We're in the thick of the holidays, but you know Phil Nicoletti doesn't have anything going on, he's the biggest Grinch in the pits! That means he had plenty of time to answer your burning questions. This week he takes on subjects like tracks in the Northeast, the AMA's numbering system, and giving Chase Sexton starting advice while drinking beer.
As always, if you have any questions or thoughts to share with Phil, send them on over to Phil@RacerXOnline.com.
Phil,
You recently posted a picture on your social media stuff, from way back. It looked like you were camped in an overgrown field. You looked pissed! But apparently you always are, or so people say. Anyway, how big of a deal was it for you to leave racing super-rocky (but super-cool) local NY tracks like Broome, Unadilla, Walden, and PA’s Hurricane Hills, for those hardpacked Cali tracks that only throw dust at you? It had to be nice to get away from that finger smashing, nose bleeding, chest beating environment of the Northeast for less ballistics, right? Or no?
-NY/PA Alumni
Alumni,
The local scene and tracks I got to ride were really good. District 34, six, and three were the districts I grew up racing every single weekend. The amount of good talent I was able to ride with growing up was so good. Within three hours of my house in NY I probably had about 20 racetracks. Now that I think about it, I was spoiled as shit.
As soon as the snow cleared in March, it was every single weekend at a track until end of November. The Northeast was thriving back then in the '90s and early '00s. I was very fortunate for the tracks and the riders I got to race growing up. I’m very happy I was on the East Coast side of things versus the West Coast.
-Phil
Phillip,
Once again, congratulations on a great career and also staying true to yourself. I love listening to a “real” interview and not those corporate ass kisser type/sponsor plug interviews. Anyway, my question is about riders and their numbers. When I raced, your number was your brand. It’s how people recognized you. I may not know your name but the number 789 on the Kawi was hauling ass on the track. I know every year riders get to choose a number, and the lower the better, but it makes it really hard to distinguish who is who when A1 comes around. PC is a good example, I think three or four of their riders have been #36 for the past few years, and you and Schock both using #69. It gets very confusing and right when we start to get the riders and their new numbers down it’s time to switch coasts and start the confusion all over again. So I guess my question is, why do riders do it? Do the factories pay more for lower national numbers or is it just an accomplishment thing for a rider and another check mark for their career? I like that Roczen still runs #94. If he switched to Yamaha next week and I saw #94, I would know that it was Kenny.
-A-DUB348
A-Dub,
I agree with you 100 percent. The number system sucks. It’s a joke, to be honest. We are all about getting new fans, making it as easy for them to understand the races during the broadcast, and dumbing down to a cellular level for them. Which is fine, I get it, but I don’t. You have Tom Brady broadcasting, but you want to hear him talk about the game the way HE sees it as a seven-time Super Bowl Champ. So with that being said, we have a number system that’s more complex than sending a f*&%ing rocket to space. I DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND THE NUMBER SYSTEM.
My dad who has been around the sport since the dinosaur age, finally understands who people are by the end of the season every year. Even for me it’s hard. I look at the Star guys and the Pro Circuit guys and I’m trying to figure it out. It’s the most ridiculous thing ever in my opinion. I hate it.
Obviously, the best way here is to earn a permanent number. But that is hard AF. I just feel like there could be a little better way to do something. Or you do “tenure” to where you have to score X amount of points to keep it year after year. I don’t know, man, I just know we try and dumb this sport down to make people understand it. But yet when they come back to watch the following year, they have no idea who 70percent of the riders are.
-Phil
Professor Phil,
Earlier this year I think I remember hearing on podcasts that you were working with Chase Sexton to improve his starts. Apologies if my memory isn’t correct with this, but if it is, how do situations like this even start? And how formal or casual are they? Do riders just decide to start helping each other in certain areas out of the blue? Are there situations where riders are paying other riders to give them tips? It seems like that would lead to some ego clashes if say, a rider who isn’t as fast as another rider is giving him tips on how to be faster.
-Lapper Tim
Lapper,
Yeaaa, my ego is so big to where I won’t tell Chase a secret because I’ll beat him then, LOL. Only reason I wouldn’t tell Chase shit is so he only beats me by one minute versus a minute-and-a-half. We were just having some beers after Millville at A-Mart's house (I was having beers, Chase was not). I don’t think I personally helped with his starts. We were just talking about different stuff between guys on what we like to feel. It’s not necessarily a part we search for, it’s just a feel. He was looking for the same sort of feel. It’s not like it’s some hidden secret with shit. I feel like some people might think that, but it’s not.
There is rider lingo, that’s why it’s always great, in my opinion, to have a tuner or a suspension guy who used to ride. They understand the analogies a rider uses. So I had a buzz going, and we just started talking about shit. I like Chase a lot. He is a good kid and has a good sense of humor. Plus his team has good people, and they don’t have massive egos, in my opinion. So if he brought them an idea, I don’t think the team has an ego to tell him to get lost. So that helps as well.
But to answer your question, any rider who isn’t in direct competition with another will help, especially if they aren’t a threat. All of them would help me because they kick my teeth in.
-Phil
