David Vuillemin talks about what he saw at Phoenix
David Vuillemin talks about what he saw at Phoenix
This looked to be a great win for RV as he passed all his main guys, is this the start of something where he runs off a bunch of wins or is he going to have more trouble than last year?
David Vuillemin: RV definitely rode great and came from behind. I still think he’s a little better than everyone else for a 20 lap race. In timed practices, some guys can be faster at some of the races but his “package” has the most weapons to go to battle. He’s the man to beat. You could see in Phoenix, there was chaos at time with Barcia and Roczen before halfway, RV kept his composure, rode smart and passed everyone one by one. Brayton’s ride should inspire RV’s competition and show them that Ryan can be beat straight up. But, Phoenix and its slick track conditions aren’t RV’s forte and it still wins. It might be a long season for the rest of the guys if they don’t start waking up and do what they should during the week and during the races…
Justin Brayton was good at A1 and better at Phoenix, what do you see from him and the team/bike? They switched to KYB, does that make any difference in your opinion?
I’ve been saying for years that if Justin shows up like he does in the European races, he would be a way bigger threat in the States. Maybe he has a Larry Ward complex. Brayton can ride even better than he did in Phoenix but he needs to actually figure out by himself how good he is. His ride in Phoenix was smooth, smart but after watching it again, the guy is so much in control. I think he made even less mistakes than Dungey. Which proves me he can actually push even more. Bike looked great this weekend. The Yamaha isn’t known to be a great bike on the slick nor on tight tracks like Saturday. The full package, rider/bike, looked good to me saturday. As far as KYB or Showa, here is 2 sayings my dad used to tell me, “Don’t worry about the brand of the bicycle, just pedal” and the other one was “There are no bad bikes, just bad riders”… Suspension brands don’t matter! What matter is the people who work on them…
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Ryan Villopoto had a great race in Phoenix and DV thinks he’s got the best package of any racer. |
I really thought Justin Barcia was going to win that race early on, instead he went backwards–why? Anything wrong with his move on Kenny that roczen was so pissed about?
BamBam, unlike RV, needs a couple more weapons in his arsenal to go win a war… I also thought, at one point, he was going to run away with it. But, you can’t win a supercross race by riding like “Vince Friese” and revving the s%^& out of the bike every time your wheels are in the air. He locks the rear brake in the turns everywhere like it’s 1995, uses the clutch like he’s riding a stock KX125, no strategy whatsoever for passing. He wants to pass a rider at every turn and doesn’t pick his spot which make him lose so much time. He gets frustrated, starts making mistakes and got passed… He’s good and will win races this year but to win a 450 championship he’ll need to improve on those points in my opinion which most of you don’t give 2 s@#$% about (laughs). As far as Kenny, welcome to the mens league, kid… That brake check Barcia gave Roczen, I saw it coming from a mile away I could’ve texted Kenny to tell him. Roczen will have to see against who he’s riding and what they are capable of doing. He will have to adapt and anticipate their move just like a game of chess. He’ll figure it out...
The 3-3-3 section was huge and a game changer for many riders. What’s that like as a rider knowing you have to nail a big jump like that and that it’s dangerous but matters so much?
Those kind of jumps made me retire. I didn’t want to jump those rhythm sections for 20 laps with ruts forming. And if you don’t, you can’t top ten! It was an easy decision. That 3-3-3 was a bigger deal in the 250 class obviously. It seemed way easier on 450s. But, Anderson didn’t jump it a couple laps before the finish but still managed to win the race.
What’s wrong with Dean Wilson?
Go back to the answer I wrote about Barcia and it again changing the name to Dean Wilson. I feel like Barcia and Wilson have the same issues. When you watch Anderson ride, he has an amazing corner speed. He never stops in the turns. He uses his legs the most he can to stay low on the jumps out of the corners rather than seat bouncing and losing time. Dean and Bam-Bam do that a lot. They over seat bounce stuff which isn’t fast. Some jumps you have to do it but when you don’t have to, you shouldn’t…
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Cole Seely suffered another devastating loss but still, two 2nd’s in two races aren’t so bad. |
If you’re Cole Seely and you’ve lead 25 out of 30 laps and have gone 2-2 in two races. Are you happy or devastated by what’s gone on?
I would be bummed but also happy because I obviously have the start/speed to win the thing. He’s only 6 points behind. It’s nothing. Yeah, Anderson pulled 2 wins out of his ass but Cole should be confident. If I was Cole, I’d work on fitness. His last 3 laps in A1 and Phoenix weren’t good. When you get tired, you get tight, you lose your composure and start making mistakes. That’s what happened. When you chase the clock on your mechanic’s pitboard and your fitness is one point, those last 2 races for Cole would never have happened. But it’s easier to say that from my couch and typing it on my Mac…
Anything else you want to talk about?
Gotta to talk about Dungey and ask everyone this question… How can RD, who started in second behind Brayton, stay 20 laps behind him without making a move? I didn’t understand that part of the race…
