On a new (hopefully) regular column here on Pulpmx, myself and some guy named Swizcore debate on whether or not Reed will win a race this year.
On a new (hopefully) regular column here on Pulpmx, myself and some guy named Swizcore debate on whether or not Reed will win a race this year.
Swizcore, time for a new feature here at Pulpmx.com and we’ll try to do this week to week. Let’s have a good ol’fashioned town hall debate about a subject. First up, will Chad Reed win a race?
Matthes- I believe he will, he’s third all time in career sx wins and he’s shown that he can rise up to the occasion. I know his first two races he’s been off the pace but man, he’s testing like crazy and getting to be one with that Honda. I’m not saying he can go out and dominate a race but with a little bit of luck, he can get a start and rip off a consistent 20. I’m just not sure how you can say a guy that has been on the podium so much in his career and won so many races can’t do it. It’s not logical and you must have taken too much Nyquil last night.
Swizcore-Whatever Matthes, you gave me a bit of a loaded question but let’s start with what history has shown us, hell yes Chad Reed can win a race. No one has the eff you motivator as much as Chad. Eff you LB for signing my nemesis, eff you fans who continue to question my heart, eff you teams who forced me to start from scratch. That’s a lot of eff power to give a legend of the sport who is continually underestimated year after year.
With that being said, I don’t see Reedy winning a race this season. The odds are stacked against him. New bike, new team, more responsibilities/distractions, new crop of 450 talent. Take away the 450 field and those reasons alone make winning a race for Reedy look pretty daunting When you add a properly setup YZ450F mounted Bubba, a ridiculously motivated Ryan Villopoto, constantly improving Trey Canard, returning champ Ryan Dungey (if you count him out your a fool) and a handful of other consistent podium contenders, the odds diminish quickly.
Matthes- All good points Swiz and I agree with you that the field is indeed stacked. James is James and RV looks fantastic but as far as Dungey is concerned, the way that Reed caught and passed Dungey makes me think he’s got him covered even at a not-quite-there-with-my-motorcycle Reed. Keep in mind that everyone else around him (RV, JS, RD, TC) are on the same bikes they rode last year while Reed changed everything. Let me yell that at you to make sure you got it. EVERYTHING! Also, although Canard got a crappy start in Phoenix, Reed was worse so now that we’ve established that he can beat Dungey, all he needs is a bad start from JS and RV and he’s there. I love Canard but in a head to head, mano-a-mano battle with the 22, I don’t think the 41 has it…yet. There you go, I just laid out the blueprint for Reed to win a race. Owned.
Swizcore- Easy there guy, if you could reach your back, I’d tell you to stop patting it right about now. Let’s take a step back, though I do think Reed is faster than Dungey, I’m going to go out on a limb and say Dungey looks worse on his bike through two races than he ever looked last year. Could be pressure, setup (HOW?) or maybe last year really was a fluke(Gasp!). I’m going to debate you on Canard though, Canard showed last year when he reached right in Windhams fanny pack while sailing passed the chackers that he isn’t about to buckle under the pressure of a legend. That’s right, I said it, Canard CAN beat Reed straight up. Now flash forward to the week when the switch is flipped (you like that JT$?) and it’s a whole new ballgame, not just for Canard but everyone, JS7 included. BTW, on the internet it’s “PWNED”, and yes, you have been.
What do you guys think?