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/702723
VOL. 53 ISSUE 27 JULY 12, 2016 P133 He was clearly stoked after the race and the confidence boost should make the final five races less of a cakewalk for Roczen. It was good to see Justin Barcia on the podium, but with his fastest lap time over five seconds slower than Tomac's, it's hard to get too excited. The absence of Ryan Dungey, Trey Canard, Cole Seely, Jason Anderson and Josh Grant defi- nitely amplifies the differences in speed between Roczen and Tomac and everyone else. To the delight of his fans, Barcia displayed some of the aggres- sion that earned him his "Bam- Bam" nickname, using Marvin Musquin's front wheel for a berm, then shrugged it off when asked about it afterwards, say- ing that he "never felt anything." Barcia's Joe Gibbs Racing Ya- maha teammate, Weston Peick had his best overall result this year, going 7-4 for fifth overall. Justin Bogle seems to be the total master of the starts these days, Christophe Pourcel still has some fight left in him and 6' 5" Benny Bloss qualified 27th, yet managed to finish sixth overall, beating a few factory guys in doing so. Barcia, Tomac and Roczen were 1-2-3 in qualifying times, followed by Tim Tremblay, Robert Marshall and Dakota Tedder in 4-5-6. Apparently, the track was considerably smoother and faster during the "B" timed practice, but that still had to be quite a thrill for those three riders, who later finished 18th, 21st and 39th overall. Cooper Webb's broken wrist seems to be a non-issue, as he just keeps getting better and bet- ter. He looked fresh as a daisy after winning the second moto and is looking like a safe bet to win the 250 title. His team- mate and defending champion, Jeremy Martin, just does not seem to be as hungry as in years past. After winning the first moto, he fell over in the second after getting a face full of Southwick roost. Normally when a guy has a minor crash he exhibits some sense of urgency to remount and get going, but Martin looked like he was out for a Sunday stroll. The champ needs to string together some moto wins if he wants to three-peat and next week's race in his backyard is a good place to start. Joey Savatgy did not look comfortable at all in the sand. His boss, Pro Circuit owner, Mitch Payton, has to be more than a little disappointed with Sa- vatgy going from a 20-point lead to a 37-point deficit in just two weeks' time. I hope that Joey can regain the form and blazing speed he showed in the first half of the season. Adam Cianciarulo continues to struggle and I cannot see it getting better for him in his cur- rent situation. The kid grew like a weed during the past two years and is just too big for the 250 class. It would be a shame for a rider with as much talent as he had/has to spend another year being beat down and demoral- ized in the 250 class. I have to think that if he had not been hurt and stuck on the disabled list for the past two years, he would have probably won a 250 supercross title, possibly a national MX championship and would be riding a big bike next year. Instead he is mired in the 250 class, watching his team- mate Austin Forkner do all the things and reap the rewards that should have been his. I suppose it shows that there are no sure things in our sport, even if you are the anointed one. Here's hoping that AC can still have a long, kick-ass career. Racing dirt bikes can be a cruel way to earn a living; that is for sure. In closing, it is with a heavy heart that I am writing this col- umn tonight. I just heard that Erv Braun, the voice of supercross, passed away earlier tonight at St. Joseph's Hospital in Elmira, New York. Erv, 71, died as a result of a stroke he had suffered on June 6. Erv was the consum- mate professional and the super- cross races just will not be the same without the sound of his voice. My deepest condolences go out to his family and many, many friends. Rest in Peace, Erv. CN