Canberra SuperX 2010

So, this week did not start off quite as smooth as last week. As we arrived at the airport and began to check our bags, we quickly realized that the travel agency booked us the wrong type of ticket – allowing for only 15kg (about 33 pounds) of luggage. So by the time three of us had put our bags up, we were already at $480 in excess baggage fees. That’s quite a large bill to swallow. So we talked to the guys at SuperX, and figured it would be cheaper, and more fun to rent a car and take a 5 hour scenic drive to Canberra. So, we loaded up our bags and we were off! Though driving is not my favorite thing to do, mix it up with driving on the other side of the car, the other side of the road, and having no clue where we were going, and it actually made for an exciting drive. We saw some really neat sights on our way to Canberra. Have to say that this snag in the plan actually turned out to be a good one in a way. So, once we arrived at Canberra it was time to go to the stadium and start marking out the track for the dirt to be brought in. As we remembered from last year, the groundskeeper of this stadium is a tough one. He is very particular about his field. And though we were told we could start marking the track out on Tuesday, we were quickly informed we could not start on his turf until Wednesday. As we started our day on Wednesday, a reminder of that tough groundskeeper was fresh in our minds as we were having to lay double the amount of geo-fab than we normally use to protect his turf. This created a slower start than normal getting all of the dirt hauled in. We were going at it pretty steadily when at about 9pm Wednesday night a seal on the grease cylinder track tensioner blew on the bulldozer. That pretty much stopped all work for a few hours until we got the dozer fixed. Then we called it a night. We were all up bright and early on Thursday hoping to have a smooth day. The day only started with a few hiccups – trying to get all the dirt brought in and dropped in the right spots since we were a little behind on our build was a bit of a challenge. Then the Union showed up. They gave us quite a hassle last year, and this year was no different. Australia has different rules and guidelines for equipment operators than America does, so we were shut down for about an hour making sure everything was in order. Once the all clear was given, we were in high gear! Everything was actually going well, and the track was coming together. Then, after our dinner break we were at it again, when an idle pulley on the excavator was so worn out that it twisted sideways and the track came off. Not Good!!! After another 3 1/2 hours of working on a piece of equipment, we called it quits for the night. We came in on Friday with a mission and kicked butt! We had the track complete by about 5pm and then started to water and prep for Saturdays races. This track required a bit more prep work because the dirt is the type that seals up quick, so we had to put quite a bit of water down. By Saturday morning, the 4 1/2 hours of watering we had done was absorbed into the dirt like a sponge. So we put another coat on. Jason made the decision to put a second coat on trying to stay ahead of the game. This made practices a bit muddy, but the track was coming around perfect for race time…but Mother Nature had a game of her own! After practice it rained on and off for about 3 hours, and with the track already being pretty wet from the second coat of water this was a bit of salt in the wounds, or so we thought. By the last motos of the night the track was at its best, which is normally the complete opposite. Typically the end of the night the track is in its worst shape. But tonight, the final races were awesome. The racers were pumped with the final races and the racing action was packed. The crew kicked butt again this week, and SuperX Round 2 Canberra was a success. Stay tuned each week for behind the scenes updates on the build process for each round. For more information on SuperX, visit www.superx.com.au. For more information on Dream Traxx, visit www.dreamtraxx.com. Be sure to follow us on www.facebook.com/dreamtraxx, www.twitter.com/dreamtraxx

Behind the Scenes – Building the Australasian Super X Series

Round 1 – Newcastle

Well, it is time for the Australasian SuperX Series to start once again! This is the 3rd year of the series, and our 3rd year heading down under to build the tracks. We really wanted to start things off with a bang, so we designed the track with some really cool sections that the riders will enjoy and will keep the fans on their feet! Typically we start the build on Tuesday, but this year we had to start on Wednesday, putting the crew in high gear right off the start. As the dirt started coming in we were pumped, it was probably some of the best dirt we have worked with in Australia. With the shorter build time given to us, the crew cranked in an insane amount of hours, and had the track completed in 2 days – Awesome!! Overall this was a pretty smooth build. Nothing too crazy happened, and the track easily took shape. We were thrilled with the overall outcome of the track! Plus, with the great dirt we received, it helped make the track even better. When media day came, the riders were impressed with what they saw and super-pumped on the track. We are excited for the racing to get started and to put the first round in the books!

Stay tuned each week for behind the scenes updates on the build process for each round. For more information on SuperX, visit www.superx.com.au. For more information on Dream Traxx, visit www.dreamtraxx.com. Be sure to follow us on www.facebook.com/dreamtraxx, www.twitter.com/dreamtraxx

X Games 16 – 2010

July 29, 2010….there we were, sitting in the baking hot Los Angeles 4 o’clock sun, watching all of our hard work turn to a complete dust bowl. Now rewind to July 18th, when the two forces of Dane Herron and the DHI crew, and Jason Baker and the Dream Traxx crew began the challenge of building all of the dirt events for X Games 16. As the dirt began to roll into the Coliseum, the site for this years Moto X, Freestyle, and Rally Car events, things were going smooth. Then word came that the construction site where all of the dirt was being hauled in from was suddenly shut down. Our building job quickly got put on pause, as our new job was to hunt down more dirt. To add to the confusion, this year we hauled in almost 20,000 yards of dirt which is 25% more dirt than the previous year, with one less day to build. That is enough dirt to build 4 normal supercross tracks. Then lets throw the other curve ball, the mega ramp up the middle of the course, and the rule of dirt guys not being able to work while ramp guys were working, and vice-versa. Yet another challenge of the build….trying to build lanes going up the peristyle at a 45 degree slope instead of on flat ground. All building challenges aside, the crews cranked out an insane amount of hours and sculpted nearly 20,000 yards of dirt into this years SuperX, Freestyle and Rally courses.

Back to July 29, 2010….after only 3 hours of sleep from the night before we began prepping the SuperX course first thing in the morning. The track was still completely ripped so the dirt was open and we could continue saturating the soil as much as possible before the event. We finally took Skidsteers to it around mid-day to pack it in and continued watering. We continually watered the track throughout the day, knowing that it was going to take a brutal beating from the blistering hot, dry, LA sun. As the events started, we knew the dust was coming. The crew did all that we could to have the track prepped right – but when you are dealing with 95 degree temperatures, completely dry air, and hours of practice on the track before the event, there was only so much we could do and knew the dust was bound to happen. Plus once the events were started, there was no time in the schedule for any grooming or track maintenance since everything was revolving around the live TV schedule.

After the events were over, and we heard all of the talk around the pits about how dry and dusty the track was, and things like “why didn’t they water”, or “they should know how to prep a track”, all of our heads hung low. If only the fans and riders knew how hard we worked to try to beat the dust! When have you ever seen a daytime Supercross race in the blistering hot sun??? There is a reason you don’t! After Dane and Jason had a long talk with ESPN Executives, hopefully we will see some scheduling changes next year!

So, now the SuperX and Freestyle events are over….time for the crews to pull an all-nighter and get the Coliseum ready for Rally and Super Rally. Running on only 3 hours of sleep from the night before, many of the guys worked a 39 hour shift to tear down and rebuild. Once the Rally courses were ready, the guys then headed over to Staples Center to prepare for the Step Up, Best Whip and Best Trick competitions. Their work streak was not over, because now was time to tear down those jumps and build the Speed and Style course. Once the course began taking shape, and many of the guys had been up for nearly two days straight, they decided to call it a night. After a refreshing 5 hours of sleep, half of the crew headed to the Coliseum to handle the Rally events, while the other half headed to Staples to continue preparing for the Speed and Style events. After all of the crazy work hours, and loads of stress – it seemed like they were finally on the downhill stretch.

Overall, all of the events went off with out any major problems. At the end of it, the guys stood back in an awe and respect at the feat they had accomplished. More than 24,000 yards of dirt, hauled into two different locations, building 8 different events, with a crew of 8, working an average of 18 hours a day – X Games 16 was an event and challenge that they will never forget!

This could not have happened without the experience of team captain, Dane Herron. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to work with someone with his resume. He assembled an amazing crew of some of the hardest workers around. I take it as an honor for him to give me the task of handling the Super X and Speed & Style courses. I would also like to personally thank the crew; Corey Hobbs, John Burns, Shiloh Cahill, John Pelton, Brandon Johnson, Kurt Eppler, and Ricky Scavia, for all the hours of hard work that they put in this year. Even after all the hurdles that we had to jump, I know that I am privileged to have this opportunity, and I am truly thankful.