The Greatest Race of all Time

The pure excitement of a photo finish. Nothing quite gets your blood bubbling like that of a race that comes down to the wire.

Quite honestly, after attending the NHRA drag nationals in Houston, TX this past weekend, a few thoughts flew out, around, up, under, and ultimately in to my head. But first, let me just say that if you enjoy racing, you HAVE to go to at least one drag race national in your lifetime. I mean the one where the fastest top fuel cars in the world come to play, where a car literally changes the beat of your heart into the rhythm of a V8 pounding at 8000 rpm, where vendors line the pits, where pit passes are included in the ticket price, where the fumes expended from Top Fuel engines burn your lungs and make even the manliest of men cry tears.

Of Joy.

Last but not least, where millions of dollars are spent for four tiny seconds and 1400 and 60 feet. Four seconds of the most primal thing you will ever experience, pure adrenaline. And I'm just a fan! Imagine the driver's feeling.

There is a fundamental problem in expanding motocross. With the current T.V. coverage, combined with the huge disparity in rider speed, even across the top 20 riders in the country, the racing isn't very exciting. Every once in a while you see a good battle, but when was the last time you saw a photo finish where 5 riders are all within a tenth? NEVER.

That is why motocross will never achieve Nascar like status, and why random people perusing their Television Tube will change the channel after 10 seconds. This just won't cut it.

I have a proposition. It may be crazy, some might say unfair, and many will call it stupid, but I can guarantee you it would be exciting!
Here is the scoop. The race would initially have to be a one off event, much like McGrath's event, or Vegas U.S. Open etc...

It would require a large purse, but for this particular race, a large appearance payout (required to race) would be instrumental in its success.

Also extremely important would be a huge qualifying bonus. The pole qualifier would get a 100,000 dollar bonus with a purse much like a regular race for each position after that. It would be like the fast lap at Vegas, each rider getting a chance to turn one fast lap for 100 g's.

Now, for the real twist. Why are all those elements crucial? It is a reverse pole start. First qualifier starts with last gate pick, second with second to last gate pick and so on... But it gets even better. It would be a timed stagger, calculated by the difference in qualifying times, with a little give for time required to pass. If the highest qualifier was 4 seconds a lap faster than the worst, with a short sprint like 8 lap main (indoor track), he would start 32 seconds back (although more realistically 25 to allow for passing time). Just imagine all the big names having to battle their way through to the front from dead last!

Another important note: with this format, the start would be clean, with less chance of screw up, allowing for a less congested first lap, a problem that allows the person with the hole shot to pull a large gap while others fart around the first lap.

I think the racing would be unreal! With the use of the calculated start stagger, TECHNICALLY (emphasis on "in theory") every rider would reach the finish at the same time if they turned consistent laps.

The main event would be a 10 lap sprint, on a track built for racing. Extremely wide straights and corners, multiple options, and multiple fast lines. Each section would allow for at least 5 wide comfortably, and who knows how many uncomfortably! The track would be less technical, and more aimed at the basics; cornering and braking! I would make it a lot like the McGrath track, with huge ramps, and crazy jumps.

Do yourself a favor, head over to racerxill.com and watch the Josh Grant and Wil Hahn videos at GL's track. Those are the type of jumps I'm talking about.

But the race is not over. The payout would be less than the "super-pole" qualifying would be, maybe in the range of 75k. After the first moto, a second moto would be held (with another 75k payout). This time, with the top finisher starting last and the last finisher starting first! (ed note: some revision of format needed here to account for wrecks and what not)

I want to watch this race! Just think, every fan favorite mired back in the pack, trying their hardest to come to the front. Who wouldn't like to see that! Just as important, it would allow the little guy a chance at some serious bank if he rides consistent.

Sand-bagging could be an issue in qualifying, but think about it. If you intentionally did poorly in the qualifier, you wouldn't make great money. Then you win the first moto because you held out, and make 75 g's. But now, you have to start last in the the second moto. You practically limit yourself to 75 g's. But instead, if you try hard, qualify decent, make 40 grand, then race hard, do well in the first moto, get 3rd, make 40 grand, and then pull it all together and win the last one, and make 75, you just made 155, a lot better than 75.

I own this idea, and am willing to sell for 2% revenue!

thanks for reading

Daytona SX

No word can ever describe the Daytona Supercross, but a few that come to mind are:
-bad-ass
-brutal
-epic
-unpredictable
-unique
-defining
Let's not forget brutally exciting as well! The Daytona SX has a history much its own unlike any other venue in Supercross, and I'll have more on that later.
This year, after watching two somewhat amazing races, I could do nothing other than write some thoughts down.

- The "Lites" Class -

How amazing is Trey Canard? The kid has already smashed through the walls of conventional wisdom not just once, not just twice, but now a third, and very un-conventional, time. He just keeps winning. Given the first race circumstances with Villapoto's wreck, one could have thought it was a fluke. The second race, with Villopoto clearly showing his dominating speed and desire after an uncharacteristic Villopoto moment, had some people thinking yet another "lucky break" for the ole' 48. But this Friday night proved that Canard is no fluke, as he stomped everyone, including the new two, into the ground.


And what a stomping it was. If ever a rookie were to have a race to prove the neigh sayers right, this was it! Torrential rainfall, the track a complete slop, extreme pressure from who many are calling the next big thing (Villopoto), a change of his routine schedule with the gate dropping 24 hours earlier than usual, and a lack of a mud racing background to boot are only a few things presented to the young rook trey, yet he still won. This kid knows how to work hard; he may not have always been the fastest, but in the last couple years, he made a choice, and it shows.

But don't count Villopoto out yet! The championship at this point must to look like Calculus to a sixth grader, damn near impossible. But, some sixth graders have done Calculus, and Villopoto has some serious fight. I think the real story with him has to be the injuries. No reporting agency has the full inside scoop, but we do know his bike setup was changed to accommodate that injury. Think about that for a moment, if you have to change your bike from what is fastest to what feels better because of an injury, and speed is at a premium, it must be major. I also don't think Josh Grant helped Villopoto's wrist with the wall incident either (understatement of the century).

Speaking of which, what is up with Josh Grant? This was his year to prove he is a winner, his year to become a new champion, and his year to move on to better things. I think he may be the newest Ezra Lusk, and that's a shame. With Villopoto showing weakness, 4 (I believe) years of experience, a healthy off season, and a great bike, he has ZERO excuses. The kid is talented, everyone knows that, and he isn't a fat blob by any stretch of imagination, but something doesn't seem to click come main event time. Good luck to him, I'd love to see him break through.

- The "Supercross" class -

If you watched the race, it was exciting. For a mere 4 laps, that is! Reed struggled at first, in my mind maybe a little to aggressive for the track, and experienced more than one off track expedition. And yes, I said expedition, as each off track instance was one where he checked his backs, got anal cavity searched, boarded his plane, and took a vacation. He cheated! At the beginning of the race I have no doubt his run outside the lanes was beneficial, and his re entering with Windham the last time was complete cheating. That said he was fastest. I'd like to tell you about the other racers on the track, but from what was shown on the the telecast, I honestly can't, they received no coverage.

Chad Reed. He has absolutely pissed me off this year. He has had a "I'm better than you, shove off" mentality since his little "Hiatus", which I'd rather call his "I don''t wanna get beat again" time. The entire year he off handedly mentions about his "problems" needing to get worked out, but never mentions what. It is getting old. He is an amazing rider no less, and deserves a lot of credit. He was clearly the fastest tonight, but bad luck struck at quite nearly the worst time it could have. Having completed 11 and 3/4 laps out of 12, his bike, as the Brits say, expired. When it first happened, I leaped from my half seated, half laying position and shouted and emphatic "YES!" to the T.V. thanking the motocross gods for the vindication upon Chad Reed. Now it was a race! I still assumed the bike would run, but it wasn't to be, and his bike truly did, expire.
You have to feel for the guy here, he put in a very inspired showing, was clearly the fastest on the track (or pond), and gritted out damn near 12 laps of hell.


Kevin Windham; my boy! I, along with tons of fans, love the guy. Maybe it's because America loves an underdog, or maybe it's because he is just that cool, but either way, he is always a fan favorite. I hope he continues to have fun: maybe one race night we will all get to witness the god like Windham many speak of. Still, even though he hasn't proven he is clearly faster than Reed yet, he still managed a couple wins thus far. I'm glad he won Daytona, I'm glad he choose to ride this season, and maybe I'm just plain glad, because otherwise, I wouldn't even watch the races.


Speaking of which, is it just me, or was making the riders race in those conditions absolutely STUPID?
If we really want to grow the sport and expand to larger audiences, how is showing a mud race going to accomplish this? If we want Nascar like status, maybe we should implement some Nascar like policies. One that comes to mind is postponing racing during wet conditions. I don't mean when there is a little muck, but the conditions this race were atrocious. Supercross was invented to showcase the high flying, talented riders our sport has to offer. Not the feet locked in skiing position, slow, rolling of obstacles that mud racing presents. Had I personally went to the event, I would have felt jipped of my ticket price, and stayed only because I had spent that hard earned money. (racerx photo)
Imagine this, your Ricky Carmichael, you spend tons of effort designing, what looked like, a bad ass track. You even suit up and rode it to ensure a good design! Then, mother nature runs its course, and your masterpiece becomes a master-mudpie. I would feel disrespected having my track raced in such condition.

Which brings another point. Imagine your a privateer. Not the kind with paid for equipment, and a salary of some sort, but the kind who shows up in a pick up truck with your one bike. You decide to give it hell, manage to make the main, only to learn you must ride in those conditions. You are now putting your bike on the line, your health on the line, and your pride on the line, for NOTHING. All the who's who are going to write off any good finish you have anyways. They will say, "well with the mud, he got lucky." Now your bike is ruined, your most likely poorer because the promoters hoard all the ticket sales money, and you've gained nothing towards a deal with a team because of the the inclement conditions and their view on your luck. I'd say no thanks, I'll show up next year.
Congrats to Jacob Marsack for finishing third.

The T.V. coverage was pretty damn boring too. They literally only showed the leader of each race. Nascar doesn't do that, they show the RACING, whether it's the rubbing for first, or for last. The broadcast team should go thank Yamaha and Chad Reed for his bike blowing up. It made the telecast interesting. I honestly would have said Daytona was the worst race of the year if it weren't for Reed's bike letting go. Speed needs to take a page from the Canadian motocross broadcasts, nothing gets me excited about racing like those guys!
Things they do speed doesn't:
-Showcase all racing on the track: I have literally seen broadcasts where the winner of the race is only seen when he crosses the finish line and on the podium, if he wasn't battling someone, they don't show him.
-Less rider analysis, more rider hype: They at least get rider names out there, giving them exposure
-Get excited about racing: I love listening to them talk, or shout, or yell, or whatever it is they do, because it is interesting, something neither Ralph Shaheen or Jeff Emig are.