Racer X Notebook: Steel City
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 | 1:15 PM
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Print- Who has good eye sight? Anyone have binoculars? X-ray vision? No matter how well you can see, you weren’t going to find traction at Steel City. Heavy rain on Wednesday and the usual summer forecast of scattered thunderstorms kept the track crew guessing on what they should do for track prep, with fears of ripping the track up too deep only to have the rain come down and soak it into a mudder. Then the weather turned out unusually hot on Friday and Saturday. Pretty much every rider and team mentioned that the track was slick, and the sponsor plug, “My Dunlop tires were hooking up,” was only a relative term.
- As usual, the Steel City track was technical, even without the slippery dirt thrown into the equation. The track runs in a valley, which offers up superb sight lines for fans, who can stand at the top of the facility and see just about every inch of the course. This leads to a lot of up and downhills and off-cambered turns for the riders. And the jumps are some of the most technical on the tour. Steel City’s technical layout, slippery soil and hot and humid weather made this one the 100 percent opposite of last weeks race at Southwick.
One of the many spectacular views at Steel City.
Photo: Andrew Fredrickson
- Some of Southwick’s weather problems came courtesy of Hurricane Irene, and that wreaked havoc with the travel plans of most of the teams. Ironically, Pittsburgh’s airport ended up being the destination for most last Sunday, as it was the closest major airport not shutdown by the hurricane. Then most of those that flew home from Pittsburgh last week ended up coming right back to it a few days later for Steel City! The Monster Energy Kawasaki team, for example, didn’t get back to California until Tuesday, and after building Motocross of Nations stuff on Wednesday, they headed right back to Pittsburgh again.
- Kawasaki is exceptionally busy with MXoN efforts, since Ryan Villopoto, Blake Baggett, Dean Wilson and Tyla Rattray are all racing next weekend in France. Rattray is too old to race in the FIM’s MX2 class (for 250s) so he has to race a 450 at the des Nations. He spent a few weeks riding a 2011 450 to get ready, and then last week he got on a 2012 race bike for some final testing of the bike he will actually race over there. Also, Great Britian’s Tommy Searle, winner of the MX2 overall in the GPs over the weekend in Germany, will be on a KX450F for the des Nations, since Wilson has the GB MX2 spot. Should be interesting to see how the 250 riders perform on their big bikes next weekend.
- As Steve Matthes reported in Observations this morning, Team France was considering dropping Gutier Paulin from a 450 to a 250 at the des Nations to make room for Christophe Pourcel on a 450. This would bump Marvin Musquin off the team, since Musquin has been struggling with injuries for most of this season. Musquin’s 3-3 performance at Steel City may have squashed that plan, though.
- Honda has yet to send out an official PR, and probably won’t until the season is done, but the rumor that Justin Brayton was moving to the team to race alongside Trey Canard seemed pretty solid at Steel City. Brayton’s current team, Muscle Milk Toyota Yamaha, had the right to match any offer, but they’re happy to see Brayton get a shot with the factory Honda squad. As for who will ride for JGR next year, Team Manager Jeremy Albrecht says, “he’s looking at everything.” For sure, we’ve heard some wild rumors about riders this team could go after, but nothing is set yet.
Is Brayton on his way to Honda?
Photo: Andrew Fredrickson
- Brayton’s move to Honda presumably ends Josh Grant’s unfortunately injury-riddled run with the team. A likely scenario for Grant is to join the Valli Motorsports team, which will get major sponsorship support from the Metal Mulisha next year, and of course JG is a Mulisha member. But, once again, nothing is signed. Valli plans on running a 450 and 250 effort next season, most likely still on Yamahas.
- And yes, Honda has room for Brayton. For anyone wondering why the team doesn’t just bump Justin Barcia up to the 450 team full time next year, remember, he still has a Lites East SX Title to defend next year for GEICO Honda. Barcia rode well to fourth in the first 450 moto, but pulled out of moto two with stomach problems.
- The Rockstar Makita Suzuki team explained that their problems with Ryan Dungey’s bike before the second moto last week were all electrical—no problems with any major engine components. The team checked the coolant in Dungey and Metcalfe’s bikes after the first moto and they hadn’t lost a drop, which indicates the motors never got too hot and everything was in proper running order. A lot of teams will swap engines out between motos at Southwick, but Suzuki didn’t bother because their engines worked fine—as proven with Metcalfe and Dungey’s strong second-moto rides. It may have looked like the team was scrambling to swap Dungey’s motor out between motos, but that wasn’t the case. In fact, everything was running fine until moments before the moto, when the bike suddenly died. They swapped out every electrical part in a fire drill to get the bike into the race—not a moment too soon.
- It’s looking more and more like Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki will have two openings next year, with Broc Tickle forced into the 450 class for supercross and Tyla Rattray looking for a 450 ride outdoors. Darryn Durham has been talking to Mitch Payton about grabbing the spot, but, as usual, nothing is signed yet.
Plouffe finished 19th overall in his pro debut at Steel City.
Photo: Andrew Fredrickson
- Nico Izzi returned to action at Steel City, but this time on a 450 for Valli Motorsports Yamaha. He rode strong early in the motos but ended up with 24-30 scores.
- Chris Plouffe and Kyle Peters made their pro debuts at Steel City, Plouffe with JDR J-Star KTM and Peters with DNA Shred Stix Star Racing Yamaha. They finished 19th and 20th overall, respectively.
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holeshot!!!!!!!
Brayton to Honda....fantastic...a great rider now on a bike that can win.
I still would rather get 3rd in 450 class than 1st in 250 if I was doing as well as JB, plus I'm afraid the kid is more likely to get hurt on the small bike
Honda is picking Brayton up ot be the support guy behind Trey....Too bad for Grant, he looked good on the Honda......SInce Honda wasnt paying him much, maybe he'll get a do-over 1 yr outta love.....Or maybe Grant can move over to the Two Two Motorsports Team for 20012 and hang out with Reed....any more rumblings of Reed jumping back on the Suzukis for next year.....too many honday teams popping up it seems...
PLEASE DON'T SLAM ME FOR TYPING IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. I HAD SURGERY ON MY RT. SHOULDER. IT IS EASIER TO TYPE THIS WAY. I GOT SLAMMED BY ANOTHER IN MY LAST POST FOR MY TYPING!
I WILL BE A SPECTATOR INSTEAD OF A PHOTOGRAPHER AT PALA!
I AM BUMMED!
SORRY TO SEE JOSH GRANT NOT DOING MUCH RACING THIS YEAR. GLAD HE IS STILL BEING LOOKED AT. GREAT NEWS FOR BRAYTON.
AS FOR TICKLE, TOO BAD HE CAN'T DEFEND HIS 250 SX TITLE. HOPE HE IS STILL HOT PROPERTY FOR A GOOD RIDE.
DURHAM TO PC? AWESOME. WHAT ABOUT THE OVERLOOKED ALEX MARTIN? THAT KID IS FAST TOO!!!
LET THE SILLY SEASON BEGIN!!! 2012 WILL BE INTERESTING
No more cherry picking for Rattray, time to go up with the big boys. Another GP big guy who wont evewr win a title here in the States.
Just curious....how is typing in caps easier than lowercase when you have shoulder surger? Don't you have to hit the exact same keys either way? Not slamming ya, just really curious as it does not add up. LOL Hope you heal up soon.
With all the talk about racers not on the track and who's going to be fast next year, I'm only skimming comments, but has anybody mentioned that Dungey had a bit of a gap on the last lap and made two big mistakes to let RV close up. If not for those, RV wouldn't have been close enough to do any pass attempt. I'm sure RD knew RV was eating him up on that finish line section most of the moto and wanted a gap before getting there.
With all the RD-haters / living in 2008 J-Law fans, I'm surprised someone hasn't suggested that he choked on the last lap.
Grant never deserved the Honda ride in the first place nor does he deserve to be on Reeds team. I'm glad he's gone he's too bro to be on a Honda. Brayton will be a good fit for Honda. Calm quiet collected motivated hard worker. Him and Trey will get along well. Barcia needs to defend his sx title then go 450's for outdoors. I really really hope Durham signs with Mitch. He's got the skills now he just needs the backing
Poor Honda. Maybe they should put Ashley on a 450.
Barcia pulled out of moto two with stomach problems.............. YUP the speed RV and RD were going made him sick!! LOL
Brayton to Honda.. Is old news guys. He!! it was even on here last friday. others places before that. Did you hear the Reed on a suzuki Rumer??
The track condition was an embarressment for a national. Dead dirt and no prep. The people trying to park the pro riders had no clue on what was going on. Overall least desirable track we raced.
Nico Izzi seems like a real nice guy and he does go fast but man how many years can this guy keep having crappy results and still get a ride the next year.
The Brayton deal was a "rumor" last week, but seems to be more solid now. I have heard some rumblings about CR22 and Suzuki as well, but I dont even think they are at rumor level...I wonder if Goose goes KTM with Dungey, or does Goose switch to team Two Two and wrench for Reed again if he does end up back on yellow......Lars is a Honda boy....so I bet he heads over to MC's team...but who knows.....I would assume if we are all patient, a few hours after Pala the announcements will flood the airways......What does Dungey race at Monster Cup...and has he even entered, same with RV....is he in?
I remember back in the day when Honda had 2 or 3 top riders.Is there some unwritten rule that these factory 450 teams can't have more than one title contender? Honda a should grab CP377 as Kawasaki should have last year.Those would be strong teams.It must be the teams can really only afford 1 top rider and then a solid top 10 rider.There are fewer title contenders than there were then and they cost alot more these days.
I want to add that I am not saying these just moved up top ten guys don't deserve factory rides,they do.It is very possible that some of these riders can breakthrough and become title contenders with factory backing.Remember a kid named Jeremy.
And Js7 comes back on his YZ and smokes them all ...its gonna happen ,wait and see!!!
More of these pop ups again? I know you all have to advertise in order to generate revenue, but when it prohibits us from reading articles it isn't good. I truly hope you all find a way on the website to prevent this from happening. Don't care about the ads on here, but PLEASE try to find a way to have the ads posted to where they don't interfere with the ability to read the articles.
PLEASE DON'T SLAM ME FOR TYPING IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. MY DOG IS SLEEPING AND THE CAPS KEY IS SUPER DOOPER NOISY. ANYWAYS, HOPE YOUR SHOULDRE GETS BERTER. CODYW20 YOU HAVE KNOW IDEA, MORE POPUPS I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMOER!! ARGHHHHHHHHHH!!!11!!!!11!11!!
YOU GUYS ARE TOO FUNNY!!! TRUST ME. TIE YOUR RIGHT ARM BEHIND YOUR BACK AND START PECKING AWAY AT THE KEYBOARD LEFT HANDED. TO ME IT IS EASIER TO TYPE IN CAPS.
I AM BORED STIFF WITH THIS SHOULDER THING. I AM TOLD DRINKING MY COFFEE RIGHT HANDED CAN RUIN THE SURGERY. I FEEL BAD FOR SHORTY WITH TWO BROKEN ELBOWS!!! ALL I CAN DO IS WALK THE DOGSLEFT HANDED OF COURSE AND KEEP CHECKING RACER X ALL DAY!!!
THANK GOD FOR THESE POSTS. IT KEEPS ME BUSY.
IF YOU SEE A SHORT ASIAN MAN WITHOUT A CAMERA AND WITH A GIMPY RIGHT ARM AT PALA, SAY HELLO!!! I CAN'T EVEN PICK UP MY CANON EITHER!!!
CAN'T WAIT FOR 2012 SEASON TO START!!!
@Trend Killer... Most contracts end at the end of Sept of Oct. Lots of time they will be let out eary though. So I would guess if he does the cup race it will be on what he is rideing next year.
I must agree with johnmotoman, What about the overlooked #46 of Alex Martin? He is ahead of #37 DD in points and has posted better overall finishes and single moto finish (4th) than DD in the last 4-5 rounds. Ever since Spring Creek he has been on a mission. Not to mention how professional he is. A real good ambassedor for our sport. Been a regular figure here on racer x also. Gonna be a long time before I forget about Southwick, where he pulls the holeshot and it takes Deano, the champ (congrats Deano) 15 laps to pass!! And, with 1 race to go he sits 2 pionts from 8th in points for the year. I'm thinkin' he will do it. That would mean he beats a quite a few full factory guys on his privateer bike. He has been the top finishing Honda many times this season. And the Eleven-Ten mods bike runs real well. Maybe the ticket would be more support for the team. They are impressive, to say the least.
What´s the difference? When you want a . you gotta hit non caps anyhow otherwise you get :
Look, if it´s a bit of attention you want, let me know and I´ll send my dog over.LOL:.:.:.:
´ello fans. Mavelous Mav here. ´ow are u doing? Ze blurdy federation want to drerp me from ze MXON team and poot that total no ´oper Poucel in ma place. Can u believe zees bullsheet? Me, Mavelous Mavin Musquin, drerped for zees lazy excuse for a MX rider? E only deed wern race in za GP last week.
Zay say I´m 2 slow cause I´ve bin racing in the USA 2 long. Wurt a blurdy cheek.
CP surks
Gonna be interesting to see the announcements after Pala... I personally think that JB should line up on a 450 for supercross already this winter, he doesn't need to prove anything in 250 SX and obviously he's too big for one outdoors. Same goes for Rattray, why wait if you're not a serious SX lites contender? Would be sweet to see DD under the Geico tent (JB hopefully gone and BW Prince doesn't deserve a place) and A-Mart on Pro Circuit. Or will Mitch try to straighten out Davalos? He's got speed but seems to getting everything wrong even if he has tried it with almost every brand... Hope someone can provide Izzi with a some good mentorship and a decent ride (Mc?), the best is still to come from him and even if the didn't deliver on the #20 Suzuki he deserves another shot. Probably gonna get hated for calling RD a 2010 paper champion but as a lover of the sport it feel sad that he is going to KTM, the euro success in the 450's doesn't come from the bike... Cairoli is the secret ingredient. Right or wrong, guess we'll find out at A1!
Old news indeed is the Brayton - Honda rumor... But nothing has been made official yet...
What a bad luck for Grant... Hopefully he will find a good team next year.
Read on a another website dedicated top the sport.. They believe, DUngey will not be joining KTM.. But he will head to Honda?? If that is the case... That will be a major blow for the orange squad.
As for Reed's 22 motorsport team.. He is in the process in securing a major sponsor.. (HAven't we heard this one before?) and be able to have a 2nd rider... As for the brand... Suzuki is still an option.
And still nothing concrete from Brooks new team.. Or the fastest crasher of the planet.. But he will most probably see out his contract at yamaha... Too much $$ involved.. RV has to ride and win 2 championships to earn what the crasher does with a SX contract only... Man, yamaha is a desperate manufacturer...