Upgrade to enjoy this feature!
Vital MX fantasy is free to play, but Premium users receive great benefits. Premium benefits include:
- View and download rider stats
- Pick trends
- Create a private league
- And more!
Only $10 for all 2026 SX, MX, and SMX series.
I think the Team/bike plays a bigger role than you are giving credit for. Star being a great example. Star had Martin and Webb and basically was the same team from '13 to '14. What changed? The platform. The new bike in '14, combined with the Team's ability to built it up and make it work was a huge part of what propelled Webb and Martin, in just a year's time. Bobby admitted that. And the 250 squad hasn't looked back since. And that directly relates to Mitch and the PC squad. When these kids are coming through the Ams and have their pick of who they want to ride for, they will go with the team that they think gives them the best chance to win. And right now that is Star, more than it is PC Kawi. It all goes hand in hand.
As far as Tomac and Chase, I think Tomac just knows exactly what he wants and it's up to the team to give that to him. And KTM has done an unbelievable job of giving him a bike that does what he asks. I think Chase, in contrast, seeks a feel that maybe doesn't make sense. JT sort of touched on that, with him wanting the low rear, but also more front end feel, or something to that effect. And I think that has been part of Chase's issue with all of these 3 teams. He isn't able to decide what exactly what he wants, or guide the Team to make the bike how he wants. But Honda can do it for Jett, KTM did for Eli. Kawi, I'm not sure but it sounds like their method of testing (according to Tickle), combined with Chase maybe not knowing the direction of what he wants, is going to make for a long process to get that bike to come around. Just my opinion, of course.
If we are going to go back to Stewart and Villopoto days, I'll bring it back even further. In 1981 Hannah was so pissed about how much better Howerton's bike was that he ended up ramming Howerton after he felt he was being toyed with. And those were works bikes, subject only to the limits of what the team was willing and able to do. Suzuki was both willing and able to be the best at that time. So was Yamaha providing him that 20% comparable to Suzuki. No - according to Bob.
Yes, older bikes, much bigger differentiation but Stewart and Villopoto were on older generation bikes too.
So 80% rider, 20% bike?
Post Ricky Carmichaels elevation of training I'd say all of the riders on factory teams are hovering around 75% to 80% by that guideline. All know how to train, all ride all the time. Carmichael took famously ill handling bikes and just was determined to be better than everyone. But everyone learned.
So 20% bike/team? - It is it's own race to conform to the rider so they can be the best they can be. For Tomac it means having an engine that is way way faster than the fastest stock bike. If he didn't get what he wanted from KTM do you think he'd be where is is at, against Hunter/Webb/Roczen? If you assume Prado was near 80% as a 4x world champ, what % was his team compared to others? It doesn't mean the team didn't try, weren't good people, but did they deliver for Prado? For Sexton?
I wouldn't be surprised if I saw him on yellow for outdoors.
Now that Anderson is stepping away from racing, it could be Chase at Suzuki???
The Shop
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
Free shipping: VITALMX
Kawi did have a really good run. Since the eras I’ve followed, they went from Emig, to RC, to Stew, to RV, to ET (with a bunch of 125/250 titles sprinkled in there)
have you maybe considered that prado is a quitter
Would be fun to ask Tomac to rank his top 3 race bikes…. We don’t know what he thinks of the KTM outdoors yet, but you know he puts this bike in SX right at the top.
Is Tomac running Kayaba suspension or spring forks? It looks like he has WP suspension on it. His suspension seemed to be working great at Daytona. Sexton would have been better off on a Yamaha, I think, but the guy does have talent although not much luck.
Eli has said it was his only full factory offer, I believe.
I guess I missed Chase being vocal about 'why' he left KTM. What did he say the reason was? Do you have a link to an interview?
I was thinking that with KTM on the verge of total financial failure and a big company like Kawasaki knocking on your door...well, who would turn that down? There is never a financial doubt with Kawasaki.
He's gonna love the power and chassis outdoors. That's for sure.
Sexton used up his luck on those 250 titles with Forkner constantly injured 😂 kidding, somewhat..
Yep I agree both can true. But I also think the great ones just make it work. Whether it be RC, RV, Dung, Tomac, they dont complain too much. After the fact they've come out and said things weren't perfect. But looking at their results you probably wouldn't know. I just think sometimes we give too much currency to the riders opinions on the bikes? They so often fail to put themselves in the equation when things aren't going so well?
For example, a few years ago the KTM riders were apparently struggling with the bike. Next thing Dung comes out of retirement and is their best rider. Beating Webb and AP. Was the bike/team really that bad? Or was it them?
I love how they were praising garret and others for a good ride.
Chase is out
Prados out
Andersons out
All of team betas out
Rjs out Malcolm’s half dead
Plessinger as half dead
Who else is missing / mangled
Yay so and so got a 9th good ride man, better than lately… yeah no shit 6 guys are missing that would have been in the way…
Dunno.
That is a good point but I think there are so many factors. A rider's riding style plays a role. Different style's require different things from the bike. And I think how that individual meshes with the bike, is another part. Some rider's also know what they need and other don't, as mentioned earlier. RD hopping on that bike was amazing, considering all of the talk about struggles with that bike. Him coming off the couch and ripping was so cool and it was also a bad look for the other guys, as you alluded to lol. But at the same time, it clearly just didn't work for Webb, compared to the prior gen. I don't think he can be at fault, when he delivered titles on the prior bike and could barely ride the new (at the time) generation. Plus, KTM sort of admitted their fault in that by the time that the showroom '23s hit the dealers, Prado and the GP guys were already running an updated frame, that quickly replaced it. I think they knew when the 22.5 Factory Editions were released, that the frame was too rigid in the shock tower/backbone area.
I treat it as a case by case thing. And also, the pro team's success/failures aren't always a heavy influence on what I would buy. I'm pretty particular/detail-oriented and know what I like. But I think it might influence a good amount of other people.
It's definitely a balance of both rider and team. No bike/team is perfect and it's the riders responsibility to accept this. Adapt, ride abit differently, take different lines, learn to setup your own bike, knowing the limits of your bike, not over riding it and getting the most out of it.
I think Tomac has learnt this. I don't think Chase has and right now maybe he's in a mental self reflection slump? He's asking alot of questions about himself which might be affecting his results more than the bike itself? Who knows 🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
I would. He's got a 3 year contract with Kawasaki
jett
Pit Row
Right. I'm laughing at these posts about Chase getting on Anderson's bike. He'll get the Kawi sorted out and be better on it outdoors. Just like his first year on the KTM
I suspect some of the guys underestimate how much benefit you get from muscle memory by riding the same basic setup all the time.
so did Prado...
Jett lol
Vialle had the same issue with the shock on a 250.
He was drinking the same Koolaid as Chase. Somehow everyone on an Austrian bike worldwide except those two didn't have issues. It was also the same shock Chase used in 2024 and Webb in 22/23 that was somehow fine then. I think everyone has forgotten if Webb doesn't get ran over by AC the race before Tomac tore his Achilles, we would have had Webb winning that championship instead of Chase.
I'm not saying KTM or WP is bad, I'm just saying there was something funky going on last year in the Red Bull KTM U.S. team. Bad batch of components, human errors etc.
Apples and Oranges. Prado had come from a very successful run on KTMs and wanted to go back to bikes he knew without a doubt successfully worked for him. What bike could Chase go back to that he had recent long-term success on?
Ummm, he had success on the Honda, he had success on the KTM, its not the bike, its Chase. Heck he even won on the Kawasaki.
read my last sentence carefully. I said recent long-term success. He's had sporadic success on a couple bikes, but not long term and not recent. He bailed on all 3 you mentioned chasing his Holy Grail that he still hasn't found. Why would you think he would go back to any of the other 3?
What bike could Chase go back to that he had recent long-term success on?
KTM 2024 3rd in SX .....1st in MX
KTM 2025 2nd in SX
Sounds pretty successful to me?
Honda 2023 1st in SX....2nd in MX
Sounds pretty successful to me?
He has been successful on every bike he has been on, yes he's that good.
He didn't leave Honda because of the bike he left because he didn't want to play second fiddle to Jett.
I don't know why he left KTM but he had huge success there too, if not for a couple of mental mistakes he gets the SX C'ship there too.
It was nice to see the bike could handle ET3's abuse at a track like Daytona. Bring on the outdoors.
Post a reply to: Tomac LOVES Chases bike