by Davey Coombs
Racerhead #17
Friday, April 27, 2012 | 5:15 PMHonda is the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, and the undisputed leader in motorcycle technology. More motocross riders have won titles on Hondas than on any other bike. When you’re serious about winning, Honda is the machine for you.
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PrintWelcome to Racerhead, coming to you from the frozen tundra of Park City, Utah. Fortunately, it's 20 degrees colder here an hour above Salt Lake City than it will be for tomorrow night's Salt Lake City Supercross, the penultimate round of the 2012 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series. Tomorrow night's race can be seen Sunday on CBS at 1 p.m. (ET) followed by the Lites SX class at 6 p.m. on SPEED.
Ryan Villopoto's injury was as quick as it was shocking. Get well soon, RV1.
Garth Milan photo
Obviously, there have been some very big developments in the sport over the last six days, including the unfortunate and downright rotten injury to #1 Ryan Villopoto. I say rotten because the man was at the top of his game. He had just clinched a second straight supercross title, was primed to lead the way in the upcoming outdoor nationals, then he buckles his knee and that's that for at least six months. There was also the battle between Dean Wilson and Eli Tomac that got downright nasty, and may or may not be continued tomorrow—how injured Wilson's shoulder is remains to be seen, though he was cleared by his physicians to race tomorrow. And then there was this morning's return to racing of a longtime and very successful sponsor—and that wasn’t even be the biggest news of the day! I will let the other guys get into all that below, but let me start with Andrew Short.
The Salt Lake City SX track was still under construction on Friday morning.
Jeff Canfield photo
First, it's amazing what one win will do for you! The news this morning was broken by Larry Brooks himself, in the simplest, quickest way: a photo of Andrew Short's Honda CRF450R, covered in Chaparral Racing livery. The struggling L&Mc Racing team, having failed to land a major sponsor up to this point, had finally found one with two races to go in Chaparral Racing, the massive San Bernardino, California-based motorcycle superstore with a huge mail-order business. Of course Brooks was talking to Dave Damron and Chaparral long before this week; it just finally came through on the heels of Shorty's shocking Seattle win. And after having taken it on the chin when the last big sponsor lead did not pan out—nor did fill-in Supercross.com—Brooks quietly put this news out himself. (The MXA guys called it "PERHAPS THE WORST PRESS INTRO IN THE HISTORY OF RACING – A TWEET")
And on what started as a slow-news Friday, when the SX title was long ago clinched, the SX champion is out for the season, the 2012 Monster Energy AMA Supercross tour simply winding down, the conversation today is centered around that tweet. Two weeks ago Short and Brooks were working out of the back door (literally) of the Muscle Milk Honda rig when they couldn't get their own rig to New Orleans (maybe it was getting repainted). And then last week they pulled off that upset win that was in large part overshadowed not only by Villopoto's stunning crash and injury, but also the fierce battle between GEICO Honda's Eli Tomac and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Dean Wilson for the Lites West title.... Do you even remember who won the race? (It was Valli/Star Racing's Ryan Sipes, having just come back from an injury himself.)
McGrath landed on the cover of Racer X a couple of times on his Chaparral Yamaha, winning three titles along the way.
What does it all mean? It means that after four months on the brink, (a much worse press intro when they were stuck explaining why their title sponsor was, well, the media), and a decade after Chaparral left on top, Brooks and McGrath and Dave Damron's big store are back under one tent. Will they be signing more riders? How will they do outdoors? Will there be a big-headed Andrew Short mascot wandering the pits like the MC bobblehead of yesteryear? Stay tuned.
Those were the days!
Coincidentally (or maybe not), we spoke to Brooks earlier in the week for our Between the Motos feature. If you missed it, check it out—in hindsight of what's happened in the 48 hours since.
And then there was another tweet, this one from Haines City, Florida. With that I will turn it over to the man who's been on this story for weeks, Steve Matthes (and no, he's not from Des Moines).
James Stewart@js7: I look forward to seeing my fans at hangtown behind the starting gate. More news to come soon. Here we go folks!
That didn’t go over well with the JGR guys, but the simple matter is that yes, James Stewart is probably leaving the JGR team. There is nothing done yet (I really thought it was coming Tuesday, but now I hear it won’t be officially announced until after the Las Vegas SX), and in talking to Jeremy Albrecht (team manager) and Coy Gibbs (owner) of JGR, I get the sense that they’ve accepted this change of fate.
The union hasn’t worked for either side. James was not getting the results he thought he was going to and JGR hasn’t gotten the results they thought they were paying for. Stewart and the Yamaha YZ450F haven’t gelled at all, and the real reasons James is struggling don’t really matter—it’s in his head, and that’s what counts.
Before James can really start talking to anyone officially, he has to be released from his contract. That means lawyers for both sides agreeing to terminate the deal. I get the sense that although JGR could hold him to the deal and try to dig up something that says Stewart’s been talking to other people to try and recoup some money, they won’t do that. It’s best to just acknowledge that this thing didn’t work, wish each other well, and move on.
James Stewart has not meshed well with the Yamaha, and vice-versa.
Andrew Fredrickson photo
From there, Stewart’s got to get on another team. And seeing how he came close to racing for Suzuki before signing with JGR, I’d bet heavy money he’ll be on a Suzuki as soon as he’s officially released. If we see this happen, I have to admire Stewart for giving up millions of dollars at JGR Yamaha to ride for a team I guarantee you isn’t paying him anywhere near the same rate. He also could have hung out all summer, collected his cash, and not put the time and work in to race the nationals; he didn’t have to race, per the terms of his JGR contract. Instead, he’s so frustrated by not being able to win that he’s just going to walk away. That, my friends, takes balls.
You could ask why he’d sign the JGR deal in the first place, and that would be a fair question. He thought it could work, and judging by all the trick stuff JGR’s done to the bike since James has been there, everyone’s been working hard to try to get the Yamaha working to Stewart’s satisfaction. It just hasn’t been enough. The JGR guys are good people. James is a good guy. Sometimes things just don’t work out. As Davey Coombs once told me, all things end badly—that’s why they end.
And now over to The Weege:
People often like to wax poetic about (that is, to say great things about) the domination Team Honda once held in this sport, but Kawasaki’s record over the last twenty years or so has been pretty darned impressive too. When you think of all the wins and titles piled up by the likes of Mike Kiedrowski, Mike LaRocco, Jeff Emig, Ricky Carmichael, James Stewart, and Ryan Villopoto—not to mention the green and golden touch of Mitch Payton’s Pro Circuit squad—you have a lot of days and nights with green bikes on top.
What strikes me most is how often Kawasaki would clean up in both classes outdoors on the same day—like RC and Emig were ruling the roost in 1997, or Carmichael and Mike Brown taking two titles in 2001, Stewart and Villopoto winning nearly every race in 2008, and Dean Wilson and Villopoto taking both National Motocross Championships just last year.
The Wilson/Tomac championship battle moves to Salt Lake City.
Garth Milan photo
So for Kawasaki, the good news seems to come in twos, which makes last weekend’s Seattle race stand out, because this time it was the bad news that came in twos: Villo’s knee injury ends his 450 MX title defense before it started, and Wilson spent post-race time sporting a sling and a bag of ice for his shoulder. Since Villopoto already did his job in supercross, he has no need to tough his injury out. But Wilson is still in the thick of the Lites West fight, so he has reason to try to solider on through the pain for two more weekends. Anything can happen, so if there’s any chance at all that Dean can race, he will.
But heading outdoors is a different story, because it’s a long, tough grind, and we all know that no matter how hard you work and how much pain you deal with, sometimes it doesn’t work out anyway. I think back to 2001 when Grant Langston lost the 125 national title due to a broken wheel in the last moto of the season. That heartbreak lives on forever in motocross lore, but what is mostly forgotten is that Langston busted his shoulder at Southwick, rode through the pain that day, then skipped a race and came back at the next. He was literally healing his shoulder throughout the summer, dealing with the pain, and then, just as all of that effort was about to pay off, it slipped away. In other words, doing two races when you already are in the title hunt is one thing; doing twenty-four (motos) when everyone starts the year tied in points is another story. We’ll see if this Seattle injury looms large for the rest of Dean’s season.
And if it does, what ramifications will it have for his team? While rumors suggest one of the Pro Circuit riders like Tyla Rattray or Broc Tickle will take over Villopoto’s 450 under the factory Monster Energy tent, it gets riskier to remove proven 250 talent from Pro Circuit if their defending champ isn’t 100 percent. We will see how it turns out.
Coming off his first win of 2012 in Seattle, Sipes is riding the wave of momentum into Salt Lake.
Garth Milan photo
Meanwhile, I just wanted to follow up to my story in last week’s Racerhead on the building process of the Jeff Ward Racing Kawasaki team, and L&Mc racing with Larry Brooks and Jeremy McGrath. JWR (which is actually the old L&M team, which Brooks managed) grabbed their first podium in their new incarnation in New Orleans, and now Brooks' new team has gotten a win and a new title sponsor all within a week. So, now, both teams appear to be up on their feet after spending some time learning to crawl (or with Brooks’ team, getting knocked down a few times). It’s always good to see new, solid teams in the pits, as those are signs of real growth in the sport. I think the last two weekends have gone a long way to helping boost both of these squads for the future.
Thanks, Weege, now back to Steve Matthes with more on what happened in Seattle:
Annnnndddd.... There goes another one! Yesterday was Villopoto's surgery and hopefully we see the champ back on track and going as fast as ever at Anaheim 2013.
So yeah, the field is as depleted as much as any in recent memory but all these injuries got me thinking about another year where I remember sitting in the stands thinking, Who’s actually not hurt? The year was 1998 and we were at Sam Boyd Stadium then for the final round of supercross, and just like 2012, that year saw a lot of guys go out with injury. At the first round that year at the LA Coliseum, there were eleven factory riders (or supported riders) and below, the results from Vegas that show four guys (McGrath, Pichon, Henry and Lamson) with ties to a factory team.
1 Jeremy Mcgrath Sun City, CA Yamaha
2 Mickael Pichon France Suzuki
3 Doug Henry Torrington, CT Yamaha
4 Michael Craig El Cajon, CA _Honda
5 Jimmy Button Phoenix, AZ Yamaha- Nope, on MC’s team but no factory support this year.
6 Larry Ward Woodinville, WA Suzuki
7 Pedro Gonzales Mexico – Yeah, Mexico!
8 Mike LaRocco La Porte, IN Honda (I didn’t count Mike because in ’98, he wasn’t getting factory help yet)
9 Jean Sebastien Roy Acton Vale, Canada – Yeah, Canada!
10 Shaun Kalos Litchfield Park, AZ Yamaha
11 Buddy Antunez Ontario, CA Suzuki
12 Cliff Palmer Del City, OK Kawasaki
13 Jeff Dement Spring, TX Yamaha
14 Heath Voss Prior Lake, MN Honda
15 Mike Jones Garland, TX Kawasaki
16 Jason Thomas Melrose, FL – Yeah, JT$!
17 Grayson Goodman Plano, TX Kawasaki
18 Michael Brown Saugus, CA Honda
19 Steve Lamson Orangevale, CA Honda
20 Jeff Matiasevich La Habra Heights, CA- Privateer at this point for those wondering.
Outdoor testing has begun!
Simon Cudby photo
It’s a privateer's dream! Sixteen guys made the main and raked in the privateer bonus fund as well in ’98. So yeah, the basic premise of this whole thing is that sometimes crap happens and it doesn’t have anything to do with four-strokes, track designs, or the moon-and-star alignment. Now if this keeps happening, let’s start to take a long hard look at our sport.
By the way, the above results were courtesy of Racer X’s The Vault, which is an incredibly awesome resource of race finishes from motocross and supercross through the years. I can’t thank the guys behind this enough and on Friday night before Seattle when I was supposed to meet my wife for dinner, I was immersed in this just surfing names and years. Great stuff. Check it out at vault.racerxonline.com.
Make sure you check out Pulpmx.com for more info about, er, stuff. And listen to the Pulpmx Show on Monday nights with some of the best riders and industry people in the sport. This coming week, before Vegas, we’re having our annual Vegas SX show on Friday night so check that out.
Okay, here's Aaron Hansel, with more on guys actually racing right now...
Earlier this season I found myself sitting in the press box with some of my Racer X colleagues watching the Lites practice unfold. Our eyes were on Tomac, who was in the process of laying down a heater of a lap, and we started talking about how well he had been doing (this was in the middle of the winning streak he had put together in the first leg of the series) and how great it is when the good guys of the sport are able to start coming up with wins. As a member of the media, it’s fun to cover, and for the most part, the fans love hearing about it. Well, Seattle presented us with not one but two of these feel-good stories when both Andrew Short and Ryan Sipes came away with wins.
You just can’t help being happy for both of these guys, as both were fighting some pretty serious adversity. Short, who started the season in a big rig before doing time in a sprinter van when his team lost its primary sponsor, didn’t even know if his team was going to have the funding to continue racing. He was also coming back from a shoulder injury sustained after getting run over in San Diego. Any way you looked at it, a win like Seattle just didn’t seem very likely.
DC photo
A guy like Short doesn’t look at it that way, however. A few days after New Orleans, where Short had taken fifth place in just his first race back, I found myself talking to Short on the phone for project we’re currently working on. Near the end of the conversation I brought up New Orleans and congratulated him on his race. He politely thanked me but said he was bummed about how he did in the main. It was a reminder of just how badly these guys want to win, and I hung up the phone thinking how awesome it would be if Short were to finally get that W before the season was out. Then, boom! Less than a week later, it happened. I can’t even imagine what kind of a night it was for Short’s #1 fan, Moser, but I bet Mrs. Moser had some serious cleaning up to do the next morning.
And how about Ryan Sipes coming away with his second career victory in the Lites class? I certainly didn’t see this one coming either. Not that Sipes isn’t capable of winning—he won two races last year—but he hadn’t exactly been having a stellar year up to this point, and Seattle would mark his first race back since breaking his hand and separating his shoulder in February. Sipes is fast, but a win in Seattle didn’t seem likely. Well, while everyone was focused on the knock-down (literally) drag-out fight going on behind him, Sipes just motored away to take the W.
Not only was the win a great way for Sipes to regain his confidence and put the first part of the season behind him, it was great for the whole Star Racing/Valli Yamaha team, who like many other teams this year, have been hit hard by injuries. Congratulations to Short and Sipes. It’s great to see two of the sport’s nicest guys get rewarded for all of their hard work. How cool would it be if they kept it going tomorrow night in Salt Lake City?
Short celebrates his first career SX victory.
Garth Milan photo
In other news, if you live in Northern California, you should know that Riverfront Park in Marysville is once again open for practice. The track has gone through several operators in the last few years and as a result has experienced a few long periods of vacancy and neglect. Thankfully, some new operators have reopened the gates and are making a go of it. I rode there on Tuesday and had a great time. They still have a couple things to work on, but as long as they keep getting riders, they’ll be able to keep improving. If you live in the area, give it a spin—it’s worth checking out.
Okay, let's wrap it up here with some other notes on the week....
I got an email from my friend John Tillman. He spotted this week's The Moment, in which Jason Weigandt referenced the fact that Ryan Villopoto and Dean Wilson, the two defending Lucas Oil AMA Motocross Champions, were injured at Saturday night's Seattle race and may have some problems (and in RV's case, it was spot-on—still waiting to hear how Deano is).
John's note suggested that we maybe do another version of The Moment:
“The Moment Part 2 has very little to do with what went on during the race itself. It's what happened after the race. 50 yards from the finish. Just after the checkered flag. Two guys who were both racing for their first win EVER in the Supercross Class stopped, high-fived each other and then shared a 'moto-hug' congratulating each other on a great race and clean riding. Ken Roczen and Andrew Short should both be commended. For in that moment they demonstrated what is RIGHT with this sport. The only fingers exchanged were high fives. No one roosted the Doc, no one got run off the track and there were no 10-page threads on the message boards about it. Thanks to Andrew and Ken for demonstrating what the sport is really about. How cool was that? Pretty cool if you ask me.”
Short (center) and Roczen (right) shared the podium in Seattle.
Garth Milan photo
And speaking of K-Roc, he's not racing this weekend; he's hoping to be ready for not only the Las Vegas showdown but also the outdoor nationals, which start in just twenty-two days! Simon Cudby caught up with the Red Bull KTM rider as he and the team tested parts and suspension at Comp Edge earlier this week. Check it out.
Also, check out this little preview film that our friend Matt Wozney of MXPTV made to get everyone primed for Hangtown.
Have you been following Ricky Carmichael's exploits since April 1? That's when the GOAT showed up at Aonia Pass in Georgia to enter a Loretta Lynn's Area Qualifier. While some thought it was an April Fool's joke thought up by some hack with a penchant for that kind of stuff, Carmichael was serious: He wants to go back and race Loretta Lynn's and enjoy a week at the ranch with his family, something he's never been able to do—even when he was racing! Fox Racing will be following Ricky's progress and then released this very entertaining film this week, part one of three. Speaking of RC, make sure to check out this video of him talking about the upcoming Monster Energy Cup.
Our own Simon Cudby was out at Comp Edge MX earlier this week doing double duty with the photos and video. The list of riders out testing on Tuesday is long: Shorty, the Hahn Brothers, Roczen, Sipes, Nico Izzi, Justin Bogle, Blake Baggett, Darryn Durham, Broc Tickle, Blake Wharton, Hunter Hewitt, Justin Brayton, Malcolm Stewart.... Speaking of Malcolm Stewart, word is that Mookie had a big get off and tweaked his elbow, then headed back to Florida. Here are some pics, and here is the video.
This Ken Roczen shot by Simon was also a big hit on Facebook.
Simon Cudby photo
Travis Pastrana will make his highly anticipated Nationwide NASCAR debut tonight at Richmond. You can catch Pastrana in action on ESPN 2 beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern. And check out this funny SportsCenter commercial with Travis.
David Bailey's good friend Mark Edwards might have the coolest surfboard in history, at least if you're a motocross fan! It's designed by Bailey himself and was shaped by David's dad.
Surfing with this board would automatically make your form and technique better!
Over in Europe they’re in Italy for Round 3 of the FIM World Championships, which will take place at Fermo on the Adriatic coast. Michael Leib is over there racing on the Monster Energy Yamaha team in place of the injured Zach Osborne, and he's been keeping a log of his travels online. Here is the latest blog from Michael. It’s a good read about the first GP in Bulgaria, where he had two good motos despite almost no time on the bike.
So far they’ve had four winners in two races—the favorites Tony Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings at the opener, and then the challengers Gautier Paulin and Tommy Searle in Bulgaria. You can watch the races early Sunday morning here in the states on www.mx-life.tv on a pay-per-view basis.
And there there was this bit from Motocrossplanet:
“There are going rumors over the internet that Max Anstie's dad, Mervyn Anstie, had a fight with a few Joel Roelants fans at the Grand Prix in Bulgaria. Both riders had an aggressive fight in the second moto but shook hands after the race. On the Internet there are rumors that his dad got arrested but the most funny thing about this story is that his dad wasn't even on the track in Bulgaria and is at his farm in the USA. There was also a rumor that Max got fired from the Gariboldi Honda Team. All rumors are untrue and Max and the team are really happy together. We asked Max to give a comment on this situation.”
Here's a video clip of Max on the rumors.
Congratulations to Rekluse Motor Sports, manufacturer of the Rekluse automatic clutch, for receiving the U.S. Small Business Administration’s top national award for a small-business exporter.They will be honored in a ceremony in Washington, D.C. next month. Read more here.
Finally, a reminder to our professional racers who also read Racerhead: Racer X and MX Sports will take over Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park's outdoor national track on Friday, May 11, for a complimentary professional practice/testing afternoon. That means no amateurs or minicycles or quads or whatever on the big track. Just pro racers, factory and privateer alike, who are competing in the 2012 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championships. This wil give you guys a clear track to test your bikes, work on your speed, and just prepare for the Hangtown opener, which is eight days later. The vet track and youth track will remain open to everyone else, but the big track is yours and yours alone on Friday afternoon. Look for a Competition Bulletin from MX Sports early next week, and plan on being there around lunchtime. The track is yours until 5 p.m., courtesy of Racer X and Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park, which will host the series finale on May 8.
And finally, a sad industry note, from our friend Mike Koger from Smooth Industries:
An orthodontist whose skiing passion helped turn him into a pioneer of goggle and sunglasses has died of complications related to heart surgery. Robert Earl "Bob" Smith was 78.
Smith's family confirmed that he died on April 18 in California.
Smith in the 1960s channeled his frustration with fogged goggles while skiing in Utah, using his knowledge of dental tools and foam to create a double-lensed ski goggle with inner lens that could be protected from the cold. He patented his invention, now considered the industry standard.
Smith built the Smith Sport Optics headquarters in Ketchum in the 1970s, then sold the company in 1991. Smith Sport Optics says it holds a 45 percent share of the snow-goggle market in North America, making it the top manufacturer.
That's it from this week in motocross. Thanks for reading Racerhead, see you at the races!
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Why doesnt james just show up on his own Idea of a machine like many before him.Just to shut up all the NA SAYERS.
just in it for the money huh, good for him
#7 on #22's Outdoor bike would go 24-0. Okay, maybe not, but he'd walk away with the #1 plate.
Wow all u guys hop of JS7s D%ck. U realize to win the OUTDOOR title u actually have to put in major work. Ummm? James dont do that , he only cares about cars now. Dungey will beat JS7 by 30+ seconds every dang race. Jeese was the RV beatdown this year not enough proof that Hard Work gets u results nowadays not just talent
I would bet anything if RV was racing Stewie would be no where to be found racing outdoors but that is something he would do race when all of his competition is hurt. Dungy will still probably beat him
the Stewart thing is getting weird
Can't wait to see him go 1-1 at Hangtown.
All the RV nutswingers, dry your eyes and realize that this article is not just about James Stewart. RV has missed the same amount of outdoor seasons that James has.
That Chaparral Honda looks great. Hopefully it works as well for Short as it did McGrath. Another hope is Davey and Jody get along some day, they have the best two mags in the business.
When push comes to shove The Smiling Assasin will park Roczen like a used Pinto !
JimM
Pala374
Name another elite pro who gambled millions to moto.......................
ah...............................................................................CR
Come on James !
JimM
Pala374
Who cares about James when there is a much bigger story: Malcom wrecked!?!?! No wait, that's normal... Somebody get that kid off a bike before he hurts himself or someone else...
You honestly think CR put millions of his own money into his team?
I havent heard of any rider giving up millions in your back pocket since MC walked away from Honda. I wouldnt be a bit surprised if lawyers are figuring out how much he has to give back from signing bonuses, to advertising, all revolving around him and JGR for 2011. Things had to be pretty ugly and I give him credit for not pooping all over the team or his Yamaha all season long. He's been quiet. I hope he has a great outdoors and makes it a race till the finish.
I will not believe it till I see on JS7 deal.What would be weird is if JS7 showed up as Dungeys team mate.
@PW29
Are you that dense to think he didn't? CR walked away from Kawi and a multimillion dollar contract, because he knew he couldn't win on that bike. Reed was smart with his money and yes had to "invest" millions into his own effort. I don't think JS has the street smarts to do that.
Haters gonna hate!! No matter what....Haters gonna hate!! Some of you jackasses saying JS is all about the money and doesn't care about racing need to read this paragraph over and over...."Stewart’s got to get on another team. And seeing how he came close to racing for Suzuki before signing with JGR, I’d bet heavy money he’ll be on a Suzuki as soon as he’s officially released. If we see this happen, I have to admire Stewart for giving up millions of dollars at JGR Yamaha to ride for a team I guarantee you isn’t paying him anywhere near the same rate. He also could have hung out all summer, collected his cash, and not put the time and work in to race the nationals; he didn’t have to race, per the terms of his JGR contract. Instead, he’s so frustrated by not being able to win that he’s just going to walk away. That, my friends, takes balls." Well said Matthes, but haters gonna hate anyway!!
This is the other thing Matthes said that is very true, even if "the bike" actually has nothing to do with it........."Stewart and the Yamaha YZ450F haven’t gelled at all, and the real reasons James is struggling don’t really matter—it’s in his head, and that’s what counts." Totally true...if it's in his head somehow it makes a difference!!
Racer x, how can you not include Jeff Ward in your top Kawi riders? Everyone soon forgets!!!
Diggin that Chaparral Honda.
The only reason Stewart would win the outdoors and I mean the only reason is because Villopotto won't be there. You could give Stewart all the bikes he wants Honda, Suzuki (which he has at his house and has been testing all along) Kawi and he wouldn't have a prayer and Villopotto. Now he will have his hands full with Dungey and I will put my money on Dungey. Stewart will find some excuse to bail out and not run all the rounds...
Stewart has been busting his ass for weeks+ to be ready for hangtown. Way before RV2 got hurt. I hope he kicks ass.
Any word on what Regal will be riding?
@kawi567.... Do your parents know you are on here , this is for People with Moto. knowledge ! your posts are uninformed , and obtuse !
That would be kind of Awesome if Chad & James put their differences aside & Stewart rode for Team TwoTwo outdoors.... I could Almost, Almost see that happen. Would all the Stewart haters change their opinion of him then? Reed Is my favorite rider to watch, can't wait till 2013 SX season it sould be Great with all the fresh new talent. Hopefully everyone can stay safe & injury free.
"Number Seven will line up as a full-time outdoor rider at the May 19 Hangtown Classic"
DC:
I will believe it when I see it, (on the live Hangtown timing & scoring web page). I hope it is true!
On what planet does a person get commended for breeching a contract simply because he doesn't like it after the fact? JGR should be commended for not trying to recoup money from him as he most assuredly has been riding other bikes and talking to other teams. For this he gets congratulated? Walking away from money is a lot easier when someone else is sitting there holding a purse full of money, oh and you got a bunch already. I notice he never went the Reed route and bet on himself. As if the Red Bull money has dried up too? The Red Bull money was probably worth more than the JGR contract so stop with the leaving all the money on the table. 2 years, 2 blownup midseason contracts, 2 teams........that has got to be a record or something.
If Stew lines up on anything but blue, He is gonna make alot of people eat their words. I am not a big Stew fan, but anyone that has slammed him saying he is done is gonna be in for a rude awakening. RV is a bad dude, but one big thing about our sport is managing to stay healthy, and unfortunatlely he had a mishap and will not be able to defend. However, Whomever does make it to the end of the season and becomes the champ, will have truly earned the mx championship, no matter who is in.
We are in for a really good summer!!!
"Dungey will beat JS7 by 30+ seconds every dang race." Hmmmm, I'll try to remember that prediction during the MX season. CAN Dungey beat JS7 by 30 seconds in an outdoor moto? Maybe. But EVERY race? Nope.
Congrats to Shortie, Jeremy, and Larry on their new sponsor. The bike and rig looks great. I hope it all works out for them. As for lil Stewie, if he breaks his deal JGR, it's not like he is going to end up on welfare. If he were to take a ride from Zook, that would be most impressive. Otherwise my offer for the CZ 400 is still open to James for the summer.
B-KR is without a doubt the biggest douche-bag hater on this website!! Leave it to that twit to still put some sort of negative spin on Stewart!! Sorry your boy is sidelined jerk....deal with it!! You may well be hearing a whole lot about JS in the months to come....will be fun to watch you squirm in cyber-space!!
B-KR wrote: On what planet does a person get commended for breeching a contract simply because he doesn't like it after the fact? ....... For this he gets congratulated?
Thank you. Exactly. I wonder what some people think the purpose of a contract is in the first place.
A better recent example is/was Ben Townley about 3 years ago. He had the Factory Honda 450 ride. Then he got hurt in the pre-season, figured he couldn't give Honda what they were paying for, gave the money back, and went home to get healthy. Not sure if that takes balls, but it sure as hell takes class. Not seeing a lot of that in the JGR deal.
So its gonna be JS7 and Metcalfe at the Yellow makita yoshimura tent. Man it would suck for Dungey to watch james win on a bike he used to ride. Lets hope they fix that suzuki right and that JS7 doesn't leave mid season for bike malfunction.Lets face it the yellow team cost dungey the title last yr in sx the chain came off in mX he ran out of gas on it and it wouldnt start.
So, Elsinore and B-KR....are you gonna criticize JGR in this also, or just JS?? JGR is a pretty big outfit, and has some pretty hefty people behind it (remember who Joe Gibbs is?) Sometimes things don't work out for everybody involved, i think it is highly commendable that they can find resolution in this without it getting ugly, or without somebody staying where they don't want to be.....there is more involved here than just James Stewart fellas. But, i know that you have to search for every possible thing you can to rag on him about.......LAME guys, pretty lame!!
Ii js7 wins on the suzuki, its gonna really look bad riding the blue bike.
For all you guys that think James can't win outdoors, c'mon!!! He won two races indoors this year and he still has it in him.
Harry, we didn't forget Wardy. The sentence was about the great Kawi champs of "the last twenty years," not all-time. If it were, Jeff Ward is certainly #1 on that Kawasaki list...
DC
BKR elsinore....what else is in the JRG / Havoc7 contract...since you've obviously read it and thoroughly examined every clause..and heard every conversation ...and you must also know any Townley contract HAS to mention giving the money back if injured ....Its wide open now that the new sheriffs pony fell on him and he has his bars and pegs adjusted to 'couch' ... I just hope for great racing , alot of great riders get to the front and hopefully PLEASE God , have less injurys. I got a feelin KROC is gonna be trouble this week...Go Shorty ...let the brass nads swing and get #2......the winningest MX bike in the modern era has one eye open.....
pizzacorner since the dawn of RacerX your posts get worse and worse and tonights are a perfect example. Now wipe the chew drool off your chin with your klan cap and STFU.
I feel truly sorry for Scrub-This.......what an embarrassing string of posts he just put up, obviously showing just how consumed his pathetic life really is with James Stewart!! It's ok Scrubby, it's your choice not to like the man formerly known as the FMOTP, but it saddens me to see you act so foolish in your quest to try and make your point!! What will you do if he returns to that status?? I fear for your well being!! You chumps just struggle with your lives don't you?? My heart goes out to you!! You really shouldn't re-post pieces of phrases out of context to make them suit your futile agenda buddy!!! Example, your weak attempt to make it look like "walk away" means from the sport itself......you just look so stupid when you do that....but if the helmet fits.........just try to sit back and enjoy watching one of only two riders in history to go 24-0 contest the nationals......."all you need is love" scrubby...."love is all you need"!!
Scrub-a-dub IS a loser for sure, anybody, and i mean anybody who puts forth that much effort to try and bring somebody else down has got some issues, whether it be with self-esteem, or anger or both, they have issues!! I hope you are a happier person than you make yourself out to be on here Scrub-brush!! I guess it is senseless to call you out on your obsession, your little tirade directed at James Stewart and anybody who considers themselves a fan of his clearly demonstrates what an idiot you are!!
pizza corner you are a racist loser. What the hell was that BS about darwin and Africa not capitalizing on its resources. The reason is simple. When civilizations for large groups and towns and citys ideas flow much faster and technology and capitalization of resources. Britain before Rome as an example. Or the Maya and Aztecs. All were similar to Africa before forming citys but whatever. pizzacorner your such a racist loser and after that crap you said about Deano,s parents.... @ scrubthis yes there was a guy who bailed on his team because the bike sucked and he also skipped the Nats many years his name was MC and the bike was a KTM. McGrath would not put his safety at risk on a bike he did not feel comfortable with and sat out MX to lenghen his career.
The interview at CycleNews says alot. Albrect says Stewart CANNOT just leave the team. JGR has to let him out of his contract. Also, the contract Stewart signed DOES NOT say Stewart had to race outdoors. He had the option. Which tells me that Stewaret wasnt sure if he wanted to race the Nationals or not. If he wanted to then why would he have to option to not race in his contract?? Now he wants to race since there is no RV and no Reed. Stewart is a Pre-Madonna of the worse kind. He needs to go away from our sport and get all the drama out.
@VOR, again you contribute nothing to the conversation. The ONLY time you comment is to cut a guy down and defend Stewart, so what does that make you??
Now every time I read a story about JS7 and the outdoors and what he will/won't do or ride. I have to check the web address to make sure I'm not on the National Equirerer web site. Jeez, this getting to be too much. Until he lines up at Hangtown on whatever bike, it's all just rumor and speculation and doesn't deserve my attention anymore.
I think a better example of another rider not "gelling" with a bike was when McGrath switched to Suzuki in 1997. There was lots of talk about him not liking the bike or the team. Although he did finish the entire season before leaving the team and he did manage second in SX and third in MX.
Scrub this. I might not be highly educated but its no secret even for slow people like myself that if James was white there would be so much less hateful comments. I was just giving my 2 cents on what others wrote (the darwin thing). Grant Langston and the KTM250SX did not gel and Grant left for PC. (after riding supermoto for ktm that summer) T Hahn and the YZ450 last year. CP and the YZ450. Reed and the KX450? James is not the first just the most hated. Not all the James bashers are racist because Chad took more flack than anybody for simular reasons that James is and alot of the people that hated him respect him now. I hope that James turns it around like Chad.(earns it back)
PS I have not seen single episode of Bubbas world. Should I not? is that the cause of some of this?
If one is interested in the contributions of geography, climate, culture, and race in societal and ecomonic development over time, then the definitive text is Dr. Thomas Sowell's "Race and Culture; A World View." ISBN 0-465-06796-4
Even academics who find fault with it in part would agree that it is a seminal work and required reading to aquire the basic foundation(s) required for enlightened argument of the topic. How do I know I am wasting my time even mentioning this?
http://www.amazon.com/Race-Culture-World-Thomas-Sowell/dp/0465067964/ref=sr_1_16_title_1_har?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335624032&sr=1-16
NOT defending JS and breaking contract, etc, but it IS possible for a particular rider and bike combination to just-not-work.
A million years ago, myself and two friends always raced together and usually all owned the same bikes at the same time. Worked out nice for spares, comparing modifications, tuning tips, mechanical expertise, etc. We all did pretty well but, unless something odd happened, I was fastest. Then we al bought the (1977??) YZ175.
I could not ride this bike. I tried theirs and same thing. Couldn't get comfortable on it, had no feeling for the front end. Rear stepped out with no connection to the terrain of the moment. I would crash and (this is the worst thing that can happen) I would have NO IDEA WHY. Just did. Nothing helped. Talk about feeling helpless...
The next year we all get RM250s and all the sudden I am up front again, have a good idea of what she is doing and wants, and am beating my buddies like two years earlier.
I am a Mr. Science kind of guy and it bugs me to lay out something that sounds anything like mysticism, but sometimes a particular bike and rider combo is just doomed. It is a real thing.
scrubthis I am not on a which hunt, its just when you see a post putting down Africa you kind of draw conclusions. I have read the comments on this site for years and I know the difference between a fan bashing a rider and a fan bashing a race. That said 95% of the comments posted about James good or bad are fine in my opinion but come on. I not even a JS fan but the guy is a legend for his 125 days alone. He changed MX like Jimi Hendrix change the guitar.
I don't know how in the heck comments became about talking about Africa! James has nothing to do with Africa! James is a 26 year old man from Florida! The United States of America! As far as I'm concerned we are all human beings trying to live our own lives on this earth to the best or not the best of our ability! Either way, who cares what James does or doesn't do! It's his life, not yours to all the jealous, racist, ignorant SOB's out there! No matter what James does, good or bad, you wll always have someone hating on him. That's the way this world is! I'm a fan of Stewart's and I wish things have been better for him in the last 3 years but that is life. And only he can either find away to succeed again or just continue to struggle. It is really old to see how much hate is generated towards Stewart. Only he gets this kind of hate! I dont see Dungey, Reed, Villipoto or anyone else that is at this level of talent and speed get this kind of hatred spilled on them. Its a simple fact and no denying it that James is hated because he is a black man in a white man's sport who became a millionaire because he was faster than most! I have been watching this sport since the 80's and I have never seen any other rider get trashed on like that! Its a damn shame! Pure and simple a damn shame!
Scrub-This, you are likely wasting your time. We are living in an era wherein an "education" consists of being taught that their every opinion has equal value to every other based solely on the basis that it is theirs.
I cannot improve upon the above and will thus close.
hjbanks said it all. Gavin Faith looked a little off riding that bike that made James crash.
It sounds like somebody needs to take a nap.
I appreciate Matthes following the JGR / JS /? debacle 'till the bitter end, as do many others who say they don't but, comment about it nonetheless.
I thought for sure JS would've stayed with JGR & took the money......that is, IF they rolled out a MX-ified WR450F. If that's not the case, Suzuki it is. I doubt Kawi would have him back after the Monster / Red Bull fiasco, and that only leaves 2-2 Motorsports and Suzuki.
As for all the speculation, fine, I suppose that's what bench racing is about to an extent but, until the gate drops, I'm not counting ANYBODY out......not even JS.
"Pre-Madonna"??? Did you really say "Pre-Madonna" realmofo??? A "Pre-Madonna" of the "worse" kind?? It's prima donna you idiot!!! Well, at least i now know the the level of intellect i'm dealing with on here!!! Also, you accuse ME of cutting people down??? thats rich you fool!! Oh, and obviously Scrub-brush has officially asserted himself as the GOD of MX/SX.......what a long-winded blowhard tool you are dude. It has now become comical!!!! JAMES STEWART 2012!!! WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!
Good read on this Racerhead! Happy for Brooks and McGrath on their new sponsor. I think Brooks is pretty good at getting a solid foundation laid and then building on it. Hopefully this team sticks around, gets more sponsors and riders.
@Scrub-This,, you said ----- " One obvious question, is why have they not reverted by the 2009 frame, like MC did at Honda?"
ahhhh, that may be against the rules, what do you think ???
@scrubjamesnutsack has lost his f*&king; mind....shocker ..but it was bound to happen boning his plastic JS7 doll 24/7 has cost him his brain (what there was of it)..this site must actually encompass his entire day and obviously every thought is about his darling secret plastic lover he calls "jimmy"....heres a tip ....why don't you take your plastic love doll grab your vaseline and your intellectual equal pizzacornhole and take a hike to some geo-political klan pretend smart guy man love site and type all day there. you two are embarassing real motocross riders the world over...and just so you know ..i barely read your manifesto because It already been done by you over and over every day every week till its interests us as much as that steaming pile of dog S*#t on my lawn. IT's a motocross site.....geezus... try and leave your sick f*&k racist twisted stalker crap for some other site and don't try to turn this one into your personal whipping boy ....from here on out i'll have to pass on your ENDLESS hot jair. You don't make me feel uncomfortable ,you make me feel ashamed to be on the same site.....
If JS is still under contract with Yamaha and JGR, how is he training or getting another brand ready for Hangtown? 1 week in between Vegas and Hangtown isn't enough time to be ready, hmmmm?
Anyone that says"he should go get a two-smoker and show everyone whats up" Is a complete idiot. They are awesome bikes! I have triple the hours logged on 2 stroke mxers, as I do 4, But I own a new suzuki 450. Simply because the technology is "BRAND NEW" . If it were legal to race exact cc's against one another, Engineers could probably get a 2 stroke to be exactly compatible, but it's not. Anyone that thinks its a good move, yeah, if a rider wants to win some fans over, but not if he wants to win a race.
I wish posters on here would stop saying "yeah man! Ride a 2 stroke"!!!!
Thanks Davey for pointing that out to me, I misread that...I just thought you forgot JW,sorry.
I love the comical responses from the Stewges out there. Man I can't wait for you goofballs to all be disappointed once again by your hero as you all scramble for new excuses. The obvious front runner choice will be that he hasn't had enough time on the bike yet. Get that rolodex of excuses ready though, because that can't work all season. Gonna be awesome when Mike Alessi runs James down. Woohoo can't wait. Every day brings awesome new comedy from the "newguy"s and "j sloan"s out there. Keep it up guys!
I'm gonna have to agree with "newguy" on this one....B-KR is a d-bag...never comments on things people say, just rags on JS and his fans...that is all he's got!! And Alessi running down JS?? Now that is funny!! Shut up a-shole!!
ScrubThis- it's time for your medication- now bend over.
V-O-R: can't wait to see what you've got after it happens (James succumbing to Alessi). Just once and I am vindicated, but I say it happens a bunch of times. Brayton will get him a few times too. So great how you clowns lose your marbles whenever anyone talks truthfully about your hero. Boohoo, big bad D-bag B-KR spoke poorly about my James-muffin. I forget, these posts might be from teenage girls. It is so much fun seeing you guys lose it when such things are pointed out. If you guys simply dropped the moronic hype about how he is going to smoke everyone on a new bike after not smoking them for several years now....these posts would go away. You guys were AWFUL quiet for most of the SX season and now all of a sudden a promise of yellow plastic has you all back in full force. Maybe wait to see if he has anything before the pie holes start yapping?
I think he will be excited to be racing outdoors again- a breath of fresh air.
Scurb-This..... YOU NEED to close your mouth u B%^&*$
Hope Stewart can be competitive, stay healthy and uninjured, and bring some excitement to the Nationals this summer.
Scrub-This,
You need to refill your meds before you inflict serious harm on yourself and those around you. What a shame, such a great keyboard warrior that got to caught up in the moment.
@DC, can you put a breathalyzer on your servers?