What Makes a Fan of Certain Racers

Riding style mainly, and riders taking huge risks. (ex. I became a big fan of Baggett when he jumped into the texas 12 pack and was the only one doing the leap on a 250f that year. Or Tomac with some crazy tripling out the corner on a 250)

Mine is strictly riding style. Some of my current favorites in no particular order: Anderson, Reed, M. Stewart, Savatgy.

For me it's all about track flow and/or aggression.

I tend to root for the underdog. Tomac though, I sort of followed him since he was on Stone Spray Sandwich (my first MX DVD) so it just sort of fell that way. But, I recognize the need for the various personalities in MX and I think we are very rich in having diversity of personalities right now. Before that KDUB was from Louisiana so I HAD to root for him.

Brand Loyalty.

Some people will like a rider just because of the colour of the bike they're on.

Me personally, I like riders who have great style, a strong personality to them and aren't robotic/clean cut. As good as Dungey (and others of the same nature) has been for the sport, MX and badass'ery just go hand in hand, such as JG, Barcia, Pieck, Reed etc to name a few. Riders who ride with pure heart and aggression, they are the exciting ones and the ones you look out for on the track.

Doing things that other pro's aren't even doing is for sure something that makes me a fan of a rider.

For example: In the Lille SX a few years ago they had a dragonsback double, most riders where kind of struggling with it barely jumping it. Along comes Eli Tomac popping a wheelie and clearing the whole thing without his front wheel ever touching the ground.

Im a fan of kawasaki in general. I always route for their riders. But RV, AC, Forkner, Tomac all have some kind of trait of dominance about them. They dont want to win, they want to smash everyones faces into the ground while they win.

People are fans of people who show traits people like in themselves. Just a fun psychology fact i read.

#1 - BIKE- If hes on a Honda, I am a fan. Wasnt a Roczen fan before, but now I root for him.

Still a Canard fan even though hes on Orange.

Not a big Seely fan, he is dorky and too passive on track, but he rides Red so I root for him.

I was not an RV fan when he was winning, but I rooted for him in GP's and ever since. I am now an RV fan since he has something to say rather than canned responses.

I am a Dungey fan because he is a class act and a good champion and Ambassador (until his comments this weekend at Indy).

I am a fan of JS7, because he is simply the best rider that ever lived. Not the best racer, the best rider, most talented person ever to ride a bike. I am a fan of Mookie because he is JS7's little brother and a good person with some personality.

Chad Reed, outspoken, aggressive, rode Red and used my favorite number.
Hannah, Omara, Bailey, McGrath, Windham, RJ- All great Red Riders.

Basically for me, you either Ride Red, have a personality that sets you apart and you vocalize it, or you simply have so much talent that I cannot justify not being a fan (JS7, RC, Jeff Ward)

Heres some examples of riders I am NOT a fan of, I dont wish them harm, but I dont want them in the top 5, EVER!

Marvin Musquin, fuck that guy and the French...lol, help your teammate win the title, youre not catching Tomac, take 3rd and protect RD. 1 min on the interview, keep it short. Grow up and keep the wife at home once in a while.
Jason Anderson - he is way too inconsistent and he looks like a mess out there. Tuck in that shirt.
Brayton and Tickle - basic also rans
Savatgy - Get a haircut and shave, or join the damn Amish already. Make a pass for the lead.

GEAR GEAR GEAR. Dont wear stupid looking gear. When Seely wears that putrid TLD yellow zebra on a Honda it drives me nuts! Roczen wearing Yellow and black on the Honda, DAMMMMMMMM ITTTTT!

Barcia- I was a huge Barcia fan in lites. Not anymore. His A Stars gear just looks horrible every week and he has been a huge disappointment.

Reeds gear- on point.

I don't understand brand loyalty. No factory ever gave me shit, not so much as a gasket, so I don't owe them anything.

Underdog. Or the ones that have made it to the top without buying their way there.

Yes. Underdog. Love em. I'm prolly the biggest Nick Schmidt fan in the world for not knowing him. But the dude has only missed like 2 mains that he lined up for in the last two seasons? Privateer and doing it for fun. I get hype every week when he makes the main.

I don't care what they ride, or how lit their kit is. I like guys who can ride and aren't assholes.

Kevin Windham is a prime example for people to aspire to be on and off the track. Just a class act with amazing talent. I've been a fan of his since the late 90's.

Also a big fan of Brett Cue for the same reasons.

Well you can like their image, their vibe, or the things they do. For example, Red Bull never gave me anything but they have such a good image, create nice events and they produce excellent series on YouTube which makes me really like them. I automatically look for the RB athletes in every sport. I can see 2 stroke enthusiasts liking KTM just for the fact that they push the 2 stroke R&D.

I just like racers that carry themselves like normal dudes.

Big Alessi fan, here. Best amateur career ever in my humble opinion, gets a bad rap because of his brother and because of Tony's mouth 15 years ago. Say what you will about not having a championship but last time I checked he's the current 2 stroke world champ... gotta count for something, right?

I love the holeshot! Best starter of all time!

Riding style and bike. Was always a fan of RV's because he was so cool to watch the way the bike would kick out from under him and he would save it and it almost seemed like he meant for it to do it. I also really like Tomac's style. But I'm a Honda guy and when Eli moved up to 450's I kind of jumped the gun and assumed he'd be the next Honda guy so I started being a fan of his and couldn't not be a fan when he went to Kawi. I also like Anderson because of his loose riding style. I definitely appreciate the guy's who look smooth and calculated but to me it's not as entertaining to watch.

I like andserson and Barcia because of their go for it riding style. Dungey, Marv, Kenny are all amazing talents but I am not a huge fan of their hugfests after a race. I don't want to see dirty riding per se, but I think the racing is better when they are not all buddy buddy.

I also like when you can tell a guy has fun while riding. RD looks like he has never thrown a one hander in his life...dude is all boring business. Baggett in his recents tours of his property made me like him even more, dude is loving moto right now.

Fearlessness. Motorcycle racers in general need to have less fear than most people imo, but I've always enjoyed watching riders that seem to be more fearless than the others.

I prefer the riders that let their riding do the talking. You don't ever see guys like RV and RD blowing up Twitter and IG. Even when something bad happens (fight, crash, etc). They just STFU and race. For example, I became a super fan of these two during all the JLaw crap. All that guy wanted to do was stir up shit and 99% of the time he was put in his place when it came to actually racing these two. In general I've always been annoyed with the whole "Rockstar" attitude. Humbleness is my favorite quality and these two (despite all their success) have it. Also, they were nothing but class acts throughout the rivalry. Much respect to guys like that.

For me, being a true fan is more than just talent and results, it's integrity, character, and an appreciation for the sport. Most racers work hard to get where they are, but for every winner, there's also a guy you see limping around in last place at every race. With many stacked starting gates, missing are many former local "stars", and more than a few guys that never give up trying, but will never make it to the starting line that day. Some of the coolest guys at the track, are the ones you'll never know. They work just as hard, and have paid the same dues, but perhaps their best will never be enough. Big names like Hannah and RJ may have had that "edge" to their personalities that personified their skills, but they also had something else,...Personability. The simple ability to be personable away from an autograph session, or promo appearance. Both of those guys, like many others, are really cool, down to earth guys when you're just hanging out, shootin the shit. That's what makes them as cool as the guy you've never heard of. That's what makes me a fan of them. When it comes to the new generation, there's plenty of accomplishments and dedication to appreciate as well, yet I'm not sure that I'm as much a fan, as much as I equally respect the road they've travelled to get there. I mean, Dungey has nothing to prove to anyone,..Period! How can anyone not respect Reed, when others bow out, whining about age, him and his family are still there because they have the one thing for this sport that many have forgotten is what got them there in the first place,...Passion! Cooper Webb was mentioned. Many may think he's too aggressive, but isn't that what was thought of Carmichael and Stewart at first? He's earned his way to where he is regardless, and he's likely going to be around for quit a while! Riders come and go, and there's many things that make someone a "Fan" of certain riders, but as long as we remain fans of the sport itself, there is always cheers for the many racers the world round!

For me I think a lot of things tie together.

First it's the riding style - but not just the pretty factor. They need to look good / smooth, but I also want to see someone who digs deep and makes their own luck, willing to push just a little harder to get to the front. And I don't mean that in a "push until they yardsale" kind of way. That's no fun to watch. I'm talking never-say-die and last lap passes.

Riding-wise I really enjoy watching Webb - he is smooth but aggressive. And very economical in his movements. If he is whipping, he is doing it to get from one side of the track to another. Everything he does seems a few steps ahead and it's cool to see that kind of flow.

Somebody mentioned gear... Tomac's gear is hideous. I know it's silly but that actually does put me off a bit.

I've never been into the brand loyalty thing, most guys switch around so much it just doesn't make sense to me. I'm probably preferential to Hondas and I was sure happy to see Kenny come out swinging this year, but I liked watching him in previous years too. I'd have a hard time saying who is my favorite now, I like Dungey because he is just an all around great on and off the track, but Eli definitely has that spark right now.

Every now and then, all of these elements combine and you have a superstar. THE rider. THE bike. THE gear. Dating myself here but I think back to 87 Johnson with the Honda and the Fox gear. Or 89 Bradshaw with the badass redesigned YZ and the zebra pants. Or McGrath in 95-96. As I get older I'm less susceptible to hero worship, but those are the things that I think really weigh in when it comes to making a fan.

Honda doesnt give me a penny either, but imho they make a superior product that will be reliable and perform well. Im not going to be faster on a KTM, so I dont need one.

I grew up riding a JR50, XR75, CR125, CR250

Love the brand, never had a single failure, and I love red plastics with a blue seat.

Hannah OShow and Bailey sealed it. Winning MXDN too.

I'm a fan of anybody in the pits that will take their time and talk to me, that's not just the writers, it's the writers the mechanics the team managers and the reporters. I'm a huge GuyB fan, I'm a huge Steve Cox fan and it has nothing to do with how good they are on a motorcycle and has everything to do with how cool those dudes are

I'm a fan of a lot of things in this sport, I love watching practice I love watching them play with their bikes I love watching them race I love the trying to figure out stuff I love the sport, that pretty much means I'm a fan of just about all riders

This. I think for me values have to align to be a fan. I can definitely respect someone like RV and his skills on a bike, but I can't say as I'll ever be a fan just because we have different values.

Also helps if they can avoid thanking their imaginary friend on the podium

Style, Determination, Professionalism, History, Humble

Style,heart, treating fans good,. No drama or baggage.

Its usually riding style for me, but personality has something to do with it as well.

I pull for cooper webb since I am from NC. I like how aggressive he can get, like when he parked savatgy around that hairpin turn in outdoors after savatgy took him way wide on the start. His ridiculous charges he would put on in the second half of the motos was awesome to watch. He also rides yamaha, which is what I "want" to like but I pull for the riders not the bikes.

My other dude is roczen. I actually chose to start pulling for him when RCH started the team since I was always a ricky fan. He struggled for a while and just so happened to come into his own. Im glad it worked out because I think he is the smoothest rider I've ever seen. Just watch his cornering technique , unreal. Usually doesn't even take his feet off the pegs. I forget the track, but remember in outdoor last year when he passed a ton of (fast) people on the first lap, some even on the outside, AND with a bent shifter? I hope his arm allows him the same speed when he returns.

And of course I'm a chad reed fan, because I'm old.


I don't really "hate" any riders, except maybe friesie because he always wrecks people when he knows he isn't as fast.

Some riders I don't dislike, but they are just kind of boring/bland. Like millsaps or dungey. I think eli is a good rider and probably a good dude, but as a roczen fan I can't wish him good luck. He is like the kryptonite.