Monday Kickstart – Los Angeles SX

A notoriously heavy sweater, Chad Reed requires special prep on his Fox Racing goggles.

Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Tyla Rattray had control of the Western Regional Supercross Lites points lead coming in to Los Angeles, but after finishing fourth behind winner Eli Tomac, Dean Wilson and MX2 GP contender Zach Osborne in the main, relenquished the red plate to Tomac.

Last week, we showed you a photo of Ryan Villopoto’s new Alpinestars Bionic Neck Brace. Here’s a better look at the brace, which features a different shape and full cabron fiber construction.

Are you a coffee drinker? Eli Tomac’s Dark Roost is a special blend available at RockyMountainBrewery.com, and proceeds from the sales will go to the Brett Downey Safety Foundation. At Los Angeles, Tomac laid some “dark roost” on all 19 of his competitors.

Geico Honda’s Justin Bogle and Wil Hahn were on hand in Los Angeles to suport Gavin Faith and Eli Tomac. Bogle reports that he is ready and anxious for the Eastern Regional Supercross Lites series to get underway already. “I’m feeling great on a Supercross track,” he said. “I’m pretty excited about muy first Supercross.”

Gavin Faith was recruited by the Geico Honda team to fill in for the injured Wil Hahn for the next few rounds of Western Regional Supercross Lites. Faith earned a ticket to the main event in the LCQ, in what was his first-ever American Supercross. After crashing in the first turn with Cole Seely, Faith finished 18th in the main.

Gnarliest bench racing story we heard this weekend? Honda’s Racing Director Gary Martini suffered a broken femur in December while mountain biking in the Altadena foothills. Instead of using his cell phone to call for help, or enlisting the aid of other cyclists, Martini managed to pedal—one legged—several miles back to his truck with his broken leg dangling behind him. After loading his bicycle into his truck, he crawled to the cab, dragged himself in, and drove himself to the hospital. Tough guy, right?

Fox Racing’s Chris “Beeker” Onstott is scheduled to make his return to motocross on Tuesday at Zaca Station. Many years ago, Beeker suffered double broken ankles when he came up short on a massive jump at the original Lake Elsinore MX Park.

“Back in the day, when Lake Elsinore MX Park used to let the top 50 AMA pros in for free, I remember thinking, ‘Man, I’ll never get a top 50 number,’” said Muscle Milk Honda’s Justin Brayton. “To think that I now have a permanent number, and one as good as 10, is so cool.” We also discussed Brayton's lack of a nickname with him, as "JB10" is definitely on the generic side. Any ideas?

When we spotted a tiny ripple in Trey Canard’s graphics and teased mechanic Jason Haines about it, he claimed innocence and declared that he did not install that particular set. “I’ve suggested a system in which the person who installs the stickers on the plastic puts his initials on the back,” joked Gothic J. “But so far, no one has done it.”