In AMA Supercross....

[KC]

The AMA Supercross season has kicked off once again with the usual winner, Jeremy McGrath. Who is going to catch the guy this year? Last year Frenchman David Vuillemin chased him hard and beat him a few times but in the end "Showtime" McGrath prevailed once more for his 7th championship in 8 years in 250cc.

This year 250cc Supercross runner up Vuillemin, 2000 250cc Motocross Champion Ricky Carmichael, 17 year old wunderkind Travis Pastrana and a host of strong factory riders will give chase to the man rapidly reaching legendary status among the supercross crowd. One thing is for certain, McGrath is the best at tactics, finding the fastest line, and quite possibly the most physically fit rider of the group and it will be a supreme task to beat him.

[gomick]

why doesnt he do 250cc moto x, i know he won the title in the mid 90's, but......

[KC]

For some reason McGrath is much better on the ultra-technical supercross circuit than outside on the speed oriented motocross circuit. I never understood this. he is defintely good, but his indifference to motocross will always keep him remembered as an incomplete champion.

[Lazy Boy]

I wouldn't call it indifference.. anybody who wins even one outdoor title (and he did) is a total champion in my mind.

I don't have any problem with his decision to run primarily the SX series (he still races a couple of outdoor races per year).

If deciding to stop running the outdoor series has extended his career a few years (and I am sure it has)... then that is his perogative... And don't forget that he DID run it for a good 8 years (a full career for a lot of riders).

The 2 series are quite different... and put together they are a very long grueling season of 28 combined races... In a sport with a gruesome serious injury rate.

US SX series.....16 races
US outdoor.......12 races
For a total of ..28 races

Euro GP series...16 races

Why should Americans be expected to run 2 'seasons' per year?

It should be understood that the American public would show up to buy tickets for racing 52 weeks a year... but the riders bodies just can't take that kind of punishment.

I think Jeremy McGrath is smart.... real smart.

[KC]

You are probably right on that. It always seems that the MX champ did not so well in the SX season and vice a versa. 28 races is very much a grueling proposition. I was at Dallas in '98 and a local racer ran both 125cc and 250cc that night. He had to come from both Last Chance Qualifiers to make the show in 125cc and 250cc. The poor guy just collapsed at the end of the 250cc Main. He ran over 100 laps that night and I can only imagine what the arm pump was like. Racing almost every weekend for 7 months must be just about as bad if you don't get hurt and almost no one makes it through without a minor ding at least. If a guy gets a broken wrist or collar bone its over for the year. Much less an injury to the leg or hip. McGrath rarely gets injured and I credit his incredible conditioning for that. Also being a very smart rider has something to do with it also. I consider him the best offroad bike racer of all time, even better than Hurricane Hannah, even though his MX career has not matched his SX career.

I think the thing that will eventually end his SX reign (if he does not retire before too much longer) is the introduction of the 4 stroke bikes. He has stated that he does not like them and would not race one. The AMA and the manufacturers are slowly replacing the 2 stroke bikes with the new thumpers and it is going to change the face of SX and MX in America before long.

Man its great to chat MX and SX with some fans. This weekend the first race of 2001 is on ESPN2. I can hardly wait.