Like sands through the hour glass, so are the days of our lives…

For the second weekend in a row, on track skirmishes during practice got the drama started well before the singing of the National Anthem. This time however, stiffer penalties for the parties involved were handed down from the AMA.

In Episode 1, DNA/Shredstix Yamaha’s Martin Davalos let his temper get the best of him when GEICO Honda’s Justin Barcia made a rough pass during one of his fast qualifying laps causing Davalos to see red, literally. The Ecuadorian flipped his wig and stepped-up on Barcia like a pissed-off pimp on an ATL street corner. Davalos slapped him up-side the helmet several times as they rolled off the track. A shouting match ensued. After grabbing the mouthpiece of Barcia’s skidlid, AMA staff had to pull the DNA/Shred Stix racer away from the wild and crazy rookie.

While Davalos’ pimp hand might be been strong, the AMA’s was stronger. The Number 577 rider was disqualified from the Atlanta round for his actions against Barcia. The AMA has a strict “hands off” policy, and had no other recourse but to boot the Yamaha rider from the evenings racing. Barcia was not penalized, as he did not retaliate or escalate during the confrontation.

The strange part about Davalos’ actions is that he and the Honda rookie are friends. They both train at the Millsaps Training Ranch. It will be interesting to see if they are still training buddies after this incident. How will the foreign rider apologize? Does FTD have a “Sorry I punched your helmet” bouquet?

Barcia is already earning a reputation for being a hard-charging rider that is not afraid to get close and bump his way to the front. In the first heat he made an aggressive block pass on Dean Wilson, and in the main even he went for broke, although he came up empty-handed. A failed attempt to hit a triple while battling for a podium spot left him in the 18th spot. The crowd applauded the GEICO rider’s effort but its little consolation as he slips to eighth in the championship. Whether or not it is his intention, he is already getting in the other front-runners' heads. Even in practice the rookie has been making aggressive passes on his competitors just to show he's willing if the need arises. This is what got probably got Davalos all riled up: He simply can’t turn it off. Whether it’s good or bad, this rookie is going to be talked about quite a bit this season,

Brett Metcalfe benefited from his GEICO Honda teammate’s late-race crash. When Barcia went down, Metcalfe was in position to earn the third-place finish Saturday night., despite having crashed hard in practice. So hard, in fact, that he was forced to sit out the remainder of the session. The Australian was banged up pretty good and there was even some doubt whether or not he would return to the track for the night program. Good thing he did as he claimed his first podium of the 2010 AMA East Coast Lites Season. Metcalfe is a tough customer as he also has been racing with a sore ankle from an earlier injury.

Episode 2 was a smashing good time, held under the lights of the main event. It all started when Monster Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto had his night come to a crashing halt. While chasing Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey he cased the final jump of a rhythm section and went for a painful looking trip over the bars. Luckily the bike missed landing square in his back, but the aftermath surely caused him agony. Unluckily, the bike smashed muffler-first into the red Georgia clay. Unbeknownst to RV the muffler tip was packed solid with terra firma as he kicked and kicked in an unsuccessful attempt to get the bike fired back up. Once the offending chunk of dirt was removed by his mechanic, Mike Williamson, he was able to remount his KX450F. The 22 year-old finished a disappointing 19th.

Villopoto’s teammate, Chad Reed is said to be ready for Daytona. The buzz around the pits is that Dungey, Josh Hill, and RV’s job is about to get tougher. The Australian racer is choosing the toughest race of the year to return from his hand injury. A decision like that sends a message that the Number 22 rider is prepared to do battle with the current point leaders. Meanwhile, all was quiet on the J-law front this weekend, but it’s doubtful that will last too long.

Sunday, after the Atlanta Supercross, was a charity ride day was put on by the organization Ride4AT at Bremen Race Park just an hour east of the Georgia Dome. A large number of the AMA Supercross racers donated gear to an auction benefiting Ride4AT. Visit www.Ride4AT.com to learn about this debilitating disease and how you can help. Some notable items that fetched high prices were $500 for a Ricky Carmichael glove, $500 for a Villopoto jersey and $1500 for a set of Dungey’s gear. After the auction, Red Bull staged an invitational relay race called the Re-MX which we participated in. Look for a full rundown of that crazy race coming soon.