Ifs, buts, candy, nuts!
Published: 13th February 2008
Author: Steve Matthes Photo by Steve Cox
Our favourite Canadian (apart, of course, from Celine Dion) gives us a rundown of his contenders and pretenders for the ’08 SX title…
Well, well, well - the 2008 Monster Energy SX series has certainly taken a bit of a turn don’t you think? The runaway train of James Stewart came off the rails like Ozzy’s Crazy Train when the defending series champion pulled out with a knee injury after winning (?) the second round. It really was a shocking development but it is again the reason why you actually have to run the races to determine the champ. Anything can happen!
We already knew Yamaha’s Chad Reed was going to at least make James sweat a bit in winning the title but after CR won the first round and James really couldn’t catch him the whispers started. “(Insert whispering voice here) Chad has got something for James, Reedy’s been training and is not going to settle for second anymore (end whispers).” At the second round in Phoenix, James won but Chad kept him very honest - even sticking a wheel in here and there at the beginning of the race. Sadly, we will never know what would’ve happened had James not gone and got his knee fixed. If I had to guess, I really believe that Speedy Reedy would’ve won more than the one race he did last year. He did look a little faster but ifs and buts and candy and nuts and all that crap comes into play here. But just like last season’s MX series, some riders get a little friskier when they know the big dog isn’t around. Namely Kevin Windham!
Last season when KW won the last outdoor national of the year I thought there was a 50/50 chance that we might not see the big #14 back out on the track. His contract was up and he had done numerous interviews (including one with me) that suggested he was tiring of the grind of the AMA season. Then when word filtered out during the off-season that Honda took his works bike away, offered him half of his old money and that KW was shopping himself around, I figured the end was near. Windham rode a KTM for MDK and liked the bike by all reports but the team couldn’t pay him what he wanted, Honda was standing firm and with all his money in the bank, why not just call it a career?
As we now know, KW took the Honda offer and his old team Factory Connection built him a real production-based CR450 with help from Pro Circuit. He still has full-on works forks and shock but his bike is about five or six pounds (I’m not sure how much ‘stone’ that is - figure it out yourself) heavier and a little down on power but KW would just ride out his SX-only contract and go gracefully into the sunset.
Or would he? Kevin Windham showed up at the first five rounds where he made the podium three times and would’ve made it again at Anaheim 3 if not for a flat front tyre. He was a new man! Who knew it took Honda embarrassing him by basically telling him that they didn’t think he could beat their three riders to motivate KW again? He showed aggression, which if you talk to people around him was what he’s been lacking for the last few years. I think that Stewart’s injury affected him big time - KW knows that he has beaten Reed straight up before, why not go all out for the gold again?
So Reed’s looking good and Windham is a new man but what about the other contenders and pretenders? Timmy Ferry is a contender. He got his customary third at round one and again at round five for his only two podiums so far. The other races he was really fast but suffered from some bad luck - a Tuffblock kicked in front of him at one round and a second turn crash claimed him in another. Can he win the title? It’s doubtful but I would really like to see him win his first AMA SX race at least. He has the speed to be there every week but you notice how the SX champion almost never has a bad race? Well, Timmy has bad races every now and then and you can’t do that and win championships. I was his mechanic for four years and I remember in 2003 we were second in the motocross points (not really threatening for the title but it’s story time) and we went into Washougal and he crashed his way to 16-13 moto scores. How do you honestly have that kind of day and expect to be there at the end? And no, his bike never broke so shut up! Despite this, Timmy is a contender for a win and therefore the championship.
Andrew Short and Davi Millsaps are like the same rider - they are younger kids that are just getting the hang of this supercross thing. They both have bright futures and will be players in the near future. I think Davi has slightly more speed then Andrew but Andrew is the new Tim Ferry, just really consistent and always going to be there. Davi could win a race very easily, he just needs to get a programme together and stay with it. The guy has serious talent for sure. The top riders often stop and watch him in a difficult section to see what he does - he can really put the bike wherever he wants. Shorty and Millsaps are contenders.
Mike Alessi is a pretender. He is not going to win this year but with his phenomenal starting ability he will make life hard for the top guys. You know what else helps him? As he gets passed by the big guys every week, he can pick up a little speed secret here and there to help him get to the top. He is the only guy who’s in his first year in the top 10 in points. That says something about him. He will change his pretender status in 2009.
Grant Langston is a pretender. He can’t win and won’t be a factor for the rest of the SX season. He’s had two mechanical DNFs so far this season and missed one round with an eye problem. He really has only had one race where he showed anything and that was Anaheim 1 where he got fifth. He lacks the precision in supercross and tends to lose focus at some point in the 20 laps. He will be there outdoors however so he just needs to get through SX healthy and then it’s on for him. And 2009 will be another chance for GL8 to show that he can be a SX winner.
David Vuillemin is a pretender and that’s a real shame. He is a buddy of mine and I know he was working very hard in the gym and on the track to be, as he called it, “2008’s Tim Ferry”. You know the whole lose a factory ride and get it back and be a contender thing? He wanted it bad and Suzuki gave him a bike and support that could do it. Unfortunately for DV12.com, he crashed at the Suzuki track during pre-season testing and really racked himself up. As of round five he was still feeling the effects of a thumb injury sustained in that crash. He also dislocated his knee in the mud of San Francisco and that bothered him for a while. He is a pretender in ’08 but hopefully in ’09 he will be back. I like DV and I’ve seen the raw talent he has, one of the most technical riders on the circuit.
So that’s what I think but, hey, what do I know? Send me your thoughts at matthes@racerxcanada.com