Racer X ReduX: Party’s Over?
Tuesday, January 22, 2013 | 10:30 AM
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Live tweeting (@racerxonline) from the opening laps of Saturday night’s main event in Anaheim, one thing was clear: I needed to type faster. The action was crazy, with all of the “deepest field ever” and “anyone can win” hype becoming reality. Canard! Barcia! Millsaps! Reed! Villopoto! Stewart! Dungey! All the contenders were there, plus, Jake Weimer and Josh Grant thrown in for good measure. It was wild and crazy and I found it impossible to keep up with the passes. Canard passed Barcia! Canard passed Weimer! Barcia passed someone and got passed back! Millsaps passed Grant and Weimer! Reed passed Villopoto and got passed back! This was 100 percent crazy and the pace was ridiculously radical and intense and this is going to be the greatest season ever so buy your tickets for Vegas now. You’ll pay for the whole seat but you’re only going to need the edge of it. Are you ready for SUUUUPPEEERRRCCCRRROSSS!!!!?
And then, in my furious attempt to feed all this info through my computer, the crowd screaming and my eyes watering, I was forced to blink. When I looked again, it was much different. What? Villopoto had gone from seventh third, then passed Millsaps on the outside of the first turn for second place. He then ate the gap to Canard like a fat kid loves cake. Within a lap, he was on Trey’s fender, then around and gone. This was lap six. SIX! A raging fire had been doused by a wet blanket riding a Kawasaki. You want drama and hype and parity? See ya’.
RV was dominant in Anaheim en route to his first win of 2013.
Simon Cudby photo
Beyond that, we saw some action from a Reed/Saps battle for the podium, and a Stewart/Grant dustup. Dungey was puzzlingly far back. But that’s not the same. It never is as exciting when the leader says sayonara to the pack.
Now, you can be an optimist and believe we’re still in for the mother of all title chases. But I’ve got a recipe for you, and it’s called Round Three Theory. I love to dish it and here are the ingredients:
Round one is the upset special. Even the most established riders and teams are not 100 percent sure on bike setup, and then the nerves of the opener prevent many from riding to their potential. Further, some training programs schedule out beyond the opener—those guys will find peak fitness in a few weeks, but not at A1. Mix up all the just-off setups and nerves and fitness manifestations and crazy things often happen at race one. This rattles the foundations of round two. Riders who struggled at A1 head to Phoenix a little shaken, while those who did well at round one come in with a little extra attention (and pressure). Phoenix is a reset. You can try new setups at round two. You might not be going in the right direction, but at the end of the night you’ll at least know what direction you need to start going in for the rest of the season, and those changes can be made for round three. And better yet, the nerves are beginning to fade a bit.
So then comes the real showdown at race three. By then, bike setups are refined. The nerves are gone. But confidence is still up. By round three, no one is crushed or demoralized. Everyone still thinks they can win. Round three is the perfect all-around combo of relaxed confidence and dialed-in setup. It’s the ultimate proving ground.
And that is what makes Villopoto’s Saturday night ride so dangerous. He marched through the pack, and no one could match it. Yes, Millsaps got clobbered in a bizarre first-turn heat-race crash and hurt himself a tad. Canard is still only three races into a comeback. Stewart and Reed are working through issues. Barcia cased out. But at no point during the day or night did I see anyone show anything that indicated they could beat the champ. His corner speed is just too ridiculous. His aggression and momentum are otherworldly.
RV (#1) was on fire in Anaheim, but don' count out Reed (#22) and company.
Simon Cudby photo
His comeback changed everything. It was like an ‘80s movie, where everyone is partying and girls are getting crazy in the pool, and you can’t even imagine what is coming next until suddenly you hear a record scratch, the music stops, and mom and dad are at the door, back early from their trip. Party’s over.
I’ve seen it before. When RV won Anaheim 1 in 2011, it was impressive, but didn’t prove that much. Stewart had a bad start, Reed had a brand-new program, Canard was a 450 rookie and Dungey was going racing without his man DeCoster for the first time—with the weight of the SX No.1 bolted to his bike for the first time, too. RV won that race, but it didn’t mean nearly as much as round three, at Dodger Stadium.
If you don’t remember that one, just picture the first laps of Saturday’s race with some Dodger blue behind the proceedings. RV was in the pack off the start, while Brett Metcalfe played the role of Jake Weimer by grabbing the holie. Big hitters were leading and swapping positions and the battle built with incredible intensity from the likes of Stewart, Canard and Dungey. This one was going to rage for 20 laps.
Until RV showed up with a fire extinguisher. From ninth place he doused them all until he caught Stewart—a feat pretty much unheard of at the time—and challenged him. RV then had a tangle with Dungey and lost ground, but he went back to work on catching Stewart again. Then Stewart washed the front and handed over the lead. Stewart would struggle with that all season. RV proved most capable of hanging it out and not crashing and showed he had the goods. [I grabbed a link to this race, watch the main and remember to breathe and blink.]
Current points leader, Davi Millsaps, doesn't look to be going away anytime soon.
Simon Cudby photo
[By the way: Round three last year? Chad Reed rolled everyone. It began to look like a very real possibility that Reed was the best rider in the series until the very moment it came undone two weeks later in a big crash. But Chad had what it took, and round three proved it. It always does.]
This year, plenty of other riders have plenty more to give. But with the champ firing, they’re up against long odds. Last week, we rolled out the stat again: the winner of round three has won about 75 percent of the supercross titles over the last 20 years. It’s far from over, but Villopoto just increased his odds tremendously. Uh oh.
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I disagree, I think the top ten riders have stepped it up this year and are looking racey, more so than in the past few years. I hop everyone stays healthy and we have a battle all the way to Vegas.
Agreed @yzchris76. I think RV will win his fair share of races but so will Turbo, BamBam & Reed with a possible random winner in there. Run-away? Don't think so.
Of all the banter this season of how deep the field is in the 4fiddies, that gap that RV swallowed between him and Canard spoke volumes. Truly a 'fat kid eating cake'. Anything can happen in this sport, but barring the bazaar, RV has this field COVERED!!!
As I posted yesterday in Monday conversation, Ryan is the Two Time defending champ for a reason..He excels in supercross!! As Jason reiterated his corner speed and track aggression are unequaled by any of the other riders...He has that McGrath style mystique that causes the other riders to settle for second once he has passed them..rarely does someone even try to retaliate...
But again, lets not hand him the crown yet, lets enjoy this season and all the surprises it may hold. Villopoto may earn his 3rd straight title and join a select group of riders, then our thoughts will be confirmed, Ryan Villopoto is one of the best ever to race Supercross!!!!
"And then, in my furious attempt to feed all this info through my computer, the crowd screaming and my eyes watering, I was forced to blink. When I looked again, it was much different. What? Villopoto had gone from seventh third, then passed Millsaps on the outside of the first turn for second place. He then ate the gap to Canard like a fat kid loves cake. Within a lap, he was on Trey’s fender, then around and gone. This was lap six. SIX! A raging fire had been doused by a wet blanket riding a Kawasaki. You want drama and hype and parity? See ya’."
.No one else could pull that off!!! Well JS if healthy.
RV3PEAT!!!!!!!!!!
"he was clutch when he needed to be clutch"
What does that even mean?
If we get a new winner next week will that rider become the next one that is going to go on a win streak and win the title. Three different winners, all being talked like the season is over for the rest. Only difference this time is it could be true.
@ Misoheye
the difference is the winner last week came from well back to the front in a quater of the race and has been the fastest each week.....the previous two winners started up front and stayed there.....if RV has found the comfort zone this could be wrapped up before Vegas. I don't wantthat to happen but it could.
it truly amazes me whenever I rewatch the races (PVR) and go to slow-mo. RV is so much more aggressive in the corners it's rediculous....that speed advantage is all the difference!
Villopoto is awesome, but as others are saying, I think it's WAY too premature to say he's got it in the bag. Much too deep of a field.
People are wrong when they think this is such a "deep" field.
Not everyone's on their game except RV. Injuries, comebacks, Canard claiming contentness...
RVs only competition will come from Barcia, possibly Canard.
Some tracks are better for different riders. Some weather conditions are better. Right now, it appears Canard and Barcia may have the speed to hold off RV. Hopefully RV just felt right on this track and we will continue to see parity. I think Canard has the speed, but after his injuries, I think he just felt the smart thing to do was grab second and stay in the pts race.
@ Rick
I agree...well it may be the deepest field in many years as far as high end talent goes it's not deep as far as top end speed. Only a few, one is a rookie who just about ruined his season/career last weekend, one is recovering from a terrible back injury and seems resigned to the fact that the champ is faster. The other is the champ who did something last saturday that I don't think I've ever seen? If I have it was so long ago I don't remember?
Does anyone else feel thought JS is done? Supercross riders age in the blink of an eye, and I am not sure if the injury is holding JS back, or if this is JS and excuses have kept everyone thinking he is still one of the fastest riders.
UPITT77 Canard did not have the speed to hold off RV last week.....or the week before. so what do you mean?
@ripdown...Another reason RV may start to get the ball rolling is because of the other riders themselves. RD so far really hasn't been a factor or shown he has it waiting to come out(lap times don't count). Trey wants to finish the whole season intact. James is hurt and so far not a factor in the mains. Chad needs some more coal on the fire. Davi is more poised than ever to take over K-Dub's role, fan favorite with a mixed bags of results. Barcia is himself. Lot more talent out there but, I see these guys as ones that will win the races this year and I think RV knows he is better than all of them right now.
UPITT77 I don't think JS is done. The speed is still there. He needs better starts like a few others. I thought last weekend he looked better but a bad start and a front wheel wash told the stroy. Reed has not look to good all year either but I don't think he is done either. Baring anything odd RV is the hands down Fav. If he can stay healthy and off the ground I don't see anyone at this point who can beat him. 4 weeks from now might be a dif story but right now he is the top dowg!!
PS.....I know it's probably not gonna last much longer but I gotta say. Millsaps bike looks kickazz with the red plates.....
@Jimfunn
Being clutch means being able to take/grab/hold onto something when the opportunity arises despite pressure and/or any other challenges. So "he was clutch when he needed to be clutch" means that he was able to withstand the pressure and challenges to get the job done. Being clutch is a pretty common phrase when it comes to competition and pressure... at least where I live.
I think the point was....when is someone 'Clutch' when the don't need to be Clutch?
BillC - Canard went down in Phx. Before that he had actually put ~1 to 2 seconds on RV after the attempted pass. According to race he only ended 6 seconds behind RV this past weekend. Right now Canard is not pushing his limits and so far he is still ahead in pts. If RV passes him in pts he may ride differently.
My humble take: Milsaps didn't suddenly find 2sec of speed in the off season. I guess it's possible, but not likely. The competition has gravitated back towards him, being they are all recovering from injuries.
That being said, I expect the bar to raise as the season goes on and they all get stronger. I really am proud of Millsaps because he now has the fitness to go 20, and he has the passion/heart to go with it. I would love to see him win more, perhaps josh grant should call Davi and ask him what changed.
Reed should be just as fast as RV but he's not and Dungey is dealing with bad luck. The season hasn't shown its colors yet, but I expect Barcia and RV to get into a very bam bam battle, and I can't wait for it. Trey Canard may just end up winning the title by being the new Dungey, he is playing it smart and luck is on his side right now
Barcia looked unstoppable last week, RV this week. I really wouldnt be calling a runaway just yet.
My thoughts,
Millsaps losing 40 lbs and ditching the Yamaha for the Zook couild easily knock 2 seconds off his lap times.
Reed does not have the same speed as RV, at least not consistently. He tried his best to run with RV last year and it cost him big time.
Reed looked good in the picture on the start line in his new Seven gear.
@ Fred
I do believe SHIFT was first to come out with that line? JS copyright infringement?
@ 323mx, Feld entertainment, where the clowns pay to go to the circus.
Might just be time for a riders union.
If that happens, Feld might sell SX. In a down economy, I doubt anybody could pitch infusing money into this business model in a corporate board meeting.
How about the racers & ring leaders get a price increase at the same rate?
@JimFunn -
It means, " Never question Bruce Dickinson!"
I also think Canard will be the 2013 SX champion.
Carnard finished 6 seconds back because RV allowed it. Someone posted on another thread that RV had 7 laps faster than 41's fastest! When they get a nice lead they pace themselves off the guy behind them. RV was not going all out the whole race. He was riding Carnard's pace. Which according to the lap times was not pushing it.
I agree it's too soon to call this but I have to think that most of the guys are concerned about RV's performance. Everyone knows he's capable but you don't want to see it!
So then why didn't James find 2sec a lap getting off the Yam and going to Zook? Should have put him way ahead of RV thru your logic.
Cause James is a Has-been.....you might recall DM beat him on the same Yamaha. Stewart's ego won't let him run up front when he knows the odds are he will lose. You see you can't market yourself as the FMOTP when you lose fair and square to faster guys. Easier to coast around mid-pack with an injury.....even though he consistently runs fast practice laps.
Millsaps on the other hand wants to race and see what he can be....and he's doing real well. I'm happy for him. You also overlooked the fast that he dropped 40lbs...that fact alone was probably enought to get him holeshots.
Did you guys notice that the lap times for the 450's were way faster than the 250's this week ? In Pheonix they were very close, its amazing how the tracks can determine the differences in 250/450 speeds. Nobody can say Tomac has slowed down but he wasn't even close to RV speed.
rickamatuzio, really??
You do understand how ludicrous you sounded. Davi lost weight, switched bikes and has been working/testing his butt off. He could very well have gained a couple of seconds this year, and his confidence is high and that helps.
JS may actually be riding as fast as he ever has, or even a little faster on the hot laps...but them perhaps so is RV.
The field continues to progress.
as a side note: watch the race that was posted and it is clear that the Yamaha was never the problem. The bike worked great JS was spinning the fastest lap time (until RV took over). He lost the front end which we have seen him do several time on the Suzuki. It has always been, and remains, JS .
If RV can be put himself in his own tier, so to speak, that will really give a good margin for error. If he's getting wins, while the others are trading 2-5, he's going to be gaining points in bunches. He could have another bad race or two, and still hold or regain the points lead.
They still seem to reading a bit much into one race. They had Barcia as the second coming of McGrath last week. But if RV has the points lead coming out of A3, it could be trouble for everyone else.
@ Open_Class......I always have been and still am in full agreement with your last paragraph. Everything was always great in practice and qualifying....
MustardDog ...Big Dif, RV passed his way to the front, Barcia started up front and had the road block #800 in 2nd wile he got away. Not the same thing.
rickamatuzio JS did not drop 40 pounds and start training.
Retardcross. You mean when the track is all smooth??
.Seem a lot of you don't believe the bike is an Odd duck but almost everyone who rides it says it is. Lots of Pro's have say is acts weird and the mags and RacerX also, Ping said it the list goes on and on.
Davi and WahWahh got their wins when they started upfront and the top guys had issues.
RV got his win from mid pack start then passed everyone like it was nothing and pulled a huge gap, no one is on RV's level. Of course the haters think differently.
Jason is right. When the bugs get fixed from the first few rounds and the alpha dogs like RV get dialed. We're in for a clinic.
What RV showed everybody that night is that he's getting dialed, that he's still alpha dog and he will run you down from a bad start and crush any hope and confidence that you had. As much as the haters want to think that their guy is on RV's level, they're not, sorry.
RV's monster sponsorship is really fitting, because when he's on it he really is one hell of a beast.
Also, you WahWahh fanboys need to chill, yeah he's been doing good, but comparing WahWahh to RV,JS,CR,RD is just too funny. Hold that load in a little longer, wait until, i don't know maybe when WahWahh has as many championships as a guy like RV,JS,RD, or CR. then you can blow over the racerx comment section but until then, just chill. :)
Great article Weege!!
Davi just keeps on impressing me. Holding the red plate after 3 rounds has to be a confident booster for him. I like the fact that he keeps pushing, so whatever the outcome of the season is, I hope Davi doesn't quit on himself.
fred- that makers mark and tons of fun parking that payload she carries over your eyes has clouded your vision. But you are right that Shift grear the James is wearing looks just like Chads. ha ha
Still too early to call a runaway... JS,RD, Reed, Canard just may end up with a holeshot next week and a win and RV could go down a few times trying to catch them. We will see. but in the meantime guess away.
anyone with eyeballs that thinks the Yamaha (of which i'm a fan of the brand) and the Zook are equals in the handling department are either blind or have no idea of how bikes work...surely you jest. The problem was as much the wind up and buck rear as much as the front....if you ever pushed down on the forks these guys run at SX you would understand why they ALL Push...they are stiff beyond normal human usage... Everybody thats been on ole whirlwind has been slammed or scared...the 14 will change that. RV ..done playin..trouble....gone.
What is eating Ryan Dungey? Thats the interview I want to see. SuperX is too unpredictable to be shouting RV1's name from the rooftops just yet. The action at the front of the pack was intense,counted 7 bikes on my tv at once! Was happy for DM18 first two but that repass on Reedy really has me in his corner.
@Weedge
really liked that enduro article bout riding the barrens in nj. Why dont you ride a national enduro,camp out Saturday night,rub elbows with the working man,and get smoked on Sunday by the pro's who race for trophy's. Would be cool of RacerX to show another facet of the dirt bike world.
As much as I hate to admit, no one is close to RV's speed this year... so far. I knew it at A1, I knew it at Phoenix, and he proved it at A2. As long as he does not crash RV has the speed to win regardless of where he starts and regardless of who holeshots. Barcia, Millsaps, Canard, Stewart, Reed , and Dungey have all shown great speed at some point, but no one has RV speed this year... yet.
I am not saying it's over. Anything can happen in racing. But RV is going to gobble this points deficit up with a quickness. One of the other contenders needs to do something drastic to send a message to the champ. Somebody needs to get under RV's skin out there. Someone needs to show him they want some.
Definitely too early to declare the party over. Last year about the time the media types were asking about how long the RV dynasty would last he blew out his knee and missed the outdoor season. I thought from the start RV had a great chance to repeat and still do, but things can and will go wrong occasionally. I could see JB, TC, or CR winning a few.
@BillC-- I have to agree with a few others on here.. Stewart could be fine and couldnt come through this pack like he did before.. The field wasnt nearly as deep as it is now.. Stewart wasnt able to run down RC like that, but RV was able to run down Stewart.. I remember the Indy race in 2009 I think, and Reed ran down Stewart and passed him , after Reed washed out.. So Reed ran him down then.. I dont think Stewart would be able to run down RV even if Stewart was 100%....Much less make up the time and all the passes like he used too..there are way more fast guys out there now than in 2007 or 2009...
And I remember Millsaps dropping 40 pounds before LAST SEASON, not this season..He said this year was the first off season he wasnt recovering from an injury, and could just ride and train like normal, that is why he was faster.. If he was to drop another 40 pounds, he would only weigh 100 pounds.. He was 190 at the end of 2011, he got to 155 I think they said...
Sorry guys, but I've raced mx along time. I was faster at 188lbs than I was at 166lbs. Losing 40lbs will significantly help his conditioning and endurance, but I will put 20$ than it wouldn't help his lap times. Yes, I agree, I will certainly help his starts but that's not what I was talking about.
Davi is no faster this year than he was last year, but he does have more aggression and passion for sure.
I agree, Yamaha wasn't the problem that's why I said that. And Stewart was NEVER slower than Davi so lay off the crack pipe!!
Millsaps is shining because Reed came off a near career ending injury, canard same thing, Barcia is a rookie and has marbles is in head, Stewart is hurt, grant is smoking something, Dungey doesn't know where he is, and Short is over the hill plus Windham retired.
@rick--I dont think it is so much Davi's weight, I think he is in better condition, so he can go fast longer.. He was always in the top 3 or 4 after 1 or 2 laps, but by lap 10 or 12 he was nowhere, because he faded.. He isnt fading now, and he even made an agressive last lap pass for his win at A1.. He is faster for 20 laps, for sure..
@ rdub934
Reedy put it in on RV and gave his front end a good smack when he passed him.....all that did was inspire the Champ to go 7th to 1st in six laps.....
Kudos for Villopoto. That was a dominant performance at A2 and winning by coming rapidly through the pack doesn't bode well for the competition. Weege is right. Villo could get on a roll for awhile and be hard to beat. However, in SX anything can happen at any point.
I think the Stewart of old IS done. That doesn't mean he can't win, it just means it's unlikely he will dominate like he did 4-5 years back. At least he hasn't shown any signs of being able to do so consistently (or really even randomly) in about 3 years.
I hope RD5 and Reed find their groove soon and many kudos to Canard! Keep it up! Hope Barcia recovers soon.
I will agree with that. Millsaps battling Barcia is the lcq showed me he is going for it, and he is competitive. He didn't wake up in the morning and say "I suppose I should go race today", he said "I'm gonna make these factory boys looks stupid". And he has done that on a privateer bike. It shows how much better the bikes have gotten compared to factory, basically in a sense that they are too fast. I would be excited to watch 350s do battle, I will put another 20$ that the racing would be better to watch.
@ Rick
Agreed on the 350's.....safer too I bet.
"He then ate the gap to Canard like a fat kid loves cake." - love it!
RV2 has the field covered like a true champ. Can deny whose the current Boss in Supercross.
About the only thing certain is Yamaha will win no races this year (main events) in either class, and will be lucky to get the occasional podium. However, I'd like to congratulate Justin Brayton on his heat race win.
The party was over as soon as K-Dub announced his retirement.. period!
therealmofo I agree JS is not the JS of a few years back, but the lap times say he is still faster then all but RV. We will se how it plays out. If his knee holds up I see him winning a few for sure.Just like RD JS needs a start to see if he is OK. If he gets one and does not show the speed to seal the deal...............
.when we get east a bit I think he will pick it up, maybe even this weekend he likes Oakland dirt i hear. Either way RV is a MONSTER, He is his biggest comp. Still can't wait to see him a Barcia butt heads!!
It sure seemed like Reed had RV covered on the night he got hurt last year. I think once he gets the new forks dialed in he will be able to run with RV......I guess I'm just hoping someone can!
How can you say Reed had RV covered. He was behind him, running his pace when catastrophe struck.
Did he crash because he was over his head?
Could Reed have passed RV?
If Reed passed RV would RV have passed him back?
If Reed passed RV would Reed have crashed trying to hold that pace?
Questions we will never have the answers to but to say Reed had him covered is a HUGE stretch.
First on the Millsaps comments:
He did not gain 2 seconds a lap, more like half a second a lap over last year. 2 seconds a lap slower would have him back with Alessi. Davi did finish 2nd in points last year even though it was depleted. The Suzuki certainly seems to agree with him.
As for RV:
It is wishful thinking that he doesn't mop the floor with everyone. The only thing that anyone can say is that maybe someone will find more speed or maybe he will get hurt or maybe have a mechanical or two. Matthes' Tweet of- RV takes the lead-"HULK SMASH" was perfect! Weege gave some really good visions here of what it was like too. In the end we can say RV "ONLY" finished 6 seconds ahead, but also have to come to grips with the fact that he immediately slowed by a second a lap or so and was still putting time on Canard. The scariest part wasn't his lap times either, it was how he went by Millsaps and then Canard like they were stuck in 1st gear. No lap-long looking for a spot, biding time, just zap and gone. This is what MC had, the speed in reserve to be able to go 95% and still be faster than them all. Not much crashing goes on at 95% of top speed. We will still have good racing to watch if RV keeps getting these starts, but if he ever starts getting top 5 starts? Others will find their grooves, Reed, Dungey, Canard will get stronger, Barcia will be good all year.......but they have a long road ahead of them to match that.
I can't keep up with you guys. Last week Barcia was going to be McGrath 93, this week RV is the best ever.
Reed had RV covered that night last year, no question.
RV is great but James Stewart is still fAster.. Just wait.
@ Ripdown, I am not talking about rubbing. I am talking about what Reed did to Stewart at Atlanta 2011. Okay, maybe not quite that bad, but you catch my drift. A point is going to come in this series where RV "wins" the title and everyone else "loses". Everyone else will be left saying "I should have fought harder"
@ rickamtuzio
Finally, some one else agrees with me.......Milsaps didnt get faster, the rest were not up to speed yet. Milsaps definately keeps his normal speed up longer and later into the mains though....I'll give him that.
Obviously, Poto...big improvement. Reed improved. Dungey.....Hmmmm, not sure what his problem is yet??
Barcia , Canard, Milsaps......I still think they are all about the same speed, but thier current results and standings are due to the others bad starts. Not because they are faster.
I think you all are wrong about milsaps but only time will tell
Everyone needs to watch the race again, RV had a lot of help getting to the front.
Weimer made a mistake, Reed got held up by Grant, Barcia cased and Milsps had to slow down, etc. RV didnt go to the front on his own that's for sure..
RV made smart decisions and benefited by others mistakes, no doubt he is awesome but he isnt light years ahead that people are saying. He didnt pass 7 guys on 1 lap, and it wasn't because of sheer speed
rickamatuzio .......HAHAHAHA whatever.
rickmatuzio:
Try this, tap your heels together while repeating "RV's not that fast, RV's not that fast"
I'll repeat the stat that RV had 7 laps that were faster than Canard's fastest....and Canard was the guy with the 2nd fastest fast lap. SEVEN?! Even if anyone wants to claim RV passed everyone due to mistakes, the lap times are what they are and aren't skewed by mistakes (unless everyone made a mistake every single lap?). It's too early to tell, but RV may be on a NEW level compared to where he was last year. He may still be on the upward swing of peaking.......
I wonder if anyone noticed that Barcia was riding like he was hurt or smth the entire weekend. He was not shining in practice and heat moto. I felt that it was like one of those days for him when it was just not working... I guess Emig or Goat said that last year that great racers win the championships on their worst races. Just making the best of it...
Barcia just tried to pull 'Phoenix Barcia phenomenon' and jump everything smoothly and quickly make positions and roost everybody... But it was evident even from poor TV coverage that it was not working for him that day... he couldn't get into the rhythm, cased twice etc... But he wouldn't settle into limping home in 10th or smith and just tried harder... make or break... latter in this case. Hope he sorts his things out and battle out with Trey and RV...
I thought I would wake up today and see a war started! But not much was said, bummer..
Yes RV was very fast. I threw the bait out.. Nobody took it. Although, when Barcia cased, Weimer made a mistake in the next corner while at the same time Barcia took Grant high..this helped RV make a few quick passes that may have taken longer.
RV most impressive thing is his ability to pass WHEREVER he catches someone, he does wait. Unfortunately SPEED continues to show replays when he was making moves. RV has brilliant line choices
Round Three, in the books. Nine to go...
I have heard no large woman's voice yet, and if I'm not mistaken, this is Supercross!!!
Nuff said...
You might want to re do your math Caseypons. LOL
@ caseypons
Douch'e cant even do a good weather forecast ! LOL !
Love your theory Weege, interesting write up, and yes, I notice the 50 cent quote about cake lol
@Sloan_: Well if it isn't Mr. Name Change.
How about Oakland on Saturday
28.75% Chance of rain at race-time
54 Degrees (F)
74% Humidity
28% Partial Cloud Cover
Winds 5 mph ENE
00.% Chance of you changing your name (again) before you're 86th
@BillC: Thank You, I stand corrected, Sir. They sneaked a few more races in on me while I was doing my anti-rain dance for this upcoming weekend at Oakland.
However, my prediction stands. This is Supercross!
I/You (or even Mr Name Change) may predict the weather, but never, ever predict a SX event or championship in advance...unless you enjoy looking less than abby-normal. Then if that's the case; "Party On Predictors!!!" Ha, Ha, Ha!
Stay healthy everyone!