Here’s what JT thinks to your pressing questions…
Here’s what JT thinks to your pressing questions…
Hammerhead Designs was launched with the intent to provide new and better parts and innovative accessories for motocross bikes. One of our goals has been to design entirely new and unique products with improved ergonomics and the shift lever was the first part that we felt could be dramatically improved by providing a feature that would allow for the shifter to be repositioned to perfectly suit the riders size, shape, and preference.
@jakegriffith Do you think we look at Dunge’s struggles last 3 yrs at MXdN differently now based on RVs struggles in MXGP this yr? i.e. Bike set up, euro tracks, different format, etc. Have we been too harsh on Dungey when you compare RVs 4 races
JT: I don’t necessarily think so. When I watched Dungey, he was like a different rider. He was not only being beat by the Euro riders, he was being beat by riders that he absolutely smoked all season here in the USA. For example, in Germany 2014, he was beaten easily in the qualifier by Brett Metcalfe on Saturday. Dungey couldn’t pressure him really in any way and just kinda floundered back there. When you apply that result to any time that those two have raced in the USA, it seems like an extremely unlikely scenario. It wasn’t so much that the Euros were better at those MXON’s, Dungey was just worse than his usual self. For another example, look at the gap that Tomac put on Dunge in that heroic moto in Latvia. That would never happen here in the USA. Dungey just hasn’t ridden to his full potential for some reason and that’s frustrating to watch. Trust me on that. I am not sure the real reason why Dungey has struggled over there. Maybe it’s the long layoff after the outdoors end. It would be very tough to maintain the same level of performance when all focus has switched back to supercross, if not a vacation mentality. It has to be hard on him as well. He knows the USA is depending on him and he also knows that he hasn’t had the best results overseas. He will get another chance in September.
@PattersonJarred Should the US MX tracks adopt the European model? not touch them all weekend/not bring in foreign(to the track)dirt?
The USA series has dabbled in these different approaches over the years. Up until the late 2000’s, the dirt was ridden as it was found. There wasn’t this recurring theme of sand being added. Hangtown was as hard packed as your local freeway, Red Bud was rutty and muddy in the morning and then hard and slick in the afternoon, and Budds Creek was 100% orange clay all the way. The New York rounds were always rocky and slippery underneath, completely unique to the rest of the series. I think bringing in the alien dirt makes traction better and is more fun to ride than an icy New York rock garden but it makes for a lot of learning when Americans head to Europe.
As for the rougher tracks, in 2005, Steve Whitelock instituted a policy similar to the GP’s now. The tracks that year weren’t fixed during the race weekend and in extreme cases like Southwick, it was actually left untouched from the local race the week before. A few key riders felt that the tracks were too dangerous for the fast 450 machines, and the bulldozers came calling.
So, who was right you ask? I think both have their claim to accuracy. A track like Southwick was safer back then because it was so much slower. Sure, there were still crashes but the overall speed was much, much lower. There were holes five feet deep in some sections. It was literally impossible to get up to the high speeds we saw with the smoother version. Maybe there were fewer crashes with the track maintenance in place but those crashes typically were high speed much more likely to injure.
@tlandis47 If you had the choice between a 250 E/W championship or 450 main event win what would u take?
As far as prestige, I don’t see a huge difference. Both carry their own level of significance as a championship is great but in the lower division versus a singular race win against the best of the best. If I had to choose one, I would take the championship for the simple financial gain. A 450 race win for a factory racer will bring in somewhere between 80-125K total. The 250 Regional SX title will net 500K or more, making the choice easy.
A couple of great riders to ask would be former teammates, Tim Ferry and David Vuillemin. I am sure that never winning that 450 SX main event is a big regret for Ferry but he will always have that #1 plate hanging in his trophy room. DV, on the other hand, won seven 450 main events but lost out in a heart breaking duel with John Dowd for a West Coast title in 1998. The grass is usually greener on the other side and I bet each would love to taste what they never had.
