Americans Want You to Forget About This Race (Jeffrey Herlings vs. Eli Tomac)

In motocross, a debate has raged for over 50 years… You see, there are two ‘Holy Grail’ championships at the pinnacle of dirt bike racing; the European MXGP World Motocross Championship and the American AMA National Pro Motocross Championship. Each series has its own set of 40 professional riders that compete in a plethora of rounds across all sorts of terrain (dirt, sand, mud etc.) The problem is, these two sets of riders seldom ever get to compete against the other. So fans have long pondered which lot’s faster… Well, in 2017 the stars miraculously aligned and we got to see Europe’s top rider, Jeffrey Herlings go head-to-head with Eli Tomac and everything else America had to throw at him! The following is what transpired…

SOCIAL MEDIAS
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CREDITS
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Written, narrated & edited by:
Ash Sowman

Video, photo & audio sources (in order of appearance):

My apologies if this list is missing one or two accreditations. Some of the video, photos and audio files were only available from illegitimate sources who hadn’t provided credit.

CHAPTERS
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0:00 MXGP vs. AMA
1:32 Intro
1:49 The Perfect Storm Gathers
4:38 Herlings & Tomac Prepare
7:17 Press Day
8:30 Qualifying
9:56 Moto 1
16:48 Very Angry Intermission
18:06 Moto 2
27:49 Post-Race Press Conference
28:40 The Aftermath
30:38 A Rematch Looms
33:00 American Amnesia
34:42 End Screen

FAIR USE DISCLAIMER
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Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research.
Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.

[spoon]

I’m not even a motorcross fan, but you put together such a great mini documentary. I was hooked from the start! 🎉

[bgosl]

That look over and tear-off while passing Tomac, is quite possibly the coolest thing I've seen in my life. Pure badass.

[smullx_]

The look back and visor tear has to be one of the coldest things I’ve ever seen done so calmly in mid air

[ICR_Frizzstroyer]

The fact he stayed humble that entire time even with all of the disrespect from the american fans is crazy tbf. If i was 4 seconds a lap faster on a new track with a bike that ive never used against people whove done it for years, i dont think id be able to keep my mouth shut

Im not a Motorcross fan but this was sick man, keep up the good work.

[Felikas]

I'm from the Netherlands and I've heard of Jeffrey, but never ever have I heard he went to the U.S. to dominate the riders there. Boy was this nice to watch.

[legoferrari]

Herlings' mid-jump visor tear-off as he passes Tomac was just pure style.

[slammedc]

Damn, Herlings came all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to whip our ass... that is a badass dude. Respect.

[miniaturelabyrinth]

New bike, New track. Against veterans at the track. Still wins. What a madman.

[stevebbmwm]

Jeffrey Herlings broke the all-time motocross GP win record this month with his 102nd Win - congratulations to one of the best we've ever seen.

[joeldepas]

The production level on this is genuinely so much higher than anything I've seen from NBC or peacocks coverage of the sport. Seriously you deserve everything you have worked for. Your content is criminally underrated.

[TBCO]

His interview at 28:00 was golden.... He just said in between the lines.... The tracks in Europe are way narrower and way more competitive he was just used to more track difficulties... Thats why he smashed it. If you try to battle the mount everest on a daily and then go climbing in Colorado seems like a walk in the park... I'm exaggerating but you get my point.

[stevencarnegie]

Major Respect to Herlings and for sure Sowman! Having served as AMA Sports Manager for several year, there's so much to say on how I see our American "Pro" riders take so much for granted. This young man was simply grateful for an opportunity to compete against our best here in the states. What I see our riders complain about, he praised. It spoke volumes.

[harrisondavis]

As an American, I love this race. I also love Herlings. Just an absolute beast! We need more of this competition from riders all over the world. If any Americans are hating on him, it's because they don't understand the sport and have 0 respect or class. Hat's of to him. What an accomplishment and how cool it was to watch him race AMA!

[W.a.k.e.u.p]

Watching Herlings’ performance was amazing, seeing the public’s reaction was fucking embarrassing. They were talking shit as they were getting shit on 💀💀

[LakwatserongHampaslupa]

Herlings' mid-jump visor tear-off as he passes Tomac was just EPIC...!

[pedromaione]

I keep coming back to watch this. Third time and I keep appreciating the story, the music, the images and the words, very well paced, full of insight and that touch of irony. A masterpiece.

[sanderheijselaar]

As a Dutchie, I remember the results and was proud of it but never saw it as a humiliation or anything negative. It was just great to see people at the top of their game, from different competitions, competing.

[stalthyone]

I’m ashamed to call myself an American and have this incredible ride thrown asunder. What Herlings did was extraordinary. The way he put so many riders in shame, especially after his comeback in the 2nd race. That was a phenomenal ride, and the shame is everyone acted as if it had never happened. WTF were those fans thinking, not even acknowledging what Herlings did to come back after that crash? All the noise they made for Tomac, and they couldn’t take one fucking second to acknowledge Herling’s win. That’s fucking shameful.

[robinthebobin]

I've never watched a single video about motorcross, nor have I ever watched the sport or even ridden a motorbike. Yet for some bizarre reason, Youtube recommended this to me.

And I am glad it did.

Honestly, this is quite incredible stuff here. To make a video and present a story in such an enthralling way that I care about the people involved, despite having no interest in MX, is incredible. Your editing style, video writing and voice are all phenomenal for creating interesting videos. Nice job!

[phredflypogger]

It's a shame that the some Americans can't simply respect talent no matter where it comes from. Many of them don't realize that there is a big world out there with a an awful lot of talented people in it.