Bench Racing Ammo: Rookie Winners
Thursday, April 7, 2011 | 12:25 PM
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PrintIn yesterday’s Yoshimura Redux, I followed a centralized stat to prove there’s a new level of competition in Monster Energy Supercross. In the last three seasons, three rookies have broken through to win multiple races. Ryan Villopoto won two in 2009, Ryan Dungey won six in 2010 and now Trey Canard has won three in 2011.
That has never happened before? Never. The series has never produced three-straight seasons where rookies won multiple races. In fact, very few first-year riders have ever won more than once.
Broc Glover won four races in 1980. Damon Bradshaw won five in 1990. Jeremy McGrath won ten (and the championship) in 1993. Kevin Windham actually won a race before his full rookie season in the big class, taking the 1997 Charlotte Supercross while still racing 125 West, and when he did move to the 250 full time in 1998, he delivered two wins.
Canard is the latest in the line of rookies to reach multiple wins in their rookie years.
Photo: Simon Cudby
David Vuillemin raced part of the 1999 season on a 250 before heading back to the GPs. He returned to the U.S. for his first full season in 2000, and won four races.
Finally, Chad Reed won a whopping eight races in his rookie season of 2003, and James Stewart won three in 2005.
Through the first 35 years of AMA Supercross, only seven rookies won multiple races. Now in the last three, we’ve seen it happen in three consecutive years.
Sounds like this series is in good hands.
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im bmaw. I LOVE a good holeshot. Yummy.
After reading this, I could not help but thing to myself, "Where would Pourcel have been if he was racing?" Canard has been looking strong!
It has been quite the year so far! Hopefully nobody gets injured with four to go!
Wouldn't it be 10 rookies that have won multiple races. Reed, Canard, RC, MC, RV, JS, DV12, Glover, KW, Dungey and Bradshaw.
This is a strong argument for the end of the end of the "Dominance" era(s). After RC's departure, all eyes were on Bubba to take over as heir apparent but, other than an impressive 2009 showing, he hasn't delivered as expected. Now with the newbies rolling in plus more coming (Barcia, Roczen, Wilson, etc.) I'm fairly certain the 1 or 2 rider era of dominance is (thankfully) over.
In my mind, 1985 was the last year we had multiple winners and a legitimate multi-horse race for the SX title. In 26 years, only 6 racers(!) have held the SX #1 plate.
With the exception of the (very) early years of my following Moto, I've been captive of the "Domination Eras". Not as bad for me as the guys racing (behind) the Champs but, happy to be moving into a new era. 5 brand (maybe more?) / multiple racer victories in a season is going to be AWESOME!!!
I thought RV won 3 in 09 and RD won 5 last year??
I agree Carlsbad, At one point it looked like JS would take down MC's 72 wins but now I wonder if he will even win another title let alone get 73 wins.
Let just hope this carrys over to the outdoors!! I will be at 2 or 3 nats this year.
Carlsbad,
Not to be nitpicky, but there has been more than 6 racers to win the SX title in the last 26 years hasn't there? Ward, Johnson, Bayle, Stanton, Mcgrath, Emig, Carmichael, Reed, Stewart, Dungey
They mentioned MC, who won the 250 title his rookie year.. And Reed won 8 races as a rookie, thats pretty darn good. He is tough, has as many wins as Stewie. and slarveson, they said rookies who won multiple races I think, not title winners. I did see were they mentioned MC winning, but I was curious as to how many races he won that year..
RC won the title in 2003 correct?
JS7 won 3 races in 05' after the broken arm in PHX....
slarveson, you got me. This was off the top of my head and I forgot Emig and stopped @ RC so, I missed 4, my bad. Still, the point is valid.
BillC, I definitely don't want to be one of "those guys" that rags JS but, (here I go anyway) he has disapointed on a lot of levels. It's not unheard of to expect a lot from our Champions and for the most part, many have delivered. In reality, all they NEED to do is win races / titles / championships and they are holding up their end of the "bargain". We're not even getting that with JS and then add in the squirrelly riding / crashing into others and now the off-track dysfunction and I'm not out of line to feel like I got gypped on the deal. Plus I've never been a fan of the guys who think they're larger than life or transcend the sport or whatever.....
i think RC sat out 2003 to get his acl fixed Trend Killer. I think
RC didn't win in his rookie SX series on the big bikes (99). Won Daytona in 00'.Then got the title in 01'. Also Carlsbad you said 85' was the last year we had multiple winners and a legit multi horse race for the title, but most of the same guys who raced for that title were around until the early 90's and I believe either the 90' or 91' series started with 5 different winners.
@ i think,, RC sat out the '04 season due to a knee injury. He won in '03.
NikolaTesla, I don't have the stats in front of me and I don't want to split hairs here but, I didn't consider the '89-92 seasons more than a 2/3 horse title race. '90 showed promise with the additions of matiesiv.....matesi.......matt...."Chicken" and Bradshaw to the 250 class but, the same guy(s) were there in the end.
and i was at anaheim when mcgrath won his first one as a rookie- and i called it- bauringg da ding ding
Im bmaw. Bring Me A Weiner.
It's hard to say JS has dissappointed, I mean the guy is 3rd on alltime wins and has 3 big bike titles. He's only 25, he could rededicate himself and come back next year looking like the old JS. Also the hype about him was bigger than anything until this point. No matter how many races he wins, he will never live up to the expectations that the industry has put on him. Like it or not he will be in the hall of fame. Yes He could have won more titles but he sat out 08 and 10 with injury. I think everyone should ease up on this guy, so what? He's on the down side of his career. It happens to everyone, they get old and beat up from crashes. JS has nothing to hang his head about because he's had the 3rd most successful career of anyone in the game.
Wow, did I come to the right forum? Its actually civil and I don't see any idiotic posts that look like they were written from a 12 year old. Where the hell are those flying pigs?
I am glad that things have tightened up in racing and new faces have stepped in and stepped up. It has been rough knowing that for the past 5 or 6 years that only 3 guys really had a shot at winning on any night, and it seemed those 3 were way faster than anyone else. Even though that I'm not a JS superfan like some, I still believe that he is the fastest of the bunch by far, and that taking so much time off the bike "racing" has hurt his consistancy. I personally believe he will be back next year, more in control, make a lot kess mistakes, and dominate the series. I just thik he is teying to hard ona field that has closed the gap on speed to him.
Then again, what do I know. All I do know is that is is so exciting going to watch a race and knowing that there are more than 2 guys that have a shot at winning the race. I'm so glad that most of the key players have stayed healthy this season, although I'm not sure how with some of the crashes we've seen.
Yeah this is definitelly awesome 5 winners so far, and if Pourcel and Weimer would have raced maybe we would have had more. Almost matching the greatest year 1990- 8 winners that year.
now if we could only drop CBS....
Drop CBS. Amen to that!
I started racing about 7 years ago, and following the american motocross-series. And it seems that for every year, the racing is just getting better and better. And with Musquin, Roczen, Pourcel, Barcia, Tomac, Wilson, Hansen, Tickle moving up and battling Canard, Villo, RD, Stewart and Reed, the future of the sport looks amazing.
Sorry Carlsbad, I wasn't trying to nitpick what you said, just throwing my 2 cents in. Does the week seem really long to everyone else? All this good racing makes the week take forever, then when the race isn't on TV until sunday it takes all my willpower to stay away from the computer on saturday night.
Great stats on this column. Nice!
Sorry Guys...what about JMB, One of the First French rider American fans loved to hate...did he not win as a Rookie ?
In the very short span of three years, JMB won three major titles (all of them in 1991, actually), 16 SX mains, 11 nationals, and a USGP. Not a bad three years!
remember that DeCoster had to mount a massive airspoiler to his rear brake caliper to his 500cc factory Honada as he was one of the first to apply a lot of brake AND Throttle in the corners to stabilize the suspension, during one of those races JMB had a rear flat, halfway through the MX heat, leading with 18sec sorta, at the finish line he still had 18 sec...THAT is dominant
JMB was aleady a multi-time world champion by then. He also raced a few races in 1990 in the series before coming here full time in 91.