Short Guys Rule

Marshall Dillon
Edited Date/Time 5/29/2012 6:18am
Is there something about MX that lends itself to the shorter guys? James....Ricky....5'6".... I'm thinking back to Jeff Ward and, while he was a rocket, he didn't look near as cozy as the modern day short guy in Ricky and James.

Of course there are always exceptions....Lechien...but I'm talking true rockets that dominate in the modern era. Tomac looks tall(er) but what say you?
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cmess77
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cmess77 5/28/2012 9:23pm
5/28/2012 9:23pm Edited Date/Time 5/28/2012 9:23pm
Pastrana, Windham, Wilson, and Tomac are all in the 5-11 to 6-2 range. Kyle Partridge is like 6-5 I think. I think both short and tall guys have advantages in different places and they cancel each other out.
hothands
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hothands 5/28/2012 9:31pm
5/28/2012 9:31pm
Short guys typically weigh less, look at horse racing and open wheel. Every pound can be important, manufactures and race teams do all they can to save weight on the bikes and racers train extremely hard to get into the best shape possible, but a 5'4" guy in perfect shape will always weigh less than a 6' guy in perfect shape.
dboivin
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dboivin 5/28/2012 9:33pm
5/28/2012 9:33pm
im more curious about red heads/freckles. ward, rc, rv....these guys are all dominate and they are all redhead frecklers.
motokiwi 5/28/2012 9:33pm
5/28/2012 9:33pm
I always thought it was because the bikes used to be tested by short Japanese guys, hence the standard wheel sizes / suspension travel etc, then in turn shorter guys excelled on them more.

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bullpen58
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bullpen58 5/28/2012 10:07pm
5/28/2012 10:07pm
dboivin wrote:
im more curious about red heads/freckles. ward, rc, rv....these guys are all dominate and they are all redhead frecklers.
Don't forget about Canard.

In all seriousness, I think it is simply about body weight. Funny though, how before RC it was thought to be a HUGE disadvantage to be as short as he is. A LOT of people assumed height would be the downfall of RC. "He may have done well on minis, but he is too short for big bikes" led to "he may have done well on 125s but he is too short for 250s" which then led to "he has a huge advantage because he is so short" and "being short helps in the whoops" and "being short makes it easier to duck under tunnels" and "being short makes you more arrow-dynamicu.
corsair
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corsair 5/29/2012 12:49am
5/29/2012 12:49am
There have been champions of all heights. From Rahier at 5 foot 3 to Bell at 6 foot 4 we've seen champions. The only thing we haven't seen is a Shwarzenneger as champion. I'd say it's less about height than it is about lean athleticism with an appropriate degree of talent.
julienmark
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julienmark 5/29/2012 2:52am
5/29/2012 2:52am
corsair wrote:
There have been champions of all heights. From Rahier at 5 foot 3 to Bell at 6 foot 4 we've seen champions. The only thing we...
There have been champions of all heights. From Rahier at 5 foot 3 to Bell at 6 foot 4 we've seen champions. The only thing we haven't seen is a Shwarzenneger as champion. I'd say it's less about height than it is about lean athleticism with an appropriate degree of talent.
Ron Dinsdale in Australia was our Swarzenneger, back in the 80,s
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jamma10 5/29/2012 3:04am
5/29/2012 3:04am
corsair wrote:
There have been champions of all heights. From Rahier at 5 foot 3 to Bell at 6 foot 4 we've seen champions. The only thing we...
There have been champions of all heights. From Rahier at 5 foot 3 to Bell at 6 foot 4 we've seen champions. The only thing we haven't seen is a Shwarzenneger as champion. I'd say it's less about height than it is about lean athleticism with an appropriate degree of talent.
5ft 3"!!!

Jesus.
jamma10
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jamma10 5/29/2012 3:06am
5/29/2012 3:06am
It often amazes me how Baggett is able to physically throw his bike around the way he does. He's about the size and stature of an ant.
JB 19
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JB 19 5/29/2012 3:36am
5/29/2012 3:36am
A little off topic, but Dani Pedrosa in Moto GP is like 5'1" 105 pounds.........Laughing

Makes Bagget seem like a giant. lol
newmann
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newmann 5/29/2012 5:53am
5/29/2012 5:53am
And Alex Martin from the Eleven 10 Mods team who put in a great effort in Freestone this weekend. 5'3" and 130lbs. All it requires is a footpeg mod. Photo stolen from Rock at Motonews.Smile

bents
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bents 5/29/2012 6:03am
5/29/2012 6:03am
People gravitate towards those sports that they can be successful at given their physical stature. Offensive linemen-huge. Volleyball players-very tall. Basketball players...you get the drift. Mx doesn't require height, basically, and mxers are for the most part average to below average in height.
themrtoad
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themrtoad 5/29/2012 6:13am
5/29/2012 6:13am
Ken de Dycker must represent the bigger riders then. He makes the 450 look lika a fiddy.
dirtnapper
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dirtnapper 5/29/2012 6:15am
5/29/2012 6:15am
Weston Pieck is huge!
dirtnapper
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dirtnapper 5/29/2012 6:15am
5/29/2012 6:15am
As is Tyler Bowers.
bents
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bents 5/29/2012 6:18am
5/29/2012 6:18am
Great examples all but exceptions to the general population of mx racers.

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