Busy as always fans, and we cannot complain. Before we get started with the tour we need to jump back to Bristol, TN. The riders there were Clint, Craig, and Travis and the Freestyle Motocross Show was on the drag strip. The first night was called “Street Fights” which included locals racing each other. Then on Saturday it was a Monster Truck show. The first night everything went great, however on the second night Mother Nature was relentless. The rain came and did not stop all day. Not to worry as always Team FMX went above and beyond as well as the track crew. As soon as the rain quit halfway through the show the guys got out there with blowers, torches, and track dryers to make it the best they could. Travis lined up first to check out the conditions. The ramps were wet and he did lose a little traction on the take off. He went back and let the other riders know and they all agreed it was possible. Never the less the riders went out and took the show by storm (literally). The crowd was great and the promoters were grateful they were able to perform for the 4+ thousand people on hand. After the show the guys relaxed with old friends before heading south to get ready for a multiple week trip.
Team FMX has been all around and back from a four week trip throughout the mid west. First let’s rewind to the Maggie Valley, NC Bike Rally Show. This was the 2nd time Team FMX has performed in the Valley however this was the first time this promoter put on a bike rally. It was not bad for the first time and I believe it will only improve. Unfortunately Travis jammed his knee during the last show and will be taking the next few weeks off. Not to worry, Craig Roberts finished up the last show before heading home and getting ready for the month long road trip. After getting home Travis had a pretty good knee injury however it does not slow down the progress of the Team. After a few bottles of Ibuprofen, a set of crutches, and a few weeks off, Travis will be back in action.
Now it starts out in Union, MO at their County Fair. This was a one night Freestyle Motocross Show combined with Monster Trucks. The riders lined up were Paul Smith, Terry Russell, and Craig Roberts. Unfortunately Craig slipped a peg when landing and broke his heel and tore his meniscus. Not to worry he will be back up and running in no time. Paul and Terry put on a great jam session in between the monster trucks. Travis coordinated and announced the combination of shows and the fans as well as the Fair committee were amazed by the excitement.
After the show it was time to load up and get ready for Jefferson County Fair also in MO. It was only about an hour down the street which made for easy traveling. Last year it was only a one day Freestyle Motocross Show and this year it was scheduled for three. Travis is still hurt at this time and Craig had to fly back to NJ to get an MRI. And as for Paul, he went back to Canada for his FMX Suzuki gig. Therefore the riders that performed at this show were Terry Russell and Jadd Knox out of FL. The fair let the Team build a dirt landing instead of setting up the landing ramp which made for a better time for the riders. Joining the Freestyle MX show was a local band, Anix that jammed out during the FMX show. These are just kids that can rock out hard with their music. The show there was yet another success and they want Team FMX back next year.
It’s time once again to load up for the next Freestyle Moto-X Show just a few days later in Harrisburg, IL, ahhh life on the road. This is always a great stop and was no exception this year. The guys got to hang out with old friends and had a great time. Travis is still limping around and not ready to ride yet but Terry Russell and Paul Smith were able to do the job and do it well. The show was on a Monday night so the attendance was a little light but still had several hundred people enjoying the entertainment.
Afterwards Terry went home and Travis dropped Paul off at the airport once again to fly back to Canada for Suzuki. Travis then truck drove it to Lexington, Ohio for the final gig of the tour. This was an event that AMA hired Team FMX for and it was no joke. As Travis arrived on Thursday there were over ten thousand people all ready there. He had no idea how huge this event is. Still deciding not to ride Travis called in Bryan Prindle to fill in for him. The other two riders he had lined up were Jadd Knox and Mike Angerman. They performed three FMX shows a day for three days and once again everybody was amazed. However at this show Angerman was hired to come in and turn his bike upside down. As he did with ease and the crowd went nuts. Angerman is very smooth and consistent on his flips and threw down many over the weekend. Jadd Knox made the sports cover of the local newspaper doing a huge kiss of death. All in all it was an awesome show and AMA asked Team FMX to come back next year.
It is now time to head south for a weekend off and so the landing ramp can get some work done to it. Travis will be getting ready for the Metro NY Balloon Festival in Long Island. Last years attendance was over 70,000 with rain. This year it is expected to be even bigger. We will update you on that as soon as we get back. Stay tuned as we will have more exciting news coming soon.
Horsepower
Start of the show
What are you looking at?
Esposito eyeing up the situation
08 Cummins is the newest addition to the Team
Team FMX roll's into Bristol Dragway
10 year old Awesome Austin L. whipping it out on a 35fter
Roberts arch
Vendor's checking out the warm up
Russell's running man
Europe's very own Kevin Carmichael
Angerman, Prindle & Knox all lined up
Thursday's crowd as the Team is arriving.
J Knox with a huge KOD
Nice Cliffy
The stage is set
P. Smith and T. Russell Train
Nice finish
St. Louis on the horizon
Freestyle that
Just commitment
Then your upside down
Then you ride away
It has been a while people and a lot has happened. We will try to get you caught up the best we can. Starting off with the Iowa Freestyle Show, the crew showed up to find out that it was going to snow. It was an outdoor event that went well last year however the snow ultimately canceled the event this year. Never the less the crew was on hand to assist the best they could and make the best out of a bad situation. It was then time to head west for the Freestyle Motocross show in IL. This was a dirt bike facility that was outrageous. It was on a huge piece of land that had several tracks as well as a rally car track. The show consisted of Clint Esposito, owner of FMX East, Craig Roberts, and Travis Willis. Team FMX was contacted by the History Channel to see if they could send a crew out to film for a new TV series that will be airing in the fall. Travis was more than happy to have them aboard and get some national coverage. The episode was about the evolution of motorcycles and Freestyle Motocross is part of it. It worked out great because they got to film the Motocross races as well as the Freestyle Moto X show. All in all it was a great time and some great new friends made. Team FMX was also joined by Eric Jensen a local quad rider that brought out his ramp and pulled off some nice tricks of his own. The show ended with Clint pulling off several back flips for the MX crowd that got them pumped to go out for their 2nd moto. As always we look forward to going back next year.
Now the fun begins as Travis and Clint head to the Hawgs and Hills bike rally in Texas. On the way to the show on Interstate 10 at about 12am there was a Honda Accord that decided to pull out in front of them. They swerved to miss however the Accord did not. It ended up tearing up the side of the Team bus and bending two axels on the landing ramp. It seemed as though they were not going to make the show. Not to worry we have not missed a show yet and it is going to take more than this to do it. The guys had to park it for the night but got on the phone to see about getting it all fixed so they could make the show. Long story short they patched the bus back together and got a new axel put on the landing and 24 hours later they were back on the road and made it to the show for a great performance. It was a challenge but they still pulled it off. They made it back home safe and were very thankful nobody got hurt. No worries the other driver had insurance and it was her fault so Team FMX received some new upgrades to the ramp as well as getting a new Team truck.
Now it was time to head north to Canada for the NASCAR Canadian Tire series race. This was a NASCAR sanctioned race with all the goods. The series was filmed for TV and had some great racing. Being the Team bus is down TW had to make a few adjustments to the set up and brought in a landing ramp from Canada and had Rich Kearns join him for the show. Rich is from Connecticut and met with Travis on the road after getting dropped off by Paul Smith on his way to another show. Rich is a great guy with a huge bag of tricks including the flip. The fellas ran into a little situation but were able to make a great show for the thousands of fans on hand. In other news Team FMX and FMX EAST have merged together to really put some stats down on the board. Look for new and exciting things in the near future. See you at the show.
Local Quad rider Eric J.
Casey, IL set up
Roberts with a double grab
Clint getting upside down
Honda Accord Carnage
Nice Rims
Waiting on repairs
Tom Suarez shot
Getting the job done
Sweet buggy
Freestyle on a Harley
Clint kicking back
Ok so it was a short trip over to St. Augustine, FL for Spring Stock 08. This was an event that included live bands, world know DJ’s, a wake boarding rail jam along with Team FMX Freestyle Motocross. The guys arrived the night prior just before the rain set in and were unable to set up for the show. Although the next morning they got the ramps in place and started warming up. The winds were pretty brisk and they were only able to do what they could without getting blown off the ramp. Never the less everybody rode good under the circumstances and made it through safe. After the guys were done there were a few problems the event organizers ran into on top of the rain. Unfortunately, the rain kind of put the event underwater once night fall set in and it was not a good sign. After the guys were done riding they packed up and were getting ready for the next adventure to Puerto Rico. This event included 8 FMX riders and has been scheduled and then delayed several times. No surprise the show was delayed once again. We will update you on that soon. Now on with the Big News.
Long time Team FMX rider Scott Murray took home the Golden Helmet with the double back flip at the MX World Championships in California this past weekend. It was some fierce competition that has once again raised the bar in the FMX Industry. It is getting out of control with what these guys are doing now and we all wonder what’s next? Never the less Murray has paid his dues and has finally received the recognition that he deserves. Congratulations Scott and good luck at Summer X this year.
Well there haven’t been any double back flips at TW’s house in the new foam pit but there has been some flipping going on. Before the trip to PR the FMX East riders drove down and were getting ready to join Team FMX for the trip before it was postponed again. It was not a total waste of time being the riders got to try some flips and others were perfecting their flips along with a few variations. It was a lot of fun and look for the East Coast riders to start moving up the ranks with the flips and variations. The following weekend Travis and some local friends were having a little fun with the minis and started to just huck stuff out. P-boy was his name but know he is known as the Bar Setter. Travis neighbor, Jason, started going all out on the 110. It started with 1 handed flips onto no handed flips. Then it was a knack flip onto an under flip and finishing off with a 1 handed under flip. Keep in mind Jason has never jumped a dirt bike before but is now addicted. Sure it was into foam but still when you can get it done in the pit the next step is dirt. Enjoy the pic’s and we will see you soon. Until then loop out on the ramp.
Good job Scott
Nice paint job done on that rail
Making his way to the lake
Got to love Florida
Cloud's are coming in
1 of many bands
This is a stoppie Double Grap
Joason on the Mini w/ a cool angle
Mr.T waveing to the ramp
lil Ray in full commitment
Smitty for the 20+ time
Esposito w/ a 1 handed BF
P-Boy's 1 handed underflip
Austin Drummond first time
Trying to flip
Kyle going for the no handed flip
It’s time to let you in on our newest creations. First we want to fill you in on the past few shows starting with North Jax Motorsports in Jacksonville, FL. It was an open house that turned out great. There was a 50/50 raffle, plenty of giveaways, a live DJ, Wing House Girls, and Team FMX Freestyle Motocross. This particular show Tim Dyson was in Orlando finishing up on the newest Team FMX landing ramp and was unable to attend. The riders included Eric Pointer, Craig Roberts, and TW. Unfortunately, Craig was riding with a blown suspension and the guys were not able to get the ramp to their desired distance. However, they were able to get off good tricks that made for a great time for the people in Jacksonville. The event was only scheduled for one day so it was an easy trip.
After getting home from the show Travis had a truck load of foam delivered to his house. That’s right Team FMX not only has a few welds to go on the new landing ramp but they now have a 35 x 45 foot foam pit. Travis has been working on the pit for a few months. It is now full of foam and the boom arm has been mounted for the final touch. It is now known that flips are common in Freestyle so Team FMX has a convenient and safe way to practice them. Look for Tim Dyson to be landing his first metal to metal flip soon as well as TW getting more comfortable being upside down.
On to the next stop, Club Christopher’s in Orange Park, FL. This was a St. Patty’s Day event on Monday night that had an outdoor stage with hard core bands, Stunt 904 street bike team, and Team FMX. This event was hosted by Asbury Independent Wake Films as a warm up party to Spring Stock which they will be hosting. The event is being held April 5, 2008. Eric, Tim, and Travis put in a few good sessions before calling it quits due to the city sound ordinance law. The lighting situation was a little sketchy but all the people involved did a great job making it the best that it could be. Enjoy the new pics of the guys flipping into the pit and keep checking back. 2nd gear, lean back, and pin it!
Nice Backdrop!
Roberts 1 handed seat grab
Fine people of North JAX Motorsports
What's everybody looking at?
Not bad for a short gap
What's under the tarp?
First approach to the new pit!
What is he doing?
He's not even going to test it first?
Nope, just lean back and pin it!
lending a hand
WOW, this is easy!
Nice work
Yes, it is no surprise we are slacking, but with Team FMX being a fully owner operated company it tends to leave little time to do a lot. Between traveling, bookkeeping, cleaning, riding, announcing, website designing, and all the other job description’s that goes along with it, the job becomes a little overwhelming at times. However we are back and once again a force to be reckoned with. The 07 season ended with the first of many to come self-promoted shows by Team FMX. It was the first Team FMX Moto X-Mas Jam. Team FMX owner, Travis Willis, put on one exacting hour and a half long Extreme Motorcycle Thrill show in his new home town of Trenton, Florida. The show consisted of 4 FMX riders along with the Ball of Steel. Sponsors included Little Caesars Pizza, Davis Printing Inc., Tri County Rentals, Southern Tire & Brake, and Nature Coast Yamaha. The floor was decorated with banners, bikes, quads, mules, two FMX landing ramps, the Ball of Steel and even a helicopter. For a first annual show it seemed to have all the flavor of a full blown production. Riders included Tim Dyson, Paul Smith, Jerry Jackson, Eric Pointer, as well as Kyle and Cody Ives. All the riders were riding in top form and had the small town on the edge of their seats throughout the entire show. Even Santa Claus made a special appearance for the kids and did a little show boating of his own. The people were welcoming to the new X-treme Excitement. Look for more Team FMX production’s coming soon.
2007 was great; now let’s move on to 2008. The season started off on the left foot with a few complications that gave the boys the month of January to relax in the warm Florida sun. It was a nice treat since the last 5 plus years they spent January north of Tennessee. That means cold weather and icy roads. Not Fun! Just as they thought they had slid by the cold snowy weather it was time for Green Bay, WI. Yup, snow, cold, cold snow, Not Fun! On their journey up to the white tundra they made a detour to Scott Murray’s house to borrow the Sic Air FMX set up and try to hit the foam pit once again. But Mother Nature had different plans. With the temperature gauge reading -6 there would not be any riding like last year. No worries Tim and Travis got to hang out with the other half of the crew before they flew out to Australia for the Crust Demons of Dirt Assault Tour. Look for Murray to be pulling off the double back flip at each stop. So after digging the ramps out of the snow the guys headed to Green Bay. It was one scary drive with the conditions they were facing but they made it there as they always do. After thawing the ramps it was time to practice. Scott and Ed showed up a little later and joined in the fun. The show was sold out each night and was a great success. Scott decided to sit out to play it safe before his trip. Tim, Ed, and Travis rocked the house with overwhelming excitement. After many autographs and a high five to the Sic Air crew before their journey it was time to head back south. The guys had a little time to work on a few new projects before getting ready for the trip to the Darryl Starbird Custom Car Show. Revealing will come on the next update.
Wow was this event huge. It stretched out over a quarter mile long inside a building. We have never been in a building so long before. The show was an A-Class event with every car imaginable, a Monster Truck Show, along with Team FMX joined by Kenny Bartrum and The Globe of Death. All the Trucks were top quality and put on some fierce racing. The Globe of Death riders Gary Lerent and John Stott’s collaborated with the fellas and combined a Motorcycle Thrill Show that was an hour of non-stop heart pounding energy. Gary and John put on one superb exciting entertaining act. They were followed by Team FMX. It was a four rider show that included new comer Eric Pointer coming off of a year long injury, Tim Dyson, Travis Willis, and Cowboy Kenny Bartrum. This was the first time the boys got to perform with the Cowboy and it was a pleasure. This guy is a down right all around great Dude! He spent the entire three days hanging out and being a big help to the guys. Team FMX was told the show was the best FMX show they have seen yet and was welcomed with great hospitality. Big thanks to all the staff at the show as well as Mr. Starbird himself. The guys went out 4 times over the weekend and gave the crowd more than their monies worth. Kenny brought down his comp ramp and the guys were having more fun than ever. The show ended with The Cowboy throwing out multiple flips for the crowd that turned them into a frenzy. Well people as we said earlier, the year started out on the left foot but we are in a sprint already. Look for more exciting news next week as we bring you up to date with the Jacksonville show as well as the new Team FMX Projects. Until then Rubber side up.
Murray's Mounds
Without a pole
Rossi, Murray, Willis
Double Backflip Beast Representing
Where is his head?
That is a negative
White Tundra
Team FMX Moto X-Mas Jam
Friday night before Christmas
Paul Smith's stretch out routine
Santa was on hand to say Hi
Getting ready for the show
Santa Claus dashing through the air
2 Free rides were given away to a few lucky kids
Which way is he going?
Team FMX joined by Kenny Bartrum
Dyson looking good
Cowboy Kenny & Mr. T getting ready for the train
Pointed deadbody
NSYNC
EP is all over the Bike
Give this guy a Monster Truck
One of many in Tulsa
Almost there son
Everybody gets an autograph
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