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The Patriots – Dirt Rider Magazine

By: Chris Denison

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

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<p>If you heard just one thing about the 2010 Red Bull FIM Motocross of Nations, you probably know that Team USA won. It wasn’t a surprise victory by any means-a host of international injuries and a home-team advantage held the Americans as the favored team going into the race-but there’s a lot more to the story than Trey Canard, Ryan Dungey and Andrew Short just riding off with the overall. While you may have read an online race report on Dungey’s unstoppable final moto charge or seen a photo of one of Short’s aggressive holeshots, most of the coverage failed to reveal the real story behind the American victory. In truth, there were several moments when it looked like Team USA was down for the count and out of the race.<em><br />
<h4>Ryan Dungey’s first moto battle with Antonio Cairoli was nothing short of epic. The Italian kept Dungey on his toes for the entire MX1/MX2 combined race and made him work for the win, almost passing for the lead several times before settling back to second. Everyone at Thunder Valley-American or not-was impressed with Dungey’s ride, including 1983 Motocross des Nations winning team member Broc Glover. “The pressure that was on Ryan Dungey and how well he performed in that moto was unbelievable,” Glover said of the tenacious win. “To run up front like that, not know what your competitor is doing from behind, and to be here with all the pressure of Team USA on your shoulders was an amazing effort. He rode a nearly flawless race and brought it home.”</h4>
<p></em><br clear=all>A number of setbacks throughout the weekend meant Team USA had to muster the strength and fortitude necessary to get up, dust themselves off and come back swinging. What motivated this series of charges? What exactly inspired the team to carry on when Short was slammed to the ground in his first moto after connecting with Ben Townley, when Dungey was being chased down and nipped at by Antonio Cairoli or when Canard found himself in dead last place right off the start? On the surface, it would seem that the American team beat the odds simply because they hate to lose, or that the racers themselves had more riding on this event than any of the other competitors. While this may be partially true, it’s a safe bet the deciding factor in the Motocross of Nations can be credited to a fairly unlikely source: The fans.<br clear=all><em><br />
<h4>While Dungey was up front putting the moves on a solid-starting Spaniard Jonathan Barragan in the MX1/MX2 moto, Trey Canard was remounting his Honda in last place following a brutal first-turn tangle. Relatively underpowered against the 450cc machines of half of his competitors, the young Oklahoman kicked his 250F to life and charged like a rhinoceros. With the American-based crowd’s support, Canard worked all the way up to 17th place by mid-moto, putting Team USA in a runner-up overall position behind Australia. By the end of the race, Team USA’s youngest member (by a couple of months) had won a great battle with Belgium’s Jeremy van Horebeek, pulling away for 12th place behind Aprilia-mounted Josh Coppins. The final finishing order of Dungey, Cairoli and Aussie Brett Metcalfe (with Barragan close in tow) gave the USA the overall point lead, but it wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for Canard. Dungey was impressed with the way his teammate rode. “For a 250F, it’s tough up here going against the 450s,” Dungey commented. “Trey did a great job, pushed hard and has a lot of heart, so that’s what it’s going to take.”</h4>
<p></em><br clear=all>Were you to survey the 30,000-plus spectators in attendance each day at Thunder Valley Motocross Park in Lakewood, Colorado, you would have noticed the immeasurable American pride that was on display over the weekend. This wasn’t just a flag-waving, superficial show of appreciation for our country, but rather a deeply rooted patriotism shared by a loyal gathering of motocross fans. It’s not that those in attendance wanted to see the rest of the world fail, or that they held any sort of scorn for Team USA’s competition; the Americans in the crowd simply love their country so much they were willing to support it to their fullest, even if that meant standing in the sun for two days with a cowbell in one hand and an air horn in the other. Team USA’s fans respected and observed the colors of other countries, but there wasn’t a square yard of Colorado hillside around the track that wasn’t somehow marked by a deliberate combination of red, white and blue. And while our team toiled on the track and sweated through each moto, it was these patriotic fans who pulled them along.From a fan’s perspective, it’s difficult to know how much of an effect their enthusiasm actually has on the racers on the other side of the fence. As far as the guy dressed as Uncle Sam knows, Team USA’s riders may be going too fast to even notice the crowd. However, Motocross of Nations veteran Ricky Carmichael will tell you differently. “You have no idea what it means to hear the crowd when you’re out there,” offered Carmichael, a three-time winning team member at the prestigious event. “It’s so emotional, and there is so much pride on the line. It’s just electric, man. If you had to take a picture of the race to explain it, it would just be a sea of people cheering and the flags flying. It’s pretty cool. This race is so special, and the atmosphere is unbelievable.”<em><br />
<h4>Much of the hype around the Motocross of Nations was focused on an Italy vs. America showdown by way of Antonio Cairoli and Ryan Dungey. Fueled by Internet rumors and brazen predictions, the two racers didn’t fail to disappoint in their international matchup. Armed with a KTM 350 SX-F, Cairoli impressed the world with an aggressive style and incredible corner speed, as well as being one of the only riders to huck the gigantic quad jump before the finish line. Unfortunately, Cairoli wasn’t riding his best later in the event due to reported chest pain, but nevertheless the speedy Italian put in a great ride. “It’s just a little bit hard to breathe for me. I’ve never race in altitude like this. But that’s not an excuse,” an exhausted Cairoli said after an unsuccessful attempt to reel in Dungey.</h4>
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<h4>Canard wasn’t the only racer on a 250F who was turning heads at MXoN. Germany’s Ken Roczen, a skinny 16-year-old with a riding style reminiscent of American wildman Justin Barcia, scored some extremely impressive overall finishes at Thunder Valley. Finishing third against the Open class and then sixth among the MX1 racers, Roczen was the highest-placing racer on the German team and obviously contributed to their third-place ranking in the final standings. Word has it that Roczen will be traveling back to the U.S. early next year to compete in the AMA Supercross series. He’s definitely going to be a threat.</h4>
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<h4>As was his habit in the AMA outdoor nationals this year, Team USA’s Andrew Short grabbed an amazing holeshot in the MX2/MX Open moto. He soon engaged in a dogfight with Roczen and New Zealander Ben Townley, with the latter racer tossing Short to the ground while crossing lines just before the mechanic’s area. Shorty appeared banged up and slowly remounted, only to discover he had no clutch lever. Still, the tough-as-nails racer got his bike going and back into the race without losing too much time. As the Colorado crowd cheered on their hometown boy, Short soldiered on to a 13th place finish to keep the team’s title hopes alive. But even with a seventh place finish by Canard, Team USA sat in second place going into the final moto.</h4>
<p></em><br clear=all>In addition to the patriotism produced by the fans, a great deal of Team USA’s mental fuel for the MXoN has been refined by a solemn obligation to one’s own country. Carmichael described this duty as fundamental to a team’s success at the race, even going so far as to give it priority over the personal feelings of the individual racers on the team. “Sometimes you’re teammates with guys you battled it out with all year in America,” Carmichael revealed. “And then the ego and the pride go out the window. You’re here to do it for your country. It was definitely a special moment for me when I was able to do it.” This attitude was obviously shared by the American racers on the 2010 MXoN squad, two of whom had often finished 1-2 to each other in the outdoor motocross series. Motocross isn’t typically a team sport, but for that weekend on the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Dungey, Short and Canard fought together as a single unit for the glory of their country.<br />
<br clear="all">In the end, the Americans prevailed. Bound by a determination to succeed and an unspoken obligation to not let each other-or their countrymen-down, Dungey, Short and Canard cemented themselves in the motocross history books alongside the likes of greats David Bailey, Broc Glover, Jeff Ward, Johnny O’Mara, Danny Chandler, Travis Pastrana and Ricky Carmichael. Having won the MXoN a record 21 times, the USA enjoys an earned reputation as the team to beat at the event. Of course, a number of incredibly talented racers from other countries gave our boys fits at Thunder Valley, and many of the competing teams were one man short of being a serious threat for the overall. So far, there have been 63 Motocross of Nations, and there are sure to be many more, not all of which will be won by racers in red, white and blue gear. But when it came to racing on U.S. soil in front of a fantastically supportive American crowd, our clean-cut, homegrown trio of motivated young men did one heck of a job flying the flag for our nation.<em><br />
<h4>Townley isn’t a bad guy, but you would think differently had you talked to the American race fans following his clash with hometown hero Short. From that lap on, Townley received an echoing chorus of boos from the angry fans, only to be replaced by ecstatic cheers when he crashed out solo while running second ahead of Short in the final moto.</h4>
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<h4>Taking advantage of a confusing loophole in the event rules, Puerto Rico recruited Americans Kyle Regal and Zach Osborne to ride for their team. After a few decent rides on the AMA National Motocross circuit, Regal exploded out of the gate at MXoN and landed an incredible second place finish in the MX2/Open moto. His teammates failed to crack the top 10.</h4>
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<h4>The final moto of the day went off to perfect weather, a rough track and over 30,000 fans screaming their sunburned heads off. A showdown between the MX1 and MX Open racers, this race would determine the overall result for the MXoN. In a predictable but no less exciting start to the race, Short executed another flawless holeshot with Dungey and Townley in tow. After a few laps, Dungey made a clean, decisive pass around his American teammate and simply checked out. With Cairoli laboring through the pack and nothing but braking bumps ahead of him, Dungey did what he had to do and brought home an impressive win to finish off the weekend. Short crossed the line in second with plenty of breathing room ahead of Cairoli, who made an impressive but insufficient charge late in the race.<br />
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<h3>Final Results</h3>
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1. USA: Ryan Dungey, Andrew Short, Trey Canard<br />2. Belgium: Clement Desalle, Steve Ramon, Jeremy van Horebeek<br />3. Germany: Ken Roczen, Max Nagl, Marcus Schiffer<br />4. Great Britain: Dean Wilson, Brad Anderson, Jake Nichols<br />5. Italy: Antonio Cairoli, Manuel Monni, Alessandro Lupino<br />6. Australia: Brett Metcalfe, Jay Marmont, Dean Ferris<br />7. France: Gautier Paulin, Xavier Boog, Marvin Musquin<br />8. New Zealand: Ben Townley, Josh Coppins, Brad Groombridge<br />9. Portugal: Rui Goncalves, Luis Correia, Hugo Basaula<br />10. Puerto Rico: Kyle Regal, Zach Osborne, Christian Ruiz</div>

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