| Author | Message | ||
     Larryjohn |
Read the article http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?artic le=37409 and interesting video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C42W0dyBC8 | ||
| Fresnobuell |
No controversy. Rock Page screwed up big time and was punished for his actions. Plain and simple. | ||
| Spike |
Anybody have video of the actual incident? | ||
| Dentguy |
Al Ludington sounds like a guy who is really concerned about the "SHOW" (I mean race) and loves to threaten. Maybe, he can start throwing full course cautions with a few laps to go and tighten things up just like Nascar does. It makes for a great "SHOW" (I mean race). I think they call those ghost cautions in Nascar where the "debris" on the track is never found. Maybe, he could just kick out the riders who don't qualify as being "IT" and are "just part of it". Then we could watch a few riders, who are "IT" and see the best race in 5 years at every race. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Whatever vernacular (show/race?) he chose is incidental to the action of punishing a rider who prevented what most assuredly would have been an awesome finish. I am sure I am not the only person who watched in amazement that Rock Page was trying to race with the leaders as they went by. I wondered if there were going to be repercussions. Glad to see AMA get fired up about hurting the "show" as opposed to turning a blind eye. | ||
| Imonabuss |
Ludington's credentials are second to none. The guy is a pro. Yes he's emotional about racing because he gives a damn. JRP had no business not moving out of the way for a blue flag. All other riders did, as is plain to see in videos of the race. But the Honda-paid AMA hate generating journalists are out in force. The racing right now is spectacular, but the Japanese are trying to destroy it, and spending real money to do so. | ||
| Jimidan |
It was the show, which was the race. Yates got screwed by jrp...he had a good shot at the race win. If page wanted to race with the leaders, he should have been up there with them on the same lap. | ||
| Neb25 |
Looks to me like JRP did exactly as the rule book says. Then people are pissed because he followed the rules? | ||
| Buellrcr |
he did what the rule book said, hold your line . thats what he did . how many of you race , i know neb25 and i do. and i would like slower rider to hold his line its up to the faster rider to make a good pass thats racing. | ||
| Babyhuey |
I dont think jrp did anything wrong with the eslick/hacking passing but i feel he should have been more aware of the second group passing him and been off line before they got to him. so hacking got held up, thats part of racing, it happens. hacking should have seen jrp coming up and anticipated having to find a way around him to where it didnt cost him so much time. oh and i do race also. | ||
| Jscott |
Babyhuey, Johnny Rock Page races in Superbike not Daytona SportBike. He held up Aaron Yates at the end of the SuperBike race. | ||
| Jetbuilder |
In both the racing schools I attended and every race/riders meeting I have attended we were taught/told HOLD YOUR LINE! it is up to the faster rider to make the pass and it is taught over and over not to do 2 things do not look back behind you and do not change to an unpredictable line period. JRP was in the right. he may be slower but it is up to the passing/Faster rider to make the pass. Those are the rules. no where does it say get off the racing line to make a better show. You only get off line for a mechanical issue or if black flagged (Message edited by jetbuilder on July 21, 2009) | ||
| Schmitty |
+1 on holding your line! It's in the rule book. If JRP would have bailed out of the way he could have taken one of the leaders out. It is the responsibility of the faster riders to find the safest way around. Every front runner that I race with has told me to just run my race and hold my line and don't do anything unpredictable. JRP did what he was supposed to do, end of story. He got f***ed because the factory guys didn't have a picture perfect run to the finish. If these guys had to run in the CCS, their heads would explode. Schmitty | ||
| Buelldyno_guy |
Blue Flag: Indicates to a rider that they are about to be overtaken. Riders are advised to keep their line and allow the faster rider to pass. Yes he "held his line"thru several turns including tucking it in tight on them all which there was no need to do. He knew what he was doing and it was wrong. No one expected him to change his line just don't block which was what he was doing by tucking in so tight. Terry | ||
| Doerman |
Mistakes made by Al Ludington: - Making a spectacle in public - Foul language in public. This is a family hour event. - Loosing his cool and repeating himself repeatedly. The harder an argument is made, the less likely it is correct. - Not sure about this one. Isn't a punishment delivered in writing? Mistakes JRP made: - repeating his defense 25 times does not make it correct. - not being quiet and waiting to take his case up with a review board with video. Both conducted themselves in a very unprofessional manner. The lion share of the unprofessionalism unfortunately lies with AMA in this case as evidenced by Mr. Ludington behavior. As far as who's right here is a moot point. That'll come out later when cooler heads prevail. | ||
| Paint_shaker |
When I raced WERA at Road Atlanta last month, they put HWTSS and C SBK in the same grid. That means 2 things; 1) I get to say I was on the track with Taylor Knapp (he was not on a Buell), 2) I KNEW I was going to get lapped and roughly when it would occur. (Message edited by Paint shaker on July 21, 2009) | ||
| Fresnobuell |
This is a pretty obvious one, IMO. There are LOTS of lapped riders that get out of the way completely and have no effect on the race whatsoever. Also the fact that JRP was racing nobody but himself makes any defense ridiculous. Did anyone that is defending his actions bother to read the rule as posted on RRW? From the 2009 AMA Pro Road Racing Rulebook: "Section 7: Race Rules And Procedures 7.14 Flags / Lights vii. Blue Flag: Indicates to a rider that they are about to be overtaken. Riders are advised to keep their line and allow the faster rider to pass. Riders disregarding this flag may be blackflagged at the discretion of AMA Pro Racing." He may have kept his line, but if you think he allowed the faster riders to pass, you weren't watching the same race. | ||
| Smoke |
jrp was wrong in his actions and was penalized. jamie hacking was wrong in his actions earlier in the year at the press conference and was penalized. al ludington was wrong in his actions after this race and we will have to see. as technical director, is on track action and discipline ludington's domain or someone elses?? the veiled threat of bike technical violation if they(race officials)didn't penalize jrp is the only thing that i really have issue with. the moaning and cursing about the show just didn't help. tim tim | ||
| Schmitty |
So because he didn't shut it down and bail to the side of the track, he wasn't allowing them to pass? If he'd have held his line but slowed down he would have been ass packed by these guys because of the closing speed and caused a bigger accident! Schmitty | ||
| Spike |
I didn't see the incident and I haven't found any video so this is pure speculation: From what I've read elsewhere (google "yates johnny rock page"), the majority opinion seems to be that JRP held up Yates and did not allow him to pass. While the rules do advise to keep your line, they also clearly state "allow the faster rider to pass". There is a big difference between holding your line and allowing a faster rider to pass and holding your line and making the other guy work for the pass. I don't think anyone is asking JRP to park it while the "real" racers go by. There are plenty of ways for him to keep a predictable line and leave the door open on corner entry or elsewhere. Ludington is definitely being unprofessional in the video. However, if a back marker just interrupted the outcome of one of the biggest races of the weekend just so the back marker could mix it up with the front runners and get some camera time, and then to top it off the back marker wants to play dumb and act like he did nothing wrong it is reasonable for the back marker to get reamed by someone. | ||
| Rmr |
Bob Hannah explained this the best I have ever heard while commentating on a motocross race one day (back in the day). As a back marker was getting lapped someone asked him "what does the blue flag mean"? Hannah replied "It means there is a professional motorcycle race going one....and you are not in it!" Its a bit cruel....but when you are in the back and know it. You will get the blue flag....yes dont do anything stupid like sit up...but hold your line and GET OUT of the race line. When the leader comes by...guess what the guy fighting for the led is coming too....get out of the way!. | ||
| Blake |
Rules state "...allow the faster rider to pass." "I held my line." That is only part of the rule. JRP failed to "allow the faster rider to pass." Arrogant jerk. | ||
| Rasta_dog |
Mid Ohio is a hard track to pass on at race pace, but it is a wide track with more than one line through the S turns. It was the end of the race. Page saw the blue flag, looked back and saw the leaders, and seemed to attempt to pick up his pace on the preferred racing line. He acted like a jag. | ||
| Buelldyno_guy |
Good point Mark and I agree, he had not been going at that pace or holding his lines that tight. That's why he was being lapped! Now all of a sudden he has picked up the pace and became Joe Racer because he is in the camera view of the real race. | ||
| Babyhuey |
sorry about the name mix up but i watch so my races that day and its the end of a long work day here, my bad. but i still stand by my opinion and agree terry that his ego was the problem. | ||
| Duggram |
Paint_shaker said: "When I raced WERA at Road Atlanta last month, they put HWTSS and C SBK in the same grid. That means 2 things; 1) I get to say I was on the track with Taylor Knapp (he was not on a Buell), 2) I KNEW I was going to get lapped and roughly when it would occur. " At the WERA Vegas race in January (my second race) I got to ride with the Latus riders Josh and Alan. I didn't have to worry about blue flags and holding my line. They both were a blur when they lapped me! | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Ludington is definitely being unprofessional in the video. I wonder if Ludington had a clear understanding of the rule at that time. Seems like it would have been pretty cut and dry to cite the "allowing faster riders to pass" clause as the part of the rule that JRP clearly violated. Instead, he just mother-f'ed JRP up and down. Guess JRP needed some TV time to help support that big hauler of his. I still am wondering how a backmarker can afford a rig like that.... | ||
| Babyhuey |
"Guess JRP needed some TV time to help support that big hauler of his. I still am wondering how a backmarker can afford a rig like that...." I'm glad that you said it, before i did, he needs it for his ego and he's owns atm's apparently. | ||
| Buellishxx |
JRP did the right thing (at that part of the track), if he'd moved off the line in either direction he would have probably taken either of the leaders out and then there would have been some serious conflict. I wouldn't be moving off the line in that tight an area either, it's up to the fast guys to get around you as long as you're holding your line. | ||
| Jscott |
http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=3 7431 |
