1. Time for a question you can't possibly answer: Where does Ryan Dungey's career now rank all-time?
Jason Thomas: Very high. I still put him behind McGrath, Carmichael, Stewart, and Villopoto. I am not sure where to put him beyond that. Reed has a case with his longevity but he doesn't have the titles that someone like Stanton, Glover, Dungey or Wardy does. The good news is that I think Ryan will continue to make this argument easier. He is in his prime right now and has winning left to do. If he isn't top five all time, he will be before it's over.
David Pingree: He's definitely climbing further into the highest echelons of the sport with every year that passes. Without studying all the numbers I’d say he's already reached the top three or four best all-around riders in MX/SX history. It's always difficult to compare riders who have different strengths. Where does McGrath fit in? He was/is the King of Supercross but only has one MX title and gave up riding outdoors completely later in his career. Bayle quit before his time. RJ got hurt and never recovered. Everts is the King of GPs but he never committed to supercross. Dungey is equally impressive indoors and out, and his consistency is unmatched, statistically speaking.
You could sit around and bench race about which rider fits in where for hours. I like to add something into the equation that most people don't: the human factor. What type of person are they? Were they good to fans? Did they promote the sport, selflessly? Are they genuine, quality individuals? Ryan Dungey gains huge points in this area. He’s not only the model racer for young kids to emulate; he's the type of person they should strive to be as well. He probably won't reach RC’s motocross win numbers or MC’s SX win numbers, but he's the total package and will likely be on the Mount Rushmore of moto before he hangs it up.
Steve Matthes: Yeah, I'm with JT on this—we can't properly rank Dungey because he's got a lot more winning to do. Right now he's got seven titles (1 250MX; 3 450MX; 3 450SX) so he’s tied with Rick Johnson and Jeff Ward and one back of McGrath and closing on Villopoto. I do wonder how much longer he'll race; his contract is up at the end of next year but he told Weege after Saturday’s race that he’ll still be out there if he feels competitive. I can't go with Ping on the whole "genuine, quality individual" thing because although I'm sure Dungey is that way, we really don't know these guys—as sports have shown us time and time again. (I'd also think about putting JMB up way higher than most of you would by the way. Check out the dudes winning percentage along with his domination of Europe before he came over.)
One small, very small thing on Dungey's "record" is his recent MXDN rides and deciding to skip it last year. To me, this race matters when you're talking "legacy" and although Ryan's ridden great and won the event three times, he's also lost three times when he was the number 1 rider on the team and to be honest, he hasn't ridden well. I get him skipping the event last year, he got married, it was a long year, etc, etc., but to me he's got to get back on that horse, head back over to the MXDN and ride great to help get a win for Team USA again. It's not life or death but Wardy went 7-0 at this race so...
2. Got a pick for the East/West Shootout?
Thomas: I don't think it will be either of the two points leaders. They are both going to be playing it somewhat safe and watching the points. I think it will either be Christian Craig or Martin Davalos and given the length of the main event, I will go with Davalos. Savatgy could be in play here but I like the former's starting prowess to make the difference.
Ping: Cooper Webb. Cooper doesn't strike me as a guy who lays up for a title, especially a championship he's already won. Malcolm ran his mouth pretty good after last weekend’s race and I don't think there's any way Webb will let him finish in front of him.
Matthes: I do have a pick. Cooper Webb's wrist is sore, he probably hasn't been riding all that much and just wants to get through this race, so he's out. Mookie is also going to just try and protect this points lead and bring home his first professional title, so he's out. I like either Zach Osborne or Christian Craig. Here's the thing: as we've seen time and time again this Vegas East/West race produces weird winners. Remember Andrew Short winning for the first time? Or what about JMart back when he was having a rough season? There have been a few other unexpected winners there in my time so I'll go with Wacko Zacho getting his first 250SX win.
3. Are the recent strong rides for Roczen and Tomac an indicator that they'll be rolling come Hangtown?
Thomas: I think they have to be considered as strong indicators. Roczen entered Hangtown with stress fractures in his back so he never really had a fair shot and Tomac, well… he was simply next level. The good news for the fans is that as we sit today, all three riders could make valid cases why they are the favorite for this summer's crown. Dungey is the reigning champ and coming off of three straight championships. Roczen has won two straight supercross races in dominating fashion and was your 2014 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Champ. And finally, Eli was unquestionably the best rider until his injury last summer and will hope to continue where he left off. All three of those perspectives will collide on May 21 with only one proven right.
Ping: Does a fat baby fart? Look, all three of these guys have momentum going right now. Dungey is in the afterglow of yet another title; Roczen finally got his "setup" right and he's flying; and Tomac seems to have figured things out as well. I'm sure Tomac feels like he has more under the hood when he gets outside so if you were listening to all three of their inner monologues they are likely expecting to win in Sacramento. That makes for good racing for us to watch.
Matthes: Yes, yes I do. Will it be enough to beat Dungey, a guy who's SO fast, SO in shape, SUCH a good starter and SO not prone to mistakes? I don't know but I think both KR and ET will be better than they were in supercross this year. As we've seen time and time again, these racers are such mental basket cases that these wins (Roczen) or great rides (Tomac) will give these guys some boost going into Hangtown, plus in in ET's case, he knows he's great when the sun is shining. I think Dungey's the favorite but I don't think we'll see his 2016 SX level of domination this summer.
