Why in this sport do rookies get put onto such a high pedestal? Everyone expects them to come out and win right away. Especially when going from the 250 / 450 class. Maybe just maybe every sx east/west title winner is not the next coming of Ricky.
I went back and looked at the top 10 standing of all three of webbs titles. He is the only one from what I can see that is racing the 450 class (Full time). Which tells me he either beat a) really young guns, or b) guys who clearly need more seasoning and / or will never be more than 250 riders. So why was he hyped to compete for wins right off the bat?
There are many many riders you could make that argument for in both 250 and 450 class not just webb.
Obviously injuries , bike changes, etc. play a role in someones results. But I have always been curious about the hype for some guys....