Wey rails his Boost Mobile/ampm/Monster Energy/Troy-JLaw Racing Yamaha to two top ten finishes and locks down 6th overall at the Open

Spy Optic’s Nick Wey (Boost Mobile/ampm/Monster Energy/Troy-JLaw Racing) raced to 8th and 7th-place finishes this past weekend at Las Vegas’ U.S. Open of Supercross at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and ended up with 27 points on the weekend, which tied him with two other riders for 5th place overall in the two day event that historically closes out the pro supercross season here in the United States..
 
Based on the second moto finish (Saturday night) – much like in outdoor MX – Wey had to hand over the 5th spot to Michael Byrne, though he stayed ahead of Tyler Bowers for 6th overall.
 
“Always a good time coming to Vegas to race the Open,” said Wey. “Take a little time off here then I’m back at it hard getting ready for the supercross opener at Anaheim.”
 
Wey’s 6th place finish at the U.S. Open mirrored the effort the Michigan native put forth all season long in supercross and motocross – battling hard to secure a top 15 overall spot in Monster Energy AMA Supercross’ premier 450 class, 3rd overall in the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco top privateer standings, and 8th overall in the Lucas Oil AMA Outdoor MX Nationals’ 450 class.
 
“We had an up and down year in supercross, but overall it went pretty well – good to end it with top ten finishes in both the Nationals and U.S. Open,” added Wey.

We’ll have to wait until tonight to hear the rest of the TransWorld Motocross Awards winners, but here’s a big one as a teaser: Jeremy McGrath will receive the 1st Annual TWMX Legend Award at the ceremony tonight in Las Vegas.
McGrath’s racing accomplishments are, of course, the stuff of legend – see press release below, via TWMX if you need the history lesson – but here at FUEL.TV he holds a special place in our hearts as the inventor of the Nac Nac and, by extension, the godfather of freestyle motocross.

McGrath came to motocross as a BMX rider, and he brought his style and tricks with him, giving rise to FMX as we know and love it today. Hell, there’s even a statue of McGrath rocking the Nac Nac in front of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Long live The King!

For full story and info please visit

http://www.fuel.tv/colinbane/blogs/view/76369?item=58849&type=Blog

Jake Moss leads all the Spy racers at Steel City with a second moto podium and 4th place overall finish in Steel City’s 450 class action

The final round of American pro MX racing is in the books as Spy Optic athletes just wrapped up competition at Pennsylvania’s famed Steel City Raceway, site of the 12th and final round of the 2009 Lucas Oil AMA MX Nationals.

Most noteworthy on the day at Steel City was the effort by Spy Optic MX veteran Nick Wey (Boost Mobile/ampm/Monster Energy/Troy-JLaw Racing). Wey gutted out a long MX National season with a 13th place (13-11) overall finish at Steel City. But, more importantly, Wey landed solidly inside the top ten overall in the final 450 class standings – 8th place with an even 200 points.

“Pumped I could represent with Spy in the overall 450 top ten,” said Wey, Spy’s lone overall top ten placer on the MX Nationals season this summer. “Spy’s field reps worked hard to keep all the Spy racers dialed with product and I never had an issue with the Magneto goggles – and we ran in some gnarly conditions several times this summer.”

Leading Spy and running the Magneto goggles with 14 tear-offs stacked on his anti-fog ARC® (Accurate Radius Curvature) lenses was Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Jake Moss. The new Kawasaki factory rider overcame some first moto arm pump to battle for a 2nd place podium finish in the second moto, finishing just off the 450 class podium in 4th place overall on the day.

“I was stoked to finish the last three races of the season with Spy,” added Moss.

Also making the top 15 at Steel City in the premier 450 class for Spy Optic was New York’s Bobby Kiniry, racing for the Monster Energy/Cernic’s/Kawasaki team. Kiniry went 9-13 for 12th overall. And in the 250 class Spy Optic’s Tucker Hibbert placed 27th.

It’s Jake Moss (9th) again topping out on the list of Spy Optic 450 class racers; Scott Champion leads Spy in 250 class with a 16th place  finish

 It was all about the goggles this past weekend as Spy Optic motocross racers slogged their way through another rain-soaked MX National – the second in two weeks – running the rutted sands of Southwick, Mass., and relying on their Spy Magneto goggles with Super Plush-style foam to keep out the flying sand granules and Spy’s patented Scoop® ventilation system to keep the fog off the lenses in the damp and humid (inside the goggles) eastern U.S. conditions.

“You can’t imagine how brutal the conditions are – 40 rear knobbies churning up sand everywhere – and you can’t help but ride right into a wall of sand coming out of every corner,” said Spy Optic’s Jake Moss (Monster Energy/Kawasaki). “And it’s not like other races where you can just ditch your goggles if it gets too muddy. Sand gets in your eyes and it’s all over, so your goggles have to stay on at all times at Southwick. My Spy Magnetos and roll-offs gave me clear vision in the rainy conditions all day long.”

Moss ran in second place for the entire first moto, placing 2nd to series champ Chad Reed in just his second race with the factory Monster/Kawasaki team. In the second moto Moss got out in 10th place and was moving up, all the way to 4th at one point, but ran into a mechanical issue (clutch) and was forced out of the contest and a most certain podium finish – settling on 9th with a 2nd/30th two-moto finish.

Spy Optic’s Nick Wey (Boost Mobile/ampm/Monster Energy/Troy-JLaw Racing) would go down in the first moto and have to battle through the pack, doing so behind the clear view of his Magneto roll offs. After losing his clutch as well (first moto),Wey fought back through the pack in the second contest to finish 15th for 20th overall (30th/15th).

“There’s no way I could have come back in the second moto, pass as many guys as I did without my Spy Magnetos with roll-offs,” said Wey. “Everywhere line you took there was just a curtain of sand waiting for you. And I had no problems at all with my goggles.”

Another racer rocking Spys at Southwick was SoCal’s Scott Champion, who ran to a class-best 16th place (12th/17th) in the 250 class for Spy Optic. And chasing the 250 pack after to 35th place starts was Spy Optic’s Tucker Hibbert, who ran the first moto with tear-offs on his Magnetos, then opted for the roll-offs in the second moto.

“Roll-offs were the way to go,” added Hibbert. “It was gnarly out there.”

Next up for the Spy Optic MXers is this Saturday’s final round of the 2009 MX Nationals at Steel City Raceway in Delmont, Pa.

Spy’s  Wey is 15th and Moss is 16th, each scoring top ten moto finishes in one 450 moto; Hibbert leads Spy in 250 class with a 16th place finish

Spy Optic motocross racers were involved in a classic MX Nationals “mudder” this past weekend in Budds Creek, Md., round ten of the 2009 Lucas Oil AMA MX Nationals. And fighting through the deplorable conditions were Spy’s Nick Wey and Jake Moss, each posting one top ten moto finish en route to 15th and 16th place (respectively) overall 450 class finishes on the day.

Wey (Boost Mobile/ampm/Monster/Troy-JLaw Racing) would earn his top ten finish in the opening 450 moto, placing 8th. Moss (Monster Energy/Kawasaki), running his first pro National in Spy goggles, would gain his top ten in the second moto with an impressive come-from-behind 9th place finish. Moss was also hauling in practice, recording the second-fastest time in qualifying for the main events.

“It was pretty burly out there,” said Wey, who ran in 4th place for much of the opening moto before a couple minor mistakes knocked him back.

More or less turning the contest into a play riding session – much to the fans’ approval – was Spy’s Kevin Windham (GEICO Powersports/Honda) and Jason Lawrence (Boost Mobile/ampm/Monster/Troy-JLaw Racing). The two, neither of which have anything at stake in the championship points chase, kind of bailed on the notion of racing and put on a whip display off the drier jumps for the fans. Neither finished in the top 20, though Spy’s Adam Chatfield would place 21st.

In the 250 class Spy Optic’s Tucker Hibbert was the top placer for the SoCal-based goggle company, putting his Windham signature Magnetos up just a click outside the top 15 (16th with a 27th/12th two-moto finish).

Next up for the Spy Optic MXers is this weekend’s Moto 338 MX National in Southwick, Mass. (Aug. 29th).

Moss will run the Spy Alloy goggle beginning this weekend at Budds Creek, joining K-Dub, JLaw, Wey and Chatfield on the Nationals tour

Spy Optic is pleased to announce that motocrosser Jake Moss has joined Spy’s MX team for the remainder of the Lucas Oil AMA MX Nationals season.

Moss, who was recently added to the factory Monster Energy/Kawasaki team where he’ll contest the 450 class on the No. 42 KX450F, moves up to the Monster/Kawi hauler from the Troy Lee Designs/Honda team. A SoCal (Temecula) transplant from Sydney, Australia, Spy’s Moss has shown numerous signs of greatness this year in the premier class, including top ten moto performances in the opening moto at Lakewood (Colo.) where he finished 4th, along with a 6th place in the opening moto at Washougal, Wash. The third-year pro on the AMA tour – and first year 450 class racer - has yet to put back-to-back top five 450 class performances together, but that’s expected to change here real soon according to Moss.

“I’ve been riding the Monster/Kawasaki 450 all week and absolutely love it,” he said. “And I’m stoked to be on board with Spy. I looked up to Jeremy McGrath when I was younger, still do, and always thought it’d be cool to run Spys.”

Moss will join fellow Spy-backed racers Kevin Windham, Jason Lawrence, Nick Wey and Adam Chatfield at round ten of the 2009 Lucas Oil AMA MX Nationals at Budds Creek MX Park in Mechanicsville, Md. (Aug. 22).

Hibbert, sporting the latest in Spy Optic MX goggles, is looking to crack the top ten in the 250 class this weekend at the challenging Budds track

Spy Optic-backed Tucker Hibbert is set to race the final three Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship events starting with Budds Creek (Md.) this weekend. The Monster Energy Triple Crown finale at Budds marks Hibbert’s fourth pro motocross race of the summer and the beginning of a busy month for the multi-sport athlete.

Hibbert hopes to break the top-ten for the first time this weekend in the hotly-contested 250 class. His top finish of the summer was in the first moto at Red Bud, where he finished 13th. He backed that up with a 14th place finish in the second moto at Spring Creek.

 “I can’t wait to get back to racing this weekend,” said Hibbert, who runs the Spy Optic Alloy goggles. “My last motocross race was a month ago at Spring Creek, but I’ve stayed busy with riding, training and racing mountain bikes. I did five mountain bike races in the past four weeks. I feel like adding another form of racing to my schedule has im¬proved my overall fitness and mental strength. I hope that by diversifying my racing, I’ll become a better all-around athlete and will be able prolong my racing career.”

Next up for Spy Optic’s motocross racers contesting the 2009 Lucas Oil AMA MX Nationals is round ten of the series at Budds Creek MX Park in Mechanicsville, Md. (Aug. 22).

Bob Kiniry podiums @ Canadian MX Nats’ final round, steals 3rd o/a
While in New York  Wey leads Spy’s 450 U.S. MX Nationals racers as Windham works to get his MX legs back under him in the 250 class

Starting up in Canada this week with the Spy Optic MX report, Bobby Kiniry(Monster/Cernic’s/Kawasaki) raced to a 3rd place (3rd/4th) overall finish in Morden, Ontario, the final round of the Monster Energy CMRC Canadian MX Nationals and, in the process, caught and passed his Spy teammate Paul Carpenter for the third and final championship podium spot in the MX1 class.
 
“I’m happy I was able to put our team and sponsors up on the overall podium after Paul got hurt,” said Kiniry. “Thanks again to Spy for having our back in the goggle department. Spys rule. Never an issue with fogging or glare. And you run into all kinds of situations in Canada with all the crazy weather we had this summer.” Note: Paul Carpenter broke his wrist and missed the final two rounds.
 
Kiniry ended up beating Paul Carpenter – who held 3rd place overall in the MX1 class for much of the season by nine points for 3rd overall. Despite his absence, Paul Carpenter did manage to hold on to 4th in the overall standings, while cousin Jack Carpenter placed 9th at Morden and 12th on the season – just three points out of the top ten.
 
Here in the States Spy’s Nick Wey (Boost Mobile/ampm/Monster/Troy-JLaw Racing) overcame a bout with the flu and gutted it out to a 13thplace finish, preserving his overall top ten (8th) overall position in the 450 class standings. So dehydrated was Wey that following his second moto he went straight to the Asterisk Mobile Medical unit to the some I.V. fluids. Wey’s Spy-backed teammate Jason Lawrence injured his hand in a practice crash at the course and was unable to compete at Unadilla.
 
Spy Magneto special edition namesake, Kevin “K-Dub” Windham (GEICO Powersports/Honda), returned to the MX Nationals at Unadilla and decided on running the 250 class at America’s longest-running pro MX race. Windham didn’t get the results he wanted (20th overall, going 12th/21st), but said he had a blast out there anyway. “I had about 50 pounds and at least a decade on most of those guys,” said Windham laughing. “I had fun. Challenging, but fun.”
 
A privateer rider that Spy’s been helping out, Adam Chatfield, went 12-17 for 15th overall in the premier 450 class.

K-Dub (GEICO Powersports/Honda) returns to racing action this weekend for the 40th running of the Unadilla MX National in N.Y.

Spy Optic would like to wish its longtime rider and namesake for the hot-selling Spy Magneto goggle, Kevin “K-Dub” Windham (GEICO Powersports/Honda), the best of luck this weekend as Windham makes his return to MX Nationals racing for the first time in 2009!
The veteran racer from Mississippi made his first appearance on a dirt bike since the Monster Energy Supercross season this past weekend at X Games 15, placing 3rd and winning a bronze medal in the X Games’ Super X event. X Games turned out to be a prelude to Windham’s return to the Lucas Oil AMA MX Nationals beginning with Unadilla round of the in New Berlin, N.Y., and quite possibly featuring Windham at a couple more Nationals this summer.
Said Windham, who will contest the 250 class at Unadilla, in a statement from the GEICO Powersports/Honda team: “We’ve been working on it a long time and I’m looking forward to getting back out there on the track and having a good testing session as we get ready for supercross.”
Added GEICO Powersports/Honda team co-owner Jeff Majkrazak: “Kevin is the kind of guy you always want on the track if he wants to be on the track. It’s good that Kevin will be back out there starting this week and we hope he can mix it up at the front of the pack in the remaining Nationals as well. If anyone can come off the couch and compete for wins it’s Kevin.”
Windham’s return to Unadilla will certainly bring back memories from the 2003 season when he came back after a year off and ruined Ricky Carmichael’s undefeated season with an overall win at the ‘Dilla. A standout on the throwback MXGP tracks – and Unadilla being America’s longest-running MX race – Windham will no doubt challenge the top guys right out of the gate, including supercross rival Chad Reed. Having gotten some seat time, Windham will then make a decision on racing more Nationals. Preliminary reports have stated he’s interested in Budds Creek (Md.) and, possibly, Southwick (Mass.).
Windham will be joined at Unadilla by Spy Optic’s Nick Wey (Boost/ampm/Monster/Troy-JLaw Racing), ranked in the top ten in the 450 class this summer, and Wey’s teammate, New Jersey local Jason “JLaw” Lawrence, who’s certain to help ticket sales as it’s his hometown race.
Next up for Spy Optic’s motocross racers contesting the 2009 Lucas Oil AMA MX Nationals is round nine of the series at Unadilla (New Berlin, N.Y.), Aug. 15th.