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Anyway, as PaleBlue mentioned, I don't see how anyone could bag on the American riders who's been over to the GPs and raced, in general those deals have worked out pretty well as far as I can recall. The GP's and the AMA Nats may differ a bit here and there, but a rider with talent and determination is a rider with talent and determination no matter where he (or she) rides and comes from. People adapt, a winner will win, or at least challenge for it.
Edit: Also, Ken is a pretty big guy and will suffer more than others (I would guess) at a slight loss of power. Are you, mop, suggesting that the teams running 450's (which is every team except for KTM, obviously, and only a couple of KTM riders at that) should just leave the bikes as is, engine-wise?
Anyway, I'm glad Ken raced, I wish he would have done better (for the sake of not having this argument appear, I suppose) but as people say, he did what you sort of would have expected I guess.
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Very well said
The way it works is simple. The GP's package and shape the rider before sending them off (with a smile and a wave) along the Motocross conveyor belt to AMA championship titles. Upon which, these previously unheard of superstars are declared American/AMA riders and infinitely better than any of 'our' lot.
Such a shame that he doesn't get commended on here. I hope he does well at GH.
He was fast and he put it up front.
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I remember an interview with John Dowd after Belgium won the 1997 MXDN´s on home turf. He said something like "we need to ride more natural and real motocross tracks too, like they have at the GP´s. Look at our motocross tracks, they are full of man made jumps, and look more like sx tracks than real motocross". Personally I´m a big fan of the American tracks, but I think this opinion has a point that can count for both American and GP racing. An American rider is usually a better technical rider than a GP rider due to Americans riding the most technically challenging tracks there are: supercross. We all know this is why French riders do well in America, AND in the GP´s. The pure strength and speed to endure longer motos and faster tracks where the turns are semingly the only way to make up time is - or at least was - a GP riders strongest side. Now, if someone goes across the pond to ride one of the two series - regardless which one it is - the tracks and way of riding are obviously going to be different. As a result, the rider will bring his strong side with him as a foundation, and eventually (if he stays there long enough) learn the way of riding from the series he moved to. That´s why I think Ryno, Brown, Dement, Pichon etc. came back to their "home series" as more complete riders. When they returned they had learned and mastered skills that few others in their own series had learned. That´s why I believe that Euro riders should try to go to the US to ride as much as they can - they will learn new skills that they can bring home to their national series and have an advantage coming up through the ranks. I know the ones who´ve done it here usually master technical sections or jumps WAY better than those who go to Spain or Italy. Maybe that would be a good idea for young American riders too, trying the Euro championship or a strong national championship like the Dutch or British - to get their feet wet before they are old enough for AMA pro racing, AND learn that you can be fast without having to scrub a 2 feet jump.
I honestly think Ken would have been a much faster riders if wasn't that tall.
Post a reply to: Why aren't the GP cheerleaders talking up "Big Ken"???