Axell Hodges Novice?

Edited Date/Time 1/13/2016 12:22pm
I saw this vid come across my tweetdeck the other day. @50sec mark it says moto 1 Novice. Now I'm not familiar with Axell, but he isn't really a Novice rider is he?

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Camp332
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12/31/2011 7:34pm
You'd be surprised at how fast the novice class is at Lorettas.
bullpen58
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12/31/2011 8:47pm
Totally NOT novice. That guy should bump back down to Beginner until his whips are completely inverted....at LEAST.

Pffffft. Seriously, that is sad to see. Fuckin Novice? LMFAO!!!
GuyV
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12/31/2011 9:00pm
bullpen58 wrote:
Totally NOT novice. That guy should bump back down to Beginner until his whips are completely inverted....at LEAST. Pffffft. Seriously, that is sad to see. Fuckin...
Totally NOT novice. That guy should bump back down to Beginner until his whips are completely inverted....at LEAST.

Pffffft. Seriously, that is sad to see. Fuckin Novice? LMFAO!!!
For some reason he did race beginner on the first Day in The Dirt, beat all the novices anyways. He is pretty young I believe and has not been on a big bike too long.
EvanR127
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12/31/2011 9:03pm
another reason why mx isn't considered a major sport....

IMO We need to add another class to limited the amount of sandbaggers.

E: Total beginners, only doing small tables, No doubles allowed
D: Tables and small doubles
C: Almost all but no triples or biggies
B: Every Jump
A: Pro

Love milestone!!!!

The Shop

pacman00
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12/31/2011 9:18pm
problem is if your a 14 year old kid and top 5 lorrettas in the b class you get bumped to a. so most young fast kids run schoolboy then at 15 run b figuring turning pro at 16.
BM255
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12/31/2011 10:40pm Edited Date/Time 12/31/2011 10:44pm
I don't really understand the class system in the states, so I may have this all wrong, but it seems like there are way too many classes.
Just run 450 and 250 A and B classes (for riders 15yrs and over), anyone who doesn't qualify gets chucked into a support class. Anyone with any skill and any pride will want to qualify rather than have to fart around in the support class.
You could also run a development class or Youth class for riders under 21 years of age, and again if you don't qualify you go in the support class.
And for you 2 stroke guys (which I support by the way) have a 125 class for any age/ability
There is no prestige in winning the support class so guys will bust their asses to make the cut and hence reduce the chance of sandbagging.
bullpen58
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12/31/2011 11:14pm
BM255 wrote:
I don't really understand the class system in the states, so I may have this all wrong, but it seems like there are way too many...
I don't really understand the class system in the states, so I may have this all wrong, but it seems like there are way too many classes.
Just run 450 and 250 A and B classes (for riders 15yrs and over), anyone who doesn't qualify gets chucked into a support class. Anyone with any skill and any pride will want to qualify rather than have to fart around in the support class.
You could also run a development class or Youth class for riders under 21 years of age, and again if you don't qualify you go in the support class.
And for you 2 stroke guys (which I support by the way) have a 125 class for any age/ability
There is no prestige in winning the support class so guys will bust their asses to make the cut and hence reduce the chance of sandbagging.
I agree with you. WAY too many classes. It ruins racing IMO.

Here is an average day for me at most races:

0730: Riders Meeting
0800: Practice (3 laps, if you're lucky)
1330: Moto one (5 whole laps)
1930: Moto two (only 3 laps because it got dark).

The rest of the time you sit around with your thumb up your ass watching gate after nauseating gate of the countless other classes run.
MMCDan
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1/1/2012 12:47am
bullpen58 wrote:
I agree with you. WAY too many classes. It ruins racing IMO. Here is an average day for me at most races: 0730: Riders Meeting 0800...
I agree with you. WAY too many classes. It ruins racing IMO.

Here is an average day for me at most races:

0730: Riders Meeting
0800: Practice (3 laps, if you're lucky)
1330: Moto one (5 whole laps)
1930: Moto two (only 3 laps because it got dark).

The rest of the time you sit around with your thumb up your ass watching gate after nauseating gate of the countless other classes run.
This is exactly why we rarely race anymore. Not gas prices or gate fees or the cost of maintaining my 4 strokes, it's the 14 hour day for 8 laps.
BM255
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1/1/2012 1:04am
Guys, here is a typical club day for me in NZ,

8:00 - 9:00 Sign in
9:00 Riders Briefing
9:15 Practice (usually combine some classes to speed things up. e.g. vets with MX1)
10:30 Racing starts
16:00 Pack up and go home

Usually no more than 7-8 classes total (including juniors and women etc)
Each class gets 3 races and then usually there is a feature race open to allcomers.

Most guys (including me) ride 2 classes, in my case vets and MX1, this way you get a minimum of 6 races, but sometimes I'll leave after the second round of racing and still have 4 races done and dusted, and the best part is it's usually only about 2pm in the afternoon.
JustMX
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1/1/2012 5:42am
BM255 wrote:
Guys, here is a typical club day for me in NZ, 8:00 - 9:00 Sign in 9:00 Riders Briefing 9:15 Practice (usually combine some classes to...
Guys, here is a typical club day for me in NZ,

8:00 - 9:00 Sign in
9:00 Riders Briefing
9:15 Practice (usually combine some classes to speed things up. e.g. vets with MX1)
10:30 Racing starts
16:00 Pack up and go home

Usually no more than 7-8 classes total (including juniors and women etc)
Each class gets 3 races and then usually there is a feature race open to allcomers.

Most guys (including me) ride 2 classes, in my case vets and MX1, this way you get a minimum of 6 races, but sometimes I'll leave after the second round of racing and still have 4 races done and dusted, and the best part is it's usually only about 2pm in the afternoon.
Actually, the entire problem with the sport in our country is that we don't have "briefing".

Just kidding because that does have a cool sound to it.

So now I have some questions about your racing:

1. How many entries are there at an average event?
2. How much are gate and entry fees (in usd please)?
3. How much is insurance for an event?
4. How much is an ambulance and crew?
5. Do the factories pay any contengincies in NZ?
6. What percentage of big bike partiicpants are on two stroke machines?
ToolMaker
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1/1/2012 7:26am
My son raced against him last year in the novice class. He is totally untouchable by any novice around here. My son almost won the series but was taken out in the first turn of the last moto of the series (not whining just a reference that my sons not a back marker). The only reason anyone could win the series where Axel raced, is that Axel didn't race all the races. Having said that, I have no idea how fast other "novice" riders are at Loretta's. But at Pala or Perris, his speed is such that he could race expert and fit in. Story from other parents is that he is neighbors with Jeremy and trains with the King. At the DITD I saw him pitting under the TLD tent. Hmmm, apparently others are impressed by his talent also.
TM
1/1/2012 11:23am
ToolMaker wrote:
My son raced against him last year in the novice class. He is totally untouchable by any novice around here. My son almost won the series...
My son raced against him last year in the novice class. He is totally untouchable by any novice around here. My son almost won the series but was taken out in the first turn of the last moto of the series (not whining just a reference that my sons not a back marker). The only reason anyone could win the series where Axel raced, is that Axel didn't race all the races. Having said that, I have no idea how fast other "novice" riders are at Loretta's. But at Pala or Perris, his speed is such that he could race expert and fit in. Story from other parents is that he is neighbors with Jeremy and trains with the King. At the DITD I saw him pitting under the TLD tent. Hmmm, apparently others are impressed by his talent also.
TM
Wow.

Jeremy , TLD and other industry folk are supporting this blatant flouting of the classification system?

Boycott those brands associated and send them a letter.

'baggin needs to be cleaned up.
TerryK
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1/1/2012 12:09pm
I just don't understand sandbagging at all. When I first started racing I couldnt wait to move up! When I hit Expert (Pro) I was super pumped. Kids and parents these days seem to want that cheap trophy so bad that they will sandbag, which to me, only causes them to become stagnant in their speed. If you're racing against guys that can't challenge you, how do you get faster? you dont.

When I was running our local track, and one 2 hours away as well, I was pretty strict about kids being in the proper class. Up here we have Beginner, Junior, Intermediate, and Pro. If you have EVER raced, you go directly to Junior, even if you have raced peewees and minis. Beginner is for just that: beginners, and you only get one year in the class. One year at the first race, I had 6 riders that ran beginner the year before, sign up and practice in beginner before I noticed them. These riders had all finished in the top ten points the previous year. After practice I visited all six riders pit areas and informed them that they were to line up and be scored with the Juniors. The kids didn't say much but all six kids parents were livid! I told them if they wanted their sons to get faster, it wasnt going to happen with them bagging it in the Beg. class. I was called every name in the book, almost to the point of my referee wanted to eject them. I told him not to worry about it and to just watch what happens.

The motos went off and at the end of the first moto all six kids were top ten, with three of them filling the podium. 4 of the six fathers actually came over and apologized to me. Three of the six riders actually moved themselves up to intermediate the at the next race and all three did very well. They went from destroying the beg. class, to killing it in junior, to running up front in Intermediate, all in a months time. Their speed was light years ahead of what they were at. Running with the faster guys made them faster. Thats how it works. How can you judge you speed if you have no one faster ahead of you?

Sandbagging is just plain dumb.........unless you love $6 plastic trophies.
1/1/2012 1:07pm Edited Date/Time 1/1/2012 1:08pm
when that vid stops playing, there is a related vid that just says "axel hodges", its 1:43 long. click it. about 5 seconds into that vid he is tossing that bike completely sideways, and hitting some Dean Wilson Pala lines.

novice.

hahaha
Sherwood
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1/1/2012 1:12pm Edited Date/Time 1/1/2012 1:14pm
It's easier to get support to get to races winning novice as apposed to top 10 in B/A. Tony A had Jeff ride novice...
bullpen58
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1/1/2012 1:13pm
when that vid stops playing, there is a related vid that just says "axel hodges", its 1:43 long. click it. about 5 seconds into that vid...
when that vid stops playing, there is a related vid that just says "axel hodges", its 1:43 long. click it. about 5 seconds into that vid he is tossing that bike completely sideways, and hitting some Dean Wilson Pala lines.

novice.

hahaha
https://youtu.be/uvGfVjTGTLM

But the kid is only 6 years old so the rules don't apply to him. He should drop back down to beginner until he can beat Wilson IMHO.
bullpen58
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1/1/2012 1:16pm
TerryK wrote:
I just don't understand sandbagging at all. When I first started racing I couldnt wait to move up! When I hit Expert (Pro) I was super...
I just don't understand sandbagging at all. When I first started racing I couldnt wait to move up! When I hit Expert (Pro) I was super pumped. Kids and parents these days seem to want that cheap trophy so bad that they will sandbag, which to me, only causes them to become stagnant in their speed. If you're racing against guys that can't challenge you, how do you get faster? you dont.

When I was running our local track, and one 2 hours away as well, I was pretty strict about kids being in the proper class. Up here we have Beginner, Junior, Intermediate, and Pro. If you have EVER raced, you go directly to Junior, even if you have raced peewees and minis. Beginner is for just that: beginners, and you only get one year in the class. One year at the first race, I had 6 riders that ran beginner the year before, sign up and practice in beginner before I noticed them. These riders had all finished in the top ten points the previous year. After practice I visited all six riders pit areas and informed them that they were to line up and be scored with the Juniors. The kids didn't say much but all six kids parents were livid! I told them if they wanted their sons to get faster, it wasnt going to happen with them bagging it in the Beg. class. I was called every name in the book, almost to the point of my referee wanted to eject them. I told him not to worry about it and to just watch what happens.

The motos went off and at the end of the first moto all six kids were top ten, with three of them filling the podium. 4 of the six fathers actually came over and apologized to me. Three of the six riders actually moved themselves up to intermediate the at the next race and all three did very well. They went from destroying the beg. class, to killing it in junior, to running up front in Intermediate, all in a months time. Their speed was light years ahead of what they were at. Running with the faster guys made them faster. Thats how it works. How can you judge you speed if you have no one faster ahead of you?

Sandbagging is just plain dumb.........unless you love $6 plastic trophies.
There is no faster way into a girl's panties than to have a shelf full of $6 plastic trophies. TongueWinkLaughing
EvanR127
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1/1/2012 1:24pm
^What a loser!

I have the same fox gear as him, and kinda feel the urge to change now....
Flatliner
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1/1/2012 1:25pm
I didn't realize throwing big whip's over 90 foot jumps is novice level these days.
Jakes Dad
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1/1/2012 1:26pm
Hopefully his parents read this so I can tell them that right there is what's wrong with amateur mx today.
But I'm sure that before they get this far down the page they've hit escape!Blush
Slow450
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1/1/2012 1:41pm Edited Date/Time 1/1/2012 1:43pm
I got back into riding mid 2011 after a several year hiatus, I've never been that serious of a rider for any length of time because of life's curveballs, but I bought a KX450F in the summer and started racing after a month or two of riding. I had rode in So Cal as a teenager for a couple years but it's been ten years since then. I raced the beginner class a few times, getting in the top 3 each time, but usually falling or stalling in one or both moto's while I got used to riding again, and learned how to ride a 450 four stroke. I felt I could win in the D class but small mistakes kept it from happening the first 4 races even though I felt the one dude that usually won was a sandbagger. So, fifth race, I beat that dude after not falling or stalling. I went a couple weeks just doing practice days worked on some skills and entered the C class my next race.

The point is, I could have tried to win the 4 race "series" in the D class which I was in contention for, but it was the D class! So I moved up, I only won 1 race but I felt that my speed was getting good enough to have fun in the C class. I'll admit I was worried I may end up dead last in my first C moto, but it went fine. I was able to race two more C class races before things started to slow down over the holidays, even getting a 3rd the last time (although there was a 1st turn pile up I got through clean). Still, I feel like there are usually a few guys in the C class that should not be there. It is kind of a bummer after moto 1 when you realize that unless a couple dudes crash they are going to crush the field.

It's all good though, I'll be stoked if I can get good enough (and stay riding) to be competitive for +30 AM when I'm eligible in the next couple years.
EvanR127
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1/1/2012 1:43pm
^LOLOLOL

I meant the kid in the video.....
bullpen58
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1/1/2012 1:44pm
EvanR127 wrote:
^LOLOLOL I meant the kid in the video.....
^LOLOLOL

I meant the kid in the video.....
Laughing

Just checking. I wear FOX gear too. Cool
1/1/2012 4:04pm
i think he does look like a novice to me. def not an intermediate. winning novices can scrub no problem. i saw a guy win the 125 beginner class at Gorman once who was whipping off every jump. they said he hadnt raced for 6 months so dropped down a class. now that was sandbagging
EvanR127
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1/1/2012 4:10pm
i think he does look like a novice to me. def not an intermediate. winning novices can scrub no problem. i saw a guy win the...
i think he does look like a novice to me. def not an intermediate. winning novices can scrub no problem. i saw a guy win the 125 beginner class at Gorman once who was whipping off every jump. they said he hadnt raced for 6 months so dropped down a class. now that was sandbagging
Just because its becoming more common/the norm doesn't mean its right/fair
TerryK
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1/1/2012 4:18pm
Funny thing is, his style is all novice, but his speed and ability to jump is far from it. His corner speed seems slow as well. I guess it's a tough call. If he's beating everyone in his class by large margins, then he needs to move up.
35smom
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1/1/2012 4:28pm
pacman00 wrote:
problem is if your a 14 year old kid and top 5 lorrettas in the b class you get bumped to a. so most young fast...
problem is if your a 14 year old kid and top 5 lorrettas in the b class you get bumped to a. so most young fast kids run schoolboy then at 15 run b figuring turning pro at 16.
Cant be moved to A until your 16
sec114
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1/1/2012 4:33pm
i think he does look like a novice to me. def not an intermediate. winning novices can scrub no problem. i saw a guy win the...
i think he does look like a novice to me. def not an intermediate. winning novices can scrub no problem. i saw a guy win the 125 beginner class at Gorman once who was whipping off every jump. they said he hadnt raced for 6 months so dropped down a class. now that was sandbagging
i myself do the opposite and i move up. speed wise on a clapped out 04 yz125 i am a mid to front of pack c rider against 250f bikes and midpack in 40+ class. but i bump myself up to 250 b class because i feel safer, so therefore i ride better and more agressive. mind u, im just racing in 2-3 race weekend spurts, and at this point just totally for fun and the what the hell factor.

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