Racer X ReduX: Oakland
Tuesday, February 1, 2011 | 4:20 PM
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PrintWelcome to Redux presented by Yoshimura. Do you know what the Japanese letters on a Yosh exhaust translate into? Really good exhaust system, I think.
Everyone was all super pumped on racing at Dodger Stadium in LA, but when that race ended, and focus shifted to the next event in Oakland—another venue not on the 2010 schedule—the hype was deafening. Or maybe things were just silent because no one was talking about it.
Whereas Dodger Stadium always stood as both a dangling carrot and a forbidden fruit for supercross, Oakland-Alameda Stadium garnered lima bean level enthusiasm. First, it actually had hosted supercross before, and second, it replaced the swank AT&T Park in San Francisco on the schedule. The needle never moved for Oakland.
But after actually attending the races, it seems like Dodger’s Stadium is more Dodger Dog than full-course meal, and Oakland might even be worth upgrading to hamburger level, at least. Dodger’s Stadium is historic, and that’s about it. In Oakland, I expected to find an old, run down stadium, but the place was actually newly upgraded and quite cool. It sits in a sports complex with the Oracle Arena (home of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors) next door. The track was unique, and riders seemed genuinely excited after track walk. Matthes’ said the track looked small and easy in Obs? Ha! The GOAT himself told me he was talking about the track with James Stewart and Stewie was going on and on about how he couldn’t wait to get out there. (BTW-later, Stewart probably wished he had waited).
Is it time to elevate Oakland to hamburger status?
Photo: Garth Milan
And even in a steady rain, the fans came out—44,000, in fact, which is 3,000 more than showed up in Los Angeles last week. Few would have expected it, but I think Oakland ended up being the superior new venue.
I try to get to know the new venues by inevitably getting lost and making a wrong turn on the way to the track. This weekend I couldn’t find the stadium entrance and blew right past. Thankfully this weekend Toyota let me borrow a Yaris, a car about as long as a Dodger Dog and turns like a Traxxas. I made a fast u-turn to get out of there—if not for front-wheel drive, I could have easily competed in an East Oakland Sideshow on my 16s. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki8KNyHOs8U&feature=related
You just need to forget what you expect to see when you show up at these races. Detroit has a horrible rep, but the area surrounding Ford Field was actually quite nice (of course, the area surrounding that area wasn’t quite so). Orlando is thought of as a magical place, but the only magic going on outside the Citrus Bowl is probably a disappearing car trick.
Similarly, we had some expectations for the Oakland race that were quickly dashed. Stewart took two big headers in practice. Now he had a big decision to make, as did I. Stewie had to decide if it was worth riding the last practice. Meanwhile I, in tribute to the 1989 Oakland A’s “Bash Brothers” tandem of Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco, had planned on using the joke “Bashed Brother” at some point during this event if a rider went down. But when I realized I could apply it to Stewart, I decided not to use it since it could offend some people. Wait, did I just use it here?
A early mistake by Villopoto allowed Stewart to take the easy win in Oakland.
Photo: Garth Milan
While Stewart sat out, Ryan Villopoto was sprinting around the building like Ricky Henderson, and since he won last week, was the solid favorite for the night. But then Stewart returned to the track for his heat race and went over a full second a lap faster than anyone else. Yeah, RV had a bad start in his heat and didn’t get a clean lap, but still, Stewie was all MC Hammer—you can’t touch this. (Note: Hammer is from Oakland so I had to use him. Unless I write a column about some rider going bankrupt after building a house with solid gold floors, this will be the last reference).
In the main, Villopoto did some bashing of his own and secured the lead. Stewart got to second, and before they could really battle, Villopoto went down. Didn’t Stewart fall last week before they got to battle? These guys are really doing their part to extend the drama each week.
In Anaheim, Villopoto won, but I think Stewie might have been the fastest. In Phoenix, Stewie won but I think Villopoto might have been the fastest. In LA, Stewart crashed while leading, but I think Villopoto may have won anyway. And in Oakland, Villopoto crashed while leading, but I think Stewart may have won anyway. Whatever happens, just expect the exact opposite to happen the next week.
Other leftover Oakland jokes:
When Stewart crashed in practice, his bars took on the shape of Rollie Finger’s mustache.
The Dirt Wurx crew used the same equipment Jose Canseco used to dig up dirt on other major league players.
The ruts were so deep, riders were digging all the way down to Jamarcus Russell’s career.
The first two laps of this race tell the story of the season. RV and Stew waste zero time going after each other, while everyone else seems to be more conservative. Reed told me his ignition had gotten water in it, and his bike was cutting out right from the first lap. “James passed me doing some jumps that I was pretty scared of doing,” he explained. “As a team owner, I’m a little concerned about things like that happening. This wasn’t Daytona ’08 or anything that bad.”
Will Stewart be able to carry the momentum of Oakland over to Anaheim II?
Photo: Garth Milan
Okay so that’s a decent reason to be conservative, although I don’t think Reed was gonna’ go with James even if his bike was perfect. Go watch the TV show and look at how big of a lead RV and JS have on the second lap. It was crazy. Better yet, watch the second turn of the race. Stewart enters in sixth, jumps to the inside and block passed like THREE riders at once, and then goes leaping past Reed. One of the riders Stewart hit the hardest? Dungey. No response from the champ.
So maybe this season will end up like the great Stewart/Reed battles of the past, with a super-go-for-it-but-could-crash guy pitted against a more consistent foe, only now we have two of each, Stewie and RV in the fast camp, and Dungey and Reed in the consistent gang.
Here’s something to note. Villopoto got up and caught Dungey immediately. Dungey looked like he was just cruising around and trying not to crash, until Villopoto nearly passed him on the inside of that table top hip jump. Dungey then looked back at RV and took off! He started going inside on the hip jump, passed Reed and checked out. Dungey really wasn’t using his full speed early, and I’m just confused as to the strategy here. Does he just expect Stewart and Villopoto to throw it away at some point? I understand the merits of playing it safe on a rutted track, but in the meantime, the top two riders in points left him in the dust, er mud.
But then Villopoto did crash again. So I was thinking maybe Dungey does know what he’s doing, until he seemed to coast again on the last two laps, and Reedy snuck past him. Where’s the fire from the champ?
Dungey took home third place in Oakland, but he's looking for more.
Photo: Garth Milan
Trey Canard was off to about a 19th place start and did an amazing job clawing his way through. Austin Stroupe and Davi Millsaps were leading the “besides the big four” train ahead of Kevin Windham and Brett Metcalfe, and you expected Canard to roll the whole group. Fatigue got the better of ‘Stroupe and ‘Saps, then Canard got around Windham and Metty. He had come from a long way back, and he was going to get fifth, right?
No! Metcalfe refused to lose. Like Reed, he buckled down on the last lap, and made up about three bike lengths in the final rhythm section to get inside of Trey and make a picture-perfect last lap pass.
I headed over to the Metty motor home after the race to ask him about the pass. Lo and behold, the motor home was packed, and everyone was watching video of the race (Metty’s wife Sheena records the races on her camera and then Brett watches it ASAP). Everyone wanted to see that last lap pass. As Brett got closer, you hear Sheena yelling “GO METTY GO!” into the camera, and when he made it full-on applause broke out in the motor home! Good times with the Metcalfes.
Metty had his best finish to date in Oakland, fifth.
Photo: Garth Milan
Later, when I was thinking about all of this action—Reed going slow and then fast, Dungey going slow, then fast, then slow, Canard going fast but then slow and Metty going slow and then fast—I realized how gnarly that track must have been. The best riders in the world were just trying to stay on two wheels, and if they really wanted to take chances, they could pick up the pace. But it was risky.
Davi Millsaps and Mike Alessi are old amateur rivals. They’ve both had their ups and downs as pros. They were far apart in Oakland, though. Millsaps, who hadn’t done much at all at the first three races, was suddenly on the gas in Oakland during practice. DM18 is still working his way back from a major crash at Budds Creek, and he was lacking aggressiveness. At Oakland, he finally got with it. “I decided to just push as hard as I can, scrub every jump as hard as I can until I couldn’t do it anymore,” he told me. “That lasted about 10 laps. You ever heard of arm pump?” Hey, Davi doesn’t have 20 laps at that pace left in him, but at least he tried this time.
Then there is Alessi. I really think Mike just does not want to race supercross, and his bad results are a self-fulfilling prophecy. He does not want to get good starts because he does not want to get good finishes, and if he does not make the main event, that’s okay because it only proves his point that he should not be racing supercross (and maybe a 350) in the first place.
Yes, Mike sucked in the whoops. These whoops were big and Mike has always been bad in supercross whoops. I’ve always been confused as to why the rider who had the most perfectly planned amateur program never learned how to ride the most important obstacle in racing, but here we are. And he wasn’t exactly killing it anywhere else on the track—Dan Reardon, in his first race this year, and also on a 350, passed Mike for the last transfer spot to the main in a sweeper. Mike should not be getting passed by Dan Reardon for the last transfer spot to the main in a sweeper. I believe Mike has downgraded from not trying to do well to purposely trying to do badly.
Will Alessi be able turn around his 2011 season?
Photo: Garth Milan
Finally got to the bottom of the Austin Stroupe deal, mostly because Austin is now talking to people again (if you wanted an interview with him from 2009-2010, good luck, which is a shame because before that, he was really cool and fun to talk to). Anyway, Austin told me his shoulder was so bad that he wasn’t even planning on racing until Houston, but he decided to test himself in practice and the heat races at the first few rounds, anyway. He quickly learned he wasn’t strong enough for main events. That’s why the guy was hauling in qualifying but no-showing for mains. He finally went for it the last two weeks. He still doesn’t have 20 laps, but the laps he does have in him are good. Don’t give up on this kid yet, although it's hard to imagine that he was once supposed to be Pro Circuit’s “next Villopoto.”
I’m seeing the Lites class shaping up like the Supercross class. You have two veteran dudes—Hanny and Tickle—against two go-for-it kids in Tomac and Roczen. The kids are getting better every week. I saw a glimpse from Tomac in Phoenix, and a full, solid race from him in LA. When he got the holeshot in Oakland, I thought the win was a lock, but he crashed. And also, Hanny’s gotten all savvy now and I think he only rolls out his true speed when he needs it, so he may have dealt with Tomac anyway. I’m just trying to point out Tomac’s progress so when he inevitably wins soon, I’ll get some credit. Yes, I want credit for predicting that the kid who won his first pro race ever will win a Lites SX. I’m nostradamus here.
As for Tickle, it’s going to be a good tussle of styles between he and Hanny. Butcher versus surgeon here. When the track got gnarly, Tickle took off. And the way the West works, we could have more gnarly races like that. And even if we don’t, Tickle is going to go after Hanny hard. Throw in the kids, and we’ve finally got some excitement in this west region.
As potential spoilers, Cole Seely had a bad night when he busted his rear brake and DNFed. Kyle Cunningham continues to be fast—he was even faster than usual in his heat race until he crashed, and then he crashed on the start in the main. But if he ever figures it out… same for Martin Davalos. During the race, I had skateboard legends Salman Agah and Steve Caballero sitting behind me, and one of them said, “Man I really thought Davalos was going to be a contender this year.” I hear that every year.
The whoops in Oakland seperated the men from the boys.
Photo: Garth Milan
The whoops were definitely the dividing line in Oakland, because all of the other cool, unique sections became one-lined. The poor track builders. They will build a section with a half-jump on one side to create a new rhythm, and the riders immediately figure out which is faster, and it’s over. The whoops were so tough on this track that a lot of riders just rolled through in the first practice, waiting for them to break down and get smaller. I saw Trey Canard go for a blitz, and he got through with the grace of Grave Digger jumping over a school bus. Bikes were sliding side to side like Hammer in a video…wait, no more Hammer jokes. Reed also made Jason Thomas walk into the bottom of a whoop to see if they were actually over JT’s head. It was close.
That’s it from Oakland. Email me with your thoughts on this week, such as why CBS’ supercross coverage sucks. Here’s a hint: if you’re a big enough fan to read this column, you’re not the intended audience. You probably also don’t like Bubba’s World or seeing Fox shirts in the mall. Anyway, [email protected]
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Weege,
You honestly beleive Alessi is TRYING to do bad at SX? How much sense does that make? Can't he lose his ride if the results are not there? I don't see your point of view AT ALL on this one - sure Supercross is not his game, but he is a FACTORY rider, and I think he should be expected to make mains. Where do you get the idea he is trying to sabatoge his career? Oh yeah, and I emailed you TWICE last week, and you never got back to me. You cut me man, you cut me real deep right there! Don't Canadians have a right to getting their enquires answered??? Check your emails, bro.
I have to agree with Weigandt on Alessi, that kid is not even trying. A FACTORY rider starting off the season the way Mike has should be sat down and asked WTF? I think that he thinks he can do what ever he wants to and it looks like Mike only wants to race outdoors. Maybe Mike should go work the parts counter for a few years and then maybe things would look a little different. Just my two cents.
these articles are great
Agree totally with with style comparison. Throw TC 41 into into the OMG this is probably gonna not be good camp. Anyone notice that although both 7 and 2 have tucked into coners, the new James Stewart OTB get offs are just as gnarly as the old James Stewart. Where is the master of the outside line on a 250F RV ? The bike looks solid in the whoops but Villopoto looks kinda uncomfortable and hey if 22 struggled on green maybe its not all RV. CR and 1 are waking up. B 10 and 24 will podium this year. Is it May yet ?
JimM
CarlsbadCa
First of all, Weege probably has more people emailing him weekly than characters in a "Bo Knows" commercial (there's another Oakland joke for you - YouTube it, kids!).
Q. Why does CBS coverage suck?
A. Instead of full heat races we get hard-hitting coverage of Cole Seely's iPod playlist, Traxxas RC cars and stock footage of the pit party (its cool to be in the pits but if its a party, its the worst party I've ever been to). I know advertising pays the bills, but you asked why it sucks and there it is.
Keep up the good work, Weege!
Good starts equal podiums all season for CR.
Want to see him throw a little of that caution to the wind though..
the coverage on CBS sucks because those capturing the images and those directing them are not fans of SX, MX or racing in general it appears...we need to have a team that understands the sport to film it and edit regardless of whether its delayed or live broadcast...we need someone like Wes Williams (epic) , TGO, or steel roots etc that understands what is important to see in racing and what is not...when 1st & 2nd pass a turn separated by 2 seconds and then 3rd, 4th & 5th are coming all seperated by .5 second they pull the scene to follow the leader riding around by himself...boring, they keep killing the anticipation, excitement...when there is a battle for 2nd & 3rd but 1st is going over the finish line don't pull away from the 2nd place battle put the leader in a little PIP window and show the battle for 2nd...thats what everyone wants to see....
Why do so many people, including Weege, say that the CBS coverage sucks? From what I understand, it's the same people producing the Speed coverage, yet they have only 1 hour to present an "edited version" of what we're used to seeing. I thought the race from LA on CBS was awesome. So many people who can't afford cable got to see a great battle, and I think it can only help our sport. I'm just thankful we get to see it at all. It was'nt too many years ago that you had to wait a week to see a SX race, muchless on national TV or even Live. Keep bit%#@(*, and maybe all of us can look forward to pay-per-view next year.
Agreed the CBS races are horrible. If they won't show them live, I'd still rather watch the entire Heats, LCQ and Finals on Speed Sunday. CBS uses it as filler between paid infomercials and some other sport they show live and full coverage. Really glad to see Reed on the podium and RV2 looks so fast out there but just like Bubba he has to keep it on 2 wheels when he gets out front.
I wouldnt discredit Dungey yet. Yea he rode faster when RV got to him but still we are in the early stages. You cant win now but you could lose it all. I still think something is going to happen this season. someone is gonna get hurt. Dungey is still one of the favorites to win and he will get a win soon.
Nice analysis. If pay per view gets us live coverage I'd take it but I guess partial next day coverage with overly excited announcers giving race analysis is better than nothing. I will say RC has improved very much from his previous years and is interesting to listen to when he's given the chance during the race. I always thought you and JH did a great job on coverage during the live audio shows last year. CBS did show one more heat race than at LA which was great and they have been showing the whole main without commercials which I think is an improvement from last year but I'd really like to hear some insight as to whats planned for the future coverage,
PLEASE MAKE SX PAY PER VIEW!!! FULL COVERAGE!!! GREAT IDEA!!!
If you don't get what Weege is trying to tell you, let me clear it up. You are all going to watch the coverage regardless of how bad it is or what network it is on. Now they are trying to get your wives, girlfriends and Nascar buddies to watch as well. Isn't there like an hour preair to NASCAR? Marketing, viewers and attendance is what will bring the sport up to the next level. Think of it as a means to and end. My wife only got interested when CBS aired the pre season profiles and got to pick K-dub because he was (in her opinion) the best looking. One day we may get an hour of Seeley's iPod tracks preair to 3 hours live coverage of every race...or is that a stretch?
On second thought if CBS wants to attract viewers mabye they should progress on how they caught my wife's attention...Monster girls pit bike mud race? It is getting close to a 3 ring circuis anyway.
I can tolerate many things. I know we have to "show some love" to the sponsors. But putting in a plug for the Toyota Yaris is going too far. A Yaris?! Have you no shame, man?
hahaha Weege don't feel bad, I had to drive my grandmas mini van to oakland! I only had 60 bucks had to make like 10 sandwiches but dude we made it! I understand why they do what they do with CBS and yes I will watch NO MATTER WHAT and dude you hit the nail on the head I HATE seeing people wearing fox shirts everywhere. Although now its FMF, I always ask people if they even know what it stands for. Ofcourse, not a clue!
Did anyone learn anything from the 125/250f switch??!! How can someone like Short, or Alessi spot Stewart, Reed, Villopoto, Dungey etc 100cc and expect to beat them?
Let's back up a bit. The question was not, "Would you rather watch the CBS broadcast, full coverage delayed one week, full coverage on Pay per View or nothing at all?". As fans of the sport, I believe we can be happy with what we have AND hope for more. I'm happy that CBS airs the race, but, in my opinion, there are some things about the broadcasts that suck, the biggest of which is the absurd amount of advertising instead of heat races. That being said, I will be watching regardless of network because I love the sport.
Stupid funny Weege!!! So my guess is you won't be hanging out with the Allessi camp any time soon??
Am I the only one who thinks that this rag has stooped to new lows by not acknowledging the death of Nathan Woods? Sad, Racer-X used to have class.
"Email me with your thoughts on this week... if you’re a big enough fan to read this column, you’re not the intended audience." LOL... i.e.: this question, at the end of the article, will never reach the intended audience of the question. :D Oh, and Fox shirts? Don't get me started. I swore off Fox when I saw kids who had never touched a bike wearing Fox everywhere, then... THEN - I was flipping through the channels one day and I saw some boy band (NSync or BackStreet boys or something - a while back) Wearing Fox gloves and Chest protectors during a performance!! No Fox for me, sorry!
Oh, and hey; moron (aka rainman). Don't jump to conclusions.
http://www.racerxonline.com/2011/01/28/nathan-woods-rip
DER.
"The ruts were so deep, riders were digging all the way down to Jamarcus Russell’s career" ok, sports references don't get much better then that. Nice"
Spot on race coverage... I was asking myself the same thing about Allesi. Short continues to improve, Mike lags. His did is not at the races anymore... could it be?
Sorry. What I meant was... His dad is not at the races anymore... could that have anything to do with it?
I take back the moron part, rainman; I was in a bad mood. But don't piss on RacerX. They rock.
toby. I have been reading RacerX since it was written on dirty newsprint, my kids were riding minibikes and you were still in middle school, You have no idea.
It is plainely obvious that Andrew S.and Mike A. need 450's. I am asuming that they would catch at least a podium once or twice.
You guys are all missing the point. Hate on CBS and Speed because the productions not good enough. Think where we would be without them. ESPN a week later, uh ok....... Thank You CBS... And the FOX haters who cant grasp the concept of that what FOX has done is provide a brand / product that was able to represent motocross to the mass of consumers outside of our sport to show the world how cool the mx lifestyle is. FOX ables dealers everywhere to make profits on soft goods year round, when bikes and units dont move for the dealers who fund the sport to exist. Yes they sell boardshorts and Tshirts at the mall, but they use that money to fund motocross riders to race and create the best products available. Real riders, and true fans would not rag on people who make the sport better. CBS and FOX are atthe top of their industries for the right reasons. Nuff said...
Dude we all know that about fox and they still do have some of the sickest gear out there especially shift. Everything they sell does support the sport and get the product out to the masses, but it would be nice if the people who bought it gave a shit. I mean you buy quicksilver obviously you know it's a surfing brand and some people would look into it. But some people just have no idea and just sport it we call them "posers" but it has become more of a legit clothing company now. It's FMF that gets me people who sport that should really know what the hell it is!
Although it just barely started living up to its name the Flyin Machine Factory! They just started flyin when they got Kawi and Poto on board!
Motoguy, are you the one who asked me about Langston? I don't know anything about it so I don't have an answer for you.
Yes, I know my Alessi theory sounds crazy, but it's the only one that makes sense. How could the dude have become THIS bad? He was never a SX specialist, but straight up getting passed in the LCQ?
I'll try to get back to some of you guys who emailed me about CBS. I think it's cool that the spot has next-day coverage on a network, and I think those networks have a better idea of what makes people watch TV than we do. I'd love to see nothing but racing, and I've put in my vote before that the shows could use deeper analysis to give the racing more depth and create more interest, but still, GWM said it right: his wife liked the part about Windham and his personality more than any of the racing. When you go on the big network, you need the bigger audience, sad but true!
Weege, keep up the great work.
Great observation on Mike, He isn't a quitter, but SX/MX is all about having
confidence with in yourself. Did He lose this spark? I doubt it, but something
is wrong with His head.
Racer X said the same broadcast crew does Speed and CBS. Guys, at least
we are getting SX / MX mainstream. How many of you guys were around back
in the USGP days at Carlsbad and had to wait until Wide World of Sports would
have it on? Remember those days? Or early SX / MX days where it wasn't even
broadcasted?
God Speed Nathan Woods.
Reedy had some moisture in the ignition, huh? That's why he only garnered a 2nd place. Sorry, Weege but I don't think Alessi is trying to do bad. I just think he made his rep when there wasn't much depth in the field and people expect that to continue when there is tons of depth. Plus trying to make up for the 350 only amplifies it. Short isn't top 5 now like he was when the depth was less. It's understandable position-wise, but he isn't even close time-wise either. The 350 may not be to blame, but it can't be helping.
I cant believe nobody commented on this: Only 41,000 people at the supercross in L.A. in a city with about 7 million in the Metro area?? What a joke. the home of motocross racing my eye. Indy sells over 60,000 tickets every year, and the city doesnt even have 2 million in the whole metero area. And Red Bud is 2 hours up the road in the middle of nowhere, South Bend is 35 minutes away at least, with all of 50,000 people at the most. And Red Bud has the largest crowd of any National all year long. It sounds to me like the mid-west has alot more hard-core moto fans to me. And why the hate for Orlando, I went to a supercross there, I did not think the neighborhood was bad at all. Never had a problem, we even stayed in the city over night. Orlandos Citrus Bowl was NOT in a bad part of town that I saw. Weege, bashed Brother is funny, dont let the race card stop a joke, if its just that. People need to quit being so sensitive. B-KR, it read that about Reeds ignition someplace else too, but the writer said when Reed pulled off after the race, he revved his engine and it sounded bad, like it was missing or something, so maybe theres something to it.
B-KR, maybe the 350 is hurting them some. It makes 11 less horspower at 8000 RPM's, and that might mean the difference in making a triple while protecting the inside, or having to go outside to carry enough speed. If you cant take away inside lines and hit a big triple because your down on power, it could definatly hurt.
COME ON Weigandt! Even Jlaw knows that to do donuts in a FWD rental you just put that bish in reverse, tach it to 7k and drop the clutch! Just don't roll it over! AHAAHHAHA
Alessi is just waitng for the outdoors so we can all watch RV2, the guy who never beat Alessi in the amateurs (allegedly) smoke him like a pig and the rest of the field.......I forget where Alessi was last year in the outdoors while Dungey to the title?
A guy only has so much fight in him and when it seems to come from all angles for so long well.......... its hard. Find the joy Mike, hang in.
JimM
CarlsbadCa
I agree that the coverage on CBS SUCKS!! To all of the people that are complaining about it; be glad you even get to see it. I live just outside of Memphis TN. and if CBS has the coverage we don't get it period! They will not air the race if it's scheduled for a 12 eastern time airing; that's 11 central due to a First Baptist Church show. Not knocking that but they could at least show it later in the day. If CBS has the coverage I have to wait until SPEED picks up the show.
Richie- If CBS doesnt show the race, motomonstervideos puts up the full show (sans commercials) on youtube. Usually same day and 720p quality
I miss AT&T park. It was a great venue. The atmosphere at that park is awesome. Selling 3000 more tickets is nowhere close to worth the move...but I didn't make any money on the deal either.
Rainman: just 'cause you been reading it longer don't mean squat. You were still wrong about RacerX and jumped to a wrong conclusion. Get your facts straight first. I reinsert my 'moron' comment here.
Are you kidding? At&t park? you liked walking four miles to the pits? Oakland was so much more convienient and I loved the atmosphere there I went to every single race at SF from 03 to 10 and I would say Oakland kicked the crap out of it! Much more historical venue as well, and the dirt! waaaaay better than SF!
I would agree bd200 on the 350. Watching the latest Shorty race report, he sounds pretty down on himself as far as his results. I can't say that the 350 is killing them, but I'm pretty sure it does not provide any advantage whatsoever. For Alessi who was already not so good in SX, it looks to have just crushed any confidence he had. I predicted he would miss 5 mains this year, but he's already at 2. I don't know.
I strongly agree with weege on the Alessi statement. I think he's throwin races to prove a point! Even though he isnt great in SX he is good enough to make every main on 350 or 450 he just isn't even trying! Its hard for me to say bad things about him because I grew up with the Alessis and have nothing but good things to say about them for the most part but I think he is throwin races! Really sucks! I say they just pull him from SX get him on the 450 and get ready for Hangtown!
Nice write up
If you watch the LCQ in Oakland, you will see Alessi pull to the left of the whoops and roll every whoop. He doesn't want to be in SX, or on that bike. If he makes a main, he has the pressure of doing good, if he doesnt make a main, no pressure and he's proving to Decoster that he shouldn't be in SX. But according to Decoster, he asked Alessi after round 2 if he wanted to stay in, and Alessi said yes
why is 800 such a bad sx rider annyway? Hes pretty good outdoors when hes not ridin a ktm350CC. the other guys all can do both, whats with him?