Monday, 13 June 2011
2011 CMRC Nationals Round 2
http://www.motoxaddicts.com/2011/06/13/canadian-national-motocross-championships-nanimo/
Monday, 6 June 2011
2011 CMRC Nationals Round 1
This week's report has been picked up by www.motoxaddicts.com
http://www.motoxaddicts.com/2011/06/06/2086/
http://www.motoxaddicts.com/2011/06/06/2086/
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
2011 CMRC Monster Energy Motocross Nationals MX1 preview
If the 2010 CMRC Monster Energy Motocross nationals taught us anything, it's that you should expect the unexpected when it comes to motocross racing. No lead is ever safe, either in the standings, or on the track. Last year, defending MX1 champ, Colton Facciotti, won every moto he finished, but two huge crashes left him on the sidelines. That left his Blackfoot Red Bull Yamaha team-mate, Dusty Klatt, to reclaim the crown he won in 2006. But it wasn't easy for Klatt, as a pair of mechanical DNFs at Edmonton set him back a ways in the 9 round series. Still, he charged on, never giving up, and in the end, it paid off. He was even able to clinch the title with one round remaining on the calendar, as a double DNF by OTSFF Rockstar Suzuki's Bobby Kiniry at round 8 allowed Dusty to claim his second CMRC MX1 title, and fourth CMRC national title (2004/2005 MX2 west champ.)
In 2011, there's no doubt that Colton Facciotti (2011 #10) and Bobby Kiniry (2011 #3) will both be back looking for redemption against Dusty Klatt (2011 #1). But the competition doesn't stop there.
2009 MX2 champ, and last years MX2 runner up, Teddy Maier (2011 #12), has picked up an MX1 ride for the Monster Energy Leading Edge Kawasaki team. Teddy will no doubt be a front runner with his smooth style and high fitness level, not to mention his experience racing the Canadian tracks over the years.
New to the Leading Edge team for 2011, will be Matt Goerke (2011 #101). Matt was, at one point, doubtful to even line up for the Canadian series this year, as he was injured at the Jacksonville supercross, in a first turn crash that also involved James Stewart. However, Matt is in Canada and is working hard to be as ready to go as he can be when the gate drops this weekend. Matt could perhaps be considered the fastest guy on the starting line if healthy, as he is the only rider in the field to have an AMA 450 national overall victory on his resume. (Southwick, '09)
Another rider who will be looking to step up and make a run at a championship, is Roal Distributing KTM rider Kyle Keast (2011 #4). Kyle has never won a moto or an overall, but has hit the podium many times and on certain tracks has shown that he definitely has the speed to pull off a win. Armed with his new factory ride, perhaps the longtime privateer Honda rider can step up to the next level.
Also on KTMs in MX1 this summer, are Robby Marshall (2011 #774) and Michael Willard (2011 #62). Robby is a bit of a darkhorse, but has shown plenty of speed at certain AMA nationals in the past, notably Southwick. Willard is a two-time CMRC MX2 east champ, so he knows how to win titles in Canada.
The above riders are all capable of being near the front of the pack, but as usual with the Canadian nationals, there are always surprises when the first practice rolls around. Late entries and guys who have been flying under the radar, commonly have fans wondering, "Who's that guy?" Who will they be talking about this year? We can only guess, but there's bound to be at least one rider who comes out of nowhere and surprises everyone.
At the end of the day, I think it's hard not to be excited about this season. The depth of the class seems to be as good as ever, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the riders who missed out last year will have done to ensure they don't miss out again. And what about Klatt, the defending champ? Will he have stepped it up even further to make sure he keeps his #1 plate? Time will tell, and we won't know for sure for a few months, but I believe that in less than a weeks time, we'll be on step closer to having some answers.
In 2011, there's no doubt that Colton Facciotti (2011 #10) and Bobby Kiniry (2011 #3) will both be back looking for redemption against Dusty Klatt (2011 #1). But the competition doesn't stop there.
2009 MX2 champ, and last years MX2 runner up, Teddy Maier (2011 #12), has picked up an MX1 ride for the Monster Energy Leading Edge Kawasaki team. Teddy will no doubt be a front runner with his smooth style and high fitness level, not to mention his experience racing the Canadian tracks over the years.
New to the Leading Edge team for 2011, will be Matt Goerke (2011 #101). Matt was, at one point, doubtful to even line up for the Canadian series this year, as he was injured at the Jacksonville supercross, in a first turn crash that also involved James Stewart. However, Matt is in Canada and is working hard to be as ready to go as he can be when the gate drops this weekend. Matt could perhaps be considered the fastest guy on the starting line if healthy, as he is the only rider in the field to have an AMA 450 national overall victory on his resume. (Southwick, '09)
Another rider who will be looking to step up and make a run at a championship, is Roal Distributing KTM rider Kyle Keast (2011 #4). Kyle has never won a moto or an overall, but has hit the podium many times and on certain tracks has shown that he definitely has the speed to pull off a win. Armed with his new factory ride, perhaps the longtime privateer Honda rider can step up to the next level.
Also on KTMs in MX1 this summer, are Robby Marshall (2011 #774) and Michael Willard (2011 #62). Robby is a bit of a darkhorse, but has shown plenty of speed at certain AMA nationals in the past, notably Southwick. Willard is a two-time CMRC MX2 east champ, so he knows how to win titles in Canada.
The above riders are all capable of being near the front of the pack, but as usual with the Canadian nationals, there are always surprises when the first practice rolls around. Late entries and guys who have been flying under the radar, commonly have fans wondering, "Who's that guy?" Who will they be talking about this year? We can only guess, but there's bound to be at least one rider who comes out of nowhere and surprises everyone.
At the end of the day, I think it's hard not to be excited about this season. The depth of the class seems to be as good as ever, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the riders who missed out last year will have done to ensure they don't miss out again. And what about Klatt, the defending champ? Will he have stepped it up even further to make sure he keeps his #1 plate? Time will tell, and we won't know for sure for a few months, but I believe that in less than a weeks time, we'll be on step closer to having some answers.
Monday, 9 May 2011
Las Vegas 2011 Supercross Finale
Well, the final round of the 2011 Monster Energy AMA/FIM World Supercross championship in Las Vegas has came and went. As you would expect if you watched any of the races this year, it contained plenty of excitement and drama. It also contained, for the first time ever, 4 main events, 3 of which would determine the years Supercross champions.
Things started off with the Lites East Main event. This race acted as a heat race of sorts for the famed East/West shootout, in addition to being the championship deciding race. Justin Barcia had a big lead in the points and didn't need to win this one to clinch the title. Justin rode smart to finish a solid 3rd, finishing just ahead of the other championship contender, Dean Wilson, claiming his first career pro title for the GEICO Powersports Honda team. Blake Baggett took his 2nd win of his rookie season, and Ryan Sipes finished 2nd.
In the Lites West main event that followed, there was plenty of drama. Monster Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider Broc Tickle held a slim 2 point lead over GEICO's Eli Tomac heading to the line. The 2 of the riders started in close proximity a little ways back in the pack. They worked their way through towards the front, battling the whole way. As they came up on a group of riders near the front that included Cole Seely and Tickle's team-mate, Josh Hansen, Tickle was able to make a big move and put himself ahead of Tomac for good. Tickle would finish the race in 2nd and clinch his first career pro championship. Tomac was forced to settle for 4th. Ken Roczen took his first career SX Lites win on his Red Bull KTM.
The top 9 in each of the Lites main events transferred to the 10 lap East/West shootout, as well as an additional 2 that transferred in through a last chance qualifier. East rider Ryan Sipes took the over the top spot when the leader went down, before handing it over to 2nd place Cole Seely. Later on in the race, Seely returned the favour, handing the lead back to Sipes. Sipes would take the win on his DNA Shredstix/Star Racing Yamaha, while Seely finished 2nd on his Lucas Oil Troy Lee Designs Honda. West main event winner Ken Roczen worked his way from a start just inside the top 10, to finish on the podium in 3rd. West champ Broc Tickle was victim of a poor start and could only work his way up to 10th, while things were even worse for the east champ, Barcia. He was up front leading the early laps, before crashing. Another crash later in the race would see him finish 16th.
With the Lites events out of the way, all eyes shifted to the main event for the premier division. Ryan Villopoto put himself in great position last week by taking the win in Salt Lake City and carrying a 9 point cushion over Chad Reed to the finale in Las Vegas. The main event saw all of the major players up front early on, with James Stewart in the lead followed by an energized Kevin Windham. Villopoto was in 3rd followed by his championship pursuers, Chad Reed and Ryan Dungey. Stewart tried to sprint away, but was matched at every opportunity by Windham. On lap 6, Stewart, as he has done so many times this year, made a big mistake in the whoops and took Windham down, along with himself. This allowed Villopoto to take over the lead with Reed and Dungey hot on his heels. VIllopoto, no doubt feeling the championship pressure, seemed to decide that he should let Reed and Dungey by and that's exactly what he did. Dungey put on a charge with a few laps remaining and got close to Reed, but could never make the pass. Villopoto hung on to finish 3rd and claim his first career 450 title. Neither Stewart nor Windham finished the race.
With Chad Reed's win, he solidified the runner-up spot in the championship hunt while Dungey finished in 3rd. Villopoto took the #1 plate by 4 points over Reed, and was absolutely elated on the podium following the trophy presentation.
Another season of Supercross has came and gone, and this was arguably the best one ever. Every race was more unpredictable than the last, and nearly all of the contenders stayed healthy to the end. I'm sure 2012 is already on many peoples minds, I know it's on mine.
Lites East Main Event:
1. Blake Baggett
2. Ryan Sipes
3. Justin Barcia
4. Dean Wilson
5. Malcolm Stewart
6. Matt Lemoine
7. Lance Vincent
8. Hunter Hewitt
9. Les Smith
10. Justin Sipes
11. Chris Gosselaar
12. Taylor Futrell
13. Levi Kilbarger
14. Tyler Bright
15. AJ Catanzaro
16. Johnny Moore
17. Killy Rusk
18. Ricky Renner
19. Brad Ripple
20. Gannon Audette
Lites West Main Event
1. Ken Roczen
2. Broc Tickle
3. Kyle Cunningham
4. Eli Tomac
5. Cole Seely
6. Tyla Rattray
7. Ryan Morais
8. Travis Baker
9. Martin Davalos
10. Josh Hansen
11. Bruce Rutherford
12. Nick Paluzzi
13. Jake Canada
14. Ben Evans
15. Casey Hinson
16. Dakota Tedder
17. Landon Powell
18. Tommy Weeck
19. Gared Steinke
20. Topher Ingalls
Lites East/West Shootout
1. Ryan Sipes
2. Cole Seely
3. Ken Roczen
4. Dean Wilson
5. Martin Davalos
6. Eli Tomac
7. Kyle Cunningham
8. Lance Vincent
9. Travis Baker
10. Broc Tickle
11. Tyla Rattray
12. Blake Baggett
13. Nick Paluzzi
14. Matt Lemoine
15. Ryan Morais
16. Justin Barcia
17. Les Smith
18. Malcolm Stewart
19. Jake Canada
20. Hunter Hewitt
Supercross Main Event
1. Chad Reed
2. Ryan Dungey
3. Ryan Villopoto
4. Chris Blose
5. Andrew Short
6. Jake Weimer
7. Austin Stroupe
8. Nick Wey
9. Kyle Regal
10. Tye Simmonds
11. Tyler Bowers
12. Weston Peick
13. Davi Millsaps
14. Michael Byrne
15. James Stewart
16. Kevin Windham
17. Tommy Hahn
18. Mike Alessi
19. Justin Brayton
20. Bobby Kiniry
Things started off with the Lites East Main event. This race acted as a heat race of sorts for the famed East/West shootout, in addition to being the championship deciding race. Justin Barcia had a big lead in the points and didn't need to win this one to clinch the title. Justin rode smart to finish a solid 3rd, finishing just ahead of the other championship contender, Dean Wilson, claiming his first career pro title for the GEICO Powersports Honda team. Blake Baggett took his 2nd win of his rookie season, and Ryan Sipes finished 2nd.
In the Lites West main event that followed, there was plenty of drama. Monster Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider Broc Tickle held a slim 2 point lead over GEICO's Eli Tomac heading to the line. The 2 of the riders started in close proximity a little ways back in the pack. They worked their way through towards the front, battling the whole way. As they came up on a group of riders near the front that included Cole Seely and Tickle's team-mate, Josh Hansen, Tickle was able to make a big move and put himself ahead of Tomac for good. Tickle would finish the race in 2nd and clinch his first career pro championship. Tomac was forced to settle for 4th. Ken Roczen took his first career SX Lites win on his Red Bull KTM.
The top 9 in each of the Lites main events transferred to the 10 lap East/West shootout, as well as an additional 2 that transferred in through a last chance qualifier. East rider Ryan Sipes took the over the top spot when the leader went down, before handing it over to 2nd place Cole Seely. Later on in the race, Seely returned the favour, handing the lead back to Sipes. Sipes would take the win on his DNA Shredstix/Star Racing Yamaha, while Seely finished 2nd on his Lucas Oil Troy Lee Designs Honda. West main event winner Ken Roczen worked his way from a start just inside the top 10, to finish on the podium in 3rd. West champ Broc Tickle was victim of a poor start and could only work his way up to 10th, while things were even worse for the east champ, Barcia. He was up front leading the early laps, before crashing. Another crash later in the race would see him finish 16th.
With the Lites events out of the way, all eyes shifted to the main event for the premier division. Ryan Villopoto put himself in great position last week by taking the win in Salt Lake City and carrying a 9 point cushion over Chad Reed to the finale in Las Vegas. The main event saw all of the major players up front early on, with James Stewart in the lead followed by an energized Kevin Windham. Villopoto was in 3rd followed by his championship pursuers, Chad Reed and Ryan Dungey. Stewart tried to sprint away, but was matched at every opportunity by Windham. On lap 6, Stewart, as he has done so many times this year, made a big mistake in the whoops and took Windham down, along with himself. This allowed Villopoto to take over the lead with Reed and Dungey hot on his heels. VIllopoto, no doubt feeling the championship pressure, seemed to decide that he should let Reed and Dungey by and that's exactly what he did. Dungey put on a charge with a few laps remaining and got close to Reed, but could never make the pass. Villopoto hung on to finish 3rd and claim his first career 450 title. Neither Stewart nor Windham finished the race.
With Chad Reed's win, he solidified the runner-up spot in the championship hunt while Dungey finished in 3rd. Villopoto took the #1 plate by 4 points over Reed, and was absolutely elated on the podium following the trophy presentation.
Another season of Supercross has came and gone, and this was arguably the best one ever. Every race was more unpredictable than the last, and nearly all of the contenders stayed healthy to the end. I'm sure 2012 is already on many peoples minds, I know it's on mine.
Lites East Main Event:
1. Blake Baggett
2. Ryan Sipes
3. Justin Barcia
4. Dean Wilson
5. Malcolm Stewart
6. Matt Lemoine
7. Lance Vincent
8. Hunter Hewitt
9. Les Smith
10. Justin Sipes
11. Chris Gosselaar
12. Taylor Futrell
13. Levi Kilbarger
14. Tyler Bright
15. AJ Catanzaro
16. Johnny Moore
17. Killy Rusk
18. Ricky Renner
19. Brad Ripple
20. Gannon Audette
Lites West Main Event
1. Ken Roczen
2. Broc Tickle
3. Kyle Cunningham
4. Eli Tomac
5. Cole Seely
6. Tyla Rattray
7. Ryan Morais
8. Travis Baker
9. Martin Davalos
10. Josh Hansen
11. Bruce Rutherford
12. Nick Paluzzi
13. Jake Canada
14. Ben Evans
15. Casey Hinson
16. Dakota Tedder
17. Landon Powell
18. Tommy Weeck
19. Gared Steinke
20. Topher Ingalls
Lites East/West Shootout
1. Ryan Sipes
2. Cole Seely
3. Ken Roczen
4. Dean Wilson
5. Martin Davalos
6. Eli Tomac
7. Kyle Cunningham
8. Lance Vincent
9. Travis Baker
10. Broc Tickle
11. Tyla Rattray
12. Blake Baggett
13. Nick Paluzzi
14. Matt Lemoine
15. Ryan Morais
16. Justin Barcia
17. Les Smith
18. Malcolm Stewart
19. Jake Canada
20. Hunter Hewitt
Supercross Main Event
1. Chad Reed
2. Ryan Dungey
3. Ryan Villopoto
4. Chris Blose
5. Andrew Short
6. Jake Weimer
7. Austin Stroupe
8. Nick Wey
9. Kyle Regal
10. Tye Simmonds
11. Tyler Bowers
12. Weston Peick
13. Davi Millsaps
14. Michael Byrne
15. James Stewart
16. Kevin Windham
17. Tommy Hahn
18. Mike Alessi
19. Justin Brayton
20. Bobby Kiniry
Saturday, 30 April 2011
Salt Lake City Supercross 450 Race Report
Over the last couple of rounds, the 2011 Monster Energy Supercross championship has seen 2 of its top riders fall out of realistic contention for the crown. It began a few weeks ago, before round 15 in Seattle, when Honda Racing's Trey Canard suffered an injury to his femur while testing for the Lucas Oil AMA Motocross series. At the time, Canard was 5th in the standings of the Supercross division, but was still within reach of the title, especially when his blazing speed, evidenced by 3 race wins, was counted into the equation. It was a tough blow to the series, and an even tougher blow to the rookie's season.
Coming in to the penultimate round of the series in Salt Lake City, there looked to be 4 riders who would do battle for the championship over the course of the final 2 races, but the track in Salt Lake, decided that only 3 would be leaving with a realistic shot at glory.
The big winner on the night was series points leader Ryan Villopoto. He started the main event in the top 5, quickly getting into 3rd place. On lap 7, Villopoto made the move on Chad Reed for 2nd. Reed had started the race in 2nd, right behind James Stewart. Out front, Stewart was beginning to pull away, and it looked like he would go nearly unchallenged for the victory. But, a lap after Villopoto took 2nd, he had the lead given to him when Stewart crashed hard and had to pull in to the mechanics area.
With that, the battle for the win was on, as the 1st and 2nd place riders in the standings controlled the same 2 spots in the main event. Villopoto at one point was able to open a sizeable gap of around 3 seconds, but with 5 laps to go, Reed went to work. When it was all said and done, Reed was able to get the gap down to less than a second, but could never complete the pass. Villopoto won the race, and padded his points lead heading into Las Vegas. Ryan Dungey rode a quiet race to finish on the podium in 3rd, and Stewart regrouped to salvage 10th. However, his mistake likely cost him any shot at the #1 plate.
It was a clutch performance by Ryan Villopoto. With so much pressure on him, it would have been easy to sit back and cruise for a 2nd or 3rd place tonight, but instead, he went out to prove a point and give himself some extra breathing room. He showed that when the chips are down, he can get the job done.
Next weekends race will bring a lot of excitement, but it will likely be a 3 man show as James Stewart now finds himself nearly a full race down. Still, we've seen some crazy events this season, and in Vegas, all bets are off for me.
Supercross Heat 1
1. Chad Reed
2. Kevin Windham
3. Ryan Villopoto
4. Jake Weimer
5. Kyle Regal
6. Justin Brayton
7. Tommy Hahn
8. Michael Byrne
9. Ben Lamay
Supercross Heat 2
1. James Stewart
2. Ryan Dungey
3. Davi Millsaps
4. Andrew Short
5. Nick Wey
6. Mike Alessi
7. Bobby Kiniry
8. Jason Thomas
9. Chris Blose
LCQ
1. Tyler Bowers
2. Cole Siebler
Supercross Main Event
1. Ryan Villopoto
2. Chad Reed
3. Ryan Dungey
4. Andrew Short
5. Davi Millsaps
6. Kevin Windham
7. Jake Weimer
8. Tommy Hahn
9. Justin Brayton
10. James Stewart
11. Nick Wey
12. Kyle Regal
13. Michael Byrne
14. Chris Blose
15. Tyler Bowers
16. Jason Thomas
17. Bobby Kiniry
18. Cole Siebler
19. Ben Lamay
20. Mike Alessi
Coming in to the penultimate round of the series in Salt Lake City, there looked to be 4 riders who would do battle for the championship over the course of the final 2 races, but the track in Salt Lake, decided that only 3 would be leaving with a realistic shot at glory.
The big winner on the night was series points leader Ryan Villopoto. He started the main event in the top 5, quickly getting into 3rd place. On lap 7, Villopoto made the move on Chad Reed for 2nd. Reed had started the race in 2nd, right behind James Stewart. Out front, Stewart was beginning to pull away, and it looked like he would go nearly unchallenged for the victory. But, a lap after Villopoto took 2nd, he had the lead given to him when Stewart crashed hard and had to pull in to the mechanics area.
With that, the battle for the win was on, as the 1st and 2nd place riders in the standings controlled the same 2 spots in the main event. Villopoto at one point was able to open a sizeable gap of around 3 seconds, but with 5 laps to go, Reed went to work. When it was all said and done, Reed was able to get the gap down to less than a second, but could never complete the pass. Villopoto won the race, and padded his points lead heading into Las Vegas. Ryan Dungey rode a quiet race to finish on the podium in 3rd, and Stewart regrouped to salvage 10th. However, his mistake likely cost him any shot at the #1 plate.
It was a clutch performance by Ryan Villopoto. With so much pressure on him, it would have been easy to sit back and cruise for a 2nd or 3rd place tonight, but instead, he went out to prove a point and give himself some extra breathing room. He showed that when the chips are down, he can get the job done.
Next weekends race will bring a lot of excitement, but it will likely be a 3 man show as James Stewart now finds himself nearly a full race down. Still, we've seen some crazy events this season, and in Vegas, all bets are off for me.
Supercross Heat 1
1. Chad Reed
2. Kevin Windham
3. Ryan Villopoto
4. Jake Weimer
5. Kyle Regal
6. Justin Brayton
7. Tommy Hahn
8. Michael Byrne
9. Ben Lamay
Supercross Heat 2
1. James Stewart
2. Ryan Dungey
3. Davi Millsaps
4. Andrew Short
5. Nick Wey
6. Mike Alessi
7. Bobby Kiniry
8. Jason Thomas
9. Chris Blose
LCQ
1. Tyler Bowers
2. Cole Siebler
Supercross Main Event
1. Ryan Villopoto
2. Chad Reed
3. Ryan Dungey
4. Andrew Short
5. Davi Millsaps
6. Kevin Windham
7. Jake Weimer
8. Tommy Hahn
9. Justin Brayton
10. James Stewart
11. Nick Wey
12. Kyle Regal
13. Michael Byrne
14. Chris Blose
15. Tyler Bowers
16. Jason Thomas
17. Bobby Kiniry
18. Cole Siebler
19. Ben Lamay
20. Mike Alessi
Sunday, 17 April 2011
Seattle Supercross 450 race report
The 2011 Monster Energy AMA Supercross championship suffered a big loss in the week leading up to round 15 in Seattle, when it was announced that Honda Racing's Trey Canard suffered a femur injury and would be sidelind for at least six weeks. Nevertheless, the race in Seattle was still taking place, regardless of which riders showed up, and we are now set for one of the most unpredictable finishes in the sports history.
The track in Seattle proved to be one of the toughest we've seen so far this season, as the soft dirt allowed ruts to form on the take-off and landings of every jump. By the time the Supercross class main event took place, the whoops section had turned into a wild feet-off-the-pegs adventure nearly every lap. Because of the extreme technicality that the ruts and soft dirt created, speeds were significantly lower than what we have become accustomed to, but we were still treated to some excitement in the championship battle.
The main event saw Ivan Tedesco continue his string of good starts as he grabbed the holeshot with James Stewart and Chad Reed in tow. Also getting a good start was the days fastest qualifier, Geico Powersports Honda's Kevin Windham. Stewart and Reed quickly took over the top two spots, with Reed briefly passing Stewart to lead the race before being re-passed quickly by his rival. Stewart would begin begin building a large lead in the early laps on his San Manuel Red Bull Yamaha, while Reed and Windham would continue to hold down 2nd and 3rd. Meanwhile, the two other champonship contenders, Monster Energy Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto and Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey, each got off to terrible starts and were working their way towards the front. Villopoto had gone down in the first turn and was extra motivated to get to the front with his homestate Washington fans cheering him on.
As the race wore on, the two Ryans were able to get themselves into the top five, with Villopoto in 4th and Dungey in 5th. Chad Reed was able to get enough of a gap on Kevin Windham, and it was looking like things were going to play out this way to the finish. Then, on lap 19, Chad Reed went over the bars on one of the on-off sections that had become very rutted. The bike hit him as he landed on the ground, and for a moment, it appeared he may be lucky just to finish the race. However, he quickly remounted while only losing one position to Kevin Windham. The crash allowed 4th place Villopoto to close right in, and attempt an aggressive pass to the inside on the final lap. Chad and Ryan came together a couple of times as they battled hard for the final spot on the podium, and with about half a lap to go, Reed looked to have opened a little gap back up. At the same time, Villopoto made a big mistake in the whoops section and went down, but managed to get back up without losing a spot, no doubt thanks in part to the massive gaps seperating many of the riders on the nearly treacherous track.
A couple of notable finishes in Seattle were had by Red Bull KTM's Mike Alessi and San Manuel Red Bull Yamaha's Kyle Regal, each who had season-high finishes in 6th and 7th respectively.
The big winner on the night was James Stewart, who saw his win streak reach two in a row as he led all 20 laps and closed the gap to the championship leader from 16 points to just 9. There are now 4 riders still in contention for this title, and all 4 of them are within an incredible 9 points with just 2 rounds left to run. Any of the 4 riders can still easily win this, and with the way things have been going, I wouldn't bet against any of them.
Supercross Heat 1
1. James Stewart
2. Andrew Short
3. Mike Alessi
4. Austin Stroupe
5. Kyle Regal
6. Chris Blose
7. Chad Reed
8. Cole Siebler
9. Jason Thomas
Supercross Heat 2
1. Kevin Windham
2. Ryan Villopoto
3. Ryan Dungey
4. Nick Wey
5. Ivan Tedesco
6. Tommy Hahn
7. Tyler Bowers
8. Davi Millsaps
9. Vince Friese
Supercross LCQ
1. Michael Byrne
2. Fabien Izoird
Supercross Main Event
1. James Stewart
2. Kevin Windham
3. Chad Reed
4. Ryan Villopoto
5. Ryan Dungey
6. Mike Alessi
7. Kyle Regal
8. Davi Millsaps
9. Tommy Hahn
10. Andrew Short
11. Michael Byrne
12. Nick Wey
13. Fabien Izoird
14. Ivan Tedesco
15. Jason Thomas
16. Vince Friese
17. Tyler Bowers
18. Cole Siebler
19. Chris Blose
20. Austin Stroupe
The track in Seattle proved to be one of the toughest we've seen so far this season, as the soft dirt allowed ruts to form on the take-off and landings of every jump. By the time the Supercross class main event took place, the whoops section had turned into a wild feet-off-the-pegs adventure nearly every lap. Because of the extreme technicality that the ruts and soft dirt created, speeds were significantly lower than what we have become accustomed to, but we were still treated to some excitement in the championship battle.
The main event saw Ivan Tedesco continue his string of good starts as he grabbed the holeshot with James Stewart and Chad Reed in tow. Also getting a good start was the days fastest qualifier, Geico Powersports Honda's Kevin Windham. Stewart and Reed quickly took over the top two spots, with Reed briefly passing Stewart to lead the race before being re-passed quickly by his rival. Stewart would begin begin building a large lead in the early laps on his San Manuel Red Bull Yamaha, while Reed and Windham would continue to hold down 2nd and 3rd. Meanwhile, the two other champonship contenders, Monster Energy Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto and Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey, each got off to terrible starts and were working their way towards the front. Villopoto had gone down in the first turn and was extra motivated to get to the front with his homestate Washington fans cheering him on.
As the race wore on, the two Ryans were able to get themselves into the top five, with Villopoto in 4th and Dungey in 5th. Chad Reed was able to get enough of a gap on Kevin Windham, and it was looking like things were going to play out this way to the finish. Then, on lap 19, Chad Reed went over the bars on one of the on-off sections that had become very rutted. The bike hit him as he landed on the ground, and for a moment, it appeared he may be lucky just to finish the race. However, he quickly remounted while only losing one position to Kevin Windham. The crash allowed 4th place Villopoto to close right in, and attempt an aggressive pass to the inside on the final lap. Chad and Ryan came together a couple of times as they battled hard for the final spot on the podium, and with about half a lap to go, Reed looked to have opened a little gap back up. At the same time, Villopoto made a big mistake in the whoops section and went down, but managed to get back up without losing a spot, no doubt thanks in part to the massive gaps seperating many of the riders on the nearly treacherous track.
A couple of notable finishes in Seattle were had by Red Bull KTM's Mike Alessi and San Manuel Red Bull Yamaha's Kyle Regal, each who had season-high finishes in 6th and 7th respectively.
The big winner on the night was James Stewart, who saw his win streak reach two in a row as he led all 20 laps and closed the gap to the championship leader from 16 points to just 9. There are now 4 riders still in contention for this title, and all 4 of them are within an incredible 9 points with just 2 rounds left to run. Any of the 4 riders can still easily win this, and with the way things have been going, I wouldn't bet against any of them.
Supercross Heat 1
1. James Stewart
2. Andrew Short
3. Mike Alessi
4. Austin Stroupe
5. Kyle Regal
6. Chris Blose
7. Chad Reed
8. Cole Siebler
9. Jason Thomas
Supercross Heat 2
1. Kevin Windham
2. Ryan Villopoto
3. Ryan Dungey
4. Nick Wey
5. Ivan Tedesco
6. Tommy Hahn
7. Tyler Bowers
8. Davi Millsaps
9. Vince Friese
Supercross LCQ
1. Michael Byrne
2. Fabien Izoird
Supercross Main Event
1. James Stewart
2. Kevin Windham
3. Chad Reed
4. Ryan Villopoto
5. Ryan Dungey
6. Mike Alessi
7. Kyle Regal
8. Davi Millsaps
9. Tommy Hahn
10. Andrew Short
11. Michael Byrne
12. Nick Wey
13. Fabien Izoird
14. Ivan Tedesco
15. Jason Thomas
16. Vince Friese
17. Tyler Bowers
18. Cole Siebler
19. Chris Blose
20. Austin Stroupe
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
The fastest rider on the track?
One thing about our great sport that has always kind of bothered me, is that a rider who doesn't win the race, is sometimes called the fastest. This, more often than not, happens when a rider who sets the fastest lap time of the race, doesn't win, usually due to a crash or bike problem. The winning rider, is then criticized for not being as fast, even though they won the race. While I can understand the sentiment behind the claims, I can't help but feel as though this was something concocted by someone looking for a way to feel good about losing a race.
The reason I think that this is so ridiculous, is that a race has both a beginning and an end. The beginning, in the sport of motocross, is usually the dropping of the starting gate, while the end, is the waving of the checkered flag. The goal of the race, is to be the fastest to reach the checkered flag, not to have the fastest time in one segment of the race.
When you watch a sprint race at a competition like the Olympics, such as the 100 meter dash, you don't see them call the runner with the fastest 25 meter segment the fastest runner. So, assuming we're talking about a 20 lap Supercross class main event, does it not seem a little foolish to call a rider who may have put down the fastest lap, but not won the race, the fastest?
I guess it's a small bone to pick with what is probably a fairly small amount of people, but it's something that always puzzled me. In my eyes, the guy who crosses the finish line first was the fastest. They run the full duration of the race for a reason!
The reason I think that this is so ridiculous, is that a race has both a beginning and an end. The beginning, in the sport of motocross, is usually the dropping of the starting gate, while the end, is the waving of the checkered flag. The goal of the race, is to be the fastest to reach the checkered flag, not to have the fastest time in one segment of the race.
When you watch a sprint race at a competition like the Olympics, such as the 100 meter dash, you don't see them call the runner with the fastest 25 meter segment the fastest runner. So, assuming we're talking about a 20 lap Supercross class main event, does it not seem a little foolish to call a rider who may have put down the fastest lap, but not won the race, the fastest?
I guess it's a small bone to pick with what is probably a fairly small amount of people, but it's something that always puzzled me. In my eyes, the guy who crosses the finish line first was the fastest. They run the full duration of the race for a reason!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)