Posts
5847
Joined
3/27/2009
Location
Pasco, WA
US
Edited Date/Time
1/24/2015 10:03pm
I bet Dunge looks at the pass Canard tried on Reed and just shakes his head and says,"See! Thats why I race the way I do. Try to force the issue and you end up on the ground (and finishing 7th not 2nd)"
Dunge has this realism about his abilities , or lack thereof ,to make slick "woah, did you see that!" passes and he knows he doesnt have that sudden burst of speed in him to squirt by guys or make hard block passes without both guys going down. Rare is the racer who is as crafty and skilled as RV, and I think Roczen, to make slick quick passes.
Dunge, just steadily,methodically, placing his way to the 2015 sx championship.
If you REALLY watch the races, you'll know Villopoto has won A BUNCH of races where he wasn't even the fastest or the 'best' guy there. He sprints when he needs to, backs off when it's not feeling right, and straight up demoralizes the competition sometimes by letting someone catch up, and doing a sprint lap after.
I'm a big Dungey supporter but it's frustrating to watch him ride sometimes. He seems to be always focused of fitness, bike setup and outright speed, but that's not gonna win you a title this year unless you holeshot every race, or your speed is out of this world. In my opinion, there's too many guys not embracing the mental aspect of racing enough. Some guys are just too dumb, but others (like Dungey) could do better.
Another key imo is that Ryan remains healthy for the most part. He and Roczen are two of the fastest guys out there every week while going down very little. That is amazing in itself to me and indicates how talented these two are. They are both probably riding closer to the edge of their abilities than we realize, but tend to stay upright the majority of the time.
These qualities serve two very important things imo. They are always near the lead in points, their careers will probably last longer than many and they may both walk away from the sport healthy. As fans and possibly as racers, we want to see these guys push to the point of insanity, but when these guys retire at the early ages they do, there should remain the majority of their lives. This is a huge consideration. I'm sure many old school football players that can barely get around would tell us this.
As you said, if Ryan were to push harder like everyone seems to want, it could be detrimental for his results and possibly very detrimental. He is for the most part the second best guy (consistently) every year recently, both indoors and out. Everyone can't be the winner. Only one can and with RV and KRoc out there, that is a huge hurdle.
The Shop
Roczen has yet to prove he wont have a late season swoon. I bet thats what JT$ is thinking
Dungey looked great last week. Hoping he can keep it up. I'm afraid this might be the season that KRoc keeps himself together the whole season. I think Aldon's training really kicks in during the second year with him. That kind of lagging doesn't resolve itself overnight. I'm thinking Dungey is just going to have to beat KRoc at his peak performance to win a championship. I think it's doable but it'll be an interesting battle. And only time will tell if I'm right about KRoc and Aldon. . . clearly.
Other riders aren't really faster, they just aren't wise enough to know their actual limits and they end up on their heads.
Walking away from this sport, healthy, after many years as a front runner, with several championships, and having made millions is about as good as it gets.
Would you rather him ride like Magoo? Sure it's exciting to watch but there is little longevity in that approach.
PS. No disrespect meant to one of the most entertaining racers of all time, Mr. Chandler.
He has blistering speed regardless of his passing strategies. I still vividly remember his Southwick moto in 2010 where he had mechanical issues and was almost lapped and caught up to seventh I believe. The man can pass and ride aggressive he just chooses not to I believe in hopes of putting himself in the championship hunt at years end. If we want aggressive passing and risking season points we have a handful of riders we can watch cut their season short by doing so. I just appreciate the guys skills on a bike and his image he brings our sport. Golf clap fro the dunge.
I think alot of that attitude comes from because he didn't have an amateur career like alot of these guys did.
Kenny is on rails though, that kid get's more and more impressive
Pit Row
I remember I first recalled seeing him ride when he was on the Suzuki 250. He ended up wadding it up and doing a front flip over the bars. It was one of the more spectacular crashes I had seen and he got back up and finished the race in a respectable position. It's been too long now but I was just getting into the sport at the time and that incident stuck out to me.
Post a reply to: Thats why Dunge is a conservative racer.