Professional motocross has a ways to go.

level
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9/3/2011 7:45pm Edited Date/Time 3/4/2013 6:51pm
Don't get me wrong. I love this sport. It has come a long way very quickly. You watch videos of just 10-15 years ago and you can see how much the sport has progressed.

With that being said it's pretty lax on rules and regulations.

It wasn't until a couple years ago they finally got rid of the wooden steaks in the ground. That was just ridiculous.

Bikes need to be inspected more to make sure that there are not unfair advantages among teams and that the field is leveled as much as possible.

That fucking Rockstar can was one of the dumbest things I have ever seen that Bagget hit. That is just a total lack of respect for rider safety.

Some of the tracks are just shit. They should be inspected and made sure they are groomed, prepped and built properly for maximum safety and maximum racing and passing. There needs to be oversight into this and the tracks need to have guidelines on what is acceptable and what is not if they want to host a professional race. Over watered, under watered, blocks of dirt pushed out to the edge of the track makes it one lined and generally a pain in the ass to ride the track.

Minimum safety gear should be required for all professional athletes that want to race and safety gear should be constantly being improved and developed year after year to provide the maximum comfort, mobility, and safety for the riders.

Supercross needs to really work on safety in the first turn. There is no reason you should try and cram 20 riders into a corner that only holds 3-5 bikes. It's exciting for the fans but a completely unnecessary and avoidable danger.

What else? Leave the 4 strokes and 2 strokes debate out of this one please. Smile
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jmar
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9/3/2011 8:01pm
I have to say, it's growing, and getting more professional than when I was involved in the sport. With that said, It's not going to get much bigger, anytime soon. It's not sport that appeals to the masses, and that will limit the future growth.

I am OK with that though.
Sondy132001
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9/3/2011 8:02pm
I'll get to you later when I'm on a computer.

S
Racer92
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9/3/2011 8:05pm
Tracks need grooming? DIRTbikes, with state of the art suspension, need a groomed surface?

Laughing
9/3/2011 8:12pm
What about the air vests they wear in equestrian events? I watched a show about these vests and they have dramatically decreased injury and deaths in horse events. They inflate in 0.1 seconds when ejected from your mount.

They should never have those aluminum poles, giant cans and other things like that so close to the track. Just like supercross with boats and trucks in the infield. Remember when the boat just about took out RC or when Canard ran RV into the pole at St Louis? Those type of things could be serious.

The Shop

Knobbyjake
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9/3/2011 8:20pm
I hate saying this but other than the first 450 moto and the beginning of the second 250 moto it was kinda boring.Blink
9/3/2011 8:30pm Edited Date/Time 9/3/2011 8:30pm
The sport is dying. The powers that be are either unwilling or unable to deal with the problems of today. It's stagnate at the professional level because it's dying, if not dead at the local level.
9/3/2011 8:30pm
I agree with some of what you are saying, particularly the giant Rockstar can. That was ridiculous.

I also agree that the track looked like crap today. I'm not saying that it needs to be perfectly manicured, as this is motocross and the tracks should be rough and challenging. There is no need for them to be hard packed and practically blue grooved like much of the track appeared to be today. As we all know, you throw water on that stuff and it is like ice. That is just dangerous.

On the subject of safety equipment, it is continuously improving each and every year. Helmet technology continues to develop as far as materials, shell sizes, emergency release cheek pads, etc. I believe all riders are required to use a "hats off" type device that inflates an air bladder inside the helmet to make it easier to remove from an unresponsive rider. I know that is the case in road racing and believe it is the same for professional motocross as well. Neck braces were a huge advance in safety equipment, and now chest protectors, and even some helmets are changing to better accommodate them. Boot technology continues to develop with the further advancement of hinged boot systems providing ankle support, but allowing good flexibility and comfort as well.
Racer92
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9/3/2011 8:45pm
"No need for them to be hard packed and blue groved?"

That is all part of the challenge, no different than a mudder, difficult terrain that you have to learn to overcome with talent and throttle control.

You guys need to take up road racing and leave the offroad to guys who arent skeered of a little dust.
dboivin
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9/3/2011 8:50pm Edited Date/Time 9/3/2011 8:51pm
outside of RV/RD 1st moto. racing was not good today. the track was dusty and uneventful. With tracks today....Red Bud, Milleville, Highpoint, Buds, Southwick, Unadilla, Washougal, Hangtown....as examples.....Steel City looked like crap today. Those previous tracks have set the bar really high and from a TV spectator's perspective, Steel City lacked.
moto282
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9/3/2011 8:51pm
TripleFive wrote:
The sport is [b]dying[/b]. The powers that be are either unwilling or unable to deal with the problems of today. It's stagnate at the professional level...
The sport is dying. The powers that be are either unwilling or unable to deal with the problems of today. It's stagnate at the professional level because it's dying, if not dead at the local level.
lol... dramatic much?

Nationals seem to be doing a lot better than the previous years.... SX still fills up stadiums... all in a recession/high unemployment. There's always room for improvement, especially in areas such as rider safety as others have pointed out in this thread, but I disagree that the sport is dying (or already dead lol).
9/3/2011 8:52pm
dboivin wrote:
outside of RV/RD 1st moto. racing was not good today. the track was dusty and uneventful. With tracks today....Red Bud, Milleville, Highpoint, Buds, Southwick, Unadilla, Washougal...
outside of RV/RD 1st moto. racing was not good today. the track was dusty and uneventful. With tracks today....Red Bud, Milleville, Highpoint, Buds, Southwick, Unadilla, Washougal, Hangtown....as examples.....Steel City looked like crap today. Those previous tracks have set the bar really high and from a TV spectator's perspective, Steel City lacked.
I agree 100%.
gsxr6
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9/3/2011 8:52pm
the cost is too high at a novice level. viva la braaaaaaap
Mstock
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9/3/2011 8:53pm
Bottom line. We had 2 riders 8 seconds a lap faster than 3rd place. Per lap. Thats not racing when you start with 40 "pro" riders.

Time to level the playing field from the bottom up. Every other motorsport has come up with ways to keep the entire field close from start to finish. This has turned into a joke.

To quote Jeff Stanton from the pulpmx show "the 450 class this year is weak".
The top 2 riders in our 250 "National" class are not from the US.

We have bigger problems than the quality of the dirt (the sport did great for 30 years with hard pack only tracks ) or the wooden stakes that held the banners in at todays race. The energy drink poison is the only thing keeping this sport alive.

You can dramatize and glorify it all you want. The disperity in resources, ability, and reward is too great to call it a race series.
500guy
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9/3/2011 8:53pm
level wrote:
Don't get me wrong. I love this sport. It has come a long way very quickly. You watch videos of just 10-15 years ago and you...
Don't get me wrong. I love this sport. It has come a long way very quickly. You watch videos of just 10-15 years ago and you can see how much the sport has progressed.

With that being said it's pretty lax on rules and regulations.

It wasn't until a couple years ago they finally got rid of the wooden steaks in the ground. That was just ridiculous.

Bikes need to be inspected more to make sure that there are not unfair advantages among teams and that the field is leveled as much as possible.

That fucking Rockstar can was one of the dumbest things I have ever seen that Bagget hit. That is just a total lack of respect for rider safety.

Some of the tracks are just shit. They should be inspected and made sure they are groomed, prepped and built properly for maximum safety and maximum racing and passing. There needs to be oversight into this and the tracks need to have guidelines on what is acceptable and what is not if they want to host a professional race. Over watered, under watered, blocks of dirt pushed out to the edge of the track makes it one lined and generally a pain in the ass to ride the track.

Minimum safety gear should be required for all professional athletes that want to race and safety gear should be constantly being improved and developed year after year to provide the maximum comfort, mobility, and safety for the riders.

Supercross needs to really work on safety in the first turn. There is no reason you should try and cram 20 riders into a corner that only holds 3-5 bikes. It's exciting for the fans but a completely unnecessary and avoidable danger.

What else? Leave the 4 strokes and 2 strokes debate out of this one please. Smile
I find it odd that you are so concerned about other peoples safety, Are you not the guy who started a thread about constipation and how you were addicted to opiates ? Why are you so concerned about this when you need to be taking care of yourself.

I'm not saying this to be mean. Think about it.
moto282
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9/3/2011 9:02pm
Mstock wrote:
Bottom line. We had 2 riders 8 seconds a lap faster than 3rd place. Per lap. Thats not racing when you start with 40 "pro" riders...
Bottom line. We had 2 riders 8 seconds a lap faster than 3rd place. Per lap. Thats not racing when you start with 40 "pro" riders.

Time to level the playing field from the bottom up. Every other motorsport has come up with ways to keep the entire field close from start to finish. This has turned into a joke.

To quote Jeff Stanton from the pulpmx show "the 450 class this year is weak".
The top 2 riders in our 250 "National" class are not from the US.

We have bigger problems than the quality of the dirt (the sport did great for 30 years with hard pack only tracks ) or the wooden stakes that held the banners in at todays race. The energy drink poison is the only thing keeping this sport alive.

You can dramatize and glorify it all you want. The disperity in resources, ability, and reward is too great to call it a race series.
Who cares if the top 2 riders in the 250 class aren't from the US? Why is that a problem other than someone's pride? It's a compliment to the series that riders of that caliber come here to race in our series. But wait, I guess it's not good enough to be a race series.
Fat Fingers
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Auckland NZ
9/3/2011 9:02pm
jmar wrote:
I have to say, it's growing, and getting more professional than when I was involved in the sport. With that said, It's not going to get...
I have to say, it's growing, and getting more professional than when I was involved in the sport. With that said, It's not going to get much bigger, anytime soon. It's not sport that appeals to the masses, and that will limit the future growth.

I am OK with that though.
Couldn't agree more. Unfortunately, motocross is boring to the majority of people and they have zero interest in it.
Mstock
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Middleton, WI US
9/3/2011 9:04pm
level wrote:
Don't get me wrong. I love this sport. It has come a long way very quickly. You watch videos of just 10-15 years ago and you...
Don't get me wrong. I love this sport. It has come a long way very quickly. You watch videos of just 10-15 years ago and you can see how much the sport has progressed.

With that being said it's pretty lax on rules and regulations.

It wasn't until a couple years ago they finally got rid of the wooden steaks in the ground. That was just ridiculous.

Bikes need to be inspected more to make sure that there are not unfair advantages among teams and that the field is leveled as much as possible.

That fucking Rockstar can was one of the dumbest things I have ever seen that Bagget hit. That is just a total lack of respect for rider safety.

Some of the tracks are just shit. They should be inspected and made sure they are groomed, prepped and built properly for maximum safety and maximum racing and passing. There needs to be oversight into this and the tracks need to have guidelines on what is acceptable and what is not if they want to host a professional race. Over watered, under watered, blocks of dirt pushed out to the edge of the track makes it one lined and generally a pain in the ass to ride the track.

Minimum safety gear should be required for all professional athletes that want to race and safety gear should be constantly being improved and developed year after year to provide the maximum comfort, mobility, and safety for the riders.

Supercross needs to really work on safety in the first turn. There is no reason you should try and cram 20 riders into a corner that only holds 3-5 bikes. It's exciting for the fans but a completely unnecessary and avoidable danger.

What else? Leave the 4 strokes and 2 strokes debate out of this one please. Smile
500guy wrote:
I find it odd that you are so concerned about other peoples safety, Are you not the guy who started a thread about constipation and how...
I find it odd that you are so concerned about other peoples safety, Are you not the guy who started a thread about constipation and how you were addicted to opiates ? Why are you so concerned about this when you need to be taking care of yourself.

I'm not saying this to be mean. Think about it.
That is a pure bullshit post. 100% personal attack. His thread was not in this forum and was real and honest. Not to be mean? Fuck you. His post was about the sport. Your post was a personal insult.
500guy
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9/3/2011 9:06pm
level wrote:
Don't get me wrong. I love this sport. It has come a long way very quickly. You watch videos of just 10-15 years ago and you...
Don't get me wrong. I love this sport. It has come a long way very quickly. You watch videos of just 10-15 years ago and you can see how much the sport has progressed.

With that being said it's pretty lax on rules and regulations.

It wasn't until a couple years ago they finally got rid of the wooden steaks in the ground. That was just ridiculous.

Bikes need to be inspected more to make sure that there are not unfair advantages among teams and that the field is leveled as much as possible.

That fucking Rockstar can was one of the dumbest things I have ever seen that Bagget hit. That is just a total lack of respect for rider safety.

Some of the tracks are just shit. They should be inspected and made sure they are groomed, prepped and built properly for maximum safety and maximum racing and passing. There needs to be oversight into this and the tracks need to have guidelines on what is acceptable and what is not if they want to host a professional race. Over watered, under watered, blocks of dirt pushed out to the edge of the track makes it one lined and generally a pain in the ass to ride the track.

Minimum safety gear should be required for all professional athletes that want to race and safety gear should be constantly being improved and developed year after year to provide the maximum comfort, mobility, and safety for the riders.

Supercross needs to really work on safety in the first turn. There is no reason you should try and cram 20 riders into a corner that only holds 3-5 bikes. It's exciting for the fans but a completely unnecessary and avoidable danger.

What else? Leave the 4 strokes and 2 strokes debate out of this one please. Smile
500guy wrote:
I find it odd that you are so concerned about other peoples safety, Are you not the guy who started a thread about constipation and how...
I find it odd that you are so concerned about other peoples safety, Are you not the guy who started a thread about constipation and how you were addicted to opiates ? Why are you so concerned about this when you need to be taking care of yourself.

I'm not saying this to be mean. Think about it.
Mstock wrote:
That is a pure bullshit post. 100% personal attack. His thread was not in this forum and was real and honest. Not to be mean? Fuck...
That is a pure bullshit post. 100% personal attack. His thread was not in this forum and was real and honest. Not to be mean? Fuck you. His post was about the sport. Your post was a personal insult.
Fuck off
steve_97060
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9/3/2011 9:08pm
level wrote:
Don't get me wrong. I love this sport. It has come a long way very quickly. You watch videos of just 10-15 years ago and you...
Don't get me wrong. I love this sport. It has come a long way very quickly. You watch videos of just 10-15 years ago and you can see how much the sport has progressed.

With that being said it's pretty lax on rules and regulations.

It wasn't until a couple years ago they finally got rid of the wooden steaks in the ground. That was just ridiculous.

Bikes need to be inspected more to make sure that there are not unfair advantages among teams and that the field is leveled as much as possible.

That fucking Rockstar can was one of the dumbest things I have ever seen that Bagget hit. That is just a total lack of respect for rider safety.

Some of the tracks are just shit. They should be inspected and made sure they are groomed, prepped and built properly for maximum safety and maximum racing and passing. There needs to be oversight into this and the tracks need to have guidelines on what is acceptable and what is not if they want to host a professional race. Over watered, under watered, blocks of dirt pushed out to the edge of the track makes it one lined and generally a pain in the ass to ride the track.

Minimum safety gear should be required for all professional athletes that want to race and safety gear should be constantly being improved and developed year after year to provide the maximum comfort, mobility, and safety for the riders.

Supercross needs to really work on safety in the first turn. There is no reason you should try and cram 20 riders into a corner that only holds 3-5 bikes. It's exciting for the fans but a completely unnecessary and avoidable danger.

What else? Leave the 4 strokes and 2 strokes debate out of this one please. Smile
thanks for your wisdom.. always good to hear from someone who has watched the sport for a couple of years..

what is this "It has come a long way very quickly" of which you speak?

or progressed from 10 to 15 years ago?

I've watched the sport since the the 70's. it was best in the 80's.

it is on TV more now, but that isn't saying much.

this is a small niche sport, and always will be, as it should be...

now, just go out and ride, if you do...
Mstock
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Middleton, WI US
9/3/2011 9:16pm
level wrote:
Don't get me wrong. I love this sport. It has come a long way very quickly. You watch videos of just 10-15 years ago and you...
Don't get me wrong. I love this sport. It has come a long way very quickly. You watch videos of just 10-15 years ago and you can see how much the sport has progressed.

With that being said it's pretty lax on rules and regulations.

It wasn't until a couple years ago they finally got rid of the wooden steaks in the ground. That was just ridiculous.

Bikes need to be inspected more to make sure that there are not unfair advantages among teams and that the field is leveled as much as possible.

That fucking Rockstar can was one of the dumbest things I have ever seen that Bagget hit. That is just a total lack of respect for rider safety.

Some of the tracks are just shit. They should be inspected and made sure they are groomed, prepped and built properly for maximum safety and maximum racing and passing. There needs to be oversight into this and the tracks need to have guidelines on what is acceptable and what is not if they want to host a professional race. Over watered, under watered, blocks of dirt pushed out to the edge of the track makes it one lined and generally a pain in the ass to ride the track.

Minimum safety gear should be required for all professional athletes that want to race and safety gear should be constantly being improved and developed year after year to provide the maximum comfort, mobility, and safety for the riders.

Supercross needs to really work on safety in the first turn. There is no reason you should try and cram 20 riders into a corner that only holds 3-5 bikes. It's exciting for the fans but a completely unnecessary and avoidable danger.

What else? Leave the 4 strokes and 2 strokes debate out of this one please. Smile
thanks for your wisdom.. always good to hear from someone who has watched the sport for a couple of years.. what is this "It has come...
thanks for your wisdom.. always good to hear from someone who has watched the sport for a couple of years..

what is this "It has come a long way very quickly" of which you speak?

or progressed from 10 to 15 years ago?

I've watched the sport since the the 70's. it was best in the 80's.

it is on TV more now, but that isn't saying much.

this is a small niche sport, and always will be, as it should be...

now, just go out and ride, if you do...
Good post. There was a time (1980's) when there were almost 15 guys who wanted to and could win a outdoor national.

My question is why do they still have a 40 rider gate in the US Nat's?

Money for the promoter, track owner, teams, etc?

It's a total joke to the fans.
redalert144
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3058th
9/3/2011 9:20pm
Mstock wrote:
Good post. There was a time (1980's) when there were almost 15 guys who wanted to and could win a outdoor national. My question is why...
Good post. There was a time (1980's) when there were almost 15 guys who wanted to and could win a outdoor national.

My question is why do they still have a 40 rider gate in the US Nat's?

Money for the promoter, track owner, teams, etc?

It's a total joke to the fans.
Why does NASCAR still have 43 cars, why does the NFL have 32 teams, etc etc. That post was stupid and has no point
peelout
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9/3/2011 9:32pm
Needs less pussy fans
bents
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9/3/2011 9:53pm
I couldn't disagree more. The racing since Jan has been completely off the hook (in both classes), and with 2 rounds left from this morning, there were 2 guys left standing and the first moto was insane-no different then RC and JS gapping the field by 8-10 sec a lap. I don't know what you expect-15 guys all within 10 pts of winning a championship with 1-2 rounds left? The track might not have appeared terribly photogenic on tv but without great discipline with the right hand, they couldn't go fast on that track. It was an incredibly impressive display of our sport at the highest level.

Local racing is another issue, but pro racing has never seen better days, better exposure, better everything. People complained when one guy kicked everyone's ass every moto, and we have had nothing but insane racing pretty much every week end. Perhaps you should spend a couple of weeks watching the past year, then come back and tell us what you think.

My guy lost today BTW, but both Ryan's were awesome and they handle themselves like complete professionals and they are too closely matched to make any predictions from week to week. Looks like we have a few more years of this rivalry and we are lucky to have it.
Mstock
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9/3/2011 9:59pm
Mstock wrote:
Good post. There was a time (1980's) when there were almost 15 guys who wanted to and could win a outdoor national. My question is why...
Good post. There was a time (1980's) when there were almost 15 guys who wanted to and could win a outdoor national.

My question is why do they still have a 40 rider gate in the US Nat's?

Money for the promoter, track owner, teams, etc?

It's a total joke to the fans.
Why does NASCAR still have 43 cars, why does the NFL have 32 teams, etc etc. That post was stupid and has no point
The 3rd place driver in Nascar is not 8 seconds a lap slower. 30 teams in the nfl do not have zero chance of winning the superbowl.
jeffro503
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St Helens, OR US
9/3/2011 10:05pm
There are years where you have 1 dominant rider , sometimes 2 -3 dominant riders....and other years where about 6 - 8 guys could actually win a moto. This year we started out really good and a few riders were in the hunt , but just like in years past , riders get hurt , have a few bad motos.....what's the difference.

Some of you guys have to realize and be thankful we had a solid 3 way battle until just a few races ago. Look at the Rc era.......Jesus Christ , guys were showing up knowing they were not going to do better than 2nd place. Sure , you had your Tim ferry's , KW's , Stewarts.........but RC was extremely dominant for 10 friggin' years!

I don't wanna see that type of shit again ( even though it was cool watching that little red haired madman ride ) And it isn't. We just got done with one of the most epic seasons ever ( not over yet! )....and you guys are complaining?

Live online coverage , live timing , same day ( most of the time ) TV coverage , great battles .......what the hell do you guys want?
trent079
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Princeton, IN US
9/3/2011 10:07pm
I don't get people bitching about our sport growing, tv coverage, slow pro racers, track grooming, and etc. Any sport is going to have stand out guys, the Ryan's. The tracks are groomed fine since they are all on the same course. It's funny when people say well oh it was to rough. Next week oh it was to smooth. I'm happy MX is where it is. Our sport has some of the most passionate fans out there. Right now MX and SX is big but not so big that we can't still get a little personal with people and riders in the industry. I'm happy with where it is at, although I wish fuel would go Hi Def. Oh and whoever said they need to level out the playing field.... What the hell? The riders that are getting smoked need to level out their own playing field. I don't care who has a better motor, 80% rider 20% machine.
gsxr6
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9/3/2011 10:08pm
how about sportscenter coverage
jeffro503
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9/3/2011 10:09pm Edited Date/Time 9/3/2011 10:10pm
Mstock wrote:
Good post. There was a time (1980's) when there were almost 15 guys who wanted to and could win a outdoor national. My question is why...
Good post. There was a time (1980's) when there were almost 15 guys who wanted to and could win a outdoor national.

My question is why do they still have a 40 rider gate in the US Nat's?

Money for the promoter, track owner, teams, etc?

It's a total joke to the fans.
Why does NASCAR still have 43 cars, why does the NFL have 32 teams, etc etc. That post was stupid and has no point
Mstock wrote:
The 3rd place driver in Nascar is not 8 seconds a lap slower. 30 teams in the nfl do not have zero chance of winning the...
The 3rd place driver in Nascar is not 8 seconds a lap slower. 30 teams in the nfl do not have zero chance of winning the superbowl.
Mstock......you can't blame the other 38 guys because two other guys damn near stepped onto another planet today! RC and JS were winning by 30sec -1:00 sometimes.......today....RV and RD had 1:21 over 3rd place! I'm sure those other 38 guys are riding their asses off. But sometimes , at some tracks....other riders are going to be out of your league. We just got done with a damn near 10 year streak of RC doing the same thing. And before that.....it was about 8 years of MC in SX.....it happens......someone eventually becomes almost "Non-human".

Just watch last weeks race.......it isn't even close to what happened today.

Post a reply to: Professional motocross has a ways to go.

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