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Another occasion the gate we picked was almost "liberated" by another rider and his mechanic. We politely explained that the gate was taken and that they needed to wait for their turn.
You have the privilege based on your quali times and position to stand your ground.
Don't be intimidated...you have earned your pick position and stand your ground.
Mechanic whose rider dnf'd was trying to take advantage of his position in the industry by taking a gate that wasn't theirs. As shady and disrespectful as that move was, bragging about it on the biggest moto podcast that we have is pure comedy. Should've bit your tongue Danno
It was kinda funny...watching Christophe cower when Matt would get in his grill for being an absolute little bitch.
Im also 100 percent sure a rider or team can study the qualifying order. It isn’t hard to know who was ahead and who was behind. If you see someone that was behind you, you kick them out of any gate they are in that you want. I’ve never heard a high-level racer ever complain about this. I’ve seen many riders speak up and move someone trying to posture.
This isn’t some scandal. It’s just the sport
All the while...someone thinks they're gonna "hold a gate"...get in their grill as I noted else-where.
Hell, even at Mammoth(where you draw a chip with your gate # on it), people have tried to poach gates: send them packing.
Pit Row
Steve : Just stand by the gate and everyone rolls by you?
Dan: I did it in colorado for joey, i mean i just stood on an inside gate and people think that it’s a gate, they think that someone is there but that’s just the riders being dumb.
Explain what you mean when you say riders are dumb? What exactly makes them dumb? what did you mean when you said that..
If someone were to ask the AMA, your telling me they would agree with you and say something to the effect of “yes, what dan describes on the show is legal and that is the way gates are chosen” Is that your official stance? Should we ask them and solve it? I would be the first to apologize if i’m wrong
What rule did I break? And to be clear, Steve brought up that a listener had sent him a message saying somehow Kenny got a good gate. (Millville Moto 2)
Steve then said something to the effect of "the old Honda trick prolly worked, you know"
Paul said - "stand by the gate"
Steve said "Yeah, just stand by the gate and you know, everyone rolls by you"
So, it's clear that this is done by riders and teams for years. This is not a secret. I didn't invent this strategy.
I did say "Yeah, I did it in Colorado for joey, I mean, I just stood on an inside gate and people think that it’s a gate, they think that someone is there, but that’s just the riders being dumb."
Joey was 10th moto 1, it wasn't like he was mid pack and we were passing people up for gates. I don't know if you have ever been behind the gate or not, but they let you go up and look and then they push the bikes up. It's not like they go 1 by 1. To answer your question. Maybe my choice of words "dumb" wasn't correct. But, if you are a top 10 guy and you don't look over a few gates to see if anything is open, that's your own fault. And, for all I know, the other guys around us didn't want that gate anyway. If they did, they could just say "hey I am going to go here". Ask your buddy Jimmy D if he has ever went to the gate early and tried to get a gate. I would be willing to bet a lot of money he will say yes. Is Jimmy a cheater and a scumbag? Of course not, but he always wanted to do the best that he could.
I googled "pro motocross starting gate" and this picture pops up. I'm sure you can find hundreds of pictures like this.
This was the gate picks for some of the guys you see already down by the gates, looking for openings.
Cameron Mcadoo 27th
Colt Nichols - 31st
Alex Martin 32nd
RJ Hampshire - 33rd
The rider next to the box had 21st gate pick for reference. Colt is not cheating. In my opinion, he is hoping some of these guys assume he's taking that gate.
To answer your questions about asking the AMA. Sure, ask them. Show them this picture and ask them if the riders listed above are cheating because they are standing by gates before it's their turn.
Your post made it sound like I just walked down there as an industry person and stood by a gate and scared people off. I was at that time the designee for the rider. I was within the rules of one rider and one mechanic allowed behind the gate. Check the rule book, which rule did I break? Remember this was moto 2.
From the AMA Rule Book
2.11 Staging
h. Second Moto staging: The rider, his motorcycle or his designee must be in the Staging Area at the appropriate staging time. If a rider uses a designee to hold his starting spot, that designee must notify staging officials that he is there to pick the start gate for the rider. Should the designee hold up the loading of the Start Gate, that rider will lose his gate pick. If a rider, his motorcycle or his designee is not in the Staging Area at the time of loading the gate, that rider will lose his starting position and must pick last. This is for the second moto only.
2.12 Start Procedure
a. Each rider may have only one crew member accompany them to the Starting Gate. No other crew members are permitted at the Starting Gate.
b. Grooming may be done behind the Starting Gate, provided no shovels, tools, or other implements (foreign or natural) are used. There will be no grooming in front of the Starting Gate by riders or mechanics.
c. The use of starting blocks or other foreign elevating devices is prohibited. However, natural material found at or near the Starting Gate may be used for the rider to rest their feet on. Any natural material used for elevation may not be used as a grooming tool.
d. Watering of starting lanes by riders or mechanics is prohibited.
e. Ramps of any kind may not be formed in the starting lane. (The front and rear tires must be level).
f. Motorcycles must be positioned straight and in the center of the Starting Gate. Riders may not start at an angle.
g. If a backstop board is present, the rear tire may not extend past or rest upon it.
My only gripe with Dan is his damn Industry Idiots emails DON'T load all the pics he sends so I have to keep refreshing the email to get the rest or go searching for them and before I know it.....nevermind.
Post a reply to: Dan truman stealing gates and bragging about it