Racer X ReduX: A2
Wednesday, February 9, 2011 | 10:00 AM
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PrintHouston, we have a problem.
I wrote this here because A) I want to get the jump on everyone who will be running that next weekend and B) because I really think everyone might have an actual problem in Houston. A problem handling James Stewart. His Anaheim 2 performance was the dominant ride only Bubba can produce, the same ride that made me write this back in the pre-season:
James Stewart’s potential to just destroy everyone is the scary part of this season. If James still has his fast ball, he could go on a streak and turn this into a route. And I believe he still has that fast ball. Missing nearly the entire racing year last year with a wrist injury was bad, but it was the best thing he could do. Rushing back from a navicular break is career suicide, but James avoided it, and I think he’ll be 100 percent for Anaheim. And a 100 percent James Stewart is scary if you have to try to beat him.
Before the Bubba haters grab their pitch forks, keep in mind I only said Stewart had the potential to mount up a big streak. I wasn’t sure he was actually going to do it. On the annual pre-season podcast with Matthes and JT$, I said the smartest money would be on Ryan Dungey, because you know he won’t throw it away. Then I really wasn’t sure of Stewart’s chances when Ryan Villopoto ran him down in Phoenix and Los Angeles. But is A2 the new sign of things to come? Is it the latest, newest, new beginning?
We could just wait until the season is over in May to know, but where’s the fun in that? Let’s guess!
This can go two ways. A2 could signal a season-long declaration of dominance from Bubba. He was struggling with Chad Reed at the beginning of the ’09 season, but as soon as he rolled out in practice at the Houston SX (round four that year,) I knew something had changed. His team had made some major bike changes, and for the first time on a Yamaha, Stewart found his classic form—launching huge jumps with the front end down—a style everyone else can only replicate while playing Excitebike (or Mad Skills Motocross for your iPhone!). He dominated that night, and while Reed kept the ‘09 points race close, there was never a doubt for the rest of the year that Stewart was the fastest man (on the planet?).
In '06 found his zone in Orlando, will A2 prove to be that race this year.
Photo: Simon Cudby
But, I remember the 2006 Orlando SX as well. Stewart had been battling Ricky Carmichael all year. At most races, James would be a few tenths quicker than Ricky in practice, but Ricky would find a way to generate that speed and match him in the main event. But RC couldn’t match James in Orlando. Stewie was just in the zone that night, and no one had anything for him. Oddly, the next year in O-Town, RC came in riding a part season, rushed in from the hospital after his wife gave birth to twins, and was still able to give James a 20-lap duel. After dominating in ’06, the next year, he was mortal enough for Carmichael to at least challenge him to the finish.
So maybe A2 was a Houston ’09, a sign things will be different for the rest of the season. Or maybe it was Orlando ’06. Just a good night.
To further blur the lines, the A2 track lent itself to James’ style. The mish mash of jumps through the first two rhythm lanes was very technical, and James exploded through them like he did in Houston ’09, or like he did when he was a kid, when people would say, “this Stewart kid rides like he’s angry at the track.” He was even donning some pink on this evening, like he did when be broke into SX in 2002, in this very building, riding just as hard. Stewart went quad-triple-quad-quad at one point. He was punching the faces of those jumps right in the face.
A return to Houston could spell trouble for the rest of the field.
Photo: Simon Cudby
He didn’t need to do the quad at the end of the first rhythm lane, (he told me he was praying to God he would get a good start so he wouldn’t have to pull it). But watching him launch two quad jumps in the next section, it’s as if he’s on a totally different type of machine than everyone else—like they’re all on 450s and he’s on an 850. For those of you saying racing shouldn’t come down to who has the balls to jump something big, this combo was all skill. On a slippery track, James nailed the triple-quad-quad combo perfectly each time. One team member said you could have put a piece of paper on the landing of those jumps and James would have landed his front tire on it every lap.
In contrast, Ryan Villopoto is much more gentle over the jumps. When he first came into the 450 class, it seemed like Ryan was getting bounced around. I remember him running up front at the ’09 Atlanta SX and it looked like his bike was way stiffer than everyone else. Today, he’s very graceful when he launches, and you don’t see him getting bucked around or losing traction very often. This is obviously very effective most of the time, but simply no one can match the explosive leaps Stewart if the track requires it.
Houston’s track will be different, so we’ll see if this was just a one-race wonder, or if James Stewart has taken control of this series once and for all.
Wait, did I admit earlier that the smart money rested on Ryan Dungey? That’s worked out about as well as anyone who bet on the Steelers to beat the spread. Lo and behold Mr. Consistency scored a DNF due to a derailed chain, and now he’s staring down the barrel of a 38-point deficit on Stewart. A far as title hopes go, the Done-Gey nickname is just tantalizing fans on the message boards and the comment threads right now. It’s sitting right there for the taking.
Dungey had a very un-Dungey like DNF at A2.
Photo: Simon Cudby
After the race, Dungey’s team manager Mike Webb said the sprocket was gouged as if someone had run into Ryan, but that doesn’t really matter now. The Dunge was fastest in qualifying and won his heat, but keep in mind that Stewart elected not to race the second, and faster, qualifying session. Dunge wasn’t exactly raging through the pack after a bad start in the main, either, although in his defense it was nearly impossible to make passes on this track. Point is, I’m not sure he would have been able to catch Justin Brayton or Chad Reed anyway, so he would have been looking at a big hole in the standings even if his chain had not broken.
Reed scored a quiet third and Brayton a quiet fourth. Of course, all of Brayton’s finishes are quiet. We’ll have more on JB today with our Going for The W column.
Last week I mentioned how I will inevitably get lost and make a wrong turn on the way to every SX race. You would think I’d have the trip to Angel Stadium dialed since I’ve been living in So Cal for a month, and had already driven there a month earlier. But no. For some reason I decided to skip jumping on I-5 (The five, in Cali speak) and just kept on trucking up the 55 for no reason. Eventually, I got lost and had to turn around. The streak continues!
Here’s another story: I first attended the AMA Amateur National at Loretta Lynn Ranch in 2002. I was amazed at the heart and effort the kids put into their racing. This one race had the power to change lives, as a good finish could result in support and money and help for mom and dad down the line. So the kids just dug deep. If a rider needed to make a pass in the final moto to win a championship, you’d see him win or crash trying. It was awesome to watch.
Only one rider stood out to me for not trying: Josh Hansen. Hanny was pitted against, believe it or not, Jeff Emig, in the 250 A class. They each won a moto, setting up a showdown for it all in the final race. There, Fro tapped into the ghost of Steel City ’96 and grabbed the holeshot, while Hanny had some work to do. He got into second, and I started watching for the all-out, balls to the walls, win or go home, checkers or wreckers charge that you only see at Loretta’s. But it never came. Josh just cruised in second and lost the title, saying that Fro got the start, and there was nothing he could do.
So the years go by in Hanny’s pro career and everyone’s bagging on the guy for not having any heart. I would have never guessed. Until finally, on Saturday night. He crashed, he broke his hand, he sucked it up and raced. Afterwards he told me how much it hurt and how much it sucked, and how he had always had a rep for being soft, and how he knew now was the time to erase that. It was a gritty, gutty performance.
Tickle couldn't take advantage of Hansen's injury, and dropped eight points back.
Photo: Simon Cudby
He may have changed on the toughness scale, but he’s the same old Hanny when it comes to race craft. When Eli Tomac made the big pass, Hansen just waited him out, stuck to the inside, put him into the tuff blocks, and got away. A more experienced rider would have hit the brakes and cut back under, but Eli got a little too excited and walked right into that. Hansen has never been afraid to throw an elbow, and he used that skill at the right time. It wasn’t dirty, just good race craft.
I have to wonder if Hansen may be feeling even worse in two weeks when the West Region series resumes. Sometimes adrenaline gets a guy through the first night, but the rest are even harder. But after San Diego on February 19, the West riders get more than a month off, so Hanny’s looking good overall.
When the season began I thought of Hansen, with his experience and talent, as a man in a boys class. But the boys with the most potential upside are Tomac and Ken Roczen, and they’re definitely showing it now. It took them a little too long to figure this out to win the title, but one of them is going to win a race before the season is done. And now KTM just announced that Roczen is racing a 350 this weekend in the big class. This really shows you where KTM’s focus sits. Roczen is set to race the MX2 class in the GPs this year, but clearly the Orangemen don’t care about that as much as they do getting Roczen as much SX experience as possible. And, maybe his hard-charging style will mesh with the 350, which the KTM guys always say needs to be ridden like a 250F, not a 450. Since Kid Rocz adrenaline is going to be sky high on Saturday night, could you not see him just going off and leading a few laps in the main before reality catches up to him?
I think the wheels have officially come off of the “This is the year Martin Davalos finally breaks through” machine. When he started second behind Hansen in the heat race, I thought he would be able to rally around the injured one-hundred and get a confidence boost. But Hansen was able to fight through the pain, and Martin couldn’t get it going. Kyle Cunningham won his heat, showing that he can indeed be smart, smooth and win if he doesn’t have to go crazy making up for a bad start. Right now, if I had to vote on which rider will pull a Cole Seely holeshot and get a breakthrough main even win, I’d vote for Cunningham.
Broc Tickle could not take advantage of Hansen’s bad fortune. He finished a close fourth behind the kids, but he lost seven points on Hanny. You have to wonder if Broc got a little nervous in the PC truck, wondering if he had just been given a championship gift. He also didn’t get a good start, and did I mention this track made it hard to pass?
I know, tough, technical tracks sound good, but they just don’t lend themselves to battles. The riders were clearly occupied mostly with just racing the track and getting their timing down on the rhythm sections instead of setting up passes. The only riders I saw getting into it were Brett Metcalfe and Davi Millsaps. They had two killer battles in their heat and in the main and somehow found spots to pass each other in just about every turn. Metcalfe won that one, but when the best battle on the track is a battle for ninth, um, yeah let’s just move on to Houston.
Right now I’d vote for Brayton as most improved rider. But I think Kyle Chisholm would be second. Even after a huge practice crash, he was running for a top five early in the race before tipping over. If you chart where Chisholm was early in 2009, (just barely able to make mains) and then early 2010 (struggling looking for a ride) and now (legit 6-10 guy, could get top five on the right night), you see he’s come a long way.
Alessi looked to have found his passion at A2.
Photo: Simon Cudby
Hey guess what? Tony Alessi returned to the races this weekend and Mike Alessi started riding like the old Mike Alessi. He tried as hard as he could to get the best start he could, even if he knew he would go backwards. He may have only been the 12th fastest rider, and he may have only finished 12th, but at least he gave it his full effort. There’s no doubt in my mind Mike was in some sort of crazy funk at the beginning of this season, as if he was trying to prove he shouldn’t be riding supercross and shouldn’t be riding a 350. Maybe now he’s just going to move forward. His teammate Andrew Short had his best ride of the season, also, with sixth. I think a tight, technical track worked in favor of the 350 this time.
A2 was the Pink Race again, and I think more teams than ever where behind it. I couldn’t find anyone on the track not working in some sort of pink, from gear, to graphics, to exhaust caps. It was definitely cool to see. I also think Stewart’s black and pink Answer attire popped the best. You know, he was rocking the pink and black gear before it was cool.
That’s it from A2. Shoot me an email if you want to share stories of making wrong turns and getting lost on the way to the races. [email protected]
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yeah go bubba! woohoo! BUBBA!!!!!!!!!! soon to be 2011 Supercross Champ! and Ryan Villopoto runner up!
Can't wait to see how RD responds now that he must win to have any chance at this(unless JS and RV get hurt). Will he finaly start pushing guys out of his way?? Also I have issues with you Weigandt when you stick up for RD by saiyng it was hard to pass on that track.......... WELL the Rook TC had no trouble. RD as I have said before take way to much time to make passes and it is bitting him in the ass this year. The others out there do NOT fear him like they do JS and RV. When JS and RV get bad starts they find a way to the front fast. RD Needs to move people out of the way and put some fear in there heads.
How about this take; Dungey comes out on fire at A2 laying down the fastest laps in qualifying and winning his heat race. After crossing the line in 10th after the first lap he worked his way into 6th before the halfway point on a track that some say was impossible to pass on only to have his chain come off and end his night. Its very possible that RD would have passed into 3rd or 4th but we will never know..
Bubba, RV dodged a Dungey bullet at A2 as he was the man to beat that night and now Dungey will have the biggest fight of his short supercross class career on his hands trying to claw his way back into contention for the title.
Why make excuses for Bubba regarding the second practice? It is what it is, RD was fastest. Also why speculate that RD could not have passed any further up the leader board when you could have just as easily reported that based on his performance thus far that night he was likely to move up more? You come off as a real dick here jason..and the perfect example of why you see so much anti-bubba talk and booing at the races. Next time think first then try to be more even handed.
I have read all the comments and articles on A2 and the series and I thought I would weigh in before Houston. I don't think James dominated at A2, he won by 4 seconds and never pulled RV by more than 5 seconds. To me RV clearly was not in his most groove and was riding careful.
Also the "quad, quad" he was doing while looking awesome, was not the reason he was faster than RV. Looking at the timed segments JS was actually slower than RV in the rythems and faster in the whoops. I don't think Js is going the have it easy at all. I feel that houston will be very interesting we will see you guys there.
I feel that Reed will improve and that he and Canard will finish ahead of Dungy. Every racer out there is incredible to me as I race and have a good idea of what these guys are really doing, we have a bunch of really classy racers this year that are true sportsmen. It is a mental game to really know you can win, what a great sport !!!
I give Hansen props for fighting to win with an injury, and he obviously has talent. However, it is still hard to be a fan of his. I mean this guy is going to be an old man by the time he gets to the big class. This kid was born into a situation that pretty much gauranteed him MX/SX success. So here he is still in the lites class. I know rules are rules and i might do the same if i was in that situation but there also is no rule saying you have to win a championship before you move up. I just can't seem to get behind him as a fan knowing that he alot older than most of the 450 guys. He is racing and beating the future superstars of the 450 class but will never be a 450 superstar himself.
Jumping on the JS band waggon so soon?!
Dont count RV out in this series.
He is the real deal and knows how to find speed to win championships. He is not going to lay down for Stewart because he was faster at A2.
RV will win main events this year and maybe a championship.
"Raddad"....totaly disagree with your thinking that RV and JS "dodged a Dungey bullet" at A2!! I'm not bagging on RD at all, but he got a bad start and was "slowly" moving forward, only up to sixth, before his chain derailed. It's just like everybody always says, just because a guy is a few tenths of a second faster in practice it doesn't mean they are any type of shoe-in for the win in the main event!! Anything is possible from ANY of these guys on any given night, that is so true, but RD wasn't showing anything that led me to believe he was going to get past RV or JS that night! Who knows?? Calling Weege a dick here is totally out of line also, but i would hedge a bet that there is no love lost between you and STewart so i guess it is to be expected!! RacerX has definitely given JS a considerable amount of press this last week, and i think he deserves it THIS WEEK, but i'm willing to bet they hope it riles up the fans a bit (which it does) and maybe even pisses off some of the other riders and adds a little motivation!! Method to the madness, maybe!! Just enjoy, more surprises in store at the races i'm sure!!
whatever, I agre that he was uncalled for calling Weege names, but YOU dont have a very objective opinion either. EVERYBODY on this site know you are a Stewie groupie. You arent even on this site if Stewie doesnt race, so raddad my take your opinion the same way you take his. But some of his comments were uncalled for. But Stewie wins 2 races in a row and some people act like its "Stewie Domination" already. Everybody already forgets that RV has ran him down from behind twice. He is human, and he isnt impossible to beat, just ask RC. Even Reed took him to the last round before, and guys say he stinks. This season has just started , so Weege and a few other guys need to realize there are alot of races, and probably alot more front tire washouts to come. Lets just hope it goes all the way to the last round no matter who wins.
BillC, your right, Dungey better respond quickly. I hated to see that happen to him. He would have been to 4th before the end I think. I dont think he will challenge for a title, but he would have been locked in a serious battle with Reed all year long.
I know you guys are going to rag on me for saying this..... The ONLY person thats going to beat JS, is JS himself. RV has yet to pass JS,, and make it stick.. When you catch the leader, and do not end up passing him,, it really doesnt mean a whole lot. The leader does what id needed to win the race,, and sometimes that involves criusing.. I will be SHOCKED if RV can pass JS and make it stick...
Good article Jason. The pink gear has never been cool though. I'm not afraid to say the pink gear is ugly and the whole breast cancer thing is stupid. Not that trying to help cancer victims is a bad idea it just seems out of place at a supercross event. Why not support spinal column injuries or prostrate cancer. You think at some female dominated sporting event they are going to have a testicular cancer support day?
Whatever heres the deal
I was trying to show that a race report can be slanted any way you like. Jason is a dick for calling RD done-gi. Obviously its a derogatory term and people on Vital were clicked for using it..its been reported on this site that bubba had the fastest segment times but did they bother to report the a few weeks ago at "the best race ever" that RD had the fastest time in two segments during the actual race? No..
See what i mean? As a bubba fan one can dig up things that can be used to show he is the best or will win every time etc. but so can an RV fan or a RD fan but it seems that RD and RV to a lesser extent are left out in the cold no matter what.
It just gets old that RD gets very little respect when in fact he is doing very well derailed chain not withstanding..The move of to 6th by lap 7 or 8 was great considering the bunched up riders in front of him going every which way to race each other and when he did clear that bunch his chain came off so why does jason say he would not have passed any further when he could have said that he was on a tear and could have ended up on the podium?
He would have said that about bubba if it was him that was stuck in back right?
mxmofo, chasing and putting heat on the rear tire of someone who's known to buckle under pressure is still a pass....a smart pass at that. It's taking advantage of someone's weakness just like Stewart makes passes on people in the whoops week in and week out.
Also mxmofo, I agree Stewart only beats himself. But that is a huge part of racing, being mentally strong. It doesn't take any credit away from any of the riders that have beaten him on numerous occasions. Apply pressure, watch him crash, make the pass. It's noones fault but his own and is more than fair.
Retardcross,, Sorry, but in my book, that doesnt count,,, because there is no way to tell if that was the reason for the crash.. When the crash happened, JS had a little gap.. It wasnt like RV was showing him a tire whn the crash happened,, and thats only happened once.
Retardcross,,, Lets NOT forget that RV has been beating himself also.. Remeber last year ?
ABOUT 7 DOMINATION...anyone who says Stewart didn't dominate A2 obviously hasn't ever sat on a starting line. When the gate dropped the race was over, no one, even RV was willing to try what 7 was doing consistently and comfortably, they all knew they were toast...and if you have ever raced and had to line up against a guy that made you look stupid previously...you know you got dominated...and you hate that feeling...so YES 7 dominated, and YES it was a huge statement and just like Unadilla few years back, some guys on the track will never 'beat' 7 again...
THE TRUTH...it is a day of dominance when the only hope other riders have is a crash...the same was true for RC, & MC(ask emig)...some of you only have hope for your guy to win the title if the best guy goes down...must be torture waiting...
I QUOTE "As a bubba fan one can dig up things that can be used to show he is the best or will win every time etc. but so can an RV fan or a RD fan.." end quote
what exactly are RD5 fans 'digging up' that makes them believe he can win? (other than a crash by the two faster guys...)
ur post is a BIG stretch just to prove urself a hater...just post 'i hate 7' everytime you think about writing something on here because everytime you write, that is all anyone reads anyway...
go RV2, go JS7, go CR22, go TC41, and go faster RD5
Good report Jason and I think you just sy the things you do to get the message boards lit up! I like reading the comments as much as the articles. Yes I think the Supercross tracks are tamer than they were in the 80's that is the last time I was on one. Those peaked doubles back then were kinda bad. At least there is some marging for error now but not much.
Bill C,
When determining that a track is hard to pass on, my rule of thumb is if 19 guys have trouble passing and one guy doesn't, then the track is hard to pass on. Yes, TC rolled forward, but no one else did. One guy made passes. Does that mean the track had room to move and everyone else just didn't get creative enough? I doubt it. After the race, I asked a bunch of riders where "the best spot to pass was" and no one really had an answer. There just weren't any spots to make a move.
Raddad,
I'm not being even handed? You really have to twist hard to make it look like RV and Stewart , who have won all of the races so far, dodged a bullet from Dungey in this one. Stewart and Dunge both rode first practice, a heat and the main, and Stewart had a faster lap in each one. RV and Bubba have won all the races this year. I like Dungey and he was riding well at A2, but it's ridiculous to say that Stewart dodged a bullet here. Are you sure I'm the one who is not being even handed?
mxmofo, I know RV can take himself out too, I've never said otherwise. RV has made rookie mistakes like most of the greatest in our sport, but I don't think pressure is something RV struggles with like Stewart. We've seen that on the world stage. I'm not only referring to this series, it's been a trend for Stewart's whole career for him to make mistakes under pressure. Like I said, that's not an excuse for losing races, that's called getting beat. On another note, Stewart had everyone in check this weekend at A2, but dominance? I wouldn't go that far yet. He's not the only person to win a race by leading wire to wire, and his largest margin over second place was slightly over 5 seconds if I'm correct. His lap times were only slightly better (which really doesn't mean a lot sometimes). And before you tell me he was taking it easy, I believe him and RV both settled in that race. I think RV knew he didn't have it for him this weekend (which he didn't) but a second place is great for points. This early in the series he's just as eligible for the title as Stewart, at less than 1/3 of the way in 5 points is almost negligible as we all know how unpredictable things are. That's why we watch the races.
@retardcross...he won and led every lap...beat Rv2 in the heat race, beat him in the main, Rv2 was in position both times, how is that not dominance?
Jason Weigandt, I agree 100% it was a hard track to pass on, My point is RD seems to always have a harder time getting by people. I would bet my last dollar that JS or RV would have come thru the pack like thay always do, Even faster then TC did. There are spots to make a move if you have the burst speed like RV, JS and RC have. They always seem to be able to do it. The rest of the guy wile they are among the best in the world just don't have that.
bd200 don't forget the year Reed took JS all the way it was because JS had a DNF, he killed Reed all year. Reed did not pass JS for a win once that year but JS passed Reed for many wins. JS was by far the better man that year.
raddad........... JS and RV dodged a bullet... now that FUNNY!!!
It was Stewarts night, that's all. 100 of 340 laps completed, there are going to be races where it isn't his night, same for #2, #41, #22, #1, etc. To consider this season a tremendous success, I would want wins from #41, #22, #1, #33, #29 and maybe some more and I wouldn't care who won the title. For a fan of any color bike to come to a race & have a shot at his bike winning is my description of a "perfect season". I've seen domination (Johnson, McGrath, Carmichael) and I'm ready for something else.
Congratulations, you just said exactly what I said in my comment, that RV was beaten this past weekend and looked like he settled comfortably for second just like JS settled in his pace. How is it not dominance? A 5 second spread over 20 laps and a 5 point gap in the points is how it's not dominance. RV got beat this weekend, I stated in my last comment I'm not only referring to one race also. And before you throw the gnarly quad Stewart did in my face, I don't think that's what made the race (and definitely not the series like the JS bandwagon seems to think), I think the whoops were his strongpoint which is nothing out of the ordinary.
Let me refrase that bd200, Reed only passed JS for a win if JS was on the ground he never ran him down and beat him because JS was just flat out faster.
quote:
I think the whoops were his strongpoint which is nothing out of the ordinary.
end quote
r u really saying that stewart isnt usually the fastest in the whoops...WOW, this statement proves your ignorance and the fact that you know nothing about this sport and you haven't been watching..he has ALWAYS been faster in the whoops
god you are stupid(or a retard)...whatever your name implies
Hey dipsh*t, learn to read. I said the exact opposite of what you just tried to crucify me for.
Jason,
In my opinion, the first part of this article and the subsequent comments made by some of Stewart's starry-eyed worshipers are perfect examples of one of the two reasons why so many fans do not respect him. The comments are unbalanced. They hold double standards galore. And they are not content merely to overstate the significance of his wins. Indeed, they must elevate his victories into "dominance" and the humiliation of his opponents (see Halfe's example above).
So let me see if I have this right: (1)Stewart himself was "praying to God" he got a great start so he (2) wouldn't have to fight his way through the pack on a track that you and others say way almost "impossible" to pass on, and (3) could take advantage of a track design that was an advantage to him and a disadvantage to his competition by doing the quads. And he won with the start and the advantages he himself admitted by 4 seconds. Wow, dominance. Yet the first part of your article and the worshiper's comments make him sound like the second coming of Jesus Christ.
The second reason he has lost so much respect from the fans is that Stewart got his start, as do ALL supercross riders, by riding OUTDOOR motocross. Without outdoor motocross, there is NO supercross. Yet Stewart turned his back on the outdoors, after winning a single outdoor 450 championship, becoming the willing fly in Larry "The Spider" Brooks' web. It was a slap in the face of the fans and the sport that made Stewart a millionaire, and makes supercross possible.
Here's an idea: If "supercross only" is such a great idea and good for the sport in general, why don't you go propose the idea to your boss DC that all the factory riders and top support teams go "supercross only" and skip the Nationals and see how he reacts. I suspect it will not go well.
The very fact that you have to say, "Before the Bubba haters grab their pitchforks" in your article shows you are acutely aware of the fact that the media, some Stewart fans, and Stewart's own arrogance have created a fairly large group of people you derisively call "haters". Maybe they just really, really don't like the hype of a rider they feel is overrated and has disrespected their sport crammed down their throats by the media, his fans, or anyone else.
Ever think of that?
quote:
I think the whoops were his strongpoint which is nothing out of the ordinary.
end quote
r u really saying that stewart isnt usually the fastest in the whoops...WOW, this statement proves your ignorance and the fact that you know nothing about this sport and you haven't been watching..he has ALWAYS been faster in the whoops
god you are stupid(or a retard)...whatever your name implies
..........................................................................HAHAHAHAHA NOW thats some funny chit!!! How could you even right that?? WTF???
pilotdude, I will agree with you. There has never been such a biased crowd of fans standing behind a rider before JS. When he wins, he was taking it easy and dominated everyone regardless of the margin of victory. When he's beaten, he gave a gift to everyone and crashing himself out of contention is not his fault. JS fans are the only group I can recall that will absolutely not admit defeat even when it happens right before their eyes. No matter what the results say, Stewart is ALWAYS the best rider on the track EVERY single weekend in their eyes. And JS bandwagon, please don't confuse "best" rider with "fastest" rider. We all know who can turn the hottest lap (JS) but that's not what wins races as history has shown repeatedly.
Give it a rest "bd"...seriously, i'm NOT being a JS groupie dude!! If you notice in my post above i come to the defense of BOTH JS and RV.....and yes in coming to their defense i only mean that i state my opposing opinion of what someone else said....i'm not claiming to be speaking the gospel here man, so don't start jumping on me just yet!!! The competition is tight , the title is still COMPLETELY up for grabs and there are going to be plenty of ups and downs to shake things up yet this year....i'm not expecting, or predicting anything.....no one should!! Enjoy the series, it will get better i think!! Oh, and "raddad", it's all cool man, but i don't think Weege actually coined the "Done-gey" nickname.....he just references it.
Lol BillC. I got chirped the other day for being literate too. Man I love how karma works.
Pioletdude... you say...So let me see if I have this right: (1)Stewart himself was "praying to God" he got a great start so he (2) wouldn't have to fight his way through the pack on a track that you and others say way almost "impossible" to pass on, and (3) could take advantage of a track design that was an advantage to him and a disadvantage to his competition by doing the quads. And he won with the start and the advantages he himself admitted by 4 seconds. Wow, dominance. Yet the first part of your article and the worshiper's comments make him sound like the second coming of Jesus Christ...............I say..... He wanted a good start to get out, IF RV was pushing him he would have felt the need to do the other quad. You call the track design an ADVANTAGE to JS??? WTF that would mean YOU think JS is the best guy out there too, a hard track is only a DISADVANTAGE if you are not as good right??
No BillC, I did NOT say the track design was an advantage to Stewart. JW and many others in the media did. I just repeated what they said.
Pilotdude,
Keep in mind that I'm writing only about A2 here. You may have your feelings toward Stewart not racing outdoors, but this column isn't meant to judge his career, just what went down at the race on Saturday night. And in that race, he dominated. Forget the final margin of victory. Anyone who was in the stands, in the press box or on the track watching knew that James had this one on lock as soon as he started gapping the field by the third corner. For real. He was pulling away by the third turn. Even RV quickly realized it just wasn't going to happen on this night.
And if Stewart did get a bad start, he had the first quad in his back pocket in case he needed it. He didn't want to do it, but he jumped it once in his heat race just to make sure he could.
This is the first race this season where you could clearly say the fastest man won--crashes and bad starts spread around all the contenders at the first four rounds made for good bench racing. What if RV didn't crash in Phoenix or Oakland? He may have won but we'll never know for sure. What if James didn't crash in LA? Who knows. This is the first race that left no doubt.
And as far as me giving God status to Stewart, remember just two weeks ago here he told me he would have won the race in LA if he had not crashed, and I wrote that I wasn't so sure... RV looked like the better rider in that race, and I wrote as much.
My point is, if you look back over my column each week, I try to report on what the race looked like if you were there. Somedays a rider is the hero, somedays he's the goat. You may be upset that James stopped racing outdoors, or maybe you're thinking about the way he's treated by, or has treated, the fans and the media. All are interesting topics. But I'm not going to let that cloud my judgement about what the 20 laps in Anaheim looked like. That's what being even-handed is really about.
all I know right now is that this is pro SX at its finest with some extreme talent out there. Can't wait to see the next round..... throw a 350 into the top 5 and make it a top 6 (K-Rox has nothing to lose).
Hey guys !!! Jason, all you guys that write these articles- keep them coming this is great !! Damn why do some of you get your feelings so hurt- WE all love this sport !!
I am rooting for RV, but I really like just about all the riders out there. James is incredible but I believe RV can and will run his speed and is learning the ropes and gaining the confidence and expierence to win. I even think there is a very good chance for the title.
I feel Canard will continue to improve, and I think Reed will focus on pure racing and place third this year with Dungey and Canard breathing down his neck.
5 points in 5 races is not dominating at all and its fine with me if some of you think that. We all know at some tracks some do better than others. We all know JS has more expireince than RV. Rv has passed and beat James more than anyone and he is gaining and doing much better than last year.
Dungey was not riding well (for him) in the main last week, and made alot of mistakes before he lost his chain. As he was riding I don't believe he would have caught Justin unless he got back in the groove and got his timing back. He will do very well but I really believe he has to stretch his comfort zone to get better than 5th this year.
Canard and Dungey are both good kids in my opionion, but I do wish they would keep church out of racing, I wish them both well.
BILLC, you are so WRONG. I was at the Indy race and watched Reed make up time and press Stewies rear fender for an entire lap until Stewie fell over. So ther is one pass for the win, and there were a few more, like St. Louis, too. Wrong there Bill. Reed ran him down at the Indy race I was there and watched it. MXMOFO, if you dont think RV2 was faster at Pheonix then you are just too ate up with Stewie or dont know moto. RV beat him straight up twice period. Numbers dont lie. There are just some tracks he will be faster, and other tracks Stewie will be faster. Its that simple. I am a RV fan, have beebn for along time, but I'm not blind to see how fast Stewie is, I picked him to win the first race of the season. But to be insulting enough to a rider with RV's talents is just dumb. Saying he hasnt beaten your boy that he just beat himself is dumb. Its like saying Stewie didnt beat RV2 at Oakland because he washed his front end out. Its the same thing right?? So whats your answer there?? My answer is RV got beat, period. Just like RV beat Stewie in two pervious races, its that easy.
Dungey is strarting to rival Stewart with the amount of haters. Congrats Ryan! This is a sure sign of success in the industry.
And BillC. if I am understanding this right, when someone says "which is not out of the ordinary" means they do it all the time correct?? So whoever you were quoting is saying Stewie IS always fast in the whoops. You may have been ripping on somebody for no reason, because they gave Stewie a compliment and said he is always fast in the whoops section. You might want to correct yourself there.
Ya, pilotdude.....SX only really seems to have hurt Jeremy McGraths legacy and status with the fans hasn't it. This year there is honestly nobody that i "don't like" out there, these guys all have unique personalities, and methods and beliefs and so on........i pull for JS...yep, it's true, but each week is different with different circumstances and different factors that influence the race and possibly outcome. Pilotdude obviously just doesn't like James Stewart, and that's cool, but when you rag on a guy and his fans as much as he does, it just looks silly!! Fact is.......RV beat JS twice this year, and JS beat RV three times this year!! Coulda's and woulda's are just speculation. And before you call me a hypocrite "bd"......remember this isn't 2010 anymore!!!!
retardcross, do you have a life? like seriously...... look how many comments you post! all you do is stay on racerx all day and nag on people bout what they think! maybe you should get away from the computer screen and ride and then you'll know what you are talking about!
Very nice rebuttle Weegs.....I get the feeling some folks on here posting have no actual exerience racing themselves and are only spectators. Its not a bad thing, but some folks dont understand what you are saying from a racers perspective and what pretty much anyone who lined up on the gate last weekend was saying as soon as the gate dropped and Stewart took the lead...."unless he falls, this race is over".....Now, if he repeats this performance in Houston, falling will be his only concern as far as the title goes and I want RV to win it all.....As the reigning champ, RD has not shown any sign of "dominance" or even the potential to do so....You will never see RD pull a start with RV or JS on his tail and have him pull away like JS did.....So far every lead in the main RD has had, he has succumed to the competition....heat races dont count....
No kiding man just take a break noeffense thow bout still :) And that was a good race.... :)
Jason thanks for your reply and your well made points. Your columns and announcing are and have been excellent, and I agree that you have been fair in your treatment of all racers in the series up to this point.
.All opinions about the nature of performances aside however, I still take strong exception to the label of "hater" being applied to a sizeable group of motocross fans who simply don't drink the Stewart cool-aid.
Pointing out facts about Stewart's career or voicing disapproval of his career decisions that many believe have weakened the sport should not result in the kind of vitriol we often see, but it would probably be naive to think that "fans" who exhibit that kind of behavior in defense of Stewart are capable of anything better.
This took me over an hour, to research, because of this cumbersome new website. Yeah, I know it is free, and I shouldn’t bit**, but the old one was free, too, and it worked way better. When you improve a website, the idea is, to make it easier to use, not make it look cooler. This was way more work, than it should have been.
2006 supercross info: Stewart vs. Carmichael.
Because of the 2 in Canada, there were only 16 rounds, and a 2 week break in the middle.
Js 1 rc 3
Js 3 rc 1
Js 3 rc 1
Js 1 rc 2
Js 8 rc 1 stew crashes 3 times, r/c says stewart’s forks too stiff
Js 1 rc 2
Js 17 rc 20 r/c crashes in first turn, then cases a triple, and busts his shock, DNF. Js falls, cant start bike
Js 3 rc 1
Js 2 rc 1
Js 6 rc 1 stew falls, drops to 19th, up to 6th
Js 1 rc 2
Js 1 rc 2
Js 1 rc 2
Js 1 rc 3
Js 1 rc 2
So, at the 2/3 point of the season, r/c had 6 wins, to stewarts 3.
Then stewart won the last five (was r/c protecting his lead, or did stewie beat him?).
Reed won the others.
Now, look at that analysis again……………………………
The title was decided by a 'hard to start’ four-stroke,
( just like the mxon was almost LOST, because of a 'hard to start' four-stroke...)
Didn't have that slip clutch back then. If they had, stewart would have been the champ.
Then, the following week, at the hangtown opener, stewart wins the o/a, and ends r/c’s two and a half year winning streak (27 consecutive overalls). It is r/c’s first loss, since windham beat him, 4 motos in a row.
I hope this helps to refresh everyone’s memory. I’m going to post it a few times, since I put all this time into it…………..(oh…………. and 2-strokes rule.)
BD200 go back and reread I was NOT ripping on anyone. Thats was a fight between two others that I QUOTED it was NOT me who said it. I can see how you got confused there though it was quite a mess but this time I was not in the middel of it. Go re read this hole thread You might get a laugh out of how it all went down. As for the reed and JS thing I did say Reed never passed him for a win un less he fell and the two examples you gave JS fell right??
You do realize that you are speaking out of both sides of your mouth don't you Pilotdude???? You don't appreciate the term "hater", which is a little strong, but in the next line you refer to all of those who drink the Stewart "cool-aid"!!!! WHAT?? And your last paragraph, once again stereotyping Stewart fans as vitriolic defenders of Stewart!!!! I understand that there are some people who make ridiculous claims on here about a riders performance and perceived status, but they do it for EVERY RIDER, not just James Stewart!! Go back and read the boards after the races that RV won.....those same people were there touting him as unstoppable and spewing negatives about JS. It's not reserved to just one set of people guy!!! ANd, it will always exist on here, no matter who it is!! I would like to respectfully disagree with your point that he has somehow "weakened" the sport however, and would like to hear your opinion as to how you truly think he has done so....with some evidence!! Like him or not, the guy is good for the sport, just like several others are in their own way!!
Hey Trick, are you using our site to research those results? To be honest, I don't think we even realized people were doing that, so that's why we've never organized a results archive section. Here at the office we utilize the AMA's book and sites for that. But if you folks are really coming here for old results and archived stories, maybe we can do better.
Did you use the old site for this, too?
trick don't forget JS killed it at the first 2 rounds that year and RC said I have some work to do. JS did win the World title that year and RC said when he was done that JS is doing things I don't want to do and even Reed who does not like JS said JS was the best man that year.That title could have gone either way very easly.
motocross7, don't worry I'm sure my posts will taper off once the novelty of commenting wears off, I've only been following the comment section and commenting for about two weeks. Ahhhh the benefits of having an office job. And don't worry about the riding part, I'll get plenty of that in once the 4 feet of snow melts.
Weege, yes I did use the old site, occasionally to back up my posts, if I wasn't sure. The old site worked much better. Give me a e-mail address or something, and I will give you my suggestions for improving the new one (archive section). This is all about’ time‘, I don’t wanna waste 3 hours, doing something that used to take ten minutes. Sorry, if my previous posts sounded ANGRY, because I am angry. With computers in general, It pisses me off when people change things for the worse.
And, honestly, I don't think many people on these posts, research anything before they hit 'submit', judging by some of the remarks I have read. So, I just decided to present the facts, since nobody else will do it for me, hoping to reduce the potentially retarded comments on here.
Also, where is the 'contact racer-x' link?. if I had that I wouldn't have gotten so frustrated about it all, in the last week.
I hope that you will provide a functional, easy to use archive section, for readers to use, and that posters will actually use it. Then the quality of bench racing on here, will improve dramatically. No one will have any excuse for saying something dumb anymore, and the planets will be in alignment, and all will be good.
Also, consider how much our sport has grown, in the past 5 years. What that means is, that we now have a LOT of fans who know very little, and some of them think they know it all. This has got to stop. please HELP>
Maybe racer-x, with your infinite resources, could write a few re-cap articles of the stewart/Carmichael era. It would be a good read, even for those of us who already have our facts mostly straight.
Jason,
First, I just want to tell you how greatful I am to even have this site to even be able to post comments and to have a reporter that cares enough to respond to them. With the media industry unfortunately dying, I'm so glad to have RacerX still around and still the best! I love every article you write and how you put humor into them and believe you take an incredible journalistic approach. Giving credit where credit is due(Like with Chisolm, I'm big fan of his). About the whole Stewart deal, you guys praise him for good reason but I don't feel you over do it. Look at LeBron James or Payton Manning the media is always telling everyone how incredible they are but if they make a mistake they'll say it but people still say "the media is on their knees for them" fact is, you guys are great, your articles are incredible and you guys tell it like it is no matter who likes it or who doesn't! Thank you.
Great Ride by JS7. In my opinion what evryone is missing about Ryan Dungey is the impact it had on him of Roger Decoster Leaving. Motocross is probably 90% mental and I don't think Ryan has recovered from the person that was like a second Father to him leaving.. They tried to play this off as no big deal but we are seeing the results first hand. I'm a big Stewart fan and I'm not sure Ryan could ever beat James but if Roger Was still with Suzuki I think Ryan would be finishing Second On a consistant Basis. Bad move SUZUKI.
BILLC, make all the excuses you want. Reed fell its how Stewie got passed him at the Indy race that year. And Reed got up, and caught him, and basically pushed Stewie until he fell. Reed was so close when Stewie fell he had to stop and go around him. Thats a Reed win period, Reed fell and got up and caught him, what more does he have to do??
BillC, you said Reed never ran him down either, he did there, after he fell..
Again BD200 i said when JS did NOT FALL. YES I agree REED BEAT HIM FAIR AND SQUARE all them times!!! But I still have NOT seen Reed pass and beat him when he did NOT FALL. Thats all, not making excuses at all just a point.
Trick I agree with you 100%!!! The archive section is a MESS!! I used it a few weeks back and will never go back it SUCKS!!!
Yeah JS has a sack but him busting out those sections are confidence. RV not doing them is lack of confidence after what happpened last year and knowing one race at this point is not a deal buster. What do want to bet that when push comes to shove Villo is going for it ? Call me dunce but Stewarts advantage is his corner exit traction / speed and his incredible timing / sack / confidence through those varied space jumps. JS will not destroy Ryan V in the whoops. To me the KAW wheelbase helps in the whoops but hurts at some corner exits Rv looks uncomfortable at at times remember this is the guy that OWNED the outside line on a 250 F. Waitng for Daytona .
JimM
CarlsbadCa
Clearly RD would have won this years championship if it wasnt for his DNF last week. Now it looks like Stewart may win it if he doesnt crash into RV and take both of them out for the season- which he still may do. so it now looks like reed may win the whole thing this year- but only if canard doesnt stay consistent, which he may or may not do.
A2 was crunch time for the Dunge and we saw that in his qualifying times. Jason is right , the guy is racing for pride and TGO now, Next time someone questions him showing emotion look back at his reaction when he saw his chain derailed. BTW him pushing his own bike was one of the coolest things I have seen in a while. Finally, its true , losing DeCoster put those guys behind and they didnt start getting it together until A2. Bad move, giving Yam and Kaw a 4 race jump.
JimM
CarlsbadCa
Whatever you can take my comments however you wish. Ask any moto fan who has the highest number of over-the-top fans and you will get Stewart the most by far. In fact, that is one of the things that seems to contribute to a lot of fans turned off by himIf calling it like I see it--and a number of people here seem to see it the same way--if that hurts your feelings I don't really care.
Whatever you can take my comments however you wish. Ask any moto fan who has the highest number of over-the-top fans and you will get Stewart the most by far. In fact, that is one of the things that seems to contribute to a lot of fans turned off by himIf calling it like I see it--and a number of people here seem to see it the same way--if that hurts your feelings I don't really care.
Hansens face plant was bad, real bad. I cant question his heart now but hey SX Championship bonus gives alot of motivation. Has Dude has worn out that pinch move or what ? Speaki. Wait till he tries that in traffic. Betcha JT and ELI and every top 15 guy on that line are waiting now. Dont snivel when karma / payback / jsutice / whatever comes knockin Josh.
JimM
CarlsbadCa
Mrguzzletoomuch ! I like Dungey as much as the next guy by he was 12 and 14 points down to RV and Stewart. Put another way he would have to win four races just to be even. IDK dude.
JimM
CarlsbadCA
I still think there's some truth about RD getting hurt right before the season started. I think ribs or something like that, he does seem to be riding faster. BillC I bet RD read your 1st comment and will listen to you. Watch we'll see a different Dungey this week all because of BillC. I'm a hugh Reed fan but he's not even close to his old speed, and don't even say he got 3rd because he was way behind where he should be.
Can anyone tell me how the media has to make a public apology one week after discovering a "data aquisition" device on ole number sevens rear wheel. Then we fast forward a couple weeks and suddenly number seven is the only one on the planet to pull a quad, and any mention of a "data aquisition" device is forbidden? with todays computerized ignition maps and fuel injection, i need someone to explain to me how "data aquisition" is not transformed into "TRACTION CONTROL" and i would also like to ask why ole number seven continues to miss second practice? does it take that long to change the ignition map and fuel injection parameters?
Trick- This gives you a results of the last few years of supercross http://results.amasupercross.com/pdfresults/sx/index.html
Wow! This board had gotten out of hand. Look to put it simple, James is going to go down in History as one of the greatest ever, so will RC so will MC, Some say James is arrogant. I say he's confident! He Beat RC fair and square, he's beat CR fair and square, he's beaten RV fair and square....Guess what? They all have also beaten him fair and square. Any night it's anyones game! In my opinion JS is a great face for our sport, he has never had any skeletons in his closet, he keeps his nose clean and has hosted ride days, he's gracious to his fans. He thanks his sponsors. What more do you people want from this guy?? He's a great ambassador of our sport and when his time is done, someone else can take over just like james did for RC and like RC did for Mac! I think this sport has had some awesome leaders.
technology.. can't stop progress moving forward comedian.... you ain't cheatin... you ain't winnin... WAIT... Ricky Johnson already said that....
People who say stewart is the best are not trying to take anything away from other riders. I like just about every rider out there and have a great amount of respect for them all. Just to qualify for a main event in supercross is a big feat in itself. you have to be faaast to do that. same with making the motos in outdoors. but since RC left no one has been able to straight up pass and leave stewart behind when he does not crash. yes when he crashes it is a perfectly legitimate way to win a race and all credit goes to the guy who didnt crash. with that being said I think everyone knows that if stewart stays on two wheels, nobodys gunna get past the guy. He's just too good. RV has had his flashes of brilliance this year and he is riding great, but he doesnt quite have what it takes yet to straight up put stewart behind him and throw a gap on him. there, that should clear up all this js hater js lover crap. its getting really old, people are just fans, let em be.
we all know how this will go,Stewart will crash or win,so it is up tp everyone else to capatlize on that..Love how the season is going so far(beside Dungeys DNF)But i am still rootin for the good guys(Dungey and Canrd)Those two riders are the ones that i would like my little man to look up to,regardless Dungey is still my man
Ok, "Pilotdude", if i ask "any moto fan" they will agree with you huh?? Whatever!! I tried to be a little diplomatic about it, but that does not work with you. If you can say Stewart has the largest number of "over the top" fans then i believe it is equally fair to say that he has the most "Over the top" ANTI-fans as well.........those who do go over the top with their supportive comments have plenty of company with those who go over the top with their negative comments!!! This is futile, i'm just gonna enjoy the races and the fact that every week we can go in not really sure of what will happen, and just take it for what it is!! Oh, and have you "hurt my feelings"?....not in the least!!
dz958, that is a good site, and easier to extract info than this site. Will save some time, but when I see r/c got a bad finish, i have to still drudge thru this site to try and find out why. Thanks for the tip.
Sometimes, moto- people get so emotional.
Does anybody know of a site to get the attendance records of all the SX races at? I have been tryiing for weeks and No luck!
Hope is not a strategy! And of course the pot is stirred intentionally. They can monitor how many clicks and how long people stay on a page and/or a website. Then they can also prove to their sponsors how worthy it is to advertise here. If they aren't monitoring clicks or hold time, they aren't very good business men, or their web company isn't worth what they are being paid. I always get a good chuckle out of reading the drama here. To those of you who make sense, don't waste your time arguing with the excrement talkers, and thank you for your insight!!
SW460 ... Ha,ha... Nice one and maybe to think about.. Maybe.. But I doubt it... Have been staring at the add... Of Yoshimura RS-4D pipe... Humm.. maybe I should try to install it on my CR250 of 1991... Ha,ha..
RC straight up owned Bubba outdoors , stomped a mudhole in his azz in 07 on his retirement tour . the outdoors is where real iron men of motocross compete anyways , faster ,longer ,dirtier and hotter than hell !
Maybe if stewart had a few more years to try and beat r/c outdoors, he would have succeeded, a time or 2.
consider this:
Stewarts very first ever outdoor season on a 450f, while the goat had 2 full season on a 450f already, not to mention several seasons on a 250.
After wasting the 2005 season on a 2-stroke 250 against all 450's... even reed and windham were beating him on a regular basis.
Stewart knew that 2006 was his ONLY chance to beat r/c outdoors, since he was retiring from full time racing, at the end of '06. It was do or die, and maybe, just maybe, he was tring too hard.
r/c went 24-0 in '04, in his very first season on a 450, but he had already had several years on a 250, including a 24-0 season. And, at that time there were still some 250's out on the track, that he beat.
in 2007, ricky's part time gig, he was not a factor in the title chase, so stewart did not need to beat him, or race at that speed, and risk injury.
If r/c had retired a few years later, rather than at age 27 (windham is currently 33, and plans to race til 2014) then aybe we would have seen a more calm stewart, but it was go for broke , for him, in summer '06, which explains those horriffic crashes.
I absolutely agree, outdoors is REAL motocross. supercross is artificial motocross, dumbed down for the masses.
No one denies that r/c beat stewart in the outdoors, but acknowlege that he only had one try, and not even a re-match.
um, krazyk2774, are you so slow, that you have a four digit number?
At the end of '06sx, stewart beat r/c 5 in a row, and finished with 8 wins, to r/c's 6, even though r/c won the title, because stewart's four stroke wouldn't start, after he fell. R/c cased a triple in that same race, and wrecked his bike, his fault, dnf.
Some will say that r/c was protecting his points lead, and did not need to beat stewart, to win the title. So, how is that ANY different, than stewart getting beat by r/c, in every part time race in 2007? Stewart still beat all the guys he needed to, who WERE in the title chase, and stayed ahead in points. If it was a full season, against r/c, would he have beat him in some of those? He did beat him STRAIGHT UP, in '06 outdoors, on a few occasions, so why wouldn't he do it in '07 (if he needed to?)
LOGIC = LOGIC o r BS = BS.
take your pick, but one is the same as the other.
I know a little about moto-X too ya know.
Pretty sure RC lapped Stewe at Millvile in 07 too ! HaHa
Was Millville 07 the mud race that RC lapped the entire field including JS in 2nd place?
I'm pretty sure it was Millville , epic ride by the GOAT
do i have to do all the work around here? racer-x race report:
Everything is coming together for the AMA/Toyota Motocross Championship presented by FMF. The rivalries, the battles, the points, it’s all coming together, and the first set of motos at the Unbound Energy/Honda National at Millville only raised the drama to another level. After an exciting first set of motos, the fans braced themselves for a big showdown in the second half of the day. But then the skies opened and the track quickly turned into a quagmire.
And that ended that, because the mud motos turned the race into a one-sided Suzuki affair, with Ricky Carmichael destroying the 450 class and Broc Hepler making his way back to the front with a win in the 250F class.
Mud was a pretty big factor in the second motos at #Millville.
There is no doubt now of Carmichael and Hepler’s superiority in the mud. Hepler won his moto by some 40 seconds, but for the record, he had passed his way to the lead before the rain came down. As for Carmichael, he completely destroyed the field in the muddy second moto. We mean DESTROYED. Ricky lapped EVERY SINGLE rider in the race. He lapped 39 riders! Looks like one more ridiculous notch in the very oversized belt Mr. Carmichael must wear to fit all of the notches in it.
But the first motos were so good! James Stewart looked very game at Millville. Coming off of his win at Washougal, he was putting in practice times a full two seconds faster than Carmichael on Sunday morning. Then he took the early lead from Racer X Holeshot Winner Justin Buckalew and took off while Carmichael dealt with another bad start. By the third lap Carmichael had moved to third behind Stewart and Chad Reed, but then he got a gift: Stewart crashed while leading, and then Reed lost the header pipe on his Yamaha. Carmichael took the lead from the fallen Stewart and ailing Reed and never looked back. Stewart worked his way back into second at the finish ahead of Reed. Could Carmichael have gotten Stewart straight-up? The second moto would tell the tale … but then it rained.
RC knew the start would be super-important for the muddy second 450 moto, so he went out and got one.
Carmichael knew the start was critical since the track was a complete mess for moto two. And so he nailed the Racer X Holeshot, but Stewart was soon into second. Before long there was carnage everywhere, especially in a gnarly off-camber corner that trapped Michael Byrne, and then a bunch of other riders who went looking for a line around him. Soon the section was nearly clogged, and Carmichael actually had to stop on the track a look for a line. Stewart tried to take advantage but fell. The next time around the section was really bad and Stewart found himself stuck even worse. The field was really shaken up by now as the track became nearly impassable. Carmichael rode away unchallenged, David Vuillemin moved to second and the third spot became a huge mix up between riders like Chris Whitcraft (yes!) and Josh Demuth (yup!) before finally Kevin Windham emerged with third.
Other favorites struggled big. Reed crashed on the first lap and lost his gloves and goggles, then got stuck on the off-camber twice. He finished 27th. Davi Millsaps finished fourth in moto one but was way back in moto two. It was a wild moto, which culminated when Carmichael passed Vuillemin just past the first turn late in the moto, putting the second-place rider a lap down. The Millville faithful cheered big.
The old mud riding skills of David Vuillemin made a return at #Millville, as he took second overall.
“It wasn’t my goal to lap everybody,” said Carmichael. “Everyone just had problems. I think this was good practice for Everts at the Motocross des Nations.”
Carmichael is the geratest mud rider ever.
Take that back, carmiachael and kdub. But that was the greatest performance in the mud, of all time.
carmicheal had traction control....oops..i mean... data aquisition sensors