by Jason Thomas
Breakdown: Comebacks
Wednesday, February 27, 2013 | 10:00 AM
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One thing everyone hears over and over is the need for a good start. In these days of one lined tracks and highly competitive fields, being up front early is at least half the battle. Passing is nothing to sneeze at for most of the elite guys and eliminating the need to do so is the first issue on everyone’s keys to the race.
Once the great start is achieved, capitalizing on the opportunity is next on the priority list. Putting in fast laps and gapping the group is crucial to being able to ride your own race. Once you have room to breathe, you can concentrate on the riders in front of you without having to ride protective lines. Of course, all of that goes out the window if you nail the start and then crash. All of the work and effort put in for that elusive good start are wasted if you happen to fall early in the race. Justin Brayton and Andrew Short both experienced this to an extent in Atlanta. Brayton has been getting faster each week, but still has only one top-five finish in this deep field. He started up front in Atlanta and was in the top-five mix again, until he went down and picked himself up in last. Just like that, his bid for a season-best result was over.
Justin Brayton had a top-five ride going in Atlanta before crashing. Brayton would finish the night 13th.
Simon Cudby photo
How riders react to falling early in a race varies throughout the field. For me, I seemed to ride better. It took all of the pressure off my shoulders and usually pissed me off to the point where I just rode with nothing to lose. I rode looser and the anger-fueled adrenaline allowed me to take chances I normally wouldn’t take. This isn’t always the case though, as some riders would seem to get discouraged or almost lose interest in the race once it looked bleak. I think this happens with a few contenders. Once winning, or even a podium, is not an option, it can lead to an uninspired ride. Of course, you might not even notice the difference. A top rider can move up through the field on sheer talent, but their lap times are markedly slower and their enthusiasm isn’t the same. Not everyone rides better angry like I did so that could be part of the equation as well.
But riding with anger has a downside. Some riders make mistakes when they are angry and end up going slower. This wasn’t the case for me. If I was calm and even keeled, that meant slow lap times for me. I needed to be fired up, whether it was angry, anxious, or just excited. Some riders have stepped up their game in times like these. Ryan Dungey at Southwick 2011 was a perfect example of this inspired ride. He missed the start due to bike troubles, and rode like a man possessed to move up into the top ten, and the points he salvaged kept him in the title hunt—if he hadn’t at least gotten into the top twenty in that moto, his season would have been over.
Ryan Dungey had an inspired ride at Southwick in 2011.
Andrew Fredrickson photo
Also in 2011, Ryan Villopoto’s first moto at RedBud 2011 comes to mind. He crashed on the start, and his bike was mangled. His KX450F looked like something from Max Beyond Thunderdome, but he pinned it and brought that machine back up through the field. His bike was literally losing parts each lap and he was still setting the fastest laps of the race. He finished ninth, scoring 12 points. This moto could easily be viewed as the reason he won the championship that year.
Next time you see a rider go down on the first lap, keep your eye on him and see how his race goes. You can learn a lot by how racers respond to adversity by how they attack the rest of the race. Sometimes it can be the difference in winning a championship.
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Check out WHEN DAYLIGHT BREAKS
in our Latest issue of Racer X available now.
When the lights go off on supercross and racing hits the daylight with the launch of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, everyone gets to start over. Page 110.
Look for the verified symbol 
Impulse Studios
Also just check out only as far back as the lcq this year to get in the show with the shock issue or Vegas the kid has heart and will not fold under pressure. I havent seen anyone in recent memory shift a bike with his left hand and face nestled on the cross bar ...........Obviously MEC ment something to at least one rider!
Apologies....I posted this on another page, but thought it should be here.
Old people are just weird I guess....
So no one watches Arenacross? Might be some clues there.
Imagine this: Longer main events are required. A "split start" format, but half of the gate starts, say 2 seconds late. This would be the fastest group. There needs to be points given to heat race finishes (makes it hard to sandbag) and starting order will be set by heat race finish.
What could we get from this format? VERY hard to have "runaway" race leader. Lots of leaders, continuous passing.
Fast guys are always going to end up in the front at the end of the season, it's what they do.
While this is a quite simplified description, the action could be tremendous and the marketing guys would be thrilled. Might be a way to keep the racing close and exciting for the ENTIRE main event(s).
Before some of us start screaming at this idea, try to imagine this: How exciting is it when a rider falls at the first turn, re-mounts and does the "come from behind/underdog" thing all race long? What if there were 5 or six of these guys doing that, everytime there was a race? The DM,RV, JS RD, TC, ET guys are always going to be in the hunt, but the hunt is going to be exciting.........
I would be for 20 min plus two, or two 15 lap motos per class.
I would consider each heat race winner get one point.
I would never consider a split start.
It is pointless to sandbag and would only hurt to sandbagger the way it is now.
Thanks billc and welker for answering my Brayton exhaust question in another comments section and keep up the good work JT$ nice hearing from a freshly retired racer's perspective.
Stewart when he rode 125's. I don't remember the track (Southwick?) but he crashed in the opening laps and riding 4 seconds a lap faster then anyone else, not only won but lapped up to 3rd place.
That was a comeback.
Don't know if this is relevant...too many articles these days so i don't make it to the end......
On the photo of the 450 chase article i think it was...it dawned on me how big Millsaps is compared to the others. Do you guys think that with all the power of the 450, and relatively short start of a supercross, using your size to muscle the back wheel into the ground whilst the 450 beast awakens might be an advantage? Is weight to power ratio really such an advantage with the 450 with the start? Ok Alessi just ruined my moment.........................zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
30 lap races
Best comeback ride I've seen was (gasp) Stewart (please don't hate) - just sayin - at Budd's Creek 04' when he got up last and came through the enire field on a 125 vs. 250 four strokes - love him or hate him - that was awesome.
@rg807 that southwick ride was sweet - I remember the tv coverage when he split two riders throgh a turn and put down PC's Matt Walker - it was funny because all year Walker had been talking about Mans Track this Mans track tha and a 17 year old kid showed him who was the man - well that day at leats.
@ Langston-fan......I think the power-weight thing on the 450 is not such an issue like on 250F's, especially if the start is hardpack. 450's make more than enough power and I believe reaction time, technique and confidence are much bigger factors in the 450 class than horsepower and weight. If you can put let's just call it 60-70% of a bike's power to the ground right off the gate and get your elbows ahead of the guys beside you you're better off than anyone who just drops the hammer or reacts late. I was always a great starter on my 250F's even in the open classes against 450's, but I couldn't buy a start on my 450 at only 160 pounds. That would play into your thoughts about DM actually getting traction because of his size when horspower isn't a shortage.
sand sections should also be at least 2-3 straightaways long with the 30 lap mains
@dinosaurmedia if you are at the point where you feel compelled to apologize for saying something nice about James Stewart then I think the fan base (at least the internet portion) of this sport is too full up with stupid non-fans. Don't apologize. Stewart is awesome. Fu(k the "fans"
By the way I was at Budds that year. Friggin unbelievable ride. Maybe the best ever in outdoor moto
Maybe it's just me, but I seriously feel like we get about 50% of the race experience compared to what we got in the 90's. If you look at MC's lap times (who was crushing it back then) at one at Anaheim '95, his laps were 58 seconds (go to 8:37 to see the stop watch) http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6EokzI63cQQ today they're throwing down 44 (+/-) lap times on the 4 strokes. Then you take out the "Semi races" we had back then.... We pay more for less now.
I say they need to go to 25 or 30 lap mains. That would put the mains at 20 to 25 minutes. There's no question the riders could handle it, and it would give a rider with a bad start a better chance at getting to the front.
@ rjstreets you are welcome!
I just wish they would go to 20 mnt plus one lap for all main events and also like the idea of paying some points for the qualifiers. I would go with 3,2, and 1 point for that race. Then we would know for shure if RV would have let Stewart go in that Qualifier in Dallas? I just think it should count for more than gate pick?
Its known as "The dumbing down of motocross"
SuperX has always been a "spectacle" All show No go pssst
its all about the $$$-see 15 minute mains.
w
Wanna talk comeback? In the good ol' days we had 45 minute motes and all three (remember five o oh's?) classes in one day. Now that
was a recipe for a comeback!
rjstreets no problem, most here want to help out if they can.
.On a side note an old racing buddy posted a pic on my facebook of us with John dowd at the NESC awards banquet back in the 90's holding some hardware!! cool stuff
Notice how all the great comeback stories are from MX and not SX. I seem to remember great battles up front in SX as a kid watching RJ and Ward. Maybe the years have clouded my memory. I don't remember the winners in the 80s getting the hole shot or lead in the first turn and checking out every time.
I'm ready for the outdoors.
RV at SD this year counts to me. It didn't get much coverage on SPEED, and I rightfully got called out on here for getting my panties in a bunch over it, but when RV lost his front on lap 3 he was in 8th, CR rode around the inside and MA parked his bike on RV's instead of ripping around the outside. After RV 'helped' MA get the bikes apart, RV was 18th. He motored back to 8th. The 13 pts he earned that night looked like crap on paper, but it was a silent comeback that might make the difference come Vegas.
Benchracing Question for RacerX and the old school fans: We've now had 5 different winners in 8 races. Prior to this, the quickest we've had 5 winners in the past 11 seasons was 2011, it took 12 races before RD earned a win in Toronto. We haven't had more than 5 winners in the past 11 seasons (back to and including '03), which is as far back as the AMA website results go. I don't see where The Vault has a single page noting season final results/standings broken down by race to quickly see how many race winners there were each season. So my question is if we've ever had more than 5 winners in a single SX season and if so when? I don't recall any years back to '93 at the start of the MC era where this could have happened? I hope i'm not jinxing CR, TC, ET or others . . . i'd like to think all 3 of them have a shot at a win this year with a holeshot. Here's the past 11 seasons for the benchracers:
Yr / #winners - listed in order from first winner to last winner
'13 / 5 - DM/JB51/RV/RD/JS
'12 / 5 - RV/RD/CR/JS/AS
'11 / 5 - RV/JS/TC/CR/RD
'10 / 5 - JS/RD/RV/DM/KW
'09 / 4 - JG/JS/CR/RV
'08 / 5 - CR/JS/KW/DM/JH
'07 / 3 - JS/RC/CR
'06 / 3 - JS/RC/CR
'05 / 4 - KW/RC/CR/JS
'04 / 3 - CR/KW/M LaRocco
'03 / 3 - CR/E LUSK/RC
RV is coming on strong and will take the title- watch this weekend at st louis
On a different note just finished watching some "classic commentary" on PulpMx - the tracks have become: Smaller (way further in from th estadium walls), the lanes way narrower, and the dirt too hard...and obviously less of it - wag of the finger to FELD.
dino- I totally agree, I also think wider is safer on these tracks. Dirt is so cheap and we fans are the one supporting this sport we are paying more and getting less. It is so simple to get more and better dirt, if the trend continues we will be watching arenacross.
BillC, I had noticed Braytons odd exhaust on the YZ, so was that the question Rjstreets was refering to? Wad up with that???
I'll have a bash motodog77...its from the season that got me into the sport 1990. Ok lets go....
Bradshaw, Matasivich (sorry for spelling), Stanton, JMB, Jeff Ward, ah.......hmmmmm
LARRY WARD!!! In the Kingdome!! THATS why ive compared this season to 1990 all along...except the racing in that season involved like 10 lead changes per main event (ok slight exagerated) but still WAAAY better racing!!
I like the idea of 30 lap mains or 20 mins plus 2 laps...with longer tracks that break down more, but that are MUCH deeper so that ruts dont go down to the concrete floor. That's what make motocross sooo cool! Supercross can be a bit too "defined" if u know what i mean...
By far my favorite race this year was Dungeys LCQ in which he fell a few turns in. Granted he didnt win and it was guys in the LCQ, but it was great action none the less,
McMoto , yes i told him it was an FMF looking for more low end and the 2014 my come with something like that.
@Langston_fan - thanks, I figured somebody would know, nice work! Very cool that this could be the first season in 23 years with 6 race winners. Hopefully we get some more passing up front for the rest of the series.
Budds 04
http://spottedmarley.com/budds04