Racer X ReduX: Hangtown
Tuesday, May 24, 2011 | 5:15 PM
Racer X Redux is brought to you by Yoshimura R&D of America, the leader in performance off-road and street exhaust systems, engine management systems, engine services and hard parts.
Tweet
Advertisement | Advertise with Us
Share
Comment
Email
Print
Picking between supercross and motocross is like picking a favorite between your two kids. They both come from the same genetic code, but they look and act a little differently. They’re different, but they’re both your boys, and at the end of each day, you’d never want to choose one or the other.
(Although there are plenty out there who would probably say you could just take both off of their hands and life would be a whole lot easier).
So when the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship kicks off at Hangtown, and all the awesomeness of the outdoors is on display, and you’re fired up and soaking up the moment, it’s not because supercross isn’t awesome in its own way. Outdoors is just different in its awesomeness, and Hangtown had it all. Superb weather. Gnarly track. Long motos. Great racing. Hangtown was everything we like about motocross.
Was it just me, or did the Hangtown track look rougher than usual? Did the motos seem longer than usual? Did the bike setups, and race strategy seem more different than supercross than usual? I think this supercross season captivated us so much that we looked at it a little more closely. We bench raced harder, made more predictions, what ifs and second guesses. And after focusing that hard on indoor racing for 18 weeks, I think the outdoor racing came on like a cold glass of water after a hot cup of coffee.
I could go on and on about how Hangtown felt different than, say, Houston. Clearly, the track was rough as hell, and the riders had to worry about finding the right lines instead of figuring out the right rhythms. These races were long, and no one could just pin it from the start and hope to stay in front for the whole race—otherwise Kevin Windham, Eli Tomac, Ryan Villopoto and Justin Barcia would have won motos (they pulled starts and led for a bit, but in outdoors, leading for ten minutes is just the beginning).
But even that is not the biggest difference between the two genres, as I see it. The biggest difference? In supercross, round one is an instant gauge over who is ready and who will be fast. Outdoors, round one may not mean all that much.
So we have to be careful trying to interpret what happened at this race. No doubt, Chad Reed and Blake Baggett were the best of the best (and so was Jessica Patterson in WMX). But will it hold up? I have no idea.
Look at Trey Canard’s run to the 250 title last year outdoors. In supercross, no one ever starts the year reeling off fifth and sixth place finishes, then figures something out mid season, gets hot, goes on a tear and wins the title. In supercross, if you’re not fast at round one, you almost certainly aren’t going to be winning a bunch of races later (I’ll put up Chad Reed’s 2011 SX tour as the very rare—like, the only time ever—example of when this did happen. Reed improved immensely from A1 to Vegas). The AMA MX record books are littered with championship comebacks, as well as first-round dominators that couldn’t find the magic again.
Examples? Well, obviously last year Eli Tomac and Reed dominated Hangtown and never won another race. In 2007, Grant Langston was nowhere to be found in the first half, only to make big bike improvements late in the year, and strike when Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart went out of the series. In 2006, Mike Alessi owned Ryan Villopoto at Hangtown. Within a few weeks, Villopoto had turned the tables on him. Forever. Mike Brown looked like the man to beat, as a privateer, no less, on a 250F in 2005. But he faded at mid season, and Ivan Tedesco, not even a podium guy early in the year, rallied and claimed the crown. I remember Sebastian Tortelli absolutely destroying the field at the Glen Helen opener in 1999, and then never winning another overall for the rest of the season. I remember Jeff Emig getting hammered by Jeremy McGrath early in 1996, and then hammering back at the end of the season.
We may have lost sight of this after Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart ambushed the series with perfect and near-perfect seasons for a while. That’s not normal. There are so many variables at play that someone may finally get something right after weeks of getting it wrong. And someone who had so many weeks of getting it right can have it slip away from him, too. Throughout a season, you’re talking over 12 hours of actual racing—a lot of time to crash, DNF, or burn out. Blowing a big lead in supercross usually requires one huge mistake. Outdoors, your fall can come more gradually. You have to keep watching. You have to keep guessing. And that’s what is going to make this season so exciting.
So I have no idea if what we saw at Hangtown will hold up, but let’s just look at the race as it was. First, I thought Chad Reed’s 2010 performance at Hangtown was a better ride than anything he logged during his 2009 championship run. And now, I think his 2011 Hangtown performance was better than his 2010 ride—yes, I think this is Chad’s best-ever outdoor performance. And how can you argue? He rode right through Ryan Villopoto and Ryan Dungey to win it, and clearly the 2011 Hangtown Dungey was more like the 2010 Champion Dungey, not the 2010 Hangtown Dungey.
Last year, Reed was aided by extra prep time outdoors. A broken hand ended his supercross hopes, so he was focused on outdoor stuff well before supercross was complete. Note that at Hangtown last year, most of the riders who ran up front were riders who had missed most (or all) of supercross: Reed, Tomac, Mike Alessi, Josh Grant.
This year Reed had no such advantage. He had only officially decided to race motocross two weeks ago, and he didn’t test outdoors during the Easter break. He most probably has much to gain over the next few weeks as he logs more riding and testing time.
And he’s healthy. Chad spent most of his 2009 (championship) season dealing with a stomach issue. And last year, he dropped from the tour with Epstein Barr. He’s a different rider now. We all know that Dungey’s endurance shined last summer. He ended the year as the new gold standard of motocross fitness. But at the Oakland supercross, in February, Reed outlasted Dungey in a battle for the podium, and when I talked to Reed about it after the race, he wasn’t surprised about this.
“I feel like I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in,” said Reed back then. “I’ve been working hard with Platinum Fitness and it’s going well. I’ve never looked at Ryan as some guy who was stronger than me. I think he had a great year last year, but this is a whole new year.”
Dungey demolished riders late in the motos last season. It seemed hard to believe that Reed—or anyone—could match his strength. But Reed did it over and over in supercross, matching him down the stretch in Oakland, Daytona, Indy, even holding him off through the last turn in Las Vegas. Then came the second moto on Saturday afternoon, when Reed quite simply outlasted Dungey in a battle of strength, will, and fitness.
Reed is quick to point out that his motocross prowess has been underrated, because he was usually left to battle Ricky Carmichael, and that would make anyone look bad. He says he’s comfortable, and you could see that instantly. A few riders had a chance to ride on Thursday for press day, and it looked to me like Reed and Kevin Windham were the happiest riders out there. The track was super beat after 700 amateurs had run their Loretta Lynn Area Qualifier. Everyone else was just kind of riding around, but Reed and Windham were chasing each other around, whipping it, clearing the biggest jumps, nailing their turns, and just looking like two guys out having a fun day at the track. It looked like work for everyone else.
They looked that way in practice on Saturday, too. Finally, during the final session, my broadcast partner Jeff Emig turned to me and said, “Who do you think is going to take it today?” And I said, “You know how Reed always seems to do best when people don’t think he’s going to do it? Well this is one of those situations.”
Wilson finished runner-up to teammate Blake Baggett.
Photo: Simon Cudby
It was, and he won. Reed has made a career of bouncing back from tough situations and long odds, but he’s turned that into an art form this season.
As for Windham, you could see he enjoyed it, too, and that’s why he was able to run the pace early in the races. I don’t think KW is quite ready to out-fitness everyone for 30 plus two, but it’s still amazing to see what he can do on a bike.
Finally, I don’t want to take anything away from Dungey. This is much, much better than Hangtown last year, and it’s hard to say anything bad on someone who went 1-2. You just know Dungey will be in this to the end, heck he could dominate at Texas this weekend and it wouldn’t surprise anyone. And for Villopoto, I talked to him after the Vegas SX and he was clearly already sick by then, and he sounded worse at Hangtown. We definitely didn’t see what he really has.
Really, I don’t think we’ve seen what anyone has, for certain, yet. I know Brett Metcalfe will be closer to the lead group in speed soon, and Christophe Pourcel is clearly a work in progress. Still lots of talent in this class.
But the 250 class is even more loaded. This group is so evenly matched, it’s going to be a game of inches…wait, Blake Baggett was going FOUR SECONDS A LAP FASTER than anyone else during the final laps of the first moto. Even more impressive, Blake logged his fastest lap in moto one on lap 15 (of 16) and lap 11 (of 16) in moto two. Kind of reminds me of the old RC Pro-Am game for Nintendo, where the tan car would suddenly make this strange sound and take off late in the race with ridiculous speed. In the video game, all you could do was shoot the car with a missile before he was out of sight. Hmm. This all seemed much cooler before I actually typed it out.
I’m pumped for Blake, he’s a much funnier and cooler dude than you may know, but if he keeps staying in the spotlight like this, this won’t be a secret for long. His parents are also really cool, far different than the typical moto parents who are just hyper-focused on themselves. Blake’s mom and dad have sacrificed a lot for Blake to get here, but when you see them at the races, they don’t seem any different than any other random fans.
Baggett was actually super fast last year, too, but his bike broke a bunch, and then he broke himself at Budds Creek. I don’t know if it’s possible for him to be quite Hangtown fast all season, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him up there every week.
Then again, things can change. They always seem to do so outdoors.
Did you like this article?
Check out ON TOUR
in our Latest issue of Racer X available now.
The Monster Energy Supercross tour is staffed by an intensely dedicated group of sponsors and support staffers. Here’s what life is like on the SX road. Page 136.
Look for the verified symbol 
Impulse Studios
I must admit that CR22 is slowly winning me over- but I still wish JS7 was racing outdoors... hate all you want, but there is only one other MX racer that has a perfect season outdoors, and he's retired.
Hats off to Reed, Great Job ! Go Dungy get him back!
"Picking between supercross and motocross is like picking a favorite between your two kids..... and at the end of each day, you’d never want to choose one or the other."
I have zero problem. One is Motocross, the other is not. One is how 99.9% of the folks who ever race a MX bike race. The other is raced by .1% in front of people who are so serious about MX that they pick between SX and the county fair demolition derby.
JS7 isn't racing... nuff said
Nice RC Pro-Am analogy! I always hated hearing that sound, 'cause you knew that SOB was gonna pass you at like mach 2 and be gone if you didn't blast him. Video games suck now... or maybe I'm just too old. Anyways, WOOOHOOOO!
NATIONALS ARE HERE!
SX = A Show...fireworks, Giant Screens, 3 hopurs long, with 1 hour of actual racing
MX = Real Racing...Dusty, hot, cold, rainy, big hills bumps, with over 2 hours of racing
But I do love them both!
14!!!
Reed had an amazing ride...I just have a very hard time taking a man seriously that tucks his damn ears under his hat. I know, I know it's a free country and he can wear his hat however he pleases, especially since he is winning, so why don't I just keep my mouth shut? Because...he tucks his ears under his hat. and yeah, I have a hard time with all the other clowns that do it too. and it's your fault if you buy one of those goofy a$$ caps. OOWWW!!! sorry, fell off my soapbox.
Supercross is the same old track designs, start being the most important part of it. I mean come on when 450's race 17 mins and 250's go 13 mins. Outdoor is our roots it is real mans racing.
Although I am a Reedy fan, I cannot see him winning Round 2.
@fashon police - HILARIOUS!!! I concur.....I guess that is how we know we are getting old right!!!...Remember those JoJo pants MC,Ryno and the like wore circa 89-91....or some body builders still wear today, those were lame too.....But yes, the hat over the ears is lame and something I cant stand..Plus add Chads bling bling earings too...you are at the track chad not the MTV awards or a black tie dinner...take the studs out (that how you know chad is a foreigner hahahaha)......But a great ride for 22 indeed!!
Reed It - I agree. But then...I could not see him winning round 1 either.
Still think a fully healthy RV2 will take over. But less sure after round 1 of that being quite so 'easy' as I thought before... We may be in for another epic battle.
Wish 14 could have stayed up there a little better.
And - was it just me, or did it seem like 800 coudl have...just maybe...saved that, before he did and early tuck and augered himself in? Maybe it was a smart preventative move - hard to tell. But almost seemed like he conceeded the crash a bit too early.
Hey Jason,
Much better over the speculation article, Big improvement . now that is a good article write up !
Good point about Reed and the GOATS shadow.
Remember what RC said about giving Reed confidence. If he handles a healthy Villo like he did the Dunge...............................
Daytona and Hangtown ? 57 is a contender !
Dirt
I will have to say that Motocross is the real deal. 2 Moto's about 35 min. long compared to 17 min. in Supercross. Plus like ElsinoreRacer wrote most people have never even riden a Supercross track. I like both & never miss a race but Motocross rules!
Hey Waldo! Thank you for adding a comment regarding my reply. But I am going to disagree with you and go with Dungey instead of Villo as far as who could take over the series.
In fact, I really hope that several riders get themselves into the title mix instead of anyone running away with it. The fans deserve another season-long battle like there was in SX.
Why do they never show the WMX at Hangtown? I was under the impression that the goal was to grow the sport on all levels for both men and women. The women got little to now broadcast time and if would have been nice to have seen their first moto at least.
its so pleasant without that p.o.s. stewart racing, real men with total respect for each other and no excuses the way it should be please stay away js.
Clearly, mx101 is a true fan of the sport. He doesn't want the most talented person to ever swing a leg over a bike on the same track as his favorite rider, so he slanders him to make himself feel better. Well, last time I looked, he has a perfect season, so...does that not make him a real man?
The guys talking about Reed's hat really........at least the guy has it on his head, JS hats look five sizes to small! I hope JS comes back just like last year and pulls out of the second moto because he is getting crushed,ring a bell? Then all his fans on here will stop talking about what he would be doing if he was racing, a bunch of clowns.
The best part of MX season so far is having Weege announcing instead of Ralph Shaheen! What a freekin difference!
Cheeky little comment about RV turning the tables on 800.....forever. Tony just stuck a pin into the Weege voodoo doll.
They won't.
I was a major Stewart fan the beginning of the supercross season but Im getting sick of his excuses. He doesn't want to race because he feels like he might get beat. Where's the heart in that? Im still a fan because the guy is crazy on the motorcycle and does things that nobody else will do but just wish he would get over himself and race. Not racing the outdoors will only hurt him for the supercross season...in fitness, confidence, and time away from racing.
dungey i hope can straight up beat his competition this year outdoors. Shut all the naysayers up. yep, i said it and i hope he wins
Start the hate machine now, but....
Js7 is in a clusterf@$k with L&M racing (more L than M) and is in no position to go off racing until this is sorted. From all reports Larry is not taking his compulsory leave lying down. Call it an excuse but it's hard to ride when you don't own the truck.
And regaring the racing, if you watch the Supercross recap on espn and you'll notice js7 was pretty dominant (at least his wins were solid) until Larry left the pits and then his wheels fell off.
Im a js7 fan and am really pissed with him for not racing, but like him or hate him, it would be a season to remember if js7 was racing. At least, like supercross, the mx crown would be completely unquestionable.
Now, continue the hating...
This comment is directed to all you JS7 "HATERS", Think about it he never had a childhood, all he has ever done is race..........
I agree the tv show might not have been the best idea for his race career but I would bet it didn't hurt his bank account.
Get off his back and let him figure it out himself.
And I don't care what anybody thinks/says when he's on his game he is faster than anyone else out there.
P.S. For all you hardcore dirtheads check out a vid called "DUST TO GLORY" in it is featured a rider by the name of Mouse Mcoy. who was a phenom in the juniors and claimed to to be the next greatest racer ever. Watch the vid and learn what's important.
Reed really surprised me, I did not think he had it in him for Hangtown.
Dungey had good speed, fitness looked decent, and he'll be a contender,
Villo, well I believe he wins Freestone or he should start to worry a little, as I think this race in the heat is going to separate who the contenders are.
Can't wait for Saturday as I will be at THE RACE!!!!!
Oh Yeah, if I see you there Jairtime, maybe you and I can share a little bench racing punk!!!!!!!!!!!! will be lookin for ya
The only thing that seems like a "good call" to me is,..Dungey will be someplace in the top 3 by fall. I feel good about that call. For me I love MX more. I managed to qualify for 1 amatuer sx, in pontiac in 1977-78 ? I won a few outdoor races thru the yr, but absolutly could not make any kinda rythem on a sx track, those whoops and tripples are alot tougher than the look from the stands.Mecifully I bent my shift lever underneath my footpeg on lap 2, and was done, oh i tried to ride a 125 in 3rd gear around the track once.....no thanks on the sx ridin thing for me hehe.
@Grawz137,
More excuses from the fantards.
The fact is that lil'Stew never had to grow up. He has always been a child. Wow, to spend your whole youth racing motorcycles. Sound like a dream. What exactly did lil'Stew miss out on? And what the different between him and the GOAT?
"And I don't care what anybody thinks/says when he's on his game he is faster than anyone else out there."
The object of the SX game is to be on your game for 20 laps. Anything less means you are not on your game. Why can't the stewtards get that through their "brains". And it is easier to be on you game when the competition is a little weak. When the competition is strong, they set the standard for what is means to "be on your game".
"Get off his back and let him figure it out himself."
Why don't you get off the lil'Stew "haters" bad and figure it out for yourself.
lil'Stew and Ralph Shaheen both MIA. Maybe the love birds have eloped to one of the Euro countiers that allow down-low nuptials. Maybe when lil'Stew returns to the nations Shaheen will be hold the umbrella over lil'Stew head as and umbrella guy to keep lil'Stew and holding juice bottle for lil'Stew to suck in some nourishment.
If that was true the lil'Stew fantards will be telling is it is great for the sport of MX because in attract to the gay "community" to the races. And not to mention make the "more interesting".
Headinass - Absolutley!!! If anyone would stop and think for a moment, all season long the JS7 camp has eluded to making changes....then the week before ATL there was a HUGE diagreement between JSE and L&M on the future of the team....Which lead to JSE and Brooks of L&M parting ways and JSE taking over, however there are still contracts in place.....Chad Reed even commented on the situation and knows what James is dealing with......Unfortunetly, things appear to be really screwed and nothing is resolved because if they were, you know damb well Larry Brooks would be shooting his mouth off and doing interviews or AT LEAST showing up at the track......ever heard of a gag order??? James and JSE have not made any comments other than Brooks spending family time,,,,why? Because they cant for legal issues.... The same goes for Brooks and his partners at L&M who are fine with the split, but Larry has other ideas obviously.....it will all come out one day and its not because James doesnt want to race....He can't race.....read between the lines....JS7 loves racing and riding...whether you like him or not....he has won more Amatuer titles than anyone and is one of the most talented guys are sport has seen.....he has his ups and downs, but dont question a guys heart who has spent his entire life racing bikes.....just say you dont like him, you dont have too.....
Add to the mix Canard, Alessi and Grant coming back to race. Taking some of those 1st, 2nd and 3rd place points. Racing for pride not worrying about the Championship race. Every week should be great. On the Stewart issue. Quit giving his resume and excuses. Your either injured or your racing. I'm bummed is not out there.
Hey Bean.... Backus Road !!!!! That place is probably all homes by now. I used to go riding there all the time from 1988 - 1994...last time I road there was on my spanking brand new 94 CR250...my first 250 after jumping off the Kawasaki 80's and 125's...been a honda man every since....Man, Bean Canyon.....what a place to ride.....miss that place.....riding all the way to the top....Me and my Lindstrom pals used to rule that place.....
but the Stewart issue isnt as simple as people think........its almost like a record contract and he is owned by the label....he cant do anything unless his contract allows him too...sad but true....but people will say what they will....
Just as a question, do anyone on here really think that anyone else gives a $hit about their opinions? You guys are all a joke, and need to find something better to do with your time. I dont even bother reading this garbage comment section anymore cause you are idiots on here. And no, I wont read any replies to my post either, lmfao.
Get a Life - But.,, obviously your full of crap because you read enough to post your own comment jackass..... its all fun to me.....opinions are like a-holes....everyone has one.....I dont care what anyone thinks or if I agree or not....some funny stuff on here and some real characters....some know there stuff and some obviously know nothing at all......relax man
once again STEWART dominates a comment section when he was never even mentioned in the article...
tards and haters alike...give it a rest...
good job cr22
@wrote You seem to just babble about James , and not much about Racing , THIRD on The all Time Win List , MC first RC second JS7 Third , One of only two people to have a perfect season outdoors , 24 &0 .. Do your homework before you make a fool of yourself Dude , Wait , You allready have .... LMAO ...
@wrote ... To answer your Question ...Whats the difference between RC and JS7 ...Not Much.. RC second on the all time win list , James Third , and they both are the only two riders in the HISTORY of the sport to have a Perfect Season outdoors. And James is not finished yet , so Man up , and admit you are wrong .
Yomamaha--wrong dude. There is a whole lot different between the two. First of all, RC has over 100 outdoor wins to go with those supercross wins. Which means he didnt rest all summer and then train for supercross like Stewaert does. And he had to prepare the bike and team for the Nats then do it again for supercross with no time off. And that alone means a ton. RC never stopped until he retired, no time off, he was a top prospect as a kid just like Stewart too. That is a huge difference in the two, RC is dedicated to the sport, Stewart is dedicated to himself and self promotion.
Its easy to sit on your butt, go on vacation or whatever then get pumped to run a 15 minute main once a week in the winter. To do it outdoors in the heat and dirt, then go inside, over and over a gain like RC and not lose, its why he is the GOAT, and Stewart will never be.
@alot different .....facts are ...MC RC JS alltime win list , not comparing work ethics or personality , just stating facts ... My opinion , not yours , so acording to me you are wrong ... its ok to be wrong
Hi Weege,
THANKS for an excellent article. Lunch tastes better when reading Racerx...
Cheers,
Nash
Yomamaha,
Difference between RC and JS?
One is the greatest racer to ever race MX and the other is a reckless idiot who doesn't know when to let off the throttle.
Yes, the stats speak for themselves...RC is in second for o/a wins and JS will never catch or pass him.
JS is done...his attitude killed his career.
Well Jim Adams now we can all rest knowing that James called you and said he is all done , What a Moron you are ,
We may have just witnessed one of the best supercross seasons of all time. What could be better? There is potential for the best year this sport has ever had. Look out 1980's, 2011 might be the start of something great.