Upgrade to enjoy this feature!
Vital MX fantasy is free to play, but Premium users receive great benefits. Premium benefits include:
- View and download rider stats
- Pick trends
- Create a private league
- And more!
Only $10 for all 2026 SX, MX, and SMX series.
There is only one guy running in front of Alessi Here in the USA, I doubt there are 5 GP riders that could do it too.
You probably one of the clowns wearing a let J-law ride shirt while complaining Alessi is bad for the sport.
Mathes , I said twice in this thread I was wrong about the media coverage, I apologize for that comment
The Shop
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
Free shipping: VITALMX
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
So what do you think DeCoster intends to do about Jeffrey Herlings this year? And maybe Tony Cairoli too? And do you think Dungey and Barcia have demonstrated this year that they will back it down and let someone run off with the moto if that's the smart strategy overall?
Mike Alessi's strategy has always been to get the holeshot and let as few people by as possible, and he has made it work at every level of competition. But would MA800 make it work on DeCoster's terms as the MX3 rider this year? If he got the holeshot, would he let Herlings and Cairoli or other Euros by if they were clearly outrunning him, or would the world stage and the presence of Tony and the urge to keep the Motoconcepts bike in front of all the factories send him into classic WideBikeMike mode? Could he keep it on two wheels with Euros who don't like to play nice pressing him? And would MA800 let Dungey and Baggett by if they were obviously going faster?
Alessi would have been a terrific MX3 pick if he could be counted on to play that doorkeeper role for the sake of the team. But it's really asking a lot of him to go against his whole racing instinct and it might scuttle his confidence and cause his game to fall apart, when it's been working really well this summer. The U.S. is already putting Baggett in a hell of a spot by pretty much requiring him to beat every 250 but Herlings to be on the safe side, which is gonna be sheer grind-it-out-come-from-behind-at-nutso-speed-while-eating-roost-all-moto stuff, probably. Baggett, Tomac and Barcia have all shown they can do that this summer, but Baggett still has to execute it at Lommel. Maybe he can spot Searle one moto too, and van Hoerbeek the other, but Baggett's gotta aim high like that.
Dungey and Barcia have a better shot at coming in third thru first MX1 or MX3 in each moto, respectively, due to their record of better starts. They can both blaze toward the front all moto if needed, but more importantly, they can neutralize somebody in the overall picture by letting him go by instead of contesting him, holding everybody up, falling in the sand, etc. And I think that's where Barcia earned the pick by DeCoster. Blazing dominance (RD5-RV2-JS7) is one way to win, but obediently executing a smart team strategy like the first U.S. winners did also works.
I'd like to think that Mike Alessi would be happy to do that for his country, but like I said, it's contrary to what works for him as a racer at that top level. Of course I'm basing this whole thing on the assumption that DeCoster will repeat the 1981 Lommel strategy, but I doubt that he underestimates Herlings and Cairoli and some other Euros at Lommel.
I was sticking up for the media, saying its a small show and no one can upset the apple cart.
No discredit to MC/Genova and their efforts, but regardless of his bank account, is this a show of force that no pocketbook in the industry could get their team into the MXdN without earning their respective wings? Do people really think this relatively new venture of a motocross team was going to get accepted into this historied brotherhood of moto, with open arms, not to mention with a supporting cast of Tony Alessi and Mike Alessi and a virtually unknown Genova? Even with DV managing and a past champion rider leading the team, this would be a stretch given the lack of factory effort-partnership-trust-reputation etc to accompany this team.
If Alessi was on a factory team would we be arguing this? What about a factory supported private team(JGR, JWR, 22, Rockstar Suzuki) would we be having this conversation???? What if he was riding for Coach Gibbs, highly respected, but in 2 different industries, is he respected at this level? Keep in mind, PC and Geico are not Factory Teams, but they sure as hell aren't privateer efforts, I'm just trying to establish the amount of industry respect/credibility PC and Geico or even Gibbs have earned over the years compared to MC. At the end of the day this isn't cut and dry Alessi vs Barcia and unfortunately, MA is left with the short stick.
If we could have sent this year's Mike Alessi to last year's MXdN, that's very possibly two MA800 moto wins if he's feeling halfway comfortable with everything.
Pit Row
f/k/a Johnny Utah
f/k/a Two Stroke Taliban
f/k/a The Dude
f/k/a The Insanity Wolf
f/k/a Charles Bronson
f/k/a Danny Dolan
The other end of the argument is that Roger has had so much success that he deserves total autonomy to pick whoever, he has earned that. Roger has done exactly what we ask of him "pick a winning team". And with that, I think Roger's team (our team), will kick ass.
TM
Shouldn't we let The Man who knows the event better than anyone -- he won it and the Trophee des Nations, what, ten times as a rider with Team Belgium? -- and he has a very good idea of how the team will work together in the two weeks they will be over there (they are leaving the day after the Lake Elsinore National). That's a lot of time to be together, ride together, work together...
Everyone knows that Mike Alessi is one of the fastest 450 riders in the sport right now, but Roger knows what it takes to win this race, and on a specific track that he knows very well. I say we trust his decision and see how it all plays out.
DC
MX Sports
I don't want the best players Craig, I want the right ones...
http://www.vitalmx.com/photos/features/MXoN-2013-Team-USA-Selection,370…
Roger's not afraid to give his opinion.
As DC mentioned, he also has a bit of a track record of success, and it's hard to argue with that.
Post a reply to: Sure feels like Alessi and MC got screwed