Matthes’ Guide to Partying in Temecula
Steve Matthes

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Matthes’ Guide to Partying in Temecula

Last year after Anaheim 2, Steve Matthes unleashed one of his most ridiculous theories of all time. Jason Anderson and Vince Friese crashed into each other, and Anderson got so mad that he threw a blow at Friese, leading to a DQ for the night. Matthes theorized that since Friese is not part of the cool guy social circle of motocross—in Matthes’ words, “Vince doesn’t party in Temecula”—the riders don’t like him.  

(You can listen to the full rant here.) 

Matthes: Yes, this is basically the theory. And it’s a solid one! Think of the pits like a giant high school and it will make more sense to you. Friese’s move at A2 last year was a normal, aggressive supercross pass and Anderson reacted like he’d been shot with a bazooka. Because Friese has a reputation and doesn’t really hang out with anyone, he’s been mocked publicly by announcers and other riders for his riding (to be fair, he’s made some real dumb decisions, but not always) so it’s perfectly fine for Anderson to act like he did. Just the other day, I was on the phone with a high profile ex-rider and he told me he liked Friese’s “scrappiness” and how he fights for every inch on the track. So, yeah, at some point he needed to hang out with the other riders and then everyone would be more accepting of his moves, like, say, Anderson himself. Okay, back to Weege…

Temecula, California, is the town where many of the riders live when they’re out in SoCal. So, who is actually partying in Temecula? Does “Partying in Temecula” actually mean “Partying in Temecula,” or is this just a term to describe being one of the cool kids? We wanted Matthes to explain this theory, so we sent him a list of current riders and asked him to rate them on the “Partying in Temecula" scale.

Cole Seely: Does party in Temecula. Cole is a Southern California kid, loves drifting, and is way laid back. Anderson was very upset at him for basically t-boning him (WAY WORSE THAN VINCE’S MOVE, BTW) last year but because Seely parties, Anderson did not get so aggro as to get DQed from a race, as he did with Friese.

Ken Roczen: Ken is DGAF about anything and everything so yeah, he’s in.

Broc Tickle: I feel like Broc is very sneaky about it but he DOES party in Temecula every now and then.

Marvin Musquin: Nope.

Blake Baggett: Nope, and Anderson, among others, has gotten into it with Blake over the years. Blake’s tight with his family, keeps his inner circle close, and DOES NOT PARTY. 

Jason Anderson: Well, duh.

Dean Wilson: Dean-O is great, he’s 100 percent in the cool guy club, and is on the PIT (Party in Temecula) list.

Weston Peick: I mean, c’mon… of course Weston does. He’s one of the few top guys actually from California.

Eli Tomac: Does NOT party in Temecula AT ALL, but he’s fast as shit so everyone leaves him alone. 

Josh Grant: Oh hells yeah.

Justin Brayton: No chance. In fact, someone I know lived with JB back in the day and said all he ever did was ride, work out, and rest. They wondered if he was a hermit.

Jake Weimer: Weimer does or did PIT at one time and everyone likes him.

Vince Friese: Sigh…

Adam Cianciarulo: Everyone loves AC. Seriously, everyone. Well, pretty much everyone, anyway.

Jeremy Martin: Nope. Put Martin in the Baggett category of just training and riding and then repeat.

Shane McElrath: No way, Jose. 

Zach Osborne: No chance.

Christian Craig: Craig married young, is a father, and definitely does not party in Temecula. But Mike Craig, his dad, definitely did. In fact, the whole term “Party in Temecula” was pretty much invented by Mike Craig, therefore Christian is (grand)fathered in.