450 Words: Tickle and Hansen
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PrintConsider this: After the Oakland Supercross on January 29, 2011, Broc Tickle and Josh Hansen were Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki teammates, and just one point separated them at the top of the 250SX West points standings. The next weekend, Hanny went over the bars in practice and broke his hand. Things have changed significantly for both since, but they're still very much intertwined.
After the hand injury, Hanny amazingly managed to still win the Anaheim 2 SX that night. For awhile, he hung in the title fight, and rumors spread from the Kawasaki test track that Hansen was trying to get into Tickle's head with some strategic trash talk. But the hand injury proved too much for Hansen to overcome, and by the time the tour rolled into the Vegas finale, Tickle was battling Eli Tomac for the title.
Funny thing about that. If either Hansen or Tickle had won the West title that year, they would have been bumped out of the 250SX division. Tickle won, forcing him to move to the 450 Class. Pro Circuit, long rumored to be starting a 450 team, would now be forced to do so since Tickle still had a year left on his deal. Then Hansen decided to race the 450SX class on his own accord, and signed with Hart and Hunting to do so.
A broken hand at Anaheim 2 hurt Hansen's title chances in 2011.
Simon Cudby photo
So Anaheim 1, 2012 rolled around with Tickle on the first-ever KX450F filled with the top Pro Circuit goodies. Hansen was also KX450F mounted, with Pro Circuit help, but H&H was using production stuff. On the eve of the season, Eric Johnson asked Hansen about that for an interview on this website.
Due to the fact that he pointed out of the Lites class and still had a year left on his Kawasaki contract, Broc Tickle now has a 450 ride with Mitch. Would you have liked to have been given a Kawasaki/Pro Circuit 450, too?
I mean absolutely! I had talked to Mitch about it, but yeah, it didn’t work out. I wish I had the same bikes as Tickle, but it’s one of those things that it is what it is. It’ll make it all that much sweeter. I would rather see that guy on that bike than me for the moment because all the pressure rides on his shoulders. I’m a full privateer. I mean I guess we have it a little bit better than a full privateer situation with our semi truck and we have great mechanics and stuff, so that’s good. However, we have no factory parts and we have not done any testing or anything, so we are basically on everybody else’s time and that’s what has been the hard part. We’re not able to ride the Kawasaki track and that’s been a little bit rough on us, but at the end of the day, well what do you do?
Hansen started the 2012 season off better than Tickle, going 10-10-13-10-20-6-6 early, while Tickle scored 12-DNQ-8-13-10-18-11 finishes. At the halfway point of the championship—Atlanta's eighth round—Hansen had 86 points, and Tickle had 59.
Then an ankle injury started to thwart Hansen's results, and he finally had to drop from the series altogether. While Tickle didn't find spectacular form—he never made a top-five result even in an injury-depleted field—he was steady to the end. And in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, where Hansen has not raced in nearly a decade, Tickle found his stride and rallied to several podiums.
Tickle would go on to win the 2011 250SX West Region and as a result was forced to move up to the 450 Class for 2012.
Simon Cudby photo
Hence, when the season was over, Tickle found several teams offering help, while Hansen did not. In a fit of irony, Tickle ended up signing with the team Hansen used to race for—Hart and Huntington—only now the team is fortified with help from Ricky Carmichael, and a full-works Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450.
As for Hansen, Hart and Huntington let him go over the summer. He had been spotted in California riding on a stock Suzuki, and more recently has been riding a Kawasaki again. Rumors say he may end up on what's left of the Jeff Ward Racing team, which could return to its old L&M roots and do a supercross-only team with Hanny. Nothing is official yet, though.
In the meantime, Tickle goes about working and testing for his new team, once again riding the bike Hansen wishes he could have had, for the team he wishes he could have been on.
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in closing, Hanny is still a punk and Tickle is a hard working dude with no BS gimmic and H&H was over it....... Did Hanny ever admit to who f'd his face up?? Sure wasnt from a BMX bike
Trust me it wasn't a bmx bike that did it. Thats all i can say. My lips are sealed.
I like Hanny, he's got the speed and a lot of talent. If he would only put in the hard work. He can be a serious threat in the 450 class.
one of these two guys sounds like a meth'ed out scrub from the valley when he talks
true, it's like the meth jacked his vocal chords and subdued all emotion into boring interviews. He needs to loosen up, maybe get some tattoos and get a less annoying 'chickle' :)
Not to get off the Hanny tear down but I don't think Mike Alessi did any complaining about not having any factory parts. He had a pretty good outdoor season. He just put in the hard work and testing to make his ride the best his team could make it.
Hansen is easily a top 10 guy in supercross....actually a top 5 or 6 guy last year without factory parts etc. It would be interesting to see what he could do on a factory 450. Of course he would have to really really want it, cuz when he does (X Games) he flies. His whoop speed is right there with Stewart and Reed.
Jamin George...Hansen didn't complain about not having factory parts. He was asked if he would have liked to have been given a pro circuit 450 too, and answered honestly. I think you need to read it again...lol
Alessi looked like crap on that bike until the end of the season when things got a little better for him.
@KilloMoto and @hondalife, I feel totally out of the loop on the gossip. Is there some story about Hansen claiming his face got mashed by a BMX bike versus some angry dude that did not like tats? Is there a picture of the mashed up face? Just curious.
I hope Hansen gets a good ride.Maybe Hansen and his old team manger form HH will hook up again.For the life of me I don't understand why HH picked Tickle.He didn't get in the top 5 not one time in SX with eight out of the top ten injured.Most lites winners are top three right off the bat some even win as SX rookies yet he couldn't get in the top 5 in a depleted field.I like the guy I was hoping he would win the lights after Hansen got hurt.I would of picked someone else over him.Maybe he will surprise us but I have my doubts.
@Fred - A true Coach will pick someone who will give 100% and hard work over someone with talent but comes with a lot of drama and hardly any drive to be completely successful. Tickle has the ability to get better while Hansen has yet to put in the hard work and wont race outdoors. Suzuki also wanted someone to do outdoors. no offense to Josh Hill but i dont think he will be ready for outdoors for at least another year, and Hansen hasnt raced outdoors for a decade. Tickle had more of an all around package over hanny.
I believe Tickle was the next best guy that wasn't already signed at the time. I Iike the Hill/Tickle combo for RCH. Hope they both do well
I dont know Hansen but from what I've read,seen,he had the moto life handed to him on a silver platter and p!$$ed it all away.
flip side of the coin
Tickle comes across as a good egg.
In my book anyone that opts out of grassroots outdoor moto is a prima donna.
Josh Hill gets an exception for obvious reasons.
It seems like an easy choice to me. Teams have to make their sponsors happy. Do you want a professional looking over achiever to represent you, or a talented under acheiver who looks like trailer trash?
Truth be told, our sport needs the Hanson types as well as the Tickle types. There needs to be the full spectrum of personalities to compare and contrast so that there is a choice for the viewers to root for.
If there was a full gate of squeaky clean Dungey clones, where would the interest be? Don't get me wrong, I like the Dungey and Canard types, but if you look at how Dale Earnhardt changed Nascar, you will realize that Stewart, Hanson, Reed and Hill give the sport a rich pallet of hues to paint a dramatic story for the viewers.
If the sport is to grow, then our tollerance for diversity must expand to include the lunatic fringe, as long as they are fast and don't present a danger on the track.
Vive la différence!
Yes when you stand over the camode and tinckle look you will see Josh Hanson sillouette looking back at you.. LOL !
JonR145 Yes i have a pic.. it looks like the pic was takin in a bar. i believe i have it on my fb
The field is so deep next year that until some get carted off the track will we see the moto fills rise to top 5 - 10. Then everyone talk how great their SX season went *********
HANSEN, I have the pleasure to know the whole family, and Josh isince he was racing at age 14, he was diss-repspectful to his parents then and now. He is just a pink and a dissapointment. He threw away his life. and cant get his act together and anyone that trys to help him your wasting your time. Let him go work at Walmart, that is were he belongs.
@SixTwoOne, what is the story, rumor or line on what happened?
If we need punks like Hansen in our sport, bring J-Law Back!
I doubt that Carmichael and Hansen would have been a good combination... Unless RC turns out to be the Phil Jackson of motocross racing, in which case, Hansen would have been RC's Worm. LOL
not a hanson fan- kinda sad to think of how truelly tallanted he is if only he didn't make punk decisions
Obama will take care of lil Hanny...he will make even more if he claims he's gay.
"if wishes were horses , beggars would ride"....Hansen seems like a once greatly gifted rider who is a little to interested in other 'stuff?' to be considered any longer before riders who only want to race and win....maybe he'll prove us wrong...good luck......time will tell...@Dash wins the first cornball political gay blast of the month.....geezus.
To the one that mentioned Alessi not complaining about not having factory parts their would be no reason for him to complain about when he was on KTM he would complain about the bike all the time and remember he felt the team was holding out on him on better parts they had in Europe and he may not have complained this season he still did the feel sorry for me story because no one wanted him on a factory team lol
I give Hanny maybe another season or two till he drops out of racing completely no one is going to pick him up unless they are desperate, his reputation sucks, and honestly if H&H wont keep him who will?
Here is the pic of Hansen after the "BMX" accident...see it here in good old Racerhead #49
http://www.racerxonline.com/2011/12/09/racerhead-49
You just have to scroll down towards the middle of the page.
I'm sure a little effort with google would turn up plenty.
Trey Canard is a blessing for the sport, being CLEAN CUT. Why do these riders think they need tattoos everywhere once they start getting good results?? Is it image or low self esteem??
I almost turned the TV off when I saw jake weimers tattoo the other night. Josh grant, millsaps, izzy, and Hanson should be more concerned a out training and less about the INK.
it screams EVERYONE LOOK AT ME!! IM DIFFERENT AND IM FAMOUS BUT MY BODY DIDN'T LOOK GOOD ENOUGH WITHOUT THIS CRAP, NOW IM COOL!!
Its almost as bad as facebook.
Team Honda doesn't need that crap in their advertising for little kids.
Josh Hanson is a menace to society because because he simply wants to be different and get attention for it. He should be marching gay pride festivals and protesting with global warming activists next because he isn't happy with himself and million dollar teams sure as hell won't put him on the cover of anything.
I realize my comment is going to upset quite a few but too bad. There is a reason golf, and a few other sports are mainstream. Clean gentleman representing billion dollar Sponsors... Motocross is becoming as bad as the NBA. What happened to the Jeff Stanton's and mike laroccos??
This is one of the reasons I love Justin Brayton.. And the reason muscle milk follows him around. He makes the sport look good.
Sorry for whoever I upset, I'm a nobody with a simple opinion
@rickamatuzio, totally agree. I have said the same for years. Guys like Dungey (whether you like his riding or not) are critical in bringing new riders, young riders and families to the sport. Guys like J-Law are a plague and destructive force in the sport. People who supported J-Law simply don’t understand the issues of marketing to corporations and public perception.
Whether they like it or not, professional athletes are public figures and what they do in their personal lives and professionally reflects upon them as individuals, the sport in which they work, and their sponsors. Ever wonder why Kevin Windham makes so much money and has such huge autographs lines at his age. It is pretty simple – he understands marketing.
j-law, hanson, and ryan mills should start a team they could get sponsership from Sylvan learning centers!!!!!!
Why does the RacerX staff regularly get stats wrong?
Hansen started 2012 with 10-10-7-10-20-5-5.
It's so easy to look up. Why do fans seem to know the sport better than these
"insiders"?
@JonR145 Not many people know what happened to Hanny's face. Like i said in a previous post lips are sealed....
@hondalife stop sayin you're lips are sealed and tell what you're supose to know...Its not like if you would loose you're job for telling that or quit sayin that you know what happen but I wont tell you ....
rickamatuzio...Really, the 1950's called and said they'd like their way of thinkg back.... "I almost turned the TV off when I saw jake weimers tattoo the other night"
Jake Weimer is pretty clean cut. Because you happen to see his tattoo's that are usually covered, now you put him in with the likes of Hansen... So according to your shallow logic, J-law is clean cut because he doesn't have visable tattoos?
@hondalife.....please, stop with the little girl, "I've got a secret but I ain't tellin'" gargabe.
Its obvious that he got an ass-whoppin at a bar. The picture is the cleaned up rawness of the aftermath before he got stitches.
The guy is a punk from a well known superstar. WOW, thats unique (not) as some of the youth today are a part of the "I deserve everything" generation.
As Alfred E Newman used to say......"What, me work?"
@SevantiesRacer Well he didn't get his ass whooped he actually beat the guy down. The guy sucker punched him with a beer mug..
Lets quit crying for these guys when they get bumped up to the 450 class like they SHOULD.
@rick, you sound like a guy with a lot of skeletons in your closet.
@motod6 totally agree with you on that one. Go ahead and turn your tv to the clean cut wholesome golf channel Rick. We have j-law they have Jon Daley. You know him right? Big fat alcoholic dude that plays golf. Or maybe Tiger Woods. More well known then anyone probably in motocross. Clean cut all around good guy right? Ya, right. I'm surprised his wife doesn't have some kind of STD due to his being a good role model. I'll bet if you look up all the negative press about professional athletes you'll probably notice there's not to many motocross guys on the list. But hey, it must be the tattoos right?
Oh boy I knew this was coming. The 50s weren't that bad were they?? I mean 20% divorce rate, American made quality cars, big engines, nicely dressed folks, low crime rates, great economy. Today's way of thinking? Ok.. An eighth of the country unemployed, 4 cylinder jap pieces of crap, murders every day, and a 76% divorce rate.. Etc etc etc
Yes I have skeletons, but your missing mine and Jon's point. Ya, bill Clinton got a blow job too but look at the bigger picture. John Daly drinks, so what. He isn't drinking public on TV. Tiger woods had an impeccable reputation for kids until the media decided to make him the anti-Christ. But as a BIG picture all PGA tour players are class acts. Much of Motox is too, great people. The point I'm making, is if you owned a SUPER SUCCESSFUL GAS STATION and had to hire a clerk to represent you to the public.. WOULD YOU HIRE A DUDE WITH HIS FOREARMS LOOKING LIKE A MOVIE??? No f'n way. I learned that is college immediately. Cut your hair, dress nice, present yourself well when applying for a job.
Racing well is only a part of the equation . Honda will NOT put some dude on the cover of their brochure looking like an as@hole punk. Sorry but true.
People get FIRED for being drunk and stupid in public in the real world when they represent a company.
My problem with Weimer, I always pull for him. While I love he bought his dad a farm, and I'm still a fan.. After seeing the tattoos my understanding of him dropped a peg that's all. No big deal, but I was disappointed.
People more interested in results than daring and tattoos always come out on top. Look at 90% of AMA champions. Period
Oh, and for all you know-it-all gurus, ever wonder why Ryan Dungey got the job instead of Nico Izzy ?
Izzy was a Amateur champion, with incredible resume. Dungey had no past at all with success..
I know the story, I'm from minnesota. Roger Decoster couldn't stand to look at Izzy and knew he was a little ass. He chose Dungey because he knew Ryan was mature and more concerned about success. Looks like roger made the right pick.. Ya, IT WAS ABOUT THE TATTOOS. Ask him.
^^You are a stereotyping close-minded fu*king idiot.
Just an example, but Pete Fox (President and CEO of Fox Racing) is fully sleeved. Pretty successful guy with a globally successful company.
"Closed minds should come with closed mouths"
If you notice the most successful riders don't have tattoos. When is the last time someone with sleeves, or tattoos anywhere on or near their cranium, won a race? Besides it seems like these days everyone has them. Even soccer moms do. If you want to stand out don't get tats. When all these tattooed up folks get old, saggy, and wrinkled they won't look so cool anymore.
Justin Jongerius I be the Bigot here . I agree with
rickamatuzio on Decoster and Dungey. It's presenting a good image......... Decoster would know whats up . He has been a corporate Giant his whole career. Who cares aboput the Hansens and the twiches of the world. I just hope all them Tattoo's on Carey Hart dont run off on Camichael he then would be known as lil tattoo..LOL !
And the chick's on the Oneal Search look like porn chicks covered with tatts . I would rather bring a Leeann Tweeden with brains to the Thankgiving dinner wearing her Thigh Highs a nd get down for desert than some chick that looks like a b class scnk any day .. Plus mama would above............
@Biguglymaniac I just read the Earnhardt changed NASCAR comment and I'm puzzled. How does Dale Earnhardt in any way compare to Josh Hansen? Is there a side of Earnhardt I'm not aware of? Pretty clean cut other than the big red neck mustache. He was known for aggresive driving not abusing drugs or alcohol. He was involved in a sport created by moonshiners. I'm pretty sure he was more clean cut than the original drivers.
Good call Hammer!! Funny.
Yes, once again thanks for proving my point about Moto crowd. Brian Deegan has made millions as well full of tats, good for him. Oh what about his image?? Exactly. I guarantee you he won't make it to NASCAR like Pastrana looking like that.
Guys, come on, I don't mind a heart on the ass cheek or something, but some people destroy themselves with tats. Maybe it's cool, but I just don't get it. Nipple rings, ear rings in the nose and lips.. Sorry for being close minded but those people looking like fuc$king idiots to me.
Why be so obbssessed to change your looks like that? Get a tan, ripped 6 pack and look healthy for Christ sake if you want to pull chicks and get fast.
I guess tattoos must add about 2sec to lap times.
Maybe I'm just not about the "cool" factor but I know all my friends with tats admit they were drunk and stupid when they did it and wished they could erase them. Oh, nico izzy admitted it as well..
Decoster wanted nothing to do with that mentality.
I bet mike Tyson really pulls the wool
Just because ones father made to the top, doesn't mean you can be just like dad lo lol,this guy josh with the long hair and tats included has ghetto trailer trash written all over it .............