Nine down, three to go here this summer
Nine down, three to go here this summer
Photos Simon Cudby
Q- Why was Marvin so good all day long at Washougal? From the very first practice and the two motos, he was the best guy.
I believe there are a few reasons about his performance. We have to remember Marvin came back to racing just 4 months after an ACL surgery which a couple months less than any doctor would recommend. He didn’t start the season at 100% and only had just a few weeks to ride before Hangtown. We couldn’t except much from him at the start of the season. What he has been doing since the beginning of the year is very impressive with the circumstances. He is at the 6 months mark now from when he got hurt. Physically, he has to be 100% now. A knee injury is serious and even when your knee is strong, you always have that fear of putting your foot down and you’re always scared of catching it somewhere. This apprehension of getting hurt again after two months of racing has to be over too.
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“Marvin was very creative with line choices and made great passes using his technique and intelligence. I can’t believe the other guys didn’t pick up on his lines. They obviously have people watching the race and when they get passed for 2 motos at the same spots, they stayed in their slow lines. I’ve talk about it earlier in this column about playing with the track, being creative which help you go fast and not get tired.” |
I think he dealt with this injury and racing back into shape very well. That’s something very difficult to do with the race schedule and the traveling. We don’t see a lot of guys doing it. For example, we haven’t seen Pourcel racing himself back into shape. He hasn’t really improved since the first race compared to Marvin. Washougal is a very good track for a rider like Marvin compared to a tracks where you have to pin it and be in shape without really think about anything else. ‘Sougal is different, you have to find a flow and be smart about lines which Marvin is very good at. Most riders stayed in their lines all day even if they became slower. Marvin was very creative with line choices and made great passes using his technique and intelligence. I can’t believe the other guys didn’t pick up on his lines. They obviously have people watching the race and when they get passed for 2 motos at the same spots, they stayed in their slow lines. I’ve talked about it earlier in this column about playing with the track, being creative which help you go fast and not get tired. Just like Roczen was riding in Red Bud for example. Anyhow, it was a great race for Marvin and it was very fun to see someone thinking outside the box while riding.
And also, what about Dungey? What did you see about him that gave him his best race of the year?
The “diesel” became “av-gas” in Washougal! Dungey has made us accustomed to see him start slow and finish strong in the past. This weekend, he didn’t really have better starts but moved to the front very quickly. Something we haven’t seen from him that often. In the second moto, he passed 5 or 6 guys in the first half a lap. Ryan has his back against the wall in the championship chase. He has to make things happen if he wants to have a chance to win this title. And he’s doing just that. His bike, since Budds Creek, has been looking better and he realized that he has to win now. It’s go time!
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“Ryan has his back against the wall in the championship chase. He has to make things happen if he wants to have a chance to win this title. And he’s doing just that. His bike, since Budds Creek, has been looking better and he realized that he has to win now. It’s go time!” |
The fact that Tomac is back at 100% and Ken hitting the wall since a couple races is helping him. It can easily hurt him too though. Washougal was best case scenario for him with Eli going 2-2 and Ken 3-3 but in Millville, Tomac indirectly helped Roczen in the points. Let’s say Tomac goes 1-1, Dunge 2-2 and Roczen 3-3 in the last 3 races, Roczen will be champion by 2 points. It shows you that Dungey will have to beat both of those guys a few more times if he wants the title. It’s safe to say that we are going to have an interesting 3 races which we haven’t had in a 450 title chase in a while.
Roczen’s lead is only 14 now, who wins this thing? Are you worried about your pre-season pick?
Yes, I picked Roczen to be the guy in this series. I didn’t plan on him hitting the wall like he did in the last 2 races. Dungey has momentum and the mental edge right now but Ken has a 14-point lead. Usually, the guy with the points lead has the best spot because the other guy has to perform. Dunjey is doing just that at the moment and just has to gain 5 points a race on Roczen to get his second MX title. I wouldn’t want to be in Roczen shoes right now because he rides and look like he has already lost this thing. Ken was over a minute behind Dungey in the second moto in Washougal
IF Kenny is tired out, does one lone week off actually help him?
Last week, a friend of mine texted me a screen shot of Ken’s Instagram photo in a pool saying “To all the shit heads that think they know all about moto and need to give training advice.. .”. He posted it just after my last column went on air. I kinda took it personally because I’ve talking about his lack of form and questioning his (over)training regiment. I write this column in the most non-biased way I can and analyzing stuff I’m asked about with my experience and my knowledge of the sport. Ken was riding a peewee when I was racing against the best SX rider all time and racing against the best MX rider of time the same year. I know what it’s like to train hard, hit a wall in the a season and being exhausted because a season in the premium class in the US is the toughest thing in our sport.
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“To answer your question, yes, a week off can help but it depends what you do with it. If you go on 100 mile bicycle rides everyday until Unadilla, it will not help. You have to change your training/riding program. Work on active recovery on the physical side, work on quality/technique on the bike and adding playful/fun exercises” |
To answer your question, yes, a week off can help but it depends what you do with it. If you go on 100 mile bicycle rides everyday until Unadilla, it will not help. You have to change your training/riding program. Work on active recovery on the physical side, work on quality/technique on the bike and adding playful/fun exercises. Ken is having some issues but he knows our to ride. His goal has to be to show up at the races and be able to ride 100% for 2 motos which haven’t been the case lately. He (they) just have to find a way in 14 days to achieve that, it as simple as that.
If Metcalfe, Peick and Hahn are all available to you at the same price for sx/mx in 2015, put them in order on how you would hire them?
My order is exactly the same as your order in your question. Metcalfe has been doing great this season. He has a great image, works hard, dedicated and he’s always positive. As far as Peick goes, I expected more from him this outdoor season with his move to a factory supported team with a supposedly better bike. Maybe the financial comfort doesn’t change the results. Maybe the bike difference isn’t that different. in 2013, he raced 5 MX races with an average of 20.4 points per race with 1 DNF in the first moto in Lake Elsinore. This season, he’s averaging 24.1 points on 9 races with a 0-0 in Red Bud. He hasn’t match his best 2013 finish, 5-5 and 32 points in Utah, this season yet. His best in 2014 was in Budds Creek with a 6-5 score. Metcalfe has a 28.4 points a race average this season. Scored points in every moto and has always scored at least ten points.
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“As far as Peick goes, I expected more from him this outdoor season with his move to a factory supported team with a supposedly better bike. Maybe the financial comfort doesn’t change the results. Maybe the bike difference isn’t that different.” |
Did you like Washougal as a racer?
I actually didn’t really like it. I did good my first time there in 2000 with a 1-2 score while RC went 2-1. I was always cautious on that track because you feel like you have great traction but in fact you’re riding on a bar of soap! Shadows are tricky too because you can’t see the breaking bumps and it can catch you by surprise. If you re-watch or remember Pastrana’s crash from 2001, it explains my “soap” comment. The scenery is great, the weather is always perfect for racing but I never really enjoyed racing that track. But this year, the rain on thursday really help the track. It was the loamiest I’ve seen it in a while.
