An Honest Look: 450 MX Points
Tuesday, September 25, 2012 | 9:20 AM
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Our own Steve Matthes takes a look at the just completed 450 MX series. Click HERE to read.
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Good to see these guys get their last press before the return of our injured and the influx of new talent next year. I doubt any of these guys will get a sniff of the top five ever again including Mike.
This is more like a BIAS LOOK into the 450s by Steve Stewart can do no wrong Matthes
How can this tub still be in this industry ??
Very nice read and summation of the year outdoors Matthis...
To me, the biggest surprise was Tickle. Broc, who was not known for his outdoor prowess, rode very consistent and fast all season. Maybe it was the 25 on his bike, but I found my self rooting for him as the season wore on, he just seems like one of the good guys.. Grant too was a pleasant surprise. Josh benefited from Jeff Wards input this year, kept the results in perspective, not getting to high on good days or to low on bad days. He even showed flashes of his old speed, which with his new found consistency should bode well for the JGR team.
I felt bad for Weimer, Short, and Brayton, as all three had the speed, but could not find the big C(consistency), leaving them to endure a roller coaster season of ups and downs.The biggest disappointment was all the injures, they robbed us of some great racing! After watching JS and RD go at it the first two rounds, it seemed like we would see some great racing, even with RV and CR MIA due to supercross. But then James joined Milsaps and Rattray on the unable to perform list and the drama was gone from the outdoors. I feel we the fans were cheated, as well as Dungey. Ryan no longer had anyone to push his riding to the next level, which would have only made him better.
With so many unanswered questions, The Great Outdoors of 2012 left us all wanting more. Now we will have a few months to bench race about what could have been before supercross takes center stage. Lets hope, The Great Outdoors of 2013 leaves us wanting more, due to the intense, close racing we all enjoy and expect, rather than the what ifs, left by the injures caused in supercross.
"RD he’s got to beat Villopoto. Stewart and Reed in one season consistently to raise his level even higher. We know he can run with those guys but can he beat them when they stay healthy? "
. I hope we find out next year!!!
lets continue to hope everyone is healthy next May, as I plan on hitting every eastern time zone national!!! (plus millville)
"RD he’s got to beat Villopoto. Stewart and Reed in one season consistently to raise his level even higher. We know he can run with those guys but can he beat them when they stay healthy? "
I';ll bet they all crash and miss a bunch of races again trying to beat the Dunge. People just can't understand this simple point: NOBODY matches Dungey's speed EVERY race. So they gamble and beat him some but, ultimately, they crash. If they quit riding over there head every week, Dungey will beat them half the time then also. I love RV and have come to respect CR(no use for JS) but please quit with this stuff. RD5 is the best overall MX rider in the world. What he has done each of his 3 years on the 450's is amazing as he has been uniquely challenged each year while winning or finishing 2nd or 3rd each year. The only current rider with a chance to have a better overall career when it's all said and done is RV. And, although I don't think it will happen, it can only happen IF he ever learns to take a second or a third on days he's not the fastest guy. Trust me, Dungey could hang it out more and beat ALL the other fab 5 on certain days. He just isn't a gambler. He thinks longevity. He thinks championships.....
@BillC, Dungey DID beat Stewart and finished only like 8 points I think behind Reed in supercross in 2011.. Its not Dungeys fault that they all got injured this season.. But he has beaten Stewart in a full season before, remember Stewart finished 4th place, and stayed healthy all year..
"Swizzle- Shorty didn't finish on the OA podium in 2012 but he did overcome a lot of ailments and prove the KTM 350 was more of a virus than an indication of his slagging off."
Short finished behind all the same guys he finished behind last year that were racing this year. Short is a 2nd tier rider with a rare spirited ride.
I dont know how Matthes can badmouth Tyla Rattray, Josh Grant, or Tommy Hahn, while some riders just walk on water... And what team is Rattray going to ride for???
RCRDDW
Sorry bud.....but RV had a harmless 5mph tip over in a race he didn't need to be in and in a fluke instance caught his foot and tore up his knee or he would most likely still be winning! No right thinking person could deny that he was at the top of his game and the fastest guy behind to line up at the gate!
RD took a huge digger at Southwick this summer and had it been anywhere other than the soft sands of the Wick he may have been home on the couch right now!
I like RD but some of his fans are unrealistic. I would like to go over the last couple of years and get an actual total of crashes both RV and RD have had. Bet the results would be strikingly familiar?
@Ripdown
IF IF IF IF IF IF IF, but you are right, some RD fans are unrealistic. Yet there are more RV fans that are almost as unrealistic as all the JS fans than unrealistic RD fans. Most(Not all) know that RD will not always beat RV, but I will beat him, RV fans(most, not all) think that RD can't beat RV period, unless he crashes or gets hurt. Yet aren't those part of racing.
RV is a phenomominal rider. Yet in 4 years on big bikes he has completed only 1 full MX season, and was no where close to 2nd when he was a rookie on big bikes. Which he only raced 2/3 the seasons.
RD has yet to beat RV is a series he has finished!! RD can run the speed of RV but he needs to start in front of him to beat him, RD has only 3 SX win's in the last two seasons and they all came with a holeshot, RV on the other hand has won from starts outside the top 10, Passing JS, RD and CR. RD has not passed RV in two years on an SX track. Outdoors RD is better then he is at SX but the passing thing is still there just not as bad.
.Yes crashes and getting hurt are part of racing but if your just comparing the riders not the crashes and getting hurt (because there is a LOT of luck there) I give the edge to RV. I don't look at the crashes when I rate riders I rate them on speed and results. Like Ripdowns siad RD got lucky a few times this year were he could have got hurt bad but luckly did not, RV crap luck with the ACL for sure!!!
RC is another guy who rode away from some EPIC yard sales!! Wile some guys seem to get hurt everytime they fall.
"RD has yet to beat RV is a series he has finished!! "
Put a dime in this jukebox
you'll only hear this song
and it won't stay fun for long
There was a punk named MX Bob who looked like a big fat slob.
Then there was BillC who gibber gabberes like a tool, who is always in love with Villapoto who is a pimple puss . Then there was Stewy who looked like lil black baby huey. The common thread to all of this, is that all are in the abyss.
RV has yet to beat RD in a series that RD did not get a dnf. Bill go back and look at LasVegas 2011 SX and watch RD pass RV so you can stop saying he has never passed him.
rcrddw, you have some good points but I disagree on several you made. First , we have all seen RV pass CR and RD and walk away from them in the beggining of motos while he was sick and then wisely back it down and take third in 2011 MX. He clearly knows how to take second when its wiser. Second when RV and RD have raced together to this point RV finishes ahead of RD more than twice as much. RV injured his acl in practice in 2009 and had to pull out after winning his fist 450 mx race. In atlanta when he broke his legs he was not riding over his head, he made a bad line choice and spun out on concrete and drug his pegs on the jump face, his mistake (with bad luck) but definitly not riding out of control. His wreck in seatle hurting his knee was not caused by trying to run RD's pace- it was freak. Each one of these 3 injuries were his fault and I'm not making excuses for him, but to me he is every bit as consistant as RD and slightly faster. I have seen both wreck about the same # of times. He is a better passer. In spite of these RV has beaten RD every season they have competed the full season. RD's injury that took him out of the 2012 series was lucky for him it didnt happen at the end or he also would have been missing in action for the MX season, but RV was clearly beating him before he got hurt. It was RD who got hurt trying to keep up with RV ( I say this because RD was trying to catch RV in the series). RV has beaten JS (when JS didn't fall) more than any other rider racing today,
I view RD and RV as extremly close and the world leaders in SX and MX and really feel they are equally as good at both.
The title race indoors and out will be for 2nd place behind RV. That is really as simple as it gets.
sherpa !!!! LMFAO!! Really?? RV let Reed and RD by if you can't see that your crazy!!! There was a title on the line and RV did the right thing just like many before him have. If thats all ya got you proved my point.
Jeez, the RD vs RV battle rages on............
Until A1 is in the books, they are tied for 4th behind the new guys.
What if?
Barcia comes out and renders all obsolete?
Ditto Wilson?
Reed has what it takes for one more championship?
Stewart finally does what the minions have been promising for the last 3 years?
Pourcel returns to the U.S. with a decent bike?
China enters the SX series with a cutting-edge bike ridden by Johnny O'Hannah?
JGR homologates the WR450 and Grant & Brayton blow your mind?
Honda drops their factory team, handing the keys to Roush racing?
There's more in the MX / SX world than the Ryans.
carlsbad I have to agree with you... we all know where everyone stands on the Ryan's issue, not much else to add on that front until after the first few rounds of supercross have taken place.
.This year we will see two new faces in the big bike class and both have the skills to win some races...been awhile since we have had that kind of influx of talent..If Barcia comes in to the stadiums, the way he did the outdoors, he will be a factor for all to deal with...Dean is a little more low key, but very fast, it may take him a couple races to adjust to the class, but i don't see either of them being scared of the vets of the class..the new kids have attitude it will either push them to the front or be a tough thing to chew on...
Reed coming back... Chad had his longest lay off ever, coming off his worst injury ever..will that effect him mentally or physically, I know the older you get the more you think of those things...
Stewart on a Suzuki should be a fast James..but again how healthy is he and how strong mentally is he...The 7 has taken a lot of soil samples over the last two years and he too is not a spring chicken, is there a little voice in the back of his head....
Who will be the lead dog in the lites..Tomac has to be favored again and Baggett should be up there..both have teammates who might shock every one also...Bogle, Osburne and Bell would like to make some waves as well as Durham and Davalos on the PCs rides
Yes a lot of things to bench race about and I have not even got to the KTM Duo, Malcom in the middle and the rest of the guys who could impact the supercross season....