Why do American riders not want to race their home GP ?

　

Why do the US teams and riders not want to race in what could be the biggest race of the year? Why do the US and World wide fans get robbed of the seeing the top Americans against all the top GP riders. The US riders have turned their noses up at the race for no apparent reason... but why would they not want to win their home round of the world championship? Kevin Windham cites as his most prestigious trophy. As a fan I can’t think of anything better than winning your home GP.



Clemant Desalle raced World Champions and National championship races
Photo :Youthstream



First lets deal with the excuses…“not enough time to prepare“, “too many races already“, “we have nothing to gain.”



Not having enough time to prepare and having nothing to gain both equate to the same thing - They are afraid of losing. Is being afraid to lose really a genuine excuse for not racing your home GP and representing your country?  What happened to the thrill of winning your home GP against all the top GP riders. (something the MXDN does not provide.)

Too many races… yes that holds some water if you want it to, especially the guys in the 450 class. But there were more factory riders entering the X games ( a supercross race in the middle of outdoors) than are racing the US GP… so it is not really a valid excuse either. Add in the fact the US teams test at Glen Helen all the time in preparation for the US nationals, so they already know the track and arguably have an advantage.

Also the GP riders spend 30 days a season racing GP Motocross (Saturday and Sunday racing at a GP) as well as ten days racing National Championship and International racing ( eg 8 round British Championship an International and a MXDN race) That is 40 days a year spent racing outdoor motocross. In America in the 450 class you spend 29 days racing and 17 of those shorter super cross races. So while the season may be longer in the AMA, the riders actually spent less time on the track racing than the GP riders.

Surely the US GP will allow the riders to prepare better for the upcoming US national series by getting the suspension settings finalised for the US outdoor series in race conditions and on a race track over a two day period.. What could be better that preparing for outdoor motocross than racing outdoor motocross…. As Ken Roczen said “racing is the best practice”



Ken Roczen raced  and won in both Supercross and GP Motocross this year
Photo :Youthstream



The GP riders race before the GP season and race National championships racing during the GP season, going even further than that is Ken Roczen who has been flying back and forth the atlantic racing super cross and motocross simultaneously - and doing it very successfully.

So, if the GP riders can race the GP series and their national championships at the same time, and full time national championship competitors can race their national series and turn out just for their home GP in other countries, why can the Americans not do the same? Are they too good to do that? Do they disrespect the GP series so much that they don’t see it as an honour to represent their country, or are they really just scared of getting beaten because they know the GP riders are just as fast ?! Where is the famous American pride these days?

US Motocross legend David Bailey had this to say when I asked him about the lack of US riders at the 2010 US GP “ Money changes things, and the US riders are kind of spoilt and they don’t want to do anything they don’t have to do. They don’t understand the heritage of the sport. I don’t want to sit here and bad mouth the US guys, but for me personally if there was a US GP I rode it. When I rode the US GP at Unadilla in 1983m which I won, I had a ten point lead in the 250 Supercross championship and I was really close in the points for the 250 outdoors, but by today’s thinking and logic by most riders I wouldn’t race, but I couldn’t wait to change my number, run the USA bib, run the USA gear, 45 minute motos. It gave me more confidence to go and win the Supercross title and the Nationals which I did. I didn’t look at it as a pain in the neck.”

David Bailey is on the money and the riders of today ( and the teams) should have the same attitude and national pride as one of the greatest American riders of all time.

Maybe I have it wrong and I am just annoyed that we wont get to see all the top Americans and the top GP riders on the same gate... but again.. why would the US riders not want to race all the GP riders in America?!

Every fan both American and World wide should be pushing for the top US team to show up and do this race...and so should the riders, it should be the most prestigious motocross race for the US riders to win, beating all your American rivals and the GP riders at the US GP... it wouldn't get any better than that!



Who wouldn't want to see Tomac, Tickle, Barcia and co.versus these guys?
Photo: Youthstream



Maybe the US riders need an education on the quality, prestige and value of the World Motocross championship... the US nationals are not the be all and end all of motocross racing, there is a big motocross world outside the US, and for one day only, we could have combined them both...