One down and two to go for the final three professional races in Phil Nicoletti's career. Things were going great in Charlotte too, until they weren't, as Nicoletti was forced out of the second moto with a mechanical problem. Filthy Phil explains what happened, gets into split starts, and defends a variety of starting aids.
Have a question for Phil as he nears retirement? Send a question to the Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX Yamaha rider at Phil@racerxonline.com.
Phil,
Great job in the first moto in Charlotte. Love seeing you going hard and killing it even though you’re so close to the finish line. My question for you is in regard to the split start. On TV it looked pretty even, but I’m sure you racers had a preference as to which side you wanted. Which was your preferred side? And did they make you switch sides in moto two to make it fair for everyone?
Good luck in the next two rounds,
-Trashy Hank
Hank the Tank,
The split start is really tricky. A lot of thought has to go into to it. Also, when you’re me and you qualify 14th, it makes it even more difficult. The split start came down to a few things. One, where the Hondas were going. The 18 and 96 are so dominate on the start. Two, being on the side where I could utilize my rear brake. Three, position over condition.
I’m always a condition over position guy, but with the split start, and the tight first turns, positioning meant a helluva lot more than condition. I don’t need to holeshot every time. I mean, that is the goal, don’t get me wrong, but a 3-5th place starting position works great for me.
They didn’t make us switch sides. I wanna say last year we had to switch sides? But I can’t remember and would be lying to you. But I’m glad they didn’t. If you win the first moto, you should be rewarded in whatever side you want to be on. This isn’t a bullshit participation award sport. You win, you get to choose first.
-Phil
Dear one-foot-in-retirement Phil,
What the hell happened to you in the second moto in Charlotte? Did you let Steve Matthes come out of retirement and guest-wrench on your motorcycle? Did Vince Friese pay someone to take you out, even though he wasn’t even racing? Did someone spill their Coors Light in your fuel tank? Your fans need answers Phil!
-Curious George
George,
I had a little bit of a shock issue. Shit happens with man and machine. That’s part of it. Not everything goes to plan. The day was really good up until that point and my bike was working great. Isn’t the first mechanical in this sport, and sure as hell won’t be the last. To be fair, if I’m going to have a bad moto, I’d much rather have it happen at Charlotte SMX versus the last two SMX, just because of the double and triple points that are coming up. But I sure as hell could have used a Coors Light when I was sitting on the cement wall on the infield. Would have helped numb the pain a bit.
-Phil
Phil,
I am a bit tired of all the drama over running the paddle tire versus not running the paddle. Should we just outlaw the darn thing? Come to think of it, how about outlawing the following:
Steel grates
Front (and rear) start devices
RPM warning lights
Starting blocks
What else am I missing? Thanks for being so relatable to the common racer!
-Jimmy G
Jimmy G,
I can agree with you here on some things. I’m in favor of getting rid of the grates. I hate those stupid things. They are a waste of space, and have to be a hassle to transport and move these things around. Get rid of them. Bring the skill back of starting on dirt. Then the RPM lights won’t be such a big deal. But, with the grates, starting blocks become a huge factor. I’m 5’10, and am tippy toed with the stupid grates.Ninety-nine percent of use have to use starting blocks because we can’t get the proper weight into the bike. Back when it was dirt, I never needed starting blocks.
I’m all for holeshot devices. Have you ever started on a 450 will the baddest dudes in the world with no holeshot devices? It’s no fun. Like, at all. Not only that, we would all look like the guy from "Brandon’s First Race" on YouTube. Just imagine, grates, no starting blocks, and no holeshot device or RPM/Holeshot maps. We would look like Matthes/Weege/Darkside or just any other media guy off a starting line.
-Phil
