250 Words: Seattle
Tuesday, April 19, 2011 | 10:30 AM
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Second—or in this case, third, fourth or fifth—chances don’t get gift wrapped much better than Josh Hansen’s. Hanny blew opportunities on probably a half-dozen teams before getting a fresh start on one of the most successful teams in the sport, but don’t fret too much about Hansen’s misfortune. As soon as you can say, “life isn’t fair,” Hansen’s comeback tour ground to a hault when he hit the ground hard in practice at Anaheim 2.
Whatever unfair advantages Hansen had gotten were quickly wiped out in that crash. For once, he was given a test, and he withstood that test. Hansen broke his hand that afternoon, but he won the race that night. Two weeks later, with his hand in even worse condition, he soldiered on for some points in San Diego. He took on surgery during the break in West Regional Lites action and came in healed up as the series resumed in Seattle, only to crash in the whoops, again, in fashion eerily similar to the Anaheim spill that started this whole mess for him.
Hanson suffered a practice crash in Seattle and reinjured his hand.
Photo: Garth Milan
Hanny’s two months of recovery went down the drain in an instant. He would have to ride through pain, again, with shoulder and hand injuries. He fought gamely to finish sixth, the same finishing position he snagged in San Diego.
If you’re fretting over Hansen’s 2011 season—wondering why he’s deserving of a shot with Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki, or, even, why he’s even still in the Lites class after nearly a decade as a pro, there may be less reason to be upset now. The sport just insured Hanny’s reprieve won’t come without the proper sacrifice and pain. Even if you don’t think he deserved another chance or another opportunity, if he finds a way to win this championship, it would be hard to argue that he didn’t earn it.
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Rise to the top, fall to the bottom, rise again. Best ride there is for the sole.
Hanny has allready made it back, the campionship would just be a Disney movie!
Josh Hansen racing in the Lites is crap, no matter how you slice it. Same with Sipes. It's pretty frustrating watching a 26 yr old racing 16 year old rookies. Something is wrong with the sport when this is happening year after year.
Hansen is the same age as Reed, and sandbagging the lites class. This is ironic when the races that put him back in the game were on 450's( X Games). It's confusing to me a 25 year supporter of the sport. When I sit new fans to the sport down, especially the ones the follow "real" sports, they are the most confused by this gap in age.
Please fix the Lites class and quit sacrificing the sport to suit 1 or 2 riders that shoulda put their heads down and worked when they had the chance.
I agree Cory. And while we are at it, can we PLEASE go back to the old numbering system. There was nothing wrong with the old system. I love explaining to my friends that occasionally watch the sport just because they know I do it the difference in numbers. "OK, so the numbers are somewhat similar to college football and tennis in that your number reflects how you 'finished' last year. So if some guy in the 80s is beating a guy in the 40s, that's pretty good. The triple digit guys didn't earn enough points so they are usually the slowest." Well what about 800 or 100, they're pretty fast?" Oh, well they are not really triple digits. OK. You see, they are really double digits that just want to run a triple digit. Oh wait, and the really good guys like Poto, he isn't really 2 he just keeps that number every year. His number would actually be more like 20 oe 30 because he was hurt. And Reed would be probably around 11 or 12, not 22. And Canard, no way he is that high. He's like 4 or 5 for sure.......whew. The point is, it's stupid!
Don't like Hansen but admire him riding through the pain. what does age have to do with the lites ,you either win or you don't. Canard seemed to be able to jump right in the 450's. i for one one don't want to watch a beginners class at a SX. The EAST riders will put a spankin on the west at the shootout.
They are all playing by the rules, or they wouldn't be allowed on the track. If you are 26 years old, and beating 16 year-olds to the flag, then who cares? It is a race, and the gate drops the same for everyone. Is Windham pathetic because he is hanging on too long? How about Nick Wey? Canard is the youngest of the top 5 in the four-five-oughts, and he beats all of them. Default back to the lites argument, and Blake Baggett and Justin Barcia are handling the pressure from the old hands just fine.
The teams bought the services of the riders they could afford. And as a spectator, I only want to see the best racing the sport has to offer. Age is just a number, and experience is a line on a resume.
hey what about nate ramsey he rode in the lights for a long time i dont think he moved up until he got that san manuel ride with reed. just because those guys have been in the class along time doesnt mean they are "sandbagging" hanson and sipes both get beat by the young guns so there age hasnt helped one bit.
I couldnt disagree more with Stosh and Cory. I believe that the personal numbers allow for the fans to follow the riders season after season without any confusion. I mean, who cares which place Villopoto got last year? He is number 2 - the fans know him, and can follow their favorite rider by just looking for the number. To me, it would seem more confusing if he was running nr. 37. And to the new fans, they will remember that the "nr. 2 is riding well", for the next time they will watch. Nobody will remember nr. 37. personal numbers! Yeah.
Do you really want SX to go the way of NASCAR?
Ramsey won the SX class in Pontiac 2002 for Honda (after RC crashed spectacularly, which I'll never forget)............When was he on San Manual 2008? Bc 775 you might be getting him confused with someone else.
Josh
Never was much of a fan because of SX only and age thing but.............when you hit the deck, got up and rode hurt I respect the willingness to fight through adversity. Now that I know a little bit of your journey im pulling for you "kinda"
One thing for sure, these struggles arent about moto or championships or women or money.Those are things that will come and go. This is a test that can give you the confidence to slay your demons. Look them in the eye and hang tuff Hoss.
Dirt
Now get your ass on a 450, get schooled and then show us what you got.
Hanson just kissed his riding career good bye last weekend! He won't win the championship and never get a real ride next year on 450's. He is way to lazy to train to be a player in the 450's and he already proved that. See ya Hanson you won't be missed! O yeah nice heat race speech last weekend! You are a good role model and you couldn't have acted like more of a tool bag!
Hanson is finding out what Karma is all about.
I disagree with Picone, this year Hanson is different. Somehow, someway he has put it together and turned into an athlete. I thought it would never happen and that in past years his good finishes were flukes. Somebody put a brain in his head and it was just in time. I'll bet his dad has smiled alot more this year.
Correct me if I am wrong, but isnt Tyla Rattrey even older than Hanson?? Tyla is older than Dungey, RV2 and Canard. Almost as old as Reed, and Tyla is older than Stewie I think, and he isnt winning. Sad!!!
hansen is tasting the reality of
karma, i saw i lot of coments about barcia like a dirty rider. I think he makes his way consistent and focus to take his championship and he didnt take out any rider in the east races, he has contact but never taking somebody out of the track. Hansen he was really dirty and he was taking too many riders in his stupid moves. thats the only way he van win but i feel sorry for him cause his title hopes and his racing life as a pro is over. see you next season in a privater bike if you can pay for it lazy bud.
Weege, whats the deal? From what I understand Hanson broke his pinky finger and dislocated his ring finger, yet I have heard everyone in the media say he has a boken hand and Hanson himself said in his interview with Erin that he has dislocated HANDS and fingers. It sounds like everyone is changing the injury so it sounds much worse and they can make a Cinderella story out of this. I guess a broken pinky doesn't make him sound like a badass enough. I know that riding with a broken finger can be miserable, but the fans should know the truth. Also I have had two broken wrists (Barcia) and I couldn't unload my bike without a cast and could have never raced that way. I'm sure these guys are using cortizone and other things but sometimes I wonder if were always hearing the truth. Anyway Weege you seem to be the most responsible reporter out there and I am a big fan of your work, I was thinking that it would a great article if you could explain how the pros handle their injuriesin the media. Thank you
Weege, whats the deal? From what I understand Hanson broke his pinky finger and dislocated his ring finger, yet I have heard everyone in the media say he has a boken hand and Hanson himself said in his interview with Erin that he has dislocated HANDS and fingers. It sounds like everyone is changing the injury so it sounds much worse and they can make a Cinderella story out of this. I guess a broken pinky doesn't make him sound like a badass enough. I know that riding with a broken finger can be miserable, but the fans should know the truth. Also I have had two broken wrists (Barcia) and I couldn't unload my bike without a cast and could have never raced that way. I'm sure these guys are using cortizone and other things but sometimes I wonder if were always hearing the truth. Anyway Weege you seem to be the most responsible reporter out there and I am a big fan of your work, I was thinking that it would a great article if you could explain how the pros handle their injuriesin the media. Thank you
josh hansen is the worst rider that i ever seen. he is too dirty and i agree he does'nt have anything for barcia and the rest of the east coast in the shoot out. eli tomac is an a roll he can clinch the weast title too. factory connection is getting stronger every year. and just wait for justin bogle on the team.
man honda is staring to kick asses again those factory connection guys are damm good and fast
yeah mitch payton should move to honda again.
Tyla is older? This is Tyla's first year racing supercross (being somewhat healthy). Dick. An I've been sick of Hansen since his first race.. He thinks he's MC yet has achived what exactly? I can imagine when he's hanging around with his celebrity friends he acts like he's the greatest rider to ever throw a leg over a bike. He'll lose this championship and then be workin in Burger King with J-Law. Good luck with that one dude.
I really hope Hansen wins the championship this year. I feel that he rightfully deserves it after the way the last few years have gone for him. I think his problems began when he left the Factory KTM team at the end of 2007. I don't care that Hansen's 8-10 years older than the young guys out there like Tomac, Tickle, Roczen and others -- winning is winning, and Hansen's doing so. I just hope Li'l Hanny will win it and join Father Donnie on winning a championship of his own. Hansen was close in 2005, but he hasn't come that close to a championship since then, which has to be frustrating for him for sure.
You only get one chance at a first impression...and a second....and a third...and a fourth. He'll never get a ride on a factory 450 team. Isn't the main reason he's on Mitch's team is because he blows...I mean KNOWS...someone at Monster? Always been a d-bag in my opinion. Still is - just that now he's a cherry picking d-bag.
i believe this is the second time you have done this; yet again the article is focusing on how amazing hanny is when COLE SEELY won! even in the L.A. article the focus was on hanny. give credit where credit is due. SEELY won, not hanny. hop off hanny's dick, seriously.
The thing about hanny is we have already seen him in supercross and know that he doesn't have much to offer. this make him boring now messing around with the kids. Even if hansen was in crazy ass shape and in the 450 class again he isn't going to do anything. As he has proven once again in his championship run is that he struggles to stay off the ground, and stay injury free. Sucks, I love the hann man.
It seems like a alot of people on here have a stick up their rear. This guy is just trying to ride his dirtbike and get better which is what most of us are doing too. I'm sure he would love to be in the big bike class doing good but he f' ed that up and now is paying for it in the lites. He sure isn't the first person to do it. People that are saying he will never do this or that on a 450 probably would have never guessed he would have done this well on the 250. I think if he keeps doing what he's doing on and off the track and proves he's done being a D Bag, people should give him a break. At least not talk shit on him anyway. Just seems messed up to dislike a guy that good because of what he did in the past when he's trying to make it right. Gotta get over it at some point. I know i've had times in my life that I wish were different and thankfully the whole world doesn't know about it to keep throwing it in my face. I don't know, just seems messed up because usually moto people are some of the nicest, most helpful people around but you would never guess that if all you did was read these threads. Something to think about.
To me this is just so funny about the talk that Hansen is too old to be in the class. I remember when the riders hit 25 they were considered over the hill. I rember one interview where Glover said he was now 25 and ilt was about time to retire. Then LaRoco and Dows started the older movement and a few others so now you are to old to race the younger guys? No I dont get it. Glad to see Hansen Sipes and them going at the younguns.
Everybody has been, knows or has a dumb kid, get over it. Forget the past. Poor soul made some mistakes and has to get past them, same as everybody else. Title-wise, I like what Tomac has done but, the way this has played out, it looks to be Tickle's to lose unless we see a defining performance from one of these three. The economy sucks and 450 rides are not falling out of trees. 'Lil Hanny will probably have to take a "satellite" 450 ride (VMS. Moto-Concepts, H&H, etc.), pay his dues (again) and struggle against public opinion to reach some level of competitiveness and continue making a career out of what we all love. Best of luck.
TICKLE ME ELMO...
250 words should be about something significant...new points leader might over rule the lame story of a privileged kid that keeps ruining it...
by privileged I mean, who would give him a ride if not for his dad?