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/821592
CN III VOICES W H A T Y O U A R E S A Y I N G "It was a poor example of how to win a championship, from a sporting perspective, on Osborne's part." Las Vegas Supercross Well, quite a finish indeed at Las Vegas. Eli Tomac did not show professionalism. Kawasaki pays him well to win races. That's his job—just win, baby—not horsing around trying to knock your competitor into the seats. Let's face it, Eli screwed up a few races this season, which put him in the hole. Hats off to Ryan Dungey regarding composure and race man- agement. Probably his last SX race. As for 250SX end result, I say B.S. on Zach Osborne's take-out slam on Joey Savatgy—[that] should have been a points/place penalty. That move stunk up the race. Let's face it, Savatgy screwed up a couple races this season, which put him in the hole. James "Bonecrusher" Smith It must be noted that one of Tomac's "screw-ups" was not of his own doing when his bike had a mechanical problem…Editor It's interesting that Tomac's focus af- ter New Jersey was on alleged team tactics and not on how he choked. It's interesting, too, that he emerged as a dirty rider in Las Vegas and still came up short. We all know who the champion is. Good job, Ryan! Rick Early Yes, "Bam Bam" Osborne was clearly the fastest rider on the course in Vegas and was desperate to win his title, as was Savatgy, but does that justify Osborne to very aggressively ram into Savatgy and take Savatgy out of the race to win the title? I guess the AMA sees the behavior as "racing" since Osborne was given his title, but they are just condoning future dirty [riding] and dangerous behavior. It was a poor example of how to win a champion- ship, from a sporting perspective, on Osborne's part. Frank Smith It was obvious what Tomac was try- ing to do. Not only get a shot, or two, or three, at knocking Dungey off the track, but holding him up so the pack could catch up to them and hope- fully get some riders between those two. Pre-race, Tomac questioned if Dungey would value the title if the three points he picked up when Marvin Musquin moved over decided it. Well, would Tomac value the title knowing his only chance was to play some stupid games by taking out one of the cleanest riders ever? Lazlo Toth This single event puts an exclama- tion point on the legacy, which will be that of Ryan Dungey: He has the mental toughness and track manage- ment skills to win championships. In this event, Dungey was in a vise the entire way. One jaw of that vise was Eli Tomac in the lead. The other jaw was a potpourri of riders, including Jason Anderson, Josh Grant, Blake Baggett and Chad Reed. Dungey was squeezed by this vise the entire race and there was really only a couple of ways out—he had to either ride on Tomac's tail or pass Tomac. He did pass Tomac a couple times but Eli knew he had to plant Ryan or his bid was over. Ryan handled this crushing cascade of events and was able to do what he needed to do. Even though Ryan finished fourth in this race, tactically, I think this is one of Ryan's greatest rides of his career. Congratulations to Ryan Dungey for his fourth 450SX title. Jim Bunch What Tomac did was try to win the championship. He could have rode off and won, but he checked up to let things possibly happen, as they did. Dungey said he totally under- stands. It was like a chess match. Tomac is awesome, as well as Dungey. Dave Brown What a great race. Strategy, drama and the outcome of the champion- ship undecided until the scramble on the last lap all the way to the last corner. Kathy Matt Empire of Dirt: Team Orders Well said! Tod Rafferty Cycle News is not a proper venue for political polemics, but Steve Cox's comment: "I've come to believe that our acceptance of dishonesty in our society is truly at the root of every problem [that] our country faces today," is spot-on, and deserves a place in any op-ed. Vic Plichota 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 P6