Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1105267
CN III VOICES W H A T Y O U A R E S A Y I N G P6 Letters to the editor can be sent to voices@cyclenews.com. Published letters do not necessarily reflect the position of Cycle News. Letters should not exceed 150 words and are subject to editing. Anonymous letters won't be considered for publication and each letter should contain the writer's name, address and daytime phone number… Editor Empire Of Dirt: Pointing Out Since the inception of the AMA's regional supercross support se- ries in 1985, it has proven not to be the launching pad for future success in the premier class of the series. I have long believed the small-bore class should be a full championship series and here is why. We all begin our racing journey as motocross racers. Supercross proficiency requires a different skill set from moto- cross. It requires more accurate timing and a rhythmic discipline, which is in stark contrast to the hammer-down, throttle-jockey- style of outdoor motocross. That being said, racers competing in the small-bore supercross class have always been at a disadvan- tage. There are fewer resources for practicing the craft of supercross. They only compete in half of the amount races as the premier class each season, so gaining that valuable racing experience is going to take more seasons when you are only provided half of the opportunity. Pointing out of the class has never made sense to me, also. I believe some riders are destined to become specialists, whether it be 450, 250, motocross or supercross. Forcing riders out of the class has not worked and in some instances have premature- ly ended promising careers. For many, it has eroded their confi- dence and created a downward spiral and flushed many talented racers out of the sport. I have long believed that win- ning a regional supercross title is a curse and career suicide. It has always been the fastest route to point the rider out the class. There is a list of regional supercross champs (Eddie War- ren, Keith Turpin, Willie Surratt, Ron Tichenor, Jeff Matiasev- ich, Damon Bradshaw, Todd DeHoop, Brian Swink, Jimmy Gaddis, Damon Huffman, Ezra Lusk, John Dowd, Shae Bentley, Travis Preston, Brandon Jes- seman, Ben Townley, Jason Lawrence , Stephane Roncada, Nathan Ramsey, Jake Weimer, Wil Hahn, Trey Canard, etc.) whose careers where on an upward trajectory until falling victim to the title curse. This rule is as useless as the FIM MX2 age rule. ART861MX Crutchlow Penalty The penalty for Cal Crutchlow was totally and completely unreasonable. Typical bureau- cracy, follow the letter of the law (moved one micron equals penalty) versus the spirit of the law: unfair advantage? No. No penalty. Riding over the paint or curbs? Would this be consid- ered cutting corners, an unfair advantage over those who stay on the unpainted part of the "track?" If so every rider in every race would be penalized. The letter of the law? David Gomez If anything, they should have had him drop two spaces right away and settle back into eighth posi- tion, where he qualified. That way any perceived advantage would be instantly wiped away, and we would have a better series. Shameful for [Freddie] Spencer to cloud up a great race. Howard Halterman The rules state that the rider must remain stationary for the start. Stationary means "not moving." Pretty simple. You cannot deny that Crutchlow was moving (albeit not much at all), thus the rule was broken. Period. It doesn't matter if he gained an advantage or not; a rule was broken. So officials have to follow the rules when it comes to enforcement, too. That is just the way it is. That's not Spencer's fault. However, without a doubt, the punishment far, and I mean, far outweighs the crime. Herein lies the problem, which must be ad- dressed and modified next year. (Can't do it this year because if someone else creeps forward at the start of a MotoGP race in 2019 and is given a lesser penalty, well, that's not fair to Crutchlow, either). Steve Raleigh "I believe some riders are destined to become special- ists, whether it be 450, 250, motocross or supercross."