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What I'm saying is.....compared to last week , and qualifying yesterday , I was happy to see him ride and get it on the box.
Sand has never been a strong point for our American riders. Maybe never will , I don't know. And with that being said , I was happy with him giving those two guys some sort of a race in it.
I believe in fact he IS being paid to put it on the line.
Just a rough day and a rough track for him in the second moto. Eli admitted the track beat him up in the post race interview.
Why do members here keep trying to discredit the skill and fitness of non- US based racers? They train and eat the same as US riders, maybe a little better as proved by the results lately...
The Shop
I think the track suited him today (much like JT$ suggested on the broadcast) and he's a great sand rider in my book. He's shown that in the past with blistering speed at Kegums, smoking Roczen at Southwick, coupled with his performance today! I know some would say none of those are 'true' bottomless pits but nonethless, he can ride the soft stuff!
Eli somewhat turned it around, and can't complain about that. At this point over the two weeks of racing, it's quite clear, Herlings and AC are on a lightly higher level, and that's ok, it gives something for Eli to strive for knowing that he isn't the fastest rider out there.
But it certainly helped Eli in that first moto where he could use his pinning it style to get the job done.... something that just didn't work on the Saturday.
But then that style didn't quite work as well when it got a bit rough again in moto two when you couldn't just rail the outsides and hold it wide open, showing the difference in the two styles of racing. You definitely have to be a lot more versatile and calculated to race MXGP, you can't just pin it on most GP tracks. In contrast aggression is what suits AMA tracks.
I feel Eli's speed is more track dependent, but when a track requires aggression like moto one, he is right there with the best two riders in the world! You could see the contrast between his AMA style and the GP guys during the whole weekend, when it was rougher or more technical Eli wasn't quite there with Cairoli or Herlings. .
Tomac is as fast as them on smooth wide open tracks that suit his style. He took the opportunity that the track conditions provided in moto one and earned the win with the holeshot and his speed. Second moto they started together on a rougher track and you saw what happened...
Horses for courses. I think Tomac is an awesome rider but his AMA skill set is the total opposite of what is generally required in MXGP to be world mx champ, which is why it was fascinating to see the difference the track conditions made for him in each practices session and the three races.
It's the same reason Herlings doesn't think riding at Aldon Baker's is the right way to go for GP preparation because you can't race slower more technical GP tracks wide open like you can the big wide and loamy US tracks.
To answer your question, as you know, it's unlikely they'll be attending any supercross events. Generally the euro dudes have no interest in that part of racing, they don't practice it or race it. Motocross is a better comparison, as both series (us Vs them mentality) race it.
The KTM duo will be riding Lommel in the middle of winter in preparation for the 2018 motocross world championship.
Which is part of the reason why if you want to be the best MX rider in the world you have to race MXGP to prove it and if you want to be the best supercross rider in the world you go to American to prove it.
Horses for courses.
Pit Row
I'm curious why nobody has mentioned what Cairoli said about why Herlings is riding so well in his post race interview? Says he is fresher than everyone based on what happened earlier in the season with his injuries. Maybe Cairoli feels the Herlings hype is a little exaggerated and he was out to prove a point today before he went down? On that theory Eli deserves even more respect what was this 30 races in 35 weeks?? Crazy supercross points battle and never got to recover before all pressure was put on him for outdoors being the favorite.
Tomac can only go fast on smoother easy tracks, yet he won the last 5 out of 6 GP motos he raced including riding by the best GP riders in the world on a rough technical Glen Helen track just as impressively as Herlings did a week ago.
Who do you think your talking to here. We all saw the race too. We had one guy in the 450 class to represent the US and he went 1-3. Then gave a classy podium interview.
Then one of our top 15 guys went 1-1.
I don't think your theory about the superior skill set of GP riders on rough technical tracks holds water.
At the end of the day it doesn't matter the track or the Country. The fastest guys are going to win. And the US has won more times, more often for more years than any other few countries combined.
Right.
Anyway.
Herlings is a real racer, coming over and racing a National to warm up for the GP. I'm a fan.
Coiroli. Always a class act. And fast as ever.
Mostly, I think the comparison between "us" and "them" (whichever side you want to take) is interesting, but it's way bigger than a race or two a year. You get a very small measure of where everyone is at.
I honestly can't understand why some people want one side to be dominant
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