It's the catch 22 of motocross. The love hate scenario. I used to own a pretty big private team...TEAM BOOKOO, and it was my ultimate dream come true. We created the first reality TV show around a supercross team, ”The Reality of Speed” and I had the time of my life living vicariously through many incredible pro riders, including David Vuillemin, Josh Demuth(who ended up losing a leg to the sport) and other great riders. My first pro rider was Jeff Dement in the 90s (another team I had) and I remember watching him get seriously injured many times and it broke my heart. Jeff was and is an amazing young man. Johnny, I love your content & I hope it's going well for you. This video brought up some fond memories but mostly, it reminded me of the unfortunate dangers and tragedies of our beloved sport. Funny sidebar: I'm now dying of brain cancer & on two occasions I've had two massive seizures that resulted in breaking my back in two places + surgery and shattering my shoulder so bad that I need a complete artificial shoulder implant. The shoulder reconstruction surgery failed miserably and I can't even put a pair of glasses on my face with my left arm. All the broken bones I had from motocross racing and one of the worst injuries of my life came from a seizure! Go figure! It's still the best sport in the world and I so miss playing in the game of racing. Keep up the great work! And yes, I know I belabored my comment.
BooKoo Brands dude I loved the reality of speed! I was just a kid and looked up everyone on that show. I never missed a episode. I am sincerely sorry to hear about your misfortune and i/everyone on my channel are praying for you.
Johnny, for every pro retirement story, there are 100 amateur stories of retirement. When I broke my back (a 30% burst fracture of L1) I knew I was done, but I was also over 60 years old and you would have thought I would have made that decision sooner. I started in my late teens so my pro days were non existent, but I was a decent Amateur class rider. Even at that level, the litany of bone and physical damage was extensive. I broke my collar bone (of course), but I had to have surgery and the two surgeries required to fix it were a pain. Then I had a chronic dislocating shoulder that was fixed with a Bristow operation. Worked great until I popped it out again. Then I broke my ankle, lower tib , fib in 12 places and in one of the first races back from that injury, I broke the tibia plateau all the way from the knee to 1/2 way down the shin. I still have 10 screws. I’ve broken numerous ribs, left foot, fingers, my wrist, my pelvis and ultimately my back. I kept telling myself, I was going to stop, but I loved the sport and still do. After I broke my foot, I even started a line of Insoles for Motocross that are a protective layer between you and a bad landing. (Insoles by MX Orthotics) Unfortunately, the surgery to fix my back that was supposed to be a simple procedure, turned out to be the worst 4 months of my life so far. I hope it heals, but I have my doubts. One thing is certain. Motocrossers never give up and I won’t either. My body, on the other hand, has said “that’s enough”. I hope they have MX in heaven as it would not be heaven without it. Thanks for the reflection on the subject.
Jimmy Deen That’s a very good point it just seems to me that Supercross is very precise very very little room for mistakes. Hell every type of two wheeled competition is very dangerous anyway you look at it. 👍🏁
@Jimmy Deen Personally I find that supercross is more dangerous especially now that they're riding 4 strokes indoors and out. Reason being is the size of the tracks they're more narrow there's less lines so and although there's less riders there's way more traffic on a supercross track with with less room for the traffic. Sure mx has huge jumps but sx triples are massive and sometimes have a rhythm before or after with an immediate tight corner before and after. They're both dangerous though no doubt.
Really does suck that this sport is expensive. Most racers such as myself just rely on hopes and dreams. Sometimes it feels like it’s not even worth it anymore. Keep up the awesome videos Jhonny! Really changed my perspectives about racing.
As A Dad I'm seriously questioning why I'm paying to potentially kill my kid, (dad, sponsor, mechanic), my 15yr old made a small mistake in a super rutted out low high woop section, got driven face 1st with his 150sx landing on him, I had never seen him crash out so hard, fast and violent... bloody face, total neck scorpion.. the wind being knocked out of him and seeing all that blood.. I freaked out, seeing that happen to your kid messes with you... (Leatt neck brace, literally saved his life), he ended up, w/ broken nose and a concussion.. it's been a few days and he wants to ride?? , I get why.. I'm not looking forward to another E.R trip.. , And my sincerest condolence, to hear how your Dad was with you, is how my son and I are.
Thanks for making the videos, I really like what you're doing. Also thank you for sharing your story, we all know how tough this sport is, but I think we forget how crazy SX/MX is on riders bodies.
Johnny thank you for putting this video out. I think it’s one of the best videos you’ve done. I really enjoyed hearing your story about your career I would love for you and Cooksey and coach to get together and talk about all three of your past experiences. I think a lot of people would like to hear about the three of you personally. I love all the content that you three put out, but getting to know the three of you at a more personal level would be awesome. It would really let all of us fans get to know you guys better and feel like we’re all part of the same crew. I think Cooksey’s idea of having the three of you talk between races at world Supercross would be a winner. Hearing a little bit about each one of yours past and then talking about the racers on the track and interviewing them would be extremely entertaining and interesting. Keep things going brother. Bra bra bra bra bra bra!!!!!!!
Great video, Everything so true. Broke my back with a stuck throttle. RUclips has been a great way for me to get back into casual riding and restorations. Subbed
Best to retire on top. You get married, have a family. The sport is very dangerous. Why press your luck. Everyone gets hurt - even the best. And Supercross is so unforgiving and unnatural.
Yes its dangerous thats what you sign upfor duh you want to be safe compete in professional CHESS TOURNAMENT THATS SAFE. OR CURLING YEAH YOULL. LIKE THAT
Hey john hopp...great vid once again...i had a mx career ending injury a few years back...i used to run district 5 here in w.pa. i came up short on a double at pleasure valley mx park...panicked reved...hucka buck...whiskey throttle...u name it...it happened...woke up 4 or 5 minutes latter to the smell of salts(nasty) thanx to the med crew...got a concussion...two hairline fractures in my neck...and one hell of a headache...i took a whole year off from racing...i tried mx again but wasnt the same anymore...im older and a little wiser now...i do cra hardscrambles now...less wear & tear on my body...keep up the great work u do for all of us two freaks...lol
Yep...when you buy that dirt bike with the intent to race, then you are buying your license to spend a lot more money. Some people call this, " your writing checks your body can't afford to cash.". Thankfully the euphoria and adrenalin blinded me to that logic, lest I would have never had so much fun. Crazy.
When you brake a bone on your body that injury stays with you and you "feel" it for years, that shit affects you and sometimes it's just not worth the risk.
Hi Johnny. I enjoy your video's and your honesty about the sport. I ride because I enjoy it and I race occasionally in the 45 expert class locally but I always think about that next trip to the ER and that puts me in a go slow mode and I'm ok with that. A lot of pros if they're not going fast they quit and that's sad. I have had 10 broken bones pelvis and back among the worst and I still ride for fun but a lot slower.
Right on or better yer RIDE ON! I am 44 and 2 or 2 and a half years ago just started riding. I enjoy the slower mountain single track with log hops and step ups etc. That said my buddies have somehow got me into these desert races where i consistently take last place over all lol. Now that may be terrible to alot of racers however it is more of the enjoyment of a challenge that keeps me going back. 1 i enjoy riding for fun with friends and no real objective the most 2 I have well 4 races and about 10 rides on sand for my experience in sand and desert races ALWAYS have a sand 3 i broke my thumb and wrist 2 races ago, rode 14 miles on it to finish lap 2 only to get a DNF =( LOL 4 I cut my cast off to attempt the race this weekend and am thinking "why not ride to enjoy and enjoy to ride?" I see NO SHAME in loving and being obsessed with riding as i do now but racing seems to add more risk than usual. My point i think is good for you enjoying the ride and or race at your own pace, I know a few who think of these races (50-90 miles) a just a long ride with lots of great people. These are the ones who seem to honestly be enjoying the journey, having fun and smile much more. Like I stated I am "MR. LAST PLACE OVERALL" and am still learning basics, this is just my view from my perspective so keep that in mind before you skilled competitive riders roast me k =)
I guess these guys don’t have the same chance to do what they do, but ride slower. Even the back markers put themselves at risk hitting those jumps each lap. I broke my back in two places and neck in the same crash about 6mnths ago, and I’ll step away from racing mx from now on. Will get a trail bike and hit the bush, but won’t be going crazy like I used to.
Jonny, Props to you for being smart enough to retire and thanks for sharing your story and insiders knowledge of this amazing sport of brave young men 👏
Thanks for sharing your story. I feel the same about my riding history. Never was fast enough to even think about making it a career but loved racing on the amateur level. Never had any broken bones but one too many concussions between MX and BMX and I had to call it quits after 20 years. My symptoms correlate to closely with a possible CTE diagnosis and now all I can think about is how the rest of my life is going to turn out. I don't know if I would change anything with how I lived my life. I had sooooo much fun riding and making friends but it does make you question it when the payment comes due.
I appreciated your analysis. I was trying to pursue motocross as a career back in the 1980's and was in my first supercross, in second position in my qualifier and crashed breaking my back, collarbone and some ribs so I would fall into your third category. However, I think you missed the biggest reason why these top guys like the Ryans called it quits at seemingly the top of their game. I think the big money has begun to ruin our beloved sport. When you start throwing millions of dollars at these guys, with that money comes a whole lot of pressure to win. With that comes injuries because, as you know, you are not going to win unless you're riding past a reasonable limit. Just look at Villapoto at the end of his career... he was miserable and couldn't wait to retire. Just my humble opinion but I very much enjoy your video and I think there is a ton of truth in your comments.
This is a really good and real perspective on what most people probably don't see when they are watching thief favorite sport. That was rough seeing you in the hospital like that. I hope you feel better now.
I have a different story "He is a black man, with pretensions of earning 100 thousand dollars more than what they offer," a well-known AMA broker told me at the end of 2016, two others involved in the AMA confirmed to me that the father asked for 100 thousand more than what he asked for. They offered ... OK, let's be honest, 100 thousand dollars, for US companies, it's nothing, zero, nothing, nothing, Bubba's ability has no price, his followers are millions in the world and the amount of tickets he sells, exceeds that amount of money for a long time, but the corporations want the pilots to be known, but not more important than the brand, that is the reason why the winning pilots change brands every time, Suzuki has always shown, won championships with Carmichael, Reed and Dungey, but they all left. Kawasaki did nothing to retain Bubba when he made the perfect season and not even Honda wanted to retain Carmichael who was happy to win with his CR 250. Neither did Kawasaki in the first RC season, later in time, when RC4 said on Suzuki he wanted to continue with the 2 times he was told no and Ricky ran another season with the 4T and got off the bike, even with two more years of contract. The bike was more important than RC. No brand wants to be eclipsed by a pilot, no manager wants to be a zero to the left and no Team Manager wants his pilots to be more important than them, it's an egos war. In which everyone wants to show that the bike wins and not the driver. Malcolm Stewart won the 250 SX championship, Geico made a pre-contract and the owner of Geico, issued a press release, saying that Malcolm would be Geico's runner in 450 the following year but that he would not race the Motocross, Larocco 2 weeks later, he went out to say that there was no such arrangement and that he would not be the runner and managed to put Bogle, leaving him to the Champion without a motorcycle and again I say that it is easier to do it to a black or a Latino ... They already had enough Bubba and now Malcolm was also a champion? That was a lot ... sorry for google translate
Crap, Hopper! That injury looked horrible. Glad you pulled out of that bad hurt. Rode my new bike for the first time today. First time EVER. Your videos really helped me get started...attack position, arm position (I really need to work on this one...easy to forget), foot position, shifting. Thank you much. I don't motocross...I'm 52 but have been told it looks like I've been riding for a few months, when it's my first day. Thanks to you.
Good topic Johhny. Thanks for sharing. I love to ride motorcross bikes but when it came to racing I made a decision in my teens to stop racing as I did not want to be a burden to my parents who were raising five other children. Now at the age of 64 I still ride at Pala raceway on the vet track to stay in shape and have no pain due to previous injuries. Everyone makes their own retirement decisions for their own reasons. To young riders I say have a backup plan in case racing doesn't work out. Bottom line, do well in school, plan on completing college and do well in your career.
GREAT perspective and a great video. I only subscribe to something on The Tube once a year, maybe... and I just subscribed. At 38 I ride in the C-class and only practice (no racing) and usually am the slowest guy on the track. As long as I clear a few jumps and get a good workout from it with no injuries, I am the happiest camper that day. Mindset is everything with this sport. The risk/reward is not until you get to the 1% of the top 1%, and those are basically Hollywood Odds, so I don't play. How is your nerve damage treating you? I am dealing with some residual symptoms at L5/S1 after my disc blew up three years ago. I had an artificial disc replacement and went from disabled to riding at my level again (95% better), but some residual nerve symptoms so I just take the meds to shut it down. I wonder how you handle the nerve damage. Nerve symptoms are bad. Cheers!
I think you missed one major reason why motorcross riders retire. Workload! I can’t think of another sport where athletes have to work so hard, racing every week. Training all week just to repeat. I feel if you halved the number of races in a year, riders would enjoy it more, people wouldn’t retire, therefor we would have Dungey, Villopotto, RC, Stewart all racing together. Imagine the stadiums being sold out months before hand. This would also lower the risk of crashes because your simply not riding every weekend. This would also bring money back to the sport because it would bring the fans back. I think 2019 has to be the worst year for AMATURE mx fans. No one really knows Webb, Tomac. Maybe a little Roczen. But I talk to people, they don’t care because there is no superstars anymore. It’s only the hardcore riders like myself who watch it every week. Also Deano said it himself. He makes more money riding 1 off races in Paris and Australia then he does in his MX/SX career. He said that’s what he is going to do later on. Ride 6x one off events around the world getting paid to just travel, no workload, no stress. It’s so sad the sport at the moment. Another great video by the way. Also when you were explaining your crash I thought this video was going to be you! It took a while to find. Haha ruclips.net/video/p_V8a1yf_E8/видео.html (I realise it’s not you after watching the news clip)
You're talking a lot from an entertainment perspective. The base of this whole thing is the fact that's it's the world's hardest series, it's supposed to be tough. It might seem too tough at times buts they've got to be the best. And I also think if people stuck around longer you wouldn't have an equal cycle where people are able to come into the sport
I wouldn't say I love reed I wouldn't say i hate him . I dont like some of the things he's done almost like he let his ego on the track effect him .. But I do gotta give it to reed . i think he's the longest in the sx racing ever to still be racing pro except John Dowd who race pro nationals he retired at 55 I think? 56 ? I know he dosnt race anymore .. But reeds been at it a long time and has raced semi smart . smart on HiS behalf that is. Hes pulled shady shit like cleaning canard out for no reason . or slowing dungy down in sx 2017 at Seattle . but otger than that reeds just been a smart rider . n hasn't gotten himself messed up .
22 was not only lapped in these last 2-3 yrs but was also a 2-time lapper in many of his last yrs, just riding around the track for a paycheck. That BS he pulled with RD5 proved he was just riding around the track, getting lapped, then he suddenly cuts his lap time down by 20 seconds? He ruined himself here and apparently lost his butt and bank account the last 2 yrs he had a team and now is forced to keep begging for a ride using his winning yrs of ~10 yrs ago as his selling point. He needs a paycheck is the only reason he still is around.
@@megadawg342 AC222 is damn good for sure but this also points to how few of top-tier riders their are in the world. Their schedule over there when AC won ~all those titles on a 350, was 2 weeks off between most races and sometimes 3 weeks off. Hows that for recovery time when the USA SX riders race 17 weeks in a row with only 1 break at a religious holiday, then straight into our MX season .
@@brantleyschnell1741 aye smart one it’s call a “factory rider” for a reason.. if you can’t afford 12-14k for a new bike what are you doing racing to begin with.
As someone who had raced back in the days when the motocross bike was developing thru its technologies and suspension designs, it made a rider go that much faster over rough terrain. I retired from riding due to the cost of a new motorcycle every year just to keep up with other racers. That too, is one other reason to retire from racing, recreational riding is now the norm. Motocross is expensive, bikes, gear, parts, training, travel, automobiles, insurance, food and lodging is all in the equation to compete in a sport where one fall/crash can shut all of that down. Only a few (riders and families) has the will to make it to the top. Support for family members require a devotion 24/7 is also needed to make it to the top. I look at the Alessi family who dedicated their livelihood to this sport for many years. Dad, and the 2 sons Mike and Jeff had that devotion to this sport and I respect their effort. I hope that family can look back at their devotion and teach others who want to do motocross/supercross giving others the wisdom to suceed.
Great Video Johnny. I'm also one with a reconstructed femur ... and chronic back pain now in my 50s. You will love watching the sport for the rest of your life and you will ride (much more conservatively) too, but you will probably never feel right pushing others (like your kids) into the sport (knowing what you know now). Gladiators didn't have much of a future either, but many wanted to be one.
I broke my L3 - L5 and my pelvis is a bad crash and was warned by my doctor to never race again or face an injury I wouldn't walk away from. I still went back to racing like n idiot and broke my left femur and it was harder to recover at 23 from that one compared to 18. If you race at a high enough level you will get injured, it's a mater of when not if.... I agree with you 100% with your comment. I too still ride at my local track but as I got in my 30's I don't take the kind of risks I did racing. I still love riding and watching mx/sx although it's rough getting up in the mornings sometimes. I'd still do it all over again tho...good luck with dealing with your back pain I know how debilitating it can be my friend.
stewart disappeared because everyone always talked shit about him everytime he got hurt. he was the fasted and nicest dude on the planet at 1 time. Yet, when canard retires because he couldn't stay healthy and we all wished him a good life. Stewart is and always will be the guy who changed moto/supercross forever, but all you guys can do is talk shit about him. Watch some of his race videos. He was The SHIT!!!!
This is the truth, watch how riders rode before JS. And then watch how they tried to ride during his prime. Riders are very much influenced by him now. Fastest ever. Stop bashing...
@@Davido50 You guys have to remember that he was on a 250cc for a few of those years, going against RC's 450 and still beat him. In races that is. When they were on even bikes js smoked him. And why dose color come in to it..... And Jeremy had no one to challenge him all those years.
Motocross is boring now they didn't support the Michael Jordan of supercross aka James Stewart pushed him out now they whining he gone. Have a great life James😁😁😁😁😁😁😇😇😇😇😇 respect
It doesn't look like you appreciate James Stewart, he won several victories in Supercross, 2nd in history, plus his wins in Motocross would fulfill your dreams! It would have been fun to hear you do your Howard Cosell play by play For at least one Supercross race, you know the Toronto Supercross in 2014... since I have friends in the industry, it's incredibly difficult and always has been to Rise the top, it takes a lot more than money. If you did have millions you still wouldn't make it. You're talking about James like he's not a Rockstar. You do not know all the details of why everybody retired personally, you do not know them and their families personally. Now go clean your room. You asked for a comment, does that satisfy you
You are f'n hilarious..those intros. I have to give you credit for cutting through the bullshit. Takes some nerve, understanding and some brains to present useful information. Glad I found your channel.
great video brother. i've watched a few of your videos already and now a new subscriber. crashing with the risk of injury and death was half the reason why i never got into racing also the fact that i never had the money.
My last bad crash I really considered hanging it up after landing on the end of the handlebars and having a huge hematoma and being in the ER for 7 hrs. I'm 42 and definitely no spring chicken but after not riding for a while I had to get back to it again but definitely think twice about speed or hitting a big jump. Thanks for the video you definitely nailed it on the head about all these teams that fold up after a few races.
John Hoper, sucks we never train for a stuck throttle as panic sets in and the kill switch, clutch or brakes are pushed out of our repertoire of solutions; 4th gear pinned into concrete...can not even imagine.
You know in Dungey’s case his luck finally ran out on missing injuries, he hurt his neck. Once it starts it can be hard to turn it off. I think he counted his blessings and eased out as number one ☝️ with plenty of cash. Stewart probably wanted to but after his long vacation it never came back, he hit the ground so many times hard it wasn’t funny, more lives than a Cat. Villopoto won everything and was burnt out, the last goal was MXGP and that tailbone was enough believe me.
Jesse Nelson was paralyzed at Unadilla. Went down in a rutted out turn , the bike hit his lower back and as you said in the blink of an eye he was paralyzed from the waist down.
Good video! Thank you for telling us your story. Motocross / supercross is something to do for fun and then be finished with it and watch it on TV if you would like to continue following the sport. I raised for 9 years in the state of Colorado in the heyday of the sport, the 80s and the 90s. One of my friends who was racing in the Las Vegas supercross was landed on off of a triple jump and is now a paraplegic. Another friend had his face landed on and it crushed his helmet oh, now he has had full facial reconstruction and it cost him his marriage. Of the racers that I knew in the pro class, nearly all of them are making minimum wage plus commission working at motorcycle dealerships around the Denver area. We will be friends for life and I love every one of them, but betting on making a living in supercross or Motocross is a fool's errand.
Not really much of a science to it but this is absolutely a young man's sport. When 27 is considered to be old that kinda tells you how quickly this sport chews you up and spits you out.
One part you forgot, when riders find full-time girl friends the trouble starts. And then, when they get so serious that it turns into marriage, it's over. Motocross is sport where you can't have something in the background pulling on you. Girls pull on you and end your focus with riding. Look at Ryan Dungy, he was doing great until he started talking marriage. Same with Ricky Charmichael, Ryan Villapoto, Chad Reed, and the list goes on. They can still ride good, but not great. In the background the girl is saying "what about me...and it's too dangerous...and you need to stop."
I feel ya man. In March of 2017 I messed up in a rhythm section and ended up breaking my femur, t1-t5, both arms, dislocated left wrist, and degloved/ dislocated a couple fingers. At that point I pretty much decided to give up racing. Im still riding, but i dont think the risk of racing is worth it anymore. It's sad, but my story, as well as yours, is way to common in this sport. It has always been a blessing and a curse to be so dedicated to it, but after my injury it has become more of a curse. I'd give it up totally if i could.
I've broken 40+ bones, 14+ concussions, nearly amputated right leg, blown out knees, just had a full knee replacement. Next knee replacement is in 6 months. Foot fusion in 9 months. To be honest I would do it again because it was the best time of my life
@lucky7. I get asked all the time now that I'm 49 ad barely able to get around it seems that if I knew the pain and misery that im going thru now would I still decide to ride/ race my she life it seems ? My answer is immediate. Yes I would , I may even give more of myself yo to doing. You know ride/ train and race even harder . pain is temporary. It may take actually dying to end the pain , but it's temporary. The glory you get out of it lasts forever though.
Most straight up honest mx video on you tube, it's unfortunately always about the money. Sometimes it's just fun to go around a track and ride a motorcycle fast. In my day it was more about the rider and if they would have capped wheel travel and bike limits (like formula one) then we would see such catastrophic injuries. If major league baseball went to aluminum bats home runs would be triple what they are today but the factories sell sizzle not steak. Praying for you and much success for your channel.
This is off the topic of retirement and I know it's a touchy subject but I'd really would like to know if you could find some info on what going on with Kawasaki! James (in his Simi this is what I'm doing now video) touched on the culture at Kawasaki especially how they treated him I wonder if Eli is feeling like he should leave Kawasaki.. James Stewart looks like he and his family are doing just fine..
Thanks Johnny, for telling your story. You have a lot of guts in a lot of different ways...and...you're a great story teller ! Sorry about your crash...glad you can walk and move on though Here's to your dad...he sounds like he was a helluva guy 🍻
Kind of reminds me of tricky Ricky Stearns. Dude was on top of his game till jumping Jim Rivers moved up to the big class. It only took one race and Ricky retired leaving jumping Jim rivers to dominate the class for years to come.
There are guys that are addicted to alcohol or drugs and then there's the guys that ride dirt bikes. They are addicting. Nothing else like it. Its fun and a great workout. You know the old saying " Its not when will you crash, its just how bad will it be" You ride, you will get hurt. Don't chase the dream to long it could cost you more than money
Quite surprised to see the pic at 8:37. Its ex GP rider Rob Andrews testing, I think, Paul Malin's bike for British mag DBR. Could be Dobb's though actually. And in other boring news....
That's why in my opinion mx sx/mx needs to change and become like golf where payouts per race are like $300 000 1st and 22nd gets like $10 000, manufacturers only supply bikes and riders can buy factory parts from manufacturer,, this way many more riders will be riding and many more riders will make a decent living ,, manufacturers will sell many more bikes and the sport will become more popular,,now only a few retire with enough cash,, But yes all professional riders need credit and reward and yes it's a brutal sport where the body gets ponded,, training is also brutal to maintain that level year in and year out..
motocross and supercross are very dangerous, as evidenced by all the young broken bodies piling up over the years...how roczen came back from his injuries is miraculous, but it illustrates the passion for such a dangerous sport...it's no wonder some retire early...because they can...
well, you were thanking your sponsors for winning the race to hospital (lol no disrespect) in that clip you were surprisingly coherent for being fucked up on pain killers. Good video bro. i’m a big fan if the channel
Hats off to you mx and sx guys. I raced hare scrambles from age 13 to 25 in the novice and amatuer classes. Then raced atvs for a few years in my late 20's. While doing that I raced a few downhill races on a Mt bike. I never made a dime. I trail rode in my 30's, Broken collarbone was the worst I got. I havent ridden anything in the last 5 years.I will be 43 in a few weeks, I can tell you I wake up every morning with mild pain on every joint in my body. I have no regrets, All I can say to the kids is,"Enjoy it while you are young,and dont get hurt👍🙂". I'm heading off to work ;)
Same with me couldn't qualify for supper cross. I broke my back in arenacross. It was to tight. In the 90s the best I did was 13th place and $2000 . Most of the time something would happen to the bike or I'd crash or get hurt . You're right without a Sponcer or money it's impossible.
It’s pretty simple “ amateur sport “ means for the love of the sport Professional sport “ job “ with a few amateur riders who just love riding and stay racing
I had some bad injuries and I understand I wont even do any large jumps on the track unless I plan on racing that track. It's not worth the risk anymore at 35 for me it's more about riding the bike and having a good time and not trying to drop my lap time daily
Glad someone is bringing up the PEDs. All these professional cyclist trainers talking about how the requirements are similar fitness wise between the two sports. Cycling is one of the dirtiest sports in the world for PEDs. It’s a huge part of all professional sports
Stephen Crawford I have my outlined planned and just been nervous about bringing it up because there is plenty from my experience racing at this level people may hate me or love me for it. But it’s going to be a controversial video for sure.
Johnny Hopper did you catch that little bit about Aldon at the beginning of James Stewart’s last interview he released? “I learned a lot about nutrition...... and other things that helped”
I think everyone has to give it a shot in order to make a educated decision if they can be a contender otherwise how would you know? I am sorry you had that terrible bad luck and thank the lord you are not paralyzed!! Also Sorry to hear about your dad passing, I can tell you loved him very much and miss him . Keep up the good work I enjoy all ur vids!
I wanted to get your opinion.im 36 and I want to start riding and racing again.ive rode maybe 20 times in the last 3 years.I would like to race an arena cross race by the time I'm 37.what do I have to do to enter an arena cross race?
Riding/Racing a motorcycle is an addiction. Been in my share of crashes and even flirted with death yet I STILL ride. Makes no sense to me why I still ride at age 51 but again, ITS MY DRUG OF CHOICE.
MX is like golf, very few make money. Smart, top riders retire early. You have the two extremes: RD5 is the exception in that his injury list was very short because he rode at 98% and won 9 titles. JS7 rode at 101% and spent as much time in the ER than he did in the seat.
I'm just shaking my head - goes out with a sticking throttle ... I know what the doctors and nurses think of MX racing. They see injured riders all the time.
When you get older priority change. You don't have the mental drive to push yourself in comparison to younger guys who don't care about consequences. Physically it's hard too.
Rick Melon #123 had the same throttle stick problem too and he got buckled as well. Luckily they didn't sell his YZ250 for parts.... Instead the bike got a makeover and Rick Melon went on to almost win the supercross of DALLAS. Yall remember yes?
Love the sport, theres not a substitute, but its not a matter of IF, its just a matter of WHEN. One of my worst accidents came on a practice track due to a bike malfunction, another came on a track without a flagger on a jump. You cant control everything and youre moving too fast with too little protection around you. When you come to this mental awareness and understanding of what youre doing with your life, its over for you. Its not fun any more.
Unless you're good enough to pick up a factory spot or a major sponsor ride just be smart enough to have excellent medical coverage and supplement income insurance. If you're all you have to depend on then make sure you do your homework and make sure you have the right insurance
I made it to pro on pretty stock bikes I could see when I was 19 I either needed a ride or it was over . I dident have a bad crash just walked away . I regretted that until I saw friends and people I know die or get paralyzed now that I’m 35 I race 1 time a year vet class for fun which is the whole reason I started riding anyway and i got a college degree and gained allot of work experience over my friends who kept racing.
If I was a up and coming pro and made my 450 debut and supercross and won. I would immediately sit out the rest of the season and go back to 250s. That way I can forever say that I have the highest win percentage in history of the 450 class. Kind of like if an NFL quarterback got his first start and had a crazy game with a quarterback rating of 158.3 and then retired after the game. He would have the highest career average quarterback rating.
My 6 year old high sided at 35 miles an hour on a local flat track. It only took a split second, rear tire broke lose, front tire tucked, then the rear swung around 180 degrees. The bike (a pw 50) threw him like a rag doll. He hit his head so hard (even with a $700 helmet) i cant see me letting him ride again. Racing motorcycles was fun when i was a kid now its just dangerous. For me i see all these little racers crashing hard as the pros so how will they ever make it to the pros. The one in a million well not for me.
It's the catch 22 of motocross. The love hate scenario. I used to own a pretty big private team...TEAM BOOKOO, and it was my ultimate dream come true. We created the first reality TV show around a supercross team, ”The Reality of Speed” and I had the time of my life living vicariously through many incredible pro riders, including David Vuillemin, Josh Demuth(who ended up losing a leg to the sport) and other great riders.
My first pro rider was Jeff Dement in the 90s (another team I had) and I remember watching him get seriously injured many times and it broke my heart. Jeff was and is an amazing young man.
Johnny, I love your content & I hope it's going well for you. This video brought up some fond memories but mostly, it reminded me of the unfortunate dangers and tragedies of our beloved sport.
Funny sidebar: I'm now dying of brain cancer & on two occasions I've had two massive seizures that resulted in breaking my back in two places + surgery and shattering my shoulder so bad that I need a complete artificial shoulder implant. The shoulder reconstruction surgery failed miserably and I can't even put a pair of glasses on my face with my left arm. All the broken bones I had from motocross racing and one of the worst injuries of my life came from a seizure!
Go figure!
It's still the best sport in the world and I so miss playing in the game of racing. Keep up the great work! And yes, I know I belabored my comment.
BooKoo Brands dude I loved the reality of speed! I was just a kid and looked up everyone on that show. I never missed a episode. I am sincerely sorry to hear about your misfortune and i/everyone on my channel are praying for you.
wouldn't trade it for anything less though.
Good bless you and your family my brother stay positive! Wishing you well.
Hey bookoo me and my son used to watch the series,loved it.sorry to hear of your illness keep fighting dude.
God bless
I can totally identify with this. I retired fron the Novice class because I was no longer willing to do what it takes to finish 12th.
😂
😂🙏🏼
Lmao
How do you retire as a millionaire from motocross? Start out a billionaire .
I worked with Donnie at south wick from 80’s to 125’s . Great guy .
haaaa haaaa
Johnny, for every pro retirement story, there are 100 amateur stories of retirement. When I broke my back (a 30% burst fracture of L1) I knew I was done, but I was also over 60 years old and you would have thought I would have made that decision sooner. I started in my late teens so my pro days were non existent, but I was a decent Amateur class rider. Even at that level, the litany of bone and physical damage was extensive. I broke my collar bone (of course), but I had to have surgery and the two surgeries required to fix it were a pain. Then I had a chronic dislocating shoulder that was fixed with a Bristow operation. Worked great until I popped it out again. Then I broke my ankle, lower tib , fib in 12 places and in one of the first races back from that injury, I broke the tibia plateau all the way from the knee to 1/2 way down the shin. I still have 10 screws. I’ve broken numerous ribs, left foot, fingers, my wrist, my pelvis and ultimately my back. I kept telling myself, I was going to stop, but I loved the sport and still do. After I broke my foot, I even started a line of Insoles for Motocross that are a protective layer between you and a bad landing. (Insoles by MX Orthotics) Unfortunately, the surgery to fix my back that was supposed to be a simple procedure, turned out to be the worst 4 months of my life so far. I hope it heals, but I have my doubts. One thing is certain. Motocrossers never give up and I won’t either. My body, on the other hand, has said “that’s enough”. I hope they have MX in heaven as it would not be heaven without it. Thanks for the reflection on the subject.
There’s only one thing more dangerous than motorcross. It’s called Supercross.
True! It is very technical racing.
KK Rider actually it is freestyle that is more dangerous
Tolliver 199 Not really
Jimmy Deen That’s a very good point it just seems to me that Supercross is very precise very very little room for mistakes. Hell every type of two wheeled competition is very dangerous anyway you look at it. 👍🏁
@Jimmy Deen Personally I find that supercross is more dangerous especially now that they're riding 4 strokes indoors and out. Reason being is the size of the tracks they're more narrow there's less lines so and although there's less riders there's way more traffic on a supercross track with with less room for the traffic. Sure mx has huge jumps but sx triples are massive and sometimes have a rhythm before or after with an immediate tight corner before and after. They're both dangerous though no doubt.
Really does suck that this sport is expensive. Most racers such as myself just rely on hopes and dreams. Sometimes it feels like it’s not even worth it anymore. Keep up the awesome videos Jhonny! Really changed my perspectives about racing.
As A Dad I'm seriously questioning why I'm paying to potentially kill my kid, (dad, sponsor, mechanic), my 15yr old made a small mistake in a super rutted out low high woop section, got driven face 1st with his 150sx landing on him, I had never seen him crash out so hard, fast and violent... bloody face, total neck scorpion.. the wind being knocked out of him and seeing all that blood.. I freaked out, seeing that happen to your kid messes with you... (Leatt neck brace, literally saved his life), he ended up, w/ broken nose and a concussion.. it's been a few days and he wants to ride?? , I get why.. I'm not looking forward to another E.R trip.. , And my sincerest condolence, to hear how your Dad was with you, is how my son and I are.
🦑🦑🦑🦑🐌🐌🐌🐌
@@ratsnroplive6380 I don't speak Emoji.
Wyatt Sprague I have no idea what that means too lol
@@Johnny_Hopper Great vids dude, and that Leatt Neck Brace was worth every penny. (Although' I complained about buying it). Lol
This is how me and my dad are too. But now that I’m older I see where he got the grey hair from.
Johnny! Thanks for keeping it real, this sport is at most an expensive hobby for those that can afford to ride-good stuff!
Hare scramble .....0-30 mph ...still having fun at 63.. No need to win the race. Enjoy the weekend....that is the win.
Thanks for making the videos, I really like what you're doing. Also thank you for sharing your story, we all know how tough this sport is, but I think we forget how crazy SX/MX is on riders bodies.
Johnny thank you for putting this video out. I think it’s one of the best videos you’ve done. I really enjoyed hearing your story about your career I would love for you and Cooksey and coach to get together and talk about all three of your past experiences. I think a lot of people would like to hear about the three of you personally. I love all the content that you three put out, but getting to know the three of you at a more personal level would be awesome. It would really let all of us fans get to know you guys better and feel like we’re all part of the same crew. I think Cooksey’s idea of having the three of you talk between races at world Supercross would be a winner. Hearing a little bit about each one of yours past and then talking about the racers on the track and interviewing them would be extremely entertaining and interesting. Keep things going brother. Bra bra bra bra bra bra!!!!!!!
Great video, Everything so true. Broke my back with a stuck throttle. RUclips has been a great way for me to get back into casual riding and restorations. Subbed
Best to retire on top. You get married, have a family. The sport is very dangerous. Why press your luck. Everyone gets hurt - even the best. And Supercross is so unforgiving and unnatural.
Quiting while you're ahead, is not the same as quiting!
There is only one thing more dangerous then motocross, marriage!!
Calvin johnson did the same thing
Yes its dangerous thats what you sign upfor duh you want to be safe compete in professional CHESS TOURNAMENT THATS SAFE. OR CURLING YEAH YOULL. LIKE THAT
Seriously RCs last championship race at Glenn Helen he got injured.
Hey john hopp...great vid once again...i had a mx career ending injury a few years back...i used to run district 5 here in w.pa. i came up short on a double at pleasure valley mx park...panicked reved...hucka buck...whiskey throttle...u name it...it happened...woke up 4 or 5 minutes latter to the smell of salts(nasty) thanx to the med crew...got a concussion...two hairline fractures in my neck...and one hell of a headache...i took a whole year off from racing...i tried mx again but wasnt the same anymore...im older and a little wiser now...i do cra hardscrambles now...less wear & tear on my body...keep up the great work u do for all of us two freaks...lol
Sorry meant to say two wheel freaks...lol
Huge respect to all elite level moto guys. PBR bill riders and motoguys are absolutely the most underpaid athletes in the world.
hundred proof 100 yiu can add hockey players and freestyle and Greco wrestlers to that list
Top 10 Mx riders are paid pretty damn well especially considering the return on investment the guys that are paying get.
Good vid. The physical dangers the riders these days put themselves in, is seriously mind blowing. You nailed it.....risk versus reward.
Yep...when you buy that dirt bike with the intent to race, then you are buying your license to spend a lot more money. Some people call this, " your writing checks your body can't afford to cash.".
Thankfully the euphoria and adrenalin blinded me to that logic, lest I would have never had so much fun. Crazy.
well put
Gosh damn that's accurate!
Hey man, keep up the good videos. I've found myself on your content more and more recently. Great job.
When you brake a bone on your body that injury stays with you and you "feel" it for years, that shit affects you and sometimes it's just not worth the risk.
Hi Johnny. I enjoy your video's and your honesty about the sport. I ride because I enjoy it and I race occasionally in the 45 expert class locally but I always think about that next trip to the ER and that puts me in a go slow mode and I'm ok with that. A lot of pros if they're not going fast they quit and that's sad. I have had 10 broken bones pelvis and back among the worst and I still ride for fun but a lot slower.
Right on or better yer RIDE ON!
I am 44 and 2 or 2 and a half years ago just started riding. I enjoy the slower mountain single track with log hops and step ups etc.
That said my buddies have somehow got me into these desert races where i consistently take last place over all lol.
Now that may be terrible to alot of racers however it is more of the enjoyment of a challenge that keeps me going back.
1 i enjoy riding for fun with friends and no real objective the most
2 I have well 4 races and about 10 rides on sand for my experience in sand and desert races ALWAYS have a sand
3 i broke my thumb and wrist 2 races ago, rode 14 miles on it to finish lap 2 only to get a DNF =( LOL
4 I cut my cast off to attempt the race this weekend and am thinking "why not ride to enjoy and enjoy to ride?"
I see NO SHAME in loving and being obsessed with riding as i do now but racing seems to add more risk than usual.
My point i think is good for you enjoying the ride and or race at your own pace, I know a few who think of these races (50-90 miles) a just a long ride with lots of great people. These are the ones who seem to honestly be enjoying the journey, having fun and smile much more.
Like I stated I am "MR. LAST PLACE OVERALL" and am still learning basics, this is just my view from my perspective so keep that in mind before you skilled competitive riders roast me k =)
I guess these guys don’t have the same chance to do what they do, but ride slower. Even the back markers put themselves at risk hitting those jumps each lap.
I broke my back in two places and neck in the same crash about 6mnths ago, and I’ll step away from racing mx from now on. Will get a trail bike and hit the bush, but won’t be going crazy like I used to.
Jonny, Props to you for being smart enough to retire and thanks for sharing your story and insiders knowledge of this amazing sport of brave young men 👏
Thanks for sharing your story. I feel the same about my riding history. Never was fast enough to even think about making it a career but loved racing on the amateur level. Never had any broken bones but one too many concussions between MX and BMX and I had to call it quits after 20 years. My symptoms correlate to closely with a possible CTE diagnosis and now all I can think about is how the rest of my life is going to turn out. I don't know if I would change anything with how I lived my life. I had sooooo much fun riding and making friends but it does make you question it when the payment comes due.
I appreciated your analysis. I was trying to pursue motocross as a career back in the 1980's and was in my first supercross, in second position in my qualifier and crashed breaking my back, collarbone and some ribs so I would fall into your third category. However, I think you missed the biggest reason why these top guys like the Ryans called it quits at seemingly the top of their game. I think the big money has begun to ruin our beloved sport. When you start throwing millions of dollars at these guys, with that money comes a whole lot of pressure to win. With that comes injuries because, as you know, you are not going to win unless you're riding past a reasonable limit. Just look at Villapoto at the end of his career... he was miserable and couldn't wait to retire. Just my humble opinion but I very much enjoy your video and I think there is a ton of truth in your comments.
This is a really good and real perspective on what most people probably don't see when they are watching thief favorite sport. That was rough seeing you in the hospital like that. I hope you feel better now.
I have a different story
"He is a black man, with pretensions of earning 100 thousand dollars more than what they offer," a well-known AMA broker told me at the end of 2016, two others involved in the AMA confirmed to me that the father asked for 100 thousand more than what he asked for. They offered ... OK, let's be honest, 100 thousand dollars, for US companies, it's nothing, zero, nothing, nothing, Bubba's ability has no price, his followers are millions in the world and the amount of tickets he sells, exceeds that amount of money for a long time, but the corporations want the pilots to be known, but not more important than the brand, that is the reason why the winning pilots change brands every time, Suzuki has always shown, won championships with Carmichael, Reed and Dungey, but they all left. Kawasaki did nothing to retain Bubba when he made the perfect season and not even Honda wanted to retain Carmichael who was happy to win with his CR 250. Neither did Kawasaki in the first RC season, later in time, when RC4 said on Suzuki he wanted to continue with the 2 times he was told no and Ricky ran another season with the 4T and got off the bike, even with two more years of contract. The bike was more important than RC.
No brand wants to be eclipsed by a pilot, no manager wants to be a zero to the left and no Team Manager wants his pilots to be more important than them, it's an egos war. In which everyone wants to show that the bike wins and not the driver.
Malcolm Stewart won the 250 SX championship, Geico made a pre-contract and the owner of Geico, issued a press release, saying that Malcolm would be Geico's runner in 450 the following year but that he would not race the Motocross, Larocco 2 weeks later, he went out to say that there was no such arrangement and that he would not be the runner and managed to put Bogle, leaving him to the Champion without a motorcycle and again I say that it is easier to do it to a black or a Latino ... They already had enough Bubba and now Malcolm was also a champion? That was a lot ...
sorry for google translate
Crap, Hopper! That injury looked horrible. Glad you pulled out of that bad hurt. Rode my new bike for the first time today. First time EVER. Your videos really helped me get started...attack position, arm position (I really need to work on this one...easy to forget), foot position, shifting. Thank you much. I don't motocross...I'm 52 but have been told it looks like I've been riding for a few months, when it's my first day. Thanks to you.
Good topic Johhny. Thanks for sharing. I love to ride motorcross bikes but when it came to racing I made a decision in my teens to stop racing as I did not want to be a burden to my parents who were raising five other children. Now at the age of 64 I still ride at Pala raceway on the vet track to stay in shape and have no pain due to previous injuries. Everyone makes their own retirement decisions for their own reasons. To young riders I say have a backup plan in case racing doesn't work out. Bottom line, do well in school, plan on completing college and do well in your career.
GREAT perspective and a great video. I only subscribe to something on The Tube once a year, maybe... and I just subscribed. At 38 I ride in the C-class and only practice (no racing) and usually am the slowest guy on the track. As long as I clear a few jumps and get a good workout from it with no injuries, I am the happiest camper that day. Mindset is everything with this sport. The risk/reward is not until you get to the 1% of the top 1%, and those are basically Hollywood Odds, so I don't play. How is your nerve damage treating you? I am dealing with some residual symptoms at L5/S1 after my disc blew up three years ago. I had an artificial disc replacement and went from disabled to riding at my level again (95% better), but some residual nerve symptoms so I just take the meds to shut it down. I wonder how you handle the nerve damage. Nerve symptoms are bad. Cheers!
I think you missed one major reason why motorcross riders retire. Workload! I can’t think of another sport where athletes have to work so hard, racing every week. Training all week just to repeat. I feel if you halved the number of races in a year, riders would enjoy it more, people wouldn’t retire, therefor we would have Dungey, Villopotto, RC, Stewart all racing together. Imagine the stadiums being sold out months before hand. This would also lower the risk of crashes because your simply not riding every weekend. This would also bring money back to the sport because it would bring the fans back. I think 2019 has to be the worst year for AMATURE mx fans. No one really knows Webb, Tomac. Maybe a little Roczen. But I talk to people, they don’t care because there is no superstars anymore. It’s only the hardcore riders like myself who watch it every week.
Also Deano said it himself. He makes more money riding 1 off races in Paris and Australia then he does in his MX/SX career. He said that’s what he is going to do later on. Ride 6x one off events around the world getting paid to just travel, no workload, no stress. It’s so sad the sport at the moment.
Another great video by the way.
Also when you were explaining your crash I thought this video was going to be you! It took a while to find. Haha ruclips.net/video/p_V8a1yf_E8/видео.html (I realise it’s not you after watching the news clip)
You're talking a lot from an entertainment perspective. The base of this whole thing is the fact that's it's the world's hardest series, it's supposed to be tough. It might seem too tough at times buts they've got to be the best. And I also think if people stuck around longer you wouldn't have an equal cycle where people are able to come into the sport
Makes you realize what a badass chad reed is. Like him or not, the dudes a stud
Yes, and Antonio Cairoli is 33 and still winning MXGP Championships... OUTDOORS! 9 times.
CR22 🤘
I wouldn't say I love reed I wouldn't say i hate him . I dont like some of the things he's done almost like he let his ego on the track effect him .. But I do gotta give it to reed . i think he's the longest in the sx racing ever to still be racing pro except John Dowd who race pro nationals he retired at 55 I think? 56 ? I know he dosnt race anymore .. But reeds been at it a long time and has raced semi smart . smart on HiS behalf that is. Hes pulled shady shit like cleaning canard out for no reason . or slowing dungy down in sx 2017 at Seattle . but otger than that reeds just been a smart rider . n hasn't gotten himself messed up .
22 was not only lapped in these last 2-3 yrs but was also a 2-time lapper in many of his last yrs, just riding around the track for a paycheck. That BS he pulled with RD5 proved he was just riding around the track, getting lapped, then he suddenly cuts his lap time down by 20 seconds?
He ruined himself here and apparently lost his butt and bank account the last 2 yrs he had a team and now is forced to keep begging for a ride using his winning yrs of ~10 yrs ago as his selling point. He needs a paycheck is the only reason he still is around.
@@megadawg342 AC222 is damn good for sure but this also points to how few of top-tier riders their are in the world. Their schedule over there when AC won ~all those titles on a 350, was 2 weeks off between most races and sometimes 3 weeks off. Hows that for recovery time when the USA SX riders race 17 weeks in a row with only 1 break at a religious holiday, then straight into our MX season .
they all should race stock bikes..... would make things more interesting
I'd love to see a race where they are given $2000 to find a second hand bike and battle it out
Q Hughes it would actually ruin the sport but thats my opinion.i think they should allow steroid use in mlb and nfl.
paul spencer dude your 11 months late on this comment go kick rocks bud 🖕🏽🖕🏽🤣😂
If they made everyone race stock bikes then it would be who has enough money to buy a brand new bike before each race.
@@brantleyschnell1741 aye smart one it’s call a “factory rider” for a reason.. if you can’t afford 12-14k for a new bike what are you doing racing to begin with.
As someone who had raced back in the days when the motocross bike was developing thru its technologies and suspension designs, it made a rider go that much faster over rough terrain. I retired from riding due to the cost of a new motorcycle every year just to keep up with other racers. That too, is one other reason to retire from racing, recreational riding is now the norm. Motocross is expensive, bikes, gear, parts, training, travel, automobiles, insurance, food and lodging is all in the equation to compete in a sport where one fall/crash can shut all of that down. Only a few (riders and families) has the will to make it to the top. Support for family members require a devotion 24/7 is also needed to make it to the top. I look at the Alessi family who dedicated their livelihood to this sport for many years. Dad, and the 2 sons Mike and Jeff had that devotion to this sport and I respect their effort. I hope that family can look back at their devotion and teach others who want to do motocross/supercross giving others the wisdom to suceed.
Great Video Johnny. I'm also one with a reconstructed femur ... and chronic back pain now in my 50s. You will love watching the sport for the rest of your life and you will ride (much more conservatively) too, but you will probably never feel right pushing others (like your kids) into the sport (knowing what you know now). Gladiators didn't have much of a future either, but many wanted to be one.
I broke my L3 - L5 and my pelvis is a bad crash and was warned by my doctor to never race again or face an injury I wouldn't walk away from. I still went back to racing like n idiot and broke my left femur and it was harder to recover at 23 from that one compared to 18. If you race at a high enough level you will get injured, it's a mater of when not if.... I agree with you 100% with your comment. I too still ride at my local track but as I got in my 30's I don't take the kind of risks I did racing. I still love riding and watching mx/sx although it's rough getting up in the mornings sometimes. I'd still do it all over again tho...good luck with dealing with your back pain I know how debilitating it can be my friend.
stewart disappeared because everyone always talked shit about him everytime he got hurt. he was the fasted and nicest dude on the planet at 1 time. Yet, when canard retires because he couldn't stay healthy and we all wished him a good life. Stewart is and always will be the guy who changed moto/supercross forever, but all you guys can do is talk shit about him. Watch some of his race videos. He was The SHIT!!!!
This is the truth, watch how riders rode before JS. And then watch how they tried to ride during his prime. Riders are very much influenced by him now. Fastest ever. Stop bashing...
He wasnt. He was very fast very inconsistent and the 1st black rider of champion talent. That's it.
@@reezin14 he was alright ...rode reckless... def no RC or King Jeremy!
@@Davido50 You guys have to remember that he was on a 250cc for a few of those years, going against RC's 450 and still beat him. In races that is. When they were on even bikes js smoked him. And why dose color come in to it..... And Jeremy had no one to challenge him all those years.
Motocross is boring now they didn't support the Michael Jordan of supercross aka James Stewart pushed him out now they whining he gone. Have a great life James😁😁😁😁😁😁😇😇😇😇😇 respect
It doesn't look like you appreciate James Stewart, he won several victories in Supercross, 2nd in history, plus his wins in Motocross would fulfill your dreams! It would have been fun to hear you do your Howard Cosell play by play For at least one Supercross race, you know the Toronto Supercross in 2014... since I have friends in the industry, it's incredibly difficult and always has been to Rise the top, it takes a lot more than money. If you did have millions you still wouldn't make it. You're talking about James like he's not a Rockstar. You do not know all the details of why everybody retired personally, you do not know them and their families personally. Now go clean your room.
You asked for a comment, does that satisfy you
You are f'n hilarious..those intros. I have to give you credit for cutting through the bullshit. Takes some nerve, understanding and some brains to present useful information. Glad I found your channel.
Its terrible seeing you in hospital like that. Glad you came out okay. Love your channel.
great video brother. i've watched a few of your videos already and now a new subscriber. crashing with the risk of injury and death was half the reason why i never got into racing also the fact that i never had the money.
My last bad crash I really considered hanging it up after landing on the end of the handlebars and having a huge hematoma and being in the ER for 7 hrs. I'm 42 and definitely no spring chicken but after not riding for a while I had to get back to it again but definitely think twice about speed or hitting a big jump. Thanks for the video you definitely nailed it on the head about all these teams that fold up after a few races.
I just gotta say, hearing your mx story gave me a lot of respect for what true privateers go through. Appreciate the insight!
Privateers? Ain't no fix but morphine for anyone laying in a bed all busted up.
John Hoper, sucks we never train for a stuck throttle as panic sets in and the kill switch, clutch or brakes are pushed out of our repertoire of solutions; 4th gear pinned into concrete...can not even imagine.
its all in the clutch. the kill switch doesnt always work.
You know in Dungey’s case his luck finally ran out on missing injuries, he hurt his neck. Once it starts it can be hard to turn it off. I think he counted his blessings and eased out as number one ☝️ with plenty of cash. Stewart probably wanted to but after his long vacation it never came back, he hit the ground so many times hard it wasn’t funny, more lives than a Cat. Villopoto won everything and was burnt out, the last goal was MXGP and that tailbone was enough believe me.
Watch Ryan's Gypsy tales interview. He says why he retired in that.
Jesse Nelson was paralyzed at Unadilla. Went down in a rutted out turn , the bike hit his lower back and as you said in the blink of an eye he was paralyzed from the waist down.
Good video! Thank you for telling us your story. Motocross / supercross is something to do for fun and then be finished with it and watch it on TV if you would like to continue following the sport. I raised for 9 years in the state of Colorado in the heyday of the sport, the 80s and the 90s. One of my friends who was racing in the Las Vegas supercross was landed on off of a triple jump and is now a paraplegic. Another friend had his face landed on and it crushed his helmet oh, now he has had full facial reconstruction and it cost him his marriage. Of the racers that I knew in the pro class, nearly all of them are making minimum wage plus commission working at motorcycle dealerships around the Denver area. We will be friends for life and I love every one of them, but betting on making a living in supercross or Motocross is a fool's errand.
I’m glad you made it Johnny! ❤️
Not really much of a science to it but this is absolutely a young man's sport. When 27 is considered to be old that kinda tells you how quickly this sport chews you up and spits you out.
One part you forgot, when riders find full-time girl friends the trouble starts. And then, when they get so serious that it turns into marriage, it's over. Motocross is sport where you can't have something in the background pulling on you. Girls pull on you and end your focus with riding. Look at Ryan Dungy, he was doing great until he started talking marriage. Same with Ricky Charmichael, Ryan Villapoto, Chad Reed, and the list goes on. They can still ride good, but not great. In the background the girl is saying "what about me...and it's too dangerous...and you need to stop."
Chad came to the US with Ellie, RD and Cairoli won championships after getting married too.
I feel ya man. In March of 2017 I messed up in a rhythm section and ended up breaking my femur, t1-t5, both arms, dislocated left wrist, and degloved/ dislocated a couple fingers. At that point I pretty much decided to give up racing. Im still riding, but i dont think the risk of racing is worth it anymore. It's sad, but my story, as well as yours, is way to common in this sport. It has always been a blessing and a curse to be so dedicated to it, but after my injury it has become more of a curse. I'd give it up totally if i could.
I've broken 40+ bones, 14+ concussions, nearly amputated right leg, blown out knees, just had a full knee replacement. Next knee replacement is in 6 months. Foot fusion in 9 months. To be honest I would do it again because it was the best time of my life
@lucky7. I get asked all the time now that I'm 49 ad barely able to get around it seems that if I knew the pain and misery that im going thru now would I still decide to ride/ race my she life it seems ? My answer is immediate. Yes I would , I may even give more of myself yo to doing. You know ride/ train and race even harder . pain is temporary. It may take actually dying to end the pain , but it's temporary. The glory you get out of it lasts forever though.
Most straight up honest mx video on you tube, it's unfortunately always about the money. Sometimes it's just fun to go around a track and ride a motorcycle fast. In my day it was more about the rider and if they would have capped wheel travel and bike limits (like formula one) then we would see such catastrophic injuries. If major league baseball went to aluminum bats home runs would be triple what they are today but the factories sell sizzle not steak. Praying for you and much success for your channel.
This is off the topic of retirement and I know it's a touchy subject but I'd really would like to know if you could find some info on what going on with Kawasaki! James (in his Simi this is what I'm doing now video) touched on the culture at Kawasaki especially how they treated him I wonder if Eli is feeling like he should leave Kawasaki.. James Stewart looks like he and his family are doing just fine..
Often wondered this myself, it seems Kawasaki don't keep there winning riders very long.
Thanks Johnny, for telling your story. You have a lot of guts in a lot of different ways...and...you're a great story teller !
Sorry about your crash...glad you can walk and move on though
Here's to your dad...he sounds like he was a helluva guy 🍻
No frills truth. Refreshing mate. Keep it up!
Johnny ytf didn't you pull the clutch when your throttle stuck open?
Kind of reminds me of tricky Ricky Stearns. Dude was on top of his game till jumping Jim Rivers moved up to the big class. It only took one race and Ricky retired leaving jumping Jim rivers to dominate the class for years to come.
Appreciate your videos mate. Sorry it didn’t work out for you mate, you seam like a good guy
There are guys that are addicted to alcohol or drugs and then there's the guys that ride dirt bikes. They are addicting. Nothing else like it. Its fun and a great workout. You know the old saying " Its not when will you crash, its just how bad will it be" You ride, you will get hurt. Don't chase the dream to long it could cost you more than money
I cant imagine crashing at professional speed,let alone my slow pace. I get it. We really should appreciate them while there giving us a show.
Of the recently retired riders, which do you think could come back and immediately be offered a factory ride?
Dungey
Marvin bags be packed for dungey if he came back
Villipoto
I miss rv2 loved watching him race
Quite surprised to see the pic at 8:37. Its ex GP rider Rob Andrews testing, I think, Paul Malin's bike for British mag DBR. Could be Dobb's though actually. And in other boring news....
That's why in my opinion mx sx/mx needs to change and become like golf where payouts per race are like $300 000 1st and 22nd gets like $10 000, manufacturers only supply bikes and riders can buy factory parts from manufacturer,, this way many more riders will be riding and many more riders will make a decent living ,, manufacturers will sell many more bikes and the sport will become more popular,,now only a few retire with enough cash,,
But yes all professional riders need credit and reward and yes it's a brutal sport where the body gets ponded,, training is also brutal to maintain that level year in and year out..
Holy crap dude, ya I'm going to retire as a hundredaire.
motocross and supercross are very dangerous, as evidenced by all the young broken bodies piling up over the years...how roczen came back from his injuries is miraculous, but it illustrates the passion for such a dangerous sport...it's no wonder some retire early...because they can...
well, you were thanking your sponsors for winning the race to hospital (lol no disrespect) in that clip you were surprisingly coherent for being fucked up on pain killers. Good video bro. i’m a big fan if the channel
Hats off to you mx and sx guys. I raced hare scrambles from age 13 to 25 in the novice and amatuer classes. Then raced atvs for a few years in my late 20's. While doing that I raced a few downhill races on a Mt bike. I never made a dime. I trail rode in my 30's, Broken collarbone was the worst I got. I havent ridden anything in the last 5 years.I will be 43 in a few weeks, I can tell you I wake up every morning with mild pain on every joint in my body. I have no regrets, All I can say to the kids is,"Enjoy it while you are young,and dont get hurt👍🙂". I'm heading off to work ;)
Same with me couldn't qualify for supper cross. I broke my back in arenacross. It was to tight. In the 90s the best I did was 13th place and $2000 . Most of the time something would happen to the bike or I'd crash or get hurt . You're right without a Sponcer or money it's impossible.
It’s pretty simple “ amateur sport “ means for the love of the sport
Professional sport “ job “ with a few amateur riders who just love riding and stay racing
It is great to have a different and fresh outlook as well as pointers, thanks for making these videos
I had some bad injuries and I understand I wont even do any large jumps on the track unless I plan on racing that track. It's not worth the risk anymore at 35 for me it's more about riding the bike and having a good time and not trying to drop my lap time daily
Glad someone is bringing up the PEDs. All these professional cyclist trainers talking about how the requirements are similar fitness wise between the two sports. Cycling is one of the dirtiest sports in the world for PEDs. It’s a huge part of all professional sports
Stephen Crawford I have my outlined planned and just been nervous about bringing it up because there is plenty from my experience racing at this level people may hate me or love me for it. But it’s going to be a controversial video for sure.
Johnny Hopper did you catch that little bit about Aldon at the beginning of James Stewart’s last interview he released? “I learned a lot about nutrition...... and other things that helped”
I think everyone has to give it a shot in order to make a educated decision if they can be a contender otherwise how would you know? I am sorry you had that terrible bad luck and thank the lord you are not paralyzed!! Also Sorry to hear about your dad passing, I can tell you loved him very much and miss him . Keep up the good work I enjoy all ur vids!
great story, i suffered a devastating injury too. It happens!
You race long enough you're going to get a serious injury...it's a matter of when not if. I'm still glad I raced and would do it all over again.
Great video! Thanks for your vulnerability, and sharing the story of your brutal injury’s. Really quality RUclips channel! 😁👍👊🏼
I wanted to get your opinion.im 36 and I want to start riding and racing again.ive rode maybe 20 times in the last 3 years.I would like to race an arena cross race by the time I'm 37.what do I have to do to enter an arena cross race?
Mark Wood depends on where you live but the biggest in on the west coast is kicker ax they are easy tracks. kickerarenacross.com/
These videos are great. Subbing
I got injured racing at 18. It cost me a golf scolarship and 15 yrs later I still cant work 7hrs on my feet.
Riding/Racing a motorcycle is an addiction. Been in my share of crashes and even flirted with death yet I STILL ride. Makes no sense to me why I still ride at age 51 but again, ITS MY DRUG OF CHOICE.
MX is like golf, very few make money. Smart, top riders retire early. You have the two extremes: RD5 is the exception in that his injury list was very short because he rode at 98% and won 9 titles. JS7 rode at 101% and spent as much time in the ER than he did in the seat.
I'm just shaking my head - goes out with a sticking throttle ... I know what the doctors and nurses think of MX racing. They see injured riders all the time.
When you get older priority change. You don't have the mental drive to push yourself in comparison to younger guys who don't care about consequences. Physically it's hard too.
Henry and Fonseca big examples Great guys!!
Oh yea Doug Henry! Ernesto Fonseca!
Rick Melon #123 had the same throttle stick problem too and he got buckled as well. Luckily they didn't sell his YZ250 for parts.... Instead the bike got a makeover and Rick Melon went on to almost win the supercross of DALLAS. Yall remember yes?
Love your content, Johnny.
Love the sport, theres not a substitute, but its not a matter of IF, its just a matter of WHEN. One of my worst accidents came on a practice track due to a bike malfunction, another came on a track without a flagger on a jump. You cant control everything and youre moving too fast with too little protection around you. When you come to this mental awareness and understanding of what youre doing with your life, its over for you. Its not fun any more.
Could you explain the quick throttle more?
Unless you're good enough to pick up a factory spot or a major sponsor ride just be smart enough to have excellent medical coverage and supplement income insurance. If you're all you have to depend on then make sure you do your homework and make sure you have the right insurance
Great Video: inside knowledge! Do what you do!
I made it to pro on pretty stock bikes I could see when I was 19 I either needed a ride or it was over . I dident have a bad crash just walked away . I regretted that until I saw friends and people I know die or get paralyzed now that I’m 35 I race 1 time a year vet class for fun which is the whole reason I started riding anyway and i got a college degree and gained allot of work experience over my friends who kept racing.
And then there guys like Jeff Ward. Who keep racing and racing and racing.
Ward is the ultimate iron man , I have watched him race since his minibike days.
how well do you know josh hansen ? would be sick to get him on a video one day if you could
Thank you so much bro my name's cody from ca. If you make it to the main event. Do u get paid even getting last
Debbie Hipsher you do around 400 for 250 and 2300 for 450
Great video and love your honesty, look forward to the performance enhancing drugs video
eastlothian98 o man it will be a Controversial one for sure
You should do a video series like a where are they at now. Of guys like austin stroup, Ernesto fonsaca, Ben townly.
I fought the wall and the wall won.
Sorry bro couldn't' help myself
had the same problem I lived on a island that had no track no team nothing, could never get sponsored too.
If I was a up and coming pro and made my 450 debut and supercross and won. I would immediately sit out the rest of the season and go back to 250s. That way I can forever say that I have the highest win percentage in history of the 450 class. Kind of like if an NFL quarterback got his first start and had a crazy game with a quarterback rating of 158.3 and then retired after the game. He would have the highest career average quarterback rating.
I love your videos but turn your mic volume up!
My 6 year old high sided at 35 miles an hour on a local flat track. It only took a split second, rear tire broke lose, front tire tucked, then the rear swung around 180 degrees. The bike (a pw 50) threw him like a rag doll. He hit his head so hard (even with a $700 helmet) i cant see me letting him ride again. Racing motorcycles was fun when i was a kid now its just dangerous. For me i see all these little racers crashing hard as the pros so how will they ever make it to the pros. The one in a million well not for me.
Why is stewart in the picture ? He didnt retire on top..