Dodge's blog

64 seasons of my nations cup have been completed (and over 800 races), so here’s where I discuss what has happened and what’s next, as there’s still so much more to go – nothing’s over yet (except maybe the battle for 1st and 2nd in the cup, as the UK and Germany have that much of a lead over everyone else), as even positions as high as third in the cup have ongoing battles that don’t seem to be going away. So let’s ask ourselves how we got to where we are now and what we still have yet to see!

Changes over the seasons

While thinking about the changes, I came across a graphic that I’d made in August, which displayed the top 10 of the cup after 198 races (halfway through season 16). Having seen this, I made a new one that displayed the top 10 after 820 races (the completion of season 64), proudly(?) displayed below. When I think about it, I think of all the changes that have come since that 16th season, when we still had all sorts of countries left to debut, and all sorts of drivers and series yet to appear.

Above: The top 10 halfway through season 16, when the USA, Sweden and Japan were fighting for the drivers’ title.

Below: The top 10 following the completion of season 64, where numerous countries have risen and fallen.

As you can see, we’ve had quite some changes, with France, Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands becoming top 10 mainstays, replacing Denmark, South Africa, Japan and Brazil, and it can be argued that with the exception of Denmark, those countries’ time in the top 10 is effectively over, with Denmark still finding themselves in what is now a 4-way battle for that 10th-place spot (alongside Finland, Switzerland and current holders Sweden). If not for season 63, we could have perhaps been saying the same about Sweden, as they exited the top 10 during season 37 and thanks to a period of inactivity, had such a fall that they started season 51 (FR X-22) in 20th, even behind the likes of Bulgaria and Latvia. However, having started that season with 11 wins, only 14 seasons later we’ve seen the Swedish flag on the top step of the podium a further 29 times (including last season where Swedish drivers won 13 out of the 14 races – hardly a surprise when there’s only one non-Swede in the field but opportunities are there to be taken), to force their way back into the top 10, and close the gap to 9th-placed Australia, themselves having been sat in their all-time low position of 9th for over 200 races. Now, you may ask how such drastic changes happened, and to that there is one clear answer, which we’ll get onto later…

The others

Of course, the nations cup is about more than just the countries that have scored loads of points, and we sometimes also have to consider the countries that haven’t scored so much, or even any at all. The majority of these countries may have only done a handful of seasons between them, and failed to grab the points when needed, which has led them to fall to the lower depths of the standings.

Above: Positions 101st-110th in the cup, with some countries having to be separated on countback due to being tied in points. The majority of these countries will have only done one or two seasons, with Cuba having done 3.

Below: “The Lone Star State” – Paraguay find themselves isolated in 111th out of the 111 countries competing, alongside yet-to-debut Martinique and Guam. But this could change as the South American country will be returning in season 76, with a bigger chance of scoring their first points.

Of course, it’s not only the fact that the majority of these countries have only competed in one or two seasons that have led to them being so lowly-placed, but also that it’s been quite a significant length of time since their seasons were completed, and subsequent seasons have seen fellow lower-placed countries like Bahrain (lowest: 105th) and Romania (lowest: 101st) score significant points hauls that have seen them escape this group. But with a select few of these nations set to return in the near future, there may be all sorts of speculation as to what will happen, and who will escape this group and join the group as replacements. But now, for the answer you’ve been waiting for…

Why have the top positions of the cup changed so dramatically?

The answer to that is one simple word: Motocross!

This is due to a combination of factors that have benefitted countries fortunate enough to take part. An overly generous points system for one, as you get points for quite literally just finishing, added on to the unusually long calendars, and you’ve got your recipe for success (if you’re in it). No country has felt this as much as Belgium, as for season 45, there were 16 riders competing in 28 races, where 5 points were awarded for the last-placed finisher. Now consider that out of these 16 riders, 5 of them were Belgian, and you can see where this is going. For a country that had only two wins prior to the start of the season, and had a highest nations cup placing of 12th, 28 races and 10 wins later would see them gain 1,988 points in that season, and took them to 5th in the cup. Subsequent fortunate seasons would eventually see them rise to 3rd for the first time in the cup’s history, however they now find themselves in a battle for the top 3 with France, another country that has benefitted hugely from motocross, and as I write this, I am tipping the Netherlands to also join in this battle in the future, as not only have they also benefitted hugely from motocross (having won two riders’ titles in the category), but they also have another weapon up their sleeve – one that has been unleashed but not yet to his full potential. I am of course talking about Max Verstappen, who in real F1 has already won 4 F1 drivers’ titles in a row from 2021-2024 (I mean come on, you didn’t seriously think anyone else was winning anything this year), and has absolutely crushed the competition while doing so. If his form in the nations cup is anything like real F1, then both France and Belgium must watch out. Italy’s even already had a scare from the Dutch, as season 62 saw the Netherlands overtake Italy to sit in the top 6 for the first time. Perhaps Italy’s only saving grace is that they have also benefitted hugely from motocross, and during this time have sat in the top 3 themselves, so Verstappen (and potentially Nyck de Vries in the upcoming F2 seasons) are perhaps the main threats in this case.

We also can’t talk about motocross without discussing the main elephant in the room, as season 49 saw both Bulgaria and Latvia enter the top 20 for the first time, long after their debut seasons and long after Bulgaria even won a drivers’ title (way back in season 31, believe it or not, which they did without winning a race). In fact, Bulgaria’s only win prior to season 49 had come in their debut race 40 seasons earlier, and they were mainly being helped by season 31 champion Georgi Donchev and motocross’ Petar Petrov, whose two nations cup seasons have seen him score 1 win, 11 podiums and 826 of Bulgaria’s 960 points, the eastern European nation sitting in 21st, one place behind Latvia, who also had a strong season 62, which saw them leapfrog their (now?) rivals. With more motocross seasons to come, Latvia can expect to further ensure their domination of the Baltic derby, while Bulgaria will fight to get back into the top 20.

So what’s to come now?

What’s next, you ask? Season 65 (obviously)! But looking beyond this, many lower-placed nations like Thailand (82nd), Moldova (85th) and the Isle of Man (103rd) are set to return in the coming seasons, and much like the Netherlands, Thailand also has a secret weapon up their sleeve (just as long as he’s not raced too hard), as Alex Albon will be looking to recreate his real-life Formula 2 form in the nations cup, and we’ll see him debut alongside the likes of future British F1 drivers George Russell and Lando Norris, the aforementioned Nyck de Vries, and we can’t not mention about the driver Albon will be teamed up with – none other than motor racing GOAT Nicholas Latifi (who, jokes aside, might actually help Canada a lot with points scored in F2 – see, another country to watch out for, as they try to return to their former top-10 glory :eyes:)

The breaking of a curse

For 736 races, the top 10 had eluded Finland. In that time, despite a slow start to scoring points and podiums, they’d won the season 29 drivers’ title, won races and scored podiums in numerous seasons and slowly, but surely, transformed themselves to a machine. This was rewarded in the final race of season 57, when Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Räikkönen scored a combined 350 points to ensure a top 10 spot for Finland, for the first time in nations cup history. Until that point, they were the only country from the original 12 to have not been in the top 10, and although they have since been re-overtaken, season 65 will provide a good opportunity to claim back that coveted spot. But who knows what will happen? Stay tuned to find out, and use the links to keep updated along the way!

https://dodgefulartist.miraheze.org/wiki/Dodgeful_Artist_Season_65#Standings

https://dodgefulartist.miraheze.org/wiki/Nations_Cup_(Dodgeful_Artist)#Standings