The “alter egos” of Michael Byrne, Jeremy McGrath, Ivan Tedesco and Tim Ferry showing off the latest in Thor gear.		 upercross 2005. Many people have been waiting for this season ever since they laid eyes on James Stewart. The competition in the 250 class has not been what it should and with him moving up, Ricky Carmichael being healthy, Reed having confidence indoors and Kevin Windham with a clear head it should be what some have called “the perfect storm” of talent. Being a part of Thor, it should be a very interesting and productive year for us as a company and a provider to our athletes.
     Thor/Parts Unlimited has a huge vault of talent locked down and ready for warfare in the stadiums this winter. We have a returning McGrath, last year’s champ Chad Reed, Travis Pastrana if he doesn’t break himself after his wrist gets better, Tortelli, Ferry and Byrne just to name a few. That is a huge line-up, and I only named the 250 class! The 125 class will be spectacular as well with at least seven or eight big names being able to win any night they can get their head screwed on straight and get a little help from the holeshot gods.
     I really think our boys in the 250 class will put up a good fight for the title. Reed showed that he has the desire outdoors to really step up his program in order to achieve results. I know he finished a distant second to Carmichael’s perfect season, but he finished way in front of everyone else. That is a huge improvement over his 2003 outdoor season, and he has made a believer out of me. If he can put that kind of effort into his Supercross this year, he will go far.
     Travis Pastrana. My first introduction to Mr. Pastrana was when he wheelied through the whoops at the night Supercross race during the Budd’s Creek national weekend. I am truly excited to see him this year, even if it’s only a few rounds. Look at last year. He showed that with conditioning he could post results. He kept up with Windham in his heat race at St. Louis and even threw him a nac-nac. That is the spirit I enjoy seeing and being around.
     Sebastien Tortelli. That guy was flying the end of this summer outdoors. They say you are only as good as your last result. Well, Tortelli was off and on the last two years or so with injury problems. He is finally healthy and showed he still has the desire to ride hard and be up front the latter half of this summer. He was flying at Unadilla and was sporting the new Cream and Maroon Core gear. He grabbed second overall and stood on the box his second race back. Going into Supercross he has some newfound confidence. I have a feeling if one or more of the four big hitters makes a mistake, he will be right there to capitalize on them, if not pass them straight up. He is definitely the underdog in the 250 class. It is amazing how desire brews from adversity. “For all those who doubted me, thanks for the inspiration”.
     Pro Circuit Kawasaki. Ivan Tedesco. Grant Langston. Matt Walker. Paul Carpenter. Stephane Roncada. This should be a very good season for the boys on green bikes wearing for the first time Thor Phase gear. From my sources, it was their decision to wear the Phase over the Core line. I found this interesting when I first heard it and initially began to wonder why. After pondering on it for about three weeks during my travels, it seems to me that they just like it that much. The garment construction is excellent and the colors are unlike anything I have ever seen. Here is betting we see more of the Phase gear on the podium then any other this winter. I think Mitch’s boys are going to dominate the 125, er, 250F class.
     Well I have bombarded your head with a huge Thor ad, but think about it. Thor’s slogan is “It’s all about the rider”. Between all the teams and riders we sponsor or just help, “Team Thor” will have an exciting year. Now go out, ride, bench-race and above all, have a good time. For us, we will surely see you at the races.

T.J. Parcells was born and raised in Newport News, Virginia. He graduated from Virginia Tech this past May and took a job with Wiseco in their California branch. During this time he was approached by Thor to become the permanent Northeast Regional Marketing Representative. He was then offered a Product Development position at Thor and is now working in their California home office.

For more information see:
www.thormx.com


Parts Magazine
Volume 12 #2

Parts Magazine Index