Josh Hansen at Zwartecross. Photo: Wilco Schellevis-motocrossplanet
The Dodge Hart & Huntington team fired Josh Hansen this week, even though he had a year to go on his two-year contract. According to sources close the deal, Hansen didn’t want to leave the team and is in disbelief that his riding half-naked at the Dutch Zwartecross race (and stopping to drink what is assumed to be a beer) would be the reasons–since he raced at the Zwartecross last year and there were no complaints about his actions that time.
It seems strange that the Hart & Huntington team would suddenly be trying to act like the responsible party when their reputation is that of rebels–which is why they hired Josh Hansen in the first place.
For Hansen’s part, Josh does dumb stuff all the time. And, while his Zwartecross actions could be considered “detrimental” to the reputation of a factory team–Hart & Huntington’s public profile makes it the least likely team to have their image damaged by a guy they hired because of his fame as a troublemaker. Perhaps the fact that H&H is aligned with Dodge Motorsports, switching to Suzuki and bringing Ricky Carmichael on board could signal that they want to be taken seriously in the future... and Josh Hansen doesn't fit their new image.
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