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Be done with it. Throughout the whole race the track positions mean nothing since you don't know who has and hasn't done the Joker other than the leaders?
The Shop
the whoops idea had a bit of merit tho, the making it faster was a flop as most took it straight away, and if you did not, you took it the next lap rather than try to pass people on a very hard to pass layout,
Tomac's slow everyone up at the last round made better viewing, maybe they need to send out a blocker,
The joker lane is a gimmick that was added to the MEC cup after Villopoto won the Monster Million the first year they had the event. It was added in order to lessen the chance of someone winning the million dollars and that has worked up until this year when RC4 decided to make the joker lane faster.
The only thing it is accomplishing is confusion. Having an alternate route is a waste of floor space, (just like the split start), has created no memorable drama, has caused the world's best rider's to end up looking like fools (because they forgot it) makes the race position ticker incomplete (since you can't tell who hasn't done the joker) and I could go on.
If you want to add interest and drama and put a stop to consistent results, a slow speed technical Endurocross style section of the track which must be used every lap would accomplish it. You need riders "tumping over" without high speed risk. The racing would be far better slowed down.
Perfection is Achieved Not When There Is Nothing More to Add, But When There Is Nothing Left to Take Away
-Antoine de Saint-Exupery
This idea has merit. The joker lane adds a few seconds of anticipation, but has not demonstrated the ability to impact race results. Unless your name is Ryan Dungey...
When it is slower, then most wait until near the end of the race, and as we have seen, it can be forgotten as well.
To get real cheesy, they can keep the joker lane closed until after lap 5 and it is opened once the first place rider passes it, then they open it so those behind get the quick trip closing the gap. At least until lap 6 when the leader can take it.
I do not want to see that though.
MEC, have a slow joker lane if they want it, keep it out of SX
Pit Row
Slower joker lane = strategy involved, better chance of losing positions depending on when you take it.
Had the joker lane been longer and Anderson would of taken it before Musquin he would have gained time on him after coming out of it. This year's track was hard to pass pass on so a longer joker lane would of played a bigger part in the outcome of the race. Say Anderson would of been fairly close after he already took the joker lane and Musquin took it a few laps after, it would have been really difficult for Musquin to gain back the lead if he had lost it while taking the joker lane.
Not to mention this year it was positioned where it was easy to remember to take it. In year's past a couple guys forgot to take it because it wasn't positioned properly.
Either it's a stupid gimmick that should have no part in the regular SX season.
The joker lane being faster was great concept, but everyone taking it at the same time was boring. It needs to lengthen the lap times, so riders are reluctant yet forced to take it
everyone has to take it. it only means the amount of time to get thro the section is slower. there’s no more strategy in a slower lane then there is in a faster lane. you’re looking at it as if only marvin had to go thro it.
for one lap it will look like he’s ahead. until marvin takes it. didn’t you see what happened with tomac and marvin?
i honestly don’t think you understand how this all works. there’s a chance a rider can gain or lose time going through a fast or slow joker lane (as well as any part of the track) but you can’t state that based on the joker lane being a certain way that a rider taking it at a certain point would have gained or lost a certain amount of time.
assuming what you said with mm and anderson had been done....marv was in front of anderson. so if anderson took it first then yes for however many laps marv didn’t take it, it would look like anderson was in front of him but (going by factual lap times) as soon as marv took the joker lane he would have been back in front of anderson so the hard pass concept you talk about wouldn’t have happened.
i don’t know how else to explain it
that’s like me saying if the sweeping corner coming back into the stadium wasn’t wet Tomac would have won
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