Changing of the Guard - MXoN

I still remember attending my first ever major race in America, as a 17-year-old travelling across America with my parents in a big camper van and getting to watch the 1978 Daytona supercross and then a week later the Houston supercross.

Growing up with the AMA official results coming through the letter box as my father had a motorcycle magazine in Australia, its funny to look back and think how things were back then. Finding out the results two or three weeks after a race took place cracks me up, when you consider in this day and age of internet, were we can watch every single major sporting event live.

Standing on the infield of that Daytona supercross, and actually being just metres away from my hero Marty Smith, well, it was pretty cool. A week later the glowing career of Smith would be just about over as he smashed his hip and never won another championship. Marty Smith was the first real superstar in the sport, with his surfer look, and his easygoing nature.

We might make fun of America on occasion, laugh at their current president, and not understand the way they communicate, but what we shouldn’t forget, is that America are pretty much doing the same thing to the rest of the World, so I guess the name calling, and the stupid jokes about each other are considered a bit normal.

One thing the Americas are good at is winning and another is promoting sport better than just about every single country in the World. The drama, the pageantry, and the high voltage announcing. I would rather watch the Augusta National in golf than the British Open or listen to American commentary in Boxing than the toned-down British version. Americans do most things better than most and they know it.

It doesn’t matter if it’s the Ryder Cup in golf, or the Motocross of Nations, that Europe vs America rivalry will always be a fun topic, and while some don’t like the debate, it will go on forever, and thank god for that, because its competition like these that really make our sport or any sport a lot more fun.

Back in the 1970s when Torsten Hallman, Joel Robert and Roger De Coster headed to America to race the Trans-AMA events, and run training schools for the novice American riders. They couldn’t have known the Americans could catch on so quickly, and within 10 years, American riders owned the sport.

It was the Grand Prix riders who helped the sport in America to what it is today, and while supercross made sure that domination lasted for more than 30 years, that all started changing when Youthstream took over the FIM Motocross World Championships in 2004.

Unlike in the 70s, the American riders were dominating our guys in every single area, winning in Europe, winning in America and winning anywhere else. Didn’t matter if it was Australia, Japan, Indonesia or South America, if an American was on the starting line, then the rest of the World was going to get beaten.

From 1981, until 2011, Team USA were the team to beat, and names like Johnny O’Mara, Brad Lackey, Danny Laporte, Ricky Johnson, Jeff Ward, David Bailey, Donny Schmit, Broc Glover, Trampas Parker, Bobby Moore, Jeff Emig,  Ron Lechien, Jeff Stanton, Ricky Carmichael, and many, many more dominated our GP riders.

Something changed though when Youthstream took over, because YS president, Giuseppe Luongo, as much a fan of the American riders knew that he didn’t want to see the Euro riders getting beaten any longer. He made sure the GP tracks changed, from rock-hard speed and old school, to a new breed of motocross track. More technical sections, wave sections, something that at times resembled the whoops the Americans raced on in supercross. Luongo knew that the GP riders needed to change their techniques and their mind set against the almighty Americans.

He made a structure in the Grand Prix that made it tougher than ever, the age limit pushing all the best riders into the MXGP class. Never have we seen the premier class so cutthroat and so demanding for the competitors. The diversity of tracks improved the GP riders and the proof is in the pudding, as they now dominate the American riders on most occasions.

I still remember it like it was yesterday. Being around the sport now for more than 40 years, every now and then you would see something that surprised you, and it was at the 2009 Motocross of Nations in Italy.

The Franciacorta circuit, specially made for the MXoN, and never used again for a major International race. Franciacorta had a long slightly uphill wave section and during the Saturday qualification race (from memory), Chad Reed, who was the previous year’s AMA supercross champion and a multiple champion in supercross started up the slight elevation. Right behind Reed was New Zealand’s Josh Coppins. Now Josh would admit it himself, he is old school. Coppins isn’t J.M. Bayle, or Christophe Pourcel, but half way through that wave section he caught and passed Reed and took off. I sat there, excited, but what hit me was that this was the start of something special for the GP riders.

Three years later, after Team USA had dominated that Italian MXoN, won the 2010 version at Thunder Valley in America, and defended the Chamberlain Trophy again at St Jean d’Angly in France, we saw another moment of change. It was 2012, and it was again Lommel, the same place team USA had dominated in 1981 to start their World domination.

Prior to the event the European media were on about how this deep, deep sand of Lommel could be the place the Euros finally get a MXoN victory again. The American media fired back that they had sand in America, and most of the leading riders lived in the sandy state of Florida and would have no problem with Lommel.

We all know what happened that day in Belgium. Just like in 1981, a new era was born. A new sheriff was in town, and this time, it wasn’t the cool looking Americans, but three young men from Germany, Ken Roczen, Max Nagl and a very unexpecting hero in Marcus Schiffer.

While the American media suddenly started using Lommel as the only reason the euros won, I wrote that this was in fact the changing of the guard, a new era had arrived. I got a lot of what you could call hate mail from some of my American media friends, one saying what I had said was the most stupid thing he had ever seen written. Vitalmx, a very popular forum once again said MXGeoff is a complete fool, but that moment in 2009, in that wave section kept coming back to me.

Now here we are, six years after Lommel, and Team USA have their chance for victory. Jeffrey Herlings leading the European charge into America, guns blazing, and coming off the best 12 months of his life. Without question the fastest rider in the World, and despite his 2016 and 2017 MXoN moto losses to Max Anstie and Jason Anderson, the king of the castle when it comes to motocross.

Once again, the European fans and American fans debate if Herlings better than Tomac, will Barcia and Plessinger have enough to help Tomac take the win in USA, for USA?

Davey Coombs, one of the most passionate media guys in America, owner of the leading MX magazine in America, RacerX, and also the guy in charge of the AMA Nationals knows that if it doesn’t happen in 2018, then this domination by the Euros may continue for as long as that 1981 until 2011 domination. Assen Holland in 2019 will without question see a European team win, and if defeated at Redbud this year, you even have to wonder if American would send a team again in 2020, or any times soon.

With Roger De Coster possibly running out of energy to be Team USA manager, and also the man who was the main reason Team USA started making a serious challenge to the Euros in the first place (back in his 1970 visit to USA, and back at Lommel in 1981), questions start to build on what the future is for Team USA. Without a victory in 2018, we might see the end of what has been an entertaining and exciting era in the Motocross des Nations history.

I for one hope Team USA can get the win, continue on as the biggest and brightest team in the event, and regain some of their credibility as winners. We will all find out on October 7.