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Racing Lines
December 24, 2007
Hey Everyone
After a good weekend at the US Open,
things have slowed down somewhat.
We have been doing quite a bit of
testing and when I look back at where I was this time last year, we have come
along way! Every day I feeling I'm getting more and more comfortable yet there
is still a few things I still would like to try yet, unfortunately time is
running out and Anaheim 1 is just around the corner!
I went over to Paris to do Bercy and
even though I finished 2ND to Chad, I feel the racing itself was a lot closer
than the results reflected! Yamaha assisted me by sending a bike for me to
race on, which gave me more time to practice here. In those 2 weeks of testing,
I feel that we have accomplished a lot.
Other than testing, I've just been
spending time with my family starting with Halloween getting all dressed up. We
got in the golf cart and along with a few other neighbors we went "Trick or
Treating". The kids had fun and we all ended up with a houseful of Candy!!
Thanksgiving was quite a family get
together with everyone coming over to my place where we had an awesome dinner
leaving a few people heavy eyed!!! Thanks again Ladies.
Oh, before I forget. I was contacted by
a movie company that was filming a motorcycle movie in Canada and wanted me to
play myself "Grant Langston" but not as racer but rather as a commentator!
I must say it was a load of fun and I
was told that for a first timer I did a great job! The movie is going to be
called "Freestyle" and is set to come out in the summer of 08! If the movie is a
success, there is a good chance that there will be a sequel to it and I was
asked if I would be interested if there was?????
Could be my next job when my racing
career comes to an end!!
Just before leaving for Canada for the
shooting of the movie, "Langston Racing" achieved a record sales month and the
staff were treated to a night of go-karting at "Pole Position". Everyone
had a blast and I was fortunate enough to have a good grid position in the main
event, which enabled me to avoid the slug fest taking place behind me!! I
think at the checkers, it was myself, Jessi and Chad holding the first, second,
and third spots! It wasn't until after the race that we had found out that
Chad was logging in extra hours of practice for this race.
Well, Christmas is here once again and
I'm not yet done doing all my shopping so best I get going!!!!
Here's to wishing you and your families
a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year and I look forward to seeing you all
at A1 or a Race near you.
Cheers
GR8NT
Racing Lines
September 25, 2007
Hi Guys
Well,you would think with the season being over
things would be quieter but,they are not.Leading up to the final at Glen
Helen,we had to do some FIM testing for the Des Nations as they run a different
fuel to us here in the USA and of course the bikes have to be quieter as
well.The testing went well and although the quieter exhausts may lose a little
power, it’s the same for everyone.
Once again Glen Helen was good to me just like it
has been ever year that I’ve raced there. Coming in with a slight points lead
over my three rivals who were all in contention for the championship,I just
knew I had to get good starts and stay out of trouble.Well in the first Moto I
never got that start,I was in about seventh with all my oponents in front. I
knew I had my work cut out for me.After the halfway point I was able to work my
way into the lead which I held to the end.This put me in a very strong position
as far as the Championship was concerned!!.
Race 2 I got a better start and knew that I just had
to ride my own race.Alessi went down which put me in 2nd.He came back on me and
I think he thought I was going to battle with him which wasn,t the case.We came
to the right hander leading to the large step up and I pulled over and let him
past.I cruised home safely in third place wich gave me the overall and most
importantly my first ever 450 Outdoor Title.It was also Yamaha USA’s first
Premier title in 10 years!!!
The Dust had hardly had time to settle over Glen
Helen and it was time to head out East for the Motocross Des Nations at Budds
Creek. This track has never been good to me over the years, kind of like how
Unadilla is for Bubba! We had spoken about it and I was going to go there with a
positive frame of mind, besides there was a big group of people who had made the
long haul from South Africa to support our team.
Saturday went well,I managed a 2nd to Ricky in my
qualifying race,Swanepoel a 3rd in his and I think Avis a 6th in his?This gave
team a SA second place for gate pick. This was the best we have ever qualified.
Sunday turned out to be the total opposite.I think I
was just trying way too hard and found myself buying Real Estate all round the
track or standing in the middle of the track trying to avoid on coming bikes at
high speed. Well, I wasn't the only one having a bad day.Swanepoel ended up with
a broken foot and Avis a broken bike.I still managed a 3rd in my second
race.South Africa finished up in 12th place even though I think we had a real
chance of finishing up on the podium. Although the result was disappointing it
was a great weekend as I met up with a lot of old friends from Europe and South
Africa that I had not seen in a while.
In between Glen Helen and Des Nations it was my son
Devin’s third birthday and we threw a little party for him and some of his
friends. Every year it seems there is less of a break in the seasons and we are
already doing a lot of testing at the Yamaha test track
After a few days of testing I felt that I was very
comfortable on the bike wich is great because this time last year I was’nt even
riding. I think we have a good base to work from, there are a few things that
both Yamaha and myself need to work on to try and be as competitive as we can be
and if we can accomplish that I feel I can be up there every weekend!
The US OPEN a couple of weekends ago was a prime
example.I might not have been the fastest guy both nights but through
consistancy, I put myself in the position to win the world richest race. It,s
kind of crazy when I look back to how my season started out and how my season
turned around! everyone said I had luck on my side, but I also put it down to
perseverance and hard work not just from me but especially the whole team and
the people around me.
Talking of luck.After Saturday,s final I went
downstairs to play some Black Jack and walked away in the early hours of Sunday
morning with another nice little winning in my pocket!!!!
Last weekend Greg Albertyn arranged for a whole
bunch of South Africans to meet at a South African restaurant called the
Mozambique in Laguna (So Cal) to watch on a couple of big screens our National
Rugby team the Springboks play England in the World Cup Final. Fortunatly the
Springboks won and the hordes of green and gold jersey’d supporters turned the
place into a party and a great time was had by all.
My next race is in France (9,10,11 Nov) at a place
called Bercy in Paris. I won this event in 2004. I’ve always liked Bercy, I
have had highs and lows there but have always enjoyed being a part of Europes
biggest Supercross Event. Charmichael has withdrawn, he is basically burnt out,
but Mc Grath is in with a lot of other top Americans and Europeans.
Till next time
Cheers
GR8NT
Hey Everyone
Just like Steel City I managed to come
away with a 2-1 finish in Texas for the overall win, which now gives me an 8
point lead coming into Glen Helen.
This has been a very up and down year
for me, both on and off the track. My Supercross season didn't go
according to plan but, since riding on my 2008 YZF450 with the same Supercross
set up that I used in the X GAMES, I've been feeling a lot more confident going
into the next years Supercross/Outdoor season.
In the course of the season, certain
events unfolded leaving me to seek some new sponsors! My Manager has been hard
at work sourcing new deals. As the season nears completion with me
being in the drivers seat, the phone has been ringing off the hook with new
potential sponsors!!! Just as the staying goes "Your only as good as your last
race"!
So far we have been able to lock-in a
deal with SPY and MONSTER.
Make sure to keep an eye out, I may be
out riding in new gear and helmet at Glen Helen, I will definitely be in new
gear at Des Nations for sure!
Talking of Des Nations I'm really
looking forward to racing it like it was back in 2000 when I rode my first and
only Des Nations! To top it all off, I hear there is a big group of fans making
the trip out and I'm looking forward to seeing you all.
We are trying to plan a great BBQ (or
Braai for the S. Africans) in the evenings for all you guys making the trip
out!
You'll be hearing from me after Glen
Helen hopefully with some good news! Otherwise then I'll see you all of you guys
at Budds Creek for the Des Nations!
Cheers!
GR8NT
Racing Lines
August 30, 2007
Hey Everyone
Well, 2 Nationals before this I was 28
points behind and now with 2 to go, I find myself leading by 2 points!
Even after Millville there was a lot of
talk about Bubba being back for Steel City. On Saturday rumor had it that RC,s
bike had been put thru tech and that after his car race he would be flying in to
claim the "Monster triple Crown"
Well, as it turned out neither took
place .I felt that with both RC and Bubba racing, this was my best chance of
going 1-1. As it turned out in the first race I got a pretty good start, quickly
worked my way into 3rd and then into second. KDub was running at a good pace and
with rain Saturday night as the track was drying out during the day, it was
turning into a one line track. Coming up to a big double jump, I moved over to
make my pass. As I went up the face of the jump, my bike stepped out and
caused me to jump over to KDub causing us to collide in the air! Fortunately we
were both able to save it, I made the next corner, KDub didn’t! He was able to
re enter the track and was quick to express his feelings to me thru some hand
gestures! I knew how he was feeling but just didn’t have time to stop and
explain why it happened and that it was unintentional! Anyway, a lap and a few
corners later I lost my front end in a tight corner putting me back in 3rd.By
this stage Alessi had built up quite a lead and by the time I was able to get
pass KDub for a 2nd time there was just not enough time left to go after Alessi.
After the race I stopped straight after
the finish line and was able to explain to KDub what had happened. He’s Cool and
excepted my apology!
Race 2 was pretty much a carbon copy of
the first race. It was KDub, Alessi and Myself going for it! This time I tried
to make a pass on KDub for the lead which put me back into 3rd place! With 3
laps to go I needed to make a charge if I was going to win the race and clinch
my first ever 450 National win. With 2 laps to go I was able to get around and
with the white lap flag coming out I was able to pass KDub and clinch my 2nd
moto win, first 450 Overall and take the points lead by 2!
As it stands now, I have 2 points over
Short who has 2 points over Ferry who has 6 points over Alessi!! This points
race gets tighter every weekend!
Next it’s Texas which is a new track
for everyone and like I said I’m back in Florida preparing for this one and
really looking forward to it before heading back to Glen Helen for the big show
down as I think both classes are going to be decided after the 2nd Moto! So, I’m
sure all the fans going are going to be in for some AWESOME let it all hang out
racing!
Click on
www.racerxill.com Then (RacerX motocross show) they have pre show from
Saturday and the post show for a weekend movie round up! Very good viewing!
Hope to see you all at Glen Helen!
Cheers
Gr8NT
Racing Lines,
August 15, 2007
Hey Everyone
Well, like I said in my last letter Millville was next!
I came into Millville in 4th place and 27 points behind Bubba. It turned out that Bubba's Washougal knee injury was worse that most
people were lead to believe therefore forcing him to sit on the sidelines and
watch his lead in the championship get swallowed up!
Millville fans got to witness history being made when RC
raced his last Outdoor National, and in doing so, reached the pinnacle of his
career by boasting 150 combined Supercross and Outdoor National"
wins! They call him the G.O.A.T (Greatest Of All Time) I think that all the wins /
titles that he has achieved over his professional career is self planetary and
his records will stand for many years to come! Well done RC!
Getting back to my weekend. In both motos, I never got the
starts that I was looking for,
I managed to come from behind in both races and get myself
into 2nd place. By the time I got there, RC who had better starts had worked his
way into the lead and checked out!
With James not being there, my race wasn't with RC, it was
with the rest of the boys!
The best I could do was to go for a 2-2 win, while Ferry who was lying
2nd in the championship went 8-6, Alessi 4-3 and Short 3-5! What did this all
do to the championship standings?Let's Have A
Look Shall We
Tim Ferry 311
Andrew Short 311
Grant Langston 300
Mike Alessi 292
Ricky Carmichael 291
James Stewart 290
Now, with nobody knowing the full extent of Bubba's injury
or whether he will race the next round, RC not doing anymore Outdoor
Nationals and the points being as tight as they are, it's going to be a
Free-For-All For The
Championship!
Steel City is next race and I'll be staying back in Florida to
prepare for the Texas round which so happens to be a new track. The last
leg of the series will land us in San Bernardino Ca. Glen Helen. This is a track
that I've had a lot of success
at and I really like!
Till next time
Cheers
Racing Lines,
August 8, 2007
Hey Everyone
It,s been a while since I last wrote and as the saying
goes,"No news is good news"!
The 2007 season has been a bit of a roller coaster ride for
myself and the team.We try ed everything we could possibly think of to get the
bike more to my liking.I felt every week the bike got better and suited my
riding style more,the only downfall was having to ride a different bike every
week.
After Las Vegas I had to go up to Nor Cal to do a 2008
photo shoot for Yamaha.On my return home my Uncle and myself were discussing
the bike on the way to the track when it struck me that the 2008 suited my
riding style alot more than the 2007 did!
We started talking to Yamaha about the possibility of
racing the 08.Yamaha got to work trying to get the 08 hamoligated ASAP.After
Red Bud we stayed back for a few days to back to back the 07 against the 08
and work on making both better.
I was hoping to be able to ride the 08 at Unadilla
but,there was no green light from the AMA yet.
Unadilla was an up and down weekend for me.Both moto,s I
battled with bad starts.The first moto I was able to come from behind and get
a 3rd place.The 2nd moto I went down on the first lap and then landed on a
fallen riders bike shortly after that! I think I managed to work my way back
to 10th place.
Denver was next and I was given the green light to ride the
08. The bike felt really good on the track but,with Denver being a mile
high,my bike was feeling very under powered due to the high altitude and 95
F(35+ Celsius) plus conditions.Again bad starts and tangling with slower
riders made for a very long day.In actual fact in the 2nd moto I raced most of
the race with a good few spokes broken in my front wheel due to a coming
together with someones foot peg!
Washbowl has never been too good to me over the years but
with some new changes to the bike,I was feeling really confident coming into
the weekend.The track was slick and that suited my riding style.Practice went
well except for getting my foot ripped off the peg on the last lap of practice
on Sunday.A visit to the Medical center and an injection later I was down on
the line for the first moto.With a top 5 start I was up there from the get go
and myself and Red Dog were running a good pace.As the race went on i felt
that I lost my rhythm a little and was riding too cautious allowing Red Dog to
clinch 2nd and me 4th.
The 2nd moto I got a better start and quickly worked my way
around Millsaps and Windham and put myself into a position I,ve never been
in,leading a 450 National! I put my head down and along with the awesome fans
cheering for me,I gave it all I had! When the checkers fell,I had won my first
ever 450 race and lots of drama had unfolded behind me.With 2 laps to go,James
went down and put his knee out! With 1 lap to go,Windham thought he had taken
the checkers and sat up only fro Ferry to blow by him and clinch 2nd place!
With That,Ferry went 2-2 and I went 4-1 resulting in my missing out on my
first ever overall by one point! I believe everything happens in life for a
reason and my turn will come around soon,I hope!
As you all know,this past weekend was the X GAMES and with
limited time available i got to get out to the Yamaha test track on the new 08
with my Vegas suspension.I felt good on the bike,the track was more Arena
cross,tight,slick and a good start was going to be everything.My first heat
race I had an outside gate and never got the start I was looking for resulting
in a 2nd place finish.This resulted in me having to go to the last chance race
which I won with ease.
In the main I got a decent start and eventually slotted
myself into 3rd place behind Reed.It stayed that way for a few laps with me
showing a wheel wherever I could.Eventually resulting in Chad making a slight
bobble and me there to capitalize.With Ricky getting the holeshot by the time
I got into 2nd the gap was too big to make any impression on him.To be honest
I was happy to bring her home for a Silver Medal !
We have Millville this weekend,one of my favorite tracks!
Till next time
GR8NT
 
Racing Lines, April 13, 2007
Hey Everyone
Well, going into Dallas with ever improving results, I really thought I had my best shot of standing on the box for the first time in my 450 career. In my heat race I got too much drive coming out of the gate and was forced to pull in the clutch to get the front end down. Unfortunately this allowed the whole pack to get around and pinch me off. I was able to sneak up the inside and gain a few positions. There was a section there and due to the heavy rains leading up to the weekend and only being able to have one practice instead of two and with the track still being really rutted, everyone was going double, double, double, double and triple into the corner. I was able to find a nice clean line that enabled me to go triple, triple, double, and then triple into the corner. By being able to do this I was gaining 3/10ths of a second a lap on everyone and eventually ending up in a close third place by the time the checkers came out. Heat 2 had Bubba in it and I was interested to see how he was going to negotiate that section. To my surprise, he was doing it just like everyone else. When the gate dropped in the main, I had a great jump out the gate but, so to did Short and Reed and both had gated on the inside of me. Coming into the first turn and with the track still really rutted from the heavy rains, Short bobbled into Reed who in turn hit me off the track. I was able to work my way from last back up to 8th place before I got cross rutted, hit a tuff block, stalled the bike with a lap and a half to go and eventually ended up in a dismal 14th place!
With having our first break in the schedule, it was time to get going with some outdoor testing. Our initial plan was to test for 2 weeks and then return to Florida BUT, plans have since changed. We will now be staying out in California till the outdoors start. My thinking is that there 5 weeks till the first outdoor and I would like to get the bike to where I feel like it's an extension of my body. Up till now due to a few unforeseen circumstances, I’ve been stuck behind the 8 ball (so to speak) since getting on a Yamaha back in November. Two weeks in and I feel that each day we are making improvements, sometimes not as fast as we would like but hey, at least we are moving in the right direction and I'm for sure feeling more comfortable each and every time we go out!
Come Hangtown I'm hoping that this extended testing is going to pay off and that I'll be able to be up there every weekend fighting for a spot on the box!
It’s off to Detroit next, I feel that some of the changes we have made to my outdoor bike can and will be transferred onto my Supercross bike enabling me to feel and go faster in places where I know I'm too slow! I still want to be on the box before the Supercross season comes to a Finale in Las Vegas!
Happy Friday 13th to you all.
Till next time
GR8NT
Racing Lines March 28, 2007
Well, once again, since I last spoke to
you a lot has happened. My first race back was tougher and
harder than I had expected. I think I was riding too tight and I was still
not fully comfortable with the bike setup, mainly due to the limited amount of
time with the new team, and the YZF450. After Anaheim 1 we were doing
some testing at the Yamaha test track when I came out of the whoops and
went into a double rhythm section only to find myself in neutral, with
little time to shift down a gear I tried to
powered up the face of the next jump which wasn't enough
and caused me only to land in the face the next oncoming jump and crashing. The end result was a broken left collarbone
and some minor internal bleeding. My orthopedic surgeon suggested
that we plate my collarbone in order to speed up the recovery time, the only
catch was that we would have to wait for the bruised
lung to heal up before he could put me under anesthesia for the surgery. The operation went well and Dr Rieman
my surgeon
was actually able to repair some previous damage while he was operating in
that part of my body,
I got a kind of 2 for 1 deal!
The Wait! That's always the worse.
I felt that leading up to the season with my trainer and uncle was all but
wasted, we had laid a real solid foundation coming into the season and now
I was forced to just sit out and heal up. As soon as I was given the green
light it was back to training again. I'll be honest with you, the
worse part about an injury this bad is that you have to start the whole
training process over again and it takes a while to get back to where you
were before, with the fact, and my limited time on the new Yamaha
only doubled the amount of testing and training that I had left to do.
We continued to test in California
until we felt like we had gained a good solid base again, then we knew
that it was time to load up the new Motor
home with the 5 dogs, the cat, my new Yamaha R6, and my Super-cross practice bike
and head back to sunny Florida for some hardcore training. Lee, Andrew and myself hit the 2600 mile trip
back to my house in Florida.
Our wives and girlfriends along with the kids would be flying up 2 days later
giving us just enough time to pick them up at the airport.
Having been away from my home in
Florida so long resulted
in my outdoor track being totally grassed over so, for the first few weeks
I was having to practice at the "Hard Rock" outdoor track in Ocala,
FL and the supercross tracks over at Chad Reed and Tim Ferry's houses.
Finally when my track was completed,
it was then that I was able to bust out
a few really good practice laps. It was now that I realized that I had a very
short amount of time to get back on pace and finish the rest of this 2007
supercross season. This believe it or not is what
motivates me the most and is just what I needed, so of course I was
pumped for the return back to racing!!
I was hoping to race in St Louis, but
the team felt it was too early for me to return and that I wouldn't be
fit enough to compete yet, consequently I looked at it as the more you race the fitter you get.
Anyways, it was decided that Daytona would be my first race back! (Not the
track you really want to come back to).
During the practice before the race,
I happened to have a real big get off caused by my foot peg hooking the
side of a jump- this in turn sent me into a big cartwheel and left
me a little beat up. My heat race was the worst I think I've ever ridden,
although I was able to turn things around in the main and pace myself to
an eventual 7th place Finish.
Between Daytona and Orlando, the
Yamaha team
stayed back with us and we did some further testing which left me feeling a little
more comfortable on the bike coming into Orlando. I ran in 4th place for
most of the race, only to hit the wall around lap 12 and end up in 6th
place. Each coming week I feel that I'm getting more conditioned and fit
due to more time spent riding. Going into Indy, my goal was to try make it
on the podium. My outright
speed was now faster, I got my first hole shot, and I lead the heat race for 4
laps and finished a close 2nd to Chad Reed. In the main again, I got another
good start, ran 3rd for most of the race, racing forwards and backwards
with Ferry only to once again come up short with only 2 laps to go,
Unfortunately, I had
to coast home to a fourth place finish. My goal from now until the end of supercross is to be on the podium as often as I can.
With the outdoors coming up,
I'm hoping to be there every weekend.
After the 2007 AMA Supercross season is
over, my
new house that I've just bought will have closed escrow and me and my
family will be ready to move in. The other project that I have on the go
is the building of my 5500sq.ft. guest home/ race shop on my property,
which I'll make sure to tell you in my next Racing Lines.
For now, It's off to Dallas this weekend and
then straight to California for 2 weeks of outdoor testing.
Until Next Time.
Cheers
GR8NT
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