Although he is sidelined for the start of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, our man “Filthy” Phil Nicoletti is recovering well from his broken arm suffered during Monster Energy AMA Supercross. “Filthy” has a cast on his left wrist but he is hoping to return to racing several rounds into the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship. Nicoletti still answered some of your questions!
Got a question for Phil Nicoletti? Send it to Phil@racerxonline.com.
(Note: Some questions have been lightly edited for clarity.)
Dear Phil,
With the news of Ryan Dungey returning to the sport after six years away do you think a new wave of retired riders may step back in for a race here or there without a heavy conscience in regards to getting top results? As a fan I think it is amazing to see Dungey come back in any capacity, though I know he’d like to win, the fans just want to cheer him on. I feel fans and the athletes themselves are often robbed of a proper farewell due to the pressure of the sport! I hope that Dungey coming back as others have sporadically done in the past will give more flare to the sport! Thanks Phil, good luck this summer when you get back!
Nick Carter
Nick,
I’m a big fan of Dungey coming back. Even though I personally think he’s a bit insane to do so. For him to still have that feeling in his gut to come back and truly empty the tank, is awesome. If he doesn’t get rid of the feeling that he has right now, then 10-15 years from now he will regret it, in my opinion. Even though he has NOTHING to prove. It’s just for himself and nobody else. As cliche and lame as it sounds, it’s like the Rocky movie. It ain’t about the money, it’s all about self-satisfaction. I respect it. Go get it mate!
As far as others coming outta retirement, I mean, Cole Seely is the only other guy I hear is wanting to do so. I can’t really say this Dungey thing will spark any sort of movement. I don’t think it does. Dungey wanting to do outdoors is definitely going against the grain for us older guys. I love the outdoors, but when you get older the grind hurts. So, I doubt you see guys coming out of retirement so this, especially at the level Dungey wants to do so. Dunge is just that gnarly!
Phil,
I didn’t see you in any of the videos from Pala on Tuesday. Are you not gonna man up and race with a cast on? Titles are won on your bad days!!!
Tough Guy
As much as I hate Pala, and despise that place being a national, I wish whole heartily that I was there. I was REALLY looking forward to outdoors. The whole reason I raced SX and prepped a lot of for it was indeed to be race ready for MX. Obviously, the hand I was dealt says otherwise. The general plan is to come back for Millville. It’s going to be hard to get to where I was before I crashed, but I believe there is enough time to me up to prep for the last few nationals. I get Millville and Washougal to kind of break myself in, and blow off the cobwebs, then take the weekend off to work on what is necessary, then hammer the last four or so nationals.
Hi Phil,
I watch all these videos of dudes testing in California and the tracks look smooth as glass. I don’t even understand what skill there is to ride that besides maybe who can charge the jump hardest and scrub the most. To me, there would be no separation between the riders if you don’t have bumps and ruts. Is there actually a hidden skill to going fast on those track? Maybe throttle control and finding traction? Or does everyone pretty much run the exact same lap time? It all looks the same to me.
Rut Ledge
Rut,
Some of the tracks, if there aren’t a lot of riders, yes, they are smooth and wide open around the outside. It’s pointless and stupid. You actually fall asleep riding the motorcycle. But……..mid to the end of the day at Glen Helen or Pala, it is NOT smooth. The dirt is so hard, and the potholes are so deep it’s unreal. For a guy like me that doesn’t have a whole lot of finesse, these tracks are hard to ride. Riding the edges of the tracks, staying light on the bike, letting it float and drift…I personally cannot let the bike float or drift. I need a rut, or a sand berm to cut down from. It’s a skill and style you develop from riding that stuff. Blake Baggett was really good; Josh Grant was great at it. But to say the tracks are smooth, I’ll have to disagree. Pala this weekend will be fast and gnarly. Add in a few too many boulders out there and it’s going to be crazy.
