by Davey Coombs
450 Words: Phoenix
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PrintYou already know who won the race, but there is so much more to it than that. The 450 Words column focuses on another story, from a different angle, because in racing, there's always more to the story than just one man standing on top of the podium.
So the monkey is finally off KTM's back (which would make it “money,” right?) and the Ryans will share the red plate, which hopefully won't cause the same brouhaha we had outdoors last year when both Dungey and Chad Reed wore red in Texas as the co-series points leaders. Dungey's start-to-finish win was a solid performance, though he did get some help from crashes by Villopoto, Reed and James Stewart. There is little doubt in my mind that RV was the fastest man on the track, and both he and Reed would have certainly been on the box without their crashes.
Stewart of course should have been there too, but the suddenly embattled JGR Yamaha rider is starting to gather unwanted attention and scrutiny for his early performances. Is he going slower? Is he taking too many risks? Is he still getting his “game face” on after sitting out racing since last May? And why were people booing him during the opening ceremonies?
Can Stewart turn his season around in LA next week?
Photo: Andrew Fredrickson
James has always been a lightning rod for controversy, but between the unwanted buzz of “tire gate” and two straight races of crashes and missed podiums, Stewart now finds himself 17 points behind the Ryans, with Reed, Phoenix runner-up Jake Weimer, and the veterans Kevin Windham and Andrew Short in between them.
Like a lot of race-watchers, I find it hard to believe that Stewart is struggling right now to stay up and is not riding with the same comfort and confidence that we’re used to seeing from #7. I have no doubt he will turn it around, but the longer it takes to actually get that first win, the harder it will be. James Stewart has been under pressure before, but never the kind or intensity he must be feeling right now. This coming weekend's Los Angeles Supercross might be a make-or-break race for James, who is in danger of falling a full race behind in the pits with another showing outside the top five. He's a veteran of ten professional seasons now, and this is the first time since very early on that he's been in the role he's found himself in right now: James Stewart is the underdog in supercross.
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Great rides for Poto and Dungey. I really think we'll see a stronger Dungey all year than we saw last year. The change for him was all about the people and had nothing to do with the bike. That team is a contender on any brand, period. They have their work cut out for them as do the rest of the contenders. There's way too much "this guy's gonna win" and "that guy's gonna lose" going on right now. I guess that's the way this sport always is though. The people saying these things are fools, just go look at last year. Just sit back and enjoy the fact that we don't know who is going to win or lose, otherwise, what's the point of watching?
Stewie will be fine, eventually, but he may find himself so far behind in the points that even if he goes on a tear, he may not win a title. Guys and the Managers can do math, and if the current points leader knows he doesnt have to beat Stewie late in the season to win the title, he might not even chase him and stay in second. I think him not racing since May has had a big effect in his performance so far. He has a history of crashing alot sure, but not to the point of being down this many points after 2 rounds. If the Ryans continue clicking off wins and podiums Stewie may finish the season off the "Podium" again for a second time. With Weimer running the way he is full of confidence and hungry on the same bike as RV, they obviously have it dialed to thier needs. RV is easily the fastest if he doesnt fall over a crashing Millsaps, that charge was great to watch. Surprised to hear a vet like Windham tightened up when he saw RV coming. But it kinda lets you know how some other riders see RV, as a super fast aggressive rider.
Ok DC, I gotta point this one out. "There is little doubt in my mind that RV was the fastest man on the track, and both he and Reed would have certainly been on the box without their crashes.
Stewart of course should have been there too, but the suddenly embattled JGR Yamaha rider is starting to gather unwanted attention and scrutiny for his early performances." You're not leaving much room on the podium for the guy who actually won the race, really kinda disrespectful man.
Reed fell in the main?....was at the race but I missed it..or forget.
To me JS7 looked good last night....until the fall...HORRIBLE starts for sure....James was quading the rythym section after the first turn and looked to be charging..then he hit shorts wheel and that's all she wrote...
Im not a fan of easy pickin writing on someone not winning. Last year chad starting up wasnt going to win. Now js7 is behind some points and dont ya know it he might as well stay home now. Man cant you folks come up with more to write about? What about Metty, Kdub,Shorty etc... Barely a word about anyone but the four guys. With our sport riding high in popularity now a days its YOUR turn to shine in the good solid reporting. Tire gate my ass. Same as this weeks -17 points down gate. Fill us in on all aspects, not cherry pick like jersey riders at an out of state race:) you are better than this Davey.
Stewart needs to get his starts down. He is clawing his way up thru the pack, then getting hung up and making mistakes. The speed is there.Get a good start and he will win. As far as booing goes I find that insane. The man has done so much for the sport, no one can dispute that. So to all those idiots.He lines up on the gate like the rest of them to win and entertain you. Bubba will be in it and he will shock all the haters!!!! Cheers JS7
I totally agree Champ306. Bubba is fine, write about all the racers.
How is it hard to believe that Stewart is struggling to stay up right now! He is too inconsistant! I am not a Stewart fan by any means! He is a great rider though, unbelievable speed, unbelievable style, but the guy is way to arrogant, and does not have his head in the game! Instead he is too busy hosting dinners for his fans the night before races! He needs to get back to the roots of things, and get his heart and head into it!
People were doubting Dungey's move to KTM, I work at a KTM dealership, and have ridden KTM's SX bikes, and they kick butt, I new that with the right team behind him, he could be a top contender and win aboard the KTM!
Ryan Villipoto has just plain and simple got the speed and confidence it takes! No question about it!
DC you sound a little bit sour an unprofessional in this article. It seems as if your trying to discredit RD and KTMs win this week. Yes Rv had the fastest lap, by a fraction of a second, but he had to make up a lot of ground he was riding his ass off. RVs effort was awesome but I think RD deserves more credit. They both lined up at the Same gate and crashes are a part of racing.
The media is always making it about Stewart, You seem to be blind in the fact there is WAY more going on than James Stewart. You dont credit and give praise to the ones that deserve it, because riders beat him there must be something wrong ????????
This shows how bias the media is, how about some respect and deserved attention to all the other riders that are worth talking about ?? , This is worth talking about ?????? I don’t have a problem with James as a rider or person, it’s the media that creates problems with James and the fans by thinking he is god and nobody can be as good as he is and if he gets beat there must be something wrong bla bla bla…. Show some respect to the riders that deserve the attention !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Last week RV holeshot and won. Reed, Dungy and Stewart all crashed but nobody said RV won because everyone crashed. This week Dungey does the same thing but he got lucky because everyone crashed. Give him the same credit RV got last week.
Good point and totally agree Verge, he is always underrated.
I strongly agree with Verge, I was pumped to see Dungey get KTM it's first Supercross win, and people are already talking him down and saying it was handed to him, what a can of B.S.
I don't recall Reed going down at all last night, he wasn't riding good for him though. RD rode just like he needed to and kuddo's to him !! I feel there is something off with JS and have felt this since mid season last year. Time will tell, but there seems to be a slower reaction time with him in all areas of his riding including his starts. I believe he is trying his hardest to not go down and riding as patient and careful as possible. This HAS to be tough for him.
I like how RV and RD have been the winners for the past 2 years yet everyone still talks about Stewart. Why don't you guys talk about RD for once? Or RV?
Everyone on the motocross industry likes to ride JS7s nuts, it gets old.
Stewart is wearing bling during his interviews, he buys expensive cars, he makes his own reality show, and gets arrested, all without any direction, going up in the flames over a few years from not concentrating on his sport, that is why he is failing.
JS7 blah blah blah blah!!!!!!!! Good ride Dungey, and way to salvage points RV2....
This could prove to be the one of the best seasons ever. There are several guys capable of winning races (we know who they are). You know the competition is tight when big name riders are not making the main event.
I like seeing great racing and Phoenix, in my opinion, was great. When RV, Stewart, and Reed all have problems in the same race it definitely opens the door for other to step through. However, I don't think it is fair to say the only reason rider "X" did so well was because someone else didn't perform. My perspective is you take what you get and you've got to be in the position to take advantage--Not lucky...skill.
It's what VERGE said. everyone makes excuses for why JS7 loses. and everyone makes excuses for why RD wins. see the double standard?
hey rcx1...you gotta remember that James isn't the one making excuses...not this year...if you think so check out his website, very honest and respectful of his opponents...
fans and the media are the ones making excuses...for both of them either winning or losing...not the riders fault...
@halfe316, so after both races he didn't say "I think *we* have some things to work on" or "I think the bike could use some work"?
RV riding style is soo aggressive like fro stated it looks like he is mad at the track and wants to beat it up ..... The charge rv puts on ESP on the last laps is impressive ... Ryan dungey I give him all the credit he deserves hard work pays it looks to me he may be even faster on the ktm than the Suzuki wonder if he has a start button too how cool would that be... James Stewart ok remember rc James battles who was more solid than rc ESP in mx the only person who could really contend was James Stewart for sx races James used to gap the field by a large margin on a regular basis so it is unexpected for him not too do well he fell Ryans fell Chad fell they all fall in17 races there will be a lot of falling Trey canard has major heart ... Jake wiener coming on strong seems to make for good racing may the best man win!!!!!
I see somebody who needs to have fun to do his best, and that guy is looking like he is having very little fun at the races for a while now.
DC..... You disappoint me.
That picture should be Ryan Dungey...... why did you put a person thats not even broken into the top 5 on this page????
At the very least it should be 400 words of RD and 50 of JS.
Seems everyone forgot to mention that JS has a cold. It's fairly obvious. Yes I know, Wilson has a cold too, but he started off well. James will be back as fast as ever in about 3 races, just wait. I'm a fan of all racers. Anyone in the top 20 can run circles around the rest of us blindfolded.
RV is insane though and I just can't imagine him losing the title this year. He's on fire and to come from dead last to 3rd is just crazy. I was just as excited as everyone else too to see RD get that win.
450 words is commonly not about the winner. It is not ment to be. Or I think it would be titled a little differently.
Kflorida hit the nail on the head.. I’ll tell you why people were booing him.. He is arrogant and doesn’t deserve what this sport has given him. He makes a reality show to flaunt his cars, houses, private plane, 10 million last year in earnings. Then signs with JGR and talks about how he is going to beat McGrath’s record. He’ll never be the Champ that MC was. Earn your respect like Reed 2 years ago the industry pushing the washed up Reed out the door.. He starts up 22motorsports and is as strong as ever.. RD last year the wheels are falling off at Suzuki never gave up, never talked poo about the team. Last year RV was getting beat straight up the first half of MX season.. never gave up, never talk poo about the team.. fought back and ended up being the best year of his career..
PLEASE PAY ATTENTION all true mx racing fans: Once upon a time, not too many years ago, there was an "unbeatable" heavyweight champion named Mike Tyson. He was all the rage.Then one day a man named Buster Douglas(who didn't give a flip about all the media worship of Mr. Tyson) stood toe to toe with him, whipped his butt and exposed him to the rest of boxing as human just like they are. All the other boxers thought, "hmm..."Ah the excuses we heard from Mr. Tyson's worshipers. "It was a fluke...he wasn't focused...I'd hate to be the next guy he fights..." they said. But Mr. Tyson seldom won again and the excuses eventually ran out.
Now fast forward a few years and substitute mx racing for boxing, James Stewart for Mike Tyson and Chad Reed for Buster Douglas...
I'm not a big Reed fan but my guy (RD5), RV, Trey and the rest are forever in his debt for exposing JS7 as only human and someone who(almost every time) will crash, crash you, or crash and crash you if you meet or exceed his speed.
Not trying to be cute here but PLEASE! It's really just that simple.
And please G.O.A.T. please quit with the "James is sooo wonderful" stuff and with all the excuses for him. You've been my favorite of all time for years now but you've gotta give RD5-your friend and the kid you taught for several years- some respect!
Jon22 - YES! Thank you!
Why Won't anyone of the media state the obvious. James Stewart doesn't work hard enough off the track to win against these guys. Blazing fast early train wreck late. This not our first picknic we see the obvoius.
Come on guys. This segment was sponsored by GYTR. Who do you think is going to get the most words? Everyone is on the Gibbs team jock. How many times during the outdoors were we watching mid packers Brayton and millsapps for far too long because of their association with Toyota? It's all about $$ and very little about what racers deserve. How many Gibbs segments so far this year?
My Partner has only just started watching the races with me. (its her first season). She said to me after the race on the weekend. "why does that number 7 ride differently once he gets near 22. He kinda goes silly".
Don't know if she is correct. but yeah.
@Jon22, thank you for showing me that there are other competent and rational fans who love this sport.
Rarely do I agree with the majority here but I believe that article was slanted. The piece doesn't have to be about Dungey but don't discredit him. All these guys say the start is 90% in supercross with this field of racers and RD did exactly what he needed to do last night. He executed flawlessly and was right on pace with RV, as he was for most of last year as well. It would have been dumb for RD to push an more than he had to last night. JS will come around no doubt but he needs to swap one crazy ball for some consistency to help him pull a title. RV may have the best balance and is the favorite to pull this off, likely for that reason. Good job RV and RD ( I think that will be said a lot this season).
Cheers
There is little doubt in my mind that RV was the fastest man on the track, and both he and Reed would have certainly been on the box without their crashes.
DC wrote the above. RV WAS on the box. Why mention him with Reed in this context?
Dg90 I definitely agree with the premise of what you're saying but I believe in the case of JS7, he would get more ink than someone like Dungey if he were a privateer on a tricycle.
Jon22 for the win.
Verge wrote: "Last week RV holeshot and won. Reed, Dungy and Stewart all crashed but nobody said RV won because everyone crashed. This week Dungey does the same thing but he got lucky because everyone crashed. Give him the same credit RV got last week."
Well, I dunno about luck but it's NOT the same:
A1, RV was going faster than the others whether they crashed or not. They could not catch them, though presumably pushing themselves enough to crash.
Phoenix, The leader was slower than his chasers. RV, caught in someone else's crash, was able to lap faster than the leader, in traffic, without crashing. Ouch. Not same thing.
RD rode a fine race in Anaheim, RV rode a better one. Phoenix, RD again rode a fine race and scored max points. RV rode a better race to get his 3rd.
P.S. RD's approach has won a lot of championships over the years. Lots. Ride at 98%, don't crash, bury the ego-thing, always be there. Also means you can string together 4-8 consecutive seasons without missing one. Some great careers were made that way. Bury the ego regarding who is fastest that day and collect championships.
That notion could be worth $10m to Stewie, but he won't do it. So it will be RV (who has a foot in each approach) or RD.
I didn't know Reed fell at all. Unless he fell on the first lap, there is no big spike in any of his lap times. If he fell on the first lap, I would think he would not have been where I remember him being after lap 1. Maybe he meant RV and Stewart fell???
On another note, I swear it looks like the fanboyism is transferring straight from Stewart to Dungey. People here are calling DC biased against Dungey, no respect, yada yada. Holy crap, what is going on?! Not only is a guy winning not enough, but fans have to hear everyone heap praise on top of the win. God forbid DC writes a 450 words that doesn't just talk about the winner's win (they rarely do and usually are about some other pertinent story from the race). Winning should be enough people, it speaks for itself. No one has to spin it as the most amazing win ever. It is a big deal because of a KTM win, but with all the impending KTM dominance it shouldn't be a big deal to those of you in the know. Should we all be flipping out because Weimer got 2nd and (I think) his first 450 win too? That actually may be as big a story as Dungey winning, yet not one mention of him being disrespected for not being mentioned. This internet is dangerous in the wrong hands.
Weimer-450 HEAT win.
in case you're all forgetting, BEFORE villopoto even crashed, RD had already ripped the start and was leading by a mile. you can't take that away from RD
Gang, there has already been a race report extolling all of the history of Dungey's excellent win, a TV show that showed his 20-lap runaway live, and a Rapid ReaXtion coming about what the win means... I wrote this in a car driving across the desert, bench-racing with friends who were there with me. Our takeaway, and what 450 Words was about, is whether or not Stewart is still the favorite in SX. I don't know who sponsors this page or what else was written but that was what we spoke about, and that's what I wrote about. No slants or jock-strapping; just the theme of one article, and one different angle, about the race.
I used to race for KTM. I am pretty stoked that they finally won. Sorry that's not more obvious in this one article.
250 Words is not just about the winner either; it's about Tyla Rattray finally figuring out SX and no Americans on the box. I found that interesting too.
Regardless, thanks for reading our stuff.
DC
I agree with Davey Coomb's analysis here, James Stewart is the underdog in this series. While the laptimes show that Dungey and RV were pretty much even on speed, RV was on a mission and his aggressiveness, attitude, and confidence are at an all-time high in 2012. RV will be hard to beat, and I'm not convinced that Dungey would have beat him had RV not fallen down. This is no discredit to Dungey (my favorite rider) because Dungey is on a new team, with a new bike that has only been in development for 6 months or so. The fact that Dungey was running RV's speed is a major accomplishment in my opinion and Dungey and KTM will only progress more and more as the season moves along. But at the moment -- even with Dungey's spectacular win -- RV is the man to beat.
Go Dungey!
Give Dungey the credit he deserves, he rode the race he needed to, to WIN!!! simple as that.
Laptimes don't matter, where you finish matters, RV pushed all race from a first lap crash, JS has ANOTHER off night. So Dungey did what was needed to
Ha ha that's cool DC! lol I'm thinking this season is gonna be off the hook!!!
Thanks Davey for stepping in. This is such a great time to be supercross fans. There is so much adversity than ever before! I really wish the rider bashing would stop though. These riders all have personalities and might not always be the p.r. perfect people saying like a textbook what there supposed to say thanking sponsors and whatnot but that's what I love about this sport. It's not a runaway and I like it sooooo much better than the days of Mcgrath type eras when one or two riders are much faster than the rest. (Nothing against Mcgrath).
Actually tommyo, i hate to say it but i have a feeling we might be seeing the beginnings of that again with Villopoto.....whilst I too despise all the rider bashing i hope that the others can reel him back in over the next few races, otherwise i think we are in for another MC, RC type break away...
In my own racing I discovered confidence is everything and if he continues to surf along the wave he is on he will have mentally made the next step.....just like Ricky did. Truly, deep down believing he had the field covered and proving so.... time and again. Sometimes fighting to his core to do so....
If you truly believe it, you are gonna go out there and do it.
Unfortunately for James he appears to have lost the edge he had and the longer he is off the wave of 110% confidence the worse his results will be as he over compensates....which he has done his whole career at random times.....
I wish them all the best, all year, seeing them all fit, happy and confident is only going to improve the show for us all!
SO many awesome storys this year......Short back to Honda, Reed with his team, Stewart fighting back to the front of the pack on a new team, Dungey with a new team, new bike/brand, Brayton working his way up to the factory and so on all the way through the field.
FANTASTIC!!!
Writers write about "stories". And like it or not, James finding himself as the underdog is more interesting to write about than Dungey. Controversy sells. And it gets people worked up, as evidenced here. Folks, the story is James Stewart. He's been great for the sport, and everyone in the industry knows it. You people who whine about RD5 not getting coverage - let him beat James or RV2 straight up, head-to-head and see what is said. Until then, he's still the non-aggressive guy who looks for a top 3 finish and waits for circumstances to push him to the top. It will take another perfect storm for Dungey to ever win another championship. And that's not exciting to print or to read about.
Congrats to RD and KTM in general... RD did exactly what any of the top 5 guys hope for... run a perfect race.
RV put on a great ride and simply attacked the track. Great ride as well despite the crash.
Good old JS7. I USED to be a Stewart fan back at the beginning of his career, but now I would rather see any other rider win than him. I have ZERO time for people who act like they are entitled to things. JS7 walks around like he is entitled to win races, entitled to be the champion, etc. He has complete and utter disregard for all those making $40-60,000 per year that work for all his various sponsors that make it possible for him to ride each week. Not riding the Pirelli tires from last week was ridiculous. That company chose to back Stewart and thats the great repayment he gave them. Stewart always has someone to blame or something about the track or his bike instead of admitting that his head isnt right. Last week it was tires this week its being sick. Being sick didnt make Dean Wilson crash.... why is it stewart crashes sick or healthy? Stewart puts on great rides and then the second anyone give him pressure, he makes a mistake. Instead of being a man and admitting his mind isnt right and he gets flustered in those situations, he just blames whatever the flavor of the week is at that time (bike setup, track conditions, blah blah blah). He made some good advances in this sport but I am so over the hype he carries with him. RV2 is the new kid on the block and if he stays healthy he will have one incredible career. RV2 has a much better attitude too and actually seems like a class act. I have zero sympathy for people with TV Shows and collections of high end sports cars in a garage so close together you can barely get in them. Your not entitled to be rich Stew. You could end up broke one day if you keep spending like a drunken sailor... this money is going to stop eventually.
Two things:
1.
Stewarts bike isn’t as good as the bikes of RV, RD and CR. That Yamaha was all over the place at some times, especially in the whoops.
2.
Stewart needs an Aldon Baker! RV is a machine at the moment, and that gives him great confidence. All other riders who work with Aldon are at there A-game at the moment (look at Jake Weimer). Stewart used to be a machine to when he worked with Aldon.
To get the ‘old’ Stewart back, he needs to fix these thing. And he needs to fix them quick, otherwise he’s don for this championship.
Go RV!!!
I'd like to see Stew do well, but to me,....his comment of "been there done that", speaks volumes for his situation at the moment.
@BK-R IMO your absolutely right! And to Davey Coombs this article was spot on to me, some people really must not follow Racer X enough to realize this is only the 450 words segment and that the rest of the week is and always has been to telling the entire story!!! Keep up the good work Racer X all the real moto people really appreciate it!
For those of you saying ''Last week noone said RV only won because people fell, and this week they're saying that Dungey only won because people fell'' Well last week Villopoto pulled holeshot and gapped them before anyone fell. This week Dungey had about a second on RV when he fell. I don't think Dungey is underrated all the time, all riders are underrated at some point. Remember going into 2011 A-1? All I heard about was Dungey...
Dang Davey, you just shit on Dungey and KTM's parade. Good job.
Davey, you have done so much for this sport we love! Props to you on your magazine and everything you have acclomplished. Thanks for giving us this forum to spew our crap. Ok, enough ass kissing, time to go back to ripping stewart.Go RV!!!!
I think James would have been doing much better on the Suzuki RMZ450.
James and the Yamaha never seemed to work as well as him on the Kawi.
Maybe JS7's problem is the bike,I don't know.But what I do know is when RV2 got his new bike for the second half of the nationals he started dominating from that point till now.He started doing pretty much how everyone thought he would do from the gitgo.It was obvious that the bike made a differance.Maybe that slant clyinder YZ does have a handling problem.To the eye RV2's new bike made him look like he was suddenly 10% better in the outdoors when in reality it probably only made him less than one half of a percent better.If you figure how much time it took RV2 to complete a outdoor moto and the time it took the second place rider to completer his moto and converted it to a percentage basis the second place rider was probabley only one half or less of one percent.But to the eye it look like he was miles better or 10 to 15 percent better but in reality was only marginally better.Point is,maybe it is the bike.RV started to win big with just a marginally better bike.
@Fred, this is just my opinion, but if Stewies problem was the bike, wouldnt he have gotten off it this off-season when he had the chance?? He id have an offer from Suzuki this year and turned it down. He won 5 mains on that bike last year and won every heat race he was in.. Seems to me the bike is fine. The brand of bike isnt the reason he ran into the back of Short's bike.
Can we write a story not focused on Stewart. I know this touches on all the riders but it has the feel again of a Stewart based article. I, like alot of people I know, could care less about Stewart. Dungey just gave KTM its first win and you bother wasting 1 of your 450 words on Stewart? Thanks for the waste of time.
So many experts on here....Way to set them straight DC!
Dungey - Great to see him win. I didnt think it would happen this soon in the series, but I knew it would eventually when the right scenario came about. Like Toronto last year, RD5 nailed the start and the other true challengers were mired back in the pack. Sure, some luck always comes into play and had RV or JS7 been there at the start, i dont think he would have pulled it off. I watched RD5 struggle in practice and he couldnt pass Milsaps the entire Heat race....Dungey rode a great race and did what he needed to do.....put in 20 solid laps and he wasnt involved in the the chaos..nice work!
RV - Was clearly on a mission. Heat race crash was weird...Main event he got caught up with a fallen Milsaps and got up and did his thing....
Stewart - I was at the race all day...in practice JS7 looked smooth as anyone else...he wasnt riding over his head and put up some good times...he skipped 3rd and final practice since was sick. Heat race he looked great in my opinion...HORRIBLE starts and he made his way up to the front...minor bobble in the whoops, but that was it....Main event....I thought he looked great as well...another HORRIBLE start, was making his way through the pack and clearly had another shot at a podium..pace he was going I think 2nd for sure, until he got to the sand and if you watch the replay, Shorts rear wheel hit JS7 front and the rest is history.....sucks..but it is what it is....JS7 and RV are 2 guys that have come through the pack better than anyone....JS7 is having some bad results, but I dont think he is riding bad or has bike issues....and i dont think its really his fault, just the way the chips are falling I guess......Hey, a DNF last year and some other bad finishes and he was still in it....so 15 more races...lots can happen.
1)never count out a multi time champ no matter who it is 2)none of us can do what they can 3)that's why they have the race to begin,because you DON'T know whats gonna happen 4)i hope everyone stays or gets healthy. peace!
Crazy..Isnt this a FUN sport? Most of us are Fans..and while kidding with your buddies or Bench racing is cool...It's worse than a "sewing circle" here sometimes with all the drama and haters..
All the What If's blah blah about James Stewart.. I hope he turns it around. now that he is a "underdog".. Maybe getting chopped down the the 5th best rider in the world is what he needed..There is TOO much energy and negativity thru the media alot of times.. Sure.I didnt like when Bubba stopped racing nationals... I seen it and getting Dis~Missed by KAW.as the beginning of his downturn.
Still, We are Loyal fans and All what to see great racing. If you even make a Main or the Show..you should get alot more credit for just being there..They are all worthy .
Happy to see th Dunge,bring it home for KTM..a highly deserved Honor,The young man has already proven himself..but still gets smashed for being the 2nd best rider.in the World.. CR22 what can you say? Always So consistant and still very fast and capable of winning,just like K Dub. and the Talent pool of capable up and coming riders,is probably deeper than ever.Of course the man to beat is Poto. Nobody is more a clear favorite..with his string of championships and roll he's on now..
So,Back to Bubba.. I became more of a fan,of RC,when he went to SUZ,against all odds,,and then the same for CR22,proving SUZ IS a good bike,albeit with the help and guidance of the MAN,RD.,and again winning with Dungey,indoor and out.
I hope for HIM, Bubba see's this as an oppritunity,to turn his career "around",and just does it for him..Yes, I dont agree with the "been there done that"comments ,There is only one KING and one GOAT,and It's gonna take digging deep,to turn himself around,and get up even near those records..and I hope he does.. race himself back into contention... This is Where being the "underdog" can really work in his favor,Keep your Head on James..Bit by bit,,race by race,even thru the Nationals..I BELIEVE you can do it..Its a great "comeback" story in the making.. This Is Motocross.
nice ride Dunge.............go Reedy 5th is not bad after getting attacked by his own bike and having to crawl out from under it. Front end washed just like alot of the other riders ..........Great ride by Poto too but with that speed this isn't going to be the last time he goes down. The tracks will get a little tougher and come San Diego it appears as though we might finally have a real whoop section. Go Reedy....
Maybe Stewart was booed by knowledable MX/SX who know that he makes excuses, lacks the work ethic, and is more interested in fame than winning races. He's the biggest fraud out on that track and people are finally seeing it.
That comment may be true but i guess you should spell the word correctly if your going to try and comment on someone's lack of "knowledge" Come on, how does James Stewart effect your life on a daily basis ?.....he rides a motorcyle, and listens to hip hop, go look for another role model ! Who's a fraud ?
Fraud ? Yeah....that makes perfect sense. The dude comes from 10th place to 1st in 3 laps during the heat race....Passes 2 guys (Short and Reed) within 10 ft and leaves them in the dust.... Bad start in the main, passes his way up to 4th I beleive in the main event before going down after Shorts rear wheel clipped is front....Not James or Shortys fault, just racing...Only guy on the track to quad the rythym section after the first turn and he doesnt care about winning races???..I think it was more of just bad luck for james this week than his own doing like we have seen in the past....Like mentioned above, maybe the underdog title is what he needs .... He has been fast, was fast this week and although RV is probably top dog...Mr Stewart is a close second....cant make excuses...only point out fact
Though I do appreciate DC's articles, I'm sorry but I'm still not buying the explanation as to why JS7 was the focus. It only proves my point that the media can't get JS7 off their mind. There are hoards of fans out here who ARE NOT in shock that he isn't winning. Please understand that it is insulting to have to listen to the experts mis-represent what is really going on in the sport that we love. I'm a huge RD5 fan but ANY TRUE fan can see that RV1 has surpassed JS7 in every aspect that is key to the being a champion. True fans realize that the RD5 early success with KTM really is impressive and what CR22 has done the last 2 years is not only impressive but unprecedented. Not saying he isn't a valid player but I'll guarantee you the sport is going to grow in popularity with or without the JS7 machine. And to those who say RD5 will never beat JS7 "straight up", I agree. NOBODY will ever beat JS7 "straight up" because of what I've said before. If you meet or exceed his speed he will: 1) crash or 2) crash you or 3) crash AND crash you.
I don't mean to sound bitter or like a hater but I believe I am in the majority of fans who have had Bubba pushed on us since he was a kid and, frankly, we're tired of it.
Having said all that-I LOVE THIS SPORT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you cant compare the laptimes of someone out front in cruise mode (RD) to someone frantically trying to come through the pack to salvage points (RV). Whose to say RD wouldnt have stepped it up if he had to..... RD was riding with his trademark-and extremely effective- cautiousness- doing just what he needed to do without any mistakes. Championships dont lie! That being said, if I were a betting man, my money would have to be on RV- He's just too fast and confident right now.
Dungey did what he had to do, there's no if's and's or but's about any of the top guys and their wins and titles. None of them are flukes, it's called making your luck and putting yourself into the right position to win. Staying healthy and consistent are part of the recipe and Dungey is just as legit as anyone else. The straight up crap is just that, CRAP. Whoever makes it to the finish line first wins, bottom line. If we went by the JS fans' standards and there is no bias then there is no such thing as a straight up win even for JS. Enough with the excuses, his bike was fine. Him blatantly running into the back of Short is not a bike issue. I like how a couple people on here have worded their view of the incident as "Andrew Short's back wheel hit James Stewart's front wheel" haha.
This is the greatest sport on earth, in the middle of another epic season and the message boards are packed with ton's of opinions. Do you realize how lucky we are to have a guy like DC posting on here. No other sport this big would ever have a guy like that involved on the grass roots level. I don't allways agree with him, but I admire him for banging bars with this crazy crew in the RX chatrooms. Thats one the things that makes our sport so great.
@retardcross - Ok, James front wheel hit Shorts rear wheel.... It wasnt really that big of a hit or a careless, dumb move on James part...Shorty was accellerating and got even more traction from James wheel, basically causing James front end to tweek and down he goes.....like I said, nobodys fault really...James was on the gas going forward...and he litterallly hit slower traffic....but I wouldnt say it was a trademark JS7 blunder....just unfortunate.....
Ryan Villopotto is the fastest man on the planet. James Stewart no longer has that title.
"There is little doubt in my mind that RV was the fastest man on the track."
I agree 100%. Lap times, and his incredible charge through the pack showed that exactly that. The dude wasn't even breathing hard after the race.
Yes, Dungey won and Kudos to both himself and KTM. The difference between this week and last, for those who are wondering, is that Villopoto didn't need Reed, Dungey, or Stewart to crash at A1. He was going to win anyway and he did-easily. If Villopoto doesn't get taken out by Milsaps while in 4th place during the first lap, there is NO WAY Dungey wins that race. If you can't see that, you need help.
That is not to take away from Dungey's win at all and I am NOT a Dungey hater so save your breath. I'm a big fan of his. HE got the holeshot and rode clean and fast to take it, and he deserved it.
But there is a Red Storm Rising.
tomktm's hate for JS is almost sickening
The bottom line with so much backlash against James Stewart is.
1. He gets WAY to much attention than is deserved, Its always about Stewart........ He can never do no wrong and the media refuses to tell it like they would another rider.
2. Everybody’s good results are always questioned and discounted by the media FACT. ( The media never discredited Stewart outdoor 24-0 season when there was NOBODY there to compete against, had that been Reed or Dungey that went 24-0 the year they would always put a question mark n their achievement and see “but Stewart wasn’t their and so on “ FACT !
3. No other rider gets the praise and hype for there accomplishments, "Reed has the same amount of titles as Stewart" but yet all we see and hear about is Stewart Stewart Stewart.
4. Stewart has 3 major titles in 7 years ??? BIG DEAL! RV and RD has 2 of those in one season!! and is poised to match that again. RV is BLAZING FAST this year, how about an article on that ???
5. The Media is ALWAYS making excuses anytime he doesn’t win ( and so does Stewart ) This pisses me off the most.
6. THE EXCUSES !!!!!!!!! THE EXCUSES !!!!!!!! RD is on a BRAND NEW bike in development and won !!!!!!!! I cant take the excuses by Stewart and the Media anymore and I think I speak for most of the people that post on hear !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JUST SHUT UP AND RIDE OR STAY HOME !!!!!!!!!!!!!! And to the media, REPORT ON SOMETHING RELEVENT !!!!
@pilotdude,
There is no way for you to know that RV would have beat Dungey had he not fallen just as you have no way of knowing that RV would have won last week had Dungey, Reed, and Stewart not fallen. I've seen Stewart pass five or six people in the last few laps and win races so your conclusions are at best, speculative, and at worst, biased. You may not be a Dungey hater, but you have all the traits of being an RV fanboy with backhanded compliments of Dungey.
I'm not going to get into a laptimes argument here, but the truth of the matter is that the laptimes don't prove that RV was faster than Dungey, they prove just the opposite. Taking one single lap that is 0.028 seconds faster than Dungey won't cut it; there are 20 laps and for those twenty laps, Dungey had a faster time. You can argue that RV was coming through the pack, but I could just as easily argue that Dungey was out front with a comfortable lead and in cruise control mode. The point here is that if you are going to split hairs here, then you should be ready for that to work both ways. You can't say that RV led a race and would have won regardless of whether the other riders crashed, and then turn around and say that had RV not crashed he would have beat Dungey. That's displaying a bias and isn't being fair to the other riders.
As I mentioned previously, RV is on a roll. He has the speed, the fitness, the confidence, and the best bike out there. So he has all the advantages over his competition at the moment. I personally think that Dungey's laptimes -- being equal with RV's -- are all the more impressive being that he is on a new bike and team that is still in the development stages. It goes to show just how talented these guys are. But I think you turn the tables with the teams and bikes, and you may see different results. I mean, when RV wasn't as comfortable with his 2011 bike, Dungey was hunting him down and passing him in the 2011 Nats at a few races. It just goes to show that these guys are all really, really good, and lots of different factors play into getting a winning result. To take away from someone like Dungey by saying that he would not have won had RV not fallen is an insult to Dungey, and something that -- if you wish to split hairs -- the laptimes prove otherwise.
WOW...Biker143 is all fired up...nice to see the passion....I'll try and explain since I have been in game along time....and that is all i am doing, explaining why I think things are the way they are...not excuses or whatever...just my two cents....
The reason JS7 is talked/written about so much and is as populare as he is, is because of what he has done in the past, the skills, speed and raw talent he posseses and what he COULD do and has done when things go right....And anytime he shows up to the the track, the possibility of him living up to that expectation and potential is there...it just doenst happen as often as some may expect or want as of late...Not taking anything away the other guys, but nobody coming through the ranks as amateur and early years as pro decimated the field like JS7 did and had all the amateur titles....RC in one of the only guys who is on the same playing field in regards to that amateur to pro hype..(well alessi too, but that was all hype) ... The Reeds and the Dungeys of the world are consistent, but JS7 has had those nights where peoples jaws are on the floor in awe of how fast he is going and now we are seeing RV reach that status too I think... except RV didnt run the gauntlet as a amateur, so it hasnt been the same sort of hype or expectation....But we did hear that hype coming into MX 2011 and RV finally lived up to that hype in the latter rounds...Point is, people still think JS7 has that capability and expect to see it...but when it doesn't happen, its a let down or sometimes a complete suprise.....can it happen again?,,,,,will it happen again?....who knows...so we wait and see.....I am one who thinks it could happen...but will it.?
KilloMoto, WELL SAID!!! RC even said JS does things I don't want to do so right there is something to think about.
Who picked brett michaels, or whatever this gay looking, wanne be rock star's name is as our new speaker for our sport?? he kicks in a little cash and now i gotta listen to this fool?
@killomoto
You leave out one observation that you and the media missed..... Stewart never slowed down... Thats not even in question...THE COMPETION got FASTER and Stewart cant respond.......its not the bike,team,cold, Its James Stewart not able to dominate anymore plain and simple...its not hard to see.
LOL. If RV is handing JS his a$$ indoors wait till he gets him outdoors where conditioning and focus is even more critical. It's going to be a long summer for James.
One thing about JS though, when he passed people coming thru the pack he did it with ease, unbelieavable!!! Funny listening to the JBone interview about the tires and him saying over and over James was a headcase and all he was doing was trying to fix James's head. Bet he'd like to have them words back.
I like how the fact that despite Ryan Dungey winning the race, DC never uses his full name, yet Stewart has his full name in there 3 times. I smell a bias.
@Mountain You're not actually being serious, are you?
The "boos" from myself stem from years of either reckless riding or over-dominance (yawn). Now throw in lackluster performance, a joke of a television show, off-track antics, not riding outdoors, etc... BOO!
Its ridiculous, its not just the media that makes up excuses for JS7! Everyone does, if its not his bike, its his tires, if its not his tires, its his trainer, if its not his trainers, then its health issues!
People talk about over-dominance, We root on a rider for years, hoping that he has success, then he wins two, maybe three championships, and suddenly he is being boo'd because he is BORING! Come one people! Yes James keeps it interesting to watch, cause you never know what is going to happen! I never ever found it to be boring to watch MC or RC, they held such great talent, that I was always on the edge of my seat waiting to see what block pass was coming next or to see if he can really pull off another win!
What is the point in being a fan, if you get bored!?
Sloan,
So faster lap times don't prove RV is faster? Actually what you just proved is you are out of your mind.
Underdog? You cannot be serious!