Building Momentum: Why the Second Issue Matters More Than the First
The first issue of anything is fueled by adrenaline.
It’s bold, imperfect, and driven by the simple but powerful desire to exist. You’re not worried about legacy; you’re worried about getting something real out into the world. And when that first issue lands, there’s a moment of relief, maybe even celebration. Then comes issue two... and that’s where things get interesting. Because the second issue isn’t about proving you can start. It’s about proving you can continue.
For PAMX the Magazine, this second issue represents a shift - from introduction to intention. The novelty is gone. The expectations are higher. Readers now have context, and with that comes a quiet question hanging in the air: Was the first issue a one-time spark, or the beginning of something consistent and meaningful?
That question is what makes issue two so important. Consistency is the real currency of any creative endeavor. Not perfection. Not virality. Not even immediate impact. What matters most is the decision to keep showing up, refining the vision, and building something that earns attention over time rather than demanding it all at once.
This issue reflects that mindset. You’ll notice a stronger point of view. A sharper sense of direction. Not because everything is suddenly figured out - but because the process has begun to take shape. The team behind PAMX is no longer experimenting blindly; they’re learning what resonates, what challenges them, and what deserves more space.
That’s where growth lives. It’s easy to romanticize the launch of something new, but sustainability is far less glamorous - and far more important. It requires discipline, adaptability, and a willingness to evolve without losing your core identity. Issue two is where those muscles start to develop.
There’s also something else happening here that shouldn’t be overlooked: trust is beginning to form. Not just between the publication and its readers, but within the creative process itself. The confidence to take slightly bigger risks. To lean into ideas that might not have made the cut in the first issue. To start shaping not just content, but voice.
The voice is everything. A magazine without a clear voice is just a collection of pages. A magazine with one becomes a platformsomething readers return to not just for information, but for perspective. That’s the opportunity in front of PAMX right now.
This second issue isn’t about topping the first. It’s about deepening it. Strengthening the foundation. Establishing rhythm. Because the publications that endure aren’t the ones that peak early, they’re the ones that build steadily, issue by issue, decision by decision.
So, if you’re reading this, you’re part of that process. You’re not just consuming content - you’re witnessing the early stages of something finding its footing. And that’s a rare place to be, because most people only notice a publication once it’s already established.
Here, you get to see the climb. And if PAMX continues this path - focused, evolving, and committed - this second issue won’t just be remembered as what came next.
It’ll be remembered as where things truly began.
See you at the Races! Let’s Race
Jeff Cernic PAMX President
Round Two - Tomahawk MX
Cole Sunday
Bennett Weiss
Conner McKinney
Jack Foht
Nathan Tucker
Travis Herdt
Tucker
C Class Holeshot
PAMX Rider of the Week - Tomahawk MX Braysn Richard
The recent event at Tomahawk MX drew a remarkable number of riders, and the racing was outstanding. The field of PAMX racers vying for Rider of the Week was highly competitive. After careful consideration of each result, our team has selected Braysn Richard as this PAMX Rider of the Week. Congratulations to Braysn!
Braysn ended up 1-1 for 1st OA in 250C, 1-1 for 1st OA in Open C, and 9-8 for 8th OA in Schoolboy 2!
Pastranaland
In 2018, I Knew PAMX Racing Needed Something New - SomethingExciting...
After talking with longtime friends Clayton Powers and Lori Spreng, I told them I had an idea. I had seen what Swan MX was doing in Texas with their Pro Challenge, and I thought, “I want to bring something like that to Pennsylvania - but I want to put a name behind it.”
So I called my longtime friend Travis Pastrana and told him the idea. His answer was simple... “Awesome. I’ll be there.”
And just like that, the Travis Pastrana Pro Challenge was born.
October in Western Pennsylvania can be what people call Indian Summerand when it hits, there’s nothing more beautiful. The fall colors, the Allegheny Mountains, and the atmosphere at Pleasure Valley Raceway are hard to beat.
That first weekend started out perfect. Practice was pristine. Friday night came and went. Then Saturday morning hit - temperatures dropped, a light rain moved in, but the racing was still incredible. Saturday night we had a band, the temperature kept falling, and by Sunday morning… there was snow on the ground.
But the racing continued.
October 20-21, 2018 became the first-ever Travis Pastrana Pro Challenge - and it was one for the books. Anyone who was there will never forget it.
Now, in 2026, we are proud to celebrate our 9th annual Travis Pastrana Pro Challenge.
That’s nine years of pulling Pastrana Bars.
Nine years of sending great young riders to Pastranaland.
Nine years of giving kids memories they will never forget - from trying backflips, to SXS rides, to experiences most people only dream about.
And believe it or not, with Travis’s incredible schedule, he has only missed two events in nine years.
We have had full gates in almost every class, and in 2025 we teamed up with the Dirty 100, which raised the bar even higher.
Now we are ready for 2026 - and we plan on making it another great year at Pleasure Valley Raceway.
The Travis Pastrana Pro Challenge is more than a race.
It’s memories.
It’s opportunity.
It’s PAMX racing at its best.
See you in September 2026.
Pastranaland...
Cam Fanala having fun in the foam pit. This place is literally a playground!
Grey Leadbetter soaring her Can-Am through the Maryland air, making sure no Golden Ticket winner left unhappy or scared!
Olivia Reynolds was having a wheelie good time!
The Wall Of Legends
Chef Jeff likes to flip too, Pancakes of course!
Travis Bartley was the man of the hour.His second year in a row nailing a backflip into the pit!
Riders meeting... AKA The Safety meeting!
Pastranaland
Even if you don’t ride, Travis will make sure to have you leaving with a smile on your face!
To be able to flip into the foam pit, you must be able to flip on the trampoline first!
The She Shed was a big hit with basketball, rock climbing, and of course sliding!
Speed and style! Something Pastranaland is common to seeing!
Dog Days of Summer coming in hot early this year! Travis sporting the cut off sleeves as he takes his four-legged friend for a ride!
Cody Darr, who is also a PAMX Photographer, was having a flipping good time!
Round Three - Pleasure Valley MX
Connor Crocco
Charles Hropovich
Keeghan Lehrman Dominic Bentley pulling the holeshot in the 65 7-11 C class
Bennett Weiss with the Holeshot
Jaden Smeltzer
PAMX Rider of the Week - Pleasure Valley
Pleasure Valley Raceway hosted an exciting weekend of racing, with Saturday’s practice and youth race program enjoying perfect weather and track conditions. However, the weather deteriorated on Saturday evening, bringing cold and wet conditions that presented significant challenges for Sunday’s Pleasure Valley season opener presented by Himler Enterprises. Despite these challenges, the track crew worked efficiently to seal the track, ensuring that racing began on time. The competition was fierce, with several riders delivering impressive performances. In the 50cc class, Cade Swartzfager rode exceptionally well, securing a 1-1 score in the 2 50cc classes and demonstrating remarkable control on the track. One rider, however, stole the show, winning all four of his classes: Bradley Gardner, who consistently pulled holeshots and dominated the Pleasure Valley race track, emerging victorious in all his classes.
Congratulations to PAMX Rider of the Week, Bradley Gardner
GirlStrongThe Ladies
Addison Liberoni
Addizyn Lykens
Alexandria Hirschmann
Ladies Of PAMX
Alayna Folk
Brenna Griffith
Izzabella Lykens
Makayla Tuttle
GirlStrong The Ladies Of PAMX
Jessica Coombs
Maci Knuth
Mazie Salandro
GirlStrong
The Ladies Of PAMX
Payslie Jade
Taylyn Blade
Oakleigh Harkins
Tiffany Fanala
Skylar Callen
We caught up with Chad Gochenour on how his weekend went at Round 2 of the PAMX.
Chad - How was the weekend and the turn out?
The weekend was totally awesome. We had about 670 racers, 400 for practice, and about 170 on Saturday for the kids race! It was a phenomenal weekend!
What does PAMX mean to Tomahawk?
The series that they run, it’s one of the largest series out there on the East Coast, so it means a lot to Tomahawk!
Who is Cleveland Brothers, and what area does the company cover?
Cleveland Brothers is the exclusive Caterpillar (Cat) dealer for our region, and we’ve proudly operated as a family-owned business since 1948. We serve a large footprint, with locations across Pennsylvania covering 59 of the state’s 67 counties. The eight counties we don’t cover are in the Philadelphia area. Beyond Pennsylvania, we also support customers in two counties in western Maryland and 17 counties in northern West Virginia. Altogether, we operate 30 locations across our territory.
Where are you seeing the most growth right now?
We’re experiencing tremendous growth in our rental business, and Caterpillar is continuing to push expansion in that area. That growth drives demand for skilled technicians to keep rental equipment prepped and ready, as well as a strong sales and service team to ensure we’re meeting customer needs at the highest level.
Another major growth area is Electric Power Generation (EPG). We currently have several large-scale
Cleveland Brothers Expanding Opportunities and Building Community with MATT CURRY Technical Training & Development Manager
projects underway across our territory, including some very large data centers, and expect continued expansion in that space.
In addition to those core areas, Cleveland Brothers supports a wide range of industries. This includes construction equipment - as you can see with our Cat yellow machines on the track - as well as oil and gas, such as gas compression engines and well fracturing equipment. We also perform complete engine overhauls at our state-of-the-art Engine Rebuild Center in Ebensburg, PA. This impressive 165,000-squarefoot facility is a key part of our operation. Cleveland Brothers is also heavily involved in mining, forestry, industrial engines, and aggregate.
We’re seeing more Cleveland Brothers - and Cat dealers in general - involved in the motocross scene. What’s driving that?
A big factor is recruiting. With the increasing demand for technicians, we’ve found the motocross (MX) community to be an excellent place to connect with potential employees and raise awareness about the wide range of career opportunities at Cleveland Brothers.
Many people don’t realize how many industries we support. When you look at the MX community, it overlaps significantly with our customer basemany attendees either own Cat equipment, work in construction, or are involved in related industries.
Additionally, younger riders are often looking for hands-on career paths. Many of them, along with their families, already have strong mechanical skills - they’re maintaining and repairing their own bikes and equipment. That experience translates well to what we do and has made the MX scene a highly effective recruiting channel.
It’s also been a great partnership overall. Track owners and promoters have made it easy for us to get involved, and they’ve been very supportive of our recruiting efforts.
We often see you and your team at Pleasure Valley Raceway, promoting what sounds like a career fair over the PA system throughout the weekend. What’s that all about?
That’s exactly right. We make it a priority to attend
events at Pleasure Valley Raceway. It’s a strategic location for us, as it’s close to several Cleveland Brothers facilities, including Murrysville, our Ebensburg Engine Rebuild Center, Clearfield, Indiana, and others.
At these events, we set up a booth and have recruiters on-site throughout the weekend. We spend time talking with riders and families, sharing information about career opportunities, and specifically discussing our apprentice program - what it involves and how to get started.
We’ve already brought in a few recruits through PVR, and we continue to build relationships with new prospects at every event. It’s also rewarding to have parents and other adults stop by to thank us for the opportunities we provide and the support we give to the community.
And, of course, Jeff Cernic makes sure everyone knows we’re there. I think just about every announcement includes “Cleveland Brothers” somewhere in it - which we definitely appreciate!
Dog of The Month
Olliver the Frenchie
That feeling when you finally cross the finish line and pull your helmet off!
The American Motorcyclist Association has set the 11-person roster for the 2026 United States Junior Motocross Team at the FIM Junior Motocross World Championship, for July 4-5 in Jinín, Czech Republic.
“These 11 racers represent the future of our sport, and we look forward to seeing them compete on behalf of the United States at the FIM Junior Motocross World Championship in July,” AMA Deputy Director of Racing Mike Burkeen said. “We know this group will represent our country with professionalism and an unmatched competitive spirit during the competition in the Czech Republic.”
Ashbur Hall
Carter Holmes
Jax Baxter
Yumena Berning
Austin Keller
Guage Brown
In the 65cc class, the United States will be represented by Jax Baker, Yumena Berning, Carter Holmes and Abshur Hall. Berning joins Raycin Kyler (2025) as the only American female racers to compete in the FIM Junior Motocross World Championship.
Joey Vicari, Chase Brennan and Austin Keller will compete on behalf of the Stars and Stripes in the 85cc class in the Czech Republic.
The 125cc class will have Noxx Lewin, Gauge Brown, Sawyer Gieck and Chase Dashiell.
Jeff Cernic will remain in his role as team manager, leading Team USA’s efforts during the distinguished international competition.
The future of professional motocross will be on display at the 2026 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship, which pit the brightest up-and-coming stars in the sport against one another on the international stage.
Chase Brenna
Joey Vicari
Chase Dashiell
Noxx Lewin
Sawyer Gieck
PAMX Spring Championship Series
More Flow, Less Friction. Who Is This Guy And Why Is He Writing A Column?
Fair question. Let me introduce myself - the real version, not the highlight reel.
My name is Scoob Leo. I’m a motocross coach, Army veteran, former corrections officer, and someone who has spent the better part of his life figuring out how to stop making things harder than they need to be.
I run Dirt Soldiers, a private 70-acre moto training facility out in Loretto, Pennsylvania, and I’ve been coaching riders for over twenty-five years. I’ve got great kids, a Maine Coon cat named Twix who genuinely believes she’s in charge around here, and I live on a big piece of rural Pennsylvania land that I love deeply.
I’m also one of the new livestream announcers over at Pleasure Valley Raceway on YouTube. If you’ve tuned in this season, you’ve probably already heard my voice. If you haven’t, come watch. And if you ever see me at the track, come find me. I love talking moto, life, sports, all of it. That’s just who I am.
Now let me tell you a little more about who that actually is. I want to be straight with you about something. I was never a big name in this industry. I was just a local District 5 rider who loved this sport with everything he had and decided one day to go all in on it. No famous sponsors behind me. No connections that opened doors. Just a guy who wrote a training manual, built a facility from the ground up, and said I’m doing this. And somehow it worked. I built a successful motocross coaching business, helped kids and riders transform their riding and their lives, and got to travel the world doing it. World-level coaching. From a kid out of District 5. I’m still kind of amazed when I think about it.
I wasn’t supposed to be able to do any of that. Nobody handed it to me. I just refused to let the size of the dream scare me into staying small.
That attitude, that thing that made me go for it when logic said don’t, is a big part of what this column is going to be about. Because I’ve seen that same thing in riders. That moment where someone decides they’re going to go for it for real. And I’ve watched it change everything for them. That’s the energy I want to bring in here every month.
But here’s where the story takes a turn. While I was building all of that, the moto coaching and a successful marketing business helping coaches and local businesses grow with Facebook ads and AI systems, I was also grinding. Hard. Doing too much. Pushing past every limit I had and calling it hustle. And I was running on the wrong fuel too. Too much weight. Too much alcohol. Too much of everything except the stuff that actually matters.
I thought I was winning. And then a skiing accident brought the whole thing to a stop. It severed nerves in my leg. And then I caught a blood clot from it that almost killed me. I mean that literally. I was that close to not being here.
There’s a particular kind of quiet that settles over you when you’re lying in a hospital bed, your leg not working right, wondering what your life looks like from here. The businesses took hits while I was down. Things crumbled in ways I didn’t see coming. And for a guy who had built so much from nothing, that still broke something open in me. But I’ve come to believe that sometimes that’s exactly what needs to happen.
Sometimes God doesn’t whisper. Sometimes he puts you flat on your back and waits for you to stop arguing with him.
I stopped arguing. And slowly, things started to shift. I did the real work. Lost the weight. Put the bottle down. Rebuilt what crumbled. Found my actual mission. And somewhere inside all of that, the mess, the grace, the slow nerve recovery, the sweat, I landed on something that now runs through everything I do. I call it More Flow, Less Friction.
It’s not a slogan. It’s the way I live. The core idea is this. Most people aren’t failing because they lack talent or drive. They’re failing because something is in the way. Fear. A story they’ve been telling themselves for years. A belief that got formed from one bad result and never got updated. That’s friction. And friction is fixable. You remove it and life starts to move again. Riding, business, relationships, health. All of it.
“You ever tried chasing a butterfly? It dodges you every time. But become someone worth landing on and it turns around and finds you.”
I use that with my riders constantly. We spend so much energy chasing the outcome, the speed, the results, the confidence, and the harder we chase the
Potential never expires. It’s still in there. All you have to do is go back and use it.
faster it runs. The real work is becoming the person who already carries those things on the inside. Think like that person. Train like that person. Show up like that person before the results prove you right. That’s what I call living like a champion before you are one. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever tried to teach anyone because everything around us says wait. Earn it first. Prove it before you claim it.
That’s backwards. And it’s kept a lot of really good people stuck. I teach something called PARB. Potential, Action, Result, Belief. Every one of us starts with potential. That never goes away. We take action, we get a result, and that result starts to shape what we believe about ourselves. Most people hit a bad result, form a bad belief, and just stop. They forget they can
always go back to that potential which never left, take a new action, and build something better. That’s the loop. Once you really understand it, nothing keeps you stuck forever.
Potential never expires. It’s still in there. All you have to do is go back and use it.
Every issue in this column I’m going to bring you something real. We’re going to talk about getting physically fit and how I turned a 220-pound body that was running on the wrong fuel into something I’m actually proud of, and how I’ve helped a lot of riders do the same. We’re going to go deep on the mental side of this sport because honestly that’s where most of the game is won or lost. We’ll get into moto technique and training from twenty-five years of coaching at Dirt Soldiers. And we’re going to talk about faith, about flow, and about what it actually feels like to live a life that’s moving in the right direction.
Some months I’ll make you laugh. Some months I’ll say something that makes you set the magazine down for a minute and just sit with it. Either way it’s going to be honest. And it’s going to be real. That’s all I know how to be.
Coming Up In Future Issues
• Building a rider’s body and how to get yourself in real shape without making your life miserable.
• The mental game and why what’s happening in your head is everything on the track.
• PARB in action with real stories of people who went back to their potential and changed their lives.
• Moto technique and training deep dives straight from Dirt Soldiers.
• More Flow, Less Friction applied to riding, business, relationships, and everything in between.
Find Scoob At The Track
Catch Scoob Leo on the Pleasure Valley Raceway YouTube livestream this season. Come to the track, find him, and say hi. He loves talking moto, life, and whatever else is on your mind.
Catching Up with Eric Hull
Eric, how long have you been with Pro-Action? 23 years total. I worked for Pro-Action in 1996. Then came back in 2004 till present day.
What tracks do you travel to?
Lately it has been Pleasure Valley and High Point. But in the last 20+ years I can’t remember all the different tracks I have been too.
Other than changing suspension on dirtbikes, what other kinds of motorized vehicles do you do suspension on? We have a line of Harley shocks and fork kits. Also we do a ton of work on UTV suspension and vintage mx bikes.
What do you love the most about your job?
What I like the most is when you get the suspension dialed in for someone. They have a great race and they are all smiles after. That is a great feeling.
Mitchel Schaut waving the checkered flag for the rest of his class while Shaun helps get his bike.
PAMX - Race Vocabulary Word Search
Click on the this page for the link to play this game online or print out this page. To play online, find the first letter of each word below and drag across the word until it’s complete. Found words will automatically be crossed off at the bottom. Words can be found Vertical, Horizontal, Forward, Backward, or at any Angle. When complete, take a photo of the finished puzzle and email it, along with your name to: MXTIRE@icloud.com - We will email you a $10 Discount Coupon for MXtire.com
Matt Curry manning the tent for Cleveland Bros
Big Joey Cernic taking after his dad in the tire changing business
One of Motocross’s finest, Lamont Hunter
Don’t forget to get interviewed on the podium by Andy on the mic
