ARE YOU READY FOR SUPERCROSS!!?!??!!
Dirt Bikes are SO ENDURO BRO! Heck, where do you think wearing goggles came from?
With the culmination of…
hundreds, if not thousands, of practice laps
hundreds, if not thousands of miles on the road bikes
hundreds, if not thousands of aches and pains overcome in the quest of a #1 plate
Tonight it will all unfold and two things are for sure:
There will be a new champion.
How long has it been since we could say that? 4 years? Whether you agree or disagree with Ryan Villopoto’s career decisions, I am thankful that he gave us 4 incredible years and will ride off into the sunset an undisputed SX great. I am equally excited to see him lay waste to the “world” competition in Europe. No matter what, or where he raced, 2015 was going to be a tough year with nothing to gain – either way, domestically or abroad, the expectation that comes with being the #2 is that you must always be #1. That’s a heavy weight for anyone to bear, but if anyone can hold it up for another season, I believe it to be RV. We will miss you Champ.
The sport will miss JS7.
Say what you will, but if you don’t honestly believe that James is not one of (if not the best) most skilled riders in the history of the sport, then you are lying to yourself. Period. I for one wonder if there will there be any displays of incredible prowess generally unequaled by any other rider in the series with the absence of JS7?
As much as I believe that RV could doggedly muscle his way to a record breaking 5th SX title, I also believe that the series will suffer a serious blow with the absence of JS7.
Having said that, I firmly believe that if you do the crime, you do the time.
It’s unfortunate that someone with Stewart’s resources didn’t have just ONE MORE man-friend who could simply read and understand the monumentally important implementation of drug testing last year. It’s not like this was anything new – having been under discussion and debate for years. Further, it’s not like professional SX riders can claim ignorance on this front. They all double as nearly professional level road cyclists and many follow cycling enough to be aware of the massive cleansing that sport has undergone with PED’s and serious punishments. To all of those who thought James would get off with a fine and miss a few races…have you heard of a bike racer from Texas – Lance Armstrong? Clearly, the powers that be ruling with an iron fist in handing down PED penalties seem to prefer “making an example” rather than “making an exception”. Bummer for the fans, but hopefully a stark lesson to all others – if you take drugs, ignorance and after the fact use exemptions aren’t gonna save your ass. Even with a nice and neat little doctors note.
Now that all of that is off of my chest, I can barely stand waiting around all day to see how the race will unfold tonight! My picks for the night are…
Go with MO! Trey has it. Nationals. Monster Energy Cup. If anyone has momentum and bike familiarity on their side it’s Trey. You can argue that he didn’t win the MEC, but you can’t argue that he was FAST there. Lessons, mistakes, live and learn.
94 The Bakery will not disappoint. I know. New bike this. Too much pressure that. But Kenny seem’s impervious to things that stiffle other riders. If he is having fun, then he’s hard to beat. I think he is having heaps of fun with his new team and bike.
Davi – same dog. same tricks. no less impressive. The last time he raced this series he was a very surprising #2 after several race wins. You could say he was lucky at MEC, but then I would say that “the gooder you are, the luckier you get”. Davi has loads of good. Not to mention a 4x champ in his mechanic. Mike Williamson could make it 5 in a row this year…
And then there was Eli. I would honestly love to see him on the box and his European Vacation was great. I believe he has the speed. I also believe that as much as he has a point to prove, he also needs to make it through round 1 and that might be in the back of his mind. If he get’s a start, I think he can win. If only those starts weren’t so tough to come by…
RD and CR – I’m really torn here. How are they not on the box, let alone top 4? Are times that tough? Honestly, I can see either one of them finishing higher. Easily. But, with RD known to be picky I don’t know if he will have the new KTM dialed in yet. Chad is never one to be underestimated and I would love to see this surly veteran prove me wrong and go on a terror of unmatched winning fueled by the haters. Seriously, if this isn’t a state of excitement for the sport – that the top 5 is an absolute dog fight, let alone the podium – then I don’t know what is!
After the top 5/6 guys does it simply come down to the start? I mean, who is to say if the silky smooth riding style of Cole Seely (is there a better rider to inherit the #14?) will triumph over the excitement of Dean-o’s new KTM, Will Hahn’s new digs at Kawi, and the hard charging “until the last corner” determination of Jason Anderson?
And what was that? JGR Yamaha’s are so fast that they holeshot outdoor nationals three abreast? Of course, Barcia is a threat and no one is going to muscle Weston Pieck out of the way if he get’s a start!
Wearing the #4 of the GOAT could mean added pressure or ignite the spark that Blake Bagget needs for some SX success. If I had to pick the top ten for the night, I will take:
1. Trey Canard
2. Ken Roczen
3. Davi Millsaps
4. Eli Tomac
5. Chad Reed
6. Ryan Dungey
7. Justin Barcia
8. Will Hahn
9. Cole Seely
And I think Jason Anderson puts a strong, last lap move on Dean for 10th!
What about Broc Tickle, Josh Grant, Blake Bagget, Justin Brayton, Andrew Short, Andrew Peick, Jake Weimer, Seriously, simply qualifying for the main event night show is going to be an awesome achievement given the depth of the field! With all of this talent, the possibility certainly exists for a top rider to simply get beat or get a bad start and not make the main. While many past champions have had a tumultuous first round, they show their grit by still grinding away for as many points as they can muster. Will we see one of the title contenders have a really rough night? I just hope for some incredible, safe racing that see’s everyone make it to round #2!
In the lites class, I am just as excited!!!
One of the biggest changes for me is the switch of the powerful Troy Lee Designs Team away from Honda and over to KTM. Have they had enough time to bring those bikes up to speed for Jessy Nelson and the rest? The bikes LOOK GOOD!
I had all my pennies on Jeremy Martin last year and we all know how that went. I have a feeling that a National Championship can change a guy though…
I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t extremely impressed by Justin Hill at the MEC. And I’ve always been a fan of Tyler Bowers. We know Mitch builds a strong bike, but is it fast enough to pull that big bull around the track?
As much as I would love to see one of the young kids pull it out, I also respect redemption. I’m a firm believer in “it’s not how many times you get knocked down, but how many you get up”. We’ve all lost count of how many times Josh Hansen has been down, but he is back – again. For that reason alone, I’m picking him for the top spot despite all else.
1. Josh Hansen
2. Justin Hill
3. Jeremy Martin
Honestly, due to the team managers holding out lites rosters until the last minute, I’m not entirely sure who is racing! But, I’ll go with a podium full of “J”s tonight!