Americans VS the euros

[dirtbike]

Thanks for your input!
The reason I brought this here is of course that this board is made up by an exceptionally wise and mature (and nice) group of people.

Dane Leimbach.. as for this ISDT/E incident. I'm completely aware of the incident. I just have another conclusion. Things like this happen over and over again. But many many times more often between different countries not involving americans at all. This is errors made by individuals which for their own reasons choose to go for occationally bad decisions. I couldn't twist the thing to be an issue between latin Vs Anglo, east Vs west, dark haired Vs Blondes or for that matter americans Vs europeans which in my ears is an equally logic grouping as the others i mentioned.

There is and never where as far as I know any secret or official bond between any european nations. I can honestly say that no european individual ever made the decision to cheer on any rider based on weather he came from USA or another country. I can't even name a single german rider. I know the name of a few italians but wouldn't ever consider cheering on them.

No, I judge the riders from what they achive and their attitude as well as talent of course. I like supercross because it has kept our sport alive and injected some money. For the most part those riders are good motocrossers too and the mix between supercross and the nationals seems pretty fine to me.
I also like the idea of extending the supercross series with a few european events and maybe even a japanese and south american event making it a "legal" world supercross serie.
The tracks in europe is however pretty different. Swedes have a hard time with the italian, english and belgium tracks which often are very fast and hard. Those riders aren't quite comfortable in sweden, finland, poland and so on because we have much more rutted, muddy and tighter tracks. I don't think that too many american riders really would be able to go for a GP series gold. Right now I only think that Ricky C would be able to succed. Rhyno tried and Mike Brown recently but both had to realize that it's just as hard as back home.

All in all I would like to see more international events including the best US riders too. First of all to grant the GP series a true world champ status but also to place the US riders in context.
As it is, a euro rider going over to US will have a hard time making himself justice for the first couple of seasons but what magazines as Dirtbike Mag doesn't seem to figure out is that US riders would have just the same problem. Different tracks, different languages. Occationally hostile audience against riders challeging the local boy which as I said is just as common between different countries in europe.

Finally I would like to say that the rider I liked the most back in the early 80's where Brad Lackey. He fought his way and did away with the gold. Our Carla where around at the same time and you should know that he was treated very bad by belgians when he had a shot at Malherbe. The same happened to Lackey but then again, I always have to read about Lackey against the euros which in my mind turns the issue down to yummy yummy.

Let me just end it all by stating who I considered the best motocross rider ever. Sadly it's not from the time era that interests me all too much. Jean-Michel Bayle. He was something exceptional.

And my favorite MX list right now:
#1 LaRocco
#2 Joel Smets
#3 R Carmicael
#4 S Everts


 

[firstturn]

Dane as always thank you for your insight.

Speedy - The Texan has to go with you on this one.  I like all forms of dirt bikes.  I have watched and known some of the best from different nations and NEVER worried about who was from where.  I just don't read the trivial writing that comes in certain magazines because I feel they (the writers) don't have a true perspective of the big picture.

Ted - I agree with you that I am proud to be a part of POG.

Ron Carbaugh

[OhioTed]

Thank you, Ron.  So, in what political postion can Dane do us the most good?  Let's get him nominated.

[firstturn]

Ted,
  Dane has always been someone to look up to and it is always an honor to visit with him trackside or on the technical side.  If one puts things in perspective who has done more for the Penton People to keep that ignition systems working, offer tech advise on same here at no charge and helped originate the Penton legend.
  Political:  Well I always like Dane's style of telling it like it is.  One must remember that Dane and others that contribute to this site have the knowledge of traveling over the world and being a part of politically charged event (ISDT/E) and have great input on the subject at hand.  He can move to Texas we need more people like him.  Enough said.

Ron Carbaugh

[jackpinejim]

Ron, you cant have him! Once a nut always, oops wrong commercial, once a Buckey, always a Buckey!

Jim
                                               

[firstturn]

Jim,
  Well talk about it at Mid-Ohio.  I have plenty of political  trading material[:0].

Ron Carbaugh

[OhioTed]

Ron,  My impressions of Dane match yours.  However, I agree with JPJ, we're keeping him!

[tomale]

I realize that I am out on the edge with this Supercross thing and I realize that in many ways it has contributed large amounts of money to the sport. I have been to both supercross and arenacross. We no longer have supercross up here because the Kingdome is no more. Two stadiums replace it and neither one works all that well for supercross. So my point may be some what mute. In the early days before it got out of hand (my opinion) It was fun to go see the big boys duke it out. and all under one roof. Supercross was in Feb. and though it was cool inside the kindome at least you were not wet. It rains alot around here and it is not unusual to get snow even in early Feb. It was a winter event that help get you ready for the racing in the summer. Arena cross just does not interest me at all, I was bored. I am sure that it is a great place for up and coming rides to get some experience and that is fine, we need that. It all seems to work but that does not mean that it is the best or right. what about those riders who have ended up in a wheel chair because of supercross.
I was talking to Shawn McDonald the editor of Bench Racer Magazine. Bench racer is devoted to just tell the stories of racing, the riders and bikes important people in motorcycle racing. anyway I was asking him about Danny (magoo) chandler. A rider that rode many of the same tracks I did when I was alot younger. I summized by the fact that no one ever said anything about him, even when they were talking about riders in his time period that something bad must have happened to him. I thought I had heard that he ended up in a wheel chair but I had no details. what really happened, what ever happened to him, so I asked Shawn. He told me that danny crashed at the Paris supercross and it ended his career. He did end up in a wheel chair and is techically a quadraplegic. He is not doing well at all. And what about the rider that I heard about this week that was killed? Where will the insanity end? When I was a kid my mother was alway after me to eat my veggies, I would rather eat icecream and junk food. It was much more fun. Supercross is fun... and it does bring in the big bucks but is it really all that good for us. What about educating the public on what motocross is really about instead of the sugery sweets of supercross. I must agree with Terry the soul of motocross is the local Vintage racing that is more about the racing than anything else. We have very few rules and everyone polices each other and if someone is pushing the limits there is alway someone who is willing to help them get back in line. If there is a problem and there almost never is. It is handled by the riders involved. This year I and another rider have been competing for the overall in our class. we did some bumping and such on the track but it was all with in the realm of sportsman like racing. After the day was over he came over and congratulated me on a fine race. I got a hand shake and a hug from this competitor. A great guy and a fine racer. That is what racing is about. This is not the abnormal but the normal. It is not unusual at all to get a high five as I or someone else leaves the track and the end of the race. It is nice to know that there are places in the world and I am sure we have not cornered the market on it where sanity still reigns.

Thom Green,I own and ride a 76 250 MC5 MX which I bought new.

[dirtbike]

I totally agree with you Tom Green....
The vintage racing is more like it was before and I like it.

The coin always has two sides though. Up here in sweden, supercross has never really made it through. So we practically haven't any rider in world class standard and regular outdoor mx is a kind of self dying. So the world without supercross has and is beeing tested and the result isn't too promising, sorry to say.

A comment about the topic in the first place. Several of you replied with a lot of different views. Very interesting. I'd like to bore you further with a few reflections of mine. I read that americans thought themselfes as cocky, having a bad reputation and a bad world view. That world view, I cannot say, but americans isn't known to be cocky or have a bad reputation at all in europe. That is not my impression at all.

I also read that a MXDN event was done in such a manner that the euros would benefit since they where tired of beeing beaten up by americans. I can't say if this is right or wrong. Frankly as a european I don't understand the conclusion. It bottoms in something I can't see. I don't think that another ten years reading Dirtbike Mag or MX action will make me understand the point of view any better.