On Doing Whatever It Takes

I just finished listening to the awesome webcast of the Seattle Supercross on supercross.cc.com (you guys do an awesome job). If you haven't heard or seen the race, Honda riders were supposedly trying to help Kevin Windham win his championship by holding off Chad Reed as he tried to come through the field. When Chad passed got inside Andrew Short (cleanly, I might add) and passed him, Short grabbed a handful of throttle and T-boned Chad, almost taking both of them out. After the race, they interviewed Shorty, who said something to the effect of, "Hey, Chad doesn't pay my salary. Honda pays my salary, and I'm just doing my job. I'm supposed to do whatever it takes to help Honda win a championship."

Let's clear something up right now. Intentionally trying to wreck into someone to take them out of the race is only acceptable in a demolition derby. In any other form of racing, it is a dirty, disrespectful tactic, shows poor sportsmanship, and is dangerous. Bumping and rubbing are acceptable in some racing forms, and supercross is definitely one of them. Intentional takeout attempts, successful or not, are a different thing altogether.

So at this point I don't know who to not be a fan of anymore - Andrew Short, or Honda. Maybe I'll choose both. When Chad passed Davi Millsaps just a lap or so earlier, Millsaps raced Chad fair, but didn't try any kamikaze takeout moves. Davi and Shorty are both factory Honda riders. If Short is telling the truth, then Davi failed to follow team orders by not trying to take Chad out of the race, which means that Honda is a dirty team. But if Davi was racing the way he had been instructed, then Shorty took it too far by attempting a desperate takeout move when Reed passed him, in which case Short is a dirty rider.

I've seen it from Short a number of times, so here's to betting it is Short deciding to be dirty, since he can't be as good as Reed is. Maybe he's trying to compensate for never having hit puberty. Or maybe he secretly wishes that he was with Ellie instead of Chad. Whatever the reason, I've thought it through - Andrew Short has officially lost a fan. I doubt he cares, but nonetheless, I'm rooting against him from this point on. And Honda too. He's a factory rider. Whether it was team orders or not, he represents Honda when he rides and when he speaks.

Hey, Andrew Short! Hey Honda! Check this - Chad Reed came from dead last - 21st place - and beat your factory rider, who led almost the whole race but couldn't hold on to win it, who could not keep from being beaten by Chad Reed even when he tried to wreck him. With a broken shoulder. Choke on that, Honda. Choke on that, Andrew Short.