by Andy Bowyer
One Industries Thursday Rev Up: Against Supercross and Time
Thursday, March 10, 2011 | 10:50 AM
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Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Rev Up. This week’s column comes to you with a title that may have a few of you raising your eyebrows. While pondering what to coin the anthem of this week’s Rev Up, I went back to a book that Davey Coombs gave me a few years ago. The novel was given to him by none other than Eric Johnson, and then DC passed on to me and its prose has remained embedded. The book is actually called Against Death and Time, by Broc Yates, and it chronicles the historic and very tragic year of motorsports in 1955. This was the year that open wheel star Alberto Ascari, American icon James Dean and Indy 500 legend Bill Vukovich met their demise while trading punches with mother speed. The book is centered around the Indianapolis 500, whose history stretches back to the 1900s. The reason they call it the “Brickyard” is because once upon a time the race track was actually made out of bricks. And yes, you’re welcome, Captain obvious.
That’s just a little racing history, folks. Indianapolis is a very special city in these United States.
2011 has been a season to remember.
Photo: Simon Cudby
But what we have on our hands here is more than a little racing history. What we all have a reason to be jacked up about is this scenario of mayhem we are all experiencing. The 2011 Monster Energy AMA Supercross series has become one of the most spectacular and unforgiving struggles we have seen in our rich history. Our country has rich history, auto racing has rich history, and the sport of motocross has its own special place in the book. Especially to you defenders of the faith.
This one is going out to my Midwest boys that have a garage full of moto. Old-school pictures, new handlebars, sprockets, and all of the good shit that a good garage has on the wall. This one’s forthe “real” moto heads that live and bleed this affliction that we all love to our bones.
Nobody could have predicted the way the song would sing this year. We all had our ideas, hunches, and forecasts, but nobody has or can say that this thing would have turned out the way it has.
It’s all out the door, doctor. Hell, they’ve all won. And as it stands, RV Park has won the lion’s share and is the alpha male. Villopoto showed up at Anaheim ready to eat his own guts and ask for seconds. He’s given some away, Stewart has given a couple away, and in the middle we have a rejuvenated Chad Reed who is bringing “The Thunder” back. Ryan Dungey, who has really not even show what he can do, and about a half dozen other proven winners are ready to make the 2011 version of the Indy SX the best one we’ve ever seen.
RV has lead the charge in 2011.
Photo: Simon Cudby
Go ahead and try to turn the head on this cat and tell me otherwise. One of the most exciting and unpredictable seasons in supercross history is heading into the most history-rich racing city in the world. Not just here in the United States, Indianapolis is the heart of all things racing.
My friends, that’s all I got and that is really all you need to head into this weekend with the shoulders back. Go out and get the aforementioned novel and gain a little appreciation for the way things are in motorsports today. As gnarly as things are, once upon a time there were men that knew real fear and had the courage to take it on. Be that as it may, I’m more than proud of the boys that have made this a season to remember.
What’s this one going to be like this time, my friends? Hell of a question, huh? Will Villopoto continue to amaze us? Will Stewart rebound? Will there be a new winner? We're all going to find out and there are no words that can harness the sweet uncertainty of this one.
Thanks for reading, see you next week.
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Excellent!! Good one Andy.
Well said Andy! So true!
" Ryan Dungey, who has really not even show what he can do, " Dungey had nothing to show last year but himself. He had no competition that was worthy of racing him. He got lucky last year when RV, CR, and JS all crashed out of SX, also with MX. CR wasn't on a bike he was comfterable with to ride and win on last year, also JS came back for one race and got third....... It took RD a few rounds to start winning MX.
RD just simply got lucky last year. Dont get me wrong he is a top 5 rider and is very very fast, its just his confidence and speed aren't up to par anymore.
at this point its villimoto's to loose,,if steward wins it maybe one of the best come backs cause it will go down in vegas
first off......Bubba can STILL control his destiny if he can win out........NO MATTER what RV does......secondly, yea RD hasnt shown he could win yet....but in 9 rounds he has 4 -2nd's and 3- 3rd's.......thats 7 podiums in 9 races...WITH a DNF......im a stewart fan, and wanna see him come back and win this thing.........but pretty sure RD has done MORE than anyone expected him to do this year, since everyone wants to say he BACKED into his championships last year......the kid hauls the mail as well as anyone out there........you are talking HUGE household names and he has been right in it!!...hell he is only 7 points behind Reedy who WON one already and DOESNT have a DNF.......
I am a die hard moto fan, although my garage no longer has the sprokets and bars hanging from the walls like it used too. They are in a box however somewhere in my garage!!!! as my racing/riding activities came to a halt for a few years due to a back injury. I have recently started riding again on my 2000 2 -stroke CR250 that still hauls ass by the way and probably has less than 50 hours on it, no joke its like a new bike almost.
A great season indeed. When I wasnt riding, I still payed attention to SX/MX races and attended the SX each year in CA and PHX but something was missing.....But now that I am riding again, my love and excitement for the sport has hit a level I have not felt in years....2009 was a stewart show after Rnd 1....2010 was pretty boring with all the injuries and now we have all the debates about Dungey not winning against the best, but 2011 is the real deal....It clear who the fastest most talented rider is on the track overall, but that is no suprise to me since I have seen JS7 grow from the 60cc class....Its good JS7 makes it interesting with his win or crash style, otherwise it would be boring to watch him win every week....
Andy,
That SUPERCROSS has found a home in INDY, arguably the World's Center of Racing, seems quite appropriate. It is a form of Motorsport that is made of guys who possess the same will & determination as did racing heros from the ages.
The rich racing history that surrounds Indianapolis is practically boundless.
Kudos to you for acknowledging a fact that might be lost on some of those Captain Obvious types who don't share a larger appreciation for all that is Motorsports.
For many who might be too young to know him, BROCK YATES is a prolific writer, broadcaster, magazine editor and author of more than a dozen other books on various forms of racing.
Yates' has been revealing his vast knowledge and unique style of motorsports story telling since long before most of us were born. My Dad turned me on to his work.
With an ability to transcend and meld the racing genre in such a human and relatable way, Yates will always be known as one of the foremost scribes who ever commented on the world of racing and the racers who made it all so impressive and spectacular. (No, I'm not a relative; just a fan of his writings.)
Lets hope the divisive types who usually find their way to every RACER-X comments section take a break from their predictable, negative rants and instead go read one of Brock's great books. They will be thoroughly entertained.
Oh, and by the way..., can't wait for Saturday night in Indy and the continuation of one of the best ever year's of SUPERCROSS!
Regarding RD, I was rooting for him to catch Reed last week...Daytona was the first race in my opinion where the Dunge showed some power and spark of being able to run up front....Yes, he has got on the podium and has some great finishes but a few have been handed to him to as well....They still count at the end of the day, but folks want to see him earn it out right...start up front and stay there...or come from behind and pass RV, CR and JS...not cruise in 4th or 5th and wait for the others to fall out.....sad but true, that is how people look at it...he is better than the rest of the pack from 4th on....we know that from last years results, but can he beat the best
ATTENTION SPEED - ALL SX RACES SHOULD BE LIVE!!!
@jason calm down RD is young still .he will come around .
@ Enzo
No doubt he will, just annoyed when people think he has the speed to stay with the top guys. He does have the speed, just hasnt fully shown it. RV and JS are just on another level.
I started the above 'comment', after reading the first two (compliments) you received on your (today's) REV-UP column.
In that short amount of time, I see at least on rider 'dig' has already trickled through the cracks. Before the avalanche begins, one question: haven't we heard it all before, week after week no less?
Spewing another negative comment about this or that rider is idiotic. If that's all you've got, spare us all, please. Show some brain cells. Hold back until you actually have an original thought to share that hasn't been repeated over and over.
Yes thanks for a good read Andy, made me feel good and gonna have to find that book. Now they need to put a brick section in the Indy supercross track!!!! Guess we will have to wait for Trick to write one of his articles now in the comment section to get things a going. I have a whole lot of racing iltems worthy of history.
KG I agree with your assesment as a whole... but my question to you is (and i'm sure you pondered this notion yourself) if it were not for the variety of responses; good and bad, how enjoyable as a whole would this comment section be?
As it stands this forum allows room for varying personality types (and IQ's levels) to speak their mind with as much compassion, humility or vitriol as they desire. This is a good thing regardless of the repetitive nature of the "digs" we might whitness when concerning people's opinions on riders they do not much appreciate or otherwise.
Would you prefer uniform responses in this comments forum much like you would hear in a today's podium speeches given by riders?
I think that it is great that the first amendment gaurantees freedom to formulate (for better or worse) "idiotic" (qouting you here) or informed responses to any debatable topic without undue persecution.
Don't you?
Anyway on to Indy this weekend where the saga continues. Two weeks ago I would have said that I was sure JS would have his way with the feild...little do I know.
Good article Andy and tell Clint to get up there and "Git" after it!.
P.S Anyone who would like to poke fun of my post can feel free to do so. That is what it is all about.
I don't believe RD is feeling much pressure to go faster yet. Will he ever get to desperation mode?; I don't know but I hope so. James' riding looks desperate when he has a 10 second lead and is running 2 seconds faster per lap than second. Let's see who has the better strategy after Vegas.
BTW: The above is about as long of a comment as most people would prefer to read. If you want to be heard, be brief.
Great Rev-Up Andy, very good. And I dont believe anyone can "luck" into any title in moto. He was pretty fortunate that RV2 got injured. But its not Dungeys fault and he is the one who showed up week in and week out and rode his ass off. I cant wait to see 65,000 other people in the stadium in Indy. And hopefully we get some close racing.
No mention of Turbo Trey?! Otherwise great read.
@Humility & Sage
Thanks..., obviously I'm for the freedom to speak your mind and have an opinion; not disputing that for minute.
I'm not here to persecute anyone and not pretending I'm any sort of Rocket-Scientist or Rhodes Scholar either.
It's about a little civility..., that's all.
When the tone of commentary gets so pathetic that people are practically assaulting one another, it lowers the bar to a level that wreaks of ignorance & begs the question, "Are some of these people off their medication?"
Motocross people are better than that but often (lately), decent, worthwhile comments & opinions take a back seat to whomever is the loudest and most obnoxious.
Enough from me..., Goin' ridin.
@Humility & Sage
Thanks..., obviously I'm for the freedom to speak your mind and have an opinion; not disputing that for minute.
I'm not here to persecute anyone and not pretending I'm any sort of Rocket-Scientist or Rhodes Scholar either.
It's about a little civility..., that's all.
When the tone of commentary gets so pathetic that people are practically assaulting one another, it lowers the bar to a level that wreaks of ignorance & begs the question, "Are some of these people off their medication?"
Motocross people are better than that but often (lately), decent, worthwhile comments & opinions take a back seat to whomever is the loudest and most obnoxious.
Enough from me..., Goin' ridin.
good read! posters please get off dungeys ass- the guy is fast, won everything last year. been on the podium as much as anyone this year and its only half way.. i will say this for him, cause you know he wont " F U"
It's funny how when dungey crashes or god forbid doesn't win it's "choking" and when it's Stewart or villopoto it's bad luck, bike setup, lappers, poor track design, poor condiTions etc ?
And as good as this season is , it's too bad pourcel and weimer are out. Where would they be?
If anyone remembers the supercross preview show on Dec 26th, Dungey said the one thing that suprised him about his first full season in the big bike class was how long and how demanding the supercross class was. With that said, I think the Dunge knows the season will be won during the closing rounds, and has mentally prepared himself for a strong finish. Granted he probably wasn't anticipating a DNF due to mechanical failure, but I think this kid is smarter than alot of people realize. If not for the DNF, he would probably be soundly in 2nd place and probably no more than 15pts behind RV. So to those people like to discredit him and his accomplishments, be prepared to eat crow........ And would you like Ketchup with that. I know Villopoto is an awesome and gutsy guy, but trying to hold onto a lead is harder than being the chaser.. And he's going to have a hungry pack of wolves nipping at his heels from here to Vegas!! Time to turn it up Dungey, We'll be cheering you on at Lucas Oil Stadium!!!!!!!!
Great read Andy! I noticed you missed Trey as well but I am sure it isn't because of lack of respect, we all know he hauls the mail and has a well earned event win under his belt. The Top 5 are somewhat superhuman and the 30 or more pros in each class that attempt to make the main event each Saturday night all get a tip of the stetson for respect.
I feel the comment posts are more enjoyable to read when they are positive in nature. The Media have personalities of their own however they as professionals are more accountable for their words. I think even an Avatar and a consistent Tag online would show some sincerity from posters here. If everyone thought that their post might be featured in the NOISE section of the next RacerX there may even be an attempt to be mature. The sad part is that there are people that hide behind freedom of speech to make themselves feel empowered by trying to knock people down with words
Wait 'till Dungey & Goose go to KTM. They'll be revitalized and won't have to worry about their paychecks clearing the bank. I think there are several reasons why Dungey isn't 100% right now and there's no shame in taking what's given to him at this point in the season. RV, JS, CR & TC all have to make it through all 17 rounds and that's a feat in itself considering the pace needed to win a SX race this year. One fall and a small fracture, break, bend, strain, tear, dislocation, etc. and it's a whole new ballgame. Asterisk all you want, the guy that stays healthy AND competitive wins in the end. Will it be RD? Who knows? The argument for Villopoto is getting stronger each week as this title hunt dwindles down. On a totally unrelated note, what in the heck would it hurt to put #800 on a 450 at this point in the SX season?
What would it hurt? Probably #800 for starters(physically) he already looks kind of timid ( getting a little better lately) He looks like he's trying to just get thru SX alive.
Eye wood like two bye KG four watt he is worth, then cell him four watt he thinks he is worth!
What happened to believing the hype? Why isn't little Mikey winning everything? Why is it that #800 hasn't won an AMA title yet? Unless that punk does something in the Nats, he's done at KTM. If you want to know what NOT to do with your kid, look no further than Tony Alessi...
@Turtle
Eye..., wood..., two..., four..., watt... 'Bye' for this much, 'cell' for that much?
BOOM!
Brilliant mate..., but ouch! What a beat down that was...
Whew..., you sure put me in my place.
Work on that sentence all day did you?
Don't know if I can ever write on another Blog again after that!
What are ya, a word-smithing commodities broker?
Yeah, over-reaching a bit..., I know.
@ Turtle
It's okay; my first grade Son is learning how to spell big words too.
Wait a second..., Ice-y...
You're just 'roosting-up' a kree8tiv insult..., all cute & pretty-like!"
Disparaging comments aside, do you have anything to say about Supercross?
Anything to add to the conversation that's worthy of reading?
Didn't think so.
@ Turtle
Just stopping by to 'bag' on fans of the Sport, right?
Those of us who take a few minutes to put some thoughts together...
Expecting just to continue the racing dialogue thats begun...
For the benefit of the guy who writes this column.
We-ir-awl-sew-gr8fol-uew-1/2-aey-cum-pew-tur-2-grey-sus-weth-ur-am-az-eng-proze.
Than-ques-4-bea-eng-su-cha-nawn-thawt-pro-vo-king-do-shhh-bhaage-aey-whol.
(My son helped a bit here and there so you could more easily understand).
Cheers.
here's some certainty, james stewart will be faster than everyone. Shocker!
This article always gets me hyped for motorsports, then huck in a little moto, little usa love, and finish off with a triple fist pump for little baby jesus.
boo. I'm not going to read this crap again. what happened to Cox?
Oot uoy setah yekim, retsnom.
RD will win this weekend.
Civility, huh now there's an idea more people could learn about.
Jimmy, I like it and as far as all of you that get on here to bash racers your truely wasting your time!!
We have one of the greatest SX season goin on and you want to bag on the guys who are giving it to us?
Get a life and possibly go buy a bike!!!
KG relax a little.
Tighten up the belt on that smoking jacket, and pour a shot of Brandi or something, or maybe a pint is your thing?
Anyway, yeah just kidding, sort of. There is no denying that you are well written, spoken, and have quite the vocabulary. It appears that you even know a little bit about Indy and it's rich racing heritage.
But....lets talk Moto! What do you know about that, go out on a limb, tell me how Indy is going to go down, or at least what you think.
Will JS7, uncork the potent bottle of ass whooping he carries on the field this weekend, Will RV2 continue to reap the benefits of JS7's destructive riding. Will CR22 (my personal favorite) go searching for a tad bit of speed and come out on top. (I hope yes but think no). How about the Dunge, will he find it, I don't think so. TC41, he is shaken and cracked but not broken. I'll say JS7, CR22, RV2, TC41, and Brayton in that order for the top 5. Would love to see KW, Shorty, Tedesco, Milsaps, Alessi and the 2nd string make a showing or force the issue. Oh and I make no mention of Dungey just because I don't really know what to see. He is good, no great! But he needs to ride it like he stole it, or park it and I think he knows it. We'll see!
Waht do you say?
dungey will pull a larocco.
@ Turtle
Other readers are gonna hate this long response but so what.
Here are some thoughts I can't contain any longer.
Yeah I'm probably a bit TOO relaxed actually, T.
No jacket here, no Brandy but I'll take you up on that Pint.
I'm three weeks out from my second Left knee (ACL) surgery (only had one so far on the Right- woo hoo!)... and (lately) have too much R&R time to read & respond to these damn blogs...!
Grew up near INDY and went there a lot as a kid with my Dad, so I'm a huge fan of that place. Raced MX for a decade in the midwest a hundred years ago and I'm still riding today.
Also the product of parents whom were both extremely well educated (Professors); could not get out of the way of these two amazing people who raised me, taught me so much about so many things and made sure I got a great education.
They're both gone now and for the last several years my wife say's I'm starting to talk & write like (both) my Dad & my Mom so... Whada ya gonna do?
I think the SUPERCROSS season is just about to get even more interesting.
Not a fan of the INDY track (map) thus far. Looks very 80's-90's cookie cutter-like... hopefully it 'rides' better than it appears.
Some year they ought to 'dirt-up' the 1st or 4th turn at the speedway and have an event like the Daytona SX... that would be bad ass.
.
Dungey. He's due in my book..., I know, everyone is bagging on him, but regarding the 450 class, he is still relatively inexperienced when the field is as stacked as it's been so far, yet he's been right there most of the time! Though 2010 was his break out year, everyone will always wonder about all the "what if's". Regardless I like his relentlessness. Tough kid. More titles to come from him.
The change-up card that I believe really hurt him most was DeCoster's departure. That subject and the KTM camp are worthy of a couple/three pints of Guinness, so I'll stop there.
..
Reedy: One-tough-SOB. First: no ride for the '11 season; so what does he do? Quit? Cry about it? Uh-uh. Hell no! He forms Team Tow-two from scratch, gets great tech support from some good people and has now become a legit challenger for the title! That's some real work ethic. Guy's an animal. If it's a two way tie going into Vegas, he will be half of the fight.
...
RV Park: Smart, fast when he needs to be, lucky too (who wouldn't take that?) What I like most about him is he doesn't seem to care all that much about the hype that surrounds the sport. His injuries are healed, his head is clear and he's focused on the job at hand.
His racing mentality reminds me a lot of Mark Barnett who also was just sort of a journeyman racer..., you know, an amazingly fast, dedicated to training, ruthless bastard of a journeyman racer. Both are all time favorites of mine.
....
Stewart: Of all the guys JS7 is by far the most unpredictable. I don't know exactly why either. He has all the ingredients... the blazing speed, loads of determination, but not always the bike control he needs..., What's up?
Are mental mistakes costing him? Is it a focusing issue once in a while during the race? In his years of racing, I don't think he's really learned to properly pace himself as well as some past champions did in order to have great consistency.
[Think it was the American Road Racer Wayne Rainey who once said- he just wanted to go fast enough to beat everyone else... (apologize if I'm quoting the wrong guy.) That's a cool outlook and plan for a racer.]
I believe if JS7 had less of a circus going on around him things might be different. It's all a matter of choice. I'm not saying the guy can't live a little but come on; we've all seen his cable show. Had he just gone away and healed and really come back with a vengeance, the season might already be just about over. There might be a chink in this guy's armor that's starting to show. Then again who knows, he might lap the field in Indy!
My picks for INDY: RD1-1st, CR22-2nd, RV2-3rd, JS7-4th, KW14-5th!
Crazy picks? Maybe, but every week I get it wrong any way!
That's been the beauty of this season, right!?
Enjoy it live on SPEED Saturday nite!
Cheers to INDY, Mate!
Damn KG,
I had nearly decided I didn't like you, that you were a pompus ass, and you know.....you probably are. How can you help it, with the little background you gave. Sorry about your parents, I'm in the same boat, except mine were poor dirt farmers, I opted out of that by leaving at 18 and never going back. (several pint story).
Oddly enough I had thought KW at first but you know he has never came back after losing the race that was basicly his! You also made no mention of TC41, I kind of like him as I have been on the track with him years ago as we are both Okies. Reynard and Coop too!
I find your placement of JS odd as well. I'd look for him to seal the deal or be out of the top 10?
We'll see!
Oh. and just so you know, I'm guessing were in the same boat in a lot of area's. I'm still rocking the 2 strokes, had rode the F's for years, just couldn't get along with the catostropic failures (you have either had them, or your going to!).
I am glad I didn't take your bait and toy with you. Oh I am doing the run this year at Indy that finishes on the Indy track, never been there, amn looking forward to it!
@ Turtle
Yeah I can be a..., hey wait a sec., pompous-ass?! Sorry but you can't use that kind of language with me, pal. That term is reserved for my wife to use on me alone.
Seriously though, sorry about your parents too. Get the feeling we both came from some hard-working, blessed souls regardless of what they did for a living.
Big KW14 fan here too. Most fluid rider I've ever seen. A surprise and a damn shame he doesn't have multiple 450 SX & Outdoor titles by this time. Be great to see him win one this season as he almost did a couple of weeks back in Houston. Sh*it, he looked like he was gonna check-out before that little yard sale..., really put him down hard.
I think TC41 has a great future ahead of him. If it wasn't K-dub's night, I was glad to see Canard get the "W". Classy, humble hard working kid. In another year, I suspect he will be nailing down multiple wins in the 450 class; SX & Outdoors. Reynard & The Coop: both had some pretty fine careers; liked watching those guys ride too.
Looking back (my predictions), I guess I had something right about JS7(!?) Boy did he have (another) off-night or what. Seemed like a different JS7 than we've seen in previous weeks. No crash... but no win either.
Do you sense a pattern developing? Has Stewart now become the least predictable of the top 5 guys? The way he nearly threw it away twice, early-on & recovered was masterful (lucky too). Then he challenged and got by Reed & Dungey (not a big surprise) without incident but when he couldn't catch RV2 in the remaining laps..., I started thinking maybe the pendulum is just not going to swing in his favor, healthy or not.
RV2 is not the fastest but the fastest doesn't always win either. His best weapon is his consistency and that might prove to be enough for a title!
All I know for sure is I'm enjoying the hell out of this season of Supercross!
Post race, did you see how spent all the top guys looked? That track was brutal; much tougher than it appeared on TV.
Started on a Z-50 Honda Mini Trail, raced one of the last Hodaka's (100cc) ever built for two seasons, four years of Honda CR125's, two years on a Kawasaki KX125, (Raced a buddies Maico 490 three times and won twice, barely hanging on to it every moto!) and six years of Suzuki RM125/250's before I hung up the Amateur license.
Believe it or not I have never owned or raced a modern day Four-stroker. Agreed, too damn hard & expensive to tune on your own! Ridden them, like them a lot, amazing power-band but I've always been a two stroker...
Love the sound... BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP !
Starting a 78 RM restoration project that will probably take a couple of years to complete but it should be fun educating my 6 year old son & daughter about motors & suspension.
The Indy 'Run' sounds like a blast! Go kill it! I can't run anymore (knees); miss that a lot. Got into cycling back when Armstrong was in his heyday so it keeps me in shape some. Indy is a magical place. I've been fortunate enough to have seen 30 500's, a few Brickyard 400's and the first GP there that Schumacher won in 2000. Enjoy that place immensely; you will too.
Good jawin' with you Turtle! Probably only half as much of an A$$-h*ole as I first pegged you for (I know you can take it). See ya around the Racer-X blog-o-sphere and keep rockin' the two-strokes! ~KG