Pro Circuit is an amazing place because when you walk into the lobby they have all their championship bikes set up in a row. There must me 20 championship bikes. They have Jeremy’s 1991 Peak CR125, RC’s 1997 Splitfire KX125, and Villopoto’s KX250F. I met with Sharon Richards who has to be the nicest woman in the industry. Sharon has worked for Kawasaki, AXO, OMS, and now she helps Pro Circuit out a few days a week. Pro Circuit has many things to offer. It’s a retail shop, a bike shop, they do suspension and engine mods, and it’s a race shop. As we walked in the back, Mitch and the boys were having a team meeting. As I looked over at the shelves there must have been 20 race engines. Can you imagine how much money was on that shelf? It’s also home to a lot of companies who are on the West Coast for the California rounds. The rigs of Monster and Active 8 were parked in the parking lot. Props to the boys at PC; they work hard and that’s why they’re such a successful team.
After I left PC, it was a short drive to Troy Lee Designs to meet Sheri Ridenour. I’m sure you have seen Troy’s work. He has done helmets for Bradshaw, Team USA, MC, Wardy, to name a few. When you walk in the lobby, there is an Indy car hanging from the wall, painted helmets all over the place, and old school riding outfits in cases. Troy paints on everything. There were skateboards, beer bottles, and coolers that were all painted up with the coolest designs. Everyone thinks TLD just paints motocross helmets but there’s a whole lot more that happens there. They paint helmets for everyone from NASCAR to ATV riders. On the one side of the building is where the magic happens. There are painters, designers, and guys who prep the helmets. Then in a building in the back is where they ship all the casual wear out of and on the other side is the race shop for Troy’s Supermoto team. If you ever go out to Corona, make sure you stop by TLD
because it’s like walking into a museum.Next stop is an easy one because MSR and Answer are in the same building. When you walk up the steps, Big E from Answer is on the right with his designers and MSR’s Dave Casella is on the left with his designers. Dave and Big E literally look at one another from their offices. Even the secretary’s sit next to each other. It’s like two happy families. These two guys have taken their respectable brands to another level in the few years that they have work there. Good job, guys!
You’re not going to believe this. As I’m finishing this up, the fire alarms are going off. I just look out my door; the hallway on the other side of the first floor is full of smoke. Everyone is freaking out! The manager hasn’t told us to get out yet so I guess it’s not to bad. Someone must have left his or her Macaroni and Cheese on the stove to long. Wait! The manager just came and told me someone left his or her luggage on the counter and their kid turned the stove on!
Anyway, I’m off to Lake Forest tomorrow.
