Roger D on the MXdN

About the MX des Nations,

I do not visit motocross chat rooms, nor do I follow or perpetuate the rumors they seem to generate. Having said that, during the last few days several friends of mine have told me that I have been getting hammered on a few MX websites about the 2004 U.S. Motocross des Nations effort. From what I am told, I am taking a lot of blame for the top American riders not going.

So, to state my case, and tell my side of the story, I would like to make the following points to motocross fans around the world.

-I do not think I have to do anything to prove that I love and support the Motocross des Nations. I have participated in more MXdN and Trophee des Nations events than any other rider in history. Moreover, except for three times, I have managed the U.S. MXdN Team since the first U.S. des Nations victory at Lommel, Belgium, in 1981. That's over 20 years of involvement with Team USA. And for the record, I have always done it for free. In fact, oftentimes, I even spent some of my own money.

-I grew up believing the Motocross and Trophee des Nations were the most important events of the year. Since 1947, it was the race where the world's best riders (and riders from all classes) came together to battle it out for global pride. The MXdN was prestige at its very best and every rider wanted to be part of it. Recently, however, the MXDN has suffered from a combination of things. Many of them are out of our control. Rules have been changed back and forth. The MXdN schedule does not take the U.S. racing schedule into account. There have been a number of poor promoter choices, as well (remember the ill-fated U.S. round in 2002?).

-Today, the Motocross des Nations situation is far different from what it used to be. Instead of the MXdN running directly after the Nationals (in mid-September), it now takes place in October. Meanwhile, the U.S. schedule is getting busier and busier. The 2004 U.S. Open is on October 8 and 9. With more races, and the sport growing bigger and bigger, rider salaries are also growing. With all this comes added pressure for the riders and teams to perform. This means significantly more testing. And let's not forget the two World Supercross GP rounds that will begin during first weekend of December.

-The priorities of today's riders have changed. They are much younger than me and do not know of the glamour and prestige that made the MXdN the greatest single-day motocross race in the world. Because of this (and the reasons above), I am sad to admit that the MXdN is not quite as big and important to today's generation of riders. This is not their fault. It is only the reality of the situation.

-In regard to America's top three riders in 2004, Ricky Carmichael wants to focus on testing and getting used to his new team (Suzuki). James Stewart chose to sit out the 2004 MXdN because he wants to concentrate on his move to the 250 class. Kevin Windham also wants to concentrate on testing for the 2005 supercross season. RC has supported the MXdN in the past - he won individually last year - and he probably would have gone this year had our best riders gone, allowing Team USA a great chance to win the overall event. So who is to blame for the aforementioned reasons? Nobody, really. Yes, Travis Pastrana and other riders wanted to go, but I was not involved in that part of the decision-making process.

-I must admit that I was disappointed when I saw that things were falling apart for the MXdN this year. I hope we will be back at the des Nations next year with our best talent. However, we need to take into account that there is going to be an amazing amount of pressure on RC and Bubba for next season. For that reason, we should understand how serious each needs to be about their future battles. Each one of them does not want to be less prepared than the other. We should all appreciate that fact.

-As a competitor, I would have gone to the Motocross des Nations in 2004, but I am from another generation. Yes, my career wining percentage was certainly not as good as RC's or Bubba's, but then again, I did get 16 wins at Motocross and Trophee des Nations events. So let's hope that we can get a better schedule for 2005 and that our top riders will be ready, willing and able to go - just like we used to be in the "old days." If they are, and as I have in the past, I will certainly be there to support them and the American team.

Yours in sport,
Roger DeCoster

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