Re: supercross 101
I think Bubba has what it takes, if he can stop crashing. But then again, a lot of these hot-dog 125 pilots flame out when they get to the 250's. Bubba has the speed that a lot of them have. What he has in addition is determination, which some appear to be lacking. Case in point: what the heck happened to Buckelew!? Highly touted mini-racer, hit the 125's, and has struggled after a flashy start in his first few races. I don't mean to pick on Justin, he's had some hard luck too... no doubt. He is still a kid and will probably pull it together soon. He's just struggling a lot lately, as many do.
Of course, it's very easy for me to sit here and type this, I'm no racer, and I certainly do NOT have what it takes to do it even on a local level. I crash about 4 times on any given lap of a motocross track, unless I am just po-dunking it. I totally respect their talent, just saying that "at the pro-level", speed ain't all it seems to take.
Bubba has gotten up after all of his crashes and has chased down the field. He doesn't appear to let a setback defeat him like some might. Carmichael has that same gritty determination. I remember watching him in a 125 outdoor race a few years back where he crashed and came from dead last to either win or take a close second.. can't recall. Hell, he's probably done both cases several times! If he stays healthy, he'll win and
win and win for a long time.
I can't wait 'till he (Bubba) gets to the 250's. By then, perhaps Pastrana will have stopped crashing too!
-James