By Chase Stallo and Jason Weigandt
We’ve run the numbers on Racer X Online this year, and we learned what we already know: certain riders bring the clicks. Out of our 15 most popular stories this year, eight of them involved James Stewart. Adam Cianciarulo, who has only been a pro for 18 months, dominated, too. Meanwhile Ryan Villopoto’s name appears in none of our biggest stories, even in a year with shocking plans to move to Europe. Some riders move the needle. Read this list of our top ten most popular stories and you’ll know who they are.
[Ed Note: The following are the most read posts on Racer X—not what we deemed most popular.]
#10: Ken Roczen Leaves KTM
This news was known via underground sources for a while, but neither Ken nor his old or new teams wanted to acknowledge it. Then suddenly KTM’s European racing boss Pit Beirer spoke of it publically in an interview with a German magazine. We ran the Google translation of the story and the hits poured in. By the way, our first video of Roczen on his new bike was our second most popular video clip this year. – Jason Weigandt
#9: How to Watch Anaheim 1
Getting the TV schedule dialed in before the season is always a big deal. - Weigandt
#8: Barcia has scary crash in Genova
It looked like a season-ender when Justin Barcia ran into the back of a slowed Christophe Pourcel, hit the ground, and got landed on by Eli Tomac. Somehow, he was okay. We got ahold of some crazy footage though, and everyone watched it. - Weigandt
#7: How to watch Monster Energy Cup
Again, TV schedules will be clicked again and again. - Weigandt
#6: Stewart drug test exemption approved
We broke this one days before the Monster Energy Cup, as a Yoshimura Suzuki official showed us that James Stewart had obtained a Therapeutic Use Exemption to take amphetamines and continue racing. At the time James’ team hoped this would pressure officials into letting James race the Monster Energy Cup, and it seemed pretty much assured he’d be cleared for Anaheim. Turns out not having the TUE in place during his first test back in April carries a stiffer penalty than expected. This wasn’t just one of the biggest stories of the year, it’s one of the biggest stories ever. - Weigandt
#5: 2014 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross TV Schedule Announced
Readers are always itching to get their hands on the newest television schedule. This year the fifth most read post on Racer X in 2014 was the announcement of the 2014 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross TV Schedule. Readers typically visit the post multiple times, which helps boosts numbers, but it also speaks to how many are interested in watching the races. – Chase Stallo
#4: Reed Out for Supercross, Wilson to Fill-In
A legend of the sport is out for the remainder of the season and a young star is filling in—you better believe the numbers will be huge. This announcement dropped in February and stood the test of almost an entire year—so you know it was big. Hopefully we won’t be making any of these announcements in 2015. – Stallo
#3: Adam Cianciarulo Out for 2015 Supercross Season
AC crashed out of the Geneva Supercross on a weekend, but due to travel and visits with his doctors in America, the news that he would miss the entire 2015 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season was not announced until the following Thursday. When news finally did drop, it was massive. Anytime one of the youngest, brightest stars in the sport is sidelined for an entire season, fans are tuned in. But Cianciarulo seems to draw a extreme level of attention, as you will see below. – Stallo
#2: FIM Announces James Stewart Suspension
This story was eight months in the making. Since announcing James Stewart had tested positive for a banned substance in April, the news front had gone silent. There were small updates here and there—mainly regarding the Monster Energy Cup, where we broke news that James had received a TUE—but no official announcement was made until last week. The sheer amount of numbers this announcement received in such a short amount of time speaks to how much of a polarizing figure James Stewart is and just how big of an announcement it was. - Stallo
#1: Adam Cianciarulo Geneva Update
The most read post on Racer X this year was an update on Adam Cianciarulo from the Geneva Supercross in Switzerland. This was a tough story to cover, as far as Racer X is concerned. The race was more than 4,000 miles away and there were conflicting reports from media outlets that were there. Previous to the race, we contacted MX Vice to provide coverage from the event and their detailed reports made up the base of our coverage until we reached a representative at Kawasaki on Saturday. It’s not surprising that this was far and away the biggest story from the European Supercross races this off-season. What’s shocking is that it was the most popular post of the year. Reed, Stewart and Cianciarulo dominate the numbers. Stars sell. – Stallo
