There’s no denying the fact that motocross riders are some of the toughest, most aggressive athletes in the world. Throw in a 200lb motorcycle that can be used as a literal wedge against another competitor, and tempers are bound to flare. But what’s the best way to diffuse and control these situations?
That’s the question FIM race direction can’t seem to address correctly in the Monster Energy Supercross series as of late.
Fighting, argumentative or physical, is by no means a new issue in motorsports. When competitors risk their lives to try and earn a buck on the track, every position matters. And it just so happens that some riders tend to be known for ‘aggressive’ riding styles.
Josh Hansen and Jason Lawrence might be the most well-known Supercross black sheep of the past decade, both finding themselves in controversial situations at times, on and off the track. But even more so, aggressive riding has given its share of nicknames to a few riders. Let’s dig in a bit.
First, we have Justin “Bam-Bam” Barcia. He didn’t earn that nickname for his love of the Flinstones, but rather through his very methodical passing technique, which is basically just using his opponents as a berm. Take a look at a few of his claim to fames:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPP-UIuSXPo]
Possibly the most notorious rider to ever spin laps in a stadium is none other than Tyler “One-Punch” Evans. Of course, his nickname doesn’t leave much to the imagination, but he earned it honestly. Any Supercross racer throughout the 2000s would agree, you do not F@#K with Tyler Evans. And if you were to be involved in a Tyler Evans block-pass, you’d better not take him out with you, otherwise this might happen:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlCDsjJcThs]
The past couple of years have now produced a new black sheep, Vince Friese, and coined a new term along the way: ‘Getting Friesed’.
Now, Getting Friesed simply means that Vince Friese has either put in a hard block-pass, or is continuing to ride in a defensive manner ahead of another rider, typically resulting in some sort of mistake or crash. In all honesty, there is nothing wrong with this technique (depending on the severity of the block passes), although it has created quite the frustration for other riders who seem to find themselves near him quite frequently.
There have now been two incidents during the Supercross night show that involve this type of frustration, and both have resulted in rider disqualification….for the other riders, that is.
Anaheim 1 of the 2016 Supercross season gave us the matchup between Vince Friese and Weston Peick. The two have been at odds before, but tempers hit their limits on this night.
After contact during their Heat race, resulting in Peick crashing, they found themselves together in the Semi race. Once again, Friese cut into Peick in a rather tight corner, and they both found themselves on the ground. Peick had hit his mental limit and began raining punches into the back of Vince Friese’s helmet, before shoving him off the track.
Post-race, Peick was disqualified from the remainder of the event, as well as the following race, and was given a fine of $5,000. This immediately ended Peick’s chance at competing for the overall championship. Here’s the action covered during the night’s television broadcast:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLhgWcp7ikQ]
Now it’s 2017, we’re three races into the season, and another rider has been Friesed.
This time it was Jason Anderson who found himself in the dirt (and later on the concrete), then losing his cool with Vince. Once again, it was a Heat race block-pass from Friese that caused Anderson to crash, while taking Marvin Musquin down with him.
After the race, Anderson caught up with Friese as he was riding through the tunnel and carrying his mechanic. Words were exchanged before Anderson delivered an open-handed smack (although race direction called it a “punch”…semantics right?) to the side of Friese’s helmet, then fell to the ground after a gentle nudge from Friese’s mechanic. Check out the footage below:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT6pkahkmlk]
Unlike the 2016 incident, Anderson was assumingly ready to compete in the Semi race, before being informed (by the TV crews apparently) that he was disqualified for the remainder of the event.
Although this incident happened post-race and technically not on the track, FIM race director John Gallagher still deemed it unsportsmanlike.
Similar to Chad Reed and Trey Canard’s incident in 2015 (see video below), that produced a black flag for Chad Reed and ended his night, as well as losing valuable championship points. There was no physical fighting, or slapping of any kind there, just a crash and a block pass that race direction didn’t like.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uidvHFB2jf4]
In 2002, David Vuillemin lost his temper and got physical with his fellow Frenchman Stephane Roncada. A small fine was issued, but no further action or disqualification.
Of course, Vuillemin was in a very tight points race for the overall championship with Ricky Carmichael at the time. Vuillemin even tweeted out this discrepancy in penalties during this past Saturday’s event, but seems to have since deleted it.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2EyqdAxAZg]
What am I getting at?
Right. So, let me be clear. I have no problem with the race direction condemning physical altercations on or off the track, as long as they are consistent with it.
I also believe that when a particular rider always seems to be involved, there should be some stern warnings and actions pending if the particular unsafe behavior were to continue.
My main problem, and the reason why I wrote this article, is to point out the hypocrisy being displayed in Monster Energy Supercross.
I think it’s safe to say that race direction wants absolutely zero fighting to take place in the event, as they see that as a potential black eye to the sport…pun intended. However, the footage of Weston Peick punching Vince Friese is being broadcasted every single race weekend in an effort to sell more tickets. How f@#ked up is that?
Either stand firm on your ‘no-fighting’ policy and take down the footage, that leaves fans wanting more fights, or find a way to safely let these guys channel their aggression. The NFL has fights all the time, but they don’t condone it and they definitely don’t use the footage to fill seats.
Fighting works for hockey though, could it work for Supercross? Perhaps a penalty box should be installed, and corner workers don’t get involved until the tangled riders hit the ground? That’s just my two cents. What are your thoughts? Leave us a comment.
Cadbury Pringlebatch is the Lead Supercross Writer and Investment Analyst for The SoBros Network, but knows a little bit about everything. Known for frequenting Nashville YMCA steam rooms, he’s a firm believer that winning football is produced by moving the chains, and became a SoBro after mistaking the Power Hour Podcast for an AA meeting. Follow on Twitter:@SoBroCadbury
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