250 Words: Houston
Monday, February 14, 2011 | 12:30 PM
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You already know who won the race. Each week, 250 Words focuses on another story from the race you might not have noticed.
Did you catch the Houston Supercross on CBS? Perhaps you noticed that the first turn was a little bit, shall we say, treacherous?
Baggett overcame a treacherous start to grab a podium spot.
Photo: Andrew Fredrickson
Baggett placed third in his first race for Pro Circuit Kawasaki.
Photo: Simon Cudby
Did you catch the Houston Supercross on CBS? Perhaps you noticed that the first turn was a little bit, shall we say, treacherous?
Baggett overcame a treacherous start to grab a podium spot.
Photo: Andrew Fredrickson
All season long, we’ve seen top contenders run into trouble in their heat races, qualify through the LCQ, and then pull miracle starts in the main from a bad gate pick. Trey Canard’s night in Los Angeles comes to mind, as he stacked it up bad in his heat, then won the LCQ and pulled his best start of the year in the main.
That wasn’t going to happen in Houston. The gate was too unforgiving. So when East Lites contender Blake Baggett went down in the first turn of heat race number one, he was in trouble. Baggett fought his way forward, crashed again, and claimed the final heat race transfer spot with a ninth. That gave him the 18th gate pick for the main.
Baggett is no stranger to these short, 90-degree first turns. They had one last year in Dallas. There, Baggett qualified out of the LCQ and had a terrible pick. But when a crash claimed half the field, Baggett got on the brakes, stayed up, passed a ton of riders and put himself in position to win the race. Which he did.
In Houston, he tried the same trick. He got on the brakes early and let the carnage carry everyone to the outside. He sliced through a bunch of riders in the first few turns, and he stood 12th by the end of lap one.
Baggett placed third in his first race for Pro Circuit Kawasaki.
Photo: Simon Cudby
The Houston track didn’t lend itself to passing, though. He battled into fifth, clocking the fastest lap of anyone in the race. Then Ryan Sipes (the same rider who errered in Dallas last year, allowing Baggett to take the win) crashed into Blake Wharton, and Baggett slid into third.
In the results column, it looks like a simple podium finish. But Baggett’s smooth moves from a bad gate may have saved a championship ending from the very moment that it started.
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I wouldn't call the start design "bad". Just different, because the track designers are trying to change things up each week. The smart riders knew how to navigate it. It did shake up the results, which is what they were trying to do. Malcom Stewart looked fast but out of control. Sound familiar? Barcia was also kind of squirrelly. No one mentioned Sipes in the preseason picks but he set the fastest qualifier. The battles between Wilson and Barcia and the one between Wharton and Sipes were epic.
Malcolm looked out of control?........why just cuz you wanna bash bubba's brother????.......GREAT start in heat, rode solid....got 2nd.......main event HOLESHOT.....got slammed by PJ....dropped back a few spots.....went into a corner , threw a block pass and PJ didnt let up....jumped that lil double and landed on malcolms arm taking them both down?......then after SLAMMING to the ground, got up with a tweaked bike and salvaged 14th.....quit the bashing.....top 5 in ATL fo sho!!!!
That first turn was ridiculous. They need to let the riders design the tracks again. They have failed miserably when it comes to track design this year. Can we get some longer lap times please?
I agree...bad start straight design. The inside (far left gate slots) was the best place to be obviously, but coming out of the gate you were immediately forced to move right because the track line pinched to the right and it wasnt a straight shot to turn one.....unless everyone backed off, it was guarenteed to be a pile up...
sometimes change is good. I was at the Dallas (jerry world) Supercross last year and I just knew that start was gonna be trouble. So now we had it in Houston just makes the racing better although I always hated short starts also.You never think it is time to shut off that quick so it disrupted some things and the races go on.
DUNGY RUUUUUUUES just joking cause I remember that from last year and no I am not that guy. Ops this is 250 words me bad lol
Yes, little bubba was out of control....top 5 "fo sho"? yeahhh broootthhhaaa....idiot!
I really agree with Redbeard65, I would even consider a hump or an or something to slow riders down. Breaking into that turn with such a short drive keeps everyone side by side is what makes pileups. One guy bobbles and people get taken out. That is not skill it is luck. Lets make it skill, and design better tracks. Love the 48 sec laps... what a joke. To have things designed so asterisks buggy can get to every place in the track is a joke. It limits creating passing, the design of better flow and the start. Maybe im just getting old and cranky.
The track was a dissaster, it was "one lined" the only way to pass was to block pass like Barcia, or knock the bike out from underneath your competitor. The first turn was a joke! Why do they think they have to try to "re-invent" the supercross track all the time? The AMA should have proven templates for the promoters to pick the track that fits their stadium.
Bullseye Jason re the first time move without anything othe than top 3 start. Bagget will contend this year. Solid rides from first year guys Trettel and Anderson and IMO a promising beginning from Stewart .I gotta go , the boss is messing with my priorities.
JimM
Carslbad Ca.
Sorry about the mess up but its hard doing this and keeping an eye out for that sneaky boss.The pressure gets to me.sometimes. I meant first TURN move. .
JimM
Carslbad Ca
Another difficult track to pass on. great ride by Baggett (the article is about him, after all). Malcolm was scattering people left and right. "cuz [we] wanna bash bubba's brother?" Tony C? No, because it's what happened. The Stewart defenders now have another sibling to defend!
Malcom was scattering people left and right?? Cmon, have you watched a 250 race with a ton of rookies...they all ride eratic and out of control. I didn't think Malcom rode any different. Barcia is in his 3rd year and rode WFO and outta control the whole race. Give the kid a break, he looked fast. He shot the corner wide and Larsen didn't let off, big deal. I thought Malcom had a wheel on him anyway. Maybe you just focused on him and weren't watching the rest of the pack bang into each other.
Yea, that was it, Slim.
What happened to Durham? He was DNS for main?
You could tell he was upset with Wilson after the race, seemed to me like Wilson pushed that pass a tad early. I think Durham still thought they were in the yellow flag section when he was passed. Durham did come up short on that triple though, which allowed Larsen to get by also.
The start wouldn't have been half as bad if they would have rounded the inside of the first corner instead of squaring it off with the tuff blocks. I also thought sipes made a way overly aggresive pass on whats his name and should be penalized in points for such a deliberate stupid move like that was. Screwed that other guys chances of a championship.
Kdub scrubbin over the top of that tough block in the begining of the race! Im supprised Fro didnt see it, man I replayed that over and over. close one, for sure!
Tom - I think you are right. I remember Durham didnt jump the section cause of all the flags and slowed down allowing both Wilson and PJ to pass him......Reports had Durham holding his knee after the race.....Wilson slammed into him pretty good and apparently caused some damage to his knee, enough to not even line up for the main....
Mammoth Downhill -That was pretty crazy ...KDUB got lukcy there.... Love the name by the way, Mammoth Downhill....great in practice, tretcherous by moto 2....I remember Damon Huffman on his KX80 back in the day railing down that hill so frickin' fast and just whipping around that bottom turn...AMAZING
Tom, I wondered the same thing, apparently Wilson rammed him during a commercial break (we didn't get to see it on TV) trying to make a pass and broke his foot on lap 3 or 4. That is why Durham took the wild ride over the tuff blocks, his broken foot slipped off. No hard feelings from DD, called it a race incident, you can read all about it over at Vital MX.
Yeah, the track sure sucked. We had the best two mains of the year...
Baggett looked like a malnutrioned on the podium. some people should simply not tuck their ears. And Barcia, i love you man, but that hair on your chin has got to go!!
I think we scared em a litle huh?
Golly gee wilikers, this bearded fellow is wild!
How about a walled turn one 'ala "Talladega" start @ G.H.? That would allow more opportunities for the racers pushed outside & not make dive-bombing the inside line quite as critical. I don't have all the answers (or even some) but, it seems there's enough problems to justify taking a second look at this situation. I've seen R. Winkler post on here and would appreciate some comment or reply to the endless queries regarding track designs. I'm not knocking track builders, there's nothing worse than people coming in & second guessing the craftsman's work, happens to me all the time but, no response means they don't value our opinions or input.
Well that was the worst track I have ever seen! Dirt Wurx has always done a great job, but they need to go back to the drawing board after that debacle.
I think both stewarts are sloppy and dangerous always seem to hurt people. Why does't the AMA do something Are they scared. i hope they get kicked out of the AMA
you guys have never raced I guess.....block passing has been around since the skid marks in your underware....and also NOT sure how you all saw Malcolm being so dirty, since they showed him for 3 seconds when he went down, that was it.....he passed about 5/6 guys......not sure how many he could have "punted" off the track, but not moved up that far......all stewart haters.......funny......like Dale E.---you either love the BEST, or HATE the best.......
"Little Bubba Sucks wrote: about 4 hours ago
Yes, little bubba was out of control....top 5 "fo sho"? yeahhh broootthhhaaa....idiot!"
im sure since you cant make it out of the C class heats at your local track, that would be why you make a name that says little bubba sucks"........your name should read ______________(enter your name) sucks WAY more than little bubba!!!...cuz i sit on the couch and WISH I was that good/ fast......grow up douche bag!
Barcia looks like a bum.All he needs is a 40oz beer in a brown paper bag and a joint.To complete the look.
What's with all you guys and Barcia's beard? What is it, a friggin' beauty pageant? And BTW, how can not one person make the connection to Scooby and Shaggy? Roobie roobie rooooooooo!
Daphne and Velma thought Barcia's beard was dreamy!
Malcolm is fast but what a stupid decision on his part...him and james need to learn how to be patient,,it will keep themselves and others alot safer.
One thing was obvious at Houston and that was that Wilson was by far the fastest rider there. So, if he was so fast and competitive just coming off a shoulder separation with not much training time, then the competition has nothing to look forward to when his conditioning improves as he won't fade from arm pump like he did in Houston. This dude is seriously fast and will be giving Barcia a lot of headaches soon.
Agree with JimboMX374, Baggett will contend this year. BTW Wilson said he was Barcia b****h on TWMX One of the funniest things i've heard a rider say !
If anyone (Wilson or Baggett) beats Barcia for the title (more like last man standing) it will be an accomplishment considering Barcias ah........ style.
When are they going to start making tracks where there is a lot of opportunity to pass? I am sick of all the jumps and chu chu training.........
Darryn Durham: Broken foot, for those who were wondering. But man did he look good in that heat or what!
TONYC, you said Malcolm got "slammed" by PJ?? HUH?? What race did you watch?? Malcolm is the one who slammed him. PJ looked great until Baby Stewie slammed him. The kidd learned from big brother. And Barcia looked fast as heck, alot faster than Wilson. Wilson is making excuses about being out of shape, and rough riding, but he just got beat, thats all. Barcia is into his head already.
P.J did run him high in the corner before, but that is racing. Man P.J did look awesome though, but I think Malcolm did too. Just sucked he cost it for both of them! The east looks awesome but I think Deano will beat Barcia, someone will give him a taste of his own medicine and it will cost him a race or two. However thats racin too, isnt it?
Haha I just think its funny Malcolm didnt even break top ten but he has been mentioned more than anyone else in the 250 class. Oh yea if a sponsor is smart out there they will sign Malcolm for top dollar b4 they do Barcia. It kinda sucks but its true. Malcolm is generating more interest than any other rider in the 250 class right now. Love him or hate him we are all talking about him.
BREAKING NEWS......Charming AP.. This just in.... word has it that the S.O.A. along with the help of the Mayans have signed an unidentified rider to compete in the AMA outdoor nationals. More to come....
Shhhhhhh...... noone can find out Im a C.I. or the club will kill me.
Great race. Wilson makes clean passes on Barcia, only to have Barcia make dirty passes on him immediately afterwards. I really hope that Hansen and Barcia don't win the championships this year. It was good to see that Wilson called him out about it on the podium. Barcia took Wilson out in the outdoors last summer too and always has ridden like that. Someone needs to do the same to him, like Pourcel did last year. Also, what was Sipes doing taking out Wharton with 2 laps left? When you are third and fourth in the opening round, that's not a move you do. Nice ride for Baggett coming from way back on a track that was once again hard to pass on. There are so many guys who can win it this year that if you're top three every round, you're probably going to win the championship.
MB6 - Silm473- and other Aholes If any of ever raced a SX you would know if u get a chance to pass someone u take it. Good pass or bad. And remember its his frist pro SX. He will improve with every race, and so will the other rookies. Hell ya good race Barcia. SX needs more riders like him to weed out the weak......
you people are so one sided on the justin,deano thing .deano tried to put justin ,and it didnt work.i think you people sould rent some old super cross races.what your seeing now,is nothing .rubbing is racing.so mr wison and the rest of the cry babys i think its time for you guys too find a new sport.like (water polo).
I don't think we're being one sided at all. Look back at every race Barcia has been in since he's turned pro. He has always ridden that way. Wilson doesn't ride like that at all, and the only reason he did in Houston is because Barcia was doing the same to him. In older supercross races there was indeed a lot more bar banging, but this is 2011. Every sport changes with time, and that type of riding isn't accepted anymore. There's a difference between aggressive riding and coming into a corner and slamming into a guy, and Barcia does the latter.
I don't care what anyone says, that was some fine racing up front. Maybe Billy Goat Barcia was a little dirty but man it was exciting. Who's gonna argue that our sport doesn't need more excitement? In an era where tracks are short, bikes sound like fart boxes, and the best announcer we can get is some guy named Ralph, we need our riders personalities, aggressiveness, and creativity to show on the track. Without it, we might as well cheer on robots.
DGIZZY, it would be insane to sponser an unproven guy based on one thread on a moto site. that kind of mentality has cost more than one company their business. Barcia will be a champ. Malcolm rides like he did in Houston, he will be at home injured. Where will all those big dollars be then.
So so much negativity. But yeah bar bangin is a part of the sport but i consider a block pass when you have the guys front wheel covered before the apex of the turn, NOT when you don't even attempt to turn and just go strait for the end! I like Barcia hes exciting to watch but he ALWAYS been like that even in the amateurs. He will get his and Deano will get the last laugh. IMO
justin races like his life depends on it .he races the way your supposed too.to win.all you heard the whole race was how the track was one lined.well whats a racer going too do , get in line.come on,and as far as(that type riding is not eccepted anymore),what!!! i guess mommy told you that its ok to lose.on the east cost if you ant moving you better get out of the way or your ass is ran off the track.and last but not least my son grow up getting his kicked by justin as well as everone else that raced agaist justin,not because justin was dirty he was just gone.
lil stewarts first ten autographs as he went pro was me! he rode solid in the heat though,he deserves a win this season,thats all im statin,well see how he turns out right? dont knock him so soon..he might suprise you.baggett is a smooth rider for the most part and hes pretty fast,last season i stated he would be fast and look where he is..not to be the guy thats bashed on here,but i dont like barcia,even the guys that hhave been racin and have experience say hes a typical kid with an attitude and hes*****y..idk,im just not a fan,but he is fast
I'm tired of people crying about Barcia's riding style. I suppose you would prefer a main event packed with completely identical styles and a podium filled with robotic answers to questions about the race. Yes he is*****y, there aren't many top shelf athletes that aren't. Yes he is aggressive on the track, you should sit him down and tell him that in the future during the opening round of a ( short ) lites supercross series he should be more timid. People seem to forget that these guys are just kids, they're going to get excited, ride hard, bang bars, and above all make racing fun to watch. Now if you asked me how long he was going to last in the sport if he continues this way, I would say....not long, but only time will tell how he decides to mature in the sport.
barcias fast,yes..but hes not like anyother riders out there! mcgrath,RC,windham,lusk,emig,ramsey,i could go on forever..none of those guys were*****y and a idiot like barcia..hes fast right now yes,and his career will prolly go down fast yes..but he needs to get his head out of his a** and be a professional supercross rider,not a amateur with a*****y attitude
Malcolm is riding like James originally did, stupid and out of control. He needs to make his own name and not try to be his brother and he could be a real contender, but until then i think we're going to be seeing him take a lot of soil samples.