How about Gibson on that Walsh hybrid?

[8686]

With the dumb production rules we have, it's cool to see someone racing a non-production quad at the highest level possible: the Pro Am Unlimited class. Sounds like Cody Gibson has been flat hauling on that Walsh hybrid.

[89trx250r]

Lol no one can keep up with him hes a beast!

[tjsdaname]

sandbagger.....

[blacknblue#2]

I hate it for Martin....I follow Caseys career some just for the fact that i done alot of the same local races that he done back when i was racing and he definitely has some talent. I know Martin was a last minute desicion about running this year and i thought for sure he woulda had the pro-am class by the bag....then gibson showed up

[#88yfz]

AGREED SANDBAGGER........................

[blaster12s]

hes not sandbagging. the bike he is running cant race pro.... and the whole reason he is racing is to show how well hybrids will work. i cant wait to see the day of hybrids in the pro class.

[Ellingsoc26]

Originally posted by blaster12s
hes not sandbagging. the bike he is running cant race pro.... and the whole reason he is racing is to show how well hybrids will work. i cant wait to see the day of hybrids in the pro class. You do know he races Production on a LTR right?

[blaster12s]

yes i do. but he cant run both pro am unlimited and pro. he had to choose and i think walsh made the choice for him.....100% assumptions but this is what i think happened.

[FHKracingZ]

How is he a sandbagger? 2 years ago when he raced the pro class he did not do very well.

Walsh has chad as their pro rider and cody as their pro-am rider. 8-8 so for this year. pretty impressive.

[Balaz_73*00]

12-12

[Pappy]

Pros are eligible to run Pro AM so he isn't sandbagging.

[8686]

Originally posted by Pappy
Pros are eligible to run Pro AM so he isn't sandbagging.

Not to be "that guy", but I just want to clarify a little. If I'm not mistaken, current Pro's can only run Pro Am Production as a second class and a current Pro can only run Pro Am Production as a second class if they are outside the top 10 in Pro points.

If you run Pro Am Production (and are not Pro), the only other class you can run is Pro Am Unlimited.

If you run Pro Am Unlimited (and not Pro Am Production), the only other classes you can run are any of the A classes or age group classes.

Whew.

Again, don't want to be a nit-picker, just wanted to clarify it. Hope I am correct. Lol.

[Balaz_73*00]

I dono if what youre saying is true for just a single event, but my buddy jumps between both pro-ams and production A....never any problems

[SRH]

if that was the case why would they call it PRO- am, why not am unlimited lol


the talent pool at the nationals from 07 til now has dried right up from what it was in 02-07 kind of sad

[8686]

Originally posted by Balaz_73*00
I dono if what youre saying is true for just a single event, but my buddy jumps between both pro-ams and production A....never any problems

Not really. Eric has only ran Pro Am Unlimited and Production A so far this year. And only once last year did he run Pro Am Production, and he didn't race Production A at that national. So that doesn't really qualify as jumping between both Pro Am's and Production A.

He sure can ride a quad, though. :)

[Pappy]

I like Gibson, but hold no rider over another. The way I see it, Gibson got waxed in his Pro debut...life happened and he was off a year. He was fully eligible to run Pro Am and admitted up front he did not have the stamina to run Pro. It is not like he ran pro for a season then jumped to pro am....

Someone out there wanna step up and beat him...more power to ya! I would say he could easily finish 5th through 8th at the Pro level now....and sneak inside the top 5 at a few rounds.

he does need someone to battle with....running alone isn't gaining him any skills which is what he is going to need when he does move up

[FHKracingZ]

It was stated earlier, you cannot run any other class but pro-am unlimited or pro if you run pro-am production.

If you try running an A class in less than one calender year of running pro-am production you are illegal and can be dq'd. Pro-am production is a AMA Pro class and uses AMA Pro rules as a governing body.

Cody got waxed in his pro debut because he was not with walsh. The support physically and mentally that walsh brings to their race team is amazing.

[madskrillz2]

I love how someone on a forum accuses him of sandbagging in the PRO AM class. That just makes me laugh.

[8686]

Originally posted by madskrillz2
I love how someone on a forum accuses him of sandbagging in the PRO AM class. That just makes me laugh.

x2!!!

The guy does well in the Pro Am classes a few years ago. Races the Pro class for an entire year and does not do as well as was expected, for one reason or another. Takes an entire year off of racing. Comes back to racing the nationals and races both Pro Am classes and he is sandbagging? Huh?

[quad2xtreme]

I don't know Cody but understand the comments. I wondered the same thing as I looked through the Trackside Results earlier today. I was literally thinking...how long is this guy going to run pro-am before he moves up? It seems like I've seen his name for years in this class. I was sure I had some video of him from years ago in that class...sure enough. Here's some footage I posted 3 seasons ago of Cody battling Devin Heimes:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_BjKksWhSLs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Cody is now racing against Cole Henry who was riding in the B class at the time of this video. He races against Chase Henry now too in the unlimited class. Chase never even raced a quad before at the time this video was shot.

[madskrillz2]

Originally posted by quad2xtreme
I don't know Cody but understand the comments. I wondered the same thing as I looked through the Trackside Results earlier today. I was literally thinking...how long is this guy going to run pro-am before he moves up? It seems like I've seen his name for years in this class. I was sure I had some video of him from years ago in that class...sure enough. Here's some footage I posted 3 seasons ago of Cody battling Devin Heimes:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_BjKksWhSLs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Cody is now racing against Cole Henry who was riding in the B class at the time of this video. He races against Chase Henry now too in the unlimited class. Chase never even raced a quad before at the time this video was shot.

That was the last season he ran Pro Am. He ran pro the next year, got hurt, and then took the next year off for whatever reason. As someone else said, I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the hybrid and showing what it can do. The other is probably getting back in the groove of racing. I really don't understand why people have a problem with it. I remember he won a lot of races in the same fashion the last time he was in ProAm. Was he sandbagging then? That's like saying since Justin Barcia won most of the races in the lites class this year, he should have been on a 450.

[ben300]

Originally posted by madskrillz2
That was the last season he ran Pro Am. He ran pro the next year, got hurt, and then took the next year off for whatever reason. As someone else said, I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the hybrid and showing what it can do. The other is probably getting back in the groove of racing. I really don't understand why people have a problem with it. I remember he won a lot of races in the same fashion the last time he was in ProAm. Was he sandbagging then? That's like saying since Justin Barcia won most of the races in the lites class this year, he should have been on a 450.

completely agree with this entire statement...

...if everyone thinks he's sandbagging, then why doestn everyone else in the class step up and try and take it from him?

[quad2xtreme]

Hard for most to follow riders so you have to consider where some could get the impression he's been hanging in the pro-am ranks too long. As I said, the thought crossed my mind based on thinking he'd been in that class for years but truthfully I don't know squat about him and don't follow him.

One of the keys to success is understanding that other folks perception is their reality. Once you grasp this concept, you can learn to play it to your advantage. I generally take in the knowledge of what people's opinions are but don't reflect to them why they are wrong or tell them mine.

[quad2xtreme]

Originally posted by ben300
...if everyone thinks he's sandbagging, then why doestn everyone else in the class step up and try and take it from him?

I could care less if he should or shouldn't be in this class...makes zero difference to me if he wins every race or not. I just want to understand your thought process...

Sandbagging is when a more experienced/skilled rider steps down into a class where the other riders are at a complete disadvantage. The point is that they can't step to that level and compete. So if Creamer or Wimmer takes a year off and comes back to race Pro-Am or A, then the other riders shouldn't complain, they should just step it up and beat Creamer? If this is the case, can you explain when/how sandbagging would be wrong?

[muddy400EX]

Originally posted by quad2xtreme
I could care less if he should or shouldn't be in this class...makes zero difference to me if he wins every race or not. I just want to understand your thought process...

Sandbagging is when a more experienced/skilled rider steps down into a class where the other riders are at a complete disadvantage. The point is that they can't step to that level and compete. So if Creamer or Wimmer takes a year off and comes back to race Pro-Am or A, then the other riders shouldn't complain, they should just step it up and beat Creamer? If this is the case, can you explain when/how sandbagging would be wrong?

creamer and wimmer have been pro for years and they have won races. cody raced pro one season and got hurt, and probably realized that he wasn't ready for pro yet

[quad2xtreme]

Originally posted by muddy400EX
creamer and wimmer have been pro for years and they have won races. cody raced pro one season and got hurt, and probably realized that he wasn't ready for pro yet

Some would contend based on his record in Pro Am, that he was ready to move up and should have stayed there. He was dominate for 2 years and is proving to be dominant again.

In 2008, he placed 1st in ProAm Unlimited and 3rd in ProAm Prod
In 2009, he placed 1st in ProAm Unlimited and 1st in ProAm Unlimited
In 2010, he placed 15th overall in Pro class with 2 top 10 finishes. He basically finished with Greg Gee and Harold Goodman in points and placed ahead of Joe Byrd. Wrecking is not a reason to move back a class. Not being in the top 10 isn't reason to move back down in class either.

I hate to stir the pot, but you have to at least concede as to why the term of sandbagger was raised. If you can't concede this, then it is based on a bias. I can accept why some would say it. If he were my brother, I wouldn't try to defend the sandbagger term.

BTW, he didn't do terrible in Pro Am in 2007 either. Ran last 4 races and placed 6th and 4th.

The thing is that he isn't racing in a class now with others who have his experience of winning this class in the past, etc. He clearly has the experience over the other riders which is why he is being called out in this thread.

[muddy400EX]

ya i get where you're coming from, i just don't think he was ready for pro yet. it's like he's too good for pro am, but not good enough for pro

[ben300]

Originally posted by quad2xtreme
I could care less if he should or shouldn't be in this class...makes zero difference to me if he wins every race or not. I just want to understand your thought process...

Sandbagging is when a more experienced/skilled rider steps down into a class where the other riders are at a complete disadvantage. The point is that they can't step to that level and compete. So if Creamer or Wimmer takes a year off and comes back to race Pro-Am or A, then the other riders shouldn't complain, they should just step it up and beat Creamer? If this is the case, can you explain when/how sandbagging would be wrong?

im well aware of what sand bagging is. the fact is that he was dominate in pro am, stepped up a year to the pro's and coudlnt keep up and was obviously wasnt competitive at that level (15th place is just a filler position to get more ppl to line up at the gate in my opinion. 15th=you cant hang)....so then he gets hurt, takes a whole year off, and then comes back to the same class, SO WHAT?!...


do you think that after taking year off thta he should come back in directly back into the pro class? that absurd..so what if he's runngin pro am...im sure he'll move up after th is year, but i dotn see any problem with him doing it..maybe if he came back and was doing A or B class and was walking all over the field, ya id have a problem wiht him doing it that way, but the AMA isnt making him move up...so he's legal......its just like anything else, when a dude is playing it by the rules and is walking all over everyone one..theres always gonna be haters for one reason or another

[quad2xtreme]

Since you asked and just based on the research I did (like I said, nothing personal because I don't anything about him), I do think he should have stayed in the pro class. There of so many pro riders that never get to stand on the podium again their entire careers and yet they all belong there. I've always had highest regard for all the pro riders...even the guy who finishes last. When you have the skillset of pro rider that is where you belong.

Gibson's record shows that he dominated the pro-am class and rightly moved up to be with similarly skilled pro riders. Now that he moved down, all that he has accomplished is showing that he still has a skillset that he could run with the pros. Honestly, the first time around it was a stepping stone into the pro class. Now many folks are saying it just looks like he needs a rock to stand on. You really should accept it for what it is...you aren't going to convince many people that pro riders who don't do as well as they'd like or get injured should get to move back to Pro-Ams without having folks make "sandbagger" comments. Basically, it looks like he's already re-acquired his original skillset. He isn't learning anything new from racing against non-pro level riders that will help him next year in the pro class. He'd gain a ton of respect for transitioning to the pro class right now. He's back and now he is just wasting the year getting a 3rd Championship. He could use the rest of the season in the pro class to improve his skills and be ready for a real run in the pro class next year.

[blholtz]

you all forget one point. Gibson is riding a Walsh Hybrid and is not eligible to run the Pro class no matter what. Based solely on the production rule for the pro class.

I think based on that it was a move to try to get production rule looked at in the pro classes.

Leave the kid alone. For all you know Walsh gave him the sponsorship based on the premise that he ride their hybrid in the pro am classes. And based on the fact that the Pro am classes are open to pro riders that finish outside the top ten in points and the fact that he took a year off to heal or for whatever reason it was, he is techinically outside the top ten in points and therefore eligible to run Pro Am.

[madskrillz2]

Originally posted by blholtz
you all forget one point. Gibson is riding a Walsh Hybrid and is not eligible to run the Pro class no matter what. Based solely on the production rule for the pro class.

I think based on that it was a move to try to get production rule looked at in the pro classes.

Leave the kid alone. For all you know Walsh gave him the sponsorship based on the premise that he ride their hybrid in the pro am classes. And based on the fact that the Pro am classes are open to pro riders that finish outside the top ten in points and the fact that he took a year off to heal or for whatever reason it was, he is techinically outside the top ten in points and therefore eligible to run Pro Am.

Thanks for clearing that up. Had no idea..............:huh

[Pappy]

I spoke to Gibson this weekend about all this. Pretty much, he wasn't even planning on racing this season until a month before round 1 when Walsh offered him a ride for pro am unlimited and pro am. Gibson said he did not have time to prepare so back to pro am it was. He didnt even own an atv to practice on since he left the racing scene so I can fully believe he was being 100% truthful....as well as working full time on towers, he has a very typical life and scratches out a living like the rest of us, no big pay, no mom & dad with loads of cash etc. He said it even surprised him how well he had done in the 1st two rounds(3 now).

He couldnt comment on what may happen if he is able to win the pro am championship as he just doesnt know as this entire season was a last minute deal.

Love chatting with him, really down to earth young man....I wish him and all teh racers the best. That was some great racing at Budds Creek!

[quad2xtreme]

IMO, perfectly good explanation why he started in the pro am class this year and continues to run there. If I were a pro rider in his situation and got an offer to do something completely legal by AMA rules, I'd jump at the chance to restart my career even if it required reproving myself in the pro am class. We all know racing is incredibly expensive so solid sponsorship is extremely valuable. The good news as I said before is he seems to be back to his old skillful self. Hopefully this all results in a ride for him in the pro class next year...and wouldn't it be great if hybrids are allowed back again? I still think he is at a skill level above his competitors in pro am but what can you do...he is legal and he's on a new ride with a new sponsor who may have had some doubts about his abilities since he was out (similar to pro baseball players getting signed to minor league contracts after injury). I do wish he could move up sooner but totally understand that the sponsor has a major say and doesn't sound like his hybrid ride could move with him. No doubt that quad is valued at least $20K so it isn't like somebody is going to provide another set of quads to him. His being in the pro am class really doesn't hurt any of the other riders hoping to go pro. Truth is that if you can't compete with him, you might be in for a rude awakening anyhow. It isn't easy to break into the pro class like Joel Hetrick has done.

[KingpinsEx]

I don't think anyone ever doubted his "skillset" or at least they shouldn't have. I feel he is one of the most naturally talented riders to ever race mx. His difficulty's in the pro class were from fitness and him not being used to riding with others at that level. He definitely has the talent to run pro, look at his lap times, but you need to be totally dedicated and focus your life around training. He can run pro am, as Pappy said, with minimal training so why not? Smart move, you are going to get more attention dominating pro am than being in the mid-back pack of the pro class.