Photo Credit: Chris “Doc” Weedon

BTOSPORTS Race Report:

   Round #5 would be the 3rd Supercross in the Los Angeles region and the 2nd at Anaheim Stadium before the race moves to San Diego next weekend.  Butler Brothers MX would add Matt Goerke to their BTOSports lineup to fill in the for injured #26 Michael Byrne.  Goerke had been racing supercross overseas, and recently returned stateside, so he was ready to go!The “Burner” did make his first appearance at a SX this year to sign autographs for fans.

   Afternoon qualifying for the FMF/ FLY RACING riders would place #87 Goerke in 17th, Albertson 21st, and Thomas in 25th. They all would be going to the night show which takes the Top 40 qualifiers.

    All three PALMETTO SUZUKIS would end up in the 2nd heat. 9 racers transfer directly to the 20 rider main event. JT Money and Goerke had a good jump off the gate. Goerke looked in position to possibly grab the holeshot but momentarily got caught on a tuff block on the very inside which put him side by side  with Brayton down the first section going for 7th spot. The #66 of Thomas would come out clean from the outside and be in 5th down the first rythym section. Meanwhile Albertson got hung up, and was in 18th.

Heat results for BTO: 11th Goerke, 12th Thomas, 13th Albertson

LCQ: Only the two top finishers from the LCQ go to main event. That meant in an ideal situation that BTO still could get those two spots for the night’s main event. The only problem was “lucky #7″ James Stewart had crashed in his heat race, and would be in the LCQ. To be realistic, that meant only one BTO rider could make the main barring another big Stewart error. It is racing an anything can happen though. “JT Money” and “Top Jimmy” both got a good jump off the gate with their JGR MODS Suzukis. JT taking his outside line and Albertson tucking the inside bale come head down the rythym section side by side holding the first two spots. JT noses into a jump and loses a spot to Kiniry and Mackie with Stewart just behind him going into turn two. Albertson would now be out front with the lead, although Stewart would make a pass shortly therafter. Albertson would hold 2nd position to the checkers and make his way into the main event along with Stewart. Thomas would finish 7th, and Goerke 17th.

   BTO’s Main Event: Jimmy would have last gate pick an be all the way on the outside. He would start in 18th position and Short and hansen would go down almost immediately moving him into 16th. Jimmy would pick up a couple spots and move into 14th for a short while. During the race he overjump a triple and put his recuperating shoulder instantly back in pain. He slowed his pace for a few laps knowing that a position or two was not worth causing further injury. 18th would be #48′s overall finish on the evening and place him 21st in the series after 5 rounds.

 Round #6 San Diego Feb. 11th: BTOSports will be hosting a “Party in the Pits” starting at 12:30 pm with Free Food and Prizes! Click on the above link for more info.

Photo Credits: Doc Weedon……………….Brown Dog Wilson Photography(Pretty girls of SX)

PHOTO CREDITS: Doc Weedon

BTOSports Race Report sponsored by:

PALMETTO SUZUKI / RG3 / JGR ENGINE & SUSPENSION MODS / FMF / DUBYA WHEELS

BTOSPORTS rider Albertson had a tough week after a hard collision with Nick Wey in Phoenix’s main event. Jimmy was cleared  to race by Dr. Reiman of ASTERISKS MEDICAL CREW on Thursday after conducting a 2nd concussion test during the week (More on this topic below). After dislocating his shoulder along with a few loose teeth in Phoenix, Jimmy would rest up during the week in hopes of racing Round #3.

The limited rain delayed practice was welcomed, saving some abuse on the body. Qualifying times had Jimmy sitting in 22nd, and teammate Jason Thomas in 31st. They would both have to pickup the pace to make the main event.

#48 PALMETTO SUZUKI would be in heat #1, and #66 “JT Money” in the 2nd heat. Jimmy would gate near midpack, and move quickly into 8th position. After a lap the caution flag would come out with the red signals on the triple jumps flashing. The top seven racers including Albertson “singled” there way through the section, while the next two riders cleared the triple and then immediately moved ahead of Albertson forcing him out of qualifying position. There was time to make the positions back, but “Top Jimmy” just did not have the comfort level racing injured to push harder. An eventual 12th place finish for Albertson, and with JT finishing 15th in his heat, they would both make their way to the LCQ.

LCQ: FLY RACING’S Albertson would gate around 7th picking off a couple riders right away moving into 5th position. Brayton would would go down handing Jimmy4th position. Thomas would make his way to 6th position and that is where they would finish the night. The main event would be watched from the stands, but also give much needed rest to get back to 100% healthy for Round #4 in Oakland next week.

Check out this NEW link!! BTOSports Suzukis UP-CLOSE:

\http://jimmyalbertson.wordpress.com/bbmxs-suzukis/

Los Angeles Dodger stadium Round #3………..PHOTO CREDIT: Doc Weedon

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ASTERISK MEDICAL CREW and an addition to their program please feel free to read below:

Asterisk has extended their program with baseline testing for head injuries for better evaluations of riders. The system will be mandatory for to compete in the outdoor Nationals with MX SPORTS. Here are two links to provide more information regarding this topic.

http://www.motocross.com/features/asterisk-initiates-concussion-testing-program/

Video: http://www.themedicrig.com/

Injuries are a real part of this sport. It is great to see FELD ENTERTAINMENT realizes the extreme importance of the Asterisk Medical crew and donating $100,000 to the program. Also in conjunction with the AMA they have a supplemental insurance policy to assist in addition to a racers primary coverage to help with uncovered medical costs from their racing events.

Butler Brothers MX Race Report:

BTO SPORTS.COM rider Jimmy Albertson would undergo a tough evening in Phoenix. Round #2  of 17 race season would take place live on Speed Channel at Chase Field.  Fellow FLY RACING rider and  friend Trey Canard would also return to racing, thus making it the strongest field of 450 SX riders in the history of our sport.

The #48 FMF/ JGR MODS/BOYESEN rider would qualify 23rd after two sessions of practice out of a 56 qualifiers. Just to show the depth in the SX class…1 second faster in qualifying would have put Jimmy in 8th position qualifying. The racers are just that close, and having a good start in the heat races so crucial. The top 9 race positions out of 20 riders in the 2 heat format go directly to the main event. 2 more racers would qualify via a “Last Chance Qualifier” (LCQ) of the remaining 22 riders who did not qualify via their heat race (40 riders narrowed to 20 riders for main event).

Albertson on his PIRELLI backed PALMETTO SUZUKI started mid pack in the heat race and moved as high as 6th place before a couple big mistakes in some rythym sections moved him out of qualifying to 10th position. The final corner of the race, Grant was able to get under Albertson leaving him on the ground for an eventual 14th position. That would move Jimmy’s gate pick from 2nd to 10th for the last chance qualifier, and those heat positions are so important, since only 2 qualify out of the LCQ to the main event.

LCQ: “Top Jimmy” would round the first corner in about 8th position and quickly pick off a couple riders in the first couple sections moving into 6th over the triple. Morais and Mackie would tangle in the 3rd corner, and Jimmy would carry more speed through the next obstacle to move into 3rd place. Nick Wey would hold the lead while battling with Justin Sipes. Albertson, Josh Grant, and BrocTickle were making up ground as they filled out the top five going for the final two transfer spots. Jimmy would put a block pass on Sipes before the finish line and move into 2nd position with Grant following into 3rd, since Sipes was unable to double the finish line. Albertson and Grant “Cat and Moused” for a couple laps, as Tickle moved in closer. Grant momentarily grabbed the lead, although Albertson had taken a line providing greater speed through a back section and regained a bike length  lead. Both riders hammered the whoops with Grant taking the inside on the next corner. Grant would pull a wheel on Albertson through the next section, but would be on the outside for the next corner. Going for the same inside line on the next corner would leave Grant on the ground this time with Albertson going to the main event in 2nd place. Grant showed great sportsmanship as well as Albertson when SPEED TV showed them conversing after the race followed with a “fist bump”. The ALPINESTAR/DVS backed Albertson would be in the main event for the 2nd race in a row with notable riders like Grant, Tickle, Stroupe, and Morais not making the main, which shows the incredible depth of the field.

The main event would go wrong immediately. Wey and Albertson would be the last two gate picks and start from the very outside of the gate. Rounding the first corner in 19th position Jimmy was trying to manuever around traffic down the inside line after the 2nd corner which was seldom used during the race since momentum would bring you outside. It seems with traffic slowing Wey he had moved over toward the inside while Jimmy had committed to a smaller triple and would land on Wey in a violent crash. Jimmy would suffer a mild concussion, a cut chin, some chipped teeth and a very tender shoulder. That would be the end of the race evening for Jimmy.

We did want to take a minute to thank the ASTERISK MEDICAL CREW. The crew of extremely quailified physicians and assistants are a crucial part of the professional racing series. We also thank FELD ENTERTAINMENT for their recent donation to Asterisk to help keep their effort going to protect and serve these great race professionals and all those involved in the series.

Jimmy’s racing status in unknown for round #3 at Dodger Stadium, but at this point a week or two off to heal properly is the most likely outcome.

Thanks for reading and be sure to join BUTLER BROTHERS MX, BTO SPORTS, FLY RACING, AND JGR MODS on FACEBOOK for more racing info.

The BBMX Team Sponsors are complete for 2012 and the updated list will be up soon on the “sponsor page”

NOTE: We had a lack of pictures from Phoenix. Many of the shots are DOC WEEDONS great photos from round #1 at Anaheim. Thanks DOC!!

BTO Sports/ Fly Racing / JGR Mods / FMF Race Report.

The first of 17 Rounds of AMA Supercross kicked off at Anaheim Stadium to a ”sell out” crowd.

Butler Brothers race effort with “Top Jimmy”  kicked off their racing relationship for 2012 at Anaheim Stadium. Riding a Palmetto Suzuki RMZ 450, Albertson looked race ready in his 2012 Fly Racing gear.

The BTO Sports.com rider would quality 22nd in timed qualifying which narrowed the field from 80 racers to the 40 riders which would go to the night race program for qualifying races. The qualifying races would then finalize the 20 riders for the main event.

The #48 FMF/JGR mods rider would start in 13th place in his qualifier which would take only the top 9 finishers to the main event. Albertson quickly moved to 7th place, and a mistake would put him back to 10th position before making a couple passes to finish 8th and gain his spot into the main event.

The main event was the most highly touted field in SX history, as making the main event in the premier 450cc SX class was an achievement in its own right. Jimmy would earned 15th gate pick, which would leave open gates on the far outside of the field coming into the first corner, and 1 very inside gate remaining. The outside gates can garner a holeshot, although very difficult, but also leaves the possibility of getting pushed completely off the track. Jimmy took the very inside gate, which requires an extremly good jump off the gate, since the inside line does narrow to the first corner and a racer is easily “pinched off”, which is exactly what happened. Starting near the 17th position the BTO Sports.com  rider was able to move up as high as 14th before Grant made an agressive pass which lost Albertson 4 spots. Jimmy recovered for 17th position overall, and successfully completed his first 450 SX race appearance.

Albertson is so excited with the great group of people in the Butler Brother’s MX race effort. The team is very professional with excellent resources, and a nice “family oriented” atmosphere. However, they are very serious about their race effort, which is very attractive attribute to Albertson. While making the main and finishing 17th is a great accomplishment in the SX class, Jimmy is looking to improve on those results. There was a great importance on finishing the 1st race of the season healthy, and then be able to work on personal and bike refinements as the season progresses.

The next round is January 14th at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.

Please feel free to visit Jimmy Albertson Racing on Facebook and show your support. Also feel free to become a “fan” on BTO Sports, Fly Racing’s, and JGR Mods Facebook pages for additional race info and photos.

Jimmy Albertson Racing looks forward to friend and fellow Fly Racing’s Trey Canard return to racing in Phoenix.

 Congratulations to Fly Racing’s “good guy” Andrew Short on his ride at A-1!

Click on picture to view full size. To view all full size photos…hit “arrow” on left or right side of full size photo. To go back to “article” hit “escape” in upper right hand corner.

Will Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park host the last 2012 National MX?

Racer X Films covers the reopening of Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park.

Riding and interview clips of “Top Jimmy”, “Ping”, Jeffrey Herlings, Josh Grant and more.

Track Builder Marc Peters give his insight on the building of the facility.

LINK:     http://www.racerxonline.com/2011/12/03/racer-x-films-lake-elsinore-mx-park

Top Jimmy and David “Ping” Pingree raced their Suzukis to victory in the Moto-a Gogo team race at Pala Raceway in southern California. The  event is called “Day in the Dirt” and has been a huge yearly event with many industry sponsors along with top pros (past and present). It always takes place the three day weekend after Thanksgiving with events for all ages and bikes including vintage machinery.

The team event is called Moto-A-Gogo. Albertson and Ping had signed up as partners with both racers aboard the Suzuki RMZ 450′s against other pairs of pro racers. Racers must complete a 5 minute plus lap and then pass a wrist band to their teammate for them to complete the next lap until the race is finished. When the checker flagged waved, it was Jimmy and Ping on the top of the podium.

More news due soon regarding Albertson’s new BTO Sports Suzuki ride with Butler Brothers MX.

Puerto Rico Team manager Gabriel Catala extended the gift to Jimmy and Zach and their sweethearts to  visit the beautiful US territory.

The Catala family treated the couples to a night Kayak trip to the brightest bioluminescent bay in the world . A canopy tour was also on the agenda as they ziplined mountainous descents through the jungle forests on the tropical island. Plenty of beach time was also logged.

Of course, you can’t invite these two racers without a MX event to attend! The Mech-Tech Race occurred on Sunday, and Jimmy and Zach did not disappoint as they dazzled the local fans in a show down in the local pro race.

Plans were made for Team Puerto Rico for 2012 in Belgium at the infamous Lommel sand track with Albertson and Osborne participating for Team Puerto Rico. Big Thanks goes to the Puerto Rico Motorcycling Federation also.

If you are personally looking for a vacation spot, and want the safety of visiting a  part of the US, Puerto Rico is the spot!

Thanks for reading!

Photos courtesy of Tranworld MX, Racer X, and Vurb Moto

The stage was set for the last race of the season in Las Vegas at Sam Boyd Stadium. 47 pros would enter the competition with 22 qualifying to the main event. The main event consisted of three 10 lap motos with lap times hovering in the 1:30 range for approximately 15 minutes per race.

The scoring system would be the total points per finishing position in each race. The lowest point total would be the winner, and overall the positions would use the same scoring method through the 22 positions on the start gate. Any point ties would go to the racer who held the best finish in the last moto.

Albertson made the drive straight back from Texas/Oklahoma since he attended the Pro Challenge the weekend before in Tyler Texas . The decision was made at the Sam Boyd stadium to use the supercross suspension with absolutley no previous time testing any settings at all. The race results would be a constant improvement over the evenings program as Jimmy became more familar with the bike.

Troy Lee Designs/ Shoei backed Albertson would  place 8th overall in the stacked field of competitors. Moto finishes were 11th, 10th and 8th respectively.

Jimmy wants to thank all of his sponsors for their continued support, and especially Chad Lanza of Valli Motorsports during the last part of the nationals with continued support through this weekends event.

Currently Jimmy has no plans for 2012, although he is hoping that Valli Motorsports will have an opening for him once their 2012 program is in place. Feel free to contact Jimmy at jimmy@jimmyalbertson.com   Thanks for reading!