Photo: Supercross.com
Yesterday, we reported that RCH was still deciding between Josh Hill and Kyle Chisholm for the final spot on the new RCH Racing team. Well, it looks like RCH decision was reached, and Hill will be the man joining Broc Tickle on the team.
First, I will say there is nothing official. News got out with some tweets sent out by Chisholm about his dissatisfaction about the decision, and while it probably wasn’t the best PR move by Kyle, I do understand him being upset. From what I have been told, Kyle crushed it at the “tryouts” on the Suzuki and was actually putting in faster laps than Tickle and Hill out at the test track. I like what Jimmy Albertson tweeted about tryouts. “People already have there choice made before you get there. Next time tell em raced all f’n year! There’s your tryout!”
About the decision, I understand both sides, so I’ll speculate a little on the possible thinking. First off, I will say I think Chisholm is definitely the safer decision, and if all things were even, he would be the man I would have hired. You know for sure what you are getting with Kyle: solid top tens week in and week out, a great work ethic, an awesome attitude and a great relationship with the fans. Kyle is definitely a great hire for any team looking for that solid top ten guy.
In this situation, though, all things were not even. What I mean by that is that RCH already had a huge investment in Hill with no return on that investment to date. Over the last two years, they have paid Hill a salary and provided him with bikes in hope that he would one day race for the team. In the end, they did get some PR out of the deal, but as far as racing goes, they only got a race to the first turn at Anaheim 1 in 2012 and a couple comeback rides at the end of the nationals—not exactly the return on investment they were hoping for.
With that said, it becomes a lot more understandable as to why they picked Hill. Also there is a huge upside with Hill. Will Hill win? With all his injuries and all his time away from racing, I don’t see that happening soon, but he doesn’t need to win to garner a ton of good press. Hill is definitely a fan favorite and, with all he’s endured during his comeback, anything inside the top 10 will be the feelgood story of the year and will be eaten up by the press. Josh is a fighter, and the fact that he is going to line up in 2013 is a testament to his love for the game. I definitely wish him luck in 2013 and hope he does well with RCH.
Where does this leave Chisholm? Right now, it leaves him SOL, but I did hear that he is still waiting on a decision from his current team, Jeff Ward Racing. I guess they still have an option to keep Chiz on as a second rider with Dean Wilson. I hope that works out for Kyle, because the kid deserves to be on a team. We will be talking to Kyle early next week for an interview and hopefully news is good.
