The Moment: Washougal
Monday, July 25, 2011 | 12:00 PM
The Moment is brought to you by Factory Effex who is a world leader in graphic kits, Custom number plate back grounds, high end Factory Wheel sets and components; specializing in cutting edge decorative accessories for your motorcycles and ATV.
Tweet
Advertisement | Advertise with Us
Share
Comment
Email
Print
We all know who won the races over the weekend, but The Moment focuses on one small snapshot of the race that had a big impact on the entire day. Here’s a look at that moment from Washougal.
Trey Canard lost his entire season with a big crash in the second 450 moto from Washougal. It was a big bummer for Trey, his family and team, and all of his fans. And really, who isn't a Trey Canard fan? This is the classic case of bad things happening to good people.
Mike Alessi didn't lose his season at Washougal, but he did lose something very critical to him. He lost a start.
Alessi got the start he needed in the second moto, but a restart would hinder his chances at a podium.
Photo: Andrew Fredrickson
The once (and future?) Holeshot King has not even been part of a royal court on starts this season. He made an impact early in a few motos, but Mike is not longer consistently the fastest man out of the hole—even while back on a 450. Instead, he’s had to grind out the solid finishes, and unfortunately for him, he’s getting the type of results that are just one step away from really getting noticed. Yes, he’s riding hard, but he just can’t seem to get onto the podium.
In the second moto, though, Alessi snuck inside of Dungey in the second turn to steal the second spot. With Villopoto getting away, Alessi stood between Dungey, and Mike was set to give the defending class champ fits in trying to get around. Even if Dungey did get around, chances are Villopoto might have gotten away by the time RD made the move on MA. And Alessi was set to keep digging, because even finishing behind the Ryans would finally put him on the podium in a moto.
Will Alessi stand on the podium before the season is over?
Photo: Andrew Fredrickson
Then came the red flag and restart. Up front, things changed dramatically as Dungey edged out Villopoto, weathered a heavy storm from RV for the first two laps, and then pulled away. But the real loser in the restart deal turned out to be Alessi, who was nowhere to be seen off the start this time, and he had to go back into the grind-it-out mode. He never gave up, pushing all the way to the final corner. He trailed Justin Brayton, and they both closed on Chad Reed at the finish. Reed took fourth, Brayton fifth, and Alessi sixth. Alessi’s 9-6 scores made this the worst weekend of the season for him, results wise, since he returned to the tour from a concussion at round three.
Twelve motos and no podiums yet for Mike, who is riding hard in every race. But he knows in order to keep getting better finishes, he needs get better starts—and keep them.
Did you like this article?
Check out ACTION FIGURE
in our Latest issue of Racer X available now.
Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil Honda’s Cole Seely is a man of many talents— skateboarding, BMX, import drifting … and he’s pretty good at this motocross thing, too. Page 156 .
Look for the verified symbol 
Impulse Studios
Why all the attention on 800? It seems like he gets more TV coverage than the leaders combined. I would rather watch 1, 2, or 22 going forward than 800 going backward.
They stopped the race for Canard but last week Reeds crash wasn`t enough to stop the race. It just seems like its up to who ever feels like red flagging the race or not at each track. This damn sport is so shoty with the way things go down.
I liked RV's comment... " well I got 3 good starts today ".... RV has the right attitude and always seems to have some humor.... I think this is a great article because I was saying the same thing once the restart....." DAMMIT...Alessi would have battled RD for a while and RV would disappear "..... Dungey only gets eager to pass when its RV and I think Alessi and Canard were going after RD in moto 2 prior to "the moment".....but thats racing...rider safety is number 1 and RV is the new points leader...
SA1, I would say because if not for the restart, Alessi might have podiumed, and Dungey MAY not have gotten the overall. And RV would have gotten 50 points Saturday instead of tying Dungey with 47 each. That changes the whole picture in points. Instead of a 1 point lead, Rv would have a 7 point lead. Because RV would have went 1-1 for 50 andDungey 2-2 for 44. So it was a big deal for Alessi to lose that big start he had. Of course this is just speculation, we dont really know how it would have ended. But its fun to guess what might have happened. If Dungey doesnt boil fuel at Freestone none of it may have mattered anyway, we can "what if" it too death.
Alessi used to get EVERY start, on different brands. Now he can't get one. What gives?
@Wade Henderson Reed crashed off the track. Canard was on the track and there was no way the medics could safely attend to him with bikes flying by. Plus, if you cause a red flag, I believe there is a rule stating you can't rejoin the race. Would have been a bummer for Reed to lose out on those 7 points.
To the OP above, Reeds crash wasnt red flagged because Reed was off the track and didnt need medical attention. Canard was injured and still on the track, the only way for the medical crew to reach him was to use the track (track had fences on both sides in that section) so hence a red flag condition was present.
To SA1 The reason the red flagged the race for canard and not reed is because reed was off the track adn medics could reach him. Canard was on the track and no one could get to him. Rider Safety.
@ Wade and other morons who are comparing Canard and Reed crash...... Reed crashed and got up a continued to race. He was also " off the track" and not in danger of being hit by racers and medical personell were able to reach him...he was not lying on the side of the track where he could not be attended too like Trey was with a broken leg...If Reed landed on the actual track and was KO'd taking a dirt nap in the middle of the track, they would surely have red flagged the race....But Reed again was not on the actual track and was up and running in under a minute.....
Best outdoors racing by far over the years. Dungey is just getting faster and for a non beleiver like me, he has been awesome. Good ride for Metty too. Those boys must have their suspesion really dialed in. RD1 was all over the track riding any line he could use. Also loved watching Rattray in the 2nd moto, he was a man on a mission riding with so much aggression. It would be great for the unknown factor on points to go down to the last moto at Pala. All those riders so far are giving the fans their moneys worth. Good job to you guys at RacerX. Will somebody buy Poto a steak?
@Wade Henderson....the difference between last week (Reed) and this week (Canard) was their location on the track. The red flag came out this week because Canard was over a blind jump and still on the track, and, they determined that the ambulance had to carry him away. So with all these medical people, and their carts and equipment the race had to be stopped for safety reasons....For Reeds crash last week he was off the track (not in the way) and he did not need a large medical contingent as he got up and raced away.
TC41 will recover by next year, and when he returns, watch out as he will be just as fast as he is now (maybe faster) Go RD1, the championship is now a two rider race between RD and RV. Reed is a bit spooked from his "get off" (can't say I blame him) as he is getting older and wiser, plus, he is probably thinking ahead as a father, husband, and team owner over the "I'm a racer thought".
@Wade Henderson
I was on the hill next to Canard's crash on Saturday. The medics/ emergency personnel were still all over the track when the riders were coming around for another lap, it would have been a huge clusterf*ck to attempt to keep the entire pack under yellow right there at the bottom of horsepower hill. I couldn't see if Canard was on track or off to the side, but he may still have been on the track, as well (that was hard to see from my angle).
I think last week w/ Reed, he was 1) off the racetrack, and 2) up an going before the riders came around for another lap. I'm sure if he had been laid out in the middle of the track with medics around that the moto would have been restarted.
looks like Golfyoda beat me to it.
... and Rick Melon, but who doesn't Rick Melon beat??? I mean, he beat Bad Billy Robinson!!
I meant to direct my previous post towards wade...not SA1
Alessi needs Aldon Baker for a trainer. (I have no idea who trains him) This way he will be lean and get all the holeshots again just like RV2 is now. May not finish moto wells but who cares...He will have the holeshot.
Seriously It appears Mike is heavier and stronger than his earlier days...I think weight is a factor
All together now!!!! HAHAHAHA.... " Wah wah Why didnt they red flag for super hero Reed so he could start over"....So much for tougher than them all, tough as nails Reed ??... Didnt Stewart come back after his knarly Daytona crash the following week, set the fastest time, win his heat race only to get t-boned in the back in the start of the main and then he came back the following week after that to win?
"They stopped the race for Canard but last week Reeds crash wasn`t enough to stop the race"
Wade,you are talking apples and oranges.
First off, Reed got up and was out of the way very quckly. He fell, the entire fild passed within about 15 seconds, and then he was back on the bike before the leaders came through for the next lap.
Secondly, Reed was not blocking the track. Because Trey crashed on the backside of a jump with nowhere to get a medic vehicle, there was not a safe way for the medics to get him off of the track.
I can assure you that none of the promoters wanted a red flag because it messed up the live TV schedule, so it wasn't "rigged"
@cmc262 - Were you the drunk dude that hopped the fence and used his 6" american flag as a caution flag when Trey crashed...HAHAHAA....that was funny as hell....then the drunk SOB fell over and almost landed on Trey....what an ass!!!
I think Mike Alessi is awesome and I look forward to him finding again whatever it is that helped him get all those starts in his carreer. You look at how he's charged this year coming from behind (not his normal position at the beginning of a race) and you have to give him credit. He's a hard worker. There is alot of great racing behind the top three and I think its worth mentioning. Good story RacerX
^^^ yeahhh doood howed stewart do at washougal again? ...... oh righttttt forgot about that stewarts washed up yoooo
Keep working Mike...................
and please stay away from Brooks / Yamaha
JD
@ Wade, you are an idiot. Reed crashed well off the track and got up and going again in a few seconds. TC crashed where he was up against a fence and to get to him they had to put personel and a mule ON the track. Im embarrased when the stupidity of the fans of this sport is really that deep.
Well you guys may be right but it looked to me like he was off to the side good enough.Hey Speedracer42 I bet you didn`t have a grand on Poto to take the overall did you, so shut the hell up.
Wade, Trey was in the track, Chad was not...
canard was off the track but i agree it would of been sketchy at race speed. incase you guys have never been to riders meeting, there is a red cross flag for personnel on the track. throwing the red cross would have been fine, considering he was outside the markers. it is what it is though. villo got robbed, but he'll just get the points back next race.
I jumped out of bed running around my room screaming when that red flag came out, was stoked RV had gotten the holeshot again and was taking off, with alessi in tow.
But i really like Canard too, that guy has got some skills, really sucks he's out again but maybe with the easier SX format, he can get through a whole season and be really strong come outdoors 2012. 4 inches higher, if that o the scrub and he wouldve had it man...damn.
I've been like most, saying RD didnt really have any competition when he did all his winning but i must say, the guy has some f'n speed and he's really good. Same for Reed, though i still want Villopoto to win it.
I knew (hoped, and won) he had the SX title.
All these guys are really giving it hell and from 1st to 15th there's ALOT of good racing out there.
I know Johnny Moore from some local racing we've done in my town and i thought he was just so hella fast, which compared to 90% of the people out there those days, he was. Just shows you how much talent everysingle one of these guys has from 1st to 40th, they put all of our asses to shame.
Ride hard!!
Go RV!!
That being said on the red flag though, it was in fact necessary because of the blind jump, one and only reason. Villo and alessi did get robbed, but, shit happens. people get hurt and when you have people flying over those jumps like tht, Blindly, you have to put safety first. Imagine 4 or 5 guys flying over that hill and landed on TC witha broken leg, that wouldve been terrible, if not even deadly.
Wade, at least you got your answer. Anybody else have any questions as to why races are red flagged?
Alessi could end up 5th overall in the series....which is very good considering he missed the first two rounds. If you tracked his progress at all last weekend, you saw that he picked off riders steadily when coming from the back....he is really becoming a more complete all-around rider - i.e he doesn't just need a good start to do well.
It would be interesting to see the 800 contest the GPs at one point in his career - his race-craft and strategy could serve him well there. Before that tho', I do think he can win nationals again in the US.
I wonder if Mike would do better on a different brand of bike?
LOL. No Wade I didn't have a G on any racer. That just furthers my point. But sorry man. Villo was/is my favorite to when so I came unwound a little at the red flag too. But rider and personel safety are paramount. So it is what it is.
Poto is the fastest man on a motorcycle . How the hell dungey can catch him and pass him I'll never know. Poto has had 3 trainers, now works w/ aldon baker. dungey doesn't have a trainer, purely self determined and motivated. dayam those boys are fast. Good ride tommy hahn, alex martin, martin davalos, Metty was killing it. Enough of this alessi talk. He hasn't done issshhhhh all year. stop putting pics of that sore @$$ loser. nobody wants to hear about that pu$$y whiner
Thanks Weigandt...
your perspective will help those who think the restart is a 'fair' process...
Rv had done work, then had it erased...bummer for him...(not saying RD wouldn't have caught him, can't ever know that...just sayin)
even tony alessi chimed in on the Alessi Weekly...
I'm glad everyone responded to Wade, What an idiot!
If Dungey goes to KTM. Mikey should go to Suzuki considering that's who he had the most (450) success with prior to injuring his knee.
I would like to commend everyone on the proper use of the terms "idiot", "moron" and imbicile" very very well done. What kind of "igit" would have red flagged reed last week? he was up and running in a minute. Trey wasn't gonna get up, track danger stupid stuff like that ,...*mumbles* idiot...
I thought TC was on the inside of the track and the asteric mule had to cross the track to get him off or to the hospital. Oh, and Reed didn't BREAK HIS LEG!
@someguy,,,,I think I woulda owned dungey at freestone on my Hadaka w/ desert tank.
Anyone watch Dungy's post race interview on the race report? he sounds and talks like RC. RD reminds me of the the GOAT in many ways. Hes got a long way to go to be in that same class but how he carries himself is alot like Ricky.
How can you say poto was robbed. They still started together on the restart and dungey pulled away. Sounds like to me Dungey had the speed on the day as he caught poto in the first race before a mistake.
@SA1 - i think the coverage showing the other guys is good towards the end of the race..., but they seem to cut away from the leaders on the first few lap or two when the guys running 1, 2 and 3 are running away..... I wanted to see RV and RD for a few laps in the first half, but the leaders got less coverage until RD was right on RV then they went to the action.. why watch Reed for almost 2 complete laps and mention his crash 50 times???? He was way back and riding sub par while RV was haulin ass pulling out a lead.....show Reed for a few turns, say he is back in the pack and go back to the leaders....Who wants to watch Reeds mate Burner basically let Reed pass him with no challenge at all.....Atleast Metty didnt roll over and let his Aussie pal have a freebe....I was glad to see the 24 challenge and pass him.....
abgz11 - " robbed " may not be the word to use since the race was in fact restarted, but restarting a race changes everyting.... moto 2 Take one: RV was actually pulling away again and Dungey seemed to have his hands full with Alessi and Trey before the crash. Now, would RD have eventually passed Alessi and caught RV, maybe or maybe not....We have seen RD get stuck behind Reed and not be able to pass for many laps if at all..Sometimes RD gets "stuck" and follows guys that maybe slower than he.But my gut feeling is yes, RD would have passed Alessi...but would RV have been too far out in front is question and RD may have settled in for a 2-2 (not Reed) on the day...Moto 2 take two , RD got the startm didnt have to pass anyone and after a few close laps was able to pull away after some mistakes by the RV2....so it is what it is....it was restarted on lap 3....so there is no other way to restart unless you line the guys up on the track (ala nascar) in the order they were in and let them go again.....
Race wasn't stopped when Reed crashed because he's and Aussie and they don't stop races for Aussies lol. No brainer really, as others have posted, Reed was off the track, Canard was not.
Keep hammering Mikey! You will get back up front...
Anyone who doesnt understand why the race was red-flagged doesnt have a clue. Its rider safetly, plain and simple. Canard was barely off the track for one, and he was seriously injured, and it required the mule to get him to an ambulance. And the ONLY weay to get to him and get him on the Mule was to park the Mule on the edge of the track. So the racers safety would also be in trouble. Can you imagine a rider coming over that jump full tilt and hitting that Mule head on? Or hitting one of the medical personnel?? Not a good ending, there was no other way to get Trey off the track, they had no other choice.
@ Reed wasnt injured when he crashed, well not seriously, and he was off the track and not in any danger of being hit by other riders, not hard to figure out.
Didn't Allessi cause a red flag last season? That's the way it goes. Besides, RD1 would have blown past him in no time and probably still would have hunted down RV1. He almost took him in moto 1 also. Allesi will be a privateer next year. Not enough jobs to go around to keep him on a factory team.
OMG lets beat this RED FLAG discusion into submission... So if he's on the track and the medics can't get to him... uh, duh, uh..
I bet someone at Suzuki put some cash up to have it red flagged. (that ought to get some folks going) Nothing like a good conspiracy theory to light up a message board! hahahahahha!
I was there at Washougal, and I was bummed to see Trey re-break his leg. The red flag was a bummer for RV, but in all honesty, RD was faster on that day and I think even if there wouldn't have been a restart he would have reeled RV in and passed him. Dungy is on a roll, let's hope the other guys can step it up, GREAT SERIES!!!
canard was outside the yellow markers. therefore, he was technically off the track. throw a red cross flag that slows speed dramatically, which what it is for, and let the race continue as it should. this isnt really atom splitting fellas.
Canard crashed right in front of me, He was obviously going to need a cart out of there and there was no good way to get a mule over to him. Trey was off the edge of the track but in a very high speed and tough place. There have been many incidents there with riders stacking up because of the speed and blind aspect. Red flag was the best call. Not only that RD had RV's number, I know RV had the holeshot but he was right there on the restart and could not keep pace. I do not believe he would have been able to hold Dungey off no matter what.
My 2cents from being there....
Haha honestly im happy hes not getting the starts like he used to since whenever he starts up front one rider will get around him and hold everyone up for like 4 laps and by the time everyone gets around him the leader is gone
I still don't understand, can you explain it again about the red flag, I'm off to tacobell drive thru, cuz I eats like the champeon I worships.
I wonder if they could've removed the banner next to Canard and attended to him from the crowd side. I'm not upset over the restart, since it helped Dungey, but someone's bound to get boned in the process. Or two someones, in this case.
Plus, they don't HAVE to bring the ATV onto the track, do they? He was already on a backboard--couldn't they have just carried him 20 feet to a waiting Mule?
Seems like some competent flagging could've kept the race moving, but whatevs. As Rafiki would say, it's in the past. And as your mom would say, safety first!
omg wade henderson you are the biggest moron i have ever seen on here.. wasting everyones time replying to your idiotic comment.. You obviously know nothing about the sport !!!! Go read the rule book on reasons a race should be red flagged before you jump on here douche bag ! Why the "F" would they red flag the race for REED when he was up and going before the pack rolled around for the next lap ! And in regards to Canard> From my view it didnt look like they could get a Mule to that spot to get him off the track safely so "OF COURSE" they had to red flag it. "Rider Safety First"
Hey I know it's a bummer they had to start over again but didn't they all have to start over again? Same people seem to win anyways. It's not like this is a new rule.
I'll bet Canard wish he could start again. Feel bad for him.
In Wade's defense, his post only warranted one enlightened commenter to clarify the rules--not 50 different people--but of course everyone needs to have their say (i.e., everyone wants to call each other names). They wasted their own time, and you (ABR) wasted yours.
You RV nut-huggers realize that RV only had a TWO second lead when the red flag was waved, right? How many seconds did Dungey beat him by again? Dungey would have caught him, easily. You losers need to stop crying and accept that Villopoto has been, will be, beat straight up. The domination everyone thought was coming during the pre-season will never manifest. When Villopoto beats Dungey, 75% of the posts on here proclaim how amazing and untouchable Villopoto is. Dungey beats Villopoto, 75% of the post whine that Villopoto's not fit or his bike isn't dialed or he got robbed on the restart. You guys are a sad sight.
Well said Har Har---I like both RV and RD but it seems the Villopidiots are just as bad as the Stewpids when it comes to excuses,
I saw that when everyone was slowing down because of the red flag Alessi was apparently not paying attention was was still going as fast as possible. You think when he flew by Villopoto during the red flag that he would have realized that that would have never been happening in a race situation ha.
Ever occur to you HarBall that people like RV because he is fun to watch and fast, and they are entitled to their opinion? Oh ya he also has a Red Plate now.......but I guess he should just send it over to Dungey's rig and go home because the title has already been awarded to Dungey!! Retard.....
Yes, Dungey beat him by 20 secs but until you know what's going through the riders heads you don't know shit.....also, I know you Dungeyidiots thinks he's the second coming of Hannah but I assure you he had his hands full with Alessi and Canard until the Red Flag......It's not over yet!
I wouldn't say Dungey had his hands full when they were only 3 and a half minutes into the race when the red flag flew. Dungey has completely destroyed Alessi and Canard this season in MX. No reason to believe they would be within 30 seconds of Dungey at the end of that moto regardless of the restart.
Hey Wade, It is not so much about who or what happend that caused the red flag it was where. Even ( I think) Emig said that the medical crew could not get to Trey where he was on the ground. When Reed launched himself he was off the track and could be looked at. Just so you know Im an RV fan so I think he got the short end of the stick but is was still the right thing to do.
Wasn't it Villopoto fans handing him the title before the season even started? I remember some going so far as to predict him going 24-0. RV fans are such babies. You can certainly dish it out, but you sure can't take it. Unbunch your panties and enjoy the racing.
i think canard took a bunch of money from rd and said if rv gets the holeshot he would fall and pretend he is hurt bad, that way they would red flag and rd would get a second chance, but canard got hurt for real wich sucked but he got enough money from rd to buy himself a new rv now thats the conspiracy theroy.
Yeah, if Villopoto doesn't win then something is wrong with him. Plain and simple. No one can hang with RV if he's 100%. Dungey is just getting lucky again, like he did last year.