The List: Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory
Thursday, June 30, 2011 | 2:30 PM
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PrintThis week on the Maxima Oils “The List” we all sat around and came up with the most devastating defeats in a race.
And this is in no particular order, because really how can you say that the “victims” on this list felt anything but the ultimate devastation? It’s up to you dear readers to decide which one guy you feel the most sorry for. Be sure to get your bench racing going in the comments section below.
1.) Ryan Dungey, 2011 Freestone National
The Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider was the defending champion in the 450 class and just lost out on the win at the first round at Hangtown to Chad Reed. At round two, he lost the first moto to Reed again but early on in the second moto, he had a bit of a cushion on Reed hard until the 22 went down. From there it was a cruise to the finish for Dungey, he was going to go 2-1 and stay tied in the points for the championship. But then, with a mere lap and a half to go in the second moto, Dungey’s Suzuki RM-Z450 came to a halt with a fuel problem. As in, there was no more left in the tank! That was it, a 2-1 day was turned into a 2-DNF and Dungey is still battling to make up that deficit as we speak. Can he do it? Stay tuned to the rest of the 2011 Lucas Oil AMA Nationals!
2.) Kelly Smith, 1999 St. Louis Supercross
Smith, from Ludington, Michigan and a bit of an unknown at this point, was on his #64 KTM 125 and leading the St Louis 125 SX main event with only a lap to go. It was going to be a momentous occasion for Smith as it would be his first ever win in supercross as well as KTM’s first ever win. Smith was riding out of a box van with some KTM support, the Austrian OEM had not yet dedicated itself to having an official team. It was truly the privateer beating the powerhouse teams on his European machine. He didn’t even have a linkage!
But it was not to be, this storybook ending ended with a thud. Yamaha of Troy rider Ernesto Fonseca was coming through the pack and pulled up alongside Smith, then clipped bars with him and sent the KTM pilot to the deck hard. Kelly Smith, in a matter or moments went from hero to out of the race with a DNF. It was a bitter pill to swallow no doubt about it.
3.) Brett Metcalfe 2010 Southwick National
GEICO Honda’s Brett Metcalfe moved up to the 450 class for the 2010 season and he was adapting quite well to the bigger bike after years in the 250 class. As a matter of fact, Metty (who had never won a moto on the smaller bikes but acquired a bunch of podiums) was really starting to figure things out late in the year, and at Southwick, he was checked out in the first moto. Brett Metcalfe was going to get his first career moto win ever over the likes of Dungey, Andrew Short and Ben Townley. It was a feel good story for everyone involved and Metcalfe, one of the nicest guys in the pits, deserved it fully and completely.
Dungey got close, but Metcalfe resisted his relentless attacks. He had the win in hand, until the moto gods came in, and like Dungey at Texas, decided that the amount of fuel in Brett’s CRF450 wasn’t going to be enough to get him to the finish. On the last lap, Metty’s dream ride ended with him fruitlessly pushing his bike up a sand hill. The dream was over. Somehow Brett came back for the next moto but a seventh is the best he could do. And who could blame him after his soul was crushed like that?
He’s still never won an AMA professional race by the way.
4.) Ron Lechien 1989 Daytona Supercross
Factory Kawasaki’s Ron ‘The Machine” Lechien’s machine let him down on this day back in 1989. Lechien, a national champion in the 125 class and a multi-time SX winner, had never won at the famed Daytona Speedway track before and considering winning Daytona a crown jewel in the caps- it was going to be a great day back in 1989. You see, Lechien had holeshot the main event and took off to a big lead early on. Series points leader Jeff Stanton caught him a little bit around halfway but Lechien, wearing the famous JT Racing Dalmation gear and sporting the number 4, got his second wind and gapped Stanton once again. Lechien took the white flag signifying the last lap and that was it, Ronnie Lechien was going to win his first Daytona Supercross.
That is until three turns after getting that white flag when Lechien’s KX250 sputtered and stammered. It seems that the bikes plastic power-valve gear couldn’t take it anymore and melted. Lechien nursed it home to a fourth but the win was right there for the El Cajon, CA native. The next week, Factory Kawasaki installed metal gears in their bikes, but it was too late for Lechien to get the win. Today, he says got getting Daytona was one of his biggest regrets of his career.
Lechien suffered a devestating loss at the 1989 Daytona Supercross.
Photo: Paul Buckley / buckleyphotos.com
5.) Chad Reed 2008 Daytona Supercross
We go back to the speedway for another heartbreaker. Yamaha’s Chad Reed had conquered the tough Daytona track before, and he knew first hand how hard it was to win as well as how rare it is. On this day, in monsoon conditions, Reed was on track to win the race as the course got more and more difficult. The ruts and mud everywhere and bikes stuck all over the place, Reed pounded through the puddles and lakes and took a big lead over Honda’s Kevin Windham.
But that was part of the problem, the charging, aggressive style of Reed was great for adding seconds onto his lead but not so awesome for his YZ450F which was accumulating more and more water into the motor. Still, Reed got the last lap flag and was going to widen his points lead even more when the bike stopped two turns from the finish. Yes, that’s right. Two turns. Finally the machine said no mas and Reed was left with a defeat. Talk about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
6.) Grant Langston 2001 Houston Supercross
Langston, fresh of a 125 World GP Title and riding for KTM USA in 2001 didn’t take to supercross right away, but after a few rounds the South African was figuring things out. At round six of the west regional 125 series, the #111 KTM rider was on his way to victory. After that heart-breaking moment with Kelly Smith two years earlier, it was now going to be time for KTM to win its first ever SX main event in either class.
Except while going over the last triple on the last lap, Langston threw a one-hander to the crowd to celebrate, couldn’t recover in time and went down over the next jump going into the turn. He lost the race. It was another devastating loss for the orange crew as the best GL could do once he got up was a fourth. Just to throw some more salt into the wound, the rider that ended up winning was Husqvarna’s Travis Preston. It became that OEM’s first ever SX main event win, instead!
7.) James Stewart 2007 RedBud National
With his rival Ricky Carmichael easing his way into retirement, Kawasaki’s James Stewart was pretty much dominating the races RC didn’t compete in. When RC showed up, these two would go at it tooth and nail. Up to this point, Stewart had beaten Carmichael twice out of the eight motos they had raced in ’07, and never in the second moto, which means Carmichael had the overall wins advantage, as well as a 6-2 advantage in moto wins. Enter RedBud and Stewart again won the first moto in impressive fashion.
In the second moto, the #7 Kawasaki of Stewart appeared to have the double moto win in the bag as he led Carmichael by a few seconds with the two lap card coming out that next time around. Carmichael was giving it all he had, but redemption, thy name was James Stewart, and he has finally held back all the attacks. Until Stewart hit his front brake lever on the inside of the right hander and over the bars he went. That was it, Stewart recovered for second but it was too late to stop RC from getting another win. Just to make this one sting a little more, this ended up being Stewart’s last chance, ever, to beat Carmichael for an overall win at a motocross race. An injury forced James out of Carmichael’s final race at Millville, so Stewart and Carmichael never raced again.
Chad Reed in the swamp better know as the 2008 Daytona Supercross.
Photo: Simon Cudby
8- Travis Pastrana 2001 Unadilla National
AMA 125 National Champion Travis Pastrana was looking set to defend that number one plate, as he had stretched out his lead to over forty points over Langston with only five races remaining in the 2001 tour. In fact, as Pastrana led the entire field around the historic Unadilla track, the lead was set to go over fifty points. Pastrana dominated the first moto, then pulled well out front in moto two.
But then disaster struck. In the back of the track, Pastrana went bouncing into the ground over a high-speed double. That was it for the race and the beginning of the end of racing in general for Travis. He never quite recovered from the concussion he incurred in the crash. As a matter of fact, Pastrana would never win another race in professional motocross or supercross. And it all started to crumble this day in Unadilla.
9.) Keith Bowen 1987 Daytona Supercross
Again back to the oval for more heartbreak. What is it about this place? With massive rain turning the track into more of a mud bog than a supercross track, the stars of the sport, Ricky Johnson and Jeff Ward, both had miserable days. It was guys like Honda privateer Ricky Ryan and factory Yamaha’s Keith Bowen that shined. Everyone remembers Ryan, a total privateer, winning this race but forget that Bowen had it in the bag. From Michigan where the guys know a thing or two about riding in the mud, Bowen passed Ryan early on for the lead only to crash shortly after. The man nicknamed ‘Bones’ got up, passed Ryan again for the lead and was gone. Bowen had never won a supercross before, so the Daytona victory was going to be quite a bullet on the resume.
Until, with a big lead and just over two laps remaining, Bowen’s Yamaha YZ250 sucked a rock into the counter-shaft. It would not come out. That was it, Bowen couldn’t get it out and was forced to DNF a race that was his. It was a stunning turnaround as Ryan took the easy win and a place in the history books as the first privateer to win an AMA Supercross. All Bowen got was a rock., and he would never come that close again.
10.) Johnny O’Mara 1986 Unadilla 250 USGP
Bob Hannah had always been crazy fast at Unadilla, but luck was never on his side. He’d lost plenty of races here under wild circumstances, and by 1986, his career was winding down and time was running out. Plus he was riding the new RM250 that was still in development (complete with the Boyesen Link rear suspension that Hannah wanted to try). Meanwhile, his old Honda teammate Johnny O’Mara stood in the other corner. O’Show had won Unadilla’s 250 GP the previous year, and he was armed with a CR250R, which had been dominating everything that season.
O’Mara got a good start and dominated the first moto. In moto two, Hannah started up front, and the duo went at it. Several times, the Hurricane grabbed the lead to the delight of the Unadilla faithful, but late in the game, the super-fit (and younger) O’Mara began to pull away.
He was just too strong on this day, and on the last lap he set it on cruise control, his second-straight USGP win in hand. Until O’Mara ran out of gas on the last lap. His bike sputtered to a stop, and Hannah rolled across the finish in shock, and with the victory. Finally, Unadilla had paid him back!
What else you guys got? What did we forget? Comment below and let us know.
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hole shot ha
What about Deano last year @ Freestone (was it Freestone?), thinking Rattray was a lap down and letting him by for the win?
I have to say, watching that daytona race with reed going out the last lap was devastating, i beleive that's the worst one. Just my opinion.
No mention of Langstons broken wheel losing the race and the championship to Brrownie? Thats got to be the worst of all time!
damn, yz1804 stole my comment haha
HOLESHOT!!!!!!! not!
Sorry bud, im probably just less busy at work than you haha!
What about Ryan "what's your problem, Dude?" Hughes trying to push his KX125 to the finish line for the championship? Don't remember exact race, but that was a devastating loss for sure.
You touched on Langton's ill fated one hander but what about his exploding hub! which not only cost him the moto but the outdoor title. Rumor has that Mike Brown was seen loitiering about with a pair ofside cutters but that has never been confirned
Reed's Daytona mudder was crazy! What about Pourcel crashing at Pala?
Already got an email about GL's wheel thing and here's my reply just copied and pasted here as to why I didn't put GL wheel in the story:
RC was there and he let Brown by into the lead, we all know this. GL's wheel actually was jacked up from the beginning when Ernie's footpeg took a bunch of spokes out. He was was back early on and working his way up through the pack...when his wheel started coming apart, he wasn't in a spot to win the title..yet...he was probably going to do it as the guys in front of him weren't fast enough to hold him up but his wheel started coming apart 1/2 way thru the moto...he pulled out shortly after. The guys on the list were very, very late in the race when disaster struck and that's why they made it on there.
I was on the KTM team that year working for Kelly Smith, who didn't qualify, and I was spotting on the track when I was first guy to spot that wheel wobbling. Not a good feeling...
Thanks for reading!
Don't know the year....86-87ish when RJ went from last to first to pass Cooper (a priveteer that year I think) on the last lap at the LA Colesium. Cooper's best chance to win a 250 main.....don't think he ever got one did he??
may not be list worthy but in 1980(i think) unknown Rich Coon was in the top 3 in the season 125 standings for Honda and they ran him out of gas at a race late in the season. sorry for my lack of details. please help
I remember Bob Hannah and Marty Smith battling at the St Pete National for the 500cc title many years ago. Hannah was easily the fastest but broke a throttle cable that day to hand Smith the championship!
1977? I think? St. Petersburg, FLA. The Open Class championship went down to the final race of the year (and I think the final moto) between Bob Hannah and Marty Smith. Hannah broke a throttle cable on the works Yamaha, while leading, and Smith won the title.
I also remember Tony D (I think leading) the Daytona SX when his front wheel locked up as he was blasting down the front straight. Most riders that day were actually getting up onto the tracks asphalt apron and out of the whoops. Unfortunately, Tony D and his factory Suzuki endoed their brains out on the asphalt!
the Stewart and RC Red Bud race is a little misleading. I saw the race they are talking about. And Stewart did not have a few second lead when he went down, and NOTHING was in the bag. RC was so close he almost tapped Stewarts rear wheel, he pressured Stewart for several minutes before Stewart folded. It was pressure that was Stewarts downfall, as it has been for alot of his career. But RC pushed Stewart for the last half odf the entire moto. And after Stewart went down, RC turned a faster lap..RC just waited and pushed for a misstake. Stewart was fast that day, but that race, RC was faster..
I think the Daytona 2011 race was a bigger giveaway race than that Red Bud race for Stewart. That one he had in the bag, by a long shot.
Didn't Sebastian Tortelli run out of gas while leading an AMA National on a Factory Honda? Can't remember what track and not sure which year, early 2000s or late 90s I believe.
Pretty hard to watch.
Maico.
Reed and Stewart in supercross this year
The Battle of New Orleans....the last round of the 1975 Outdoor Nationals where the championship determined.... Steve Stackable had the title all but rapped up, running 2nd in the first moto until the spokes in his front wheel broke causing him to fade back to 7th place. The second moto Steve went out and won easliy.... had he just taken a 5th in the first moto, he would have won the Championship. Anybody remember the 4 other riders fighting for the title that day?
@Not so fast
I agree about Red Bud, I think RC was just pressuring him and waiting.
I was at that Unadilla Pastrana crashed at. It was on the last lap and he definitely had it in the bag. It was a pretty ugly crash as he endoed a real big high speed double.
What about Rick Johnson breaking his wheel at the last National of the year to loose the championship to Donnie Hansen on the Factory Honda RC250 which is rumoured to one of the most advanced and best bikes of all time. Johnson meanwhile was mounted on a production 1982 YZ250 which was one of the biggest piles of all time with the radiator mounted on the forks. Johnson was only Yamaha support at the time. That was truly snatching defeat from the jaws of victory as Johnson had a big points lead and only needed to finish close to Hansen to win the title. Can't believe you missed that one!
Rick Johnson 1982 Lakewood, CO National.
Last race of the year, Johnson is leading the title chase riding a production based YZ250. His front wheel disintegrated from being one of the only guys jumping a huge uphill double lap after lap.
Donnie Hansen won the title from Johnson's DNF. Compared to the factory Honda's that year, the Yamaha was complete junk, lol.
Ah! you beat me by 38 seconds Craig! haha
I just bring this one up because I was there, not that it is one of the worst instances. At Washougal 2006, RC was down 5 or 6 seconds in the first moto, caught and passed Bubba and take the win. Second moto, RC gets a bad start, starts picking people off, and goes down towards the end of 1st or 2nd lap, by the time he pulled it together and got back into 2nd, he was 14 seconds behind Stewart. RC caught Stewart around the 25 minute mark, they battled for a bit, and the GOAT got by. Then, with a little over a lap remaining, this happens:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GsNyMQN-Kg
Brett Metcalfe 2010 Southwick National should be #1, The guy was handing it to RD witch almost never happen last year and you put that at #3 and give RD's Freestone deal #1!! NO WAY IMO
wattabout my dookeyyy
I should be number 11 through 99- almost every race i am going to win until i fly off the track and usually take someone with me.. come on guys
Ed, Cooper never did win a supercross, he finished second 6 times, he had the lead in several races only to have something happen. Chicken took him out twice while he was leading late in the race. He came close at Pontiac one year and also had the lead in one of the best supercrosses ever in Atlanta late only to lose it to Wardy. In 89 he was second in points to Stanton going into the last round only to seperate his shoulder in practice, forceing him to miss the race which allowed Leichen to catch an pass him in points putting Guy in 3rd for the year.
@BILLC, I have to agree with Craig Russel on this one with the RJ losing the title to Donnie Hansen. Metcalfe lost one moto, RJ lost the title with that one moto. Ricky Johnson said he wish he would have done what alot of guys had done since, he could have ran an easy mnoto and gotten 5th or something and won the title. He said "Heck with that, I'm going for the win" And landed hard off a jump and blew his back wheel out. And it cost him the title. That would be hard to take right there.
Cool article. Thanks
Chad Reed's daytona 08 was a horrible one. I feel bad for the dude just watching it. I wouldn't wish that crap on anyone.
http://youtu.be/yYegikwwTGQ
BillC, what part in the second paragraph about not having these ranked in any order did you miss?
There were quite a few that decided championships, some of which were mentioned: Langston's broken wheel, Rick Johnson's broken wheel, Ryno's broken chain, Bradshaw's last race SX meltdown, and Pourcel getting injured in the last round last year. There are probably enough others to make another list of 10.
BD 200, I was in Atlanta for that race, the greatest race ever in my opinion, I was sitting in the front row of the outfield field level seats, about 100 feet direclty in front of were Coop dismounted over that 10 foot tall step up, it was epic, raced that morning on an 80 and that step up was more like a hill climb from my point of view on a 1989(i think) YZ 80....watched the whole race on youtube about a month ago, it never gets old
how about Ryno racing all year with a broken leg, losing the championship to Langston because the rain date for Kenworthys had a second flood? Sucks to be tied in points then get a phone call saying it is over, and you lost
@Corndog - dern son, when ya'remind us of Hughes' leg and he was racen'with duct tape holding himself together a lot that season it's all like double ouch. wow. but they're just chillen on his compound so it's gunna be ah'ite
then again thats the kinda thing that is actually traumatic. It may explain some things
Certainly the '82 Yamaha had the radiator on the forks. Wasn't RJ's bike air-cooled? Smith and Fonseca tangled but either Fonseca drilled him or got out of control big time when they where side by side. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.
Damon Bradshaw's loss to Jeff Stanton, for the 1992 SX crown. Most. Devastating. Ever.
The ranking in this article is suspect.
Not once, but twice in '06, Bubba had RC beat in 2nd motos, only to suffer two HUGE crashes with a lap or two to go. The first happened when he caught a lip on a downhill double and endoed big. Then he came back a few rounds later, and had it in the bag again and his KX450 broke a wristpin over another high-speed downhill double and was KO'd again. I want to say it was Southwick and Millville? And then there's David Bailey at the Carlsbad GP. He had a big lead late in the 2nd moto, and out of nowhere, swapped out and high-sided HUGE on a big downhill. It may have been the same year he led the whole first moto only to break his rear wheel apart.
Ryan Hughes with the broken chain is by far the worst of them. Someone also mentioned his misfortune with Kenworthy's, I am willing to say that he has had the worst luck in all of this.
I think the worst instance of "snagging defeat from the jaws of victory has to be Grant Langston, but not the Houston SX, but the final round of the 2001(?) AMA 125 Nationals when his rear wheel exploded on the last lap and gave the title to Mike Brown. Talk about a heart breaker for the South African!
Old school here. The '74 Twin Falls Idaho Snake River race - the day before Evil Kneivel's rocket bike river jump. It was not a national but a huge purse race with most of the top guy's there. Steve stackable was smoking everyone on his Maico when his throttle cable broke on the last lap. I remember a picture in MX Action showing him pushing his bike back to the pits. It said that was a 10,000 dollar throttle cable.
Bengt Aberg was winning a Trans AMA race, circa 1974, when the transmission on his Bultaco locked up very late in the second moto.
And I remember a Supercross race in '77, when Jim Pomeroy stalled his Honda a few turns before the checkers. Hannah won the race.
BillC.....still waiting for an answer to Steve's question.
The RJ wheel break was not at Lakewood - it was at Castle Rock and yes - his bike was water cooled. I was about 75 feet away when his wheel broke. What a heartbreak. I remember the mechanics running to his bike to change the wheel - they almost got to the bike before it stopped tumbling! They had him back on the track within a lap.
That was back when they quarantined the winning bike. Remember those days?
I caught RJ at the High Point National in 02 - he was at the top of the downhill, just staring down the hill. i walked up and told him I thought it looked a lot like the hill that broke his wheel in 82 and he said that's exactly what he was thinking when I walked up on him. Pretty cool.
The JS crashes mentioned by Texlabo were at Steel City (downhill endo) and I think Red Bud (wrist pin explosion). I was at both of those events, also. Not that anyone cares....
And the Daytona thing with Reed - he should have known the lines he was taking would cost him the motor. Windham was very cautious about sucking water in the deep puddles and even commented about it in an interview afterwards, but Reed just plowed right through, taking the shortest line despite the depth of water. Hell - he almost got away with it!
Stewart at southwick in 06' had like 40 seconds on the guy in second then his bike blew up on the back straight going into the gravity cavity on the last lap... he landed on his head. and what about pourcel breaking his collarbone on the last lap of moto 1 at pala? he lost the championship there too.... along with his career it seems.
How come no mention of the time I was with this girl, and we were getting into it and making out and dry humping and all that. I'm thinking I have victory in sight, then all the sudden she says she has to stop. That was a hard DNF to take.
@mxjerry
1 rc was leading that race in southwick 2006 and
2 gravity cavity does not exist at southwick, that would be the thrilla in the dilla
@BILLC - C'mon, Dungey's defeat was worse than Metcalfe's. Metcalfe deserved his first win, sure, but it's not like his title hopes were ruined or anything. People still recognize it as an amazing ride. And anyway, all the stuff about someone FINALLY beating Dungey is silly. It's not like Ryan was some tyrant last year who won every race by slamming people off the track. He was just a kid who worked hard and out-rode everyone week after week, and is more than deserving of his success.
Dungey's endured so much talk these last two years, so much doubt. He's been able to weather it all with his fitness and his ability on a bike, but he's not getting much help from the bike itself. Most people recognize that the chain incident during SX pretty much destroyed his chances at defending his title, and now it's happening all over again outdoors. I'm sure he wanted to come out swinging in the first few rounds, show people he was ready for a fight when everyone was predicting a Villopoto run-away. He did his part, but Suzuki didn't do theirs. Gotta be frustrating.
@Comfortably_Dumb - But I'm guessing you finished later, correct? Doesn't count if you did. On the other hand, it would still make you a loser.
The part about it haveing a big #1 next to it, Just like a few others on here but you single me out...Hmmmm If there is no order why put Numbers next to them??
.BD200 I agree with that as well, Neither of the 2 I posted about should be #1 IMO.
Agreed Whoops_Blitzer but RD's title hopes where not ruined either, Point is Metty had NRVER won a moto, RD has won many so IMO it hurts more to see it happen to metty.
What about Lamson having a clear shot at his only 250 SX win at Charlotte until McGrath zapped him near the end. It was a different location, but a year or two later and McGrath had a flat at Charlotte. While on Charlotte, does anyone remember the first 2 years at the speedway? The enormous jumps after the finish line that nearly killed Hughes and Albertyn and then the year with rain that resulted in bikes having to be removed by tractors during qualifying.
K Dub crashed in SX (I forget where) this season with a big lead.
1985 Dallas Sx. Texas privateer Carroll Richardson had the 125 main won. Crashed on a small double entering the last turn ON THE LAST LAP. Would have been a huge victory at his home race. Never got that close again.
Not many people remember how bayle dominated the 125" in 1990...Honda dispatched Bayle to the 125 class to try to keep its streak there going. It had been since Jeff Ward in '84 that a brand other than Honda won the 125 National Championship, and the team felt comfortable enough about their chances—they also had the defending champion in the class, Mike Kiedrowski, under the tent—to let Guy Cooper go. That would prove to be a big mistake, especially after JMB, up by 74 points by the time the series reached Washougal, broke his arm in the whoops. Kiedrowski then picked up the slack, trying to reel in Cooper, who had won four of the early rounds on his Suzuki RM125. Cooper later had some help from his Suzuki teammates Mike LaRocco and Larry Ward, who had raced the 250 Nationals and the dropped back to the 125s once the 500 series started—Suzuki was no longer producing an RM500. via racer X