Supercross 2013: The Times They Are A-Changin’

Sometimes my obsession with motocross concerns me. I mean, I KNOW it isn’t the most important thing in the world, but there are moments when it feels like it is. This weekend in San Deigo was one of those moments. It was my first time covering an AMA Supercross and it felt like I arrived on the scene just as Supercross finally developed the last ingredient that will propel it to become the biggest, most important sport in the world…as I’ve long believed it would eventually become. For decades I’ve known motocross was the greatest sport in the world, and when Mike Goodwin put the show in a stadium for the first time in 1972 I knew it was the first bold step toward world domination.  From that moment I began to visualize a future where stadiums were filled to capacity in cities all over North America and beyond, and where every event was covered on National television and viewed by millions of hysterical fans each week.

I’ve long imagined Supercross would take over the world like ‘Rollerball’ in that 1975 movie…does anyone remember that movie? Anyway, I knew Supercross was the perfect combination of man and machine merged into a high-flying, berm-crushing singularity, and I knew the world would eventually figure it out. Back then I would fantasize about a world where young moto prodigies were removed from their normal lives and put into intense training regiments, paid millions of dollars, and eventually become household names with TV shows and videos promoting them. These kids would be ‘the chosen ones’, the most gifted ‘over-beings’ in the most demanding and dangerous sport ever devised by humanity…they would be modern day gladiators, risking their lives every weekend for international fame and glory. Hundreds of them would arrive every weekend for a shot, but only a handful would be chosen to enter the stadium, and that handful would lay it all on the line to win. This was my fantasy in the ’70s…and it was complete fantasy. It could never actually happen. So few people even knew what Supercross was back then that people would laugh if you suggested that someday all this would all come true. You can imagine how my heart has sailed as Supercross has risen up through the ranks to become the second largest motorsport in the world, behind only NASCAR. There has been one thing missing though, something that NASCAR has that is essential for the master plan to become a reality. Remember, my vision is not that Supercross becomes the biggest motorsport…I believe it will be the biggest sport…period. I’ve been aware for several years now what the final missing piece was. It’s been evident almost from the beginning. Each time I read a report back in the day of how Bob Hannah came from last place to win, or got my new Moto mag and read about Jeremy McGrath’s clean sweep of the last 8 rounds, or more recently when Ricky Carmichael completed his second perfect outdoor season, or last year when Ryan Villopoto won three straight motos to collect the Monster Million…the one thing that has been missing has become more and more evident.

The thing other sports have that is really kind of essential for a sport to capture the world…is parity. The masses will not flock to a sport where only one or two guys are likely to win. Well folks, what we have witnessed so far this season, and what I saw up close and personal in San Diego this weekend, may be the emergence of the final ingredient. A little bit of parity may be all it takes to capture the rest of the world, and for Supercross to fulfill the destiny I have mapped out for it. Yes, the fact that I talk about motocross and world domination in the same sentence concerns me…almost as much as it excites me! And as a writer I can’t help but feel the importance of this moment in moto history, and I’m compelled to quote my one ‘outside motocross’ idol, Bob Dylan:

Come writers and critics

Who prophesize with your pen

And keep your eyes wide

The chance won’t come again

And don’t speak too soon

For the wheel’s still in spin

And there’s no tellin’ who

That it’s namin’

For the loser now

Will be later to win

For the times they are a-changin’.

Rise of the ‘Over-Beings’

Friedrich Nietzsche was a German philosopher who wrote, among other things, about humanity’s ‘will to power’ and our ultimate ability to become what he called the ‘overman’. Freddy said all kinds of weird and wonderful things, but what interests me in regard to motocross is that he believed humanity’s ‘will to power’, essentially our competitive nature,  would lead to the evolution of humans who are superior in all regards: intellectual, moral, and physical. Supercross is the ideal breeding grounds and developmental arena for these over-beings, and we moto fans already understand that the very best motocrossers are indeed ‘freaks’ of some sort. These genetic mutants do things that mere mortals cannot even imagine, and what’s more, their numbers are growing. Much is made of the fact that motocross may be the most physically demanding sport in the world, but it also requires superior intellect and a refined morality. You don’t get to the top level without thinking things through, both on and off the track. Increasingly it also requires superior moral character to rise and remain at the top of this sport. This is a sport where being a ‘nice guy’ is almost a criteria for success. You have to be able to ‘represent’, and have the moral fortitude to display good sportsmanship when you least want to. Not sure you believe this is that important? Remember Jason Lawrence? Motocross may be the catalyst behind the evolution of a whole new level of humanity. In the early days these over-beings were few and far between and stood out like giants among men. There was Roger DeCoster who won five World Championships. Maybe he was the first. Then there was Bob Hannah who learned to ride in the desert and reinvented the way motocross riders trained and raced (he’s often credited with inventing  ‘clutching’ out of corners for example, and the ‘full on’ training program).  Hannah was virtually unbeatable in his prime. As competition developed more and more riders at the highest level, some new super being would inevitably come along and raise the bar, and for decades it has always seemed like there was one or two riders who were simply ‘better than the rest’. This may have been good on some level, superstars attract media, but it also dampened anticipation at the races to some extent. Let’s face it, if Ricky Carmichael got a top ten start in his prime you pretty much knew he was going to win. Now though, this may be changing. Riders don’t just ‘appear’ out of the desert anymore. They are selected and groomed from an early age. They spend their childhood at ‘training facilities’, being home-schooled so they can travel the country, and there seems to be more and more of them in the pipe. The flood gates seem to be opening and the day is coming when twenty riders will line up for a main event and all twenty will have a realistic chance of winning. By my count we are about half way to that number now, and I see no reason the number won’t continue to climb. Waiting in the wings to join the premiere class already we have Eli Tomac, Ken Roczen, Dean Wilson, and not too far off, Adam Cianciarulo. The Over-beings are coming!

 

 

The Greatest Gift

So what would it be worth to be able to rub shoulders with these giants among men? To be able to walk amongst these Over-beings? It would be the greatest gift ever, and that’s what my new best friend forever, Ryan Gauld, gave me when he signed me up for a media pass for the San Diego Supercross. As quickly as I write this I can’t help but think of the two women who gave me the gift of children, and the one in particular who bestowed upon me the gift of her hand in holy matrimony, or even the one woman who gave me the gift of life itself…and these are all great gifts, but we’re talking about the honour of accidentally stepping on Ryan Villopoto’s toe here! I’m really sorry about that, by the way, Ryan. I was dumbstruck all day as I walked amongst them. As they all walked around the track for the morning track walk I had the brilliant idea to go to the end of the track and walk the track in reverse so I could get good shots of them coming towards me, and because my camera doesn’t have the kind of zoom most of the other photographers have, I threw social etiquette out the window and walked up to them and snapped shots from three feet away. It may have annoyed them, but it thrilled the hell out me! These are important documents of humanity, photos of the next level of human achievers; the Over-beings. So what if I had to step on some toes to get their photos?

 

 

New Age Stars

For the past couple of years we’ve been blessed with the opportunity to see racing where maybe five guys could win. This is huge in a sport where one or two guys have dominated at any given point in time for several decades. This year though, it seems that number has about doubled! It’s just crazy exciting for fans like me. Of course the big news is Davi Millsaps. I went to a Supercross party for the opener in Anaheim and we all placed bets on who would win. Only one guy picked Millsaps, and he obviously didn’t have a clue. Millsaps is very good, he won the Lites Championship on his way through, but he clearly hasn’t really been in contention in the big league in the five or so years he’s been there. There was no way he would win A1. But he did. But it was clearly a fluke. But it wasn’t. He’s now been in the top 4 at all of the first six rounds, and he’s won two of them. Suddenly, Davi Millsaps is ‘The Magic Man’. After six rounds he has the ‘magic’ 25 point lead on all but second place rider Ryan Dungey. I could talk about his performance on the track, but you could glean that information from the comfort of your living room. What you couldn’t do without being there is see that Davi appears to be among the most well-liked and amiable of all the riders. While many of the elite riders keep to themselves and put up a wall when they’re around other riders, Millsaps walks into the tunnel and high fives other riders and laughs easily with them. He is clearly enjoying his new found celebrity, and it doesn’t appear to be going to his head. Perhaps that’s the moral character I mentioned, or perhaps it’s because being ‘the man’ is new to him, and he’s spent so many years just outside the limelight that his joy is just overflowing. In fact, most of the ‘new age’ riders like Barcia, Canard, Tomac, Roczen, and to a lesser extent Dungey seemed far more personable than the established stars like Reed, Stewart, and to a lesser extent Villopoto, who were much more guarded. I suspect these riders are not nearly as thrilled with the rising parity as fans like me are, and I’m sure they also have a lot more pressure on them.

Rising Stars

While the big bore class is enjoying this increased parity, the Lites class has pretty much been a two man show this year. Eli Tomac and Ken Roczen have won every round and clearly seem to be a little bit better than the rest. Martin Davalos often has the speed to run with them but hasn’t been able to put it together in a main event yet. He was in the top three on the first lap this weekend in San Diego, but got it all wrong in the rhythm section and went down. It was a very scary moment, what with eighteen charging bikes roaring at him as he lay prone in the middle of the track! Cole Seely had to be a favourite at the start of the series, but he hasn’t quite found the pace of the front two and has struggled with crashes at the last two rounds. The guy who has really impressed me this year, and has really put himself on the map, is Jason Anderson. I just love the way this kid rides! He got the holeshot in San Diego and held off the big guns for quite a few laps before Tomac and then Roczen finally squeaked by him.  The other very happy surprise for me was regular Canadian National visitor Austin Politelli finishing just off the podium in fourth! It was his third top ten finish in a row.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parity in Action

James Stewart, Ryan Villopoto, and Chad Reed are still clearly among the fastest riders in Supercross, but they don’t appear to have the kind of ‘over-being’ edge they once enjoyed. Stewart and Villopoto set the fastest qualifying times in San Diego, followed by Barcia and Millsaps, but there were ten guys within a second of each other. What this means is far more intense racing than we have become used to, and it was evident come race time. As the riders rounded the track after the first lap Millsaps had the lead once again. Broc Tickle was 2nd, Reed was in 3rd, Brayton 4th, Barcia 5th, Dungey 6th, Stewart 7th, Villopoto 8th, and Canadian Champ Matt Goerke was 9th. As recently as last year, one might have expected Reed, Dungey, Stewart, and Villopoto to take over the top four spots within a few laps (Barcia was busy stomping the Lites class last year), but my how things have changed in a year! Not only did this not happen within a few laps in San Diego, it just never happened at all. Reed got around Tickle in short order and was starting to pressure Millsaps at the halfway point of the race but he lost his front wheel and went down, dropping him to seventh. Barcia got by Brayton and Tickle and inherited second when Reed crashed, but behind him Dungey, Stewart, and Villopoto were having fits trying to get by Justin Brayton who clung to 4th place until past the 15th lap! Brayton is a great rider with a proven track record, but I really don’t think we would have expected him to hold off a superstar freight train like that for 15 laps last year! In fact Villopoto struggled for several laps to get by Matt Goerke cleanly! He passed him once but Goerke passed him back briefly. This would have seemed impossible a year ago…Villopoto would have passed him like he was a pylon! Matt Goerke, in fact, may be one of the biggest surprises of the 2013 season. Goerke currently sits in 11th place in the points and has shown on several occasions that he can run the pace of the fastest guys. Way to go Goerke! All that good, clean Canadian air is doing you some good!  In the end Millsaps led wire to wire, Barcia rode flawlessly to come home second, and Dungey clawed his way to third by moto’s end, claiming the top finish of the riders who would have been considered the favourites a year ago. Stewart, Reed, and Villipoto finished 4th, 5th, and 6th respectively. For mere mortals these would be considered decent finishes, but for these three multi-time champions, anything short of a win has to be considered a failure, especially when all three were inside the top ten on lap one. I can’t help but think of another verse from that song by my ‘other’ idol, Bob Dylan:

The slow one now

Will later be fast

As the present now

Will later be past

The order is

Rapidly fadin’

And the first one now

Will later be last

For the times they are a-changin’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is clearly shaping up to be the best Supercross season in recent history. I can’t remember a year where I tuned in each week with absolutely no idea who would win. I’m honoured to have been a part of it. My experience at San Diego will stay with me for a long, long time. I know there are more head-shots in this article than people are used to, but I admit it…I was star-struck. These guys are the future of humanity as far as I’m concerned, and the fact that I think that really does concern me.

 

For those of you like me who just can’t get enough, I’ll end with a few shots from the qualifying sessions.

 

 

 

 

 

One last word for Gauldy…I’m thinking I’d like to go to Seattle when the show comes around. This was too good to be a ‘once in a lifetime’ thing! Can you hook me up again?!