You wanted the cold hard facts? You got’em…
You wanted the cold hard facts? You got’em…
Photos by Simon Cudby
Q- Jeremy Martin did what he had to do but his teammate Cooper Webb did pass and beat him in the second moto… Thoughts on Jeremy and Cooper’s race?
David Vuillemin- Cooper was on fire in the second moto. Half way thru the moto he was clocking lap times up to 2 seconds faster than anyone else on the track. After a bad start in moto 1, a crash and only a 9th place, Cooper had to react and score big in moto 2. He lost 13 points in the first moto. That’s huge at this stage of the competition when you’re a contender for the title. He did exactly what he had to do in moto 2. Pass the championship leader and beat him on his backyard. Cooper lost 10 points in Millville but he reminded Jeremy and everyone else that he’s going to be here until the end. That was an impressive ride by Webb especially after the set back of the first race of the day
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“He did exactly what he had to do in moto 2. Pass the championship leader and beat him on his backyard. Cooper lost 10 points in Millville but he reminded Jeremy and everyone else that he’s going to be here until the end. That was an impressive ride by Webb especially after the set back of the first race of the day…” |
Blake Baggett’s bad starts caught up to him in the first moto and in the second moto his bike broke. Can you remember a time where PC seemingly had as many bike problems as they have in the last couple of years?
I remember they went through seven or eight engines 10 years ago in Southwick. We are in a mechanical sport and mechanical failures will happen. I’m way out of the loop to know the why’s and the how’s about PC’s problems lately. It’s the winningest team in the class. They’ve always had great bikes and you know as well as I do that everyone works very hard in that team. Do they push the limit to much with the bikes? Do they really need to be at that limit to be competitive? Can’t just the riders step it up with their corner speed and fitness with more reliable bikes? Those are the questions you should ask Mitch next time is on the show…
Eli Tomac. That is all. Thoughts?
Everyone knows Tomac is an animal outdoors. He proved it last year in the 250 class. I think Eli needed to race into race pace speed like he did the last few races. Now that he’s in the racing groove, used to the competition and dialed with his bike, he can show his full potential. I’m not surprised at all. Just like I was telling Roczen will be the man to beat before the season started (Eli was hurt then). Ken and Eli are the new Villopotos, Dungeys, Stewarts…
They are pretty amazing. In Millville, it was a perfect race for Eli. Great starts, which he has been struggling with, great speed and great fitness. You know the kid works smart and hard. You also have to realize he’s hungry to salvage his season a bit. It seems like he didn’t really race this season with his couple injuries. He’s super fast, hungry, fresh and fit. When you put all those together you get a dominant performance like he showed Saturday.
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“I really think the season is starting to get long for Ken and I’m sure his Aldon training regiment isn’t helping. I am obviously not at the races but you can see Ken super exhausted during the podium interviews. I think he should go to the Bahamas for a week and not ride.” |
We’ve now seen Kenny have three straight motos that weren’t his best in terms of placing and riding off the back, after his history of second half fades, should his fans be worried?
I really think the season is starting to get long for Ken and I’m sure his Aldon training regiment isn’t helping. I am obviously not at the races but you can see Ken super exhausted during the podium interviews. I think he should go to the Bahamas for a week and not ride. That’s the feeling I get. I was the same in my first season here. I did great in SX, won 4 SX and finished second in the Championship. Started the season in MX great with a podium and 2 wins and even leading the championship after 3 races. At the halfway mark of the championship, I was burned out! I remember holeshoting both motos in Red Bud and struggling to go 3-5.
Did Ryan Dungey’s bike look any better to you?
I saw a big change in Budds Creek. It wasn’t good in Red Bud at all. Bike was super twitchy, standing up by itself in the ruts in the corners. It didn’t look good. Budds Creek was night and day different in my opinion and it worked good in Millville. He’s trailing Ken by 24 points and 8 motos to go. That’s 3 points a moto. Seeing Ken not at 100% right now, Ryan will have to take advantage of that if he wants a second 450 MX Title… With Canard and Tomac getting better and better, they also could play a big role in the points between Ryan and Ken. This championship just got way more interesting!
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“These guys fly to GP’s all season long to do basically nothing other than wearing a federation shirt and watch the races. They don’t even come once to the US to check on Marvin and Pourcel over here. Drives me nuts when I see that. It’s good for me though. If they keep choosing MXDN team like that, I am gonna stay for a long time in the only French team that won the event…” |
What about Musquin being left off the French MXDN team yet again? He had his best race of the season on Saturday. What is your federation thinking?
My federation didn’t pick me the season I won 4 Supercross races and 2 Nationals in the US. Last year, they chose Tixier in 250 and Charlier in Open who never ever raced a 450 before. His first official start on a 450 was on the Saturday qualifier. When it comes to French MXDN teams and understanding the French Federation choices, I’ve given up on it. I am sure they don’t want to pay for the bike shipping from the US and the plane tickets and on and on. These guys fly to GP’s all season long to do basically nothing other than wearing a federation shirt and watch the races. They don’t even come once to the US to check on Marvin and Pourcel over here. Drives me nuts when I see that. It’s good for me though. If they keep choosing MXDN team like that, I am gonna stay for a long time in the only French team that won the event…
With Herlings suffering a broken femur, can Tixier do this?
He’s 145 points back and there are 200 points to be attributed and the guy that wins every moto isn’t there. So yes, he definitely can do it. He also has a good cushion on third place, Romain Febvre, 33 points. Those 3 french guys, Tixier, Febvre and Ferrandis, will fight like crazy in the last 4 GPs. They can all be mathematically champion and like we saw with Herlings, anything can happen… Even breaking a femur riding a 85cc…
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“The track is very challenging technically, lines evolve a lot during the motos and it’s always tough physically with the weather and the track being so demanding. Overall, it’s a pretty cool weekend. Always enjoyed going there despite having no phone service at the track! “ |
Millville was, to me, the best track we’ve seen this year with the addition of the Martin Mountain. What did you think of the track and what was it like to race there?
I really thought the track was awesome. I really liked the changes they’ve made. At the bottom of the last uphill, I wasn’t a fan of the split lanes nor the rollers just before that but the rest of the track was prime! Everytime we raced there, everyone was so focused on the whoops. Yes, they’re important and you can pass and make up time there but there is so much more to the track. The different kind of dirts, tractions, bumps are very interesting for bike set up and tire choices. If you set up the bike for the whoops, your bike won’t turn good in the 180 degrees turns at the bottom of the hills. The track is very challenging technically, lines evolve a lot during the motos and it’s always tough physically with the weather and the track being so demanding. Overall, it’s a pretty cool weekend. Always enjoyed going there despite having no phone service at the track!
