by Davey Coombs
Racerhead #37
Friday, September 14, 2012 | 5:00 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—this is not DC! On a brisk West Virgina morning, Davey and Racer X President Bryan Stealey hopped on their street bikes for an hourlong journey through picturesque Southern West Virginia. Around lunchtime we began receiving photos from DC of their adventures. Hours later, still no sign of them. We think they’re playing hooky. Anyway, enjoy some cool pictures from the boss man before we start things off with Ping!
DC sending over Racerhead photos
Bryan Stealey photo
Meanwhile back at the Racer X offices....
Racer X's Andrew Fredrickson
Chase Stallo photo
The Racing Paper's Jordan Roberts
Chase Stallo photo
Racer X's Chase Stallo with special guest Johnny O'Hannah
Jordan Roberts photo
Let's start with Ping:
I just found out there have been some major changes to the national number system for this year. The system seems to change every year, making it difficult to keep up with the process. Apparently, starting with 2012, 250-class supercross points will now count toward your national number! This is something that has never been the case before, and personally I am outraged—mostly because during my time as a pro racer I could have had significantly lower national numbers! Until this year, the only racing that counted for national points was 450cc supercross, 450 Class motocross, and 250 Class motocross. That means those riders who tend to do better in supercross will have better national numbers. For instance, Cole Seely, who had a great supercross series but missed the nationals with injury, would have had a tall number, but now he is looking much better. The official list should be out soon.
Did you go to the San Diego Supercross this year? If you did and you went by the Troy Lee Designs transporter, you probably saw a small band playing during the daytime qualifying sessions. It was a group of three guys playing some instruments and some makeshift drums who call themselves Emblem 3. I hung out and watched them for a while and it was cool music, but they seemed like really young kids just having a good time. I figured they were friends of Hollywood super-agent Brian Segrist and they got hooked up with some swag from TLD for playing a little gig at the supercross. Well, it turns out these guys are actually legit and probably going to have a future in music. They were featured on a recent episode of the X Factor and they absolutely killed it.
The search for Miss Monster Energy Cup is on, and it’s down to three very deserving contestants. I’m actually not sure what the qualifications are, but these girls all look deserving to me. Guys, I know there are many, many things you have to do during the day. And I know that even once you arrive home, the cold beer and pretzels aren’t going to consumer themselves, but if you could manage to head over to www.monsterenergycup.com and vote for the finalists, that would be great. You are so giving. Miss Monster Energy Cup will be responsible for 30-second-card duties, podium presentations, and rider interviews. And, of course, looking amazing all day long in some type of improbable Monster getup, men smashing their heads into brick walls in her wake.
I want to quickly say congratulations to Blake Baggett, Ryan Dungey, and Ashley Fiolek. Blake left no question last Sunday who was meant to be champion this year in the 250 division. His efforts in both motos were absolutely incredible and it was impressive to watch. I know Blake and his family have sacrificed a lot to get to that point. It was cool to see. And you couldn’t ask for a better example of a champion than Ryan Dungey. As Weege pointed out this week in his Racer X Redux, Ryan put in his work at home, raced hard on the weekends, and never once let a bad word fly or let emotion get the best of him. That is as rare as winning ten rounds in a row.
And Ashley Fiolek won yet another title as she rides off into the sunset. I’ve heard she is going to quit racing but nothing has been announced officially, as far as I know. Ashley is an amazing person and an amazing talent and I hope she stays involved in the industry in some capacity. Great job to all of you. Now go kick some sand in the world’s face in Belgium.
Congrats to Ashley Fiolek on her fourth WMX title.
Simon Cudby photo
Now over to Matthes:
And … exhale. We’re all done with the season and now the off-season begins.
Sort of.
In a couple of weeks we’ll have the Motocross of Nations and then a couple weeks after that will be the Monster Energy Cup and then couple weeks after that I’ll probably be in Paris for Bercy. Not that I’m complaining about it—just pointing out, as my wife did the other day, that there really isn’t an “off-season” for me either.
Lake Elsinore has come and gone, and what a ride by Blake Baggett there. There was no talk about points scenarios and what he would need to clinch the title this past weekend. Nope, Baggett went out and took care of business with the overall win, and most likely, had he not fallen, with a sweep at that. Baggett was fantastic on the new track, and looking at the stats, he only holeshot one moto all year, led the fourth most laps on the year, and yet led the points the entire way.
And Blake Baggett on his first career 250 Championship.
Simon Cudby photo
That tells me he was the best guy. He passed his main rivals and grabbed wins, which makes him the best in my opinion. Not leading a ton of laps, not grabbing holeshots, and having the most wins speaks for itself.
We had Eli Tomac on the PulpMX Show last Monday, and to his credit, he didn’t shirk from the fact that Baggett was the better man and also admitted that in the first moto, the heat got to him. Eli rode amazing and showed great speed, but it wasn’t enough in the end. He also dropped a substantial hint that he’d like to ride 450 outdoors next year, and I hear there’s a good chance it could happen.
Justin Barcia captured another moto win at Lake Elsinore and, because of Tomac’s poor second moto, captured second overall in the 250 points. By far, without a doubt, 2012 was Barcia’s best outdoor season, as he doubled his career race-win total and was a consistent front-runner. He’s off to the 450s next year. Not sure what Jeff Emig was talking about in the broadcast about how Barcia will find it tough to win the 450 title since no rider has won the big-bike title without winning the small-bike title. Chad Reed from three years ago comes to mind, as does Jeremy McGrath, Greg Albertyn, and others. It’s okay, Justin, you’re still good to go win the 450 motocross title.
The boys at KTM sure did a great job with the all-new 450 SX-F and figured out how to make the bike last all twenty-four motos and tune it into a winner. Oh yeah, I suppose Ryan Dungey has something to do with that as well. Dungey has now won four supercross and motocross titles combined and is now third all-time in 450 (250) MX wins and also fourth all-time in combined outdoor wins. Ricky Carmichael, James Stewart, and Bob Hannah sit above him, but two of those guys are in sight (but one of them might have something to say about that next year).
Mike Alessi won the Sportsperson of the Year Award.
Carl Stone photo
Congrats to Mike Alessi on a great season as well. Riding his Hot Tub Time Machine, Alessi fought hard the entire season and never, ever admitted defeat to Ryan Dungey. What a year for the #800 and his MotoConcepts team.
Okay, that’s it for the week. Matthes OUT.
And finally Weege:
Between running this website and hosting a bunch of TV stuff, I've probably been involved with 179,534 projects this racing season. But there was still one big goal for the year: getting the annual Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Awards Ceremony over and done with in a reasonable amount of time. This year, finally, it's mission accomplished. DC provided the closing comments for the show, and at exactly 8 p.m., we were done. We were on time down to the minute!
This is the fourth year MX Sports has run a postseason awards ceremony, and this one ran the most smoothly, by far. The first year, 2009, the final race took place at Steel City, so we threw a little get together in Pittsburgh. After the show, I remember complaining when Chad and Ellie Reed were headed back to their hotel instead of heading out to the bar. Well, little did I know Ellie was actually pregnant at the time. And then Chad rallied back downtown an hour later to celebrate! The next two seasons, Pala hosted the final race, and we made the awards show out in California much bigger and better. Too big, in fact. Last year's show dragged on forever as we handed out all kinds of special awards and tried to make sure everyone who came got some sort of recognition. We were in trouble when Ryan Villopoto finally got to accept his 450 Championship at the end of the night and said "You've lost the room, dude." I guess four hours will do that!
Ryan Dungey won the 450 title for the second time in his career.
Simon Cudby photo
This year we took a less is more approach, with a goal of starting at six and ending at eight. We did it. Sadly, that means I left a ton of jokes on the cutting-room floor, but my real job hosting this thing is to move it along, so I'm cool with that. Plus, I bruised much fewer egos this year. Then we moved the show into South Coast Winery courtyard and ballroom and had a great after party. It took for years, but we finally got it dialed.
To pare the show down, most of the awards are predetermined based on points and such (and giving Roger DeCoster Team Manager of the Year and Red Bull KTM Team of the Year Awards was pretty much a no-brainer). But the Sportsperson of the Year slot was up for much discussion. In the end, we gave it to Mike Alessi. Mike and his family ("My crazy dad," laughed Mike during his acceptance speech) have been much maligned over the years, in great part because they did not exude much sportsmanship. Back in the day, the Alessi's were not afraid to brag, they held a win-at-all-costs mantra, and they caused friction wherever they went. It's Mike Alessi's past that makes his 2012 outdoor campaign so exceptional. This year, Mike became the most respectful rider in the series (and, in the case of his, "Please hug me after I just beat you" moment with Dungey after Washougal, he was almost too respectful at times), and that's not something you would have expected from the Alessi's ten ye ars ago. "At the end of the year last year, I didn't have a ride, I didn't know what I was going to do," said Mike. "I think that humbled me."
Indeed. So humble now is Mike that after the show, he told me being Sportsperson of the Year means as much to him as winning the championship. Not sure if he really, really means that, but I know that it's a least a consideration. At one point, the Alessis would have traded anything for a race win or title. Now, they run a much more balanced program. Change like that is hard to come by, so Mike and company are definitely deserving of some praise for turning their ways around.
Jessy Nelson won Rookie of the Year honors.
Carl Stone photo
Now some random notes to end the week:
Red Bull KTM's Jeffery Herlings wrapped up his first career MX2 World Championship last weekend at the Grand Prix of Europe in Faenza, Italy. Earlier this week he was thrown a welcome home celebration by the Dutch fans in the town of Gemert. Video courtesy of Motocrossplanet.
The French Motocross of Nations team has released their graphics for the September 30 race at Lommel, Belgium.
Rob Kinsey, the UK-based artiest who specializes in motocross-themed work, was recently visiting Georges Jobe in Belgium. Jobe is still fighting his battle with leukemia and is currently undergoing treatment and recovering. While in Belgium, Kinsey made a side trip to the hollowed ground of Namur, and the famous Citadel circuit. Click here for an excellent little photo journey of his trip, and the famous “ghost track.”
While researching a different project, check out this old video clip I found of what appears to be the 1968 Motocross of Nations in Russia... Or maybe it's Romania's team at the event!
Round 4 of the Lucas Oil West Coast Classic Race Series presented by Racer X is back after a two-week break. Come out tomorrow, Saturday the 15th, all you SoCal racers to the Lucas Oil MX Park in Perris. Gates open at 6 a.m., sign-up’s at 7, practice at 9. This is a televised series on MAVTV. Check your local listings for the channel in your area. Don’t miss a chance to block pass your riding buddies on TV!
Snocross Champion and longtime Lucas Oil Pro Motocross privateer Tucker Hibbert had the honor this week of throwing out the first pitch at a Minnesota Twins game. Very cool!
Okay, that’s it for this abbreviated edition of Racerhead. If you have time, take a cue from our management and go out and enjoy a ride. Otherwise, enjoy your weekend. See you at the races.
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You know,
I believed the hype
I was discusted with the 125 antics
But now, i am really liking Jeff's brother!
A Great season for you.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh what a year!! MXD and MEC to top it off then look forward to A1
The Great Outdoors has come to an end, the banners all rolled up and the champs have all been crowned...I miss it already, as it was a memorable season ..
The 250's put on quite a show each week, Blazin Blake, Bam Bam, Sly Eli and KTM's Euro Duo of Roczen and Musquin kept us all on the edge of our seats. The Frantic Five laid it down at every race, kept it clean and respectful while dicing wide open. A BIG THUMBS UP to each of them for a job well done!!
The 450 class was much more cut and dried once James went out. There was no one to push Ryan Dungey and he simply lived up to his name, the Locomotive. Each week he would get on track and steam roll the competition, Alessi did his best to derail him and found away to finish ahead of him a couple times, but true to form, at the end of the day RD's steady approach had him taking the overall.
Now I must wait for 8 months for the motocross warriors to take the field and do battle once again. I only hope that supercross, the ugly step sister, does not harm as many riders as she did this last year and rob us of great racing in 2013.
It will be tough for the 250 class to surpass the great racing of this year, but I am sure Bagget will come under heavy fire form Roczen and Musquin as well his teammate Durham. Geico's Zach Osburne will have some thing to prove now back from racing the GP's as does his team mates Bogle, Hahn and Bell.
I most look forward to the return of power to the 450 class. The wily old veterans, Stewart and Reed, both former champions, will be trying to show they have not lost any speed to father time. Rookies to the class, Barcia, Tomac, and Wilson will be hungry and ready to prove that youth shall be served in the premier division. Villopoto will be out to reclaim a plate he considers his, while Dungey will be wanting to prove to all, he is the rightful owner of the big #1...
I can't wait for 2013's edition of The Great Outdoors, it will be epic....
Nice to hear (read) #800 recieved a little respect for his efforts.
It isn't so hard to believe that moto is all those people care about after having been emersed in it for as long as they have. With the exceptions of pumping air and sarcastic commentary, I haven't done ANYTHING for that long.
Now M.A. has a "sportsperson of the year" award to go with his old man's string of "NOT the sportsman of the year" awards, nice.............just kidding folks, let it go.
Inside sources tell me J-Law ran a close 2nd in the Sportsperson of the Year voting.
One other thing, when will we start adding 500cc wins to the all-time lists? Or are we supposed to forget about those men & machines altogether?
If I read this correctly Bob Hannah is going to race next year.
Are Suzuki and Tomac getting the band back together?
Stantdm..........ha, yeah now that RC and JS don't race anymore!
Studies show even the most hardened criminal can pretend to be something they're not for 6 months. The Alessi "I'm one of you, for the fans, I love this sport" season-long PR stunt was just weird.
I agree with Carlsbad.I think Dungey's as well as others all times win records should have a asterisk by those records.For one they run 12 races a year compared to when they would run six or eight of 250 then 500 races each year.Old school riders like Ward ,Stanton and Johnson get screwed when it comes to alltime wins records in the 450 class.This is total bullshit.I think every outdoor win in all classes should be combined and then just say all time outdoor win list period.Any modern rider that has won races since the termination of the 500 class should have a asterisk by it.
would run six or eight 250 races and then six or eight 500cc out door races.The true 450 class outdoor records should combine the 250 and 500 classes to their out door win records since riders like Jeff Ward,Rick Johnson etc didn't get to ride the same amount of races each year as say a Dungey does.Since the 500 class was terminated I think those should be combined to their 250 class wins.So to me Dungey is not third on the all time 450 class wins stat..If he is then it should have a asterisk beside that record.It is just total bullshit to me.That's the the type of problem you run into when the media that is RacerXill. also controls the outdoor nationals.
HAHA Emig! What the hell with that "no one has won the big bike title after not winning a small bike title"? He had to have been thinking since the classes changed to 250/450. RJ, Bailey, Stanton, Larocco are just a few more that can be added to the list of big bike champs that never were small bike champs. Still I would be shocked to see Barcia win a title any time soon.....or ever with all the talent out there.
I would love to see Tomac move up outdoors!
@ BD25 I always like your post they are usuall real good!
@ DC glad you are having some time off and going for a riide through the countryside but know we know what happens at the mighty Racer X office when you are gone? Oh I imagiine it pretty much like that any time.
@ CZmark, BillC ,Carlsbad, handlebardragger,joemotocross Fred and the ones I missed, What are we gonntalkk about now till the Trophy Des? I guess we can bench race about who is, was the fastest best most famous, luckiest, the most unlucky and all of that!
I want DC and his staff to work on an article about the beginning and the effect, the inovations and all about when we had the start lof the long travel suspension.
Some of you all can put in some of your inputs and what you all went through? Those were the days when we tried stuff from modifiying our frames and engins by using the dyno iin the seat of our pants. I know I tried a lot of stuff!
LETS RACE!!!!!!
PS: What happed to that guy a couple of yaers ago that always ended with"DUNGY RULES" ??????
Congratulation to Mike and all the riders. Thanks Mike for giving the fans a reason to watch the 450 class. Giving us one of the most exciting races of the year at Washougal. Giving all you got without making excuses, is all anyone can ask. Good luck next year.
@Welker.After MXDN we hve Monster Cup then nothing till Jan.I guess we'll have Dec,2012 to talk about.
@Welker- maybe we can start the rumor that the XR in the picture above is the bike Barcia is going to ride next year. The "Dungey Rules" guy is in prison for trying to sell himself as a motocross fan. Also for long travel suspension, I read awhile back that Charlie Curnutt was the father of long travel suspension. I am not sure if there is any truth to that, but he was experimenting with that back in the late 50"s.
@BD25 - great post, as always. When are you going to start writing a weekly column for RacerX?
@Fred - looks like the tard pills kicked in part way through your post - are you OK??
I do agree with you though - 250 & 500 races wins should be combined for comparison purposes. No disrespect to Dungey, but the way the record is calculated now is deceiving. Guys like Bailey, Glover, Johnson, Ward, JMB, etc were every bit as good as Dungey. Calculating the outdoor win record looking only at 250 wins only is just wrong.
Someone should take the time to add the 500 numbers in there and see where everyone stands.
CR500...Guess we will have to start a write in campaign to RacerX , as they have yet to ask me to write a column ....lol.....Now is a good time to give them a "Thank You" for all the work they do! They have such talented group of guys writing for them, Jason, Ping and the Boy's do a great job of keeping us entertained!! It is amazing, they can come up with such an array of ways to describe the action each week, over a very long year for them. So to all of you at RacerX, for all the long hours of research, all the time watching motocross, and all the hours spent behind the keyboard, A BIG THUMBS UP, for keeping us up dated and informed on the worlds best motor sport...
Think kissing up will help????
@BD25- you have my vote! Always good to things say, but it is how you say them. Maybe you should write the "Weekly Wrap up".
@CR500AF.You don't even want to know.It all started with a backspace.Then when it was Submitted I was like WTF.The older I get the more stupid I seem to get.@ CZMark I left Tons of Fun at Lake Elsinore.How's she doing.
No doubt, 500cc specialists like Glover, Bailey, Magoo and others would certainly appreciate getting their wins included in the tally. It wasn't until relatively later in MX history that racers aspired to be anywhere other than the 500 class. Also noteworthy is that the skill, intestinal fortitude and outright manliness of the 500cc echelon was considered a cut above the 125 & 250 participants.
It seems the emphasis in record keeping has shifted from class wins to SX vs MX wins. If that is indeed the case, Fred's idea of grouping ALL MX wins should be the standard.
Lastly, maybe all-time points accumulation (indoors / outdoors) should be considered. Even though titles are what is sought, earning points tells a tale as well. If I had more time & patience, I would do that legwork myself as, I'd really enjoy seeing those #'s.
Food for thought anyway.
@ Welker, there is a website (vintage works bike or something like that) that chronicles much of the evolution of racing dirt bikes as well as a lot of commentary from the mechanics, racers, managers, etc. of the era. TONS of cool old pics too!
It's been awhile since I've been there but, I was hooked the second I opened it up.
when men rode stuff that would blister your hand for thirty years and slam you before you could say "oh f..............." ....goodnight. http://vintageworksbikes.com/VintageWorksBikes.html
@fred- i guess she is doing okay! Tube top, daisy dukes, and tatts, she should fit right in. Also there is a small petting down the street from the track, all the free grazing she wants.
Oh fred, now I understand why people are questioning your behavior today. It's tons of fun, you miss her. lol Also that is a cool web site, I go there myself from time to time check out those old vintage bikes.
To follow Welkers request..The first mod I can remember making was to the rear shocks on my 74 TM125..After seeing pictures of forward mounted shocks, I tried to do the same. First I just moved the bottom mount forward, ended up getting the shock to straight up and down and it bent the shock shaft..Once I saved an got a aftermarket shocks, I then moved the top mount 3/4 of an inch forward. It worked better and look trick...always worried about my buddies welding though..Problem solved in 76 when my RM 125 A had forward mounted laid down shocks...
On my 79 RM 400 the recommended mod was to cut the pipe into next to the back pressure washer, then increase the hole size 2-4 mm. We did it and the bike ran so much stronger. It caused the Tera Flex rear tire to become a clod throwing son of a gun, pipe just had an factory looking scar going around it...
Welker, you talk about long travel suspension. Back in the Day I knew Skip Clark from Pro Tech, his son John wanted to stretch the suspension on my YZ250. There must have been 11 inches of travel on that thing. Well you know how some experiments fail, bike handled like crap. So instead of going through the stroke, the bike just bounced around. But hey, it looked cool!
I moved the bottom mount forward on my 74 KX125, but didn't make the gusset long enough. Bent the swingarm pretty bad! Oh well, I worked at a Kaw shop and a new swingarm was something like 25 bucks!
@ Tonewall, Excellent!
@ Welker, if the EVO stuff is your thing, that site will flip your wig.
I'd like to a see a tally of all AMA outdoor wins including 125, 250, real 250, 450 and 500. Throw Trans-AMA in there too.
For some of you old farts (me included), the Owen collection has some cool bikes.
theowencollection.com/motorcycles
@Fred, every post YOU make should have an asterisk next to it.. Just so everyone knows it was made by a whining idiot.. WAAAAAA!!! its all you do..
Oh yeah, I remember Curnutt shocks. Took me half a season to figure out why the bike turned so weird. The rake and trail were constantly changing as those shocks mushed up and down. And if you happened to hit something while off the gas, ie braking bumps, they'd send you over the bars in a heartbeat.
If you have never raced a 500cc 2stoke you have never lived IT takes a real man to go fast on one, and Jeff Ward is a real man!
First I gotta post a pic of my Silver tank YZ125,Competly modified frame cut it so that I could keep the rake and trail correct Terry Kits gave me some special internals for the forks., Billstien shocks, hand made airbox , modified Skyway pipe and 36mm Mikuni carb using an air filter from a 400 Maico. I have some pics just have the tank now. Gee I threw the production rule out into the fire! We coud do that back then!
@Welker I would love to see pics of that YZ.
fred: You're a big, sissy arse, whiny crybaby. The Dunge RULES!!!!!