Easy solution to the penalty problem

What's the problem you are speaking of?

Even Honda didn’t have a problem with it. They knew he did it twice

Well the easiest solution is follow the rules….

Even tho I'm not really a fan of a position penalty myself, a time penalty is probably hard to implement and get right for both MX and SX at the same time. Let's say it would be 10 or 15 seconds instead of one position. Often in MX that could result in no real loss at all, because the gaps could eventually be bigger. In SX 10 or 15 seconds could actually result in multiple positions instead. 

I think the whole point is to have it somewhat consistent to let the riders know they fucked up. Yeah I know.. AMA and consistent doesn't really go hand in hand

So you want it introduce a variabel time penalty based on what? You can't have a set one because at some point it will benefit to speed up reentry.

Sorry, but doing this just awards speeding up riders getting back on the track which will just jeopardize safety for people around and on the track.

Exactly, I am all for enforcing the rules, but AMA has trouble doing it consistently.  Mike Pelliter only gave Deegan a love tap after he rode dangerously in SX to try to get Jo Shimoda to crash and then T-boned him. If Jett had cut off Deegan getting on the track, I would understand, but the replay showed he didn't. Like on a highway, the safest way to merge is to start to come up to speed before entering.

This here. It's pretty simple.

The only problem I have with loss of position is there's no way to make amends. 

They have different penalties in F1, some are time, some you can give up a position on track, then fight back.

Sadly, there's no sure fire way of relaying that information without comms.

But yeah, even though it may have been sketchy getting back on track at that high speed corner, the offender needs to slow, and get back on avoiding traffic. 

I think if Jett or Hunter go off track and accelerate back on they should penalize Deegan for pushing the brothers to ride so fast..

I do pick up what you're putting down but as others have said it's a penalty for what they do off the track not how they got there 

But yes the issue of no way to redress the mistake and we coulda had the cool situation where the team tells him he has a 10 second penalty so he tries to push to exceed the 10 secs to make up for the mistake he made through his mistake..

If there's any change needed it's a harsher penalty for purposefully cutting the track cause that's essentially the first rule of racing for sport.. but good luck proving that 

maybe they have to re-enter where they went off?

what problem … Honda was cool with it and Jett was cool with it. 

They follow the rules and still get fucked over by the AMA. Remember the lights situation earlier this year during SX. 

I mean, I thought this was pretty funny... 🤭

AMA are all homeskewel level reedin' n ritin'

Like they didn't visually see it

The AMA, to their credit, has followed the rules to the letter of the law since their debacle in SX….

They changed things on the spot. Such a joke, Yogi quit. 

That's often not safe, or possible.

Just started tonight's Pulp show from the beginning and heard Keefer's take that Jett shouldn't have received a penalty because he lost time... the thing is, if he would have followed the rule by not accelerating on the side of the track, he would have lost the place to Deegan. He didn't, stayed in front of him, thereby gaining an advantage by disregarding the rule.

I think this might be another case for the helmet communications discussion. Now I'm more onboard for it being used for general race direction comms (Red Cross/red flags) than for team comms, but let's say for the sake of this example that the team has radio to Jett. They could tell him "we believe you'll get a penalty if you don't give the spot to Deegan," similar to pit wall communication to drivers in F1. Interesting to think about.

Haha, I just read that 😆

Jet shouldn’t have to let the guy behind pass him - how far back is the guy behind?
In the case being discussed - Jet lost time to his brother, and the gap back to Deegan was significantly reduced - so definitely no advantage gained by the incident. The rule (apparently) states “no acceleration”, which there was, and everyone copped it sweet.

And it’s more often perfectly safe and completely possible. And it completely fixes the situation we have with riders skipping entire sections of the track, then pulling back on wherever they don’t lose momentum..

Both of Jett’s off track incidents last race prove my point. He would have lost a huge amount of time, but there’s your penalty for leaving the race track.

Agreed.  That's the rule in mountain biking pro/elite events

I have no issue with the penalty, not sure who really does, well only the very few 

It wouldn't be such a problem if they were just consistent in not only what constitutes a penalty but what the penalty is exactly. When Jet went off the track & gunned it to get back on I'm sitting here thinking..."Ok so for sure there's going to be a penalty but I have no fking clue what it's going to be". He tried to explain on Pulp tonight that he felt it was safer to re-join the track at race speed cus if he jumped back on going slow while someone (like Deegan) is coming up full speed that could result in a nasty crash. Now...I'm not buying it. He went off the track...if he needs to slow down enough for Deegs to go by safely before he jumps on then that's your penalty for leaving the track and the AMA likely lets it go.  But I had no clue if it would be time or position penalty until later. 

And that rule provides great motivation to stay on track!

There would be way too many disputes about whether something was a mistake vs to gain an advantage. I don’t know that including the word “blatant” would  solve anything because someone will argue that what they did wasn’t blatant. 

No issue at all with the penalty...

Off track "acceleration" is always going to be a subjective penalty.  How much is too much?  Any at all?  Maybe the off track rule should read, you must decelerate immediately and not accelerate until you are back inside the track markers and re-entering safely is the responsibility of the rider.  An unsafe reentry to the track is an additional penalty.  Make these guys actually use their brains a little...  An offtrack excursion shouldn't just be a way to avoid the deep ruts and braking bumps, etc.  

Agreed.  There is some discretion through, for example, if they are forced off by another rider.  

Bullshit penalty.

Every other comparison the rider accelerates by a rythym section or a whoop section or cuts a corner.

Jett....WENT AROUND THE OUTSIDE...he didn't cut a corner! He didn't miss a bunch of jumps!

Complete horseshit penalty