by Davey Coombs
Racerhead #6
Friday, February 11, 2011 | 4:40 PMHonda is the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, and the undisputed leader in motorcycle technology. More motocross riders have won titles on Hondas than on any other bike. When you’re serious about winning, Honda is the machine for you.
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Just when it seems like things are starting to settle down a little in the 2011 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship, something new, interesting, or just plain destructive happens out there. This week, we have all three! Welcome to Racerhead.
Let's start with the new: After five weeks of West Region Lites, the East Region starts up with a whole new cast of characters ready to show the world how far they've come in the off-season. The big favorites have to be GEICO Powersports Honda riders Justin Barcia and Blake Wharton and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki riders Dean Wilson and Blake Baggett. All of these guys have won races before (though Wilson's wins came in Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross) and all of them have excellent equipment, as we saw with their counterparts out West. Also, don't count out veteran riders like Ryan Sipes and Gareth Swanenpoel of DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing Yamaha. Check out the East Region Pre-Entry List HERE.
And then there are pure rookies like ARMA/Suzuki City/Nitro Circus-backed Malcolm Stewart (who is the biggest question mark out there), Star Racing's Gannon Audette, Rockstar Energy Suzuki's Jason Anderson and Ian Trettle, back-from-Australia P.J. Larsen....
For something different, how about Ken Roczen moving up to the 350 KTM? Roczen, who has been fast but inconsistent out West in his first year on the tour, will ride the AMA Supercross class now that the series has moved east because he's trying to learn the stadium game as quickly as possible (sorry, "crash course" was too easy). The kid has obvious game—he was a solid third last weekend at Anaheim 2, and had the cards fallen differently, he might have won—and also ambition. Simon Cudby caught up with Ken earlier this week for this very cool Racer X Film.
Roczen will make his SX class debut in Houston aboard a 350.
Photo: Simon Cudby
Roczen, who is still 16, brought up something for Skip Norfolk and the guys at TAG Metals to try to figure out with some bench-racing: When was the last time a 16-year-old finished on the box in the premier class of an AMA Supercross main event? Of course Ron Lechien's name came up, as he was the last 16-year-old to actually win an AMA SX in the big-bike class, but then we remembered Damon Bradshaw's cameo appearance in the 1989 San Diego SX on a YZ250, where he finished third behind Ricky Johnson and Jeff Stanton. Are we missing someone? Let us know here: [email protected].
As for the destructive part of the week, you have to go back to Anaheim 2. In the midst of all that well-intended pink (huge props for not only Feld and all the teams, but cancer survivor Shasta Johnson for leading this charge in AMA SX/MX) was the red face and steam coming out of the ears of defending champion Ryan Dungey. It happened after the Rockstar/Makita Suzuki rider's chain came off. With it went 24 more championship points James Stewart's way, as the San Manuel Yamaha rider won his third SX main in five races so far. Ryan Villopoto was back on pace for second, and Chad Reed once again on the box in third.
And then there was the near-destruction of Josh Hansen, the West Region Lites points leader, who suffered a horrific crash in practice and then gutted out another main-event win, this time with a broken finger and what looked like a minor concussion. Yes, he and his team and his father consulted with the Asterisk Mobile Medics and the AMA, and it was deemed that he could ride, though no one suggested that he do. He made the decision on his own, and it could turn out to have been a championship-saving ride. Whatever anyone thought of Li'l Hanny's dedication to the craft of racing (including a lot of us press-box critics), he's wiped out any doubts in my mind about how badly he wants to succeed now.
Here's a TV reminder: Tune in to the AMA Supercross class from Houston on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. ET, then switch over to SPEED at 4:00 p.m. ET for the SX Lites class. Be sure to check your local listings. Here are 10 Things to Watch for at Houston.
Anyway, I will let the other guys get into that and more as we continue with this week's Racerhead. Let's start with David Pingree, whom I always seem to leave off of mentions of our crack-staff here at Racer X Online, and yet who always brings the good stuff.
Does anyone else think Christina Aguilera should be deported to somewhere like Yemen after her embarrassing national anthem performance at the Super Bowl? How do you forget the words to our national anthem? I realize that Steve "Oh Canada!" Matthes couldn’t actually tell me the words to the Canadian national anthem the last time I asked him, but he isn’t being asked to sing it at an important hockey game somewhere in Saskatchewan. What Xtina did was unacceptable.
I gained a lot of respect for Josh Hansen this weekend. He doesn’t have a history of being mentally strong or gritty in the face of adversity, but what he did on Saturday night was impressive. He crashed hard in the whoops in the last qualifying session. Really hard. And despite suffering a significant injury to his hand and a concussion, he went out and got the job done... Who would have thought I’d be sitting here talking about how Hanny put in the ride of the series with more determination and heart than anyone? Great ride, Josh. I’ve always been impressed with your riding, but I’m really starting to admire your tenacity.
Hansen grinded out a tough win at A2 after breaking his hand in practice.
Photo: Simon Cudby
And the race behind Hansen is now on, by the way. Which rookie will get his first win first? Roczen or Tomac? That one is going to be fun to watch, because both kids are flying and they want it badly.
I simply refuse to call James the fastest rider on the planet…umphhggh…. Sorry, just puked in my mouth a little. But James was clearly the best guy last Saturday night. The way he was jumping four through that rhythm lane was sketchy, and he did it for the first nineteen laps and made it look effortless. Villopoto did the smart thing and stayed on two wheels for second. He took a crack at that quad on the second lap and shorted it, bouncing into the following jump and losing some time (thank goodness he did end up with another St. louis-sized crash). After that gap opened up, the race became really boring, frankly. The top three spread out and, aside from some scrapping going on further back in the top ten, the race was over.
I would like to take a second and acknowledge the guy I’ve been calling Captain Camouflage: Justin Brayton has been very quietly putting in a solid season thus far but nobody seems to notice, including myself. Until I looked at the results after the race, I couldn’t have told you who got fourth place. The Muscle Milk/JGR Yamaha rider is riding great and I hope he lands on the box soon, because he’s earned it. Wait, I got it … Justin “Realtree” Brayton. That’s the one.
Can Brayton make it the Big Six?
Photo: Simon Cudby
I would like to close by sending out my condolences to Bevo Forte and the entire Racer X staff in Morgantown, who are no doubt in mourning over their Steelers’ Super Bowl loss. Hang in there, guys. You’ll get through it.
Now here's Matthes:
Well, this week we’re on to Houston, Texas, for the first round of the 250 East Region as well what I would call the new beginning of the 450 SX series. Yes, I know we’ve had five rounds already down, but with James Stewart ripping off two wins in a row and looking dominant, his closest challenger, Ryan Villopoto, needs a win real bad. This supercross game is so dependent on having confidence, and right now Stewie has it in a big way. We’ve seen RV chase James down, and I’d say he really needs to do it right about now.
Villopoto didn't seem effected by Stewart's win last week.
Photo: Simon Cudby
One thing that Ping, Weege and I spoke about in our podcast was that if there is a rider that is probably least affected by the dreaded sin of overthinking, it’s RV. He doesn’t have much in the way of mind games going on with himself; he just knows that he has to pin it, and if he loses, he will just pin it the next week. For example, I spoke with him after A2 and he wasn’t bummed out at all about the loss. Look, if you were there, you saw that James had himself a good cushion and was able to jump things the other dudes were not. It was a decisive victory, no doubt about it. Yet there was RV, just saying that he was happy with his ride, and if you looked at the segment times, he was faster in the section that had the two quads in it. It was a confident Ryan, and nothing’s been shaken at all in my opinion. We media peeps like to make dramatic and sweeping statements about each race, but sometime, one win doesn’t really matter in the scheme of things.
But other times, it does.
As I was saying, the 250 East Region kicks off, and one would think that the King of Bercy, Justin “Baby” Barcia, and Dean “I Was A Canadian” Wilson have to be the favorites to bring home a title. The thing is, you just never know what can happen in a first race, and I think either guy would be happy with a podium at the first round. They both have some question marks about them: Can Barcia keep it on two wheels? Can Wilson react favorably to coming back from an injury? Remember, Dean-O has never won a supercross-unlike Barica, Blake Wharton, and his teammate Blake Baggett. There’s something to be said for having that one notch on your belt.
Wilson is a pre-season title favorite heading into Houston.
Photo: Monster Energy
My buddies at directmotocross.com caught up to Dean for an interview right here.
A couple of sleepers for podiums, if not wins, would be Star Racing’s Ryan Sipes and PJ Larsen. I look forward to good things from both of these guys.
Remember last week when I went on and on about that Canadian dude Kyle Beaton? Well, he made the main and was probably +87 in the fantasy thing. All you dorks are welcome for that.
Who’s my Kyle Beaton this weekend in the East? Shawn Rife. Stamp it.
Hey, did you hear that Ken Roczen (who’s been racing a 250) is racing the 350 in the 450 class? Yeah, I heard the news a day after a guy asked me that on the Pulpmx Show on Monday. I was a little wrong in my thinking for sure, and to me, this is a big surprise. Maybe we’ll see a Damon Bradshaw. Or maybe we won’t.
I hosted a live chat yesterday right here on Racer X and it went pretty well. I couldn’t get to all the questions, as almost a thousand people took part and sent in their queries. I could also only handle so many variations on “How will Malcolm Stewart do this weekend?” (I say eighth) and “Where’s J-Law?” (he’s riding 450 MX). Weege and I were talking about how, almost two years after his last groundbreaking ride (Daytona ’09), people are still fascinated by Jason Lawrence and what he’s doing/when he’s racing next, as opposed to a what the guy (Pourcel) who won two SX titles and almost two MX titles in the last two years is doing. There is practically no talk about Pourcel among the fans. Bizarre? Yes.
Everyone is waiting to see what Lil Stewy can do in Houston.
Photo: Tyler Coscia
This week we had Jimmy Button, Tim Ferry, Tony Alessi, and Jeremy Albrecht on the Pulpmx show, and we learned a few things. One is that my co-host Kenny Watson does not like being put in a time-out, and also J-Bone has to be one of the best interviews out there as far as team personal are concerned. He’s honest, open, and looks at the media like a good thing, not somebody who is out to kidnap his firstborn.
Button’s bicycle ride from San Diego to Daytona is coming up and he’s hoping to raise a buttload of money for spinal-cord-injury research. Please donate what you can to this cool cause, and let’s all cheer Button-Fly on! Go here.
I did a podcast with Bob Hannah this week and it was really cool. I was a little hesitant to do it, but I’d gotten a ton of emails from people asking for one, so with the help of David Izer, I tracked the Hurricane down for an hour and a bit. Why was I hesitant? Because it seems that every six months or a year, Hannah is trotted out from the mountains of Idaho by some MX media people so he can go on a rant about how worthless and overpaid today’s riders are. Anyone who knows my work knows that I revere the old riders and love talking to them, but here’s the facts, Jack: Take whatever sport you want to—motocross, football, hockey, baseball, whatever—and the athletes and equipment are better today. The guys are bigger, faster, stronger, and like I said, have better equipment. It’s evolution, baby (sung like Eddie Vedder)!
So I didn’t want Bob to go down that road at all. Any way you slice it, he’s one of the greats of the sport, and I wanted to focus on his career and his accomplishments. He had some harsh words for some guys who don’t use their God-given talents, for sure, but he also admitted that a winner today would be a winner back in his day and vice-versa. I loved the show and have a newfound respect for Bob. He’s not some bitter old man like some people have made him out to be—he’s a great person, rider, and a ton of laughs.
Hannah is never at a loss for words.
Oh, and one more thing before I go: Sammy Hagar was in Van Halen longer than David Lee Roth, he had more number-one albums than DLR (four to zero), he had more record sales than DLR, and he blows DLR out of the water as a singer, musician, or even just being a way cooler human being.
I would just like to add one more thing:
Don't stop the swagger!
Now onto Weege:
Supercross has been garnering all the attention lately, but some other big series and events are starting to roll now, too. I spent Thursday in Chicago doing voice-overs for the AMA Arenacross Series on SPEED. After two fun and informative years working in the booth with John Dowd, there's a new expert analyst on board for the 2011 season: all-time AX King Buddy Antunez! Buddy definitely brings the info and analysis to these shows, as he was pointing out lines and styles that I had never even noticed. And the racing is always crazy in arenacross, so you'll enjoy watching them. Shows start next Sunday (Feb 20th) at 3:30 pm EST on SPEED
So far supercross and arenacross are dominating the industry scene, but other events are right around the corner. The amateur racing community has three big events within the next few weeks, with big-time MX showdowns in Alabama and Texas, as well as the second-annual Ricky Carmichael Daytona Amateur Supercross sandwhiched in between.
RCU is right around the corner. Make sure you sign up today.
Photo: Simon Cudby
The Carmichael event is really two events in one: Amateur racing on the SX track all day Sunday, and then the Carmichael University riding school on Monday. Jeff Emig and Jeff Stanton are on board to help teach with RC on Monday, and then I've heard one other big name being linked to the event. Nothing is official, but if he's in, they will probably have him teach how to block pass and install a Jeff Matiasevich tackling dummy in the corner. This could turn out to be the all-time coolest (and fastest) faculty in the history of motocross schools!
Here’s RX contributor Aaron Hansel:
Set the fastest qualifying time of the day? Check. Holeshot and lead every lap of your heat race? Check. Holeshot the main and lead every lap en route to your third victory of the season? Check. Complete both the heat and main with a hurt back and a broken finger? Check. Wait, what?
I am, of course, referring to Josh Hansen’s win at A2 last weekend. I know we’ve talked and talked about it, but there’s still a couple things you might not know. After the race, I dropped by the Pro Circuit rig to ask Hanny’s wrench, Derek Brush, a few questions about Hansen’s hand.
It turns out Hansen was riding hurt before he even went down in the whoops. His day went south right out of the gate when he hurt his back attempting to quad out of a rhythm section during his first practice session. He cased the landing hard and jarred his back so severely that Brush had to lift Hansen off the bike. Then, in the final qualifying session, Hansen went out and set the fastest time!
We all know what happened next: Hansen crashed hard in the whoops, and as his body smashed into the ground, his bike tumbled and pieces of it flew in several directions. Hansen broke his hand in the crash and, judging by the shaky way he walked to the Asterisk Medical Mule, had knocked himself a bit silly.
As the night show approached, the pain in Hansen’s hand was so great he wasn’t even sure if he would be able to race, and with a gate jammed full of the world’s fastest Lites racers, it certainly didn’t seem likely he would be able to keep the magic going. Well, he did. He led every lap of his heat, and when the gate dropped on the main, it was none other than the #100 who shot into the lead.
Hansen fought off young guns Ken Roczen and Eli Tomac to take the victory at A2.
Photo: Simon Cudby
What followed was, in my opinion, the best Lites race of the year. For fifteen laps, rookies Eli Tomac and Ken Roczen took turns making runs at the veteran. Roczen nearly took the lead when he pulled alongside Hansen in the whoops, and later, Tomac was able to squeeze past Hansen right before a rhythm section. Hansen retaliated by charging into the next corner and put an aggressive, but clean, block pass on Tomac.
It was a fantastic race and an extraordinary ride from Hansen, who was able to pull out a win, even when the cards were stacked against him. With performances like this, Hansen is letting the competition know the road to the title goes through him. His block pass on Tomac was as much symbolic as it was a simple pass for the lead. Hansen isn’t out there to get top-fives or even podiums; he has his sights set on the championship, and no matter what, he’s going for the win, every single night.
Okay, here is some other Misc news:
Turborilla submitted a pretty exciting update for Mad Skills Motocross to iTunes today. The first major revision is that there will now be two completely different difficulty levels: Amateur and Pro. For those who felt the game was just too hard to play, Amateur mode introduces a slower, more accident-prone computer opponent, as well as a more durable, easier-to-control motorcycle. Pro mode is the same challenging game most players have come to love since MSM released on January 10.
Additionally, you'll now be able to race against top leader board times, and also watch replays of top leader board times. Ever wonder just how the fastest guys are able to finish a race six seconds faster than you? Now you'll be able to watch and learn. There will be separate leader boards for Amateur and Pro modes on all 52 tracks.
Get Mad Skills Motocross for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad here.
Justin Maley sent us this Navy SEAL Team video of the specialists training in the desert on motorcycles. They are using the views and comments on the video to gauge interest in motorcycles.
Keep an eye out if you’re in the Ottawa region: Sheriff's office investigates burglary, theft.
The AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series, featuring top MX/Snocross crossover star and five-consecutive Winter X Games SnoCross gold medal winner, Tucker Hibbert (Monster Energy/Arctic Cat), will breath some life into the old SX stomping ground Pontiac Silverdome (now just called the “Silverdome”) this Saturday, Feb. 12th. With a foot of snow in the parking lot it was no trouble organizers to pile up a big landing hill in order for snowmobile freestyle rider Jeff Mullin to blast a few jumps with the stately ‘Dome in the background for the local TV stations – warming up for this weekend’s event, albeit as much as you can warm up in the 9-degree weather. The Silverdome was home to some great supercross battles over the years. From Marty Smith winning the first-ever race there in 1976, through Bob “Hurricane” Hannah’s heyday and Ricky Carmichael’s amazing “visorless” comeback from last-to-2nd in 2002 – and Sunday-after-SX amateur days that it seemed half the State of Michigan raced at one time or another - it’s good to see the Silverdome again hosting another major extreme powersports racing event.
Here is a funny thread we spotted on VitalMX regarding the notoriously smooth, obviously modified Red Arrow, who is something like 47-0 in imaginary SX victories.This from Nick McCabe:
The news spread quickly on Monday afternoon and it wasn't good: the long, flat roof that covered the indoor MX track at known as Mototown in Connecticut had collapsed. Roof collapses have been widely reported in New England this winter, as the weight of accumulated snow and ice, along with a pattern of melting and freezing, has caused some spectacular structural failures.
The massive indoor facility, which is about 25 minutes south of Southwick, had been open for a few years. Despite some controversy and growing pains, the building was the only show in town for anyone who wanted to ride on the snowbound East Coast. The facility had gone through several owners and track configurations. There is no doubt that the cost of building and running a massive indoor racing facility was significant, but for the past two winters the owners had found a way to make it work.
The loss will be felt throughout New England, New York, and Pennsylvania. Thankfully, the roof fell on Monday, when the facility was closed, and no one was injured.
It’s still early, and the facility’s fate is unclear, but in true promoter-speak fashion, Mototown founder "Tommy D" made the following Facebook posting:
“Mototown, an indoor mo…tocross track. A track barely alive. Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the technology. We have the capability to build the world’s largest indoor motocross facility. Mototown will be that place. Better than it was before. Better, stronger, faster.”
We’ll keep you posted on any updates as we hear them.
The outdoor nationals are coming, and our friends over at Alli and MX Sports announced today that tickets are now on sale for twelve rounds of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship. This include both general admission and VIP tickets, and most tracks have special promotions for advance ticket purchases. For more information, including links to purchase tickets, please visit the Alli Sports website.
The GEICO team riders will kick off the East Lites SX series in Houston by wearing the LE Houston Victory racewear. It’s a new colorway to an existing design. We are announcing the gear on RX with a new banner ad that goes live today and it will be available to consumers for sale on Monday!!!
As always, remember to follow Racer X Online for all the breaking news from Houston. And make sure to follow Racer X on Twitter (@racerxonline) to get all the action from Round 6 of Monster Energy Supercross from Houston.
That's it! See you next weekend from the Indianapolis Trade Show, where we should have a lot of cool new industry stuff to show off. Thanks for reading Racerhead, see you at the races.
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eli trettel? how about Ian, your supposed to be professionals, who proof-reads this stuff?
I would like to thank Steve for replying to my comment about Van Halen. As a proud 19 year old who worships van halen i would like to say Sammy is a far better person, singer, songwriter...what ever, hes the red rocker! however i find Van Halen a lil better than Van Hagar...and please really 5150 better than VH1? the greatest debut album of all time. But 5150 is a killer album!
Its awesome to watch the youngsters passion and effort and Houston should be no differnt. Hansens crash was real bad, him lining up on the geate got a doulble take from me. SX Champioship $ provides alot of grit. Show me at Daytona Josh and I'll believe.
Did you hear Hannah say something to the effect that Windham left more on the table than Leichien ? I never though of it that way but the point is hard to argue. JimM
CarlsbadCa
Guess i cant spell under pressure.!
JimM
I don`t find the Pourcel / J Law thing bizzarre at all... Pourcel is boring... yeah fast, but boring and has no "spark" at all. I couldn`t believe the way he handled himself at Pala last year... i couldn`t care less about what he does is doing. I am interested in J Law tho... i`m excited to hear what he say`s, see what he does. Kind of guy who could come out and run top 3 or top 15 and either way i wouldn`t be surprised. 2 cents.
Go Wilson!!!
MOTOTOWN WAS IN CT
Lastly, DC maybe crack staff as a description of your crew should be left in the 90' s time capsule. Well for everyone but Matthes. Just teasing, this piece was solid. and like MF says , Keep it up !
JImM
CarlsbadCa
I am most interested in how Malcolm Stewart will do this weekend. I have not followed his career up to this point, but after Bubba's World I am interested. I grew up in Vermont(Liberal Cesspool now) and used to shovel off the roofs of the old trailers with the flat roofs. Do people not think a flat roof needs snow removal??
The Liberals are making a mess all over the place Pizz
Are you high? Sammy was better than DLR? Sammy is great, a better musician, etc but DLR is a better showman. It isn't even close.
I disagree on Pourcell being boring? Watching him ride is inspiring. The guy is so smooth & has style. I think he might have got hurt on the big bike if he got bucked but its pretty sad a guy of his calibre doesn't have a ride. Also looking forward to how malcolm goes, nice style in the pic above, good luck.
Can't wait for the race tomorrow night...ok, enough about SX. I must comment on the Van Halen-Van Hagar section. Now, i love Sammy Hagar, and bought every record VH did with him at the helm, BUT, the fact that Van Hagar had more #1 albums means NOTHING......that is more of a minus than a plus IMO!!! The reason that Van Hagar had more #1's is because Sammy writes much more "poppy" melodies than DLR....it was basically Eddie, Alex and Michael as the back-up band on Sammy Hagar solo records. Van Hagar was good for sure, but there is nothing like a DLR fronted Van Halen!!! I could go on and on..........oh, did i say i can't wait for the race tomorrow night?? Excited to see how Roczen does in the SX class.....how Malcom does in his debut, and what goes on between JS, RV, RD and CR THIS week!!!!
Boy, I was almost buying in to all those nice things you were saying about Bob until I got to the part about the Van Halen DLR / SH, self centered prick, story (talk to an old photographer buddy of mine). After that I knew that all the previous stuff was all bullshit too. Nice read though, almost took my stomach ache away while I was sitting on the can reading on my Iphone.
DAMN...This Race is going to be EPIC! Stewart's on it, Villamoto's on it, Reed wants it, KRock wants to make his mark, Dungey is looking for some serious redemtion and what about theLites...Lil Stewart, Wilson, Barcia...WOW. It's gonna be good. Van Halen with David Lee Roth, circa 1984 at San Diego Sports Arena, walking around with a JD bottle in his hand and just lightin' it up! Sorry "Red Rocker".
the pc thing... he's an awesome rider. smooth and creative. personality is what kills him and thats the thing that draws the non experienced fans. this year he did relax and open up more. i think he is a good dude thats lost in translation. i rly hope that lil stew is able to get out of the shadow. alot of good kids on east. weather is calling for 70% takeouts/crashes in houston
I am not going to read another article from this guy. Authors of public articles are not supposed to voice their opinion because WHO CARES what they think! Im a huge Stewart fan and comments like ""I simply refuse to call James the fastest rider on the planet…umphhggh…. Sorry, just puked in my mouth a little." do nothing but piss people off. Have opinions i dont care but dont have let every body know and especially in a rude manner as this, you could have just said i hate James Stewart...
All us hillbillies have our fingers and toes crossed. We know he can do it, we've seen his starts, his speed. Come on Ryan Sipes, You can do it dude, Ride it like ya stole it son.
SAVE THE RED ARROW!
Make sure someone tells him that all the guys down at the station are pulling for him.
I heard that if he dies he is donating his eyes to Stevie Wonder.
This Semester at high school he has been absent 9 times.
All you who think you are 'following' malcom stewarts career by watching reality tv are in for a surprise. He's not good, he doesn't have a future in the sport and it's funny as hell that people think this kid is going to do anything. He will have a lot of issues, just like your boy Dungey.
I'll never call James Stewart the fastest man on earth, not because he isn't, but because I haven't been followed the sport enough to know.
Ya, Nathan,.....doesn't matter what "ping" does or doesn't want to call Stewart!!..............his comment was stupid, i mean, did somebody have a gun to his head or something?? I wonder who was asking him to say it?? I think it is what you call ENVY!! Who knows.....
Pourcel is boring!!! And whats J-law up to anyways? Bob Hannah, who cares about him. I just skip over anything about Bob hannah boring and no one cares what he thinks. Bob is a way to fill up part of Racerhead. I"m tired of hearing James is the fastest man on the planet to WE ALL know he is anyways. Talk about something interesting. Like what is Malcom Stewarts back ground? How did he do in amatuers? Where is Wil Hahn? How is he? And where is Tommy Hahn? ks ROCKS I'm from KS Go Hahns !! :)
Pourcel and Dungey are great riders but have absolutely no personality! Shut up about the sponsors and answer the questions! We can read your jersey, tell us like it is! Dagnabbit! My cotton pickin hand slipped off the fargin grip-you fargin icehole! Poo! Chees-n-rice!!!
Ya PING has always been that way he runs off @ the mouth and expects nothin to come of it! Well let me tell ya a lil story....In 1996 My best friend turned pro & was racing for Chapparal along side Brian Deegan on a CR125 & Larry Brooks YZ 250 , He rode a RM 125 they sold 3 diff. brands & raced 3 diff. brands, well before A1 PING had signed with Split-fire Pro circuit Kawi and made a very rude comment in an interview about my buddy calling him a PUNK well he did take kindly to that and when the gate dropped and David Pingree got the holeshot & was rounding the corner .....That kid he called a PUNK was in his blind spot right behind lil david & my boy didn't hesitate to blast PING clear over the berm taking the lead from him and going on to have a great 15 lap battle with K-DUB who won the race, we finished 2nd that night but if you mention the name GREG SCHNELL to lil davey he might piss his self right infront of you!
Ping there is nothing important in Saskatchewan -_-
Hey my hats off to Ping, He has the balls to say what many of the past champs and ex-professionals would like to say about stewies overgrown ego!! You're the man PING!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks I needed that one!!!!!!!!!!!!1
@ride4ever of course ping dosen't like JS he smoked ping his rookie year!! & i realy don't get this ego crap you guys whine about people try and take the guy out left & right over the years (reed,tedesco, Mc). Not that hes never rubbed any of those guys goin but or cut across the track without lookin but i never seen him take anybody out intentionally? He has the speed to take anybody out wether hes lapping them or passing them and he dsnt! He dosen't cry or whine about somebody T-boneing him in interviews after the race so wheres the ego? Anyone who has ever thrown a leg over a dirtbike would kill to have the speed of "stewie" Fact so who gives a shit if you like him or not, YOUR NOT OUT THERE...
Seriously amusing to read the post's of some of these idiots. Again you can tell who know's what the hell's goin on and the poser's just stand out like a bad graphic job. There is not a member of the RacerX crew that is not a creditable moto expert. Do not know him personally, but have never felt or read thing's from Davey Coombs that show more MOTO passion, I thought I was maybe weird or somethin cuz I was jus sooo into motocross. When I was a kid I picked up the July 1976 copy of MXA--It's been a burning passion ever since. Miss article's from Eric Johnson too, that guy is another awesome,passionate MX-pert. Keep up the great work Racer X. Anyone who doesnt wanna hear what "Buckwheat" has to say about motocross know's ZERO about motocross. Coarse most of the poser's who spew the hate on this site have no idea who Buckwheat is. Only those who actually know something about MOTO know who he is.
Just saying.... Mr Matthes, you sometimes make me wish you didn't push the CANADIAN thing. I'm not sure of you're age but just drop the Van Halen thing O.K. It's just a fact that the D.L.R. version of was and always we be VAN HALEN!
Ok next thing is if you are supposed to be the canadian mx sx media dude a question, What do you think of Dean Wilson claiming he was Scottish when in fact he learned to ride motorcycles in Canada, and started his racing career in Canada? Lastly loved the Bob Hannah pod cast but the guy was bitter out of the cradle.(see legends of mx interview) Yeah he was fast but he was a DICK....
In my opinion, it sounded more like hard rock with david lee roth, and more like mainsteam,radio friendly, pop music with sammy hagar. I didn't care for sammy hagar's old band in the first place. (then again, i didnt care for david lee roth either, after van halen.)
Just one way, that i liked it. original van halen. and that is with david lee roth.
women and children first.
'take your whiskey home'.
'Romeo Delight'!
David Lee Roth is REAL van halen.............
Sammy Hagar is artificial van halen...........
MX445 Thats what they mean, when they say 'the sport has grown"...
maybe we need a racer-x re-cap of the past 40 years in motocross.
No mention of Matt Lemoine who'll be #48 on a Kawi. Pastrana sponsoring Lil' stewey??? weird. I believe Jason Anderson is the sleeper in the little bikes. kids an animal. If feld would build a track where you could pass, racing would be better than ever. That quad at aneheim was so sketchy. I cant believe stewey didn't get bucked off n broke. even if Poto was doing that, there was still no room to pass . Go deano
Not that we are talking about guns'n'roses, but they are the exact opposite, of van halen.
Only the frontman/singer is left.....
new group with slash, and DLR. guns'n'van halen....
Van hagar was bubblegum. Matthes u let me down Bro. I'll take Van halen anyday. Best concert I've ever been to (one of anyway) was Van hagar. Not for the music or sammy climbing around the lighting rig but for all the bra's and panties on the mic stand! Great view from 10th row.
once again, as a canadian, i would like to apologize for steve matthes.
this guy is one of our countries biggest embarressments.
Matthes ought to get the highest civil decoration Canada gives to it's outsanding citzens!!! He,he... Love the guy!
As for Ping.. He's a racer who just did not cut it.. And is now something of a personality who just says what he wants to say.. Nothing wrong with that... Try reading some writers of the french magasines.. They think Pourcel is the greatest thing France ever had.. And let's not talk about the german wannabe's a la Ping... They come just short of being something like a neo nazi propaganda shit... And the best.. Are the Dutch.. They just handpicked a bunch of farmers and decided they are the authority on what ever they write.. ha,ha.. So Matthes and ping are saints compared to those guys..
And.. Van halen was at it's best with DLR... Ha.ha...
Whoever wrote this article needs to go back and learn how to spell peoples names. Like really?! If someone spelled Ian TRETTEL for you in a comment and then you go spell it wrong in your article 'again', what kind of writer does that make you? Just saying.
I've offered to proofread for this website, for huge $$$$, but they never took me up on it. Today's obvious errors, "Villopoto didn't seem effected by Stewart's win last week" caption under one of the pictures. It should be 'affected'. But my favorite is "sandwhiched". C'mon, DC, send me the big bucks and your website will be anally scrutinized by yours truly. Oh, and is "Swanenpoel" doing the whole series or just making a cameo? (Should be "Swanepoel").
Are all moto fans women.. or is it just the ones that leave comments on moto websites?
Lawrence....really we are still talking about him? He served me a happy meal at Mcdonalds in Jersey just last week!
Ya he served me too. I thought it was him but wasnt sure until now. NOT!!! Whats up with Malcom on a suzuki? Big bro not able to hook him up.
Sammy Fagar! Please...
Saying that Van Halen sold more records with Hagar just solidifies what I said earlier. Roths Van Halen was harder rock. Hagars Van Halen was pop music, which is why it sold more records. Love Sammy Hagar, just dont think his Van Halen was better music, just pop music. Pop music always sells more to the masses. I think PING is admirable for not saying Stewie is the fastest. For one thing Stewie isnt. RV has run him down a couple times already this season, and was leading this season and fell, thats how Stewie got around him. And secondly, with everyone already kissing Stewies rear since he won two races in a row, its nice to have a journalist not jumping on the bandwagon. Stewie kicked everyones but at A-2. But why just jump on the bandwagon, its nicve to hear someone write what they feel, and notwhat every other writer is putting out there, TRICK, thats funny. But check out what Slash has done with Myles Kennedy, on youtube, they sound great.
At least Sammy has retained some dignity and credibility..
Between the bluegrass covers and dressing like a gay matador on that sad reunion tour DLR is a punchline. Actually so is Eddie these days.
If you listen to music based on how "nice" the musicians are, or even how many records they've sold, you're limiting yourself to ... well, mostly crap. Van Hagar was good - something you might enjoy hearing when it comes on the radio. Van HALEN is something you bang your head, play air guitar, and scream when it comes on. 'Nuff said.
How old was Windham when he made his cameo on the big bikes in ... was it Charlotte?
Does it stick in anybody else's craw that we're entering Round Six, and it's the first time out of CA/AZ?
People like "Ryan" who say "Who cares about Bob Hannah?" are an insult to our sport.
WOW Sef and BD200 talking musicians on a MOTO site... Hmmm Seems I remember you two crying the most when there is talk about Politics on a Moto site... Hmmmm Funny stuff once again. Its OK when YOU want to but not when YOU don't want it.
Matthes, Jeremy Albrecht would be "team personnel," not personal.
I have a request (off topic) but since there is chat about music.....can someone try and ditch the hip-hop / rap rider intros and play some good energetic stuff to get the blood flowing....Villomoto coming out to some PANTERA or SLAYER or something with some punch....thanks!
Never have trouble finding a way to be annoying, do you BillC? MATTHES brought up music, and I believe it was just today that YOU had to make a political dig. I've NEVER been the first to bring that up in a thread - but I'm sure you'll argue the point. It's your favorite pasttime.
How about Alice in Chains, Redbeard? Or ... old Van Halen!
BTW, I'm pretty sure less than half the readers were "pissed of" by Ping's Stewart comment. The fastest man ... means little if you don't cross the line first. (Ask anyone who watched RC/JS without bias.)
I was with you, knowmorethanyou, regarding Malcolm Stewart - until you compared him with Dungey. Now I just think someone dropped you on your head.
So, I destroyed the competition last week in the begginers main. Afterwards I busted out a sprinkler and did the supercool hand grenade thing. Some people though I was an arrogant douchbag, but I explained that "it's cool, cause I'm the fastest man in the universe". My mom said so once, so I repeat it every chance I get. Anyone who doesn't agree is obviously a "hater" and is just jealous of my amazing awesomeness. The sport needs more riders like me! Then the podium can look like a Dance-Dance Revolution competition.
Go RV!! Please ***** slap the fastest man on the planet when you go by! And if you could make it look like a sprinkler when you did it....all the better!!
Yup I made a political dig, YESTERDAY. But the thing you missed is the fact that I never complane about off topic chat, I just pointed out that the two who complaned the most are now talking music on a MOTO site... I found that hypocrital...and funny....Thats all. Glad you are still reading my post's too.
Who cares about the 80s bands. This is moto site! Hippies.
Somebodys gonna say "even RC (the GOAT) has said bubba is the fastest man on the planet". That may be true, but have you ever heard RC call HIMSELF the GOAT? NO! Cause he has an ounce of class and isnt a teabaggin douch.
yaaaawn, another racerhead that save for a few tidbits was a redux on the race report.
seems like it has become a clever way to get us to other content on the site.
Best Example: Ken on a 350, did it need a paragraph considering there is an article on the mainpage.
The content here is becoming so redundant.
Time for these journalists to start doing some reporting, the world is finally watching and there are much better stories than ya'll are cultivating right now.
Not giving the elder statesmen of the sport the respect they have EARNED is weak and makes you a zero in my book. Like him or not, Hannah has been there, done that, period. I wouldn't exactly call ping an elder statesman but, he in fact has competed for championships AND been blown out of corners so, yeah he does get his props.....I just threw up in my mouth a little for defending him.
Also, not having Pourcel and Lawerence out on the track is a shame. There could be something significant we're missing due to their absenteeism. I can't believe the play this VH thing is getting. Nail that coffin shut! For the record: When you bag on someone for expressing an opinion (any opinion), then air your own (opposing) opinion, it's called HYPOCRITICAL and you will usually lose all credibility after having done so.
Ok enough about VANHAGROTH.
Lets take a poll on what place Malcom will come in and fastest lap time.
Hey what happened with that Steelers game???? No metion this week, why? hahaha
Its not off topic Bill when its in the above story is it..If you dont like what we say, dont read it..
Steelers will be back. David Lee Roth was the man! Hagar joined and they went all Bon Jovi-every song was about love. Props to Scott Champion.
He lives for ridiculous arguments, bd. Makes him feel important. (If only he knew....)
Funny how I made six specifically moto-related posts, but he has to attack me about the music post - which was directly related to part of the Racerhead column. I guess he showed us....
Hope this link works. Check it out.
http://cyclenews.coverleaf.com/cyclenews/20110122?folio=Covera&#pg1;
MOTOTOWN was a joke, all they did is rip you off and the place was a shithole, if it were to come back "tommy d" needs to let someone else run it because he is clueless!
MOTOTOWN was a joke, all they did is rip you off and the place was a shithole, if it were to come back "tommy d" needs to let someone else run it because he is clueless!
You are wrong....maybe they didn't offer you the job is b/c you don't know what your talking about. You can use "effect" you moron...The outcome had no effect on RV...which means a "result"..study up on your grammar before criticizing someone's
You guys are idiots that dont now anything about supercross.
I thought 'yzsean' was proof-reading these articles.
bd200, i never heard of myles kennedy before, but i just watched 'sweet child o mine' on u tube. He sounds (almost) as good as axl, i was very impressed!
normally, i cringe at the thought of a cover song, as 99.988 percent of them are butchered beyond recognition, imho. (except for the GNR rendition of 'knockin on heavens door', which is Way better than the original one)
SLASH, jimi hendrix, jeff beck, jimmy page, joe satriani, randy rhoads, eric johnson, eric clapton, eddie van halen, ace frehley, chuck berry, freddie fender, dick dale...
did i miss anyone?
my favourite lick from slash: the 'acoustic' guitar solo in "one in a million".
'Sweet child o mine' and 'welcome to the jungle', played on 'guitar hero'....
Like throwing a nac-nac across a triple, in front of 60,000 screaming fans.
I second that motion, redbeard
trick, I' like to add Duane Allman.
and i forgot KIRK HAMMET too..........
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWwmIfy0GNE&feature=related
my fingers are sore just watching him. Damnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn .
Yeah sef154, ' freebird' is fun on guitar hero too, duane allman belongs on that list. Probably pete townsend, too.
long live rock.
since we are olesrting this moto thread with rock n roll nonsense, let me add a piece of rock trivia, and a good joke. then we'll get back to moto, but first:
Q: how did the song "inna godda davida" get its name? (answer at bottom)
joke:
this guy goes to his doctor, and the doctor tells him, that he is going to have to quit mast*r*baiting. So, the guy says "WHY???". Then the doctor says, "because I'm trying to examine you....")
A: it was originally titled "in the garden of eden" but the leadsinger was very drunk, during this one practice session, and kept slurring his words. Somebody said, " what the hell is he saying", and tried to write it down. Inna-godda-davida. they all thought it was funny, and decide to use it as the name of the song.
Thanks for your patience, annoyed moto-heads.
thats molesting, not olesrting.
I would like to submit Robyn Trower's "Day of the Eagle". Redbeard how about they play something from Zeke as they are both from Wa.,or how about Zeke's "God of gsxr" for dungey's intro