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hamncheeze
7/9/2020 2:44pm
7/9/2020 2:44pm
First off, there is a good interview with Austin Forkner post-hospital here on DMXS, thanks to David Izer for doing this:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/dmxs-radio/id1191027685?i=1000483…
In there they discuss his crash and Forkner is basically saying it was about a 6" difference in whether he crashed or didn't crash. Now I get that a 6" difference in wheel placement can equal a crash in the whoops or another obstacle too, but maybe Supercross needs to re-evaluate how the Dragon's Back is used? This year was especially bad with the Arlington crashes plus Forkner's SLC crash.
Back in March/Apr/May I watched more than a few old races when guys were on 2 strokes and to me it seemed like the only way anyone rode the DB was to skim up it. Now, on 4 strokes I see more guys taking risks launching part way up to clear it, because they have the power to do so. Obviously I've never ridden a pro SX track, but I''m wondering if this obstacle has run its course with modern SX on a 4 stroke? Maybe they can work them into lower speed options where riders have no choice but to skim up them, like place them closer to a corner?
Just curious what people think?
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/dmxs-radio/id1191027685?i=1000483…
In there they discuss his crash and Forkner is basically saying it was about a 6" difference in whether he crashed or didn't crash. Now I get that a 6" difference in wheel placement can equal a crash in the whoops or another obstacle too, but maybe Supercross needs to re-evaluate how the Dragon's Back is used? This year was especially bad with the Arlington crashes plus Forkner's SLC crash.
Back in March/Apr/May I watched more than a few old races when guys were on 2 strokes and to me it seemed like the only way anyone rode the DB was to skim up it. Now, on 4 strokes I see more guys taking risks launching part way up to clear it, because they have the power to do so. Obviously I've never ridden a pro SX track, but I''m wondering if this obstacle has run its course with modern SX on a 4 stroke? Maybe they can work them into lower speed options where riders have no choice but to skim up them, like place them closer to a corner?
Just curious what people think?
The Shop
How many riders have the whoops taken out?
The dragon's back seems like a great obstacle to me. Let's maybe think about not putting a large gap after it with a small, steep landing zone just before a right-hand corner, however. Who had that idea????
Remember people asking to not have a big jump after the DB a couple years ago after a few bad crashes. With Webb and AC crashes this year in Arlington, the better shaped whoops on the DB was brought into the talk and sorted out.
Now after AF, not to have a corner after a DB is the problem.
We could agree that they're dangerous but the other option is taking them away and that's something we don't want.
It reminds me the "what can go after the whoops" talk and it's a berm or at worst some room and a small jump but even though we saw what happened with Jett Lawrence in A2.
Pit Row
But, riders are always pushing the limits of the track. Builders make the track and the riders look at it, make a plan of attack, and then some hot dog comes along, you know, someone like James Stewart, and he says "I'm gonna jump the whole damn thing!" and then everyone sees him do it, and then it, "Well, now I have to do it," because they can't win if they don't.
and it goes on and on and on, year after year
Other than leave it as is, there's only two ways to go....make it bigger or knock it down
Bigger is even more risk
Knocked down is not going to challenge the riders and the now 48 second lap times will go down to 40 second lap times and eventually it'll look like a flat track TT race track
Pick your poison
I don't think the bikes being faster helps anything but the industry doesn't seem to give a shit.
Perfect traction and similar horsepower – 250effs are faster than 250 two strokes were, and they they were seen as menacing, you had to "respect them when you moved up", as said by the Goat, RC... and 500s were too much and 450s would drop them easy these days.
My boy AC sure does seem to struggle with them, though. Not only the injury that took him out this year, but he crashed pretty hard in St. Louis on a dragon's back a few years ago. I took my buddy, who had never been to a race before, and as he said, "So where's the dude you like?", AC proceeded to crash his balls off on the dragon's back literally right in front of us. "Umm, right there on the ground."
He said something along the lines of “ well there’s this thing on the right side of your handlebars.....”
I agree with the OP. I don't think it is a particularly dangerous obstacle, but it all depends how it is built and where you put it.
I remember Stewart a few years ago clearing like a double DB (with the landing also in dragon's back). It was quite sketchy, very technical, but as it was also exiting the corner, at a relatively low speed,, I think it made any crash a bit less dangerous if things really went wrong. This year, with 3 really ugly crashes from the very top guys, it proved that DB should be more placed at the exit of a corner, not in the middle and at the end of fast rythm sections.
Post a reply to: Dragon's Back discussion - Forkner on DMXS