Most fragile racer ever: Broc or Ben?

YamaLink
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YamaLink
Edited Date/Time 1/27/2012 9:28am
Whether due to bad luck or riding over your head, injuries are part of the sport.

Who is the most fragile pro MX racer in recent history: Ben Townley or Broc Hepler?
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Bucky Wheat
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Bucky Wheat 7/28/2010 5:41am
7/28/2010 5:41am Edited Date/Time 7/28/2010 5:41am
Robbie Reynard gets my vote, Broc Hepler is right up there though
adamdf
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adamdf 7/28/2010 5:49am
7/28/2010 5:49am
Pastrana got hurt pretty easily too if i remember clearly..
4mxonly
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4mxonly 7/28/2010 6:08am
7/28/2010 6:08am
adamdf wrote:
Pastrana got hurt pretty easily too if i remember clearly..
Yea but Pastrana stayed healthy long enough to win a title, whereas Broc has very few (if any) complete seasons of mx or sx under his belt.
Cory976
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Cory976 7/28/2010 6:13am
7/28/2010 6:13am
Shae Bentley
Robbie Reynard
Broc Hepler

The Shop

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rallendude
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rallendude 7/28/2010 6:22am
7/28/2010 6:22am
I wonder how many guys has the talent or speed but were so fragile that you don't know their names.

I bet the list is long.
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FastEddy 7/28/2010 6:48am
7/28/2010 6:48am
Bucky Wheat wrote:
Robbie Reynard gets my vote, Broc Hepler is right up there though
Reynard pretty much always had the worst/bad luck.
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IntenseRider 7/28/2010 6:48am
7/28/2010 6:48am
I'm not sure it's fair to classify Broc as "fragile" Rather, I see it as him being very smart regarding being concussed. There are a lot of riders who jump back into it following a concussion with little regard for the long-term ramifications. I'm sure B-Hep would love to be back out there, but he also may be thinking about his mental faculties when he is 65.
agency399
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agency399 7/28/2010 6:51am
7/28/2010 6:51am
I am not sure if its worth a shit or not but my opinion on this is that both Ben and Broc are guys who charge hard.......when you push like that and DO hit the ground, something is going to give, and I don't think its going to be the ground.

I also do not think either one of them are fragile, they push hard and go down hard.....

pie8man
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pie8man 7/28/2010 7:09am
7/28/2010 7:09am
Cory976 wrote:
Shae Bentley
Robbie Reynard
Broc Hepler
"Broken Again" Bentley is the top of the list. I don't think he ever finished a full season. The last time I saw him ride a 500 at Mammoth he was on the gas though. Great guy too.
knowitalloveragainnovice 7/28/2010 7:24am
7/28/2010 7:24am
The difference between a bruise and a break in this sport is minute.

Insulting a rider for getting injured is pretty much the dumbest and played out little giggle on the message boards.

Hepler can walk and talk. And still ride.

That makes him sturdier than some rider's who no longer can do those things. Do you feel like an asshole now? Injured riders need support and respect.

Too bad they only get support and respect if they get hurt really really bad.
Bucky Wheat
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Bucky Wheat 7/28/2010 7:31am
7/28/2010 7:31am
knowitalloveragainnovice wrote:
The difference between a bruise and a break in this sport is minute. Insulting a rider for getting injured is pretty much the dumbest and played...
The difference between a bruise and a break in this sport is minute.

Insulting a rider for getting injured is pretty much the dumbest and played out little giggle on the message boards.

Hepler can walk and talk. And still ride.

That makes him sturdier than some rider's who no longer can do those things. Do you feel like an asshole now? Injured riders need support and respect.

Too bad they only get support and respect if they get hurt really really bad.
I'm all for bashing someone who makes a joke of any rider at any level who has been injured, I'm just not sure where that has happened in here ?
DrSweden
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DrSweden 7/28/2010 7:38am
7/28/2010 7:38am
agency399 wrote:
I am not sure if its worth a shit or not but my opinion on this is that both Ben and Broc are guys who charge...
I am not sure if its worth a shit or not but my opinion on this is that both Ben and Broc are guys who charge hard.......when you push like that and DO hit the ground, something is going to give, and I don't think its going to be the ground.

I also do not think either one of them are fragile, they push hard and go down hard.....

Bingo!

Their eagerness to win makes them more prone to go outside their comfort zone. That could pay off but in the mentioned cases they might be better off in accepting a third place.
pie8man
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pie8man 7/28/2010 7:43am
7/28/2010 7:43am
DrSweden wrote:
Bingo! Their eagerness to win makes them more prone to go outside their comfort zone. That could pay off but in the mentioned cases they might...
Bingo!

Their eagerness to win makes them more prone to go outside their comfort zone. That could pay off but in the mentioned cases they might be better off in accepting a third place.
So it is OK to give less than 100% effort and have a mediocre career so you never fall down and get hurt?.... That makes for a great race career. Pretty soon we will owe anyone that has broken 3 bones a top ten because they have had a rough go at their racing career.
Bucky Wheat
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Bucky Wheat 7/28/2010 7:49am
7/28/2010 7:49am
pie8man wrote:
So it is OK to give less than 100% effort and have a mediocre career so you never fall down and get hurt?.... That makes for...
So it is OK to give less than 100% effort and have a mediocre career so you never fall down and get hurt?.... That makes for a great race career. Pretty soon we will owe anyone that has broken 3 bones a top ten because they have had a rough go at their racing career.
So you're telling us that you give it 100% effort everytime you throw a leg over your bike ? Besides giving 100% effort is relative. My 50% might be another guy's 100% and vise versa. Hats off to a guy that can go out and avoid injury while still landing rides and remaining relevant.
DrSweden
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DrSweden 7/28/2010 7:58am
7/28/2010 7:58am
pie8man wrote:
So it is OK to give less than 100% effort and have a mediocre career so you never fall down and get hurt?.... That makes for...
So it is OK to give less than 100% effort and have a mediocre career so you never fall down and get hurt?.... That makes for a great race career. Pretty soon we will owe anyone that has broken 3 bones a top ten because they have had a rough go at their racing career.
I didn't know this was hard to graps, but Bucky Wheat answered the question.

I have perception that some riders have more skills/talent than others. Take it from that...
davis224
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davis224 7/28/2010 8:05am
7/28/2010 8:05am
Broc. He's one of my favorites, wish he could make an injury free comeback, he definetely has the talent to be beating dungey right now. But I'd say Broc is more injury prone than Ben, Ben kept it together for a few seasons injury free enough for a hard fought 2nd and a championship, Broc hasn't
pie8man
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pie8man 7/28/2010 8:12am
7/28/2010 8:12am
Bucky Wheat wrote:
So you're telling us that you give it 100% effort everytime you throw a leg over your bike ? Besides giving 100% effort is relative. My...
So you're telling us that you give it 100% effort everytime you throw a leg over your bike ? Besides giving 100% effort is relative. My 50% might be another guy's 100% and vise versa. Hats off to a guy that can go out and avoid injury while still landing rides and remaining relevant.
I do give it 100% every time I race and they do not pay me to do it either. I'm not saying that racing smart is not an option but to simply say that if these guys would have just settled for lesser finishing positions instead of trying to win defeats the purpose of racing. If your best effort can only get you 3rd or whatever than that's what you get but to stop charging and settle in a sport where anything can happen is a great way to guarantee mediocrity.

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pie8man
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pie8man 7/28/2010 8:16am
7/28/2010 8:16am
DrSweden wrote:
I didn't know this was hard to graps, but Bucky Wheat answered the question. I have perception that some riders have more skills/talent than others. Take...
I didn't know this was hard to graps, but Bucky Wheat answered the question.

I have perception that some riders have more skills/talent than others. Take it from that...
In most cases desire and effort can overcome skill and talent. I agree that there are some pros that will never be consistent top 10 guys but I believe that those guys still give it their best effort every week to get better. How does one get better if you never step out of your comfort zone?
mag23
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mag23 7/28/2010 8:37am
7/28/2010 8:37am
fun bench racing topic.... But I bet there's not many guys in here that would call BT or BHep fragile to their face...
Antipodean 7/28/2010 4:57pm
7/28/2010 4:57pm
mag23 wrote:
fun bench racing topic.... But I bet there's not many guys in here that would call BT or BHep fragile to their face...
I agree that "fragile" is probably not the right word.

Two of Ben Townley's neighbours, Matt and Jake Moss, are probably worth a nomination for most unlucky in regard to injuries.
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gt80rider 7/28/2010 5:39pm
7/28/2010 5:39pm
Cory976 wrote:
Shae Bentley
Robbie Reynard
Broc Hepler
pie8man wrote:
"Broken Again" Bentley is the top of the list. I don't think he ever finished a full season. The last time I saw him ride a...
"Broken Again" Bentley is the top of the list. I don't think he ever finished a full season. The last time I saw him ride a 500 at Mammoth he was on the gas though. Great guy too.
Shae won a regional sx title..... i remember seeing him ride outdoors for the first time on a 125 and was just freak'n amazed...... incredible skills....
rockcrawlerdude 7/28/2010 6:10pm
7/28/2010 6:10pm Edited Date/Time 7/28/2010 6:11pm
B-hep just cuz he didnt win a championship... had the speed for it no doubt but not the luck... would be good to see him race steel city though esp on his YZ250... brrrrrrraaaaaap! brooooooooc
DrSweden
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DrSweden 7/28/2010 6:47pm
7/28/2010 6:47pm Edited Date/Time 7/28/2010 7:31pm
pie8man wrote:
In most cases desire and effort can overcome skill and talent. I agree that there are some pros that will never be consistent top 10 guys...
In most cases desire and effort can overcome skill and talent. I agree that there are some pros that will never be consistent top 10 guys but I believe that those guys still give it their best effort every week to get better. How does one get better if you never step out of your comfort zone?
Ok, I underestimated your answer, sorry for that. You have a point but I assume at this level of our sport (top three guys) Ben is running, bicycling and riding etc as often as Dungey and his inabillity might be connected to talent? It would have been esier if we talked about Stewart vs anybody because people seems to agree Stew is on a different level talentvise but when it comes to the "others" the story becomes more complex.

Fitness, bike tuning (and communication with the team) material maybe (is the 350 less?) experience as a rider and as a person with a psyche (there's a reason many athletes talk to sport psychologist) the list can go on forever. But maybe the human body with the brain (cerebellum that is involved in coordination of muscles), the lenght of nerves (fast reply on nerve cells) some say short soccer players are better dribblers because faster connection between brain and muscle.

Again it's very complex. But these all factors can be overruled short term by taking bigger risks and my speculation is that Ben, Helper and Pastrami has less of these factors than compared to Dungey.

Interesting topic would be to dissect the truth how come RC managed to beat a healthy and fit Stewart who even by RC is considered as more talented.
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FlickitFlat 7/28/2010 7:01pm
7/28/2010 7:01pm
davis224 wrote:
Broc. He's one of my favorites, wish he could make an injury free comeback, he definetely has the talent to be beating dungey right now. But...
Broc. He's one of my favorites, wish he could make an injury free comeback, he definetely has the talent to be beating dungey right now. But I'd say Broc is more injury prone than Ben, Ben kept it together for a few seasons injury free enough for a hard fought 2nd and a championship, Broc hasn't
Broc's 2nd place finish in the series behind Bubba his rookie year is surely as deserving in respect as Ben Townley's 2nd to RV. He rode great all year, all series and even overcame some mechanicals to secure 2nd. He is missing a sx lites championship when compared to BT though.
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motokiwi 7/28/2010 7:04pm
7/28/2010 7:04pm
YamaLink wrote:
Whether due to bad luck or riding over your head, injuries are part of the sport. Who is the most fragile pro MX racer in recent...
Whether due to bad luck or riding over your head, injuries are part of the sport.

Who is the most fragile pro MX racer in recent history: Ben Townley or Broc Hepler?
Ben isn't fragile, hes intelligent & takes time off to heal his injuries properly.
(Unlike a majority of pro riders who always race with niggles, but then again most of those riders are just turning up to get a pay check I guess, they aren't there to challenge for the win)
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GuyB 7/28/2010 7:25pm
7/28/2010 7:25pm
And so if they back it down to a level where they don't get hurt, then they're accused of having no heart, or being a slacker. Talk about a no-win situation.
DrSweden
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DrSweden 7/28/2010 7:33pm
7/28/2010 7:33pm
GuyB wrote:
And so if they back it down to a level where they don't get hurt, then they're accused of having no heart, or being a slacker...
And so if they back it down to a level where they don't get hurt, then they're accused of having no heart, or being a slacker. Talk about a no-win situation.
Yes, touché. BUT at the same time they are adored, worshipped and many of us are really jealous of their "only" top five skills and they are getting more cash than us as well, so I think they can take it? Smile
lostboy819
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lostboy819 7/28/2010 8:42pm
7/28/2010 8:42pm
I would say Ben because his feelings are easily hurt.

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