2008 Supercross Series keeps getting sillier with every race

Ok, I'm no expert on motocross racing. I'll freely admit that I have absolutely no clue whatsoever of the skills & fitness required to compete on a professional level, nor do I have the slightest idea how to ride a dirt bike. All I know is that I like to watch those guys battle every week, whether it be in a comfy climate-controlled super-dome or an absolutely nightmarish mud-bog in an outdoor national. It's a great sport to watch, if you enjoy racing.
Well, this supercross season has become almost as laughable as it is exciting. With Ricky Carmichael retired and James Stewart injured, the series has turned into an all-out war between 4 or 5 riders every week for the top spot on the podium. These guys in the mix now have battled like this for years but nobody really paid much attention to it because the front runners were usually 5 or 10 seconds out in front of them. After 9 rounds of great, clean racing, things started to get annoying; at least it has for me, with the 2 guys battling for the title.
In Daytona, on a track designed by Ricky Carmichael and subsequently resurfaced by Mother Nature with several inches of rain, Chad Reed put in the finest ride of his life. He led the pack around the quagmire and on the very last lap his bike simply gave up on him. Who knows whether it was a simple matter of Reed riding his Yamaha on a level that no factory bike, built by man or deity, could possibly withstand or a shining example of just how big an asshole fate can be. It looked to me that he was, perhaps merely in a moment of utter frustration, blaming his mechanic as he frantically kicked the bike and pumped his fist across the track. I might have gotten the wrong impression, but it certainly looked that way to me on the footage below.

The next bit of controversy came when the series rolled into Detroit for round 14. It was another bad day for Reed as he suffered an awful crash that looked like it was the end of his season for sure. The fact he got up and walked off the track after this is amazing…simply amazing.

The race itself saw Reed taking his provisional to get into the main event, which I think was insane, but he is single minded in his pursuit of the title. All he was trying to do was minimize the damage to his points lead and get to a hospital without killing himself in the process. As he was being lapped he did his level best to stay out of the front-runners way, Kevin Windham comes past him in a corner where Reed was barely able to hang onto the damn bike, much less turn it, subsequently pushing Kevin a little wide in the turn. It looked to me like it was no big deal, considering the state of Reed’s health and the fact that he is among an elite few, Windham included, that wouldn’t take another rider out no matter how angry they were. Nevertheless, Kevin let Reed have an ear-full about that dirty trick that pushed him wide. You can see the horrible offense below.

The next injustice has occurred in Seattle where the 2 riders were healthy and ready to go head-to-head for the final push to a title. It was a race unlike any other I have yet to witness, jam-packed with drama & adrenaline, enough to overwhelm just about anyone who enjoys competitive racing of any kind, whether it be go-karts or monster trucks. In the end, Reed fell in the first turn and came from dead last to 2nd, Windham had similar issues with a tough-block cover trying to get into his rear brake that dropped him back to 8th at one point before he clawed back up to take the win. It was great fun to watch…until they interviewed the riders, which I think is usually the best part because of Erin Bates, but this time even her hotness could relieve the silliness that came about.

I’ve heard of team orders before, seen the act in Formula One and heard Bob Hannah describe doing it for David Bailey. I know what it looks like when being done deliberately and I’m pretty sure I can spot it being done in disguise, as apparently Chad saw it happen in the closing laps of the Seattle race, you decide. Either way, it’s turned good racing into a bad episode of Jerry Springer, complete with the trailers & all!