P126
CN
III FRIENDLY FIRE
A
hhhhh, yes, it is that time
of year again. The AMA
Nationals are done and
the FIM MX World Champion-
ships are winding down. Some
riders are licking their wounds
after the long season, happy to
rest up and begin working on
next year's program. The hand-
ful that made it through relatively
unscathed are thankful to be
healthy, but with three-and-a-half
months and plenty of test days
before Anaheim 1, they all know
there is no guarantee they will
stay that way. Silly season is
winding down, with most of the
team lineups already set and just
waiting for current contracts to
expire before announcing them.
The time to impress is now
behind us and some big names,
maybe even past champions, will
be left without a ride.
It is always a bit crazy this time
of year and a lot of it has to do
with the elephant in the room,
aka the Motocross of Nations.
When the three-member teams
for each nation are announced
there are always a few riders
who are butt-hurt about not be-
ing picked, sometimes rightfully
so. It's easy to feel badly for a
rider who clearly deserves to
be on the team and wants to be
there, but is not chosen for politi-
cal or other reasons. It becomes
harder to sympathize with a rider
who is picked, but chooses not
to represent his country, as is
the case this year with Eli Tomac
and Ryan Dungey.
Dungey also declined to race
the event last year, stating he
needed a break after racing it
the previous six years. He gets
a pass again this year, after hav-
ing missed the last half of the
outdoor season with a fractured
back. People have had a harder
time with Eli's explanation that
"due to the race schedule being
so full and the commitments
I have made for the month of
September, the team and I will
not have the time and prepara-
tion needed to compete in a
race as big as the Motocross of
Nations." This is a good time to
note that Tomac rides for Mon-
ster Energy Kawasaki and the
September commitments he re-
PROVISIONS NEED TO BE MADE
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
HOPPENWORLD.COM
Eli Tomac made
America proud at the
MXGP of Americas
at Charlotte. We will
see him again at
Glen Helen but not at
the MXoN.
BY STEVE BAUER
