We all kind of laugh that it happened but we have massively understated the problem. What is the problem? The AMA has had multiple flagger incidents, ranging from local flaggers to AMA full time employees, that have led to bad injuries, penalties effecting race results and championship points, and increased risk of bad injuries. The most susceptible time for injury to a rider is the end of a race when they are more worn out and the track is rough. We watched the top rider in the series do an extra lap at full race pace between motos. Thank god he wasn’t injured on that lap…. and won the second moto.
It is difficult to deal with local flaggers that vary in ability and training….BUT….when it is the person manning the finish line, a full time AMA official, then that is a bigger problem. We saw it in SX too(red cross). This one the finish line flagger had a whole straight rhythm section to see the race leader, and top rider in the series WITH that red plate thingy, and was still unable to get the 2 lap board or the white flag out for the race leader. I went back and watched it and both were pulled out AS Sexton was CROSSING the finish line. No way a rider could be expected to see them. The first thing shown to Chase was a late checkered as he was jumping the final rythm. Nothing before that. You expect the 2 lap board and the white flag….so I can see how, as you concentrate on the track, the first flag you see waived you would assume it was the white flag. No offense to this individual but he should be moved to another AMA spot and NEVER flag again.
AMA….. fix this….you should be sincerely embarrassed!! Oh…and acknowledge your fuck ups and apologize. btw…you are fined for endangering a rider. Please send $1000 fine to Chase.
2 lap board…just being pulled out as Chase crosses the finish line (he is hidden under the leader board graphic) way too late.
white flag just being pulled out…not waiving mind you…just being pulled out to start to wave it….way too late.
Chase last lap white flag while in the rythm….
….checkered still not out as as he jumps the last rhythm
*no stuffed animals were imprisoned for the taking of these photos
There was a huge pileup there in 03. Right before Brownie got center punched by Ryno going up horsepower hill
Yeah, that's pretty inexcusable.
you had one job.
Funny how there is never any press releases explaining these issues and what they are doing to correct them so they don’t happen again 🤔
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Chase is just too fast for the flagger to handle
The guy thought AP was still leading...
Pretty pathetic.
Does MXGP have these kinda problems? Maybe they are the premier series in the world after all.
Why did the guy have the cross flag out and was there any explanation about penalties for the guys who jumped it? The whole broadcast was silent about it until Weege briefly touched on it and said that we’d have to wait and see what happens.
That makes it worse. To help him…..Chase was right behind AP crossing with 3 laps to go and passes AP fairly early on that lap. It’s Chase…rides like Chase…..looks like Chase….red plate….transponder working…. Lead changes happen a lot…especially when Chase moves forward….riders crash and stuff…. If that’s his excuse….yipes.
I rewatched it....he didn't see Chase and gave AP the 2 lap board then gave AP the white flag and completely missed Chase again and then pulled the checkered flag out just as Chase was crossing the finish line...you could tell that's when he realized that Chase was the leader because he looked at him after he crossed the line....that's when he knew he screwed up
That very well could be …but that’s my point. They totally screwed it up…and not the first time. That reason is so absolutely no excuse. Holy shit…did any fan at the track not realize Chase had made the pass?? and they don’t have access to transponders and a headset with communications! Not to mention the trackside announcer was screaming it over the PA! It’s almost like saying the roof had too steep of a slope…..oops…sorry…never mind…
"JUST COLDCOCKS HIM!" - Todd Harris
I remember watching that on TV. Brown got smoked by Hughes.
Start at the 10 Minute mark.
Yeah I 2nd this. What ever happened there? That jump was a blind double if I remember right, back in SX everyone was penalized regardless of whether the downed rider was still there because rules are rules you have to obey the flag no matter what. This weekend… nothing? So what the heck happened? Are riders not required to go wheels on the ground in MX?
Also, in the first moto, i didn't see any blue flags as AP and Chase were approaching lappers
Preach!
IIRC they said there were no penalties handed out
And to touch on the subject at hand, imagine something happened to Chase as he went WFO for another lap due to a flagging mistake? The awareness this year with flags is just terrible
I can see that no penalties were assessed but my question is why? Why was that guy waving a Red Cross flag and why were people not penalized for jumping on it? If we’re in a situation where jumping the Red Cross flag is okay sometimes if you don’t see a downed rider then eventually you’ll have a situation where someone jumps on a Red Cross flag and lands on somebody that they didn’t see.
All that said and I’m just a guy watching on tv so I’ll happily admit I don’t know shit. I’d just like some consistency, especially with race penalties and safety.
Pit Row
They need a AMA representative at the post race press conferences
My job, that doesn’t have millions on the line if there is a screw up, we have to perform an investigation and write up a corrective action so it doesn’t happen again. Quality issue, investigate. Safety issue, investigate. Breakdown, investigate. Many times frustrating as you know it was a people issue but we still have to do it and find a way to make sure it doesn’t happen again. But here we are, a professional race series, with millions at stake and we just shrug our shoulders each week and the AMA and promoters watch the same thing happen over and over again…
Or drop the AMA. Drop AMA Pro Racing too.
Maybe spend some of that million on professional flaggers and stewards instead of the rights to say “AMA pro national”.
I’ll add to your question. Why was the flagger “sort of” waving the Red Cross flag? It was almost like he was trying to hide it. So much so that when Sexton was in the air he had to look over to see it. I’d imagine him saying WTF to himself. If your job is to wave a flag maybe you should actually hold it up and wave it for them to see?
Just by the way he was holding the flag, my first thought was he didn't mean to have it out. Definitely a fuck up on the flagger's part. I fully agree with your last sentence, though. When Swoll's bike died at Southwick and he pulled over, the flagger was past the apex of the turn holding the flag below the banners (no waving at all) so no one coming around the corner could even see it until they were right on top of it. It's a good thing it was just a bike problem and not a crash.
….AND….you can see as the flagger gets the white flag out he hurries and sort of waves it at Chase as he was past. He realized At latest then so…..maybe wave the fuck out of the checkered early, no lapped rider was close in front, hanging as far over the track as humanly possible??? You can’t excuse this….no matter how hard anyone tries.
Yes to all of this, he was spacing out and playing with the thing!
Same. We call them LFI’s. (Learning From Incidents) as part of a continuous improvement journey which I thought was common across cooperations but it’s apparent the AMA and the production crew could give two shits about getting better.
Maybe the riders could penalize the referees/flag men for going off course, oh wait, they can’t organize…
Maybe someone should have searched the flaggers ice chest a little better.
…or maybe they get a random once in a while…lol.
I’ve said it idk how many times now;
Where, TF, is a statement from the AMA?!?!?!
There's been too many inexcusable issues with flagging this year. Garrett Marchbanks may still be racing. The deegan incident with the lapper is hard because if the flagger was able to get the flag out, there was so little time for haiden to see it, like a matter of single digit seconds for the flag to come out and hope haiden sees it. There needs to be paid flaggers that go to every single round or have enough to rotate some, and they need to be experienced, knowledgeable, and paid.
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