# Ride Life / Fly Racing

Strange World We Live In

Man accused of killing motocross fan with one punch dies, criminal case will be dropped

A 50-year-old man whom authorities say killed another man with a single punch at Portland International Raceway this past summer has himself died.

Michael Eugene Taylor had been headed to trial next month to contest accusations of second-degree manslaughter and assault of motocross racing fan Anthony Mancuso, 61. But Taylor died days before Christmas.

It's unclear what caused his death. He had a list of health problems, including diabetes, blood clots, high blood pressure, scoliosis and Celiac Disease, according to court reports.

Taylor's criminal defense attorney, David Shannon, declined comment on Wednesday. He said Taylor's family has requested privacy.

According to authorities, Taylor and Mancuso's adult sons had competed in a motocross race on July 9, 2015. The sons had gotten into some sort of dispute during the competition, and tensions spilled into the parking lot afterward. According to some witnesses, Mancuso tried to intervene and that's when Taylor -- who appeared to be the aggressor -- punched Mancuso even though Mancuso had done nothing wrong, the witnesses said.

Mancuso's head struck the ground hard, and he died the next day.

Taylor's son and Taylor told a different story. Taylor reportedly told police: "Yeah, I hit him. It was self-defense. He elbowed me in the face and his son attacked me. I had no choice."

A conviction for second-degree manslaughter would have meant a minimum prison sentence of six years and three months for Taylor.

Taylor was released from jail pending trial after he posted bail Sept. 14, the day a Multnomah County Circuit judge lowered his bail from $500,000 to $20,000. Taylor was required to post 10 percent of that.

During Taylor's bail hearing, he told Judge Angel Lopez that had about $100 in his bank account, and that he's been unemployed since October 2014 because of his health problems. According to court records, he told authorities that he had been a machinist for 10 years, had been living off of 401(k) savings until that dried up and had been planning to start an automotive business.

By Aimee Green | The Oregonian/OregonLive The Oregonian
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on December 30, 2015 at 10:25 AM, updated December 30, 2015 at 12:01 PM

SBB...Suspension By Buck

Sometimes it's the little things that make a huge difference in performance. Suspension is a mystery to many riders especially the new air suspension. If you are confused or just unsure of your bike's suspension performance you should work with someone who knows suspension. You can invest a lot of time, money and effort and just make things worse. Save yourself a lot of headache and visit a professional. SBB is the place to go for all things suspension. Buck works on all our bikes and we have complete confidence in his skills.

Santa Says..."Happy Trails"

Merry Christmas To All

From The MX43 Team

Art & Marti          Eric (#33) & Cheryl

     Joe                       Doug (21J)

We Hope 2016 Brings You Many Happy Times and Good Rides

Alexander Smith: Dakar Dream Becomes Reality

Son of offroad motorcycle racing legend Malcolm Smith to compete in 2016 Dakar Rally.

Alexander Smith is his own man: business professional, college graduate and accomplished racer. He also happens to be the son of offroad motorcycle racing legend Malcolm Smith. When your father is as famous as his, to be involved and successful in the motorcycle industry seems pretty natural—a given even; yet Alexander Smith has followed his own path to success. Hard work and business savvy allowed him to move through the various roles within his family’s motorcycle dealership; where in 2009 he started as Service Advisor, moved to Service Manager, then to his present role in 2014 as General Manager. Today he is responsible for the day-to-day operations, planning, and financials of Malcolm Smith Motorsports. In addition to his job at Malcolm Smith Motorsports, Alexander serves as Trail Boss for Malcolm Smith Adventures, which specializes in motorcycle adventures in Baja California. He also helps out with the Malcolm Smith Motorsports Foundation, a non-profit community-based organization that gives back to the children of Baja by funding the El Oasis orphanage in Valley Trinidad Baja and an endowment fund responsible for making university and graduate level education possible for all the children of El Oasis.

To get the rest of the story on Malcom's boy go to www.dirtbuzz.com/featurezz/

Casa Grande's Motoland track unites new riders with near-pros

Casa Grande's Motoland track unites new riders with near-pros By MELISSA ST. AUDE Staff Writer Casa Grande Valley Newspapers Inc.

CASA GRANDE

Joey Sites of Apache Junction was 4 years old when he started riding motocross.

Now at age 12, the amateur racer said his goal is to make the national competition level soon.

“It’s one of those things you have to put all your effort into,” Joey, a Mesa Brinton Elementary School sixth-grader, said. “You can’t just half-try.”

Joey is one of the dozens of competitive motocross riders who regularly practice at Motoland MX Park south of Casa Grande.

Tucked away on a quiet corner near Hanna and Sisler roads, the park is a frequent meeting spot for motocross enthusiasts ranging from pro and amateur competitors to new and novice riders.

At Motoland, skill level doesn’t matter, said Mark Brooks, who built the park for his two sons several years ago when they were motocross competitors.

“Some people are out here for sheer recreation,” Brooks said. “They’re just having fun. But we have others who are competitive. They’re out here to practice.”

The facility’s four tracks encompass 50 acres.

A pee-wee track is designed for people who are new to motocross, including children as young as 3.

“We have adults who use the pee-wee track too,” Brooks said.

A vintage track has no jumps and is often used for older bikes — including those that race — while the national track as well as the super-cross track were created according to American Motorcyclist Association standards. They both have the dips, turns and jumps a competitive rider might expect.

Run as a 501(c)(3) organization, Motoland is managed by Brooks’ sister, Lori Erickson.

“The park was made for Mark’s kids, but when they grew up, we opened it up to the public,” Erickson said.

Brooks said he was just a dad trying to support his two sons’ new hobby when he built the first track.

“They were about 9 and 11 at the time,” he said. “They had a friend who raced and they wanted to race too.”

He got them bikes for Christmas that year.

“They got hooked,” he said. “I built them a track to practice on. As they progressed, I built more and more and people started asking to use the track.”

Motocross, which involves racing motorcycles off-road on terrain that often has hills, jumps and turns, is one of the most popular forms of amateur motorcycle racing in the country, according to the American Motorcyclist Association.

The sport quickly became more than a hobby for the Brooks family. Before long, the boys were working with a motocross trainer and traveling across the country to take part in competitions.

“It was quite an investment but it was fun,” Brooks said.

His sons are now adults. One works for a technology company and has a family. The younger is studying radiology.

“We had a great time. I like that motocross teaches kids work ethic and the lesson that hard work really does pay off. It’s like real life — work hard and you’ll achieve,” he said.

CAL CITY MX PARK: THE CITY’S BEST KEPT SECRET

Photo's by Kane Wickham

CAL CITY MX PARK: THE CITY’S BEST KEPT SECRET By Kane Wickham Mojave Desert News

California City - Located just outside the city proper, and past Borax Bills OHV Park lies a little known secret of Cal City-only the most happening place for motocross for people of all ages anywhere around. Cal City MX Park, the brainchild of John and Inge Elmes, has been in business for a decade now providing a professional motocross track and races for any and all who love the dirt and the art of flight. On any given Saturday and Sunday one can find many an airborne rider racing around the track when there are no scheduled races, and even on race days, afterwards there are races of different classes of motocross bike to participate in. 

 Last Sunday December 13, 2015 the park held its MX Series “Battle At The Parks”, where some hundred plus riders were in attendance of all ages and bike classes for the last race of the 4 race series which has traded off race sites alternatively with the DT1 MX Park in Tulare. 

There were ten races held during the course of the day with each having a first, second and third trophies awarded in the various classes. To say this is some of the most fun one can find in Cal City is an understatement. On a nice day such as Sunday was, one can become so enthralled with the racing fever that you will want to jump on a bike and take off. Being there watching the riders flying some 20-30 feet in the air and ripping by hurling track mud in their wake swallowed in the roar of the bikes, the smell of the barbeque, and the blaring sunshine found at the track.  

Though they have seen better times business wise at the track, owner John Elmes is still optimistic and judging by the day’s attendance certainly on the right track of giving the people what they want. After the 10 scheduled races were finished came the long awaited raffle where some $4 thousand worth of motocross gear was raffled off to a very attentive crowd who nearly bought all the tickets out to get some of the prizes. Prizes included a GoPro camera system, tons of Fox Motocross gear, helmets, and other racing goodies.  

The raffle lasted nearly an hour to see all the prizes off, afterwards which everybody headed to their bikes for the open track races lasting into the warm, sunny afternoon. All in all a wonderful way to spend a day and one need go no further than our own back yard to get it. The next races are tentatively schedules for March, and the schedule can be found and the park can be reached at their website calcitymxpark.com or at (760) 977-9774. The park is open every Saturday and Sunday for riding/racing. Check their website or call for info on upcoming events at our own Cal City MX Park: the city’s best kept secret. 

A Little Trail Ride!

Dakar 2016... A bucket list ride or just a good race to watch?

Who Said A Day At The Beach Will Be Fun?

Man's Best Friend Saves The Day!

Dog follows his nose to find stolen motocross bikes in Stalbridge

By Dadcock  |  Posted: December 17, 2015

Dennis Pender and Storm at the site in Stalbridge where the stolen motocross bikes were found.

A labrador turned supersleuth tracked down valuable stolen motocross bikes in Stalbridge.

The two bikes had been stolen from secure premises in Stalbridge in the early hours of Monday morning.

But they were back with their owner on Monday night after Dennis Pender and his dog Storm found them during a walk near Station Road Industrial Estate.

Mr Pender praised Storm - a fox red labrador gun dog whose registered name is Firestorm Blaze - for finding the bikes.

Storm twice stopped at a particular point on the footpath and indicated something was in the grass nearby.

Mr Pender said: "I just wanted to get on home but I let him off the lead to see and when I shone my torch I saw something orange and white.

"I thought it must be a person, someone had fallen over or something so I went to see and found two motocross bikes, one each side of a little track."

Mr Pender called the police and while he waited with the bikes he made calls to his wife and friends and spoke to another man walking a dog to get the word back to owner Josh House.

He said: "While I was waiting I saw a white van come slowly along the industrial estate and thought it must be the police.

"I shone my torch to show him where I was and the van speeded up and shot away - I think it must have been coming to pick up those bikes.

"I reckon if I'd left them and gone home to call the police they would have been gone."

He added: "The bikes weren't hidden and a lot of people walk round there during the day so I think they must have been put there after dark.

"Storm is trained to use his nose - he's a wonderful dog.

"It's thanks to him we found those bikes."

A spokesman for Dorset Police said they were called to an address in Stalbridge at 5.20am on Monday reporting a burglary.

He said two motocross bikes were reported as stolen and confirmed they were reunited with their owner that night after being found by a dogwalker.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call the police on 101 quoting reference number 14:29.

Dee Adcock