By Chase Stallo, Jason Thomas, and Steve Matthes
1. RV at the GP. What happened?
Chase Stallo: I thought David Vuillemin made some very interesting points in his column on Pulpmx about RV’s setup. Anyone who watched that race could tell something was “off.” That, to me, was some of the problem. My second thought was: everyone needs to R-E-L-A-X. It was one race. Step away from the ledge; the world is not ending. With that said, I don’t expect him to win this weekend, either. (Slowly steps back onto the ledge.) I think it’ll take time to adjust to a new bike, new series, new tracks, new team, new time zones—new everything. He’s still my title favorite, but as we all saw this weekend, it won’t be easy.
Jason Thomas: I think it was a combination of things, the biggest being change. RV is racing a new series on a new team with a new mechanic and new technicians using new settings on a new continent against new competitors. Couple that with him not racing a motorcycle since May of 2014, let alone an outdoor motocross race since August of 2013. He was clearly out of his element in Qatar, and even sitting on the line for the qualifier on Friday, I noticed a bit of confusion in his body language. He wasn't sure when to start his bike, how the process worked, etc. It was a learning process from beginning to end, with lots of lessons along the way.
The good news is that he is a fast learner and will be very pissed off about how that first weekend went. I don't know if he will come out and win in Thailand—that's asking a bit much. Especially with the jet lag he will be facing from a mid-week test in Belgium, but he will certainly be improving quickly as we move forward. Don't forget he also started slowly in 2011, as he was ill for the first couple of rounds of the season. Once he found his form, though, it was a long summer for the competition.
Steve Matthes: I don't know. It was shocking, like Darth-telling-Luke-that-he-was-his-father-shocking. I would think that RV would be in the mix for a podium and at worst a top-five. And I mean a top-five if one of his foot pegs broke off. When has RV just gone 9-8 at a national over here? He had what I believe was an ignition failure off the line in moto one. Can you believe with the world watching that was the way his very first moto started? I hope it's not an omen. Second moto he lost his rear brake at about the halfway point, but even up until then, he wasn't moving forward the way I thought he would have.
Still, there is a lot of money, attention, prestige, sponsorship, egos—you name it—on the line here. It was an epic failure. And the team heading back to Europe to test and then going back to Thailand is, in my opinion, insane. But the good news is I have a lot of faith in Ryan Villopoto. He's a bad dude, but after this weekend I have to wonder about the team he's got around him. This might be even more exciting now.
Stallo: Heading back to Europe for mid-week testing seems nuts, but going back from Qatar is not as crazy as it sounds. Some riders like to come home because they can fly out of Qatar Sunday morning and be home by Sunday afternoon. According to Adam Wheeler, our European contributor, Clement Desalle left at 8 a.m. last weekend and was home by lunchtime. Jeffrey Herlings also returned to Europe as well.
2. Max Nagl wasn't on a lot of the pre-season MXGP title lists. Was this a mistake?
Stallo: Yes and no. In our MXGP preview, I said Nagl was “probably the most overlooked rider going into the season,” and I still believe that. He won five motos a season ago—including three of the last four—and finished sixth in points. He’s good, people. He also struggles with consistency and injuries, which is why I think some wrote him off. He won the opening moto in Qatar a year ago and then went nine rounds (injured for five) before his next moto win. After that win, he went another four rounds before he won again. Although he currently holds the red plate, I don’t think it was a mistake that he wasn’t a favorite. He may change a few people’s minds, though.
Thomas: I say no. Nagl is a great rider and a threat to win any race he enters. In a series that stretches for the better part of seven months, however, he hasn't really shown the ability to stay injury free and make a serious run at a world title. Maybe 2015 is his year and he makes us all look foolish, but to predict the future, we must look to the past. Missing even one round due to a small injury is too much to overcome against this level of competition, but that unfortunately seems to be his undoing year in and year out.
Matthes: No, Nagl is not going to win this title and wouldn't be in the mix for any MXGP title talk. Last year he won a moto at this track and finished sixth overall in the standings. In 2013, he was tenth. The year before he was sixteenth in the points. I'll stop there, but what Mad Max had in common all three years was missing multiple races with injury. Great job at Qatar, a riding clinic really. Nagl's a badass, but it's been proven he can't stay healthy and he's just not on the other guys’ levels once this series goes back to Europe. Still, cool for him and Kimi Raikkonen (team owner and Formula 1 star) to get the win with the world watching.
3. Who is your biggest surprise so far in the 450SX Class?
Stallo: Before the season started Blake Baggett was an “outdoors only rider that would struggle in supercross and maybe make the top ten.” That was the common perception anyway. And it was fairly accurate. Baggett had no previous experience on a 450. Zero. Nada. And didn’t have great success in 250SX. Now, working with Rick Johnson and the Suzuki team, Baggett has reeled off seven consecutive top-tens, including two top-fives and become a legitimate threat to podium before the season is over. NO ONE SAW THIS COMING!!! Baggett (currently in eighth) is just 11 points back of Jason Anderson—another great rookie, by the way—who is fifth in points. Baggett could end the year top five in points. Again, NO ONE SAW THIS COMING!!! It’s a great storyline that’s worth continuing to watch.
Thomas: I am going to have to agree with Chase and say Blake Baggett. I was very skeptical of how this season would go for Blake, and he has seriously impressed me. He has been solidly a top-ten rider, and when he's on, he can even battle for top-fives. The most impressive thing to me is that he hasn't been making big mistakes (i.e. big crashes). His starts have been really good as well, putting him in good position to succeed. His best chance at a podium is coming this weekend in Daytona. He has serious speed in the Florida sand, and if he gets anywhere near the front early, watch out.
Matthes: Chase and JT both said Baggett, and I would probably agree, but I won't bore you with more rhetoric about Blake and how great he's been and how Mike Webb deserves props for selecting him for this ride. I'll go with Weston Peick, who is further back in the points because of missed races due to injury but has been on fire with great rides at Phoenix and both Atlantas. It's just an amazing transformation to where he is now. Seriously, the dude had trouble making the mains a few years ago and now this? TROUBLE MAKING MAINS, PEOPLE. When has this ever happened before in the sport?
Great story and good pick up by JGR Yamaha (although it was really Keith McCarty and crew at Yamaha who pushed for Weston to have that second spot on the team). It's pretty cool if you ask me.