You may not have heard, but history was made at the opening round of Monster Energy AMA Supercross in Anaheim last week. One man, against all odds… qualified for the main event, yet didn’t score any points. That’s right, with the revised supercross points structure for 2024, last place in the main events no longer scores a point. Last place is where Sir Nicoletti “finished” after developing mechanical problems during his site lap, as his bike couldn't make it to the start gate. This is all Phitting, given Phil’s luck, and even though answering questions regarding his non-start is the last thing he wanted to do, we gave him double the number of reader questions regarding his unfortunate night in Anaheim. Because with Phil, why not pile on to the misery!
Kudos to Phil for being such a good sport about an unpleasant situation. And, as usual, if you have any questions for the Sultan of Philth, send them directly to phil@racerxonline.com.
Phil,
I don’t expect you to put this on the UnPhiltered column, but I just want to say thanks for NOT throwing your mechanics under the bus, directly nor indirectly. I say you’re the luckiest rider in the series to be working with Mike Jones! He’s a one-of-a-kind genuine badass who truly cares about others and takes pride in his work. Sorry to both of you for the way it turned out, but at least you’re healthy, other than the sore wrist. Now let’s see your bike lighting up green next weekend!
-Logan
Logan,
Jonsey is a great mechanic. I can appreciate a good mechanic, always have. I’ve had some of the BEST mechanics in my career! If you can have a good mechanic without an ego, that’s priceless. A lot of them nowadays ain’t my cup of tea. But, that being said, the issue that had popped up had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with my mechanic, or mechanics, or the team. Zero. That’s the crazy part.
-Phil
Phil,
Your answer leaving the start line at A1 250 main was perfect, cool, and professional, like Kimi the Ice Man Raikkonen: ‘Went into the wall high speed and it’s looking like a suspension piece broke.’ When asked what happen by the media he [Kimi] said, "I crashed." Cool and professional. For anyone who’s competing at your level it takes a team full of people just as talented as the rider/driver at all positions. Race as a team and win or do your best as a team. You’re showing everyone how to compete. Thanks for sending the right message. Keep on riding with a smile or a grimace, just never stop riding!
-Ken
Ken,
That is man and machine. Some things are unpredictable. Sometimes stuff happens that could have been prevented. There is a fine line between them. But unfortunately, this couldn’t have really been prevented.
-Phil
Phil,
Big fan from the Northeast! Love the determination and grit 💪🏻. Bummed for you at A1, but the only thing I kept thinking was, ‘I hope it didn’t have anything to do with the Dual injector set up , as I just dropped $1600 for it on my ‘21.’🙄 Please tell me it was Weege spilling some free soda in your tank while scouring the pits for freebies !
-Tony from Jersey 🤌🏻
Tony,
Well, we do run the dual injection system no doubt. It’s a huge performance gain for a feasible price, IMO. We did track it to an injector problem, that caused the issue, but it wasn’t a failure of the dual injection part of things. Just an injector issue. It’s just crazy how it all links back to finding the issue.
-Phil
Dear Phillip,
Effin’ Mechanical. I don’t have a question, just commenting you had a solid heat race and then a bum part ruins it. It happens. Okay, I do have a question. You okay?
-?
?,
Shit part is, is that it is a bum part haha. There was no fixing it on the line. So all the peanut gallery mechanics and engines can step on their tongues. But I’m good to go. But if it woulda happened five minutes later than when it did, I would NOT be ok.
-Phil
Phil,
First off , my condolences . You were ripping in your heat. You looked comfy out there and straight into the main. Then I saw you on the side before gate drop. It’s definitely part of racing , but man that definitely doesn’t make it any easier I’m sure. So what’s going on in your mind right there? How do you feel about it now, after the fact? You actually seemed pretty composed on TV. Oscar nominee? Or just older and wiser? Looking forward to seeing you out there next week, always rooting for my fellow NY boys!
-Moto Mike
Moto Mike,
I mean, about anything and everything was ripping through my head. Trying to run through all the protocols that you would normally do, and try and keep a clear mind. It’s a weird feeling because at that point time, which has happened to me before in my career, there is a sense of calmness. Don’t get me wrong, if I got cleaned out like Deano did by Freise, I would have gone ape. But with those circumstances with the bike, freaking out gets us nowhere. Try and solve the solution, and move forward to get on the gate. Unfortunately, all the protocols that we ran through wouldn’t have fixed the issue anyway, like I said above. Just the way the cards fell.
-Phil
Phil,
No consolation after a solid ride in the heat, but your comments on mic after not starting were an example of pure professionalism. BTW, you sealed the deal whenever you had to run the LCQ, but I am dumbfounded at Hunter Lawrence's underwhelming performance there.
-Scott S., Concord, NH
Scott,
I’m sure you’re referencing the LCQ’s from the SMX. Those three LCQ’s were very stressful. But they aren’t really comparable to an LCQ at a Supercross. There were 10-12 guys at SMX, and 22 at Supercross. Obviously you have to execute both.
Hunter is an elite rider. I personally think he is great. He will be on the box before long. But his night went out of control and it disrupted his performance heavily. I feel for him very much because I’ve been there. It’s a horrible, horrible feeling. But it’s something as an athlete we have to cope with. But it’s always something that needs to learned and managed for the next time it happens. Because trust me, it will happen again. I don't just mean missing a main, I mean more bad stuff. That's life. Missing a main ain’t shit compared to getting hurt and missing races for months on end. Which he and I know in resent years. So when you think you’re at rock bottom after a Saturday night, it can always be worse.
Sixteen more rounds, boys and girls. See ya in San Francisco.
