February 2010

Feb 28, 2010

Top Four Reasons Supercross Beats Watching The Olympics

Steve Nash?

Our New JVC GZ-HD300 HD Camcorder Specs/Sample Footage

Our old Cannon Powershot camera finally bit the dust a couple days ago. We were always happy with the picture quality, but the video quality was not great. When looking for a new camera, we looked at many options including optical zoom, megapixels, video quality, memory capacity, cost, and durability. In the end we decided that a camcorder had a lot more features that we could use than a regular digital camera including a 60gb hard drive memory capacity and the ability to take snapshots while simultaneously shooting video! After reading some reviews, it became obvious that we were still going to need a decent digital camera to shoot still pics in order to get good quality still pics in low light or less than optimal conditions(at least in order to stay in our price range). This camcorder has the ability to record up to 25 hours of HD video! This can then be burned to a dvd or even blu-ray (if you have a blu-ray burner). By the time we got that kind of memory in a regular camera we'd be spending much more. It focuses on the video quality, but the still pics are still rather good provided you have decent lighting. Another huge benefit is the 20x optical zoom, something that is hard to find on a digital camera in this price range. The video works well in low light, just not the still pics. We should still be able to find an affordable digital camera in the range of a 12MP and 3x optical zoom for crisp still shots in various lighting conditions. We won't need to worry about video quality, so one around $150 should be fine. This kind of technology is getting more affordable all the time and should be leaps and bounds better than our 7.1MP cannon with crappy video. Here's some footage(in 720p) that I took. It does have a higher quality setting, but it's hard to upload and view the bigger file. The 720p seems very good and the speed should be good for most things. We'll experiment with the 1080p etc. after we get more ability to do so. Full size mode is up to 1920 x 1080.

Pictured larger than actual size. Dimensions are 1.9" x 2.4" x 4.4"

SUPERCROSS Round 8, Points Summary Atlanta

Wow! What a night in Atlanta! The points lead in the Supercross(450) Class took a dramatic turn tonight as Villopoto came up short on a jump. Somehow as he was going down the exhaust on Villopoto's bike was packed full of red Georgia clay. Ryan frantically tried time and again to start the bike not realizing the problem. He exited the track where one of his mechanics immediately saw the problem, but by then it was too late. With a 19th place finish he'll have to overcome a devastating drop in points to bounce back on the season. Josh Hill continues to struggle getting in the middle of the pack on the start and working his way back to a 6th place finish. Millsaps didn't start great either, but rode really well and was able to come in 3rd to get on the podium. Amazingly 2nd place went to Western Lites rider Trey Conard who is riding for Honda instead of the injured Andrew Short. He looked at home on the big bikes and was able to capitalize when Villopoto went down.

It was Ryan Dungey's night! He was UNTOUCHABLE out of the gate grabbing the hole shot in his qualifying heat and the main. Whatever changes he made to his bike this week really paid off! The bike was a rocket on the starts, getting almost a full bike length ahead before the first turn. Having a good gate choice was key as well which is something that he didn't have last week. The track was slicker than normal tonight and the corners were very flat making it hard for many of the riders to find their groove on the turns. Those that were able to cut in tight and make tight quick turns did the best. Dungey now takes a rather commanding lead on the season as he is a full 20 points ahead of Hill and 23 ahead of Villopoto who was tied with him going into tonight. Kevin Windham had a crazy little wreck where his bike ended up jumping the barriers and going into oncoming traffic where he had to wait for riders to pass so he could reclaim his bike. Luckily the bike landed in a trough where riders where jumping over it, but it cost Windham and took him out of the top ten on a night where he looked like he could do very well. It's still fun watching "the old man" ride with his smooth style. He turns 32 tomorrow.

The Lites did not disappoint either as there were many lead changes and a real battle where everything changed 4 laps before the finish and Pourcel took the lead for the 2nd time in the series. Stroupe went down causing Barcia to turn around him so that he didn't go down allowing Pourcel to get the lead. Stroupe was able to salvage the race and come in 2nd however.

Atlanta Results
1- Ryan Dungey
2- Trey Canard
3- Davi Millsaps
4- Ivan Tedesco
5- Justin Brayton
6- Josh Hill
7- Michael Byrne
8- Jason Lawrence
9- Grant Langston
10- Nick Wey

19- RYAN VILLOPOTO

Season Points Standings
1- Ryan Dungey 170
2- Josh Hill -20
3- Ryan Villopoto -23
4- Davi Millsaps -36
5- Justin Brayton -49
6- Ivan Tedesco -55
7- Kevin Windham -57
8- Nick Wey -85
9- Michael Byrne -99
10- Andrew Short -101

Top Ten Toughest Sports, Where's Dirt Biking/Motocross?

Want to know what the toughest sport is? Is it even possible to quantify somehow the conditioning, natural ability, training etc. necessary to compete in one particular discipline as compared to another? ESPN recently conducted a study, or a "degree of difficulty project" that attempted to do this. They took a list of a total of 60 different sports and had a panel of experts rate them on a set of pre-determined criteria. Each category would be worth ten points, with a total of ten categories for a total perfect score of 100. The results ranged from Boxing at 72.375 points at the #1 spot, all the way down to Fishing at 14.5 total points. So where did dirt biking come in? Apparently it doesn't fit in at all! Unbelievably, it was left out of the study. More unbelievable than that is that after receiving numerous complaints, the editor replied in a following article "Oh, and a note to all those motocross fans who organized themselves to flood my email with comments about what an idiot I am for leaving your sport off the list: I did not choose the sports for the list. But even if I had, I would never, under any circumstances, have included motocross. You're relying on a motor, for God's sake". It would be understandable if it had simply been overlooked, but to come back with a reply like this when AUTO RACING was included is kind of mind blowing. Keep in mind that I'm not claiming to be in great shape myself since I am nowhere near where I need to be to ride at a high level, however, had dirt biking been included in the study, I believe it would have been in the top ten! Here's why.

First, let's look at the criteria they used.

Apparently the general consensus was that even Fishing contained at least some of each element since there were none that received a zero avg. score in any category. Obvious to me, is that off road dirt biking contains a great deal of each element. When comparing Dirt Biking/Motocross to Auto Racing(ranked #32), it would be an easy argument that it would require a similar amount of NERVE, especially considering that on a dirt bike there is no protection such as a roll cage, car body etc. Considering that motorcycles travel at similar speeds as cars, can jump similar distance as a ski jumper, and as high as an Olympic diver, we can take some averages and assume it would receive a similar score, say a 9. Already we can see that it has to rate higher than #32 since it requires more or at least the same of all other 9 elements than Auto Racing.

What about STRENGTH? This is one area where the major misunderstanding about the sport starts. Thinking that you can just sit back and ride the bike like you would a car is not at all accurate. I recently watched Bodie Miller Ski in the Olympics. After just a relatively short run he was visibly winded, and after straining to reach a gate, he couldn't successfully finish one of his runs. How can this be when gravity is doing all the work? Just staying in a crouched position down a hill is difficult, now add in bumps, jumps, turns and speed and you can see why it requires strength. Now add a 230 pound dirt bike to the mix, a pulling, gyrating, 50+ horsepower machine that wants nothing more than to get away from you! It uses every muscle, legs, arms, torso constantly shifting weight, guiding the bike with legs and torso, holding on as the bike lurches forward, then pulling on the binders and keeping yourself from going over the bars. Many times it becomes necessary to aide the bike up a hill or onto a ledge, Yes, it does require strength! Skiing received a 5.75 on the strength scale, let's be conservative and give Dirt Biking a 6.

DURABILITY?, please. Dirt bike riders endure constant pounding in countless elements. Virtually every race you have riders going down, often in a heap, picking them and the bike back up and getting back into action. Ryan Dungey bounced back from this(pictured right) without even losing a place! One racer finished his section of baja with a broken leg! There's no replacements in dirt biking, if you get hurt you either race hurt or lose. BASKETBALL got a 7.75 in Durability! Dirt Biking deserves at least an 8!

Now let's look at ENDURANCE. Dirt bike racing can range from short sprints like Supercross to 1,000 mile or more multi-day races. Most are somewhere in between attempting to have some elements of sprint and endurance. Much like running, for example, if you are doing a sprint you are all out for 100 yards, 400 yards etc. the same holds true for dirt biking. The longer the race, the more you need to pace yourself and maintain that reserve. It takes different training techniques to excel in each discipline. Auto Racing got a 5.88, those who race baja know that dirt biking 1,000 miles is nearly impossible for one man. There are many trophy truck drivers, more strenuous than racing an indy car, that have done this. Dirt biking should at least be a 6 here. Doing the baja 1,000 should get a 9+! We'll go with the lower # here and call it an even 6.

POWER. Hefting a 230+ pound dirt bike is hard. Even lifting it up from a crash takes some effort, now imagine you are not on flat ground lifting up, or lifting the bike up a ledge, or over a log, rock, hill etc. that it will not climb. If the bike hits a rut, or dip, or sidehill that causes the bike to want to go where you don't want it to go, the momentum it gains is a lot to overcome in order to keep the bike on course and requires a burst of power. GOLF got a 6.13 here!, Tennis a 7.13! Dirt Biking gets a 7.

What about HAND-EYE COORDINATION? Many times the guy with the holeshot wins the race. When the gates drop is a mess getting the first turn, not to mention getting through in a position to place in the race. Throttle control is crucial quickly deciding how much to give and when can mean being successful or not. Reacting to a bump in the track, an opponent on the track, suddenly loosing or gaining traction. Riders actually do adjustments to their bike while in the air! Quick shifts are a constant chore to get the best power to the ground under different conditions, as well as feathering the clutch in and out of turns etc. Hitting a deep silt bed and keeping yourself from going over the bars, it all requires excellent hand-eye coordination. Auto Racing got an 8, Dirt Bike Racing/Motocross deserves an 8 too.

SPEED. Alpine skiing got a 7.38. Dirt biking requires the rider to move quickly all the time, shifting weight much like a skier would need to do to keep balanced, moving to the front or back of the bike, leaning, turning, carving, correcting flight in the air, so dirt biking gets a 7.

Next is AGILITY. Let's compare this to alpine skiing again that got a 6.13. Changing directions quickly is a big part of compensating when a rear tire slips out from under you. Quickly shifting your body weight is crucial. Dirt Biking scores a 6.

FLEXIBILITY. Unless your in to freestyle motocross, this wouldn't seem very important to me except to avoid injury, but if kayaking and canoeing gets a 3.88 and horse racing a 3.75, dirt biking deserves at least the same. Dirt Biking gets a 3.88 here.

Last is ANALYTICAL APTITUDE. Knowing when and how to make a critical pass, whether to go inside or out on a turn, triple the jump or double it, hit the throttle or pull the brake. Auto Racing got a 7.5, Horse Racing a 6.5, Dirt Biking get's the average of the 2, a 6.

What's the final score? Adding up all the scores gives Dirt Biking/off road motorcycle racing a 66.88. That's a 5th place finish! Recreational dirt bike riding is a lot like any other sport we choose to do recreationaly. We aren't up to the level of the pros, but we pretend to be sometimes. Choosing the intensity, difficulty, and dedication to put into it determines the "toughness" as compared to what is experienced at the top levels of these sports. Of course with any sport a leisure investment of yourself will produce leisure results. In other words, it is possible to sit on a bike and ride down the road and it's probably not that tough(compare this to about any other sport)..,but that's not what winning in this sport is all about. It's about pushing the limits, using every capacity we have to go faster, further, higher, longer than the guy next to you. The way you chose to ride when you recreate is up to you.

Here's the CORRECTED top ten with Dirt Biking/Motocross in place at #5. Think I'm wrong? Maybe, but it does belong in here somewhere. These arguments place it in the top ten where I believe it should be, #5, #10 etc. makes little difference. Don't agree? Tell us why! Think your sport belongs in the top ten? To see the entire top 60 as rated by ESPN click here, see where your sport ranked!

Modified Traxxas 1/16 Slash With Big Tires!

I'm not sure what it is, but just about everything ends up getting modified around here sooner or later. There wasn't really anything wrong with our new little RC truck, but we knew it could be better. We just happened to have an old RC rockcrawler laying around in pieces and as chance would have it, the rims were the same size. The tires were quite a bit larger in diameter, but about the same width so by cutting the old tires off and gluing the new tires on all that was left to do was make room for them. We ended up just trimming the body to make room for the tires. This really is the all around best way to make room for bigger tires if you don't mind the look and you don't need to keep them covered up for other reasons. It allows bigger meats without getting too much more height. The power on this little thing is amazing and is more than enough to handle these tires. It's built beefy enough too since this is the same exact drive train that is used on the mini e-revo. The e-revo is already fitted with bigger meats, but is a bit larger in width and wheelbase. Here's some pics we took and a little video of it in action. Keep in mind this is with the power of one battery! There is still an option to double the power by running the batteries in series, although I'm not quite sure why you'd want to. It was really cold outside when we took the video, so we were loosing traction more than we would on a warm set of tires. The tires have a very soft foam insert and are run without air pressure.

Supercross 2010 Round 7, Indianapolis Results

It was a nerve racking start for Ryan Villopoto when he went down on the start of his heat race. His water pump cover was peeled back releasing the water and ending his race. He exited the track and had to take his chances at the last chance qualifier. He got another bad start at the LCQ, but was able to come from 12th to first in six laps to advance to the main. Hill won heat 1 and Windham heat 2. Windham was looking very smooth in the first heat taking advantage of every bit of traction with his incredibly smooth style and experience.

Windham continued his streak through the first part of the main, taking the lead and holding it until Villopoto snuck by. Ryan Dungey was hanging back in third waiting for the right moment to pass. After getting past Windham, lapped riders came into play and took away Dungey's speed and momentum making it hard to get past Villopoto. It's unknown if Dungey could have won had it not been for the lapped riders, but it definitely took his momentum away in the final minutes of the race. It was Villopoto though, that really had a night after the drama of having to go to the LCQ. He kept his composure and rode at a very high level showing his composure and experience to make up his 3 point deficit on the series with a win on the night taking the points lead by virtue of having the most wins on the season. Dungey will go into Atlanta tied in points with Villopoto at 145, but Villopoto does have the tie breaker if the season ended tonight.

Josh Hill, who was previously tied for the lead with Dungey, had a bad night. He got of to a bad start and never got out of the middle of the pack finishing 9th dropping him to 3rd in the overall points battle 10 points out of the top.

Supercross Season Points Standings

Villopoto 145
Dungey 145
Hill -10
Millsaps -31
Windham -39
Brayton -40
Tedesco -48
Wey -71
Short -76
Hahn -84

The Eastern Lites kicked off it's first round with last year's champ, Pourcel taking the win. Austin Stroupe grabbed second and the rookie Barcia got on the podium with a 3rd place finish just edging out Sipes who got tangled up with a lapped rider at the finish line. Pourcel starts the season with 25 points, Stroupe with 22 and Barcia with 20. Sipes was definitely upset at the lapped rider that got in his way, this might be cause for controversy with the points and everything else at stake here.

If you're not a fan of Supercross yet, this could be the season to get into it. The action has been amazing and the lead has been up for grabs every week. The battle of the Ryans continues next week! Will it be Villopoto with his experience and consistency on the season, or Dungey, the rookie with his explosive speed, but mistake prone style as of late. It should be interesting to say the least.

Dude, Pay Attention

During the Western Lites Main, Weimer goes down right in front of this flagger. His attention was directed elsewhere. It's pretty funny when he finally realizes that there's a wreck right at his feet and he's got the flag in his hands.

New KTM 350SX-F VIDEO

After you watch this video, you WILL want one of these!

Is the 350 the perfect blend between the lack luster power of the 250 and the 450 brute? The goal of the bike is to have that blend, doing everything really well, but perhaps not focus too much on any one thing. Lightweight, smooth, and tractable power and enough of it to win races, while still being fun to ride? Having already won a race in the 450 MX1 division, it has proven it can be done. Could this be the beginning of the end of the 450? Will it dominate smaller and larger bikes? While I doubt it will ultimately phase out the 450, there's no doubt that this bike will get some attention!

Supercross 2010, Anaheim 3

Ryan Villopoto, who was a dominant rider in the 250 class, has made himself known in the 450's and is now one of the favorites to win it all. Villopoto got the holeshot and jumped out to an early lead in Anaheim this week and slowly put distance on the other riders to finish first. Josh Hill, who has finished 2nd for the past 4 races now shares the overall points lead with Ryan Dungey. Dungey got a poor start and couldn't make his passes stick on the tricky course. A skid out caused him to loose a spot which he quickly gained back, but he was unable to catch Villopoto, Hill, or Windham who took the podium in their respective spots. With Reed and Stewart out the battles are intense between the other riders. Not knowing with almost surety who will end up in first every week, it's easy to wonder if Supercross is more exciting without them. It almost seems so now as the top 3 riders are all within a mere 3 points, but the sport would not be the same without them and their return should prove exciting as well.

Anaheim 3 Supercross Results:
1. Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki
2. Josh Hill, Yamaha
3. Kevin Windham, Honda
4. Ryan Dungey, Suzuki
5. Davi Millsaps, Honda
6. Justin Brayton, Yamaha
7. Kyle Chisholm, Yamaha
8. Michael Byrne, Yamaha
9. Daniel Reardon, Yamaha
10. Nick Wey, Kawasaki
11. Ivan Tedesco, Yamaha
12. Chris Blose, Honda
13. Grant Langston, Yamaha
14. Jarred Browne, Kawasaki
15. Fabien Izoird, Kawasaki
16. Cyrille Coulon, Kawasaki
17. Justin Keeney, Kawasaki
18. Weston Peick, Yamaha
19. Jason Thomas, Suzuki
20. Matt Boni, Honda

Supercross Overall Standings:
1. Ryan Dungey, 123
2. Josh Hill, 123
3. Ryan Villopoto, 120
4. Davi Millsaps, 98
5. Ivan Tedesco, 87
6. Justin Brayton, 87
7. Kevin Windham, 86
8. Andrew Short, 69
9. Nick Wey, 69
10. Tommy Hahn, 56

Little Moab/Nutty Putty Cave Feb 2010

Those who know us, know how much we enjoy going out to Little Moab. The riding isn't the best, the scenery isn't the best either, but it's close to home, open to all kinds of activities, and it's one of the few places to go this time of year within a reasonable distance to find dry dirt and mild temps. For a weekend in February, we really couldn't have asked for much better conditions. It's a great place to kick back and ride with the kids as well. There was still snow on the North facing slopes and a fair bit of mud, yet we were still able to find a nice dry area for our camp and a good number of trails dry enough to ride on. One of the things we really wanted to do while we were out there was to re-visit the Nutty Putty cave now that it has been sealed due to the fatality there during Thanksgiving 2009. We were glad to see that you can still see the location of the cave and there is a small memorial there for the young man that lost his life in the cave. The Little Moab area is a nice break from the real world where you can kind of let yourself go and enjoy some family time in the out of doors. We even had an RC vehicle race on a small course we set up. The race was Brayden's idea and it turned out to be a lot of fun. When asked what the trip favorites were around the camp fire, answers included the dirt bike obstacle course, rockets, hiking, RC race, walking with the dogs, scary camp fire stories and more! Check out this slide show of the remainder of our pictures from the trip.

Dungey Has Another Off Night, Hill Inches Closer

After three straight podium finishes to start the season, it looked as if Dungey(#5) could run away with the season, but has crashed twice in his last two main events leaving the door wide open. Davi Milssaps took the round five win this week in San Diego on his Honda, but it's Josh Hill who is nipping at the heals of Dungey with only a 4 point deficit! Villopoto had a rough start, but still managed a 4th place finish on his Kawasaki to make him 3rd in the overall points race. Dungey still leads, but it's so close at this point that it's any one's game. With Reed and Stewart out, it really makes for some exciting action and brings the talent of some of the other riders to the forefront. It's really shaping up to be an exciting season!

Supercross Results:
1. Davi Millsaps, Honda
2. Josh Hill, Yamaha
3. Ivan Tedesco, Yamaha
4. Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki
5. Justin Brayton, Yamaha
6. Ryan Dungey, Suzuki
7. Tommy Hahn, Suzuki
8. Grant Langston, Yamaha
9. Nick Wey, Kawasaki
10. Kyle Chisholm, Yamaha
11. Chris Blose, Honda
12. Fabien Izoird, Kawasaki
13. Dan Reardon, Yamaha
14. Michael Byrne, Yamaha
15. Bobby Bonds, Kawasaki
16. Kevin Windham, Honda
17. Cyrille Coulon, Kawasaki
18. Jason Thomas, Suzuki
19. Kyle Partride, Kawasaki
20. Andrew Short, Honda

Overall Point Standings:
1. Ryan Dungey, 105
2. Josh Hill, 101
3. Ryan Villopoto, 95
4. Davi Millsaps, 82
5. Ivan Tedesco, 77
6. Justin Brayton, 72
7. Andrew Short, 69
8. Kevin Windham, 66
9. Tommy Hahn, 56
10. James Stewart, 51

Revo 3,3 Custom Truggy VS Slash VXL Brushless

One of the problems that I was having with my gas powered Revo 3.3 was that the body wasn't holding up very well, especially in the back. I considered a few different options including a full roll cage that can range from $25 for a steel one to $130 for an aluminum one. These cages replace the body and look really cool, but the aluminum ones are pricey and the steel ones are heavy. A new body is about $25, but then I'd end up with the same problems. I like the "truggy" look, half buggy half truck, so I decided to try turning it to one to fix the problem, but keep it light for zero cost. I used 1/8" diamond tread that I cut out after using paper to make a template, then bent it to fit. I used screws to attach it to the body. It's nearly as light as it was before and much stronger. It also protects the motor better..plus it looks really cool. My son has a 1/16 scale slash VXL with an electric brushless motor. Check out the video of the showdown under the photos. The slash gets off the line FAST and is easier to keep level in the air, but the gas one has bigger meats and will outrun this slash once it gets going or when traction is at a minimum. They are both 4 wheel drive, while the gas one will run endlessly as long as you keep filling it with gas you'll need to wait around 8 hours for both batteries to charge on the slash. The batteries are hooked up in parallel, but can be connected in series to double the power!

Ryan Dungey Blog

Ryan Dungey is a rising star who has managed to place himself on top of the AMA Supercross points standings in 2010. He turned pro in 2006 and with the help of such riders as Ricky Charmichael has made quite a mark so far. Born 12/4/89 in Belle Plaine MN, he has made the move to the 450 class in 2010 to compete with the worlds fastest riders. Here is an entry takes from his blog as he talks about the 2010 season.

"So far, the 2010 season on the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team has been really great. I put in a lot of hard work in the off-season, but the start of the AMA Supercross has been better than I could’ve imagined. Roger DeCoster always tells me the only thing that matters is the last race, so I’m really focusing on keeping healthy and racing smart. I’m just going to try to carry the momentum and remember it’s one race at a time, and also to have fun, enjoy it, and let the rest come. The season is a long one, 17 races, and there’s a lot of racing left to do.

Winning the first race of my 450 career in Phoenix, Arizona, was great and following up that win with another one in Anaheim 2 was like icing on the cake. The setup on my Suzuki RM-Z450 is really good, and all the guys on the team are really working hard to make sure it’s in great shape. The fuel injection on the bike is really good, and right off the starts I have instant power. There’s no bog, and it just launches out of the gate. No one knows how the rest of the season is going to go, but I hope that I can continue to do well and put the team and the bike on the podium. Before I sign off, I want to thank my fans, my sponsors, and my family for supporting me. I couldn’t do this without help from a lot of great people, so thanks!"

FUEL,The Best Off Road Freeride Game For The PS3?

This is a fairly new game for the PS3 that has been out long enough for people to have their own opinions of the game. The game has received less than stellar reviews on places like Gamespot which has made me a bit leery to go out and purchase the game. When we saw the game, brand new, at the store for 20 bucks we finally spent the cash and took a chance. This game has to be one of the best games I've ever bought for $20. I think I may have been a bit disappointed spending $60, but at $20, it's a real bargain! Way better than Motorstorm that seems to have better reviews.

Some of the reviews I've read seem to focus on the bad instead of the good in this game. Gamespot states that the AI racers are not playing by the same rules as you are, sometimes jumping out to a huge lead that can't be reclaimed and/or climbing shortcuts that you can't climb yourself etc. I do have to agree with this from a pure racing standpoint as compared to games like Dirt where seconds count and to win means shaving seconds and accurate driving. They also stated that there was a lack of the "rubber band effect" that is present in many racing games to make it so faster racers don't get too far ahead and just run away with the race. This is also true, although this does not exist in real life either nor does a certain set of rules that says what can and can't be climbed or that the guy next to you can't stick on the road a bit better than you are etc. This is even more true in off-road racing where no vehicle is exactly the same and the terrain is ever changing. Perhaps if you are a "true racer" this game will frustrate you, but if not, or you think there might be more to gain from this game, continue reading.

Even though the machine physics could be improved, this game comes up big where other games of this type have fallen a bit short...FREERIDE! It's too bad they can't combine FUEL's world with MX vs ATV Reflex bikes. This game boasts 5,000 square miles of terrain! Gamespot claims that this is irrelevant because there is little reason to explore it. This is simply not true. The landscape is taken from satellite data and ranges from city streets to redrock canyons, wooded forests, rain, snow, hurricane, day, night, you name it! FUEL also rewards you for freeriding with not only liveries such as new paint schemes for vehicles, vistas etc. but also with "fuel" located in various locations that can be collected and used to be traded for more vehicles. This is especially cool for me since my kids would rather freeride than race, now they can drive around and collect fuel for themselves instead of having to compete in ultra competitive races geared towards older gamers that they can not win. Probably the coolest part of this game is that once an area is unlocked it becomes a part of a much larger world instead of just a world on it's own. You can drive between areas seamlessly or use "helipads" located throughout the world to instantly travel to that location on the map.

This game also has a night feature that many have said is only an annoyance. If ever you've gone off-roading or recreating outdoors, you know that the sun still does go down at night and come up in the morning. Not only is this a fact of being outdoors, but it is often a time where the area is most beautiful with sunsets and sunrises. Perhaps driving around in the dark doesn't appeal to many, but when you are wandering along a high ridge in full moonlight it can be a very peaceful time, as is sitting at camp under the same set of circumstances. There are areas in the game where you are driving under full moonlit skies through forest fires, torrential rain, hurricanes etc., then the sun comes up to reveal a landscape that can only be rivaled by actually being there. Perhaps a feature to instantly go to day mode would be a nice feature on future versions, or shorter nights since it can be frustrating to see where you are going in some areas. If you like to freeride, this game is the best I've played as far as the size of area and freedom to roam. As I said before, games like Reflex do a much better job at having a more pure riding experience with the machine, but I was really disappointed to end up with only 3 worlds in which to freeride that are separate and distinct from each other. The racing on Reflex is AMAZING though...same with Dirt 2.

If your like me and you've been waiting to buy this game, wait no further. It's a bargain and you won't find it much cheaper. I only hope there is a second version with better physics, but we may have to take the trade off until either Reflex catches up on the freeride or FUEL catches up on the physics.