Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Rev Up. Enough is enough. After two years of being embarrassed at what I regard the biggest race in the world of motocross, I think our team will bring the Peter Chamberlain trophy back home where it belongs. I have to be careful with my words, because the performances in recent years have left nothing to brag about. We were soundly beaten in the sand at Lommel, and the big excuses were “home track advantage,” and “it would have been different on hard pack.” Well, it wasn’t different on the hard pack last year, and riders like Jeffrey Herlings, Antonio Cairoli, and the rest of the GP riders have earned the right to call themselves the fastest riders on the planet. Herlings didn’t even race last year due to injury, but these last two years have proven that all of the fast GP racers deserve our respect. The GP regulars have beaten us fair and square several times recently. How do those words meet your eyes? It’s like spraying two bottles of “Texas Pete” hot sauce in mine, and it disgusts me.
My earliest racing memories consist of David Bailey, Johnny O’Mara, Donnie Hansen, and Danny “Magoo” Chandler winning the race of all motocross races. I remember the grueling mud race at Unadilla in 1987 when Bob Hannah raced on an RM125, and how he publicly stated his passion for wanting to race the event for America one last time. During those years we dominated like no other in history. That was just part of growing up as a young aspiring motocross racer. Americans set the standard for which the rest of the world admired, yet simply could not match. Our flashy riding styles and extremely patriotic charge into the race kept us afloat for a long, long time.
How did the pendulum swing? Did the years of salty defeat simply inspire the rest of the world to ante up and kick our ass? No matter the reason, they did beat us. We are not the best motocross racers in the world anymore. We almost seem content with the notion that we are merely the best supercross racers. Well, to hell with that. Motocross began on huge, fast, and rough tracks where boys became men. If you cannot beat your competition in a stadium, in the sand, or in the mud, you aren’t the best at anything. We aren’t the best at anything! However, we can set it straight by going out and getting the job done this weekend. Not for a million dollars or a new contract, but because that is the job that American motocross racers have to do. It’s time to make it important and just get the job done.
I blame the conscience of the younger generation for our recent defeats. Things come fast and easy, and we all want to be coddled if we fail. There is no fear of consequence or personal responsibility. Where has the drive gone? Where is the heart and patriotism? It’s time to go, folks. When I look at Jeremy Martin, Eli Tomac, and Ryan Dungey heading into the event, I truly believe that the candles have been lit again.
First off, Jeremy Martin is hungry like a wolf. He is on the heels of his first national championship and he really rode outstanding this summer. Martin is cut from a different cloth than most of the younger generation. I think he will carry some of the old soul of the winning American MXdN racers like O’Mara and Jeff Stanton. In fact, I consider him the strongest entity on our team for the race this weekend. He is going to crush it.
Secondly, we have the iron stamina of Eli Tomac, who danced inside the six-sided ring of fire with Ken Roczen at last year’s event only to throw it away and fail the team, leaving him with a memorable scar. Now, Tomac enters the contest a much more mature and battle-proven racer. He was flying at the end of the nationals and will have something to say to any rider on the starting gate this time around.
Third, we have the veteran Ryan Dungey. I just don’t know here. His performance at last year’s event darn near clipped me as a fan permanently. I could only shake my head as he rode around with no apparent sense of urgency or drive whatsoever. He was supposed to be our Captain America, but instead he rode like a bowl of soggy Captain Crunch! That said, Dungey is one of the greatest racers of the modern era, and even the great ones have bad days. Did he simply have a sour day on the bike? It doesn’t matter; he failed. Ah, but something ignited the Minnesota native toward the middle portion of the 2014 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, and he had a hell of a lot of charge in him down the stretch. I think the world will see the real Ryan Dungey this time around. He can wash all the bad away with one glorious afternoon.
I’m that guy. I’m a flag-waving American, and I want our boys to go get the trophy. I’m sick and tired of the trash talk and not having a damn thing to say about it. Enough is enough. Go get the trophy, boys.
Thanks for reading, see you next week.
