Insight: Sergio Avanto
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 | 4:30 PM
Since 1990, the driving force for Allsport Dynamic’s products has come from the physically demanding sport of motocross. From the entire Allsport team, comes a true commitment to helping others and a dedication to make the best products possible in both design and function.
Tweet
Advertisement | Advertise with Us
Share
Comment
Email
Print
I first crossed paths with Sergio Avanto when he was working as Factory Yamaha’s chassis and suspension guy, and I was working for Nick Wey at Moto XXX. We were one of the top privateers that year and Avanto was always happy to lend his opinion on bike set-ups. Then when I got a job at Yamaha working for Tim Ferry, he was there for a week or so before he headed over to Kawasaki to do the same job there.
Avanto left the racing gig for a while to pursue other industry jobs with Fox Suspension. We reconnected when he hired Ferry to test for him there, and I did a magazine test with them. A year ago, I received a phone call from then-L&M Yamaha team manager Larry Brooks asking me about Avanto. Soon after, Sergio was employed by L&M as their suspension guy.
A real live engineer, Avanto was brought in to help with set up, more specifically, James Stewart’s machine. A trying 2011 season saw Stewart win some races but fail to win the title. Now separated from the L&M crew, Avanto and I sat down for a wide-ranging conversation on all things from some of our past stories to what exactly happened in 2011. One of the more thoughtful, well spoken and smarter people in the industry, Avanto opened up to Racer X about the 2011 season and what’s next for him.
Racer X: Sergio, thanks for doing this and before we get too far into this, can you give the readers your background?
Sergio Avanto: Well, I started at Factory Yamaha and was there for two years. I worked with Jeremy McGrath, David Vuillemin and Jimmy Button. Then unfortunately Jimmy got hurt. They picked up Tim Ferry and then you came over shortly after that. But then I went to Kawasaki and was there for seven years, basically when James was on 125s all the way to the end of 2008 when he won all 24 motos that outdoor season. Which was a cool way to end it. At that point I was a bit burnt out on racing and wondering what else I could do when I found some opportunities at Yamaha to go back there and be a chassis engineer. So I did that for a month or so and then the economy was hit bad and everything I was working on was canned. I ended up working for Fox Shocks, which is up in Santa Cruz, and it’s beautiful there.
Avanto began working with Stewart at Kawasaki.
Photo: Andrew Fredrickson
So I worked with their motocross program, their RC-3 shock, and we worked on getting the average guy set up with his suspension. I was working on that and James was struggling that year with his bike. We started talking, and I’m not sure but I think in our conversations, he probably got a sense of comfort because we worked together for so many years. So when he says he needs this or that, I have an idea on how to satisfy his needs. He was working on his 2011 supercross program and I guess he felt there was a hole there so he called me. He made an offer and it took some back and forth, because I was happy at Fox, but I looked at it like an opportunity to work for one of the fastest guys in the world and I couldn’t pass that up. So I started in October and it was a little bit late for the development but we made it work.
And the rumors are that you’ve left L&M Racing.
Yeah, I came down to work with James Stewart when he was a member of L&M Yamaha team before the start of last year. And now that things between them seem to be ending and the relationship is changing, that meant that my tenure at the L&M team was over. I wasn’t under contract with them, but it was over because James' time with the team seems to be over and I was employed by JSE.
What I did for James was try to help elevate the motorcycle. That’s what I do, I have a mechanical engineering degree and I tried to help James understand, or guide him, to make the motorcycle do what he wants to do. I’m still with James right now but I’m not sure what’s next because, and you understand Steve, it’s a huge commitment each week to go to the races. The travelling is hard for me, I’m a little freaked out by airplanes. Ask anyone who has sat next to me on a plane, I’m a Hispanic guy so I’m kind of dark skinned but when that plane starts jumping around, I turn into a white guy!
So the season really didn’t really go the way you guys wanted it to, I’m sure, and then suddenly at the Atlanta SX Larry Brooks was gone and your role changed a bit. Can you talk about that a little bit?
One of the things that people don’t know is that when I came over, I was hired as the technical lead alongside Larry Brooks who was team manager. Larry and I were working on a separation of power and how this relationship was going to work the whole time. I understand and still understand that it would be hard for Larry to relinquish some control from the team he helped build from the ground up. But we went into it the best we could. I know I messed up some times and could have done some things better and I’m sure he would say the same. I will say that on the eve of him being let go, he and I had come to a common goal of working together. At least I felt that way.
Avanto (right) has left L&M Racing, but continues to work with Stewart.
Photo: Simon Cudby
I basically took over the development of James Stewart’s motorcycle. I took the engine, suspension and chassis testing over and interfaced with Factory Yamaha on all that. I leaned heavily on them to make sure we had the best bike on the track. I think that’s where it was difficult for Larry because he has a history of getting right in there and being hands-on. I’m not saying that was wrong but I do think that where the motorcycles are now and where they are going, it demands certain expertise. For example, I’m an engineer and have a degree but I looked to an EFI specialist to help out in that area. I understand the ins and outs of fuel injection and all that but in no means am I an expert. So taking over the development of James’ motorcycle and moving it to a more forgiving motorcycle was the first step. Going into Anaheim, the talk with people was how stiff the bike looked but the funny thing was we were never super, super stiff. We were always soft. We started racing and felt okay but then we hit Phoenix and the whole speed sensor thing broke. [Note: On the Phoenix TV broadcast, which played the JGR radio transmission, they accused the L&M team of “pushing the limits” with wheel sensors, which led some to believe L&M was using traction control].
I think looking back, that’s where the cart started going off the plan. That threw me for a loop, I had no idea that people were going to flip out. We were clearly legal and every team understands the rulebook and knows how far they can go. That’s our guideline and for example, if the weight limit says 220 pounds is the limit, we’re going to try and come in at 221 and not 270. We looked at the rule and we knew we had the ability to look at the EFI and program it better. If you know that with a carb you would jet your bike to come out of a corner properly, then this is the same thing. Only EFI is more precise. Putting that sensor on is a continuation of the development that we started with the company GET and at Anaheim we had put it on Kyle Regal’s bike to make sure it could withstand the punishment of a supercross track.
Then it came out that we were cheating and everything went from there. I’m friends with Jeremy Albrecht and the JGR guys, I respect them a lot and I have a hard time thinking that they would think, knowing my work, that I would cheat. Or that James would cheat. That’s when things started feeling like they were out of our control. Things were happening outside that were starting to affect us. When you’re called a cheater that hurts bad. When you’re a competitor and you’re trying to win using your skills as a rider and as a team, that hurts also. We had a cloud over us, we’re considered cheaters and no one gives you the benefit of the doubt. When you look at that speed sensor thing, part of it was to show the other teams that we’re on the cutting edge, we’re moving forward and when Larry and I talked about putting it on there, that’s what racing is all about. So we did it.
What happened that night, what they did to James on the podium, whether you like him or not, was completely wrong.
What happened that night, what they did to James on the podium, whether you like him or not, was completely wrong.
From there things went worse when Brooks was let go, did that turn the program more chaotic?
I don’t really know what happened between Mike Kranyak, James Stewart and Larry. But one day in the shop Mike and James were talking to Larry in the office and then they came back and told us that Larry’s not going to be traveling with us that coming weekend. That’s what we were told and we were told to go back to work. I’d have to say him leaving absolutely did affect me. He did a lot of work as the manager and now that work still had to get done. Some of that fell onto my shoulders. Him leaving didn’t make things chaotic in the technical sense because the crew working on the motorcycle were moving forward and things were set. But did him leaving add pressure to the team? Absolutely.
I wasn’t brought into the team to supplant Larry at all, I was brought in by James to help out and make us all winners. I was thrust into the manager role because of that change and it wasn’t some sort of grand scheme. I didn’t want to be manager, but I was forced to do some of that stuff.
Stewart washed out the front end on more than one occasion in 2011.
Photo: Simon Cudby
The season went south from there, James was fast but there were also a lot of crashes that hurt you guys. And I have to be honest, from where I was sitting I’m not sure all those crashes were his fault. As it was your job to set the bike up, was this frustrating?
Absolutely it was. 2011 was probably the most challenging I’ve been around. The conversations that we were having in the truck, and let’s face it, everyone was having in the paddock and on the message boards, was that we were the fastest in practice—by a lot—and it wasn’t translating into main event wins. He’s killing them in the heat races, jumping things that others couldn’t do and put yourself in my shoes. You’re sitting there in truck and the evidence is mounting up that something’s wrong but he’s fastest in practice and winning heat races. But you’re tasked to going in and finding the solution to a problem that isn’t always clear. Is it the rider? That’s the thing you look at, maybe it’s James Stewart. None of these things are clear and are the issue. You can argue what it was but we would go and see if he could hold the same lap time for all twenty laps and he was. It was becoming more and more evident that we were failing.
We didn’t win the championship and that’s what I was brought in to do. I can only say that it was a complete failure, a professional failure on my part to not be able to get the motorcycle to do what he wanted it to. So as a racer, are you expected to go down that road again, with the same things intact, and expect a different result? You can’t. That would be insane. For him as a racer and for us doing everything we could with the people involved, there’s no doubt in my mind that you have to do something different. Some type of major change to get some fresh ideas in there is required.
You’ve worked for a few teams and a lot of great riders. I take it that 2011 was your most frustrating year as a race team member?
Without a doubt it was. Before that it was the year that McGrath first lost the title to [Ricky] Carmichael. That was also up there but I have to say, that’s why I respect McGrath so much. During that season, I think it was Pontiac, I went in to talk to him about his suspension and he looked at me and said, “It’s not you, it’s me. The bike is fine,” and that says a lot. He recognizes what it was. We could see that there was nothing wrong with the bike. What I saw that year was RC coming into the turn on the gas pre-apex of the corner and Jeremy would get on the gas at the apex. We hadn’t ever really seen that before Ricky. So that year by the time we got to the eighth or ninth round and it became evident that the speed wasn’t there.
Now fast-forward to 2011 and it’s clear that James has the speed, he has the skill and something is broken in the main event and how do we address it? That’s why it’s so frustrating because I believe that he should have won the title and it’s our fault that we couldn’t make him happy with the motorcycle.
There are a lot of people that worked with James in the past that think he asks the motorcycle to do things that it simply can’t do. He’s so good that he doesn’t understand that you can’t hit a whoop section wide open in fourth gear. You’ll end up going over the bars! Do you agree?
I disagree strongly. And it’s the position I’m in as an engineer. When I hear a rider say that he wants to do something like go into the whoops in fourth wide open, I ask myself--‘Why can’t he do that?’
It was a frustrating year for Stewart and the entire L&M Racing Team.
Photo: Simon Cudby
And I suppose you ask that question because you’re smarter than me!
I could have asked that same thing when he was first scrubbing in that photo at Budds Creek. Why would a guy want to do that and how can he do it? When I walk a track, I’m a former racer and rider like most people and I’m sizing things up and wondering what I can jump and what I can’t. You know, the regular things that us riders would do. Then we go back to the truck and talk to James and he’s pointing out quads and things like that. So if I can’t bridge that gap, who’s to say that he can’t blitz the whoops in fourth wide-open you know? I have no idea; maybe it’s in the suspension. Anyone who knows suspension knows that its infinite, the possibilities of set-up are amazing and go on forever.
In F1 they had this thing, it’s outlawed now, that was a dampener and simply speaking it was a spring and a mass and it was tuned in to the natural frequencies of the corner. Basically when the wheel made contact with something, this thing sensed that and the mass made it go the other way so that the wheel makes contact with the track at all times. And it dropped the lap times significantly, and the next weekend, they outlawed it.
So if we could get something like that on a motorcycle, why not be able to go into the whoops wide-open? We just haven’t gotten there yet as a group. It’s absolutely possible with what they’re doing with cars and the relationship of the wheels to the ground but to say that anything can’t be done, I think that’s a mistake.
So L&M letting you go from the team, you were okay with that or did you want to stay?
No, I knew it was coming. I worked for James Stewart and not L&M. So when they weren’t together, it was time for me to go. I’m still working for James right now. It certainly stings though, no doubt about it. Basically to go through what I did all year with the guys and then for them to say, ‘Hey, you’ve got to go,’ and show you the door, that’s tough. I recognize what they’re doing and with James not being part of the program, I knew it was happening. It didn’t seem like it was going to work out with them and that’s the way it is. I’m not sour at all.
I heard you say that James' forks aren’t stiff but honestly, watching it for myself and listening to others who are suspension guys, it seems like his set-up was very stiff and if he wasn’t 100 percent accurate, the bike would make him pay for it. Much like RC’s low in the back set-up that provided him great corner speed but hurt him in the whoops. Was it a case of getting the good but with some bad?
Well, as you know there are different stages to a fork and one of the pet peeves of a suspension guy is people saying that. What part of the fork is too stiff? What stages of the fork are too stiff and at what velocity is the fork too stiff? [Laughs] All of those things are different areas and have different settings. What I’m talking about is the initial push on the fork, that’s softer. Now you have to have progression and controlled bottom-out, but I’m saying it moved a hell of a lot more than it ever has before on his Kawasaki. That’s a position thing also, it looks tall out there but that tallness was a case of the rear being soft. Now of course, both ends on his Kawasakis are scaled down differently but I would say that it’s not as harsh.
Stewart has yet to announce where he will be riding in 2012.
Photo: Simon Cudby
The reason I, and many others in the pits that are not engineers, would say this is because he washed the front end out a few times. And, if you watch his Daytona crash, it looked like the back end just collapsed. If he clips the downside of a jump, it looks to me that if he doesn’t ride the bike 100 percent perfectly it looks like it gives him a ton of feedback into his body and his arms. Agree?
So what you’re saying is there is a fine line between him being perfect and crashing because the set-up is too stiff?
Yes.
[Pausing] It’s hard to say to be honest because there are so many things that are different. Let’s take Anaheim 2 and those two quads that he did. He did one going into the home plate area and one coming out of that turn. I’m talking about the one going away from home plate and it was huge. The reason that he was able to do that so cleanly was because the rear end was so soft. So when he clipped it, it didn’t push the front end down violently. If he had tried that quad with a stiff set-up and clipped it, and you have to clip it to measure it out, then that would have transferred everything to the front and it wouldn’t have been pretty. So we had the setting that we did and it helped him there and in multiple places during the season. I think the setting contributed to some of his crashes but there were times that it helped elevate him one or two seconds faster than his competition so we were like, ‘What do we do? Where do we go?’
One of the things that not everyone understands is that you don’t always lose the front end from being to stiff, you also lose the front end from being too soft as well. The situations that he was in, he was loading the front tire and when you load it too quickly, the tire can’t hold it, the traction goes and the front end washes out. But then if you load it too slowly, it never digs into the ground and it starts to slip. Watching the videos, it could easily go both ways but I feel that we were loading it too slowly. So we were too soft. We weren’t getting the wheel digging in enough and I think that after a few races, we were losing it there, but on other sections of the track, we were winning. It’s a trade-off, like always, as you know as a mechanic.
Avanto has worked with stars such as Stewart and McGrath over the years.
Photo: Simon Cudby
Would you say that James is the most dynamic rider you’ve ever worked with?
Yes, definitely! But he’s also the rider that I have the best relationship with over the years. Other riders you see at the track and in testing but that’s about it. With James, I’ve seen him since he was a kid, I’ve seen him grow up, seen him with his first girlfriend and all that. We have a different relationship for sure.
I can’t let you go without asking about working with Tim Ferry, first as the Fox Shocks guy and then recently when Timmy went to help James and you set up the bike.
Honestly, and I’m not saying this because you guys are friends, but that guy is incredible in setting up a bike. He’s so good at thinking about what a bike is doing and what it needs, I hope he does something like that in the future. James can ride the bike and pull up to Ferry and I sitting there and while he’s telling me something about what the bike is doing, Timmy can relate that in a riders sort of way and tell me what James is trying to tell me what the bike is doing on the track. I heard all this stuff about how it doesn’t matter what Ferry does because he doesn’t go James' speed on a track but that doesn’t matter, he doesn’t have to go that fast. He knows what the bike is doing under him and can realize what it would do if he was going faster. Great test rider, for sure.
Did you like this article?
Check out TEAM HONDA AT DAWN
in our Latest issue of Racer X available now.
Forty years ago, Team Honda arrived on the American motocross circuit with a brand new motorcycle: the game-changing Elsinore CR250. Page 170.
Look for the verified symbol 
Impulse Studios
Wow!! 2 let downs in one day..
Interesting stuff. Good to hear it from another angle.
That was a very interesting article!! One of the most informative i have read in a while!! This board will probably light up now!! Nice job Matthes...good interview!! Nice job Avanto also!!
.....oh yeah, i forgot to say this..."See, it WAS the bike"!!!!!!! HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, Just Kiddin'!!
After all the set up crap, you just have to know your bike, and ride accordingly. If the damn bike is set up for quads and doesn't turn, the rider has to adapt to that. I can't see blaming the bike for Stewart's crashes.
Stew just over rides and crashes. Period. He can get away with it in the outdoors but in Supercross it bites him....
Great read, one of the best in a while. Good interview Matthes. Mr. Avanto seems to be a very intelligent individual and isn't vague with his answers; thats nice for a change. Best of luck in the future.
"What happened that night, what they did to James on the podium, whether you like him or not, was completely wrong."
I didnt see this quote in the discussion...But I am assuming Avanto was referring to dipshit Bates asking about the "traction control" while JS7 was on the podium?......Aside form all the interesting engineering talk, it sounds like in the end, the bike wasnt working right and nobody had a clue how to fix it.......
Coincidence that 2 articles/interviews surrounding JS7 and L&M Racing are posted the same day?....
Interesting to hear it from a engineers point of view vs a mechanic. Though Though I'm not a mechanical engineer( majoring in electrical engineering), I can tell you an engineer is taught to analyze problems using math and physics in order to correct them. Mechanics, no disrespect attended, are not designers. So before everyone starts giving their 2 cents and bashing Avanto saying he doesn't know anything because he couldnt pin point the problem, I doubt anyone of you can do better-if so go get a bachelors in mechanical engineering and see how easy that is!
Super informative, I love reading stuff like this. It sounds more like a decision-making issue and a lack of knowing what exactly you want than a technical know-how issue. Sounds to me like they knew exactly what the bike was doing and how to adjust accordingly but someone couldn't make up their mind. It really is a compromise between different aspects of performance.
To me it seems that it WAS the bike. James needed just alittle time to adapt to the 2009 YZF but when this NEW 2010 model came out, he never was able to adapt to it. He never had this much trouble with the 2009 Yamaha! It was the 2010 model that came out. He didnt have this much trouble with the Kawasaki as well. Its time to change bikes period. I think James would have a much better time getting on a Suzuki or even back on the Kawasaki. James get off that Yamaha if you can help it. Just my opinion!
Like someone said in a different thread, Its ok for Reed not to like his Kawasaki, but its not ok for JS not to like his Yamaha.. Funny how things seems to work one way, but not the other !!!
@HJ - not sure that you can say it was the bike.
"But you’re tasked to going in and finding the solution to a problem that isn’t always clear. Is it the rider? That’s the thing you look at, maybe it’s James Stewart. None of these things are clear and are the issue. You can argue what it was but we would go and see if he could hold the same lap time for all twenty laps and he was. It was becoming more and more evident that we were failing."
Setup, and how you ride the bike with all the trade-offs for a particular set-up is up to the rider. Recognize what the limits of the equipment are and not push beyond the limits.
Stewart is so creative in his riding and his speed is so high that there isn't much room for error, and it sounds like the margin for error is really small. It could be James riding beyond the limit, or that there is limited feedback to the rider that you are approaching or at the limit. If James invents a new way to go through a section a lot faster than before, which he seems to do regularly, the setup may no longer work.
I have an undergrad in physics and a masters in nuclear engineering with a heavy dose of mechanical engineering. There are way too many variables to pick just one. This seemed to be the message from Sergio the way I read it.
I agree, very interesting/informative article. Straightforward/in-depth answers are refreshing. Nice interview, Matthes.
Not a Stewie lover or hater, but I really hope he can turn things around this year, and also rides outdoors. Regardless of what anyone thinks of him, there's no denying that it'd be that much more exciting with him racing, whether he's competing for wins or adding to his highlight reel of crashes.
mxmofo.........Reed got absolutely sh*t on and called a p*ssy by everyone when he pulled out of outdoors and the Kawasaki deal. It's not just JS7 that catches the flack.
Retardcross,, he may have, but NOTHING like what JS has been getting for the last couple of years.. I have been reading these threads for years, and I'm sure you have too, but Reed didnt get near the insults that JS has been getting. To alot of poeple, Reed is a God now...
I still get the vibe that there's more to it, like this engineer is being too polite. This guy sounds like a brilliant tech based on his work experience, I have a hard time believing the technical knowledge of making that bike work isn't there. It still sounds like a communication disconnect between JS7 and his team. There are so many variables that if the rider can't give good feedback, all your changes and testing are shots in the dark and in that situation it very possible to be counter-productive. One thing still can't be explained though......how come he was always so dialed in putting down the quickest laps and dominating heat races and jumping ridiculous sections? I'm still thinking this is more of a rider issue than a bike issue. He didn't start crashing when he got on a Yamaha, he's been doing it forever under pressure. Yes, maybe the bike contributed to it a bit last year if he wasn't totally comfortable, but it's also JS7's job to help develop the bike with his team. Why do you think the Suzuki RMZ450 is so amazing? It had years of RC and Reed on it, both of which are known for giving excellent feedback.
mxmofo, I agree JS has gotten more negative attention, but when you're all about being a big show and getting attention that's called bringing it on to yourself and that's exactly what he's done. Fancy cars, TV show, arrogance.....I guess he only wants the whole world to watch him when he's the top gun and looks cool.
Well, not really retardcross....not much was said when he talked about not getting along with the bike....it was just kind of a collective, "Hmm, ok that makes sense"........@"NegativeNellyJairtime".....STFU!!!:):)
....where do you guys come up with this stuff?? How and when has the guy really shown all this "arrogance" that is spoken of?? Seriously, i just honestly don't see it!!
whatever.......I don't even know where to start with that. In that case, I guess all the hood-rich rappers who are all show are humble.
That was a good article. To actually get an explanation from someone who had enough balls to talk about it and give some details, without tearing everybody down from it, was appropriate and needed from a fan's point of view.
As far as the bike vs. James as the culprit, I would say both. Does every other rider have to adapt to things they may not like about the bike if they can't change it? Yes. At the same time, are there issues with the bike that he wouldn't have had on a different bike, or would have been able to fix on a different bike? I believe so. That being said, what is the final word on the bike drama? Does he still have another year with old blue or did he get out of it so he can search out a new steed?
@ Retardcross,,, so he has his own tv show,,, who cares ?? I would do that in a heartbeat if I had the chance.. I think the show is pretty good. I've a couple of RC's " fancy cars also.. They all have them, so what ....
OK Sergio...Please explain away JS7's prank on central Florida highways and his felony arrest.(Playing fake cop...and running from REAL cops) Also, how about James dissing the outdoor season, three years in a row? Mr. Stewart has a lot to learn about how his piss-ant attitude towards the folks who SHOULD be buying be buying the products he touts so negatively affects his sponsors...and out sport. You wouldn't catch me or ANY of my family on WHATEVER James is riding or donning anything his wearing! (That's 17 rides all tolled BTW) In my families collected opinion and especially from one of his best ex-fans, JS7 is now nothing more than an over-hyped 21st century thug worthy of the litter in the bottom my ferret's cage. And, the example of REAL pros who've gotten the job done on a week in and week out basis has been nothing short of phenomenal and best our sport has to offer AND MOST OF ALL, worthy of the role model stature we can point to and show our kids and grand kids. (Not pros pitching temper tantrums in the pits at Unadilla.Gawd that was a hoot though) You Sergio might indeed worth your weight in gold my friend. Unfortunately, it's been frittered away on what appears to be a team lost in obscurity by the likes of their premier rider. James says he doesn't do the outdoor season because...pick one of the following excuse he himself has thrown his fans way...A) I don't have "a contract" to ride outdoor (Neither did Reed in 2009...and cleaned house) B) I've done motocross for XX amount of years and need a "???" and last but not least C) L&M Racing is an SX ONLY Team! (Wasn't that similar to Mr. POOR-Cels reason for ditching and literally running from his latest stateside contract?) In the end Sergio, I'm glad to in my 43rd year of motocross and such and certainly glad to see year after year the best our sport has had to offer. Unfortunately, there have been the lowest of lows. Just over three years ago I'd never believed that JS7 would become, in my opinion and that of so many other once JS7 banner wavers, the unfortunate epitome of the worst our sport has to offer. It all began by thumbing your nose at us as a no-show for the 2009 outdoor season Mr. Stewart. The year 11 of my family traveled from Florida to California for the season outdoor opener to watch you kick butt. When YOU were back in Florida basking in my home state sunshine! Not even a word on your web site about ditching the fans! Hope to see you spending a bunch of time on your ear in 2012 and the upcoming high dollar Monster Energy whatever the eff it is. Figure you'd show for a CHA-CHING event! Too bad you won't be privy to much of the purse! (Again pal...the REAL pros are HOT!)
@ CR500AF: I'm just saying that Stewart didnt really have a problem like he did with the 2009 YZ! Statistically he was riding alot better with that bike! Yes, he may make some mistakes that can be questioned. But he has always been James Stewart. The rider to find different ways to hit a section or jumping something that noone else was doing. Example was Daytona 2011!
I have watched Stewart every since he came into the pro ranks. He has changed and that is to be expected because he is no longer that 16 year old holding on and screaming a 125 around. Its alittle different with this 450 fourstrokes. Everyone knows once you are comfortable with a machine, it gives you confidence. I dont think this YZF gives him confidence. You want to hit the track and KNOW the bike will hold up and take what you dish out. And not everyone can push these bikes like Stewart, Villopoto and Dungey!
Let him get on a bike that will let him do what he wants to do without him second guessing the bike and you will see a difference in what happens out there. I can predict the future but if Stewart gets on a bike that gives him confidence and assurance, he will kill it. Villopoto and Dungey better beware! Haahaha!
@HJ - agreed, confidence is essential. Could it be that the chassis is that sensitive to changes? Don't know - but it is up to the rider to provide feedback to make the set-up what it needs to be to provide confidence. Could it be that the rearward slant to the motor changes the weight bias in the corners in a way that doesn't load the front end well or doesn't agree with James riding style? Maybe, but guess we'll never know. Unless he's on a different color in 2012 and wins a championship in dominant fashion.
I cant see how the fact that its a yzf has anything to do with his problems. Its having good luck in GP's, Canada, Japan. IMO James has struggled ever since he stepped up to the big bike class, except for 08 outdoors but there wasn't any real competition then. And there was an article in MXA's mid week report that said Suzuki is shutting down its factory team just like Yamaha did. Its the silly season
@motodog2012 are you alright? sounds like you've got some serious issues the pro's ay they read the motoboards and just laugh at some of the comments that comment is one that'll make him laugh. Its that yamaha most people in the states have had trouble with it. And the pace stewart runs is extremely high maybe the bike cant last 20 solid laps But can last a heat race or 1 fast lap something must happen overtime with that bike yamaha needs to just bin that thing, it didn't work!! by the way this is one of the best articles i've read on here for a long time so insightful about bike setup makes me want to learn more about suspension and how to get a bike to work for you
Its funny Stewart has been MIA all yr but silly season is here and he is still the hottest topic.
I wouldn't say Stew is the hottest topic; but, he is surrounded by the most controvercy.
OK, so after reading this I've decided I'm going to quit bench racing forever because I clearly don't have a clue what I'm talking about, technically.
See ya!
This was really interesting, though.
"If he had tried that quad with a stiff set-up and clipped it, and you have to clip it to measure it out..."
I wonder what that means.
"Timmy can relate that in a riders sort of way and tell me what James is trying to tell me what the bike is doing on the track."
Ferry speaks jive.
@ Dgizzy1: Stewart is still a dominant force right now. Supercross for 2012 will be interesting again due to all the expected changes. Especially with Dungey going to KTM. Im interested in seeing what he will do with that bike!
retardcross wrote: "Reed got absolutely sh*t on and called a p*ssy by everyone when he pulled out of outdoors and the Kawasaki deal. It's not just JS7 that catches the flack."
If no one's mentioned it yet, Reed pulled out with an illness. He didn't blame the bike till much later.
I also don't see the arrogance people see in Stewart. Then again, he follows Lil Wayne, Shaq, Tiger Woods, Dwayne Wade, Michael Vick, LeBron James, Floyd Mayweather, and Chad Ochocinco on Twitter, so if he IS arrogant, he's learning from the best.
great interview. I like hearing from insiders on the inner workings of a rider/team. I believe James should hang on to this guy, He seems like a positive, professional, good guy to have in your corner. I just heard/read JS7-Suzuki deal is close, (Factory, not JGR)! I'm a Reed guy, but I hope JS7 puts last season behind him and gets back to racing with 22,1,5,14 etc.....
Get help motodog2012, cuz what you are spewing out your pie hole is not dissatisfaction, it is pure hatred. Don't be so quick to put yourself in to some majority of people who dislike the guy either...he is still extremely popular, and with the prospect of a new team and new people next year, AND potentially doing the outdoors again.....his popularity will probably grow further!! Sorry for you! As for your lamenting his absence from the outdoors and praising Reed, remember Reed did the same thing when he was on L&M. Get some help with your anger mister!!
Lengthy interview, but I think it just made things more confusing. So Brooks was fired? From his own team? And now Stewart has left the team? The team HE supposedly now owns? I don't get it, but I guess I don't really care anyway. I don't really get this guy with all of his self-loathing. "I failed! I failed!" Not really, bud. You said it yourself: Stewart set the fastest times in practice and killed 'em in the heats, only to crash his brains out in the mains. Did the bike drastically change during the race? Nope. Do Supercross tracks typically change that much throughout the night? Nope. So I'd say the problem lies in the rider. I have no doubt that they were having problems with set-up. I have yet to hear any pro rider rave about how amazing the current YZ450F is (much less see anyone but Stewart win on one), but has Stewart ever been a stranger to crashing? Having a less forgiving bike doesn't help, but Stewart has hit the ground plenty of times throughout his career. You know what I do when I know my bike isn't working well? I slow down. If Stewart would've been content to win by 10 seconds instead of a minute, he might not have fallen down so much.
motodog's little tirade above reminds me of a one-sided dialogue I saw on Dungey's twitter after Southwick. God it's funny, so much so that I screen-capped them all for my own future enjoyment. Here's a few (it's a woman, btw):
"@ryandungey I'm coming to meet you :)"
"standing outside your truck. Come out Please?"
"Was just within breathing distance of @ryandungey but he was too busy to notice fans"
"the only reason I went to southwick was to meet you...thanks for being a d**che"
"@ryandungey s bike is broken? Karmas a b*tch"
"I used to be your biggest fan and after today I think that has changed"
"meeting you I thought would be great. But it wasn't. Thanks ryan for treating one fan that adored you like shit. Good race man"
"I think @ryandungey's twitter is down...or he blocked me."
Dungey finally tweets back, APOLOGIZING, FOR GOD'S SAKE:
"I'm sorry I hurt your or anyone feelings, I take my fans seriously and alot was happening yesterday and I apologize."
She tweets back:
"Thank you for apologizing :) I continue to support you now!
Ugh. Like anyone would want her support. He should've blocked that idiot.
Enabling is a term with a double meaning.[1]In a negative sense, enabling is also used in the context of problematic behavior, to signify dysfunctional approaches that are intended to help but in fact may perpetuate a problem.[1][2] A common theme of enabling in this latter sense is that third parties take responsibility, blame, or make accommodations for a person's harmful conduct (often with the best of intentions, or from fear or insecurity which inhibits action). The practical effect is that the person themselves does not have to do so, and is shielded from awareness of the harm it may do, and the need or pressure to change
Let the 3rd parties take the blame! JS7 pays them to do so.... Excuses excuses excuses.... Kyle Regal liked the bike and had some of the best results on the bike when they let him ride it! Here is a question??? Why did
Kyle have to sit out when Larry first left the team??? Wasn't he hired because of his outdoor abilities? Why didn't you let him ride the bike out of his sprinter van for the outdoors??? It's great that they put a 20 year olds career and dreams to sleep for 6 months.
That YZF just seems like a bad bike in general. It's easy to see what bike is the best, just look at what the guys are riding who aren't getting paid to ride the nationals (but still are). No one is riding the yzf.
Nice to read a real inside account of 'some' of what was taking place and how hard people are working to make a successful team and a winning bike. I think the problem was for sure a combination of things , bike, team and rider ,all not in harmony ,chasin their tail so to speak.....we used to call it a bad year and just try to start with a clean slate and move on ,now there is SO much more involved and at stake.... I hope they fix the 'special bike of the future' and make it work as good as the Zook has for 6yrs or the new green sheriff (plenty of r&d in the last few years on that one)and Havoc7 returns to race some classic motos with the MEN who now run the 4fity class. looks like @jair and motodog are firing up the hate machine early.bummer. If JS7 gets on the zook (absolutely lethal combination) we'll hear from them alot.
kiplockhaven wrote: about 7 hours ago
That YZF just seems like a bad bike in general. It's easy to see what bike is the best, just look at what the guys are riding who aren't getting paid to ride the nationals (but still are). No one is riding the yzf.
@kiplockhaven.........www.sxgp.com........check the 450 Overall results from each national, you might be unpleasantly surprised to see the exact opposite of what you said. The field is loaded with YZ450's, almost half the gate at Pala.
Bi-lateral S = POS
That's what he's not saying. Its the frame. When he says James' settings are soft, well it might be relative to other bikes but not on a Yamaha. Everyone saw how much feedback Stewarts bike was giving him. I thought James was going to crash in his heat race every lap just after the finish line at Daytona. It was ugly.
Interesting article...
And man.. The posts explodes.. Knowing it is related to JS.. Ha,ha...
Well.. I think, yamaha is going down the path KTM went some yrs ago... Trying to re-invent something which needn't to be invented...
Their yzf450 of 09' was an excellent bike...
But yamaha just pulled the oldest trick available to most manufacturers... Come out with something supposedly "new"... Just like what Honda did in 97'...
Let's just see what JS will do... Stick with Yamaha and get the big $$ as he already has a deal... Or ride on another manufacturer, and try to ride SX & MX...
A well-tuned frame has a broader range of acceptable suspension settings than a poorly designed one. They are struggling with trade-offs because on the Yamaha chassis the range of suspension tuning that gives good performance is relatively narrow. The flex is wrong.
Some dedicated JS7 haters on here today....that sure is a lot of excuses and comparisons about a guy that " just makes excuses ".....nobody is perfect and all you can do is sit back and see what happens.....I have been riding and racing fo over 20 years...I have worked in the industry and know folks who work with the top guys today.....JS7 in the eyes of his peers (even Reed) is still seen as one of the most gifted and talented riders our sport has seen....Sure, JS7 isnt perfect and has a rep of crashing more than others, but if you back in time, there have been many riders who have had these traits....RC used to crash alot too.., Ezra Lusk as well........I think JS7 is going to surprise a few of you folks this upcoming year...so maybe this comment thread is just practice...guess we'll see......
We need more articles like this.
Nice to see some real engineers in this sport. Makes it more legitimate!
@ Jairtime
Although I'm not always comfortable with your personal agendas I absolutely agree with your first post!
It's amazing......Stewart can come out and dominate practice and the heats but once the gate drops for the main and the pressure is on he folds up like a cheap suit!! This guy throws it away in dramatic fashion, regularly! All this on a bike that is more than capable when there is no pressure.....wierd?
@ Scrub-This,,, We'll see, wont we ?? Did you get your name from the " Bubba Scrub " ?
3. Brett Metcalfe
4. Jake Weimer
5. Nico Izzi
6. Ryan Sipes
7. Kyle Cunningham
8. Kyle Chisholm
9. Josh Grant
10. Trey Canard
Your right,, these guys would have been a major threat to beat JS in SX and MX... hahahaha...
@ Scrub-This,, I also seem to remeber when JS would crash in SX, he would blame no one but himself.. You must not have watched mutch last SX season..
I don't get it? I'm sure every rider out there has a bike that is better in some area than others and they ride accordingly! Seems the Stewart camp was having a hard time producing a bike that James could just sit on and hold the throttle wide open for 20 laps!! The problem was between his ears......doesn't know when to back it down and when to get after it.....James isn't happy with winning....he has to win by 30secs in order to keep his ego fully stroked. He is in the entertainment business after all.
Ripdown,,, "ride accordingly" means that you can't ride as fast as you are capable of...
Again, Maybe a team/brand change will do him good. I'm not a fan/supporter of him, but he does bring a lot to the sport. He needs to put all the crap of last year behind him and focus on racing again.
@ mxmofo1
That's a fairly stupid comment! Accordingly means ride as fast as you and your bike will allow without launching into next week! Do you really think RV, RD, CR and the rest have a perfect bike every week? We just witnessed RV race a less than perfect bike for most of the outdoor season and I think he only one significant crash. He wasn't getting the results he wanted but he didn't lawn dart every week like Stewart did! You can't ride as fast as your 'capable' of when it's raining either.....
He needs to ride according to common sense.
Let me elaborate......common sense isn't going to come if it hasn't yet this far into his career. So scratch that. But, the following applies to every rider. Every track has limits and factors that influence how things need to be ridden. Every bike has limits (strong/weakpoints, not just Yamaha) that need to be taken into consideration while riding. JS7 is good at brushing those two aside, better than anyone else at pushing it. There are also personal limitations that each rider have, these are the ones JS7 doesn't self-recognize. His ability is unbelievably good yet he still rides above it. He doesn't need to do it but he consistently does, without that he'd win with ease.
Putting a wheel sensor on the rear wheel to send critical information to the ECU is not cutting edge, its called traction control and is illeagal in AMA SUPERCROSS?MOTOCROSS RACING!!!!
This guy annoys me, he is your typical arrogant engineer that does not know how things work in the intended environment that they were designed for. He may be very smart and know how to make something work on a test bench or a computer. But everything changes once entered into an environment.
If he was suppose to be the bike engineer, then why is he having to go outside for an EFI expert. EFI is such simple technology. If he can figure out traction control then EFI should be no sweat. Because it the same simple logic input principles.
Where did this guy get his engineering degree, a cracker jack box.
Alright enough of my rant.......for now
@ Scrub-This,,, Dude, I think you have some serious issues that need to be dealt with, pronto !!!
kiplockhaven wrote: about 7 hours ago
That YZF just seems like a bad bike in general. It's easy to see what bike is the best, just look at what the guys are riding who aren't getting paid to ride the nationals (but still are). No one is riding the yzf.
@kiplockhaven.........www.sxgp.com........check the 450 Overall results from each national, you might be unpleasantly surprised to see the exact opposite of what you said. The field is loaded with YZ450's, almost half the gate at Pala.
Agree! Went to Steel City this year and Budds, most all the second tier teams and privateers are on YZ450F's. BUT is Yamaha helping them with free bikes? I remember back from about 2005 to 2008 the privateers flocked to the CRF. That was the gold standard then. Can't ever put all blame on the bike. Let's face it the YZ450F is getting the reputation of being "different". WTH does that mean? Maybe it's finicky to set up like the '09 and newer CRF? Honda and Yamaha are leading the charge with technology and there's a price to pay for being first. IMHO the all new KXF is a fuel injected 2008 CRF450. lol!
@ Scrub-this,, Oh yes,, I feel so much better that you have raised my self-esteem.. What you think really really does matter to me,,, hahaha. Its funny how you can call me and others "haters" after the 100 page book you just wrote about JS.. What a jack-ass...
@ scrub-this,, you seem to put yourself and a pretty high pedistle, dont ya ? But, you're not " arragant" or anything, right ??
@Scrub-This... Funny posts... Ha,ha.. But jairtime beats you!! He,he!
However... Regarding the suzuki RC rode in 05'... was not as bad what everybody pointed out at the time.
Suzuki did their homework very well over the yrs... And do not forget... DeCoster had been there since 95'....
And.. Suzuki decided to spend the big $$ to get RC on board... (At that time RC was getting the biggest base salary a rider could earn...)
You look at the suzukis.. They were copying and perfecting the honda's....
Their two stroke is still one of the very best (And still being sold in the UK)
"Scrub-This" must of had to go to the hospital to have his blisters on his fingers looked at.. Next stop, Psychiatrist..
affirmative action? really people...give me a break...u phukin redneck retards...
affirmative action didn't win 48+ sx races...
ur lame...dedicated haterz
Off topic, but I think you might find this entertaining jairtime regarding "affirmative action" type policies. We're almost to the Ontario provincial election and guess what is included in the liberal party's platform? They are offering a $10,000 tax credit to "new Canadians" which to everyone else means immigrants. Talk about a slap in the face to Canadians with an education and life of experience here looking for a job.
Shoot typo, they are offering a $10,000 tax credit to employers for every "new Canadian" they hire............my bad.
@ Retardcross
I'm a fellow Ontario resident.....must admit I'm getting tired of elections...what with our annual federal elections.....which moron candidate is offering the tax credit?
None other than McGuinty.
I swear....one day I'm gonna grab a boat, head a mile or so out into the Atlantic, jump in and float back to shore. When the Coast Guard finds me I'll fake oblivion to the English language. Immediately I'll be fed, given a welfare check and enrollment into a first class University for free!! Either that or continue to pay obscene taxes and take it in the hoop!
Figures......wasn't a hope in hell of me ever voting Liberal anyway....thanks for the insight. I don't care what the rest of the platforms are. As a father of two awesome daughters I'm voting for Hudak cause he's gonna let all the public know where the so called 'reformed' pedophiles are!
@ Jairtime
These clowns that keep blaming the bike are stuck in a n endless loop of denial....
They can't come to terms with the fact that there are younger, more determined guys out there now who want it really bad and put the time and effort in to go get it. RV, RD, Canard, Reed, Barcia and the rest are training and pounding laps while Bubba Trooper is breaking laws, water skiing, sleeping in and filming reality shows.
I know the lovers are gonna jump all over me about the felony he comitted being just a silly prank so I'll put a challenge out to you! Go to a flea market, buy a police light, go pull over some cops and see hoe that works out for you? Impersonating and officer is a serious crime....just ask someone who's had a daughter or wife pulled over and abused and/or robbed by an impersonator.
@Retardcross & Ripdown... Canada has for long needing people to fill out certain jobs which apparantly the locals do not want to do or these jobs are being kept hidden away (In Quebec, they need badly teachers as an example)... For yrs... Euros, asians or better known as "new Canadians" have been flocking to Canada...
As for bitc**n' on the tax's... Try my situation.. I am in the 52% tax bracket (All those who earn more than 70k canadian dollars are put into this tax bracket)... And just had to shelve out 39% tax's on the new audi a6 I just ordered.... Go figure where this world is going to?
jairtime......I've repeated evidence in the form of race results several times of how well the YZ450F has been doing in the US and abroad in a couple threads over the past couple days. But none of them will recognize it because it doesn't fit the JS7 agenda of blaming the bike. The reality is the YZ450F is one of the most prominent bikes on the line at AMA nationals in the 450 class, a lot of the top privateers and privateer teams in the country are choosing it. Just because they aren't all top 10 riders doesn't mean anything, these guys still haul and are making 450 mains weekly. The top riders ride for who has the money, don't fool yourself and think its brand loyalty. Dungey is going to KTM and you don't see them hardly at all out there in the 450's. He's not going there for the bike.
Yep......we're all f'd...... the so-called free world is becoming a glorified communist state. Get out and ride before it's too late.
@ Didierlotsyeng
I'm sorry you make enough money to buy an Audi A6..haha. I just spent all of last evening under my 2002 Mazda putting in a new gas tank.....course if my kids didn't play so many sports I'd have a new Beemer in the driveway.
The reason they have so much trouble filling jobs in Quebec is due to the fact that you are forced to speak and teach French.....an insignificant language in this day and age. Canadians should all be learning Mandarin or Arabic.
And let's get this straight before I get labelled a racist like some others......I am all for safe and controlled immigration of valuable workers, but that is not what we have in Canada. Furthermore, passing a very general policy for employers to prefer immigrants over Canadians is just wrong and counter-productive.....I thought we all wanted to be treated equally, but more and more Canadian citizens are taking the back seat to "others" in this country. I'm all for a skilled immigrant getting a good job here if the welfare-case and lazy Canadians won't step up.
@Didier..........if there's one thing I dislike more than any political issue it's Quebec in general haha, most Canadians feel the same way too. The ironic thing is I'm going there tomorrow for the supercross, mainly to take advantage of the hot french women in Montreal.
@Ripdown... Ha,ha... Good point there (And even their french is backward... )... Forgot to mention, my wife is a banker... Helps, but sucks the amount of money we pay Dutch tax's.. So to get back on the goverment.. My company lease car is a Polo bluemotion tdi... Ha,ha
Mazda... Good cars though... One of my cars I had was a 626 2,5 V6...
@Retardcross... Ha,ha... Heard lots of stories of friends who visited Quebec... Have fun!
What a bunch of boners ......The bike is not 100% to blame for some of JS7's soil samples and I dont think anyone has ever stated that.....Fact is, whether the bike is crap or not, JS7 was still easily in the top 3 unless he did crash, bike fault or not....Look at RV in the outdoors, he was winning , whooping ass on occasion and still easily top 3 due to his skill alone, but he still was having issues with the bike set up that effected his performance during other races.... then they switched bikes and looked what happened...RV took the next step and took the title...JS7 was having issues with the bike, so what, its not a good fit for him and he is making the change... like Super Hero Reed says, if your not comfortable on the bike and its not working for you, you cant always ride to your potential and things go wrong, so what did Reed do, he changed bikes.......some follks will redicule JS7 simply cause he JS7...you are saying he gets special treatment, but then you yourself treat him diferent for doing the same others have done...get over it already....we get it, you dont like James Stewart.....I dont think he cares....dude halls balls....makes millions and you cant handle that......
@ Scrub-This,,, dude, you are whacked !!!
@Scrub-This... We can agree to disagree on this one.
There are certain jobs, the white man is not too willing to do... Understandeable. (but yeah... Someon will have to fill out those job openings?).. The same in Europe as it is in Canada... In the Netherlands... Most people selling fast food... All foreigners... Cleaning toilets in offices... Foreigners.... If ever you are passing by Amsterdam airport... Take a good look at who is cleaning the toilets there... And this might be an extreme example...Even the blue collar jobs are being taken over by foreigners...
I find it hard to believe the Europeans are just too picky vs the Canadians?
And in Canada... The population is tiny.... Compared to the size of the country.
As for the high tech jobs in Asia... And you so rightfully picked up an asian country in the form of Japan... As many asians will attest to this... In Asia, the situation is, most individuals (And there are many, many of them!) have university degrees (It's even a must to see which university you have attended & graduated with honours... Or your follow up studies like MBA's etc..)... The higher the skill level for the job, the scarcer the job opportunities. And most asian countries have a rather large population...
Most asian countries do hire foreigners such as westeners... But here, your academic and working experience will have to justify it... There is a somewhat huge expat community in different asian countries...
Why do you think motorcross is non existant in Asia?
@scrub - I would consider myself a true MX/SX fan and although JS7 isnt my favorite guy out there, I do not have that view that you seem to have, so does that mean I am not a "true" fan?.....I raced for many years and just about made it to the pro level and have been involved with the industry for some time....no matter the scenario or who the rider is, people will either stick up for he/she or dump on them depending on their personal views of the person.....If you dont like him and think JS7 is a thug or whatever, then you will look at him as one no matter what he does, good or bad you will still find some reason to dislike him...and that is your choice.....I would say that Reed may be one of my least favorite riders just because of his attitude alone....aside from that, the guy is awesome when it comes to riding a bike.... but I will always think he is a kook whether he wins or loses.....you dont like James Stewart...it has nothing to do with being a "true" MX/SX fan or not....go to a race and you will see that Mr James Bubba Stewart has pleanty of true fans out there.....nobody is perfect....but for a guy with 45 SX wins, 2 SX titles, 2 125 outdoor titles and 1 outdoor 450 title.....he must not be too bad of a guy and is obvioulsy doing better than 98% of the guys on the track.....
@Scrub-This... Countries such as Korea & Japan have a huge, population... Why will they bother taking on foreigners...
Japan: 130+ million... Korea (South) 45+ million... Korea (north) , 25+ million...
Besides... Among Asian countries... Thailand have problems with Cambodians immigrants... Hong kong & Singapore have huge numbers of filipinos working over there... And have their share of problems...
I took cleaning toilets as a mere example (A bit extreme perhaps).. There are other jobs, not too attractive to do. But yet the foreigners do it...
And I just tapped the low end of the spectrum of jobs...
Fact is... Canada has a problem that if the goverment gives incentives to hire " new canadians"... Indicates that they need more people than what the actual population can offer.
If this was not the case... Retardcross and Ripdown would not be complaining? I understand their frustration as this comes from their hard earned money being paid to tax's.
I hear these arguments every day among my colleagues who complain as to we are being invaded by foreigners... I mean? he's a sales manager (80% of the people I am surrounded with, will make euromike a proud man!)... And he's complaining that he is pissed that he has to pay so much tax's ( And we pay thew same %) and blames it on the foreigners? Or maybe he is just pissed that he has to report to me? Oops... Look at my name.. Mr van der Velden(Caucassian, 1m90, blue eyes, blond hair) is not too pleased he is reporting to Mr Lotsyeng (Bastard of a mixture of Chinese, Filipino & Dutch, 1m78, brown eyes, and dark coloured skin)
The immigration issue and spendings by various goverments... Sucks... But that is not the problem as to where the major spendings are being done by goverments.
And in a ideal world , if even the 3r world countries have reached the same level of the developed nations... I am sure in this world... Immigration would be non existant... Such as motorcross in Asia...
What's up with all the dissrespect, hatred and negative opinions? There is a saying that comes to mind when I read the above posts from "Scrub," "Motodog," and "Jairtime"........it goes something like this: It is better to stay quiet and keep people thinking that your are stupid, rather than speak up and remove all doubt.
@motoxdoc,,, I think you hit the nail on the head...
Hopefully we won't hear from Scrub-This to much more. I figure he's pobably at Best Buy getting a new water-cooled keyboard...
Didi.......I understand what you're saying, but my issue with offering immigrant hiring incentives is that it's for everything, not jobs requiring certain qualifications. Regardless of all this, this incentive offered by the liberals is merely a last second thing they came up with to buy immigrant votes in Ontario. October 6th can't come quick enough, the liberals have been driving Ontario into the ground since they got in and will be gone come the October 6th vote. If they're not gone, I'll lose what little faith I have left in my country and fellow citizens. Canadistan needs to stop being the world's doormat at our expense and get a backbone.
@Retardcross .. Ok, understand your point. Thanks for elaborating.
Dont like Onions , Never have , SOOO I dont eat them .. Wont spend time writing about them either ??? @Jairtime and his Little Friends seem to Spend a lot of time writing and worrying about Stew . His Stats speak for themselves , so it has to be Jealousy, for some, Racism for others , and a Low IQ for others as well...
Jairtime - One word changed everything, GREED. If everyone kept there hands out of the smaller less fortunate countries and closed their borders, imigration wouldn't be a problem. US has this open trade policy that is bogus. Anything not assembled or manufactured 100% on USA soil should pay a steep tarif. This includes our so called American made Auto industry.
The other problem is USA doesn't have a DECLARED NATIONAL LANGUAGE, if we did, we would have to learn a second language on our own soil.
Thank you Snooze , from the Huffington Post ....NOT
And...........
Having a rear wheel speed sensor is NOT illegal, read the rulebook!
Sergio knows the rules, the rules describe the limits, the line in the sand that teams are bound to operate within. L&M did not break the rules on this issue of traction control. Those who think they did do not know the rules.
And..........
The YZ450F is not a bad bike. Unless some of the fastest lap times recorded during our fantastic supercross season could be set on a bad bike.
team @scrub-jairsnuts ....lots a hate is ALL you have. Jair would turn this into a rasict political forum for his klan meetin' group and scrub-adub will type till his pretend big brain pills wear off. Some of us just like watching Havoc7 ride ,were not jealous or stalkers or just pi$#ed off frustrated whiners. We don't care what he does on weekdays or what color he is ....Get used to it. Hes fast Hes rich ,He crashes and he sometimes makes bad decisions and hes an AMAZINGLY good rider and i'll bet YOU 2 bozos will watch EVERY lap he takes , jair most likely with his pants AND binoculars around his ankles and new mr scrubnut's fingers justa' typin' goofy one sided pseudo-intellectual opinions as fast as they will go about a sport that he admits isn't that big a deal to him and for reasons that he can't get into here. JS7 is just a guy riding a bike. Its what we do and hes part of it . Bummer for you dogs ..he ain't goin away. Now I hope he comes back and gets in the mix ,just to bum you 2 out.I also believe this is a motorcycle racing site. Please keep your totally boring politics and world view to your self ,your analyst and your one imaginary friend.
@ jairtime Really , all the jobs , How do you know that , Where is the link to those stats
tonewall wrote: "JS7 is just a guy riding a bike."
I wish.
@jairtime
jinx, muddafucca
Scrub-This wrote:
"The reason why lil'Stew get more negative post:
10) Riding only SX.
9) He is a shitty personality.
8) He thinks he superior.
7) Blames his failures on anything and everything but himself.
6) Being anointed the FMOTP.
5) Criminal behavior.
4) The MX/SX media's failure to hold him to the same standards as other riders.
3) All the affirmative inspired stuff handed to him, including but not limited to his stupid show and his 4th place SX champion award.
2) His is very likely the most dangerous ride in the history of professional MX/SX.
1) His low IQ, whining, blaming, ball sport types, upstart fans"
8, 7, & 2, if not also 10 and 5, can be grouped under "shitty personality," and 10, 6, 4, 3, & 1 are, for the most part, out of his control. I hope you have some extra points to replace the BS ones. (Was that George Carlin who talked about paring down the 10 Commandments because they were frivolous and repetitive?)
Also, I have rarely, if ever, called anyone a "hater," but it's more than appropriate in your case, and in the case of that one dude with the Chinese (?) symbol for his screename (who might just be scrub-this without the clever name, as there are parallels between their posts, the fixation on affirmative action being the most obvious). Most of what you're saying is true, sure, but 1) you only appear when Stewart is mentioned, which means you’re LURKING, and 2) you focus largely on the negative (refer to the list above--what about some positive truth?) That’s hate, definitionally. I'd even go so far as to say that the key to happiness is not being Scrub-This.
Oh, and I forgot about this:
Scrub-This wrote:
"Nobody claimed, that those pointing out the what seemed to be aggressive and dangerous riding, were "haters" of Simoncelli specifically or "haters" of Italians in general. "
"Hating" is often directed at a VERY popular figure and is seen as the popular thing to do, and therefore the "hater" will feel more comfortable doing it (see: "hating" on Justin Bieber--this is the same thing). Truth in criticism is one thing, but it takes a lot of irrational posting, message-board lurking, etc. to become a "hater."
I do doubt that anyone would've claimed that those criticizing Simoncelli hated Italians, because I doubt the issue was ever brought up. The racism directed at James Stewart, however, is not imagined. Check this--got it off Vurb:
"why do so many people like stewart and stand up for him? hes washed up and dicking around in trucks and not riding so shut the f*ck up n**ger lovers."
Surprise, it wasn't pre-censored. Another surprise: it was gone within the hour :D
Also, everyone skipped over my Dungey-Fan-Twitter transcription above. It was funny, I swear :(
That's all for me. G'night.
I like the article quite a bit. The insight that an experienced engineer can give is fantastic and adds a whole new level.
Fans will choose who they like based on how they relate to that rider. This is all on a skewed perception scale since hardly any of the fans actually get to really know any of the riders. The reasons fans give for not liking a particular rider is just a reflection of their own sensibilities and really has no bearing or merit. People thought it was cool that Lechien would flip rental cars and smoke weed. The court of public opinion is a sliding scale. Look at yourself before you start down that slippery slope of judging others. Just sayin'....
I would love to see James knock it out the park this year and get back to riding nationals.
"don't use the N word, it's not acceptable in the democratic party."
I don't be carin' whose views you sharin'.
I wish this forum wasn't dying, though it's obviously for the best. Before I decided to post that last rectum-tearing monologue, all I really wanted to know, from jairtime or scrub, was if there's any good examples of affirmative-action-type instances which furthered Stewart's career, because I honestly don't know why it's continually brought up (besides that fact that, uh, you's hatin'.) Guess it'll have to wait, though.
Who IS this 'lil'stew' feller?? Is that really what they call him in China?? And FYI, 33 year old Tim Ferry won the MXON for us that year, after #7 landed on a hay bale, and couldn't start the bike.
I was at the US open in '04, and Ricky's Suzuki was working just fine. It was his very first race on the bike, and he was beating Reed, when the flywheel broke and he DNF'ed. Afterwards, he said that he was very happy with the bike, because he had proved that he could run with Reed, on his new Suzuki.
you know i find it funny that this clown likes to let us know about 6 time in the interview that he is a engineer and this and that. I find alot of this BS he is talking about doing quads and soft forks there are too many things that affect the way a dirt bike goes around the track and 95 percent of that being the fool thats riding the dam thing, so get over your engineer self this is not nascar not IRL and def not F1 its a dam dirt bike that a bunch of dudes in japan made out of aluminum and plastic and you can go down the street and by one. not rocket science just dirt bikes and the guy who pins it usually wins it!! hahaha the forks made him wash out!!!! funny stuff