Halloween is back this week, and so is Filthy Phil Nicoletti with explosive answers to your dynamite questions. This week Nicoletti talks Halloween costumes, getting beat by the girls of GNCC, and diffusing a tense case of mistaken identity with Cooper Webb.
As always, if you have any questions or thoughts to share with Phil, send them on over to Phil@RacerXOnline.com.
Phil,
As Halloween approaches, I’m strongly considering channeling my inner Filth and donning a homemade Phil Nicoletti costume. I’ve got already got FXR gear, both my middle fingers are in good working order, and I have a natural disposition to get irrationally angry over small things. I’ve even been practicing my throat-slitting gestures in the mirror. But, to make sure I’m not mistaken for just some dork in dirt bike gear, I figured I’d ask you if there are any other Nicoletti trademarks I’m missing. What else can I add to this costume to really take it over the top?!
-Hysterical Harry
Harry,
I’ve had a few buddies go as me for Halloween over the years, mostly taking the piss and mocking me. I’m not sure it’s worth going as me because there is no one who will know what you are, or who the f@&$ I am. The possibility of getting slapped is high too because someone doesn’t like the way you look. So there are no guarantees mate. Funny story about Halloween, though. In 2018 my buddy Ozzy threw the greatest Halloween party ever, Aka Ozfest. Well, after his party all the boys went to downtown Charlotte in our costumes. I was Jackie Moon from Semi-Pro. Well, safe to say none of us had great judgement, but you can’t put a price on a good time.
This club was packed and there was one other Jackie Moon look alike. Well……..I just see Coop [Cooper Webb], (who was dressed up as priest) walk across the club, wind up, and slap the shit out of this other Jackie Moon lookalike across the back of the head! Needless to say I had to run over and diffuse the situation, which was clearly an honest mistake. When Coop realized it wasn’t me when the guy turned around, any sort of buzz he had was gone in a matter of milliseconds. The cross he was wearing wasn’t gonna save him from that situation! So watch your back if you hit the streets looking like me.
-Phil
Woods riding Phil,
After your recent retirement I thought it’d be months, at least, before anyone saw you on a dirt bike again. But, to my surprise, you raced, of all things, a GNCC over the weekend at Ironman. What on Earth made you want to go dodge trees for three hours?! How was the race and overall feel of the event? Should I stop making fun of woods goons and throw on a set of bark busters and try GNCC racing? Also, I heard Ryan Villopoto and Damon Bradshaw were there. Is GNCC becoming the new cool thing for retired motocrossers!?
-Questioning Everything in Indiana
Questioning Everything,
The boys on the Husky off-road team kept harassing me for a few weeks saying I should come do it. Then it turned into name calling, and saying I wasn’t a man if I didn’t come do it and blah blah blah. So I committed. I only did the two-hour race which was at 10am. The Husky guys are there to do a job and win XC1 class, and they did that with Craig Delong. They don’t need me out there being a nuisance for three hours with their main guys out there trying to win. Two hours was absolutely perfect for me. Especially not riding since Vegas SMX, and being the first real time riding the Husky. But I’m glad I did it.
-Phil
Phil,
Congrats on your first GNCC ever. How was it? What are your takeaways? How did you like the track and overall experience? How impressive are the WXC (women's class) riders!? Do you think it's something every rider should try at least once? Do you plan on trying it again and will you maybe try the three-hour race?
Thanks for being there and hope to see you back,
-Tanner Coombs
Tanner,
To be quite honest, I'm still mind blown with the GNCC. The shear number of people was mind blowing. The number of different riders, bikes, people, campers, e-bikes, etc. The track for me was about perfect. It wasn’t too narrow, or too rocky. The only thing was the silt and dust. Holy F@&$! It was so dusty to where you literally had no choice but to follow the guy in front of you and watch his bike/rear wheel to see if it hit something so you could react. It’s now three days later and I’m still hacking up silt from my lungs. The WXC ladies were phenomenal. Everyone who worked on the teams were like 'Wait until the women whoop your ass out there.' At that point, I was thinking that the women are the least of my problems I’m gonna have. Because I gotta survive first. But Brandy Richards beat me in overall time by a minute I believe and Rachael Archer was right in tow behind me. They absolutely crush it. I feel a GNCC should be a bucket list deal for everyone, just to experience it all. Being in a field with 700 other people on dirt bikes who have the same amount of passion riding as I do was badass. It didn’t matter that I was on a Factory Husky FX350, and the dude on the line behind me was riding a KDX200. We all had the same goal, to survive the two-hour race and have fun. I realize why people do GNCC now, especially if you’re not going to be a pro SX or MX guy and you just love to ride. For $50 you go and ride for two hours! You pay $40 and you camp all weekend. It was probably the biggest outdoor event I had been to all year, other than MXoN. I would really put Ironman GNCC on my yearly schedule now, no doubt. I also truly appreciate everyone there who cheered me on. There was an unbelievable amount. Thank you.
-Phil
