We thought Phil Nicoletti would be a little more agreeable after he started getting gate drops again in Canada following his short retirement stint, but no dice. If anything Filthy is even more cantankerous than he was before! Clearly, Canada isn't wearing off on him. No matter, at least he was gracious enough this week to take the time to get into topics like riding drills, Haiden Deegan's learning curve, and the legends who helped shape our sport.
As always, send him a question, phil@racerxonline.com if you've got something for him. He especially loves questions regarding lappers.
Freestyle Phil,
Back when I was a kid, riding dirt bikes was more about screwing around with buddies than anything else, and I remember we would always try to come up with absolutely useless skills just to try to outdo each other. Who could hold the longest stoppie, or taking all of our hands and feet off the bike in the air. One time we wasted a whole afternoon trying to wheelie into a tire swing hard enough to bounce it off the tree it was hanging from. Good times. Anyway, it made me wonder if you ever got bored on practice days with teammates and came up with stupid competitions, or worked on skills that were totally useless on the track. Anything like that ever take place in the pro ranks?
-Dasher Dex
Dasher,
For sure it happens, but I don’t do it. I’m a moto and lap guy. I have a hard time going to ClubMX and doing a day on the corner track. They all know I hate it too. Why do I hate it? Because I suck at it! B and C level riders will lap me on a little corner track at ClubMX. I’m not joking either. Does it help with some things? Yes. But is it going to translate to me when the gate drops? HELL NO. I’m going to go back to the same dumb shit I’ve been doing for the past 30 years. I do learn things, and my style has changed throughout the years from learning and watching other guys. I can’t speak for myself, but the ClubMX crew does do a lot of stuff like that for all the kids. I ride two days a week, so when I go there I want to moto and do laps. For all the kids who live on the facility and ride four days a week, they don’t need to moto every single day. So normally Friday is a fun drill course type of day for them.
-Phil
Phil,
I can’t believe how quickly Haiden Deegan is improving. He was great in his rookie year, won the championship the next year, and this year he somehow looks better than last year. In fact, I think if he could jump in a time machine and race himself last summer, the 2025 Deegan would whip the 2024 Deegan’s ass. And that’s saying something because 2024 Deegan was very, very good. So with that in mind, how much better do you think he can actually get? And when he gets on a 450, do you think he’ll have something for Jett Lawrence?!
-The Winnemucca Whipper
Winnemucca,
I’m already so over the Deegan and Lawrence talk. Being great on a 250 doesn’t always translate to success on a 450. Deegan is great on a 250. Jettson was great on a 250. Will Deegan's greatness carry over to a 450? I feel everyone starts over when you move to the big bike class. It’s like a hard reset, you know what I mean? Of course Deegan automatically starts off as good on a 450. It’s the same as Jettson when he went to 450. He would be good, and that’s all you can really guarantee. But since Jettson went to the 450 class, he has proved he is great. Can Deegan get to that level? That’s the million dollar question. I’d like to say yes. For the sport, it would be incredible. But Jettson will literally be in his absolute peak years. I also truly believe Hunter will be closing that gap as well. Prado will be much better next year, too. Chase Sexton is an animal. Eli Tomac will always be a machine. Like, I don’t know. I don’t know where to put Deegan. Remember Adam Cianciarulo in 2019? He dominated his last year on a 250 as well! Did he win a 450 championship? No, although he was damn close and won a bunch of races. It’s so hard to predict what will happen. But we all have the same feeling of anticipation with it. It would be great if Deegs can get to Jettson's level and we can have two of them battling. But, Jettson is absolutely mental.
-Phil
Wise Sage Phil,
I was shooting the roost with a friend the other day on our way home from the track and started talking about Jeremy McGrath, and how he introduced the concept of staying low over jumps to the sport. Seems basic now, but back then it was revolutionary and it completely changed how people attack jumps. If I remember right he brought that idea to motocross from his experience racing BMX. So, if MC doesn’t ever get on a BMX bike, how much different does the sport look today? That’s not my question, it’s just wild to think how one tiny thing can make such a huge difference in the timeline of our sport. So, short story long, can you think of any of those seemingly meaningless events that have ended up having a huge impact on our sport?
-Viper Dan
Viper,
I guess there are a lot. MC, Stew, Jett, Everts, Herlings, Webb, Marv, Alessi, Danny "Magoo" Chandler, RC, Tomac, and more. I guess they aren’t really “events,” but all those guys had huge impacts on the sport in certain areas. Of course there are many more guys as well. Herlings with the sand technique, and then Jett and Everts with their standing technique, and effortless style. Mike Alessi and his phenomenal holeshot technique. Webb/Marv with the skill set and jumping whoops. MC pumping through transitions in SX. Stew's bubba scrub and whoop speed. RC and Tomac's sheer pit bull power. I think all those guys changed the game in certain ways. They all had a huge impact on the sport's evolution.
-Phil
