ATV Motocross Returns for 2010

A winter's worth of preparation and angst will boil over this week as round one of the ITP/Moose Racing AMA ATV National Motocross Championship kicks off at Millcreek raceway in Alabama.

The 2010 season is sure to look a lot different from last year, as The Great Recession continues to takes its toll on the sport. We'll also see some new faces, like rookie pro Cody Gibson, in the big show as old faces like the legend Doug Gust exit stage left into retirement and, hopefully, not into obscurity.

Racers who enjoyed factory support last year, including Pat Brown and Jeremy Lawson, will be on new machines for 2010 competing as privateers, though they won't be racing without help from the aftermarket. Lawson has returned to his Suzuki roots, and Brown will compete on a Honda. Suspension builders and engine tuners kept the sport alive during the 1990s, when the factories tucked tail and ran after the feds slapped them with CPSC rules stopping the manufacture of three wheelers and leading to the short-lived demise of sport quads.

Thankfully, Suzuki and Can-Am are still in the mix with factory rigs and paid riders. But the continued absence of Honda, with Kawasaki having bailed this year and Yamaha's dwindled support in the ATV motocross ranks, will surely give the nationals weekends a different feel.

Another positive note is the continued strength of the amateur ranks. The new crop of young riders continues to grow, and several hungry young guns wil roll into Alabama this coming weekend ready to compete for a title in 2010.

Riders like Hunter Skladzien, pictured at right on his DRR at an Ohio indoor race last month, are competing this year on finely tuned youth ATVs thanks to support from aftermarket companies like ATV Four Play and Capital Powder Coating. It's good to know no matter what happens behind the scenes with big sponsors, young riders will keep getting older and preparing for the day when the gate will drop and unleash them on their first pro moto.

The anticipation for this season to begin is likely mixed with a lot of anxiety for many pros and amateurs alike. I expect we're going to see a lot of separation in the pro motos. The big dogs like Chad Wienen, Dustin Wimmer and Josh Creamer, who are still getting paid to train and race on factory tuned quads, are likely to separate themselves from those who have been forced to return to their roots and privateer programs. Both groups are sure to create some interesting position battles as the 2010 season gets underway.

Uncertainty may loom for some, but the state of the sport is sure to create intense motos. What dramatic battles will unfold at Millcreek this weekend?

The moment we've all been waiting months for will arrive in just a few short days. Who will show up prepared? Who will leave disappointed? How will the story of the 2010 season begin? The answers to those questions will begin to reveal themselves in Alabama on Saturday and Sunday, as the roar of race quads arrives on the heels of springtime in the south. Here's to a new season of ATV motocross - here at last!