I have just finished reading Rick Doughtys column on the Primm Collection website and find myself getting a little pissed off. For the last few years Doughty has taken every opportunity to publicly have digs ay Jeff Smith, Dick Mann and many more greats who he blames for everything percieved to be wrong with our sport. I don't give a flying f*#k whether Smithy deserves the spray or not. I'm just sick of hearing about what a jerk Doughty thinks he is. Whatever Smithy did to earn Doughtys ire may have some justification but to call Jim Pomeroy and Jimmy Weinert buffoons is downright disrespectful, totally wrong and stepping over the 'good taste line'. Pomeroy and Weinert are/were blessed with something Mr Doughty sadly hasn't had in his life, a personality. I've known Rick Doughty for 20 years and if we were still on talking terns I'd be pulling him aside and suggesting he seek help to get over his bitterness. How sad this bloke's become. He contributed so much to the vintage scene during the formative years but now is nothing but a bitter whinger.
Below are his Primm column followed by his latest www.mccookracing.com column which is a thinly disguised slag at the same Jeff Smith and Dick Mann. Hero Worship
by Rick Doughty, Vintage Iron To some they are legends. To some they are old pros. To others they are just has-beens. I am referring to those racers who were once at or near the top of their game. While they may not have become household names they were certainly notable figures in the world of motorcycle racing at one time or another.
What do they deserve in terms of respect and recognition in this modern age in a new millennium? Does the mere fact that they could ride a motorcycle better than the average bear somehow entitle them a special status? Or should they return to walk the earth with the rest of us mortals as a commoner?
I have had the unique opportunity to meet, and in some cases get to know, many great riders that span the last fifty years of racing history. I would tend to say that the all of them get my respect. Even the ones I found to be buffoons (Jims Pomeroy and Wienert) and bastards (Jeff Smith), because after all they were able to accomplish something I tried very hard to do. For that reason alone, I tip my visor to the great men of motocross.
Does greatness on a bike translate to greatness as a person? Hardly. I have known plenty of nice guys that never won a title (Martys Moates and Tripes), and plenty of nice guys that won several championships (Gary Jones and Tony D.) I haven’t known as many honest to goodness jerks that were great champions but I have known enough (Jeff Smith) to be sure that they walk among us.
Racing a motocross bike may require certain common elements of a personality like courage, tenacity, competitiveness and so on. However, there is absolutely no direct correlation between riding talent and how good natured, honest or likeable a rider is.
The public image is also not a fair assessment of who a rider is. There are plenty of good, decent people that can’t give a well-delivered podium speech or interview if their life depended on it (Mike LaRocco or most guys in the Lights class). While others can come across as everyone’s best friend when in reality they are arrogant to the core. I really want to mention some names but alas, I won’t.
Why is any of this important? Have you ever wondered what a certain rider is really like and wondered if they are worthy of your “hero worship?” I think we all have at one time or another and the uncertainty of not truly knowing who this person really is has caused me at times to be very reserved about my feelings and admiration for their on-track achievements. I have been dead wrong about certain riders and I have been on target about others. I have been duped by false friendships and I have blatantly misjudged others all in an effort to satisfy my curiosity about who they really are.
There are some notable exceptions in which the racing champion has gone on to transcend the sport of motocross to become an icon of what it truly means to be great. Guys like DeCoster, Hannah, McGrath and Carmichael have taken this final step, much in the way Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong and Michael Schumacher have done in their respective arenas. They have become the Gods of our sport and deserve to stand atop the pedestal that we put them on.
As a fan of the sport this has lead me to the personal conclusion that what I see on the track is the only thing I really know for sure. My respect level is now based on how much heart a rider exhibits on the track. The amount of skill, style, brains and sportsmanship a rider brings to the track on a regular basis is who he is to me.
And with that I can honestly say I have respect for a great many riders the world over. ?
The
The Top Ten Worst People in the sport of Vintage Motocross (excerpt)
By Rick Doughty (OK I won’t mention them by name but most of you know who the culprits are)
The guy that started it all.
Why: Because even though he deserves credit for starting the sport, he is the biggest obstacle in its growth and overall well-being.
The guy that waged war with membership money.
Why: Because his arrogance has done more to harm the sport and AHRMA coffers than any single person. It is true that the board of directors had to approve it but it simply wouldn’t have happened without his temperament being what it is.
The guy that is starting his own vintage racing organization.
Why: Because he is ego driven and out to re-create an AHRMA like organization in his own image. Don’t we already have that? Do we really need a clone with all the warts the original one has? I think not. Something new and open minded, sign me up. Same ol, some ol’? Been there done that.
The sponsors in AHRMA that think there should be no other sponsors.
Why: Their short sightedness shortchanges the organization and ultimately the membership. The sponsorship of AHRMA’s motocross program is woefully lacking and those that stand in the way of its expansion might as well be against the sport and its participants.
The guy that thinks he is all things Maico
Why: Anyone that thinks that they are the world authority on any particular brand shows just how ignorant they are. Anyone that thinks that they should be the only person on the planet to sell or make parts to keep any brand out on the race track does not have the best interest of this sport at heart. They have profit and ego in mind and little more.
The guy that encourages a well established club to fragment.
Why: Because vintage racing is a small percentage of the sport and when you start cutting up the pie just because you don't like one person or another, then the sport and its riders suffer. That is exactly what happened in Southern California six or seven years ago and it has taken this long to start the healing process. Stupid thing was this doofuss didn't even go to the races, instead just sat back and watched the damage while he sold Husky parts from his garage.
The guy that rides with reckless abandon.
Why: Because he puts us all at risk. It may be forgivable when you are low on skill and high on enthusiasm but that excuse ends at about age14. When you are 40 or 50 and an ex-pro racer you should ride with your head or stay in Oklahoma.
The guy that sells a pile of parts disguised as a motorcycle for a pile of money on eBay or anywhere.
Why: These profiteers do serious damage to the newbie’s coming into the sport. If your first buying experience in the world of vintage racing were something like your first night with cellmate Bubba, would you stick around? The guys that do a “new bike in a can” restoration and then pawn it off to some wide-eyed unsuspecting dude too new to know the difference, should spend a night, make that lots of nights in a jail cell with Bubba, Trevor and implements of mass destruction.
The next guy that thinks we don’t have enough rules in vintage racing.
Why: Because he is going to either run for a position within the organization so he can implement more hair splitting rules or he will vote for someone that will. Either way, the weight of unnecessary regulation bogs down the sport. Less rules = more fun!
This is where it gets fun…
You get to name number 10 by e-mailing me the Who and the Why. We won’t use the name so you can be as candid as you want. Turn the knob to “full vent” and tell us whom you think is the Worst Person for the sport of vintage motocross is.
Enjoy!
Rick
