Racer X ReduX: St. Louis
Tuesday, April 12, 2011 | 5:45 PM
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Oooops.
I can only imagine what ran through James Stewart’s mind two weeks ago in Florida, when he realized he had pulled a bunch of off-duty officers. “Ooops” or more probably “Oh s%!t” were probably the first thoughts, and after that, it seems like instinct may have taken over, so he just took off.
I don’t really know what happened for sure, and James won’t say because this is a legal issue and lawyers won’t let him. So I don’t know what’s up with the arrest, but I have studied the races. And after St. Louis on Saturday, somewhere deep down, the rest of the contenders and teams may just be thinking the same thing. “Ooops” or more probably, “Oh sh%!t.”
James Stewart let instinct take over, and he took off. And look at this: he’s only 16 points back with three races to go. After all of these crashes, all of this drama, all of these moments of finally looking mortal and beatable, he’s still in striking distance. I really don’t understand the math here. Haven’t the last two months been horrible for James? Didn’t I say last week that parity was here and here to stay? How the heck is he right back in this after just one clean race?
Stewart has come a long way in a couple of weeks.
Photo: Garth Milan
Maybe the parity is still there. Remember, the last time James won (A2), we speculated right here in this column if it was a signal of dominance to come, or just one good night. It was, undoubtedly, just one good night, because (as absolutely no one would have predicted) it took over two months for James to win another. So there’s a chance this win signals nothing, and we’ll go back to the craziness this weekend in Seattle. I heard it may rain there….
There’s also a chance, though, that James has straightened things back out. At just 16 points down, he has a puncher’s chance at this title. The rest of the contenders all have their accolades—Villopoto is impervious to pressure, Dungey is Mr. Consistency, Reed has experience in these situations, Canard is playing with house money—but Stewart is the one guy, the only guy, who has at one point in his life has made everyone who he has ever raced say “Man, I don’t know if I can go that fast.”
That’s what has always made James Stewart dangerous: when he’s on and he doesn’t take himself out, no one can stop him. After yet another sub-par ride last weekend in Dallas, I thought maybe that era was over. Now it could be back on. If he managed to win out, he could gobble up 16 points and leap over three riders in the standings. Totally possible. That said, he has absolutely no room for error. It’s like he was down 3-0 in a seven-game series. He must win. If he gets even a third this weekend, it could be the final nail in the championship coffin.
I stole a free upgrade in my rental car over the weekend and got one with satellite radio. Had ESPN radio on, and I got to follow the never-ending drama of Tiger Woods at the Masters. On Friday evening, he finished up strong, and the “Tiger is back” buzz began to brew. People seemed excited. Then he played poorly on Saturday, so by Sunday morning, ESPN experts were back to calling him selfish, arrogant, and disrespectful to the game. Then Tiger put in another beautiful charge on Sunday, and the world loved him again. It was just fascinating to see moods change so quickly—the villain one day, the hero the next. To see what that looks like, check the comments section of this article by about Wednesday afternoon—you’ll see plenty of praise and venom for James Stewart.
Stewart got a much needed win in St. Louis, keeping his championship hopes alive.
Photo: Garth Milan
The parallels between Woods and Stewart have been stated so many times that when we hear “The Tiger Woods of motocross” I’m not longer even sure which reason we’re talking about anymore. But comparison number 937 showed up when Woods tried to rebuild himself in front of the world in Augusta. It was eerie the similarities. Amazing how you could have so much doubt on these guys for so long, and in just a short time, see just how spectacular they were and buy in all over again. I wanted Tiger to win just to see him cry like James and ring up comparison number 938, but he had dug too big of a hole earlier to get the title. He may have Tiger blood, but he wasn’t winning.
Maybe Stewart has dug too big of a hole to get out of this year as well. And we may never completely, totally have the definitive answer of what the fans really think of these two. It changes from moment to moment—hero one moment, villain the next--which is the reality of being that big of a star (for Tiger, a big star in the world, for Stewart, a big star in our little world). The only consistency is that, win or lose, winning or losing for them always seems to be the story. Make that comparison number 939. Or have we made that one before?
Dungey is second in points and gaining on Villopoto.
Photo: Garth Milan
Dungey is really riding well right now and kept Stewart honest through most of the main. Back at Anaheim 2, I had no doubts from the fourth turn that Stewart was going to win, even though he only won by 4.1 seconds. This time the gap was about the same, about three to four seconds, but there were moments where I thought Dungey was going to get closer. And, of course, just as Stewart has the puncher’s chance of winning the race, there’s also the chance that he will just go down all of a sudden, so you have that to look for that, too. Didn’t happen this time.
I don’t even understand how Stewart can be down just 16 points. He’s thrown this season away what, two, three times? Reminds me of the 1992 season, when Damon Bradshaw won five of the first six races (with an extremely high level of awesomeness), took second at Daytona, sixth after a bad start in Charlotte, and then suddenly was only up 16 points. The dude made everyone else look bad for five weeks, and the competition was still within striking distance? In regards to this season, I guess it’s easier to stay in the hunt when the points leader fails to qualify for a main event as some point, and the guy who is second in points DNFs with a derailed chain. And that’s where the “Ooops” part comes from. They may have left given James just enough room to squeeze back into this.
I think Dungey could have done more to stop it this weekend. Clearly, Dungey is going to play the consistency hand this year, and that may very well work out. But maybe not! Last week in Dallas, there was a moment where Stewart got out of shape in a rhythm lane—not Indy launching the jump sideways out of shape, not Matthes out of shape—but still pretty out of shape. Dungey just happened to be positioned inside for the next left hander, that 90-degree corner before that ridiculous section of whoops. He had a chance to run it in on Stewart, take advantage of a mistake and try to make something happen.
Instead, he got on the brakes. He backed out of it. He wanted no part of the contact. On the first lap in Dallas, Stewart got inside of Dungey. Dungey squared back a bit in the next corner, tried squaring him again and squaring him again, but I don’t feel like it was the full 100 percent attempt to make it happen (to see how the square up works when applied at 101 percent, check out Tedesco in the heat race—Stewart got him and Ivan got him back).
Reed had another tough weekend but is still in the championship race.
Photo: Garth Milan
I think Dungey could have been more aggressive. But that’s the hand he’s playing. He’s not taking huge chances to gain one position. Other riders have, and they’ve hit the ground, each other, or both. Will Dungey’s strategy work in the long run? Impossible to tell until after the checkers are out in Las Vegas. I’ve said it before: if Dungey gets this championship, he’s going to look like a genius. If he doesn’t, it’s going to look like he left something out there. But in this season, everyone will be able to second-guess something. Some were too aggressive at times, some not enough. Only after Vegas will we know who played their cards best.
Ryan Villopoto was third. He was battling Stewart off the start and wheelied way high, putting him pretty far back. He made some great moves early to get toward the front, and he quickly adopted the triple-triple jump that Stewart and then Dungey were using. But he couldn’t catch them. I think RV2 had a slight edge on the field when the season began. I think everyone has improved just enough to match him now. In January, I think he would have caught Dungey in a race like this. In April, it didn’t happen, because everyone has raised his game.
Chad Reed wasn’t on it this night. He’s like a veteran pitcher who doesn’t always have the unhittable stuff every night like he used to, but has enough guile, cunning and guts to stay in the hunt on the bad nights. And sometimes, he still has the old zip on the fastball.
He didn’t jump the triple-triple, and that seems strange for a guy like Reed, who is known as one of the greatest supercross riders ever. He usually handles the big leaps, right? Usually, yes, but not all the time. This is not the first time I’ve seen Reed steer clear of a big risk. In most of those years, he was riding a carbureted Yamaha and I’ve heard people put blame on the bog. Maybe that was the case back then, but I also think there’s a reason why Reedy is known for consistency. He’ll do the big leaps most of the time, sometimes he’ll even bust it out for the first time in mid race. But he’s never been crazy balls.
Rookie Trey Canard needs help if he is going to win the championship.
Photo: Garth Milan
Trey Canard was fastest in practice and was really carrying the momentum, but he got a bad start and that was it. Last week I said momentum is only as good as the next week’s start. I’m loving these baseball/pitching analogies right now.
In the Lites class, Justin Barcia took a major step with his win. After the race, I asked his Team Manager Mike LaRocco about Barcia’s wrist injury and the All Sport Dynamics wrist brace. Mike says he actually went and found his wrist brace from 1992, and it’s basically the same thing Justin is running right now, just with some updates (and cooler graphics). He says the brace prevents the wrist from bending way too far back if you overjump something, and that’s perfect because Barcia told me that’s about the only time the wrist bothers him (not a problem in the whoops, believe it or not). So for supercross, everything is fine, but LaRocket/The Rock/Iron Mike/Manimal told me he is concerned that Barcia’s lack of riding and training during the week may end up being a problem outdoors.
Despite the injury, Barcia managed to ride two days during the week, because the team had some new parts for him to try. Barcia wasn’t happy about getting blasted by Dean Wilson in the whoops the last two weeks, so he revised his setup. Must have worked. For a while, he was under pressure from Ryan Sipes, but he held tough and never relented. Again, we ask why Barcia is racing to win and not just score points. LaRocco said, “That’s the thing. I know if I can just keep him focused on just trying to win the race, he won’t even be worrying about the championship pressure or points or anything like that.”
Justin Barcia has just about wrapped up his first career Lites SX championship.
Photo: Garth Milan
Sipes and Baggett had up and down races. I thought for sure Sipes was going to get Barcia at one point, and I thought for sure Baggett was going to get Sipes later. In the end, no one passed anyone. Wilson finished fourth, and I swear about 15 seconds after the race he tweeted “Didn’t have it tonight.” These kids are good with the Twitter.
Speaking of good with the Twitter, Austin Stroupe was on it in St Louis. In the first practice, it looked like he was racing Canard for a main event win. They were battling hard for real. And he had a few laps in his heat where he kept Dungey in check. Then he washed out. I’m putting Stroupe up there in the Stephane Roncada pantheon of, “just when you’re about to write him off, at any random moment the guy will show off some crazy speed.”
Kevin Windham is getting faster after his mid-season swoon of bumps and bruises. He was fifth in Dallas and sixth in the STL, the easy winner of the “fastest of the non big five” sweepstakes. But Windham just wants it to be a big six. He also had a big crash in practice, but the ever-talkative LaRocco informed me that the injuries were limited to “mainly his frank and beans.” Okay!
At one point Justin Brayton looked like “fastest of the non big five” but after a big crash in Dallas, back problems kept him out in St. Louis. He tried to ride a few laps in practice, and he still rode out for opening ceremonies in street clothes. RealTree had a lot of fans in the building since this is the home race for the Iowa native, but he couldn’t race. I should have offered him a back rub. Too far?
Both Short and Alessi had tough nights in St. Louis.
Photo: Garth Milan
Andrew Short has also made a bid for “fastest of the non big five” at times, but he wasn’t very spectacular on this night. We did a podcast today and Jason Thomas thinks maybe the tacky soil highlighted the power advantage of a 450. Listen to the show and give him the credit.
There are some dudes out there who are definitely trying. Lites rider Lance Vincent got some good starts on the night and pushed it to the absolute 10/10ths of his abilities to run the pace. He was casing jumps and not caring because he clearly wants to prove himself—it was good heart from a rookie who could hide behind the “just trying to get the feet wet” excuse. Also, poor A-Mart (Alex Martin, people, obviously!) was doing all he could to hold off Matt Lemoine for the final LCQ spot and he crashed on the last lap. He was trying. And Lemoine also had a rough night, crashing spectacularly over the bars in his heat, but soldering on. I feel like every week I read a tweet about Lemoine making a long drive while dealing with soreness. That is true privateer life. Also, Malcolm Stewart took a big header in practice (they later changed the track where he crashed—to the behest of, ironically, big brother James!) and tried to go in the heat race. The pain was just too much, but don’t ever doubt the toughness of these kids.
Windham had a solid ride in St. Louis.
Photo: Garth Milan
Matthes didn’t show up to St. Louis, so I inherited a job from him: goggle guy. I was very excited to provide Tommy Hahn and Mike Alessi with some fresh kit from Eks Brand. It may have looked like I merely handed off a ziplock bag with goggles pre made by Matthes, but oh no, I went to the wall for these goggles. Matthes shipped them to my hotel, but the room wasn’t in my name, so the hotel refused delivery and sent it back to the UPS warehouse. I broke my “wrong turn u-turn” record trying to find the place, but luckily, I had saved the day and four eye balls. Hahn finished 11th Alessi took 17th, and I ate not one but two meals inside the rival Scott Motosports truck. Winning!
We’ve reached the end of the road, but there’s so much more to go. These final three races are going to be the cause of more speculation, second-guessing, bench-racing and gossip than perhaps any final three rounds ever. It’s pretty much like supercross has adopted a playoff format, and right now Villopoto gets the first seed and a home game this weekend. Can’t wait to see how it goes.
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......"In regards to this season, I guess it’s easier to stay in the hunt when the points leader fails to qualify for a main event as some point, and the guy who is second in points DNFs with a derailed chain."........makes it kind of sound like a couple of gifts to Stewart.....dont forget that he also DNF'ed the same race the points leader failed to qualify!! (ok, he scored 3 points, but still...)!! Top 5 going for it these last 3 rounds will be awesome, and i think the craziness will return in one form or another.
Can't see JS7 not wrecking out pushing it the way he will in the home stretch.
Yup, no way he wins out........big crash coming. He's a completely different Stewart than he was a few years ago. All the people helping him along the way are gone now, he has put it on his shoulders. His trainer keeping him sharp and race ready....gone. No decent technical support to set up the bikes. Brooks isn't there to encourage him to do the right things on the track. The total package is now reduced to the Stewarts and James can't do it alone.
Racing in the mud racing in Seattle may decide this championship.
"OverratedStewie".......wow genius, James can't do it alone huh?? Ummmm, didn't he just prove saturday night that he can do it alone?? It's funny, Brooks was always looked at as a bad influence and now you say his positive direction is a missing factor in JS program!!! You guys kill me!!
"Its the reason ya race" has been the theme for this years season and its been a treet for all of the fans with so many ups and downs for all the riders. The fact that we have six riders that can ride within the same .900ths of a second, Incredible! Hope they all stay safe and continue the Show in the Outdoors!
great write up weege. you sound like a local baseball beat writer,just skinny and with more hair. if dr. trey wouldve gotten a top 5 start,but this is the season of ifs.
JS can run faster than he did in St. Louis, thats his conservative ride & he won, ya he may crash pushin' it to the limit, but you gotta admire him for that, thats what makes everybody watch, he could just ride like Dungey all the time & never take any chances, boring, how many race wins does he have doin that? I hope it comes down to Vegas then we'll see some bar banging'!
After daytona, I said James could win out with RV getting seconds and still NOT get the championship. Well I'm gonna eat my words here (cuz obviously RV hasn't been getting straight seconds) and say if Stewart wins out now, he could possibly WIN!
Good read Weege.
Best line of the article - "Stewart got out of shape in a rhythm lane—not Indy launching the jump sideways out of shape, not Matthes out of shape—but still pretty out of shape."
Stewart won a bunch of races in a row to take the title from Reed a couple years ago so don't bet against him to do it again. Although I'd love to see Reed take it I'm pulling for RD and JS as well. What an awesome season!
I don't think Weege was trying to make it seem like a gift to Stewart......Just after all the ups and downs of this crazy season, nobody has that full race (25pts) lead over anyone in the top 5 and that is rare at this point in the series. The top 2 have been 10 or so points apart coming into Vegas, but never this close.....The recipient of any gifts would be have to be ol' Reedy...RV, RD and JS have all DNF'd a race and lost big points in one swoop. Had those events not occurred, Reed would be out of contention and down 20+ points right now...but no " IF's" permitted....it is what it is and it is some great racing!!.....Hope my guy RV comes out on top and if he loses by 2 points....I say GREAT SERIES!!! CANT WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR!!!
As much talk as there has been about all the "gifts" that the riders have gotten this year, has anyone stopped to think that we may be witnessing one of the greatest Supercross series of all time? I have been watching this sport for 20 years and I can't remember a time I was so stoked to see what could possibly happen the next week. Let them keep stealing points from each other, it has made for some of the best racing I could have ever imagined!! Thanks Weege for your write-up!!
I stopped reading when Tiger Woods was mentioned.
I still think there was some truth about Dungey being hurt at the begining of the season.
Traction control should be a felony...just like impersonating a cop
There are no gifts in this field. Weege didn't say that. These guys work for and earn every inch of track they are on. If one loses 25 points, they don't "give" everyone else 25 points. Everyone else behind the one that falters gains 1, 2 or 3 points from the misfortune of the other. Since when has someone's loss ever been a blessing for others? Although these guys are competitors, they have respect for anyone that makes the gate at a main event. That is much more than we can say for most of the posters here.
Good read Weege. Almost sound like a Rev up!
Dungey knows how to win championships. He hasn't lost one in two years. He's not the fastest every week. He allways builds momentum during the season. He is the only one out of the top 5 that finished all 17 rounds last year. Even with a mechanical DNF he is right in the points and gaining each week. He has more podiums than anyone else. A lot of people dont like his conservative approach but thats what it takes to win tittles. He is sticking to his game plan so far. He may be forced to go out of his comfort zone and feed someone a wheel before its over.
Weege is really hard on Dungey and i don`t know why. Is second place in points not good enough for you Weege? Is putting on the most consistent performance of the season not good enough for you Weege? Huh? Is it? You in your almighty knowledge think Dungey could have done more to stop Stewart the weekend? When Stewart is on his game no one can catch him but Dungey rode great, and is doing great this season.
Weege is really hard on Dungey and i don`t know why. Is second place in points not good enough for you Weege? Is putting on the most consistent performance of the season not good enough for you Weege? Huh? Is it? You in your almighty knowledge think Dungey could have done more to stop Stewart the weekend? When Stewart is on his game no one can catch him but Dungey rode great, and is doing great this season.
another JS7 puff piece by Racer X. Got nothing against him. In a round about sort of way, I root for him. (I actually miss the sprinkler) However Racer X, hardly even a mention on the JS7 incident in FL. Matter of fact, this may be the first one I have seen on here. The only reason JS7 is still in this is that he had some HUGE gifts handed to him. (yes, one he didn't exactly capitalize on) Oh, & lets not forget he punted the points leader off the track. Yes, I know it was unintentional. Crazy season none-the-less & I am loving every second of it. Racer X however has lost some credibility.
JS7 most heat race wins in history of SX ever!!! With all the bad luck of 2011 he has 11 heat wins . 2009 he had like 15. Too bad this title isnt decided on heat wins. bcoz the 2nd guy would be half the points
This thing comes down to consistency and right now Dungey and Reed are themost consistent riders
weegee you nailed it again...
I really do have the same perspective as to how dungey is racing at this stage. It seems he has been too conservative, and the next thing you'll know, that things is starting to slip on his fingers.
I'd rather give it a try than letting someone go and knowing you didn't try an inch of it. That's why so many people love stewie, because no matter what the conditions are, he ain't letting you go that easy without a fight, even if it cost him a race. I am not a fan of his, but that is why he is so admired in our arena, because he try anything (crazy balls stuffs).
On the other hand, villopoto must figure out the last 3 races. RD1, JS7 and even CR22 gain huge grounds on him the last 3 races.
Good season so far, and the weekend off after seattle is a torture for us fans.... Hahahahahahahaha.....
Oh and i dont think JS7 is in the hunt. He had his chances in Daytona and Jacksonville and threw it away. This is RV,RD and Reedy battle. Note Reedy never had a DNF but RV failed to qualify and RD had a DNF with chain.
Not Matthes out of shape ! ! How may keyboards am I gonna drown before I learn ?
Dirt
@fewsbox. I agree. The amazing James Stewart while poor "Rookie Trey Canard needs help if he is going to win the championship." Last time I checked so does Stewart...
Whatever
"fewsbox", what do you not understand about "legal issue"?? This is not a News magazine....go search up some local florida news outlets if you want day to day coverage of this thing. RacerX posted about as much information as was available during the first few days of the ordeal....remember?? Believe me, as much as some people ans apparently you want it to be, this is not a red hot news story right now, it's just not. I'm sure you will get your update as soon as court proceedings offer something up. Until then why don;t you relax and enjoy this incredible SX season as it comes to an end??
C'mon Weege, you expect conservative Dungey to try and pass Stewart back so he can become a landing zone for the #7? Staying out of Stewart's drop zone is as smart a strategy as any out there this year. Villopoto and Reed have lost serious points thanks to James putting them down early in races. Stewart with a bad start is like a ticking time bomb for those around him. I think it's smart to try and save points, but even smarter to protect a career. Ask RJ if he wishes he stayed away from Danny Storbeck all them years ago. Stewart has shown that he has no regard for the safety of others out there so he gets a wide berth.
i sick of hearing stewart keeps taking out guys this is motocross. bob hannah damon bradshaw all did. this is not golf. alot of people would not be on this website if there was no james stewart
Brad - even if you are correct. Dungey is OBVIOUSLEY riding a conservative strategy. James is a wild and aggressive rider who happens to have incidents to himself and those around him.
Why would Dungey not already have pre decided to keep clear?
I respect all these guys so don't even start saying i'm a fantard, retard or whatever.
They all are what they are and have there own style and characteristics. You getting your knickers in a knot aint gonna change that about James, hell even James wouldn't change that about himself..
This is NOT as perceptive of an article as some the typical racerx readers have erroneously clamed. However, B-KR provides a rather impressive take when he correctly points out that Villo and Reedy lost points as a result of getting into it with Stewie. I noticed the same thing. And I also think that perhaps Dungey has been playing it safe. Another excellent point by B-KR that I would like to add to is that Stewie appears to gets a "wide birth" from many riders. What has been especially unfortunate is that Villo does not seem to be able to stand up to Stewie.
I think his main point about RD is if he does not win the title he might be home thinking what if I stuck a wheel in there or froced a pass here or there I might be the champ again. Some guys would rather get 2nd knowning they gave it 100%, Some would hate to get 2nd knowing they did not give it 100%. Either way there are 4 guys with a real shot still so enjoy!!
on more thing, So of you say back it off and have a long career, Thats fine but You don't get a lot of shots at a title so when your this close its time to go for it IMO because you don't know what will happen next year. Look at K-Dub. Great guy, Very fast, Raced for what 50 years now LOL, but no titles. If he hung it out more he might have a few who knows, Sure he could have crashed but ya never know unless ya try.
I agree with those that say Wege has been too hard on Dungey all season. Ok Dungey gets a great start, Stewy passes him who is down in point by alot, he's ahead of Reed and RV the two he needs to worry about. So Wege wants him to do a jack off move one or two laps into the race and risk it all like others have done just to make it exiting for us fans to watch. Wege you see why he's where he's at even with a dnf? And someone compared him to KW as being too conservative, excuse me but I think he has some C'ships already doesn't he?
16 Points? Sorry, you're done!
Lemoine probably would have done better if he wasn't trying to ride with a soldering iron.
Dungey is wrong for not riding more aggressive and making contact? Aggressive riding did not work out so well last season for Stewart, Reed and Villopoto. Aggressive riding has not worked out so well for Stewart and Reed this season.
So in summary, Dungey is wrong for not being more aggressive. Yet, he has two Titles from last season because he refused to bang bars and those that did went down and out for the season. However, Dungey does not deserve those Titles from last year because those "more deserving of the Title" took themselves out through their intentional aggressive riding. WTF?
Wow, that was pure genius JonR290.........not!!!
Trey Canard is where the story is at. That guy is the "points stealer" and can beat any one of the top guys. Barring any major mistakes, Trey getting in between the top-4 up front might decide the championship.
To B-KR,
As the old saying goes "if they can't handle the heat, they need to get out of the kitchen". If they don't want to get run into, they need to go faster...
As Barcia said "the more they complain the harder I will hit them"...
BILLC, knowing you are not a Dungey fan, I will say this. Dungey IS giving a 100%. Just because he didnt ride over his head and crash, doesnt meran he isnt giving 100%. And just because he doesnt trow caution to the wind like Stewie doesnt mean he isnt giving 100%. I cant see any rider not giving 100% and still able to hold off a rider like RV2. I am sure under the watchful eye of Decoster over the years and now Webb, Dungey knows more about what he can do on a bike than any of us ever will. And you dont get were he is today, 450 National champ-450 supercross champ) by not giving 100% all the time.
@JonR290...You are exactly right!!! While i do enjoy aggressive riding it appears that in the SX class the last 2 years your point has proven true.
Lets not forget that Dungey was leading last year when RV2 tried his two acts of desperation (was entertaining though) in St louis and took himself out. We cant speculate that RV2 would have won the championship. he was unconsistant the whole time up to that point. To put an * next to his championship is totally whinny A$$ bull crap. I am pretty sure he also DOMINATED the outdoors as well as MXoN.
@Genius - we agree. Precisely why I added the "WTF?" at the end. That logic set forth in the article and certain comments is nonsense. With the crashes Stewart, Reed and Villopoto have had this season, they are lucky to be walking let alone still in the championship.
....just for the record, I do not care who wins the championship. Any guy winning will have a great story to print. I truly like all the guys and absolutely respect their speed and ability to ride a bike (though the hardcare "my guy only" fans can be a bit hard to stomach at times). Heck, even Mike Alessi winning would be a great story.
jonR290 what bad crashes have RV and Reed had?? Don't recall and that were 100% there fault. Not arguing but i don't recall any that made me say wow lucky to be walking..... PS. Mike Alessi winning would be a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG shot. BD I am a fan of all these guys, My point about RD is he can't be giving it 100% when he can't pass Reed for 16 laps when there is no question he is faster... right?? You said it also, RD is NOT good at passing people. If he was as good as RV, JS, or TC at passing he would be the points leader right now, No question in my mind.
BillC,, I agree.. I dont recall Reed and RV having horrible crashes this year either.. It was funny in St Louis when Erin said Reed was SORE after the crash in Dallas.. hahahahaa,, I couldnt believe Reed was making excuses again, but its not unusual for him to do that.. When Erin said that, I thought to myself, " If Reed is sor after that crash, then JS must b in a coma after the crashes he's had... hahahah.. Reed is such a weasle...
BillC UMM Reed did have an at fault crash....remember Atlanta... I dont blame him for trying being it was the last lap, but would have benifited more to not try the pass and get second. So it is showing that when these guys have gotten aggressive with each other it has done more harm than good. once again im not downing aggrassive riding, but Dungey avoiding it might be the better decision
If u put all five names on dice and rolled them like a yatzee game..you might know who will win next week..But I have to agree, RD1 has to step it up the next three races if he want's to keep the #1 plate.( I'm hoping ) But what about mud in Seattle? K.dub anyone? Best season yet!
@Bad Billy Robinson Not a crash he was lucky to be walking after like jonR290 said, They have ALL had at fault crashes even RD but none that seems as bad as he is caliming.... JS ... YES...but Reed and RV I don't recall it. Also IMO Reeds move was a bad move with little chance of good coming from it. I do agree somtimes being aggressive does not work out but the same can be said for the guy who holds back. Its all in your out look, No right or wrong just dif ways to go after the same gole.
BillC...any crash that causes a DNF (the inability to finish a main or heat) is a bad crash. Villo has had a few. For a guy that had the injury he had last season, he is very lucky.
As to Alessi winning, I said it would be a "good story" not that he had any chance. Let me clarify. Ivan Tedesco winning would be a good story. Michael Byrne winning would be a good story. Remember the American Revolution? I believe Vegas odds at the time had the chances of the pitchfork-toting colonials beating England at 20-1 against. Because of our past we are a country that likes the underdog and when someone wins we don't expect, that is a good story.
JonR290,, remember, just because you crash, and have a DNF, dosent mean its a bad crash. That crash could cause bike problems that result in a DNF...
@BillC... I can See your point. I was pissed at RD1 through the first half of the season saying he needed to get in there and put a block pass on someone (because he has had many oppertunities) however it looks like he has now proved me wrong. He is now five points from his second SX championship. But if RV2 gets out infront of him he is most certainly going to need to get alittle more aggressive and push it 100%.
@mxmoto, true and well put. As an addendum, it is also true that a bad crash does not necessarily mean a DNF (Stewart at Daytona).
Some guys have terrible crashes and get up and some guys go down even from small mishaps. Reed broke his hand in Phoenix last year in a small tip-over. Stewart getting on his bike at Daytona was unbelievable.
We can all agree that CRASHING = BAD winning strategy, regardless of the cause for the crash.
THNX Weege, good write up.
I agree with the poster that said the "off" weekend will about kill us !!! haha
We all have our favorites to win probably but it is VERY clear we are ALL favorites of this awesome season and I too agree no matter who wins, this season is amongst the best I've ever witness going back to 1981 and thats a big list !!!
Usually we are SO very ready for MX right about now but all of you know we are in for a great next 4 weeks!
KDub, your due man so make it happen !
JonR290 the DNF RV had you can't blaim on him ridding to aggressive!! Crap happens!! RV has been very clean with his ridding this year and has not had any hard crashes other than the one you taked about in Jacksonville whitch was not his fault other than not getting a better start at least.
True that a small crash can be worce, I dropped my bike loading into the truck once, Bent bars and broken leaver!! Same bike was Cartwheeled 4th gear WFO and not a scrach!!! Luck is a BIG part of it, How many times have we seen RC get up from a death crash only to get back on the bike and WIN!! wile some guys Like Doug Henry seem to have bad luck from there crashes.
BillC, I will agree that Dungey needs to be aggresive and get passed guys when he has a chance. You would think at this point in the season, and as close as he is. He would get aggresive early in the race before he gets gapped by the leader. the top 5 are all about the same speed, the leader gets a gap, and there is no catching them. Even Stewie couldnt chase down RV2 at Indy when he gapped Stewie, and he was throwing it all out there. Dungey definately needs to sack up and stick a wheel in sometimes.. And RV2 DNF was at no fault of his really, and guy wads up in front of him and he lands over his crashed bike, it happens sometimes. RV needs to work on his starts dammit..
Yup thats all I ment bd200, I never ment he was not trying thats for sure!! ( and I really do like RD... Please believe me) All I ment was he is not giveing 100% on passing, He needs to get rough a little. And YES They are all running real close now. Who will have an off day like Reed had last weekend?? At this point none of them can aforsd to have one. RV has not had the holeshot in a LONG time!! This would be the best time EVER for him to do it. If he can win in Seattle and JS gets 2nd it could be game over for the most part, If TC got 3rd it would be over. He would have atleast a 12 point lead with 2 to go. But like ya said if he gets a bad start he could get 5th!!! Because it so hard to make up time now... They all SMELL it!! This weekend could be a WAR!!! and its LIVE!!!!!! YES!!!! LIVE!!!!
Seriously digging this season and appreciating the different riders with their different approaches. That's what's making it one of the best seasons ever. I'm gonna pull for RV2 since everyone else but TC41 has a title and he will undoubtedly earn one in the future. ;) There's my $.02. And worth less than that! :P
I'm so sick of BK-R doing all this whining for RV, Dungey and CR!! Jesus man, you sound like a big poossy!! This is motocross (sx) not ice skating!! I'm sure that those guys are giving Stewart a "wide berth" out there becasue they are afraid....riiigghhht!! If they are afraid, they need to find a new sport...NOW!! Maybe you do too!! I agree with what Roczen said. Damn you sound like a girl when you post crap like that BK-R!!
I do not even comment in here anymore because of all bull tht is slang in here. This is a place for us to have somewhere to talk to other mx heads about a sport we all supposedl love. But mx is never the isssue, it is people that have nothing better to do than argue. Most of which have never riden a bike before, if you love the sport then talk about it!