Millsaps: What's he doing right?

motogrady
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motogrady 2/10/2013 10:20am
2/10/2013 10:20am
NeKawBoy wrote:
Happy Wife=Happy Life. Some people rise to the occasion when they have a child. Maybe things are going very well for him in his personal life...
Happy Wife=Happy Life.
Some people rise to the occasion when they have a child.
Maybe things are going very well for him in his personal life and it's easier for him to concentrate on his career.
Kinda what I was thinking.
throttle77
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throttle77 2/10/2013 10:52am
2/10/2013 10:52am Edited Date/Time 2/10/2013 11:04am
the thing that strikes me about Millsaps is he has amazing skill with a motorcycle. I watched a profile video of him last year and he's got great natural ability. The thing that most impresses me is he's able to have this speed considering he's over 6 feet tall and 190 lbs, not the usual size for a successful MX racer.
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jeffro503 2/10/2013 11:01am
2/10/2013 11:01am
.......

"Millsaps: What's he doing right?"

Right now.....everything.
Jamie_Munro 2/10/2013 11:02am
2/10/2013 11:02am
starts, consistency, staying very very cool.

The Shop

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LowPsi
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LowPsi 2/10/2013 11:16am
2/10/2013 11:16am
His technique last night, on a low traction surface: kept his upper body upright, his shoulders square to the bars and had beautiful throttle control. He never once dropped his inside shoulder in a corner. All subtle but very effective.
JayCarpent
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JayCarpent 2/10/2013 11:41am
2/10/2013 11:41am
GuyB wrote:
It's the smootnness. Definitely the smootnness. ;) Ask him, and he'll tell you that training has made the difference. He's always had talent. He boosted the...
It's the smootnness. Definitely the smootnness. Wink

Ask him, and he'll tell you that training has made the difference. He's always had talent. He boosted the desire and preparation to match it.
I would like to offer my opinion. I think it has to do with the tracks, personally. They all seem to be one lined and lacking in the difficulty department.

Not to take anything away from Davi, the kid has really turned things around! I think we should wait until they bring out more technical, difficult tracks & see how things go. Still way to early in the season to be calling a champ.
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mark_swart 2/10/2013 11:43am
2/10/2013 11:43am
I've been thinking about this too and here is my theory: it has a lot to do with all of these guys' outlooks. RV, Reed, Stewart, Dungey.... they all expect to win and I'm guessing they put a lot of pressure on themselves. And when you have six-ish guys who can legitimately win, the guys who expect to win just aren't going to spend as much time winning as they want. We haven't had this many contenders stay healthy for this long into a season that I can remember so it really is uncharted territory. They are trying so hard it is forcing them into mistakes. Davi 2.0 seems to have almost a happy-go-lucky outlook. He's going out and racing the track, staying clean and getting good starts, running consistent and letting the cards fall where they may. I think we saw the foundation of this last year even though he was under the radar, then add in a new bike that he obviously gels with and here we are. He wants to win but at the same time he isn't counting on it. In a field with this much parity, his approach seems to be golden. At least so far! How does it work out down the stretch if the other guys start reeling off wins? Can he hold on for the championship if he is two points ahead at Vegas? Who knows but it sure is cool to see him riding like this.
Motocross83 2/10/2013 11:48am
2/10/2013 11:48am
I think he's doing a better Ryan Dungey impression this year than Ryan Dungey. His approach so far has been very similar imo from RD in years past where he's maybe not the fastest at every round, but is always fast and always in the mix. Davi now has that elusive mix of speed and stability in his riding. The guy looks solid without having to back off in fast company or from a difficult challenge.

Why? If I was a betting man and had to pick one single reason above anything..... I'd say fitness.
neverwasfastenuf 2/10/2013 11:52am
2/10/2013 11:52am
zook11 wrote:
If I had to take a guess it would PEDs. We've never seen someone turn their whole career around like this before.
WhKnuckle wrote:
What a crock of shit. A guy races brilliantly and you want to speculate that it has to be because he's cheating. To paraphrase Dean Wormer...
What a crock of shit. A guy races brilliantly and you want to speculate that it has to be because he's cheating. To paraphrase Dean Wormer, "Stupid and cynical is no way to go through life, son".
I thought it was "fat, drunk, and stupid."
Rewindcaz
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Rewindcaz 2/10/2013 11:53am
2/10/2013 11:53am
JayCarpent wrote:
I would like to offer my opinion. I think it has to do with the tracks, personally. They all seem to be one lined and lacking...
I would like to offer my opinion. I think it has to do with the tracks, personally. They all seem to be one lined and lacking in the difficulty department.

Not to take anything away from Davi, the kid has really turned things around! I think we should wait until they bring out more technical, difficult tracks & see how things go. Still way to early in the season to be calling a champ.
You do realize Millsaps is a lot like Stewart, where he typically jumps and handles technical rhythms amazingly well compared to most guys... right? He'll be one of the first to jump something crazy and execute it perfectly. It's actually more surprising that Millsaps is so good even when the track is so simple.
mattmatt300
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mattmatt300 2/10/2013 11:53am
2/10/2013 11:53am
I think Ezra is a big part of the equation. He always was a rider that would fight for positions and it seems to have rubbed off on Davi. He has always had the talent we're just now seeing what he's really capable of (on a 450).
BobbyM
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BobbyM 2/10/2013 11:54am
2/10/2013 11:54am
rockbottom wrote:
His starts, speed, fitness, confidence, smootnness, and coolness all seem to be in line...
don't know but it looks like he's trail riding. He has more in the tank
yamadogyz
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yamadogyz 2/10/2013 12:13pm
2/10/2013 12:13pm
Its the bike, when you find a bike that fits you and a good team everything else takes care of itself.
googs the 2nd 2/10/2013 12:15pm
2/10/2013 12:15pm
davi is NOT crashing in mains like everyone else...just one small slide is all to date (which only cost him one place)..........how many has poto and trey had so far in the mains? i've lost count..........reedy 3 weeks in a row now as well.


Well done to davi , guy deserves all the props he's gettin.
Blackopsrider7 2/10/2013 12:32pm
2/10/2013 12:32pm
GuyB wrote:
It's the smootnness. Definitely the smootnness. ;) Ask him, and he'll tell you that training has made the difference. He's always had talent. He boosted the...
It's the smootnness. Definitely the smootnness. Wink

Ask him, and he'll tell you that training has made the difference. He's always had talent. He boosted the desire and preparation to match it.
jtomasik wrote:
GuyB, I asked this question in a couple other threads, but I haven't noticed an answer (could be my bad). I remember hearing about some kind...
GuyB, I asked this question in a couple other threads, but I haven't noticed an answer (could be my bad). I remember hearing about some kind of falling out between Millsaps and his mom. If that's true, what was the deal, and what's up with them now. Reason I wonder is that sometimes, not always, it seems like a parent can do more damage than good (e.g. possibly Alessi and his dad). I'm wondering if Millsaps went out, and is, on his own.
Funny you say that, on one of his podium speeches, he thanked his dad and his wife, but I never heard him say his mom, who has been in riding for a long time?!
scrubbin627 2/10/2013 12:48pm
2/10/2013 12:48pm
His bike, good starts, minimal mistakes and all the heavy hitters in the back of the pack. If Reed didnt fall he would have been 2nd maybe 3rd last night.
Blackopsrider7 2/10/2013 12:51pm
2/10/2013 12:51pm
scrubbin627 wrote:
His bike, good starts, minimal mistakes and all the heavy hitters in the back of the pack. If Reed didnt fall he would have been 2nd...
His bike, good starts, minimal mistakes and all the heavy hitters in the back of the pack. If Reed didnt fall he would have been 2nd maybe 3rd last night.
"You have to be in it at the end to win"
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Sunhouse 2/10/2013 12:53pm
2/10/2013 12:53pm
throttle77 wrote:
the thing that strikes me about Millsaps is he has amazing skill with a motorcycle. I watched a profile video of him last year and he's...
the thing that strikes me about Millsaps is he has amazing skill with a motorcycle. I watched a profile video of him last year and he's got great natural ability. The thing that most impresses me is he's able to have this speed considering he's over 6 feet tall and 190 lbs, not the usual size for a successful MX racer.
I´ve always wondered how you can determine natural ability from watching someone ride...? (not trying to be a douche here)

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Crush
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Crush 2/10/2013 2:31pm
2/10/2013 2:31pm
Biggest thing for me is he looks like he's doing the pace easy....

He isn't twitchy, losing ground in chunks or mistakes etc... Just rollin around, looks really really comfortable.

Bike, fitness and starts plus the other guys making mistakes are probably all helping that pressure stay easy to manage!
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MX4EVR 2/10/2013 2:45pm
2/10/2013 2:45pm
PastranaWho wrote:
Ezra lusk his trainer?
Yup
I'm positive yogi's help made a huge difference to his program this season
PRM31
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PRM31 2/10/2013 3:08pm
2/10/2013 3:08pm
I don't see PED increasing corner speed or improving starts. He's picked up his game everywhere, and I congratulate him for it. At this point, the starts are the biggest difference. His speed is on par with the other top riders, but his starts set him apart right now.
Journey
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Journey 2/10/2013 3:24pm
2/10/2013 3:24pm
If he wins the championship, will it be the first true non-factory bike to do so?


The Chaparral Yamaha years with MC were factory Yamahas. I think San Manuel's Yamaha in 09 was a factory bike. Is Rockstar getting factory suspension, clutches, ect? Probably. Be interesting to know for sure.
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fader418 2/10/2013 3:46pm
2/10/2013 3:46pm
disbanded wrote:
Nobody here knows
^this^
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wreckitrandy 2/10/2013 4:26pm
2/10/2013 4:26pm
Journey wrote:
If he wins the championship, will it be the first true non-factory bike to do so? The Chaparral Yamaha years with MC were factory Yamahas. I...
If he wins the championship, will it be the first true non-factory bike to do so?


The Chaparral Yamaha years with MC were factory Yamahas. I think San Manuel's Yamaha in 09 was a factory bike. Is Rockstar getting factory suspension, clutches, ect? Probably. Be interesting to know for sure.
Bob Hannah won the title in '77 or '78 and if I'm not mistaken they gave the bike away after every race.
Három
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Három 2/10/2013 4:29pm
2/10/2013 4:29pm
Don't Doubt me Davi.
Brad Nemeth 2/10/2013 4:51pm
2/10/2013 4:51pm
Davi seems to me like a family type guy. I can relate to that. I'm the most productive when I'm happy. I'm happiest when I'm surrounded by the people I care about. It's no secret. Millsaps has always been fast and talented. When you combine that with a happy Davi who is motivated by his situation you get the "Magic Man!"

I love how Davi just appears on the finish line jump in opening ceremonies now. Too funny.

And the guys throwing around PED accusations. Why don't you try to work off facts. Unreal.
Brad Nemeth 2/10/2013 4:55pm
2/10/2013 4:55pm
GuyB wrote:
It's the smootnness. Definitely the smootnness. ;) Ask him, and he'll tell you that training has made the difference. He's always had talent. He boosted the...
It's the smootnness. Definitely the smootnness. Wink

Ask him, and he'll tell you that training has made the difference. He's always had talent. He boosted the desire and preparation to match it.
jtomasik wrote:
GuyB, I asked this question in a couple other threads, but I haven't noticed an answer (could be my bad). I remember hearing about some kind...
GuyB, I asked this question in a couple other threads, but I haven't noticed an answer (could be my bad). I remember hearing about some kind of falling out between Millsaps and his mom. If that's true, what was the deal, and what's up with them now. Reason I wonder is that sometimes, not always, it seems like a parent can do more damage than good (e.g. possibly Alessi and his dad). I'm wondering if Millsaps went out, and is, on his own.
Blackopsrider7 wrote:
Funny you say that, on one of his podium speeches, he thanked his dad and his wife, but I never heard him say his mom, who...
Funny you say that, on one of his podium speeches, he thanked his dad and his wife, but I never heard him say his mom, who has been in riding for a long time?!
Watch this season of "Inside The Outdoors" I forget which episode but you can hear it straight from Millsaps that way.
harescrambled 2/10/2013 5:07pm
2/10/2013 5:07pm
WhKnuckle wrote:
He's racing the track, taking what it gives him, and letting everyone else make mistakes. His concentration is superb. When someone gets close, like Reed last...
He's racing the track, taking what it gives him, and letting everyone else make mistakes. His concentration is superb. When someone gets close, like Reed last night, he just keeps his focus and hits his marks, and if he gets passed, he tries to learn some new lines and pass the guy back, like he did with Stewart at A3. No distractions, no emotional reactions, no short term plans - he plans for the best 20 laps he can ride, and lets the race come to him. He has become the quintessential thinking man's racer. It's just freakin' amazing.
Bingo! He's smooth, his bike is working well, and most importantly in my opinion, he's racing forwards, not busy being worried about who/what's behind him. He has the confidence to get it done.
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level 2/10/2013 5:31pm
2/10/2013 5:31pm
I am surprised as anyone. I never seen that level of confidence and I am not sure where it came from because he was on it the very first race.

It's definitely a mixture of things. He is the hole shot king this year and that is why he is winning. However, the reason he is staying up front and not getting passed like he used to is a mixture of training, bike, confidence and just plain speed.
plowboy
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plowboy 2/10/2013 5:58pm
2/10/2013 5:58pm
Magic beans...lucky rabbits foot...who knows? I'm with everyone else in thinking it's the combination/culmination of everything that's come before and exceeding some personal/physical barriers. He definitely has it going on. Good to see, glad for him.

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