Bristol, TN

Once again we met up with Travis Willis from Teamfmx.com at Thunder Valley Dragaway in Bristol Tennessee for the Super Chevy Show sponsored by Tompson Metal Services. The team arrived Saturday morning to finish setting up ramps and get in a good practice session. The weather was beautiful and the grandstands continued to fill up as the day progressed. The ramps are set up on the return road of the dragstrip and we get to stand within feet of the cars as they race by. It is amazing when you can feel the horsepower of the cars shaking the ground as they fly by. We did two performances throughout the event and the fans were pumped. The shows went awsome, Mark, Travis and I rode great and a huge thanks to the GOOD LORD ABOVE for keeping us all safe. The trip was a huge success and I am definitley looking forward to having the next few weeks off for some good old fashion quality time with my wife. 

Benton, AR

We didn't have a show in Benton but the owner of JC's MX Stands lives there and he invited us to stay for the week and do some riding. It was directly on our way to Bristol Dragaway for the next weeks shows so we decided to drop by. If you remember we met Justin Childress and Brett Carter from the Batesville, AR show. Brett owns arch street wheel and tire, they can hook you up with a sweet set of rims and tires for your ride, go check out his new website at archstreetwheelandtire.com. 

Sunday we drove over to Justin's house just south of Little Rock and got settled in. Monday morning Justin rented a bobcat to do some grooming to his landing so while he was at work Weetle and I went to work on the compound. When the boys came home from work they couldn't believe the transformation. We rode for a couple hrs each afternoon and Justin and Brett took some video with their new drones. Check the video out in the video section or on youtube at http://m.youtube.com/user/JCMXdirtbikeStands .

We had a great time hanging out with the boys and entertaning the neigborhood kids, we would like to thank Justin and his Family for the hospitality and can't wait to come back again and shred!. 

Longview, TX

Team FMX has us on the road again, this time for a monster truck show in Longview, Texas. I met up with Mark Merrix (AKA Weetle) at a truck stop in Gilman, Illinois just off I-57. We left his van and proceeded in my truck fully loaded for the two week journey to Texas and Tennessee. It rained virtually the entire time we drove to Texas and when we arrived at the venue the course was under 6 inches of water. It continued to rain well into the night, but we woke up to sunny skys and a nice breeze. The workers were bulldozing the water off the course when we arrived on Saturday morning and cutting us a path to set up the ramps. We rented a takeoff and landing ramp for this show, we had it set up by noon and hammered out a sweet practice session. The show went fantastic with Weetle and I getting the crowd pumped. This is the first year they have had freestyle at this event so we held off on doing any backflips for now but we hope to get a call for this show again next year.

DuQuion, IL

Our next trip brings us to southern Illinios and the world famous DuQuion State Fair. Charles was working the day we needed to leave. I hauled Cody's landing down with my truck and he left his truck for Charles to bring down later that night. We arrived in DuQuion around 8pm on Thursday to set up the ramps and get settled in to our hotel. There were 27 scheduled shows throughout the next eleven days for the Nerveless Knocks FMX and Vortex of Doom thrill show. We teamed up with some circus performers and developed a sweet format. Cody hired in John Williams a new freestyler from the Chicago area who came down to ride for him as he had to cover another show in Michigan for the weekend. John showed up early the next day and we got the ramps stretched out to show gap and proceeded to knock out some shows. 

The weekend went well and everyone got through safe. Cody arrived back at the motel on Sunday so we went to the fairgrounds early Monday morning to get Cody a practice session in and move the ramp back to 70 feet. Everyone had a good time but the heat was kicking our butts so we kept it short. For the next eight days we rode in 90 plus degree weather. One day the heat index reached 107 degrees. It was a brutal couple of days of shows but God gave us the strength to power up and pull through and we thank Him for that and for keeping us safe throughout the entire eleven days. One show was rained out on friday afternoon but we pulled up the carpets and hung them on the fence to dry for a couple hours. By the next show everything was dried up and good to go. We finished off the weekend in style, everyone had a great time and we hope we get a chance to go to the Duquoin again next year.

Jamestown, NY

We are happy to announce the return of Mark Merrix back from a broken arm!  Mark met up with us on HWY 30 in Indiana where his bike and gear got loaded up and we kept on truckin'. It took a little longer than expected to get to Thunder in the Streets, but we made it. We stayed in The Best Western kitty corner from where the ramps were set, they baracaded off a whole city block and we set up directly in the middle of the street in downtown Jamestown. Practice went good, we got the ramps stretched out and dialed in. Mark has been off the bike for almost four months and he came back swinging and we were ready to go! Three shows were scheduled for the day, temps were hovering around the 100 degree point. The crowds were strong for the dayshows, but come time for the nine o' clock performance, the place was packed. There must have been at least 5,000 people in attendance. Mark was back to his old self in no time with big shaolin bar hops and I was feeling on my game throwing flip tricks every other hit. The fans were cheering and the place was full of energy as Mark and I threw down our best performance of the day. It was a complete success and we are very thankful to Travis at Team FMX for giving us the opportunity to cover this show. Check out his website at TeamFMX.com for more pictures and updates!

Nielsville, WI

Directly after the Crawford Co. Fair show we tore down the ramps and hit the road for Nielsville for the Clarke Co. Fair. My beautiful wife Moira was nice enough to give Josh a ride back to Neenah so that he could get his collarbone X-rayed. Huge thanks to Moira for all her help selling merchandise and in general dealing with me and all the crazy things that accompany this lifestyle, she is a great woman and I couldn't do it without her!! We made it saftely to our destination and got a great night sleep at the Super 8 across the street from the fairgrounds. With Josh out for the saturday night show we had to find a fill in rider, and quickly!! Luckily our freind Scott Murray from SickAirFMX.com was not to far away and was available to fill in. Scott arrived around 4pm and we jammed out a sweet practice session. It was Scotts first time jumping to a metal to metal ramp setup with his new CR 500AF so we took it slow and got everything dialed in. The Division BMX team rolled in just in time to set up and get in a few practice hits and go over a few things in the riders meeting. 

Huge thanks to Cody at WI-FMX and Micah at Division BMX for letting us cover this show. We started the show off as always with a salute to our military current and retired and a big thanks to our EMT's, Police, and Firefighters for keeping us safe at home. Then we continued on into warmups, followed by a small whip contest in which Nick Gore won. The weather was perfect and the winds were calm, we got right into the good stuff. The Division riders came out swinging, hitting the box jump and airing it out. As always Micah has the fans cracking up at his witty jokes. During the best trick contest he jokingly told the crowd that the winner of the competion was gonna get Scot Murrays F-650 for a prize. I ended up winning that crowd cheer off, but as far as the truck goes he took that home. The crowd was energized as we amped up the action a bit more. All riders got tightened up to start the trains. Three bmx and three fmx riders simultaniously side by side flip trains to finish off the epic expression session. Thank GOD for an amazing double booked weekend, great weather, and everyone getting home safely. We look forward to coming back to the Clarke Co. Fair next year. Hope to see you there!

Batesville, AR

I met up with Travis Wagon Wheel Willis in Batesville, Arkansas for another exciting monster truck show. We stayed in Spring Hill, Tennessee with our freinds Ryan and Sam McGinnis for the week in between shows. I'd like to thank those guys for their hospitality and look forward to visiting again soon. I would also like to thank their daughter Keegan for helping to raise money for our freind Kenny Stienke. Kenny was back in the hospital for an infection on his skull where his injury had occured. They fixed him up and he is back home now recovering. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Kenny in hopes that no other complications arise during his healing process. 

The show went off without a hitch. Travis and I rode once on Friday night and twice on Saturday. We met some guys at the track selling MX stands and I finally caved in and bought one. As soon as I get more info on where to get these lightwieght stands I will pass that along to you. Here's a shot of my bike on my brand new JC MX stand.

Bristol, TN

There were rally cars, monster trucks, and freestyle motocross at the Bristol Motor Speedway and we had a great time. Brian Deegan was there, along with Ken Block, Tanner Foust and many other big names in the sport of rally car racing. The sun beat down on the infield of the speedway where they had built the rally car course, it must have been about a hundred degrees. We got to watch up close and personal as these guys bumped and banged there way around the track. Ken Block would take the main event win with Deegan in close second and many casualties along the way. 

Mike Kieper, Nick Gore and I got the ramps set up at 6pm for the nights festivities, while the monster truck guys were getting things dialed in on thier trucks. They were calling for rain but it must have just missed us, the sky was and ominous color of red and grey and we even heard a little thunder. Everyone rode awsome and the stands were packed. We finished off with some flip trains and called it good. I'd like to thank Brandon and the track crew at Bristol for all their help, they are always a pleasure to work with. And as always thank GOD for keeping us all safe.

I had a fan come up to me in the autograph line and give this poem to me. Her name is Tammy Denton. This is a picture of my dear freind Kyle Lee at his last show, in Bristol Tennessee, last year. God Bless! We miss you Kyle!

In Memory of Kyle Lee

You dared to dream,

To extraordinary heights,

Riding with Team FMX,

Amazing stunts in the sky,

And showed dedication,

To every facet of your life.

From your work at Georgia Power,

To shows in evening hours,

From family and freinds,

To screaming fans,

From the paths you choose,

To the dreams you sowed,

Every twist and turn and crossroad.

Every flip and dip and riding goal.

Though you are gone: you still remain,

From memories, to smiles set in frames,

May you forever be with family and freinds, 

And these always brave FMX riding men,

May they keep you with them together, 

Held in picture-perfect memories forever,

May they be comforted with peace sent from GOD,

While you journey roads where the angels trod,

And Forever...

May your spirit in freedom soar, 

Like it has never known before,

Till the day the Heaven and earth meet,

And all the ones you've touched, together greet.

By Tammy Denton, a fan of FMX

July 20, 2013

Appomattox, VA

Blessed FMX is excited to share the good news that Kenny is out of the hospital and back at his home in Florida!! We would like to thank the GOOD LORD ABOVE for being with Kenny through this difficult time.

Team FMX was on the evening news in Appomatox Virginia, for Thunder in the Sky presented by Liberty Baptist Church. We would like to thank Pastor Rusty Smalls for hiring Team FMX to perform at this community event. A huge thanks goes out to John and Shana for letting Travis and I take their Jack Roush Stage Three Mustang for a rip. The car was super fast with 560 hp and a six speed manual transmission there are few things that get your adrenaline pumping like getting sideways in one of these cars.

There was a massive crowd in attendance for the FMX show and Fireworks display, from the top of the landing there were cars as far as the eye could see in all directions. We started the show of with some practice jumps and worked the gap back to about 65 feet. About half way through we took a short intermission to turn the lights on. Travis was on the mic and I was dialing in my flips, the energy was high and the fans were really getting into it. The show finished off with two trains, with Travis in front and Me upside down the crowd was fired up just in time for the fireworks.

 We would also like to thank Terry and Shaun from The Health and Wellness Center in downtown Appomatox for there hospitality during our stay. We had a great round of golf and a relaxing dip in the pool at their beautiful house before tearing up the asphalt at the Appomatox High Shool. We thank GOD for the opportunity to do this show and look forward to many more.

Akron, OH

Our trip started of in Akron, Ohio where I met up with Travis from Team FMX and all the wonderful people from Summit Racing headquarters. Nick Gore and his family joined in on the fun for this trip.

It was a hot day for the super summit show but we powered through, starting practice at the usual 40 ft gap and working it back. Nick over bombed his first hit but didn't go down. He took another rip at it and was successfully landing on the downside. With Travis back riding for the first time in two months we set the gap back to 60 ft. There was huge turnout despite the heat and the fans were super pumped. All three shows were a complete success, with Nick and I ending with some sick trains. Nick @Turbonuts has posted a picture from his Go Pro on Twitter and instagram @blessedfmx doing a flip behind him in a train. Check it out.

Bigfoot the original monster truck was crushing cars and doing dougnuts, the rock crawlers were on hand tearing up the obstacle course with their off road Jeeps and custom rock crawlers, there was also a modified Polaris Razor that made it over the rocks and blocks. We had a great time checking out the old school cars and trucks that were on display and there was a ton of vendors on hand with all the latest and greatest technology for the racing world. Summitracing.com has also started a Motorcycle and ATV off road parts division called Powersportsplace.com. Click on this link to check the great prices and support from Summit. 

Richland Center, WI

This weekend Blessed FMX had a great time at Motorsports Mayhem in Richland Center, WI, everything about it was a complete success. There were tractor and truck pulls, dirt bike, ATV, and snomobile grass drags, mud bogs, demolition derby and lions and tigers and bears, oh my! 

The wheather channel app was calling for 20-40 mph winds all day and it wasn't looking good but, with a lot of prayers the winds had calmed just enough to start practice around 5 pm. Mike and I got the ramp back to 63 feet and had a direct tailwind so we called it good. The stands were filled up for the 7 pm show and the boys got off to a good start. Mike busted out a cliffhanger and great superman seatgrab indian air while I followed up with a few flips and we had the crowd in stomping their feet. We finished off with a few trains and all went well. 

Ironically the way home was the most dramatic part of the trip. The trailer lost a wheel going down Hwy 76 about five miles from the Cavanaughs farm, where we park the trailer. Come to find out we spun a wheel bearing totally destroying the spindle, so we strapped up the axle and limped home. Today new axles were ordered and will be here in two weeks to bolt up under the trailer and be back and better than ever.

A huge thanks to Doc Bryan Myers and the Knights of Colombus for bringing us out to perform. Make sure to check out HybridRedneck.com for more info on future events. We would also like to thank Travis Willis from Team FMX for passing this show along to us. Thank you to The GOOD LORD above for keeping everyone safe. 

Raliegh, NC

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Kenny Stienke and his Family. Kenny had a serious crash at a monster truck show on saturday and is currently in intensive care in a hospital in Augusta, Georgia. We are waiting for updates and will pass along any new news that we get. Please pray for Kenny!!

On a lighter note our trip to Team Powersports in North Carolina was a great success. We left out wednsday morning with a quick stop in Kenosha to say hi to my dad and sister, then off to Macy, IN to pick up Weetle (AKA) Mark Merrix. We made it to Lexington, KY and decided to get a hotel for the night. Thursday morning starts with our favorite breakfast at the Waffle House, getting fueled up to hit the road. Blessed with beautiful weather on our drive we cruised into Garner around 7pm with just enough time to wash the landing and get set up for practice friday morning.

Friday morning we arrived back at the dealership to set up the sound system and jam out a practice session. We got the ramp back to 65 feet and got our tricks dailed in. First show scheduled for 3pm went without a hitch, as did the 5pm show. With two down and three to go, saturday was shaping up to be a great day. We got in early saturday morning to start the day with a small warm up session for a group of bikers that were on a benifit ride. The crowds started pouring in around noon and the dealership remained busy for the rest of the day. All three shows on saturday went great with Weetle throwing down huge bar hops and me doin whip flips and no handed flips we definetly had the fans in an uproar. We would like to thank Travis Willis from Team FMX for passsing this show along to us and look forward to goin back next year. As always we thank The GOOD LORD above for keeping us safe this weekend and pray for a speedy recovery for Kenny Stienke! AMEN

Bemidji, MN

The show was a success! Thank the good LORD above for keeping us all safe. The road trip to Minnesota was plagued by a spring snow storm, but thankfully everyone got there safe. The dirt on the arena floor was very wet so I churned it up with the bobcat and by morning it was pretty dry. Even though it kept snowing all day Friday the show went off without a hitch. The crowd was small, but energetic and everyone rode really well. It finally stopped snowing about mid day and we made our way to the arena. We rode twice on Saturday night starting out the show with a few basics and a flip at the end of the first session. We set back up in intermission and came out swinging. Charles throwing huge "Shaolin Bar Hops", Kieper's text book "double grab", and I followed up the last train of the evening with a "no handed backflip". The crowd was in an uproar and all the riders were pumped. We would like to thank the Sanford Center for letting us leave the landing in the parking lot overnight and for all the hospitality. We would also like to send a huge thanks my freind Tony Pilman for renting his truck to us to haul the landing ramp, its gotten the best gas mileage yet!

Sarasota, FL

Thank GOD for keeping us safe through this one. Ten days in sunny Florida at the Sarasota County Agricultural Fair. It was a continous fight against brutal winds and rain. Despite the harsh riding conditions the boys got rave reviews for their performances. The setup was tight, but we all got dialed in at 62 feet and got it done. The fair board president was very excited and has already invited us back for next year. A huge thanks to Mark at Triangle Talent for hooking us up with this gig and also the Sarasota County Agricultural Fair Board for taking such good care of us while we were there.   

Jonesboro, AR

I have to thank GOD for geting us through this one! On the trip down to Arkansas we blew three tires and broke a leaf spring on the trialer, barely made it to Jonesboro. We arrived at the venue Thursday night around midnight. I got up early Friday morning to move the landing out of the way for the monster trucks to tire up.  As I drove to the back parking lot I heard a loud noise in the rear of the truck, come to find out the pad had slid down in the caliper, and broke the pistons in half causing brake fluid to spray out. I'd like to thank Chuck our wonderful floor manager for borrowing us his car to go to the parts store. And a huge thanks to Kevin an employee at the Auto Zone who took his lunch break to come and help us get the truck back together again. Once the truck was fixed we pulled the landing inside and got it set up for practice.

First move in practice Mike Kieper's bike was leaking fuel and the landing and the ground under his rear tire making it incredibly hard to stop. We pulled the carb off mike's bike and cleaned it, put it back on and got practice finished up just in time. The friday night show was awsome, the boys rode great and got through safe. We found out that Sports Illustrated was in the building shooting photographs for a new project they are working on. So we all decided to step up our games and threw down for the cameras and fans on Saturday night.  With Weetle busting huge bar hops, Kieper lazy boyin' it out and my no handed backflip in the last train we left the photograhers and fans in awe. 

We thank The Good LORD above for getting us all home safe, and we will be back on the road to Florida in two days. 

Rapid City, South Dakota

I'm happy to report our trip to Rapid City, South Dakota went fantastic. We left Wednsday with plenty of time to complete the trip, which left us with a little extra time to stop and see The Corn Palace. The outside of the building is covered in amazing designs that are constructed entirely out of ears of corn and other parts of the corn plant. A couple hours later we pulled into a rest stop to change the first of the three tires that had blown.

Arriving in Rapid City on Thursday, we dropped the landing and headed to the hotel to check in and change into our gear. Then over to Goats Craft House for the meet and greet. Friday morning we got over to the venue early to wash the road salt off the landing ramp and get things set up for practice. Everything was in place to knock out a practice session and get ready for the Friday night show.

We want to throw a shout out to Shane Montgomery and The Last Of The Hostiles Youth Movement. Shane is a youth mentor helping kids stay off drugs and out of gangs. Hopefully we will be working together in the future with a couple projects to help Shane with his mission. Keep checking our schedule to see when we will be heading back out to Rapid City.

With a super pumped crowd Mike Keiper and I threw down a sick show. Mike busting big with huge double grabs and lazy boys and I followed up with a couple backflip variations including a whip flip and a no handed flip to finish it off in the trains. With all fans on their feet and in a frenzy we hope we did our part to make the show the best it could be. We met a lot of cool people and hope to be able to do the show again next year. Besides two more flat tires on the way home, it was all and all a great trip. Next week its off to Jonesboro, Arkansas for the next stop on the Monster X tour.

Montgomery, AL

After 24 hour drive on Sunday, I am home from a two week run of shows in Montgomery Alabama, and Lake Charles Louisiana. Wheetle and I had a great trip and would like to thank Team FMX and The Monster X Tour for having us. Once again the rider line up was Travis, Mark, and I, throwing down signature moves like the six shooter and a one handed backflip. The crowd was in an uproar. 

The weather was as beautiful as it could be for our trip west to Lake Charles where we met up with some rodeo buddies who luckily had a place for us to crash for the week. We would like to give a big shout out to Josh, Johnathan, and Trace at the Island for taking us in and keeping us occupied. During the week, we learned how to Lasso Steers and also built a steer cage that directs the steers as they leave the bucking chute. We also helped out scoring and pushing steers through the chutes for Josh's Tuesday night roping competion at the arena next to the Burton colusiem. 

Lake Charles, LA

Next came the Monster X tour show at the Lake Charles Civic Center. We pulled into the venue on Thursday to help get the crush cars set up and get an early jump on setting up the landing. With an all concrete floor and a nearly sold out crowd Team FMX performed twice each night. Including quad wars, lawnmower racing, FMX, and Monster trucks it was an action packed event. With the fans in the stands gettting crazy and loud I pulled a no handed backflip in the last train of the last show to finish it off with a bang.  

This Wednsday it's on the road again, for our next trip to Rapid City South Dakota where we will be meeting up with "Goat" the DJ from THE FULL THROTTLE SALOON in Sturgis to do some media work. Mike Kieper will be attending this show with me and we hope and pray it will be a great success.  

Highland Hieghts, KY

Another successful show is in the books. The floor space was very limited with a extremely small landing, no safety deck and only a matter of feet to stop before faceplanting into the bleachers. I'd have to say it was one of the most technical set-ups I've had to deal with in the past ten years. Big thank you to Mike Keiper and Mark Merrix for throwing down despite the danger. Each of us had a slight mishap this weekend. I missed the rear brake landing off the jump and grabbed a whole handful of front brake which caused me to endo into the bleachers and break my front fender. Keiper over jumped in the second round and slid out. Then Mark came up a little short on his first hit in the show but rode it out successfully. All and all it was a great weekend. We would also like to give a shout out to Cavanaugh's Carriages for letting us borrow the new Dodge Cummins Turbo Deisel and helping us out in a pinch.  Next week Wheetle and I are on our way to Montgomery Alabama for another exciting round of the Monster X tour! 

Green Bay, WI

I'm pumped to be writing todays update with nothing but good news. Scott Murray, Mike Keiper, and I rode in the Monster XL tour this last weekend at the Brown County Arena in Green Bay, Wisconsin and all is well. Three shows went of without a hitch and we recieved many good reviews from the fans in the autograph line. I would like to thank all the fans who came out to watch the show and cheer us on. There are already talks of having us back again next year so if you would like to see Sick Air FMX perform again feel free to drop an email to the Monster XL tour website and let them know.  

It's back on the road again Thursday with Mike Keiper, Mark Merrix, and I performing at the Bank of Kentucky Center in Highland Heights, Kentucky on February 8-9.  For more information on that show go to MonsterXtour.com.

Jackson, MS

The first two shows of the year are done, thank the good LORD above for keeping everyone safe. There was one small exception, in Jackson Mississippi the throttle cable on Kenny Stienke's bike snapped on the face of the ramp and he hit the back of the landing ramp. With only some bruising and a possible broken rib Kenny would sit the weekend out as Travis and I performed the Monster X tour freestyle show. The crowd was full of energy as we threw down like we had not been off the bike for more than a day. When in reallity niether of us have ridden in three months, it felt good to get back out there and shred.  

From there I drove to Durhamtown Plantation in Union Point, GA and stayed for the week. If you like to ride, Durahamtown is one of the most fun places to be. It has 800 acres of ATV/UTV/MX trails, seven MX tracks, a dirt dragstrip, and freestyle MX compound. Of course I spent most of my time in the FMX park but I also did some motocross practice, trying to get my cardio back up and hone my riding skills on the track. I had a great time shredding with the boys and can't wait to get back there and do it again. Big thanks to Mike the owner and the whole Durhamtown crew for making it a great place to ride.  

Fayettville, NC 

Our buddy Mark Merrix, AKA Weetle met up with us in Fayettville, NC. We set up the ramps Friday at noon and knocked out a practice session. It was Marks first time jumping to Travis's landing and he greased it. I'd like to thank Mark personally for doing such a good job this weekend and I am looking forward to working with Wheetle in the future. There was an Ice storm coming through town Friday night and it was reported that there was a record number of 205 accidents in just a couple hours. In turn attendance was down a bit but none the less the team rode a great show. Saturday night was much better with a near sold out crowd, seven monster trucks and a sweet FMX performance kept the crowd on their feet and wanting more.  

The trip home was nothing less than a miracle. The rear brake line in my truck had rusted through and was leaking fluid. I didn't have much of a choice but to drive it home like that so thats what I did. With minimal use of the brakes, stopping every four hours to get gas, eat, and refill the brake fluid resevior I limped the ole' Chevy to my dad's house in Kenosha,WI. The next morning I replaced the brake line, got the air bled out and was back on the road toward home. Once again all the glory to GOD for getting me home and keeping me safe. We are looking forward to a forty minute drive to Green Bay for this weekends upcoming show with Sick Industries FMX.  Come on out to the Brown County Arena Friday to see the Monster Truck show and check out the Sick Industries FMX show. We hope to see you there!