Eric Johnson is in my opinion the leading journalist in the sport of Motocross. An American man who got the Motocross bug many, many years ago is now the most experience journalist in the sport in America. We asked Eric for his top ten in the World Order. We will have more on the World Order next week.
1. America: A few days ago I went into Pro Circuit and was sitting with Mitch Payton. That morning, a certain minicycle dad had complained to Mitch that the 85cc bike his kid rode was down on power. Mitch went on a bit of a rant to me saying, “If you can find a motor that has more power than the stuff we build, get it in here. I’ve built the same bike for Carmichael, Stewart, Villopoto, Stroupe and now I’m building one for Cianciarulo.” I thought about that for a while. Most of these guys are the best we’ve seen in the sport in recent history and now Adam Cianciarulo, even at age 12, is the Next Big Thing in line. It never stops. The beat goes on. There’s a ladder system here that breeds talent and with upwards of 30,000 riders just trying to make it to the AMA Amateur Finals, you just have to figure the best of the very best is going to bubble up to the surface.
2. France: I just interviewed Christophe Pourcel the other day. He just said like so many other riders have, “My dream as a boy was to come to America to race supercross.” Bayle did it, Pichon did it, Tortelli did it, Vuillemin did it… I almost believe it’s instilled in French racers when they’re little 65cc guys: America is the Promised Land and they work towards it. I was the Motocross of Nations this year and Musquin, Frossard and Paulin looked like a million bucks. And Pourcel… Man, alive, the way he rides and sees the track and minimizes his output of energy and let’s the bike do the work… he’s unreal. He’s my favorite rider in the world to watch race. No doubt.
3. Australia: Chad Reed is the most consistent supercross rider of my lifetime and such a fighter. So is Metcalfe. If he could keep from getting hurt, he’d be a champion in the U.S. Byrne has always been strong and Reardon has what it takes to be successful and the Moss brothers are now here. That new supercross series they having going on Down Under is really something. I spoke to Jeremy McGrath today and he told me he was really impressed with the series and wave of talent down there.
4. England: I don’t know what I’m talking about, but I get the sense that motocross is really gaining momentum in the UK. Searle really impressed me this summer. I just watched Max Anstie ride supercross at the Yamaha test track and he looked fantastic. Shaun Simpson is a strong rider and so is Billy Mackenzie (plus, Billy is one amusing dude).
5. Belgium: When the Belgian team was called to the front of the room for the press conference at the Motocross of Nations, they were all wearing black arm bands. Joel Smets – always a great, determined rider – explained they were wearing them due to the fact that one of the last true motocross tracks in Belgium had been shut down by the greens. That really struck a chord with me. How could what had once been the mightiest motocross nation in the world be closing tracks? Where would the new talent come from? Despite it all, though, the nation still churns out world class riders. Ken De Dycker, Steve Ramon, Kevin Strijbos and Joel Roelants championship contenders.
6. Italy: I’ve always had a soft spot for Italy. I was fortunate enough to be in Brazil in 1999 when the nation won the Motocross of Nations for the first time and I’ve always rated riders such as Alex Puzar, Alessio Chiodi and Andrea Bartolini very highly. I was impressed by Phillipaerts, Cairoli and Guarneri at the Motocross of Nations. I’d like to see Italy rise to power in the sport. It’s such a great motorcycle nation and I just love the nation and its passion for motorsports.
7. Canada: I’ve been following what’s been going on up in Canada the last few years and the sport is on the move there. Their National Championship is very respected and new riders such as Dean Wilson and Colton Facciotti are skilled, talented and driven to excel. Wilson especially impresses me. He’s going to be a champion in America. Trust my words: Huge heart, no distractions, excellent attitude and dazzling speed.
8. Germany: Max Nagl has been a sensation in the MX1 classification and Ken Roczen is being made out to be the second coming. He very well may be. I watched him in Italy and he looked very good, but it was just one race. We’ll see, I guess. It would be nice to see a young German rider do some damage on the world stage.
9. Holland: What happened to the great motocross nation that was once Holland. I went and looked at their pit are at the Motocross of Nations and it looked like a third world motocross country. Their equipment looked worn, the riders displayed no charisma (or skill, for that matter) and the whole thing just plain looked sad to me. Since I was a boy, I’ve always thought Holland to be a top shelf motocross nation. What in the hell happened?
10. New Zealand: As we all know, Josh Coppins should have won a World Championship in his career. I don't know if I've ever seen a rider get so many bad breaks. No! Wait! Countryman Ben Townley has, for all intents and purposes, been broken up (both physically and mentally) more than Josh. It was refreshing to hear that Townley will get a shot at the American 450 National Championship this summer with the Troy Lee team. If Townley can stay healthy and get a gain some momentum, he can surely win races (if not win a title). Cody Cooper and Darryl had their ups-and-downs in America, but I believe the Kiwis will benefit from the Australasia Supercross Series.
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