It’s been a couple of weeks since I sat down and did the FLOOD. One week was because of a server issue at MXP, and the other was just on me, I guess. It’s kind of funny to me these days doing this blog again. I have been doing this column since 2012. First in the magazine, then on the web, then my own business GuaranteedMX, and now back in its current form here on MXP. I have rarely run out of things to write about in the 20 years of this blog. Though, since being back in its 2.0 version, I find it hard to put down the words I want to share. This led to the new name that Steve Matthes of Pulp MX fame coined (on our preview podcast of the Triple Crown Series HERE) the “drip” since these 2022 versions of the column are softer and not as “pot-stirring,” if you will. For those that followed me from the start, is this true?
Today’s world has certainly changed compared to how it was back at the beginning. The sport is more of a FLOOD of sensitivity. Sharing your opinion has become somewhat of a forgotten attribute because a decently high percentage of people can’t handle it if it’s a shot towards the negative or against their beliefs/opinions. Being sensitive is fine. I have three kids, and the way I parent compared to the way my parents did is very far apart. Well, maybe not me but my wife, Amy, is cut from the “everyone is a winner” type attitude. Again, nothing wrong with that, but this continues to lead to the population getting used to being ok with mediocrity. Being just ok at something is fine. No issue there, but if you’re trying to be great at that something and you just aren’t there, you need to be able to accept criticism and opinions shared towards you. That’s just the nature of life. Right or wrong, these things can help you elevate your path. Using it as fuel to be better. It’s ok to fail and allow others to see you fail. It sucks for sure, but the strength it can build within you lasts forever if you embrace it in a good way. I’m always trying to teach this to my kids, even though it’s a pamper the bum type world. This FLOOD used to have some serious opinions and reality checks that I’ve had parents call me with threats (not death but wanting to beat me up). I’ve had riders get so upset they turn their back on me or pass on supporting my races or media path. I’m all good with it because I put the words out there. I put myself in a spotlight that could build negativity from the comments I type. Reality is tough to swallow for some, and it’s a risk you take when doing a blog or opinion piece on your passion. So when Steve coined this column the DRIP now, well, maybe it is, and maybe it’s not. I can share that this column isn’t as easy as it once was, and maybe that’s where the lameness stems from. You don’t come to this column for a report, or results, or a puff piece. You come here because my experience in the sport has led me to see just about anything and everything there is, so my opinion holds weight.
This weekend is the kick-off for the Triple Crown Series. Steve, Ryan Lockhart, and I did our annual preview podcast last week and gave our thoughts on 2022. Much like this column, we made some very angry at our thoughts in years past. The last few, I don’t think it’s been the same because of the same reason the DRIP has been born. It’s hard to build drama when the drama isn’t there. Or is it and we didn’t deliver in the pod? Regardless, the series starts in Kamloops, and for the first time since 2005, I will not be at RD1. I’m sad about this, but I also understand that where I’m at with AMO and family, traveling is a thing of the past. Boy, am I going to miss the Sunday morning feel, though. The morning dew on the track. The nervous feeling for the racers in the pits. The mechanics overthinking every little part on the bolt, hoping they haven’t missed anything. The saying, you can’t win a title at RD1, but you sure can lose it, couldn’t be more true in this sport than any other motorsport in the world. Motocross is so much more man than the machine that a bad RD1 can set the tone mentally for any racer. This is especially true in the 250 class, where the racer’s age is much younger, so a tough day at the track hits way harder. Take Piccolo, for instance. With that #1 plate now and the weight it carries, a bad RD1 can crush the spirit of a teenage kid. Now, I think the kid will come out blazing this weekend on home turf but being in his position, it really can go both directions. For his competition, like McNabb and Cannella, they don’t need to win this weekend. Their attitude can be a little more, “play it safe.” They can allow the race to come to them where Piccolo, donning the red plate, will want to push and dominate, showing he’s making a back-to-back happen right out of the gate. I love that part of racing, the unknown. Even though we speculate and blow opinions up, we never really know until that first checkered flag. I’ll be watching from Walton Raceway this weekend as much as I can. I hope all runs smooth and the weekend is filled with passionate Canadian MX fans. It’s a coast-to-coast series again, and that’s great for the sport.
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