (promoters of Monster Energy Supercross) and MX Sports (promoters of Pro Motocross) coming together as one, many are curious how it will work. Well, Mike provided some great details.

A FEW NOTES: 

1 The pomp and circumstance of Anaheim 1 can be a bit overwhelming, but I would be remiss if we did not give a big THANK YOU to Feld for delivering what they promised in the off season – more fans! In the post race review, attendance at the track was a sell out and the TV viewership was up double digits. A team like ours needs the exposure to grow and find more sponsorship dollars. A1 was just an example of what the season will be like.

2 The relationship between Feld and MX Sports is not just some marketing ploy. We had several of the top executives from both organizations come by our transporter on Saturday to see how we were doing and if we needed anything. As a privateer team, it is a big deal to be on their radar so they understand what we are doing and how we are doing it. We really appreciate their help and input.

3 Certainly you can understand why we have developed our YouTube series. It has really taken off and has been very well received. Our “behind the scenes” perspective has really hit home with our audience and we have some really good ideas moving forward. Please continue to share these as they are produced. It is a big help for us.

Here are the rider updates. Great job, Mike!

Depending on which side of the conversation you are on, will best fit which quote you can use for the race in Anaheim. From my point of view, the team came home with two top ten finishes in the first round and they live to fight another day. The experience that Phil has, helped him to make the decisions that suited him on the track. The Monday morning keyboard warriors can say what they will however it has often been said that you cannot win the championship in the first round but you can certainly lose it. Unfortunately, the first round has already eliminated a few championship contenders, and we really hate to see that happen.

Rolling into a fresh track in San Diego will show what Phil is capable of. With the weekend off from Oakland, Phil and the entire team have been training non-stop. The weather in South Carolina has been perfect and the Supercross tracks have been ideal. Last Thursday they spent four hours (and a bunch of clutch plates) on the massive whoop section on track number two. The combination of confidence building and suspension adjustments will make a big difference this weekend. I suggest that we do not underestimate Phil. As shown, he may not qualify well but when the gate drops for the main event, he knows how to make the dash for cash.

At the other end of the spectrum is Enzo Lopes. He is actually carrying the weight of a country (Brazil) on his shoulders every weekend. Enzo came into the season as a question mark due to some issues he was having with his arm. With that corrected in the off-season, we knew that he was going to be good. It is really the first time he has been able to show what he is capable of. He was fastest in the first qualifying session, which was no surprise to us. With A1 as big as it is, the rest of the crowd suddenly had the epiphany that they were seeing something special.  Hundreds of people lined up at our transporter to get a glimpse of the kid no one was talking about. That in itself was cool, but then he went on to lead the qualifying race and then finish P6 overall on the night (having got hung up in the start straight crash). Enzo created more highlights in one race than he did all last season. In our meeting last night, I pointed out that his confidence is at an all time high. Surprisingly he said: “It really pissed me off that no one was talking about me in the off-season and that really fueled my desire to do better”. For a guy that is usually laid back and soft spoken, it showed me the real passion he has to succeed. Look out world, Enzo Lopes is headed to the top with a trail of Brazilian flags shooting out his exhaust on the way.

Main image: ClubMX