Racer X Notebook: Indianapolis
Tuesday, March 20, 2012 | 11:50 AM
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Indianapolis used to be one of the softest, ruttiest races on the SX tour. Somehow it has morphed into the exact opposite, as most riders said this year’s Indy track was the hardest, slickest surface of the season! As a result, riders had to be careful to avoid washing out, though many did end up sampling the soil anyway.
Yes, injuries were once again the biggest story of the day at Indy. This is getting out of hand! Motosport.com/TiLube/Foremost Insurance rider Nick Wey went down in his heat race and was out for the night—we’re waiting for an update, but we believe he could be out for a bit. Kyle Chisholm went down in the main event on his DNA/JWR Kawasaki. Yesterday Chisholm told us he hurt his wrist, ribs/back, hip, and shoulder. Ouch! Chizz says the shoulder is the biggest issue. He’ll have it checked out later this week before deciding to race Toronto or not.
Rockstar Energy/Star-Valli Yamaha’s Kyle Cunningham has taken quite a few lumps this year, as he found out before the Indy race that he actually has a small fracture in his wrist dating back to his Dallas SX crash. So he’s been riding hurt the whole time! Then it went from bad to worse at Indy with a first-turn crash in the main, and then a big crash five laps in that caused the red-flag restart. Cunningham texted us yesterday, saying, “A little sore, will have a follow up this week but feeling better. I’m not giving up, that’s for sure.”
How about some love for Pooh Sipes? Finished a solid 12th in the SX Class.
Fredrickson photo
Good news is some riders did return from injury, including Chisholm’s teammate Josh Grant. JG had busted up his shoulder blade early in the season, but his return was solid, netting him a respectable eleventh in the main.
Also back was Nico Izzi, who missed a few 450 races with a sore wrist. The Rockstar Energy Drink/Star-Valli Yamaha rider scored an impressive tenth in the SX main. Weston Peick, a fill in rider for a couple rounds with Star-Valli, was back on a Kawasaki and right in front of him with a solid ninth.
Nico Izzi is back after a few weeks healing a bum wrist.
Fredrickson photo
Oh, and Josh Hansen’s injury woes are building too! Hanny had been nursing a sore ankle for a few weeks, then he twisted his knee in Indy practice and sat the race out. Hanny had been building a solid season for the Dodge Motorsports/Hart & Huntington team, but the last few weeks have been tough.
But Hanny did have a new teammate in Kyle Regal. This was good timing, as Regal ended up as the only H&H rider in the main event. He finished sixteenth.
Justin Sipes also had a great ride in the SX main, taking twelfth on his Motosport.com/TiLube/Foremost Insurance Kawasaki. We believe that is a career best for the man they call Pooh Sipes.
Kevin Windham also crashed out of the main when he got crossed up with Mike Alessi, who was trying to avoid an errant tough block while also jumping a rhythm lane. Windham was said to have a sore back. We’ll have updates on all of these injuries later in the week with our injury report. It’s a lot to keep track of!
He didn’t get hurt, but Jake Weimer didn’t have a good night in Indy. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider crashed along with Wey in his heat, then got a terrible start in the LCQ and ran out of time trying to come through the pack. He ended up not qualifying for the main.
Not a good night for Weimer.
Fredrickson photo
Mike Alessi told us after the race that his bike started cutting out while he was leading the SX main. He hung on to finish sixth.
Not a good night for the Stewart family: James crashed out of his heat race and was out for the night. He sent out a message on Monday saying he’s waiting to find out his status for Toronto. Then his brother, Malcolm, had yet more setbacks, leading him to a last-lap scramble to make the main from the LCQ. He came together with veteran Kelly Smith trying to get the last transfer spot and crashed, knocking him out of the main. Malcolm sits ninth in Lites East points on his J-Star/JDR KTM.
Les Smith had a rough start to his season for the Ohlins/Langston Motorsports KTM team, but he has turned things around a bit. After eleventh in Daytona, he scored his first top-ten of the season with ninth in Indy. Said team manager Grant Langston, “I am so happy for Les, he’s such a good kid and really earned this result. I knew it was only a matter of time before he would be in the top ten and I know he will now only work harder to continue improving.”
Les Smith is finally finding his groove.
Fredrickson photo
Two-time and current AMA Arenacross Champion Tyler Bowers enjoyed his best night since jumping back into the Lites SX scene. Bowers got great starts on his Monster/Babbitts Kawasaki and took fourth in his heat and eighth in the main.
He has missed two races in a row, but Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey is still second in the SX standings!
Best of the rest? Just 14 points separate fourth-place Davi Millsaps from eighth-place Jake Weimer in the standings. The Millsaps-Windham-Brayton-Metcalfe-Weimer group has gone back and forth all year.Share this article:
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JS still sounds like a maybe for Toronto... RV could wrap this up with 4 to go!!
You wrote, "Kevin Windham also crashed out of the main when he got crossed up with Mike Alessi, who was trying to avoid an errant tough block while also jumping a rhythm lane." Looked to me like Alessi moved to his right towards the tough block.
Let's see... almost every round complaints of slick tracks and a bunch of injuries have amounted.
How about... getting some good frikkin dirt and not making things so slick? Do they put road base down on every track they are building? Maybe they should take some of the sand they've been using in the designs and mix it with whatever dirt they bring in, and might as well add in some rice chaffe too.
Tough blocks in the corners getting kicked out seems to be an issue this year also.
Alessi bike cutting out.. yeah.. okay.
Bike cutting out while leading the race...? Yeah...
Yes, i think it is time to relook at the Tough Blocks for a different solution. They seem to cause way too many issues. also, why is it that they end up on the race lines for so long? seems the track workers should be able to get them off the course way faster than they do. remember last year and chad was almost in the middle of the track and runs right into a block that was just sitting there.
what is James's injury? he never says exactly what the deal is, or did I miss it somewhere? is it head or his legs or back??? I saw the track guys carrying him, like his legs were broke?
"Pooh" Sipes? Where/what does that nickname come from/stand for?
"RV could wrap this up with 4 to go"
and Dungey may still be the guy in second when he does it
Would think a few plastic tent stakes would cure the problem with the tough blocks... easy, quick, cheap fix to a problem that has caused alot of damage to rideres...less fireworks in the indoor stadiums to please..leaves a haze all night long...just my two cents
JCBfromCA Mike was in the raceing line, look at the dirt to the left side of mike, No one was going there, The dirt was a lot darker you can see the line very clear. K-Dub tried to come up the inside and it did not work, Mike held his line and was in front thats why K-Dub hit his rear wheel. RC said the same thing.
MX Bob... Could be if everyone keeps crashin
That is funny that Mikey jumps TOWARDS the tuff block to avoid it. I guess that happens when yer bike is blubbering. I love that word, blubbering. He reminds me of a guy I used to race offroad with. He'd have some issue and ride around every lap yelling at anyone within sight "Flat tire! Flat tire!" and pointing to his wheel as if everyone was worried about why he was going slower than usual. I guess if Mike could get one of his best results of the year on a blubbering bike, RV and the rest better watch out.
Gosh lets have these guys ride Mike's Bike and see if they can holeshot and get
top six.
Or maybe they are factory mechanics and can determine his bike wasn't cutting out.
Also, the Tuff Blocks are left loose also for safety. Haven't you noticed they move
them in front of downed riders to protect them? Yes, I agree they do need a better
way to line the track. And if they were tied down, if a rider hit them it would be a
100% chance they were going down because they don't move. Now the rider stands a chance when hitting them they move out of their way.
How about a light plastic chain with plastic clips to easily keep the tuff blocks together.If there is a hard hit it will break.If they are clipped they will stay put.
Guys are all over Alessi, and the guy didnt do anything wrong.. I was sitting right in that corner where everyone was crashing it seems like. It looked to me that K-Dub hit Alessi's wheel.. I never saw Alessi do anything wrong..
The tough blocks is a touchy issue kinda.. If you stake them, and guy might hit them and go over the bars.. And those things being there has saved Stewart a few times this year from a serious injury.. It would be easier if the rider would quit catching them and dragging them out on the track..LOL
One stake hooked thru the cover would tear out if hit to hard yet stay while just bumped, got to be away we can figure it out ....team work ...brainstorm
Sound like a lot of great ideas and except who's going to pay for the additional expense that will go into modifying each and every tuf block? That's going to be some serious coin.
@ SKYCOOPER plastisc chain is cheap,really cheap and so are clips.The extra few minutes to add this is NOTHING compared to a riders safety along what each event pulls in $$ wise at each round.
I watched the Alessi/Windham crash over and over. Alessi went from the middle to the right heading into the turn. I believe he heard K-Dub coming on the inside and moved over on Kevin to block him. Problem was Kevin was already committed to the pass.
He more than heard him coming, he looks over at Kevin midway down the section! If anyone watches the replay over and over and doesn't see Alessi jump across K-Dub's line, I don't know what else to say. I have heard that he got kicked by something on the track, and that he didn't even jump across the track. I can live with the claim that something kicked him, at least it's feasible. Not true, but feasible. But there is no doubt he came across Kevin's line in mid-air, either by accident or on purpose.
I was being diplomatic, Mikey has always raced with his head on a swivel. I'm a Windham fan, the Alessi clan...not so much.
Why does a tuff block even need a cover? Just make it like a giant nerf football- with the sponsors name and graphics embbedded right into the foam- problem solved!
Never had these issues with hay bails. How about no covers and make them out of loosely assembled/glued material like packing peanuts? The sponsor graphics can be pained or laminated on. Kind of like a mini stack of card board boxes. These will blow apart when in traffic yet still soften the fall of riders who land on them.
Before we fix tuf blocks, let's remember that they replaced. The more you secure a tuf block to the track, the more it becomes a hay bale.
Green Means GO, Kentucky guys and anyone who kinda knows Justin Sipes call him Pooh because he was a chubby baby! He looked like Pooh Bear.
Before his shenanigans this year, i was really rooting for Alessi to finally pull his crap together, but after this year and seeing all the crap the eight hundred has pulled, I am over this dude, and am gonna be so over joyed when the day comes where this clown announces his retirement. Tony says Mike is wanting to win so bad he is willing to do whatever he has to, and it sure shows. The Blatant cheating is complete bs. First we had the starting gate situation with lining up illegal, then there was the track cutting, and maybe he did or did not really do anything wrong with K-dub, but this guy is a total clown. I guess when you chase a dream forever, and finally come to the realization that a career loaded with wrong turns, and realize that your never going to be a champ, a sense of desperation sets in that you just cannot shake. CHEATERS NEVER WIN!!!! THE UNIVERSE WILL GET YOU!!!!! Tell him Tony!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The only thing I am ever going to remember of the Alessi legacy, is that they are some desperate dirty m f er's!
Just me or did anyone else notice. THE ANNOUNCING ******. I like Rick, Jeffs ok, Ralphs trying. But honestly reminded me of Southwick Outdoor Dungey race last year. At that race they were shooting the bull while the race was going on . Kind of oblivious to everything and that the race had even started. To me it appears a producer sends them a camera feed and they have to react to what they see. Are they really watching the race or is it in an enclosed room with different camera feeds. Kind of like the Malcom thing. They kept saying there is something wrong with his shifter. Yes there was - maybe you should have watched the triple to see what it was that really happened. Also have seen the announcers get kind of tongue tied when they switch to a different camera. Kind of a deer in the headlights - what the heck are we doing here. Little ******* but will stop because it is really good to see it live. Err almost live unless AMA live timing is way ahead for some reason. Happy for that.
Why is Alessi making excuses?
Maybe he should get a SUZUKI RMZ450 instead of a MOTOCONCEPTS MCR450 (Whatever that is) ;)
B-KR, Look at the dirt, Mike is in the racing line the hole time. you can see the lighter color of the dirt, everyone (well 90%) was taking the same line, K-Dub took a shot up the right side and came up short.... again I am no 800 fan but thats what I see.
@caharker17 > Thanks Buddy...
Thought it might have something to do with that 'fuzzy' bear character most of us knew, read books about & watched the cartoons as kids and have since [in my case] shared with our kids when they were little too. I was thinking maybe some buddies saw him putting Honey on and in everything he eats/drinks [sandwiches, cereal, coffee...] ... and 'Pooh' just 'stuck' ... [honestly, I wasn't winding up to end on such a bad pun..., just..., happened] but I prefer the real, more funny (?) reason. Fast kid, regardless. Hope his stock continues to rise.