It’s not just the fact that Dungey has secured the SX title.
It’s not just the fact that Dungey has secured the SX title.
Man, there have been times in the past when it was hard to find something to write about but… honestly now isn’t one of them.
For a series that now has less drama than your typical late night skin-flick on Skinimax, there is plenty to discuss with your racing buddies. You could start with Dungey winning his 2nd title, 4 years after his first, which happens to be a first. How about the 2nd fastest guy in the 450’s who hasn’t missed a checkered flag but still finds himself nearly 100pts down to the 2015 Champ? Can Eli pinpoint the flaws in either his gameplan or execution? Will he be able to apply them for the outdoor series or will it be a long summer?
How about mother-effing Weston Peick!? His 3rd this weekend in Santa Clara was his first podium ever and it’s every-bit as mind blowing as it is totally overdue. As I said in “Weston Peick for President”, the guy was looked at as a dangerous punchline in the 450 class less than 3 years ago and now he’s pushing himself further than maybe any other rider out there on the track. It’s a good thing he’s so strong because riding as far as he does over the edge, you can see him enforcing his will on the 450 to keep it corralled beneath him. Impressive and inspirational, nonetheless.
I gotta say, one of the things that has me most excited as Cooper Webb has decimated the West Coast this year is the storm-front which shall come to a head as the outdoor 250 series kicks off. That day we all looked forward to a full two years ago is nearing. Cooper Webb vs Adam Cianciarulo on even-ground and preparation is about to erupt. I know both of them cringe at the mention of this matchup, I kind of do too just because it means so much more to bench racers than it does to the actual racers but you know what, perception is reality and that matchup is the most hyped discussion, even two years beyond it’s intended birthdate. I expect AC to be a little off-pace initially just because it’s been so long since he’s ramped up to full racep-intensity.
The SX series is headed back East for the final round of that regional series and believe it or not, the reigning 250 East Champ still has a shot at repeating if Marvin Musquin has a big slip up. Never assume in racing. The most exciting thing about this last East round if you ask anyone in the industry, is the early start and finish time for the “New York” round. With all the class-title’s wrapped up by 7pm in New York, perhaps the industry will be in search of a “Circle Bar” type venue in the New York area around 7:45 Saturday evening.
The last two things I want to mention have been linked together and are as bizarre as it gets in moto. They also happen to be the two biggest bench racing discussions going right now. First is obviously the warp speed contract termination of Davi Millsaps from Factory Kawasaki. Have you ever and I mean EVER heard of a rider being released BEFORE there is even a public leaking of a rumor or trouble? There are so many people in this sport wanting to one-up each other when it comes to inside information that there are typically a slew of rumors let fly which often leads to some action being sort of force into motion for fear of a “lame duck” situation. In this case, Kawasaki threw the baby out with the bath water just to be absolutely certain there were no mixed signals or repercussions brought down upon the Green Machine.
It’s standard issue for a situation like this to include a very general statement explaining the release of said rider with little to no mention of specifics for legal reasons but it was interesting indeed to see Davi release a statement of his own and forthrightly address the strongest rumor making the rounds regarding his release. Davi is either telling the truth or he is falling into that same trap that Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Mcguire and many more fell into which saw them transform into castaways of the sport they loved. Bold, either way.
Davi is looking for a ride outdoors and still receives support from Monster which is very peculiar to me. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out and if any legal proceedings bring the details to a public forum for once in this sport.
And then there’s the loop-out heard round the World. Literally. RV noted that they found some more ponies this week in his KHI 450 and he put them to use as he attempted to make his move on Clement Desalle in M2 at the MXGP of Trentino. I haven’t seen a loop-out like that since Jake Moss did it in the National’s around 2009 or something. A few weeks back I did my best to assuage you from getting worried about the less than spectacular start to RV’s GP series, I’d like to offer a slightly updated deduction after RV’s little setback today… HIT THE PANIC BUTTON!! Seriously though, it’s clear to me that JT$ hit the nail on the head when he made mention of RV’s preparation and program being noticeably less than it was when he was stuck under the thumb of Aldon Baker, here in the States. RV looks more like the RV of 2009 and and the first half of 2010 before he caught fire and ultimately was bitten by the lack of dirt in SLC.
Some people would have you biting on the thought of RV returning stateside to take the place of the recently vacated spot of Davi Millsaps. This would be bad for a couple reasons. One, RV isn’t the RV he was even a year ago in SX, I truly believe that now. And secondly, RV departing the GP’s after a pretty average display through an abbreviated series would be a huge black eye on the face of American moto. I gotta say, it would save a little face for ‘Merican moto if RV came back to contest the Nationals and was fighting for a podium here too. In that scenario, only RV would have egg on his face in global opinion.
Some crazy shit could happen here over the next few weeks regarding RV. I really honestly hope it does because otherwise, after his loop-out, it’s looking like RV’s final year of pro racing could be a dismal flame out into obscurity, not the triumphant hurrah we all hoped it would be.
