Our man Filthy Phil Nicoletti has been busy in Australia racing the Australian Supercross Championship, but this week he took a break from the torturous toil of racing dirt bikes, riding in V8 Supercars, and going to AC/DC concerts to answer your burning questions.
And don't forget, if you've got a query that can only be answered by the man who leads the greatest life ever, yet still manages to be the grumpiest and most complaintive person in the sport, send it to phil@racerxonline.com.
Phil,
I came across an Instagram post the other day of you riding in one of those Australian V8 supercars, or whatever they are. Is that kind of their version of NASCAR? Anyway, I watched the clip and it looked unreal. What was it like getting to ride in one of those monsters? What was the acceleration like compared to a dirt bike? How’d it handle the corners? Were you legit scared at any point? Help me live vicariously through you!
-Ted
Ted,
My time at the Adelaide Supercross in Australia was unreal. Let’s just start there. From taking a ride in a V8 Supercar with Cam Waters, to racing a little Supercross, to then seeing AC/DC live was all time. I was very fortunate enough to be able to take a ride with Cam in his car on Friday before the race. I’ve been around NASCAR a lot in the last 10 years of my life, but I've never actually taken a ride in one. But from what I hear, riding in a V8 car is a bit more thrilling. Honestly, for me the speed wasn’t the crazy part for me. It was the braking power and the fast twitch turning the car had. That to me was the most impressive. And the curbs in the corners that they would just mow over, and how stable the car was. When I look at the car in the garage, it doesn’t look like it has any suspension. But the car took the curbs on the corners quite well. It gets warm in one of those cars too, which was also cool to feel. It’s weird because you're doing this adrenaline rush activity at a low heart rate, but it’s was hot in there. There was a serious sense of comfort though with a roll cage and being protected. I don’t know if that's just because I’m used to be tossed on a dirt bike with not much room for error, but the roll cage adds a lot of security and confidence if you screw up. It was a great experience.
-Phil
Analog Phil,
After KTM’s recent team intro a bunch of people were making a big deal about Eli Tomac’s cable-actuated clutch on his KTM, which of course, features a hydraulically-actuated clutch in stock form. First, how does the feeling of a hydraulic clutch differ from a cable? And why is hydraulic widely considered better? Second, is it a big deal that KTM would do that for Tomac? Seems like they’d want to promote what comes stock on the bikes they sell, but then again, you do what you gotta do for a guy like Tomac. You think they would have done the same for, say, Tom Vialle?
-Barber Dave
Barber,
Do I think making a cable clutch for Tomac is a big deal? Yes, because it’s a giant middle finger to the “stock is king” marketing narrative they’ve been pushing. It’s not like KTM just switched to cable two, three, four, or even 10 years ago. It’s been like 25 years! To me, KTM is the leader with their clutch. It’s one of the best ones, that's no secret. So to go away from that and add a cable, after all the years of development, it’s a big deal in my opinion. It is cool, yes. But again, on the flip side, it’s not much different from Haiden Deegan going from the new Yamaha 2026 hydro clutch to a cable clutch at WSX. Literally a change that was made during race day. Again, he had never really ridden or raced with a hydro before, so it’s a bit different. For KTM to do this is, it is a big deal. That’s just me. Also, no, KTM would not have done that for Tom Vialle.
For me, I’m a hydro guy. I’ll never go back to a cable clutch. I’m like Eli too, only much slower, but I use my clutch a lot. Especially in the whoops in SX. There is nothing worse on an SX track when you're riding and you have to worry about rolling [the adjuster on] your clutch. Even when the clutch is broken in good prior to the mains, the clutch fade and adjustment I have to do by rolling the clutch pisses me off. After getting on a hydro and getting the right spring pressure, lever ratios, and lines, there is nothing better and more consistent.
-Phil
Rivalrous Phil,
Rivalries are one of the greatest parts of professional sports, and man oh man, is that ever true in motocross. I’m old so for me there is no better rivalry than MC vs. Fro, but I can appreciate the RJ vs. Wardy, Tomac vs. Jett, Deegan vs. Everyone, etc., rivalries as well. I’m wondering what rivalries you paid attention to when you were just a wee lad coming up in the MX world? And also, did you develop any rivalries with anyone during your professional career? If so, did those feelings thaw once you no longer had to race that person, or are there still riders you don’t even want to be in the same room with?
-McLovin
McLovin,
I wasn’t fast enough to have just ONE rivalry LOL. Normally I would finish between sixth to 10th, so my rivalries were with about 10 different guys every damn weekend. I wish I was fast enough to have to worry about just one guy. One of the best rivalries that kind of goes unnoticed a bit is Ryan Villopoto and Ben Townley in 2007. It was pretty bad ass. Townley came out swinging the first two rounds, dominating. Then RV went sicko mode and regained control through the season. But it was a great summer to watch.
I have a problem with the Jett/Deegs rivalry. It’s soooooo premature and premeditated. They haven’t even raced each other yet. Nowadays I don’t think someone can have just one rival. As good as Jett is, and how phenomenal he is, I think he even knows that. There isn’t just one person. Trust me, Jett isn’t worried about Deegan. Especially right now when you have Chase Sexton, Cooper Webb, Eli Tomac, Ken Roczen, Hunter Lawrence, who are all peak performers. Everyone has one rival, and that’s Jett. Jett has one rival and that’s everyone else. I feel like everyone knows how to beat everyone else over 17 rounds, except Jett.
-Phil
