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I’m confused, we don’t use the term rookie in Australia, but I’ve been exposed to it ever since consuming month old MXAs over 40 years ago, and I’ve always seen it used by the American media as the first full season of either series.
Someone could try their hand at a race or two previously, but they were still always referred to as a rookie when they lined up in the gates for the first time at round one with the intention of racing the whole series, be it in SX or MX. Sometimes that was all in a single year, sometimes it wasn’t, but the use of the term never seemed controversial or contested.
Now there seems to be all sorts of caveats depending on where your bias lays. Oh well, lucky it doesn’t really matter.
The competition level in 250s is the weakest it's been in almost a decade.
Not saying Davies isn't amazing but the top title comp being Levi Kitchen and then a distant JuJu in third says a lot.
So Ryan Dungey did not win his first 450 outdoor as a "rookie"? Because he was a SX 450 champion?
TM
"The competition level in 250s is the weakest it's been in almost a decade."
did this start before or after Deegs left the class?
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I would reserve the title rookie for a riders first year as a professional, first year in 450 class is just first year in 450 class, not a rookie.
Cole Davies' rookie year in SMX was 2025.
I get your opinion but they do qualify it by "450" rookie.
Sometimes a 250 rider rides a 450 race or 2 on the "other coast" schedule. Does that disqualify him from being a "rookie" when he moves up?
You guys can argue about whether or not it is his rookie season all you want, his stats are still better than Haidens regardless. Cole will win more championships than Haiden will if he avoids injury.
Your points about races raced is a good argument, to answer your question no, I wouldn’t consider Ryan or Trey a rookie. In my opinion first full season on a 450 is not the same inexperience as first trip to the track on a bike in general. I do like the idea of leaning into it though and saying Ryan was so blisteringly fast, he had a 450 title before his rookie season even started 😂
I’d reluctantly agree, although I think Levi has much more upside and bike skill than you guys give him credit for. This compares with ‘14, ‘18, and ‘21 as the relatively weaker 250 years
So all Davies had to do was call his 2 outdoor starts last year "pro debuts" and he would get a pass on the rookie card this year.
There's a huge difference between a true professional rookie and a rookie to a specific class.
Roczen and Lawrence already had years of professional racing and championships under their belts when they won their first 450 outdoor titles.
If a rider moves straight into 450 pros from amateur racing, that's a true rookie. But it doesn't happen very often. Not for anyone that makes any real mark anyway.
Weston Peick did it in 2009 with some top 10s. Alessi... biffed it in his debut but then recovered with a podium at Steel City in 2004. Kyle Regal came out firing in 2009 too on a 450... I'd never even heard of the kid before that.
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