250 Words: Tommy Boy Goes Out on Top
Tuesday, September 25, 2012 | 10:25 AM
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Print"I'm just trying to get the feet wet," said Tommy Searle before his maiden supercross voyage at Anaheim in 2010. When the Englishman moved to the U.S. in 2009, he skipped Monster Energy Supercross to focus on the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. He did well outdoors early, but rumors of a KTM team fracture began to cloud things late in the '09 season. KTM was rumored to be pulling its factory team, but Searle had a multi-year deal to be a factory rider. Papers were even filed in a California court, and lo and behold Searle was at Anaheim for 2010 season, backed by factory KTM again.
But now he would have to conquer supercross, and wanting to "get the feet wet" is never a sign of confidence. His results weren't stellar, and soon a shoulder injury ended his foray. He and the new KTM factory arm did enjoy one great afternoon, though. At the Hangtown opener, Searle came within a lap of winning the first moto of the 250 season (Christophe Pourcel stole the lead from him with the checkers nearly in sight). Mike Alessi ended the day with a 450 moto win for the KTM 350. For a factory team rumored to be dead 12 months earlier, it looked like a new, much-improved attack.
Searle never had the success in America that many expected.
Simon Cudby photo
It soon would be, but not that quickly. More shoulder problems plagued Searle's summer, and the Alessi/350 combo never gelled. At the end of the season, KTM hired Roger DeCoster, but Searle's two-year stint in the U.S. was over, and so was his time with KTM.
Searle is now back in Europe, but riding Kawasakis, and battling KTM's new recruits. He took third in 2011 MX2 points behind Ken Roczen and Jeffrey Herlings, and second this year behind Herlings. But he did win his final MX2 race on Sunday in Germany. At 23, Searle will now have to move out of the MX2 Class and head to the 450s next season--he leaves the small-bore division with two seconds and a third in the final standings.
World Championships missed, and a shot in America that didn't pan out. But Tommy still has some things on his side. With Roczen and Marvin Musquin taking their MX2 titles to the U.S., and Herlings staying in the MX2 Class, Searle is the highest-profile graduate from MX2 to MX1. And while Tony Cairoli is formidable competition, someday, somehow, Super Tony's run of success will come it an end. Tommy Searle's timing hasn't been perfect, but for 2013 and beyond, he might find himself in the right place at the right time.
Searle went 1-1 in Germany, the site of his last GP in the MX2 Class.
Kawasaki photo
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If he stays over there for ever he could replace Cairoli as long as the young guys keep coming to the USA
Good to see Tommy get some recognition. think he's under-rated & his Des Nations ride last year was also overlooked by many but he passed allot of good riders in his motos.
He did well last year on the 450 at the MXD
good to see him winning. Sad to see him leave the US, but you do what you have to.
Also, major props to FIM pushing people into the 450s. NO need to be racing a 250f for 10 years. IF you haven't got things going by 23.....
Desalle, Frossard, maybe Paulin could take Cairoli's crown next year, not Searle.
@MikeMasters. this isn't sports center.com this is racerX. Lets keep it moto here. Tommy Searle's been riding the piss outa those kawi's all season. Hopefully he keeps on Kawi's and can run w/ the big boys. When's AC gonna give it a run in the USA?
football SUCKS!!!
any sport that needs a "Ref" to say who won is a joke to me. MX it's all you!!!
@manesh the little italian moron, you still don't understand that nobody in europe can't beat Cairoli? +20 moto wins this year over Dessale & co and you believe that Dessale or Paulin will take the Cairoli euro crown in 2013? you are the most idiotic mx fans ever, no doubt, and please stop posting stupid (short) comments around here, not only you are not intersting, pretentious and liar but you are also a total MORON! and don't be mad, I just tell the truth, and take it like a man ! (but i doubt you can)
@BillC look dude football does not suck, refs don't say who wins unless it comes down to the last play like last night,even then they just say whether or not it was a touchdown, or a catch, etc. they never say who wins, they just call it so its fair. motocross is the greatest sport in the world, but football and wrestling are close behind. and MX it is actually an official who tells you whether or not you win, so your wrong. football needs a ref other wise the game would not work, because it would be unorganized and it would suck. so unless you know anything about a sport, don't say anything about it.
and also, if you say something stupid like that, expect people to bag on you because you bag on their sport, id bet you wouldn't like someone to come in and say that "Motocross sucks, all they do is ride in circles, anyone could do that." i know for sure that you would not like that. so just think before you type
@ BillC get a life tool !
@ René-Benito De La Van Der Von Kaputt
Euro zozos
To me there is a big difference between SPORT and GAMES. See if you can follow this. For something to have SPORT, it must have elements of danger. My opinions are based on danger/sport versus game/score keeping and not whether or not the activity is hard to play. To be a pro at anything means you are better than 95% of everyone else in the world that partakes in that activity. So no disrespect meant but this is how I see it.
Some activities cannot be qualified as SPORT but must be described as GAMES. Games typically keep a score where most sports do not.
Any sport that involves a ball is a game, not sport...except football, rugby, and Australian Rules Football. All of these have big elements of danger.
Soccer is a game (I played semi pro soccer) but the element of danger is not there to qualify it as sport. Soccer is a game.
Football has danger,and they keep score therefor qualifies as game and sport.
Golf: No danger other than splitting out your funny looking pants and maybe a pulled back muscle. Golf is a game
Hockey (on ice and given a stick to chase a little rubber thing around) has danger and keeps score and does not involve a ball.
NASCAR (not a fan!!!) 200 mph with 20 of your closest friends has danger and is therefore sport as well.
Basketball: No danger therefore not a sport. You can't even bump someone with out getting called for a foul. Basketball is a game
Baseball: Not much danger and is a game.
Hunting: Sport. It is the only game played where if you win something dies!
Motocross: ALL SPORT BABY!!! Lots of danger and they keep score!
@ Redneckrider
Mouth stinks like you A- HOLE
i thought it was funny when little AC was talking about Searle having perfect model hair in a interview a little while back.
@BillC--the only reason you hate football is because your little sissy as$ got kicked by the football players in school..You were too much a Mommas boy and too soft to play football.. Now dont come back and say "I was too busy racing to play foootball" or some other crap.. You were just a little silver spoon Candy Sue girly-man to play the sport..
@redneckrider-- Your little spew about a sport or game was ignorant.. Any competetive event with 2 teams or individuals competing against one another can qualify as a sport.. Golf isnt a sport--its an ACTIVITY.. Not a game either, that is silly--a game..And if you think basketball doesnt get physical, then you havent played it much, against real athletes... And you havent stood at homeplate and had a fastball come in high and hard around your chin either.. It will wake your as$ up to some danger.. Or play 3rd base and have a blistering shot come at you.. I guess what I am saying is QUIT BEING A MOTO SNOB!! And saying "Our Sport" is the only one.. Its not.. They all have thier pluses and minuses.. I enjoy tones of "sports" I am not a "One sport" guy I guess.. That would get old, only having one thing in your life..
A Boy NAMED SUE = BillC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZA4SM2IWoo
football... try playing rugby, no helmets, no masks,no pads to speak of, just boots fists , heads, knees feet. my son is a professional rugby player, he plays for a side currently third in the English premiership; take a look at his face. he is the hardest man i know. his best friend is gay and also a pro rugby player. so quite your homophibic hard man crap and man up your selfs
its a shame tommy lost 2yrs in america...since coming back geting healthy his rode well against the mighty redbull factory ktm team....i think mx1 will suit him and i think ktm have less of a advantage regarding bikes...TC222 is a hard cat 2 beat for a title and he makes the 350 work for him...
tommy will have factory bikes same as RV in fact slighty better due to no production rule....plus he will have PC backing to!!! thats 2 large bins of trick bits to choose from!!....
dont think he will take title but he will be top 4 more often that not...
If you look at the entire 2012 season and tally up the DNF's, Herlings had 1 (25pts) and Tommy had 3 (75pts). There were 43 points separating the two riders after all was said and done. Those two DNF's in Latvia for Tommy took a ton of wind from the sails out of his Championship (chances) going into the final 6 races of the season.
Tommy finished the season strong, considering it was a Championship (nearly) out of reach, baring a Herlings meltdown.. He is the real deal, in my opinion, and should be a formidable opponent in the Big Show next year. Not to mention this weekend...
HA!! I knew I would get a few reactions on that post.
Mission accomplished.
Golf is an activity but it is also a game. You are keeping score trying to out do yourself and the others you are playing against. That makes the activity a GAME.
I am not a moto snob and basketball is bad ass and it gets very physical. Like I said in the original post, if you become a pro at anything you are better than at least 95% of people in the world that do that same activity.
But with basketball the rules are intended to make the game not dangerous. That doesn't mean it isn't physical but it is designed to be safe...dribble down the court, shoot the ball and if someone even touches you while you are shooting then it is a foul. You don't get that kind of protection from the rules in any other activity. That makes it a GAME since the idea is to keep score.
I have stood at home plate and had my nephew hurl fast balls at me and he plays on a minor league team. It is scary as hell but not it doesn't mean it isn't a game. It can be dangerous but it can also be pathetic. I have seen games where an outfielder will go the entire game without ever having the ball come near them. Not much danger in that.
@ therealmofo - I never said "Our Sport" and I never said it was the only one. You apparently missed the part where I said I played semi pro soccer. That means I was on a farm team for the MLS. Doesn't mean soccer is not a game. I also enjoy lots of other games/sports/activities. I don't mean they have to be dangerous to be fun or challenging to enjoy them. I am just splitting hairs as to how they are defined.
I forget which of the Great Outdoors vids it was, but they interviewed Searle and he comes across as a total tool. Said something like he didn't want to cut his hair because he'd rather look good and be tenth than win - something stupid like that.
With that mentality, he stood no chance against the likes of Barcia, Tomac, and especially that animal Baggett. No chance at all.