Dan and Steve's Observations from the U.S. Open
OCTOBER 18, 2007 By Danny Brault and Steve Matthes
Photos by Dan "Dave" Stenning

Thanks for checking this Observations column out, I thought that for a change I could get another guys opinions on some of what went down at the Rockstar U.S. Open of Supercross. You know, kind of like that Pardon the Interruption show on ESPN. Listen, nobody ever said that I was original. I enlisted none other then Racer X Canada’s assistant editor Danny Brault to help me argue the pros and cons of the worlds richest motorcycle race.

1.) The Rockstar Energy Drink U.S. Open of Supercross was going to be the race of the year.

Danny Brault: Not until Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart folded. Obviously, you never wish to see someone get sick (RC) or still suffering from injury (Stewart), but with those two super-humans missing, it boosted everyone’s hand. Chad Reed was the favourite after Stewart backed out following Friday’s practice, but considering his lack of racing in the past few months and the momentum Grant Langston and Tim Ferry had from the AMA Nationals, it really was anyone’s race. Really, Steve, would you rather see another runaway Stewart or RC show, or a full-on battle like what we witnessed in the final rounds of the outdoors? Plus, now your guy (Tim Ferry) actually had a chance to win.

Steve Matthes: Nah, it wasn’t the race of the year Danny. The Open lost some luster with the no-shows, unfortunately. RC couldn’t make it because of a virus that he has been battling; James Stewart showed up, rode practice, had the fastest time then pulled out due to his knee not being 100%. This race unfortunately wasn’t going to be the race of the year without the biggest names there. It’s that simple Brault-seph.

RC and Bubba weren't in the house, but everyone else certainly was.

2.) The format of the race which allowed 250Fs to be in it was a change for the better.

Steve Matthes: Yes, absolutely! It is the ultimate MX fantasy question really. The message boards always light up whenever the Lites guys get their lap times close to the big boys. Now we had a chance to see who really was the fastest. Besides, the tight track evened up the horsepower difference and if anything, allowed the 250F guys to have an advantage in the turns. Jake Weimer even managed to win the second night! That proves that it was the right move. Now can we get Townley, Villopoto, J-Law, Hepler and Grant there next year?. (Well, Josh Grant was there, but he looked more like he was stepping onto a runway then a moto-x race)

|Danny Brault: Live Nation must have watched the 1987 Atlanta Arenacross from The World’s Greatest Supercross Races and it motivated them to break the Guinness World Record for the most heat races ever run in a single night. By cutting the night show down to one main event per night, and allowing Lites bikes to race against 450Fs, it made for way too many meaningless races. Having separate classes for 250Fs and 450Fs give fans two great shows with two “real” winners. It also made for a lot of riders to just basically ride around without any chance of making the main event. I kept looking to the inside starting gate to see “Wild” Willy Surrat on his #27 RM250 lining up.

3.) The legends race was cool.

Danny Brault: This was a welcomed addition to the U.S. Open format. Seriously, how cool was it Steve to see previous U.S. Open winners Mike Larocco, Jeff Emig, and Damon Huffman on the track again? The whole race brought back memories for fans and riders. We got to watch Emig’s style, hear the bark of Larocco’s CR250R two-stroke, and Huffman’s sweet no footer-whip over the finish line on Saturday night. For the riders, they relived their old rivalries. Remember Pontiac SX 1995 when Emig was kicking “The Rock” in the stomach? Their rivalry was rejuvenated Saturday night when Emig pushed Larocco wide into the mechanics’ boards, but The Rock got him back before the whoops and earned his revenge by sweeping both nights. It was also very impressive to see how fast these supposed old guys still are. Give them some credit there, Man Friend—LaRocco ran a 45-second lap time and “Huff Daddy” was tripling through the rhythm section on Saturday night.
I was a little disappointed with Huffman’s results. After watching him pack his starting gate like it was 1993 all over again, I bet Parts Unlimited’s Rob Buydos $20 Canadian dollars that the #20 Rockstar Suzuki would take the cake. I was wrong, however, he did make the podium.

Matthes: Well, it kinda was actually. But I can think of a few things that held it back in my opinion.
1.) The potential for a ambulance trip is very high. These guys are champions and some champions think that they have never really “lost it,“ they just had to retire due to “other problems.” Add in supercross whoops and that’s a concoction for a flashing red light.
2.) If they are going to have it, get some more guys in it. Never mind the past champions format, just call up dudes that want to do it. I think of Steve Lamson, Broc Glover and Jim Holley would line up in a second! Watching just three guys circulate the track gets a little boring.
3.) If you’re going to have a “legends” race and do not have the best rider to ever slide on the Cooperalls, Ross “Rollerball” Pederson, then that’s not a legends race that I want to see. Period.

Jeff Emig and Mike Larocco rekindled their rivalry in Vegas.

 
4.) Chad Reed blew it.

Brault: He certainly did. Speedy Reedy was definitely the fastest rider on the track all weekend, which was shown by winning the first main event and winning $10,000 in the Super Pole each night. However, the money clouded his brain and decision-making skills, and he shouldn’t have charged into the first turn like he did Saturday night. I know Reed likes to gamble, but a good card player knows when to fold them. Reed’s actions took out Ferry, Alessi, Short and Langston, ruining his chance of winning the race and possibly $100,000 (not that any of these four will be declaring bankrupt anytime soon). Maybe if Reed had of been a little more respectful to his competition in his post-race speech, where he basically said he could beat them with his eyes closed, and he didn’t blow off a press conference with members of the media, the Karma Police wouldn’t have kicked him in the ass with a five-inch heel.

Matthes: He didn’t blow anything, Danny; Chad Reed came to win the race and even with a fall in the first turn he was still going to win it before going down two more times. He held it on in the first turn because he was only a holeshot away from winning the 250K Toyota Trifecta. Yeah sure, he almost ruined four other riders race by holding it on but hey, 250K is a LOT of money—even for him. Who cares that he blows off press conferences and talks a little poop? I kinda like the “Evil” Chad Reed lately and I bet that Live Nation’s PR guy Denny Hartwig also does. Two things sell, sex and controversy, and I don’t think we’ll see any sex in Supercrosses anytime soon…. Unless it’s the Rockstar girl with the amazing set of doubles and her own webcam.

Chad Reed went for it at the U.S. Open.

5.) Did Jeff Gibson deserve to be booed?

Matthes: Those people that were booing Gibby just don’t understand arenacross. There is no room to pass people! You have to make something happen and Gibson did on Jeff Alessi. Good for him, there were a bunch of passes in that same corner made the same way and those riders didn’t get booed. Maybe it was the fact that Jeff laid on the track before getting up. I think a better question was why was Jeff even out there after crashing repeatedly and having to be helped off the track all weekend? He lined up for the LCQ and then pulled out. Sometimes you have to know when to throw in the towel.

Brault: Isn’t “throwing in the towel” the same as “knowing when to fold them”? I guess for you its okay for a former Yamaha factory guy to use the rest of the pack for bowling pins but Jeff Alessi has to park his bike because he reached his weekend crash quota in Friday’s practice? Look, some say rubbing is racing, but rubbing isn’t driving your KX450F head-on into Jeff Alessi’s CRF450 frame. Yes, it was the final corner in the LCQ, and yes guys were making aggressive passes all weekend, but Gibson’s move on Alessi was one mile past aggressive. It probably wasn’t the best guy to slam into, either. You know that Jeff—and Mike—won’t forget about it during the 16-round AMA Supercross Series.  In defensive of Gibson, however, if Jeff were looking for the final transfer spot, he probably would have made the exact same decision.

6.) What was the track like?

Matthes: The track was cool, and ever since they decided to run it backwards on the second night, I’ve always liked it. It also seems that since they started doing it, the track is always better the second night, it just seems to flow better for some reason. The whoops always separate the guys and I love the different options on the jump-on/offs. I do have a question though, what the heck happened to the over/under bridge? That always thought that made the U.S. Open track a little better.

Brault: I’ve never been a big fan of calling the U.S. Open a “supercross” mainly because of the tight confines of the MGM Grand Arena. This race is referred to as a supercross, but it is really an arenacross track with an extra lane—plus a commercial bank window because there’s so much money out there. The track doesn’t lend itself to the big 450Fs, makes starts even more vital, and it has to be nerve-wracking for them funneling into the back section. It’s like playing hockey on an ice cube.

7.) Who was the biggest surprise/disappointment?

Brault: I laughed out loud when I saw Josh Demuth’s #35 Honda parked under beside the new Hart & Huntington rig. At first, I figured Demuth was simply there as a model for Carey Hart’s tattoo parlor. “The Sheriff” proved me wrong quickly, though, when he holeshot his heat race Friday night and led Langston for a bit, then finished sixth behind Mike Alessi Friday night. He continued to impress the second night, when Demuth got another great start, thanks to the first turn mess, and rode a comfortable second all night. Up until the last few laps, Demuth was in position to take the overall win, but that fell apart when Michael Byrne clipped a wall in the tunnel and went down, allowing Langston to pass and claim the win with a 2-5. Demuth still held for third overall.

Matthes: The biggest disappointment in my eyes was Eric Sorby. He usually gets good starts and has great speed in short bursts. In other words, perfect for arenacross. He just never looked comfortable to me and to make matters worse he is always good for a takeout or two and I never saw any.

Brault: Australian Daniel Reardon came into Vegas as a relative unknown to many, as it was his first race in America. The Sobe/ Samsung Honda rider was putting down fast laps all weekend, and literally put down Branden Jesseman for the win and final transfer spot in an LCQ Saturday night. I felt sorry for Jesseman, who opted to remove the decals from his RM-Z450 to save weight; he was like the kid in school who had holes in his socks. Reardon and his teammate, Jake Weimer, were the only guys making passes Friday night, despite riding what should be underpowered motorcycles. He finished 7-4 for seventh overall.

Matthes: Michael Bryne just kind of rode around also but his excuse could be the fact that he was racing a ‘07 works RMZ 450 that he wasn’t quite used to yet. I expected the Burner do to better then he did that’s all.

Brault: On the other side of the coin, I wasn’t thrilled with the performance of Yamaha of Troy’s Tyler Bowers and Butler Brothers Honda’s newest addition, Kyle Cunningham. While Bowers flat out didn’t do anything except look too tall for a dirt bike, Cunningham crashed on the start, before the whoops, in the whoops, after the whoops, in the rhythm section, in the corners, and on the way out of the stadium.

Matthes: The biggest surprise was gentle, peaceful Tim Ferry going all “Razor Ramone” after Saturday’s main event when he felt Reed took him out—which he did. The second biggest surprise was that he came over to my place on Sunday for “Matthes’ Football Extravaganza” and didn’t pile-drive Weege for his “He was only hired to be a test rider” comment at the beginning of this year. Oh yeah, Jake Weimer winning the main event was a bit of a shocker also.

Josh Demuth surprised a few of us in Vegas.

8.) Tim Ferry threw his gloves at Chad Reed after the race.

Matthes: Yes he did. Red Dog was upset at CR running it in deep in the first corner on Saturday and crashing, thereby taking the top five guys from Friday to the ground. He felt that there was no chance for Chad to make the turn due to his going Mach 5 into it. After the race, him and Mike Alessi wanted to meet Reed and discuss his move. There was a shove and a poke in the goggle lens before the gloves came off….literally. I thought it was great, I thought that Chad needed to be held responsible for his move and Red Dog wasn’t going to let him get off. Anytime there is a post race scuffle, I’m all about it!

Brault: Tim Ferry needs to grow up. You would think after working with a guy like Matthes, he would be much more mature. Chad did come into the first corner a little too hot—okay, like white hot—but that’s racing. Maybe Timmy was upset that he cost me $20, or maybe he just didn’t want his gloves anymore?

Ferry and Reed won't be sending each other Christmas cards this year.

9.) Who did you meet?

Matthes: I met road race legend Miguel Duhamel and we spoke about his career and the fact that I’m Canadian (which, to the surprise of no one, I pointed out to him). He truly is an icon in the sport and look for a Racer X Canada interview with him soon. He also lives in Vegas and I found out he lives real close to me. I left the door open to the fact that maybe one day we could hang out but he didn’t say anything to indicate the fact that we could be friends. Oh well, it was still cool to meet him.

Brault: I know Team Kawasaki’s team manager Mike Fisher won’t be thrilled that I brought up this memory, but the first supercross race I ever watched was San Diego 1989 when Fisher was leading the 250 main event and then he went up over the berm and landed on the concrete. But there are some positives about Fisher’s career, too, like his fourth overall in the ‘87 500cc AMA Motocross Nationals and his idea to widen foot pegs. That’s right, we have Mike Fisher to thank for wide, comfortable foot pegs! Fisher can also be credited with hiring on Ferry, who came through with a third overall in AMA Supercross, a fourth overall in the nationals, and helped carry Team USA to victory at the MXoN.    

It was also a pleasure playing Blackjack with Butler Brothers Honda’s and 2005 Montreal Supercross winner Jason Thomas. JT$ certainly earns his nickname with his card playing abilities. I didn’t realize how funny Thomas can be, especially when he kept getting me going how upset he was that I didn’t put him in my top three for Montreal this year.

10.) What do I hope I never hear again?

Matthes:  “LAS VEGAS, DO YOU WANT TO PARTY LIKE A ROCKSTAR?” Terry Boyd kept asking me that all night. Is there any way we can plug Rockstar Energy Drink another way?

Brault: Someone from the United States of America referring to me as “Canada,” and “Can I see your I.D.?”

11.) What was the funniest quote of the weekend?

Brault: Rob Buydos was the host of the Rockstar VIP section and would interview anyone famous that walked in. He tried getting a few words from Carey Hart’s wife, Pink, but she declined saying that she was “too drunk.” Buydos’ replied, “Too drunk? I thought alcohol fueled you [celebrities]!”

Matthes: I have two of them;
Jim Holley: “That was nothing, Ross (Pederson) and I would do that 30 times a night!” Jim Holley when I asked him what he thought of Gibson’s pass on Jeff Alessi.
Weege: “Could we get you and Rollerball out there?”
Holley: “Oh yeah!!! Now we'll put on a show, me and Ross! And only if Matthes announces and helps you out!”--Running dialogue on the webcast about the legends race. I heard this and promptly pooped my pants.
 
12.) How did Mike Alessi look on his EFI equipped Makita Suzuki RMZ 450?

Matthes: His gear looked good, the bike looked good (although I did hear it pop quite loudly a few times) but Mike was still feeling the new ride out a bit. He was off the pace on Saturday and took way too long to put on a charge. When he did get going, he was fast, but had he kicked the jams out earlier he might’ve won the whole shooting match. Once again he proved to me that he struggles a bit when he is buried in the pack, he needs time and space to go fast.

Brault: Little Mikey actually looked pretty good on his yellow dirt bike. He never really set the world on fire, but never made any bonehead moves either. He rode consistent all weekend, and finished 5-3 for fifth overall. Ricky Carmichael’s longtime wrench, Mike Gosselaar, has teamed up with Alessi. No disrespect to Alessi, but Goose was probably ready to hang himself after getting fifth in a race.

Kyle Cunningham and Tyler Medaglia tangled up in the LCQ on Saturday night.

13.) How were the opening ceremonies?

Brault: I liked the boxing ring introduction with the top players and legends at the Open. The riders could have sped things up and ran into the ring, but it really gave fans the impression that they were going to see a bout. Actually, they almost did see a bout after Reed ran into Red Dog! To crank things up for next year, I think they should have the riders partake in the Globe of Death. You know, that big, steel ball that stuntmen used to ride around on XL175s!

Matthes: Maybe they could put Chad Reed in a cape and crown and watch Mototalk explode.

14.) Everybody loves Vegas!!!

Brault: It’s not rocket appliances to see why everyone loves Las Vegas. Beautiful girls are everywhere, you can drink and take booze anywhere, and you can make a fortune or lose your shirt in a matter of minutes. The highlight for me came Saturday night when I took two $25 chips and turned them into $625 in my very first game of Blackjack. It felt like I had won the U.S. Open of Supercross. Sunday afternoon we chilled out at Matthes’ and watched football with, as Matthes says, “a who’s-who of supercross.” I personally don’t consider the ninth-place finisher, a webcast guy, and an “I’m too scared to do a wheelie contest” Billy Ursic, a who’s-who. Yes, guys, we do have our own sports in Canada, we do say “Eh” sometimes, and there isn’t a Canadian car company. Also, how painful was it when Matthes made all of us watch The World’s Greatest Heat Races ... I mean, Supercross races? What the heck was going on at the 1987 Atlanta Arenacross anyways? There must have been 56 heat races, all of which included “Wild” Willy Surratt on the inside starting gate. Matthes just wanted all of us to see Pederson win a bunch of heat races and main events. I wanted to poke my eyes out with a toothpick.

Matthes: I live here now and it’s still strange going home at night. The whole U.S. Open is just cool, everybody’s debuting new gear and bikes and the relaxed atmosphere is refreshing. Of course after the race, lots of people let their hair down (except for DV) and go hog wild. Danny is ridiculous: my football extravaganza was cool. It was a Who’s Who of Supercross. We solved all the sport’s problems in a day, it was sweet! Add in the 1987 Atlanta Arenacross that we watched where Rollerball dominates and to me that equals a great time. Next time Danny can go and screw himself instead of having the time of his life with me and my buddies.

Alright thanks everybody for reading and thanks to Danny Brault for helping me with this. As usual, if you want to comment on something in here or just want to tell me how great Rollerball was, or if the guy who ran mxforum.com wants to drop me an email for the secret password (I need to listen to the gospel of Hammer, and btw, what kind of website is run with a secret password that the guy doesn’t share with ANYONE ELSE?) please email me at matthes@racerxcanada.com