REACTION TO ROGER At the 2013 Motocross des Nations, Roger DeCoster shocked the world by openly criticizing Ryan Dungey in an exclusive MX Vice interview. Since then, the interview has reached quite a few different corners of the world, as the comments were put under scrutiny by most. So, we have decided to join in the debate, and we got an industry expert to help us out. Lewis Phillips (MX Vice): Wow! I cannot believe that Roger DeCoster was so brutally honest! In motocross, most of the people that are involved with the riders and teams tend to remain tight-lipped a lot of the time. It is hardly surprising; they obviously do not want to jeopardize their position in the industry. Roger DeCoster is an exception to this rule though, as he tends to be very open when talking to the media, evidently. I was still shocked to hear him criticise Ryan Dungey in the manner that he did, as the two have a very close relationship. 42 | MX Vice - March 2014 - Issue 1
At the Motocross des Nations, I noticed that Ryan Dungey was making some bike changes all weekend long. The KTM pilot was making a few changes to his shock, in the practice session, on Sunday morning. You would think that a rider of his calibre would have his setup dialed in by that point, right? Well, according to the people around Ryan, he struggles when testing. It seems like he does not know what direction to go with his setup for different tracks. So, now the comments that DeCoster made in our exclusive interview are beginning to make sense! Obviously, his frustration stems from Dungey constantly pointing at bike setup as a problem, rather than looking at himself. DeCoster revealed this in the interview – what he said cannot be perceived in any other way: “Ryan thinks the bike was the problem, it’s himself.” It is a bit shocking that he continued to berate his rider following that comment. It makes you wonder what went on between them before, and after, the interview was conducted. Obviously, this has led most to question whether his comments could potentially damage their relationship. I do not think that this is the case. For all we know, Ryan could have read his comments, and agreed with them! I would bet that this is not the first time that Roger has made his feelings known to his factory KTM rider. Ultimately, the industry does need more people like Roger; I think that his honesty is a breath of the fresh air. In other sports, criticism such as this would not be shocking. So, why is motocross any different?