MOMENT WITH MIKE: Save your sorry tough guy

0 July 23, 2017, 10:39 p.m.

Main Photo: MOMENT WITH MIKE: Save your sorry tough guy

By Mike Garrison
LiveRC.com

Over the years I have ranted through written editorials, at the track after races, in the pits, on the driver’s stand, eating dinner week’s later, and everywhere in between after a flawless race is ruined by some whiskey throttled hot rod cleaning my clock in a senseless take-out. Especially when there is no reason and/or benefit for either of us by taking me out. For example, I am slightly more understanding if you take me out in the last turn for the A-Main win with 3 seconds left on the clock than when we are the first lap into an IFMAR qualifier in which we are all on our own racing clock – not heads up racing. Regardless, I think most would agree that being taken out and intentionally wrecked on the race track is extremely frustrating. I learned something about myself this weekend, and the frustration that surrounds being taken out.

While announcing a local motocross race this weekend I saw some of the closest bar banging amateur racing I have seen in a long time on a local level. One incident, however, had a real bonfire burning in my britches. Two riders were battling for the local series championship win in their respective class, and it all came down to who finished better at this weekend’s race. Adding to the excitement, both riders found themselves battling for the lead in the final race. With one lap left to go, “Rider A” was leading with “Rider B” in second. Rider B decided to make a last-ditch effort by squaring up and going for the kill with less than half a lap to go. He angled his line across the corner, grabbed a handful of throttle, and sucker punched Rider A square off the track. Had Rider A not been there to take the blow, Rider B would still be trying to figure out how to climb down out of the trees that he would launched he and his bike high up into – therefore clearly making this a deliberate attempt to aggressively pass/takeout the leader for the championship win.

While obviously friends and family of Rider A were furious, those in support of Rider B were all cheers. I, on the other hand, as the announcer was on no one’s side, however, was overjoyed to have such an eventful and exciting race to announce. The take out did not light the bonfire in my britches, it was the events after the race that fired me up.

After crossing the finish line, the victorious Rider B stopped alongside the disappointed and dirt covered Rider A to simply say, “Sorry man, I’m really sorry.”

This is when the light switch clicked, that being taken out is frustrating, but it’s the “Oh sorry bro,” from the other end of the driver’s stand that makes my blood boil.

There are certain instances in which truly accidental contact or mistakes happen that cause two drivers (or riders) to collide, crash, fly off the track, or all the above. These truly accidental incidents are softened by a kind apology after the race in which I welcome and truly appreciate from other racers. Likewise, I do my best to offer up an apology when I am the cause of these accidental situations.

The problem is the other one hundred take-outs that are purely one racer doing whatever they think is necessary to win (no matter how dumb of a move it may be). After attempting risky moves, and/or deliberately taking someone out, racers have become accustom to simply saying, “Sorry bro, my bad!” as a band-aid to make all things better.

When you forget your girlfriend/wife’s birthday, the date and time of your first date, her favorite song, or her favorite candy on Valentine’s day - that is the time to say, “I’m sorry.” Typically, in these instances you are truly sorry, and an apology is well deserved.

If you are willing to “man-up” enough on the racetrack to try whatever bonzai move you can think up to make the pass and knock me out with hit harder than Amanda Nunes fist to Ronda Rousey’s face, then please “man-up” and own it. Don’t pretend you are sorry, don’t pretend all is okay, and don’t use “Sorry bro” as your way of keeping me from retaliating next race out. If you were truly sorry you wouldn’t have done it.

I’ve been the guy who takes someone out trying to make an inside line where there isn’t one, jumping over the top with airtime no one in R/C could survive, or simply out of pure frustration with a driver for one reason or another. Taking racers out and intentionally crashing each other is NOT okay, but we all know this, yet we still do it in an attempt to win. Punching the nerd in middle school was not okay either, but there was always that one “tough guy” that did it anyways. The difference is that the tough guy in middle school didn’t deliver a punch straight to four-eyes face and follow up with “I’m so sorry bro, I didn’t mean to.”

Next time you find yourself in a situation that, against your better judgement, you intentionally make an aggressive move or power punch someone to better your own race, please remember that there is no school principal threatening to call your parents if you don’t say sorry. You meant to make the pass, you meant for it to better your race regardless of what it does to mine, and the only thing you are sorry about is if it doesn’t work and takes you out too. Have you ever seen someone say “sorry” after a take out for the win, and then request that they are disqualified from the race so that the other driver can have the win instead? Neither have I, nor do I expect or want them to. Likewise, I don’t expect or want to hear the bulls**t lies of how sorry you are.

We are all racers, and we all have a burning desire to win. We should all pride ourselves in winning races fair, square, and clean. Unfortunately, the desire to win sometimes overpowers common sense and courtesy on the race track (more often for some than others). It’s inevitable that it will happen at some point, and all that I am asking is that when it does, save your “Sorry bro” tough guy and go recharge that battery instead – I want a rematch.