Observations: Anaheim 2
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 | 11:00 AM
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PrintWe were back at the house that Jeremy (and Walt) built this weekend for round five of the 2012 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series and there’s a certain comfort in going to Anaheim Stadium for a supercross. It’s like your favorite pillow or Basset Hound— there’s just something there that feels like home.
The track was good—at least I thought it was good. Yeah, it didn’t have the over/under bridge but it did have some sand and some big whoops. I like those two things as much as I like tacos and pizza. The sand almost always ends up one-lined but makes for some interesting photos and it surprisingly gets pretty rough. The big whoops were really gnarly for the first practice, semi-gnarly for the second practice, kind of grooved up for the third practice and not very hard at all for the night show. The reason for the decline in difficulty was because of track maintenance and I for one, wish they had left them alone. We need big tough nasty-ass whoops every now and then and the way they were set up (right out of a turn) they weren’t that dangerous. C’mon Dirt Wurx, make’em (and leave’em) Dolly Parton big!
Villopoto picked up his second victory in Anaheim over the weekend.
Photo: Simon Cudby
We had four winners in four races and let’s review how we got there:
A1- Ryan Villopoto checks out early and is gone. Tumbleweeds and crickets for the rest of the field. He’s the man!
Phoenix: Ryan Dungey, much like Villopoto the week before, grabs the lead early and is gone. The only riders who see him are the ones he laps as he wins with a big lead. Hooray for him and KTM!
LA- Chad Reed has to work for it a bit but gets by Dungey, Stewart and Jake Weimer and pulls away for the win in a fantastic ride. The old man still has it!
Oakland- James Stewart starts near the front, passes Chad Reed and takes off for a pretty easy win. Crazy Balls is back!
And after Anaheim 2, we’re still waiting for the great big battle for the lead as Villopoto passed Reed early on in the main and checked out for his second win of the year and, more importantly to him, the points lead. We’ve been saying that RV’s shown some serious speed but it doesn’t matter what he does, he’s not that much better than everyone without a start, he can come from the back and win. But he didn’t need to be this weekend. He got the start, figured out the tricky and slippery track and won with ease. Part of RV’s victory was no doubt due to the trick master cylinder covers with his number on one and his initials on the other that were put on this week. Probably worth a few seconds a lap!
Early on Saturday, myself and Jason Weigandt were accosted by Ryan and his crew for something that was on Racer X saying to the effect that maybe Villopoto wasn’t going to be as dominant as we thought he was. I have no clue what it was because all he or his guys could say was it was on the site “this week” but couldn’t give us any information. We tried to deflect and explain the best we could and at some point, it was determined that Weigandt wrote it so I was off the hook. In the middle of explaining himself even further, RV yelled that he’s only giving interviews to me and only for Pulpmx, which perplexed myself and Weigandt, but just goes to show you the mood over there at Kawi—they’re loose and happy and the results proved it.
Stewart was able to overcome a hard crash in his heat race to finish second at A2.
Photo: Simon Cudby
James Stewart was doing his usual amazing stuff in the heat race in the double/triple section off the start. I even pointed out to Weigandt to watch James wheel tap the one jump and then triple after that. About 3 seconds after I said that, Stewie got sideways in that very section, spun a bit and ate poop pretty hard. He DNF’d the race after getting the wind knocked out him. He lined up for the LCQ and won that easily to make the main. I was thinking that he was going to be “effed” for the main with a gate pick all the way to the outside (well he’d have Top Jimmy Albertson to the right of him so he wouldn’t be that lonely).
And what did we have when the main event came around? Somehow Stewie had an inside gate (yeah it was far inside but riders that had a better pick than him, like Pooh Sipes and Kyle Chisholm were further, yes I said further, inside than him). What was up with that? In talking to his team manager Jeremy Albrecht it seems there was a big hole right after the gate that everyone avoided and Stewart gambled and picked it. And you can see on his GoPro video that the hole is real and it does slide him a bit sideways. Still, picking the holy gate (get it?) was a smart move as James came into the turn almost in last but tiptoed around the inside and came out all right.
Great job of strategy by James and the JGR team no doubt and from there, he got past Chad Reed (these two have been WAY too conflict-free to start the year by the way) and took a second place on the night. With a gnarly crash, a trip to the LCQ and a potential crappy gate, I’d say a second place was about the best thing to happen to Stewart.
Reed rode a fine race to get third but like Oakland last week where he led for a while, this race he was in second. Generally, and again, I’m no motocross instructor, the racers seem happier when they move forward in a race—not backward. Reed’s gone backwards the last two weeks and with these guys, that ain’t good. Still, Reed said he was sick all week with stuff coming out of both ends (all of us media dudes love Reed’s interviews and honesty, but this is one time I feel he could have hid some of the details on us).
Reed finished on the podium at A2, but lost control of the points lead to Villopoto.
Photo: Simon Cudby
In case you’re wondering, here are the points after five rounds. All four guys have nothing to worry about right now. With his win in Oakland and second at A2—Stewart’s right back in this thing.
1-Ryan Villopoto 108pts. Kaw
2-Chad Reed 105pts. Hon
3-Ryan Dungey 103pts. KTM
4-James Stewart 95pts. Yam
Cole Seely should’ve, could’ve and probably really wanted to win Anaheim 2. The TLD Honda rider was impressive all day and it was his type of track. Which means it was technical and required throttle control. Early on in the main event Seely and the points leader Eli Tomac were checking out with Seely holding a nice cushion. You can’t say for sure but I believe that Cole would’ve won his second race of the season because he was riding really well. But then he slid out on the start straight and lost the lead to Tomac. Luckily he kept the bike running and thanks to the nice riding early in the race, only lost one spot. He would go on to take second but I’m sure that night he was pondering the “What ifs” pretty hard.
But when you’re on a roll, you’re on a roll and that my friend is Eli Tomac. Tomac is killing it with his third win in a row and he’s got that “look”. You know when you just know you’re going to ace a test, pick up that girl, or be able to eat that last chicken mcnugget in the box—you’re just able to do whatever you want. Tomac can do that, he’s flicking the bike around, putting it wherever he wants to and he’s the man in the class.
We’ve been debating this on my podcast shows and I guess we really don’t know the answer just yet but the question is interesting. Is Dean Wilson that much better at outdoors than supercross? Don’t get me wrong, Wilson’s a great rider, has an outdoor title on his resume and he’s an elite supercross rider, but here we are, his last year in supercross and he’s probably going to not win an indoor title. He’s won races sure, but he can’t seem to get it done in supercross. Not that it’s a horrible thing—not winning a title—but I can’t remember the last guy that was so drastically different outdoors than in. Maybe Mike Alessi but Wilson’s better than Mike and so it’s hard to compare. I don’t know, just something to chew on.
Can Wilson rebound in San Diego and get a win before the long break?
Photo: Simon Cudby
I called Wilson for the win after the first practice because he was out there, riding aggressive, attacking the track and looking good. He just looked like he had “it” on that day. In the main event, he took too long to get by Nico Izzi and even though he closed on Moving Marvin The Martian Musquin, he wasn’t making the gains on the first year supercross rider that he probably should.
By the way, the Dean Wilson 2013 sweepstakes have already begun. In speaking to some teams and agents, Wilson’s already in demand with everyone for a 450 ride except maybe Yamaha. They seem set on James Stewart at JGR and don’t really have a place for Wilson to go. No doubt, Dean’s going to be the hot commodity for next year because I would bet that Justin Barcia just goes with factory Honda thereby there will be no “Justin Barcia Sweepstakes” to speak of.
Let’s take a look at the results shall we?
Lites West Overall
1. Eli Tomac Hon
2. Cole Seely Hon- A2 wasn’t a pink race like in the past but that didn’t stop the Troy Lee team from doing it up. Looked good, but then again, what did you expect from TLD?
3. Marvin Musquin KTM- All you Musquin fans must just be cursing Marv’s fall late in the race in L.A. He’d be right there in the points.
4. Dean Wilson Kaw
5. Nico Izzi Yam- Izzi set the fastest time in practice and rode well in the main to get his result. He dropped off late in the race but with Nico, he’s got to run before he can walk to get back to where he was. And he’s working on it.
6. Michael Leib Hon- I have to admit, I’m very surprised at Leib’s results on the privateer Honda. After riding for Husky in the GP’s, one wouldn’t think he’d be that great first year out in SX but he is. Definitely impressive.
7. Matt Moss KTM- Matt was dead last after lap one. So to get seventh is a great result and he appears to be getting better as the series goes on, but too bad for him, this week is the last round of the west series before a long break. Still, awesome ride for Matt and the JDR team.
8. Vince Friese Hon
9. Travis Baker Hon
10. Martin Davalos Suz- At least he didn’t break your heart this weekend eh fantasy league owners?
11. Ryan Sipes Yam- Sipes fell twice within 15 seconds and that sort of symbolizes his season so far. And to make it worse, Ryan jacked himself up in a crash and won’t make the race this weekend.
12. Killy Rusk Hon
13. Billy Laninovich Hon- Billy’s going to ride a 450 on the east coast to keep this comeback story going.
14. Bruce Rutherford Hon
15. Gareth Swanepoel Yam
16. Jean Carlo Ramos Hon- He’s back! Brazil’s favorite SX rider (taking the crown from Antonio Balbi) put it into the main once again. In Jean Carlos Ramos, we trust.
17. Ryan Marmont KTM
18. Topher Ingalls Hon- At least his bike looked good!
19. Gavin Faith Hon
20. Jason Anderson Suz- Anderson had a rough main event but still, he’s looking like a much better rider than last year.
Back-to-back rounds without a podium is not were RD wants to be.
Photo: Simon Cudby
Supercross Overall
1. Ryan Villopoto Kaw
2. James Stewart Yam
3. Chad Reed Hon
4. Ryan Dungey KTM- I thought that if Dungey had started up front last week, he could have won but this week, not so much. Here’s betting that his week at the KTM track consists of a whole bunch of starts. I also heard that there were a few motor swaps at A2 for whatever reason.
5. Justin Brayton Hon- Brayton was fastest qualifier and he had a race a lot like Andrew Short last weekend where he was the best of the rest and held of Dungey for a while before eventually succumbing to the #5. Short, Weimer, Metcalfe and Brayton have all been in the “Best of the Rest” category at some point but none of them have grabbed a hold of that award. Maybe this is what Brayton needs.
6. Kevin Windham Hon- Kevin’s getting frustrated because he’s riding hard for 20 laps and can’t get into that mix for the lead. And he’s right, there’s no cruising with him, he appears to be on it but he’s just a tick off of those top guys.
7. Davi Millsaps Yam- Davi’s not setting the world on fire with his results but that’s three races in a row that he’s been solid in, and he had a battle to the death with Windham for the whole race. Sometimes you looked at Millsaps in the past and he was just riding out there but when I watch him now, he looks to be really putting in the effort.
8. Mike Alessi Suz- Wait, I thought Mike rode a MCR bike? I’d love to see that in the results.9. Brett Metcalfe Suz
10. Broc Tickle Kaw- Great ride for Broc, Weege is impressed.
11. Jake Weimer Kaw- Weimer tangled with Short on the first lap and that’s two so-so races for Jake. He’s got to get back up into the mix real soon before his confidence gets too battered.
12. Kyle Chisholm Kaw- Chisholm’s result is a 12th but he was 8th for most of the race before losing 4 spots when he made a mistake and was on the board inside the top five in practice. So if you weren’t there, you see the 12th and think “Chix sucks” but you had to be there to know that this was Kyle’s best race of the year.
13. Nick Wey Kaw
14. Andrew Short Hon- Shorty went down first lap and was forced to pull into the mechanic’s area to get his front end straightened out. After that, he matched the leaders lap times as they lapped them. That was something to build on.
15. Weston Peick Kaw- Peick has been riding well the last little while and to get 15th with this field is an accomplishment.
16. Kyle Partridge Kaw- The smaller those whoops got, the smaller Partridge’s chances of doing well went.
17. Justin Sipes Kaw- Sipes is filling in for Chris Blose on the Ti-Lube Kawasaki team and I wouldn’t be surprised if he just stays with them when Blose comes back.
18. Jimmy Albertson Suz- Albertson probably wouldn’t admit it but I have to wonder what his buddy Trey Canard’s accident did to him mentally. He may have come back from that thought this weekend as he made his first main in two weeks.
19. Jeff Alessi Suz- Jeff didn’t look like he had 5 more laps in him but I suppose you have to start somewhere.
20. Josh Hansen Kaw- Hanny had front brake problems and was forced to DNF.
I’ve got to stop complaining about the new Kawasaki coffee machine they have. For whatever reason, the guys there decided to replace the Keurig machine they had for a few years and went with this fancy-dancy espresso real coffee machine. And I don’t like it but I keep complaining about it and the guys have decided that if I keep it up, I’m not going to be able to drink their coffee anymore. What is this? Iraq?
I’m getting excited for the east coast in Dallas in a couple of weeks. Should be exciting with defending champion Justin Barcia, Pro Circuit’s Blake Baggett and Darryn Durham, KTM’s Ken Roczen and Malcolm Stewart (Mookie fever!) and Kyle Cunningham. Should be a great series and I’m thinking it’s not going to be like the west where we see a guy with a huge lead.
Thanks for reading, email me at [email protected] and we can chat some more about what went on at the races.
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Alright Dungey, hold you`re head up and lets keep it going you`re the man.
DUNGEY HOLD YOUR HEAD UP? SORRY DUDE DUNGEY IS THE FOURTH FASTEST GUY OUT THERE, MAYBE EVEN FIFTH BEHIND WINDHAM.
DUNGEY WONT GET A GOOD FINISH UNLESS STEWART, VILLOPOTO OR REED HAVE A PROBLEM. I THINK AS A DUNGEY FAN YOU WOULD KNOW THIS.
"Racer X saying to the effect that maybe Villopoto wasn’t going to be as dominant as we thought he was"
.RV has been the dominant guy so far, Win or not he has been the fastest guy even from way back!! I said it about Tomac after round one also, He did not finish great but was the dominant guy on the track too. Now with better starts won 3 in a row. Reed or RD can't run down and Pass RV( might happen but I would never bet on it), They can beat him only if they start in front of him. JS might be able to some nights.
Its still hard to say. JS7 hasnt been his crazy balls lately and is riding cautious. Is he hiding an injury? Is he not into it anymore? He was definately happy to win oakland but his speed hasnt been there or may be RV is just that much faster. Thats whats hard to tell bcoz as fast as RV is now JS7 beat him last season fair and square as far as heat races and coming from behind. By mid season its gonna be time for crazy balls to come out and if he doesnt thats it for JS7.
Matthes I don't think your coffee comsumption bears much comparison to anything going on in Iraq.
"Is Dean Wilson that much better at outdoors than supercross?" I think the same can be said for Tomac conversely. Is Tomac that much better at supercross than outdoors? Sure he can win outdoors but he can't stay on pace with Dean. Switching gears, I bet RV is just pissed about all the hype and the added pressure. Everybody wants to wear the crown but nobody wants to carry the burden.
Nice article - great work.
NON-BELIEVERS REPENT! - - DUNGEY WILL CRUSH ALL!
THE FAITHFULL WILL GLOAT AND THE HERETICS WILL QUAIL!
(-just sayin', yo...)
Yeah, bring on the EAST! That Lites class is gonna be good!
hmmm interesting....seing ol DV tweeting that the 2001 250 class has the same talent as todays series..!......anyone aware of who was in that class that year ?
That's odd: he doesn't sound like a big ugly maniac.
my take on Dean Wilson is that he gets bored and loses concentation....kicks it back up and then it happens again....the reason? He is absolutly ready for the 450 class and riding the little 250 is boring....hold it wide open...shift....brake....repeat. the 450 is not boring for him and he has the size and the speed and the balls...Mr. Team manager Reed knows this "you either got it or you dont" Dean Wilsons got it.
Dig the championship winning Suzuki out of the shed and give it to Wilson..thanks
Who knows what's going on with Wilson, maybe he has a new girl friend and can't focus. Maybe his girl friend dumped his ass and he can't focus. Maybe he is trying to get some and can't focus. Whatever it is, I hope he gets it straighten out before the outdoor season begins. The kid is struggling right now. Not easy at that young age with so much pressure on you and not staying focused.
@Acejas, The RV point is a good topic. I read a pretty good interview with RV1's mechanic, and when asked what makes RV unique, he said that RV doesnt seem to get flusterted or let things bother him. He said sure he gets upset if he feels he should ahve won a race and didnt. But pressure and tension doesnt seem to bother him much. I find that pretty telling and he seems like a pretty laid back and calm guy in his interviews. And that may be what helped him get that title last season. In what many called a must win race for the title in SLC last year. RV went out and did just that. Maybe the pressure of that no.1 plate doesnt bug him much...
Wilson might not have the consistancy it takes to win a title in supercross.. With all the competetion out there, you have to be near perfect in all aspects of the race for 15 laps for them. Tomac has been in his wins, Wilson has not, and wasnt last year either..
Did I miss something ....isn't Wilson ....REALLY FAST . Isn't he second in pts. Isn't there more races........a little early and Tomac (who i also like ) has come SSSSOOO close to bustin his a*s a few times already has'nt sealed the deal. Isn't Wilson on a PC Kawasaki , don't they win ALOT..... a little early to count someone that fast whos second in pts out.
It aint over till its over tonewall but the writing is on the wall with 3 rounds left, Tomac is the man and Wilson will need him to crash out to make up 22 points in 3 races. Tomac will need to finish no better then 4th and Wilson will need to sweep. Tall order. It can happen but Tomac would have to have some bad luck.
Ooops don't forget that Wile Wilson is as you put it "REALLY FAST" but Tomac was almost 1 sec faster last week and that is a LOT.
I hear a lot of guys saying RD is fast and can win however not one of them will put a penny on him to do so. RV is without a doubt the dominate rider and unless some misfortune comes along he will win. We have to realize they build these tracks now pretty easy for parity which makes the holeshot the most important part of the race if you get seperation from the fast guys on first lap. However if RD or CR are leading and RV or JS is on them they are going to lose.
This is Wilson's last year in lites and he is much better outdoors then Supercross because he gets out of shape and loses time which is more costly in a 20 lap less then 20 min moto. Obviously Eli has far superior supercross speed and he is improving all the time. This year PC goes without a title.
dgizzy
keep in mind that last year RV was coming back from injury and wasn't in the same race form he's in now. Include with that the entire outdoor season he competed in and you now have a guy at the top of his game. I think he's improved over last year whereas James is probably the same? just my opinion.
I think the problem with DW stems from the fact the media practically handed the 2012 #1 plate before he out his helmet on at A1. I think DW expected to dominate and when he didn't, it jacked him up mentally and you never want to come away from a race thinking "Uh Oh" Now I think he is a bit deflated by #17's dominance. He can prove a lot to himself if he gets the opportunity beat him staraight up but sorry, I have to count him out at this point. Yes Tomac has come close to busting his A$$ but Wilson has gone down, fallen back and is already thinking about the outdoors
I love it how people are writing Dungey off because he is 3rd in pts. When the other guys (you know who I mean) have wadded themselves up and are watching the race from home, he will still be there battling for the title. JS has proven time and again that he cannot run a whole season without portraying the Human Lawn Dart, RV is on rails, but he has a rough history of injuries, CR is consistant like Dungey and will be there at the end unless he and Bobbles start taking each other out again. It is a long season and you don't have to win every battle to win the war. He is still leading the Fastest Man in Qualifying by 8 points, that will take time and race wins to pass him anytime soon if he continues on his path. If he wins another race or 2, he is in a very good position. Just remember, he was not that far behind in points last year, and yes, everyone was there each week racing (so there goes that excuse).
Only bad thing for James if he continues these podium rides is that if he isnt on top, safe bet RV will be....So JS7 needs some wins and RV a couple 3rds to gain those points....He gained ground on Reed and Dungey, but lost ground to RV....Fair to say RV had Dodger stadium won without the restart, but he was right there in Oakland and he got 3rd.....Those PHX type races may happen again, but James needs to be on top when RV does have a bad night....Im looking for a good JS7 RV battle in san diego....dont think its going to be "Reeds house" this week....especially if its dry.
I think WIlson was originally going to race the East races...but once Roczen got injured and he had to go East, they switched things around as they figured Wilson and Barcia would own the East.....Now out West, Tomac has gained steam ....but he too is not exempt and is prone to some bad nights....so after SD this weekend, we'll have a good feel.... if tomac is top 3 in SD....he pretty much just needs a top 5 and a top 10 the last couple rounds to secure the title...
From my perspective I see SD as being very significant race, I know it's still early and there is a lot of racing left and all that, BUT I'm pretty certain everybody has settled in mentally and their bikes are as dialed as they're going to be. (maybe not Dungey's) The pecking order is starting to shake out some. RV needs to prove he is truly the man to beat, JS7 needs to prove he isn't. Dungey needs to get in the hunt and mix it up and show at least some aggression, Reed needs to keep being Reed and stay in a position to capitalize on the misfortune of others. So looking forward to live coverage!
Wilson has alot of natural ability, I dont know if he works as hard some of the other guys, that may be showing up, but its the problem between his ears, lost confidence, trying to hard creates those little mistakes that get can get bigger.
I think when the east coast begins, Bogle will suprise alot of people, not saying he will win right away, but before the year is over he will have one.
Poto is the fastest so far... he has shown it ...but its only by a couple tenths of a sec. James has been holding back, dont think we have seen his top speed yet, may be the JGR influance or nagging injures, just seems he was faster...Reed is playing the big picture, in it to win it, as the owner, he knows what brings the most money and sponsership are championships...bet you wont see him look over and let em bye with 4 rounds left.....Dungey has not gotten slower, he is the only one on a new machine, he has lost a few tenths in time to the others but as they figure the KTM out, by the bike being better, his times should improve to be back on pace with the other three... trouble is ...time...
dgizzy and BillC
you guys are fantastic know-it-alls...
its hilarious
dgizzy and BillC
you guys are fantastic know-it-alls...
its hilarious
Tonewall, you didn't miss anything! Dean is fast, just kind of stuggling. But I like the Suzuki idea! I would like to see this kid stick it to in the outdoors.
BD 25 - Dungey has stated the bike is ready to go and they are only making the same race to race minor changes the others guys make....But just like last year, he was off the pace the majority of the series and only got that one victory in Toronto....He will be in striking distance when shtuff goes down between the other guys, but he wont be a consistent 2nd or 1st place guy as long as RV and JS are in the picture...A1 and PHX were wild races but since then JS7 has gone 3, 1, 2....pretty consistent considering....Reed himself stated he needs to win atleast 5 races this year to win that title....So he doenst have too much time to " look over and let em by"...(which is a crock of ships)... James flew by Reed and Reed watched him fly by.....
@ KilloMoto,, Reed didn't let JS by, JS had the line and Reed knew it. Thats smart racing.
@mofo - Yes, that is what I mean....Reed didnt let him by...James passed him and Reed watched
HeinzGuderian.... are you THE Heinz Guderian?? You are typing pretty good for 124 years old but you could drop at any time, so let me ask you a question: Does it bother you that Rommel got all the credit for putting into practice YOUR concepts of armored warfare?? Rommel's contribution (and it wasn't original) was to recognize that desert warfare needed the adaptation of NAVAL tactics rather than those of conventional land maneuver.
Second question.... how did you feel when you found out in the early 70's that the Brits were decrypting most of your high level communiques during the war? Ouchie, HAD to sting. Well, glad ya lost but you were no Nazi, so take care and we will chat later.
BillC I think the point is Rv has the ability to due 2 or 3 laps a second or more faster than the rest. But if you look at the average lap times for the top 3 are within 4 hundreths of a second for average lap times thats pretty close.
I think get it RV has been great with the fast laps. CR not so much JS is like a light switch sometimes he's on and sometimes not. RD same as CR.
Those fast laps are going to give RV more wins.
Still great racing!
Great racing so far. Up until last week, I thought the winner's ran away with their win's due to the fact that the battle between 2nd & 3rd allowed 1st to get away (protecting lines, cat and mouse game, etc). Reed watched Stew go by last week, and Stew couldn't close on RV.
But JaminGeorge RV's Avg was almost 1 sec faster then RD's, and don't forget the AVG does not mean so much really, if you back off the last 2 laps, That will kill your AVG time. I think the fast lap means something, I would rather have that 1sec in my back pocket if i need it.......how about you??
Stewart looks much more comfortable these last couple rounds. My palms still sweat whenever the camera's on him, but he's managed two great rides in a row and I'm happy. Then again, he's been on the ground at some point at EVERY round (or nearly). Maybe I'm not happy.
There wasn't a doubt in my mind that RV was going to pass Stewart "straight-up" and pull away for the win at Oakland (p.s. I loved that track), so I was hardcore confused when he stopped charging. But despite his inconsistency thus far, I feel like his "bad" races have mostly been bad luck, and I'll be SHOCKED if Reed or Dungey beats him for the title (and double shocked if Stewart manages to).
Dungey is probably faster this year than last, which puts him more on-par with Stewart. But he's still Ryan Dungey--same caution, same hesitation. Canard's absence will make wins easier to come by for the Dunge, but I still can't say I see too many of those on the horizon.
Reed should hire Wilson for the 450"s next year, they have a good relationship and reed has good connections to pro circuit.
@ snopro35x,, or Canard..
Ever since RV switched to the 2012 bike he has just been that much faster.
Dont get me wrong I like sx but I love mx. I think Dungey as well as some other riders may think the same. I think Dungey is better at mx, he had some awesome rides last year, came up short but awesome all the same. Lets see where he is at on a KTM outdoors thats the true test for all these guys in my opinion so much more bad ass. I wonder what that engine swapping coment was about problems or testing ?
RV was the best rider out there this last week. He rode a flawless race, and much like A1 he was untouchable. Congrats on a nice win, RV. :)
To the Dungey haters: Dungey is doing just fine, and is anything but the fourth fastest rider out there. His laptimes are up there where they need to be, and he will only get better on the KTM. Hard to under why certain people (i.e. RV and Stewart fans mostly) dislike the guy. Obviously, if you dislike that much, you know that he's more of a threat to your favorite rider than you'd like to admit. Last season he was a couple of DNF's away from repeating both titles, so it seems to me that his speed is just fine.
Why is Dean doing so crappy indoors? Is it really a surprise? Last year Barcia completely OWNED Groundskeeper Willieson.
Maybae youe cahn keep workin on yah fake Sco-ish accent, Dean-o. "Oooh, ah cahn haudly weit to get me hands on some haggis. Where are me bagpipes und kilt, lassie?"
Good observations Matthes, but I am not sure the East Lites will be a barn burner either. Roczen and Barcia will provide some entertainment for sure, but I am not sure if Baggett can find enough consistency to challenge, ditto for Cunningham. Another factor to consider is Blake Wharton but again not a consistent guy. I think we will see one of Barcia or Roczen step up like Tomac while the other throws it away a couple of times.
Once PC announced their lineup I thought the West would be a real dogfight with Tomac, Hahn, Rattray, Wilson, Seeley and even Musquin or Sipes all potential series winners. But due to injury and inconsistency it is more or less down to 2 riders with 4 rounds left (though Seeley or Musquin are not "out").
I guess that's the thing about Lites, the guys are generally younger and less experienced so the odds of having 4 consistently fast riders like the 450s is much less likely.
Dungey is cautious and does not move though traffic as fast as the other 3. Typically he is in traffic when he posts slower lap times. A lot of people say that he needs to start in front of the other 3 to win a race but when he does, his laps times are on pace. He has the potential and it would be nice to see him pull the trigger but don't bet on it. I think he's got a plan and he's always been right there in the points so it's hard to say he's wrong. Not that flamboyant but hey, are you surprised?
Look at JS. Dial it back a bit, stay on the bike and he could win the championship with a handful of wins. The key is STAY on the bike.
Villy's got to be the favorite because he is the best at riding on the very edge, and not over it.
Reed is an opportunist. Can't ever count him out.
Appreciate more, hate less.
Broke my own rule. That ^ post is way too long.
I think Stewart is the way he is because the fans and the analysits put way too much preasure on him. Like if he get 3rd everyone asked him if he is hiding an injury or if something is wrong with him. Maybe his dominating ways are over.
Poor, poor Suzuki. Greatest bike in the world. Why is it that nobody want's to ride it. Metcalfe and Alessi. Good luck with that team. Where are all these people who will ride it with there own money because it's so great. Hello? Hello? Is there anyone there?
I don't know that there are any "Dungey-haters". It just seems if anyone speaks truthfully about what they've seen of him so far you're dubbed a "hater", which is quickly becoming one of the most overused terms ever. We just saw a race where he was less than 2 seconds behind the leader on lap 1 in 6th become 17 seconds back in 4th after 20 laps. This is a tough top 4 to go against but I think everyone ("haters" included) expect him to go better than that. When Dungey won, RV was 18 seconds back in 18th and ended up 9 seconds back in 3rd after 20 laps. See any difference there? It took Dungey 12 laps to get by two guys. Some are expecting KTM to find all sorts of speed over the course of they year but I think that is wishful thinking. They might find a little itty bit of something somewhere, but I think the shiny newness of the KTM is starting to wear off. It looks to me like Dungey was the 2nd best prepared coming in and now Reed and Stewy have caught back up and are on a higher level than him compared with a month ago. I see a LOT of 4ths for Dungey in SX from here on out. And I'm no "hater" because I'd like to see it be a bunch of 2nds.....for him AND for KTM.
You're not fooling anyone, B-KR, and I can tell quite easily the difference between someone hating on Dungey, demonstrating a clear bias, and someone who is being genuine with the facts. One way to tell, for example, is whether when mentioning laptimes ALL of the relevant facts are included. Dungey had a mishap on the first lap in the sand section and lost time there. It was also mentioned that Dungey changed engines and did some suspension tweeking before the main event. If you don't include all of the relevant facts in a race, and instead make general conclusions across the board, then you're probably not handling your facts very fairly.
Another way to tell when people are being biased is when they compare different races, with entirely different conditions and again draw broad conclusions across the board. You do both and your bias is clear so now we see that your reasoning is that Stewart and Reed were not as prepared as Dungey and that's why he beat them. Now that Dungey has been beat, following your line of reasoning, it's because they are all on a level playing field in regard to preparation. You've ALL but refused to give Dungey any amount of credit so far this season and have instead made excuses (bad one's at that) as to why he finished either up front or off the podium. You can't see your bias because you're too busy making excuses instead of giving credit where credit is due. So please don't insult me and the other readers with your backhanded gestures toward Dungey. Thanks much, B-KR!
No one is hating on Dungey, and lap times mean nothing in a championship hunt. If they did, then RV and JBS would be up top every week. Dungey is 4th or 5th fastest guy overall, week in and week out. He can't pass well and he's not aggressive. Since this is racing and aggression matters, he won't be winning races unless the top 3 are out. Most people here agree about Dungey. All you have to do is watch him ride. Last week, James blew past him on what? Turn 3? Like he was standing still. And compared to James, he was. Watch the helmet cam video and tell me that RD is equal to any of the top 3 guys.
Oh GraciousOne you are a TOOL. Dean will kill it on a 450, and I have to say Reed's team would be an awesome fit for Deano, if that dosen't work he would look awesome on a Factory Suzuki. Just put him on a 450 for the east rounds and let the bidding begin!
I am not counting RD out at all, I fully expect him to get stronger for the rest of the season. My gut tells me he will finish second this year ahead of CR and JS. JS is kind of a wild card.where I enter each race hoping he doesnt get hurt and stays up, CR is going to stay strong but I feel RD will find what it takes to beat him. I pick RV for the champ but all of these guys are really close with different strenghts
J_Sloan you have tried to "prove" the RD is just as fast as RV before. The problem you have is you can't prove it because he has not run down or passed RV and Rv has been faster even after a bad start...See the problem with your argument?
One other thing, Can you tell me about 1 win in the last two years where RD Passed , RV, JS or CR?? I can give MANY win's where RD Got passed by one or more of them.... Get back to me with your list......Never mind i will do it for you "there are NONE" Not baging on RD its just a fact.
Indeed Bill C.... For the record, I like Dungey. I rooted for him like no other back in the lites days when he was dealing with d*ckface Lawrence....Any event, Dungey is a smooth riding dude...he doesnt push it and he is very consistent obvioulsy, but people want to see guys win races...Winning the title is great, but I want to see a guy win races and the title...not play consistent ala NASCAR where you can win a series without winning a race...lame in my opinion......the other guys are not going to have bad races all the time, so he needs to find some of that extra push...As much as I give KTM credit and Dungey, he still looks awkward on that bike at times.....My lady has a crush on Dungey....so she can have Dungey for a night and I'll take his lady, who i sat next to in Phoenix during practice...what a little fox she is (no pun Ryan, sorry) maybe they are swingers...HAHAHA!
BillC I think that was my point RV can pull 5 or 6 seconds up in 2 or 3 laps and then go back into his confort zone.
Not a hug fan of RV but as I said in an earlier post it's his championship to lose and I'm sticking with it!
Still great racing, I think it's going to get even more interesting as it goes along.
I think the racing between 2 through 4 is going to be tight.
Can hardly wait for this weekend I get to watch it! I've had to watch on youtube the last 3 weeks because of football on cbs.
IMO everyone likes RD just for his smooth consistant riding style. He seems to be passing alittle more aggressively. But I think he might have found a home in fourth. Sorry!
I can prove that Dungey is every bit as fast as RV, Stewart, and Reed. Currently, RD sits third in points, with one win and only a few points out of first. Last year, Dungey finished third in the series with a DNF that was out of his control. Reed had no DNF's, and RV had a DNQ because he crashed twice and did not qualify. Take away that DNF, and Dungey may very well have finished first in the series and been a repeat champ. At the very least, he would have finished second ahead of Reed. The previous year, he won the title beating RV. Those are NOT the stats of a fourth place guy.
Besides, look at the laptimes; at the majority of the races, the top four (RV, Stewart, Dungey, and Reed) are within fractions of a second of each other. To say that Dungey is fourth fastest is splitting hairs and this is where the hypocrisy of some of you shows:
i) RV, Stewart, Reed finish off the podium and you say it's because they had abad start, crashes, or bike set-up issues.
i') Dungey finishes off the podium and it's because he's slower than RV, Stewart, and Reed.
It's laughable reading what some of you people write (heck, even Steve Matthes said that the worst mx commentators were the one's in the racerx comments section) because it is so incredibly flawed and without any credible support. I can prove Dungey is every bit as fast by both laptimes and race results. All the Dungey haters have are a bias which they usually try and cover up by saying, "Look, I like Dungey..." Again, please stop insulting my and the readers intelligence when you guys come up with your nonsense.
J_Sloan I personally like and wish that RD was more in the hun but just hasn't seemed that way as of late. And I hope for him and KTM He has some more than 1 break through ride. I also agree with you on last year dnf did made a big difference but that racing. It could be said that last summer CR could have taken the #1 spot in motox had he not taken the giant crash that obviously took the wind out of his sails. there is one constant here RD like CR they are so damm consistant it's hard to say what will happen. I'm trying not to contradict myself but the way it looked last week RD couldn't catchup (they are all close in speed as I said in my previous post) maybe another holeshot will make the difference maybe. WE the spectators can only speculate whats going to happen.
we will seeeeeeeeee!
J_Sloan you crack me up, You say the same thing eveytime but always over look the FACT that RD in the last 2 years HAS NOT PASSED, RV, CR or JS for a win..BUT RV and JS HAVE PASSED RD.His ONLY 2 wins in the last two years have come because of a holeshot but RV has won from a 10th place start (passing RD, JS and CR along the way).. and both times RD won RV and JS were WAY BACK from the start so tell me again how RD is just as fast!!! LMFAO!!!
@BILLC, that may be true in supercorss, but Dungey has passed RV outdoors. I feel Dungey is as fast as anyone, he just wont go in for the kill, unless it is a very safe pass. If he had the nerve to stick a wheel in every once in a while, he would have better results than he already has. He is in the top 3 in points, and thats pretty darn good, but he could be ahead of Reed right now if he just had that killer instinct..
BillC predictably does not include the many times that RD has finished ahead of RV, Reed, and Stewart. Like I said, I have the laptimes and results to demonstrate my points. All BillC has going in an unintelligent, "RD hasn't come from behind and passed RV so he's not as fast."
But I must be mistaken; Dungey must not have won the title in 2010 while RV was in for the majority of the series, and Dungey must not have placed third overall last season, 10 points down, with a DNF. And I guess Dungey must not have a win this season and is only a few points out of first. Nope, none of that. All those finishes for the last three seasons were because something happened to the faster RV, Reed, and Stewart while the fourth place guy, Dungey, just lucked his way in.
It's hard to take many of you seriously.
Being a "hater" doesn't have anything to do with your favorite rider, criticizing someone or having an opinion. it's about being respectful.
Personally, I think Dungey is faster than Reed but it doesn't gaurentee he'll finish ahead of him. He's not as far off Villy's speed as people think either but it is fairly apparent (in his own words) "there are some things he needs to work on". Its not like he lacks the ability, he chooses not to put himself in risky positions. We have seen him make aggesive passes before.
Dungey is better outdoors becuase he has more space to make passes happen.
Thats true bd200 but we are talking about SX here and after the half way point last year outdoors Rd had nothing for RV.
J_Sloan once aging you have nothing. How close someone is in points does not tell who the better guy is as clearly as you seem to think. Also yo say RD has beaten RV, YUP he has but ONLY WHEN he starts in front of him. BUT RV can run down and PASS RD... So again I ask how is RD just as good as RV?? You like to look at the fact that he beat him.... OK if RD crashes and get 11th this week will you come on here and say all 10 guys that "BEAT" RD are just as good or better than he is?? Thats what you sound like. Justy Cuz RD has beaten RV you think he is equal makes no sence at all. Another EX: dif guys. After round one many on here and even one RaceX guy said that the PC boys would sweep the rest but I said nope!! Tomac is the man. But ya see some over looked him because he did not finish that well at round one cuz of a bad start. I on the other hand look at how the guys ride not how they finish. Tomac looked way better than the rest and now everone can see it. Then again mybe not you. You may thing Ratry is just as good cuz he beat Tomac at round one.....right?? LOL
BillC,
You're the one not making any sense. I assume that you are talking about SX because outdoors, Dungey has hunted RV down and passed him. At any rate, I have provided both results and laptimes to show that Dungey is right up there with RV, Stewart, and Reed. How close someone is in points says a lot about a riders capability and speed. But I've already gone over this with you, demonstrated that you're wrong, and it doesn't make much sense to go over it again.
But what I will do is take your point and use it to show that you're not consistent in its application. You think that faster = better, and better = whether or not a rider can start behind another rider and pass them. OK, fine. How many times has RV hunted down and passed Stewart without Stewart crashing? I count zero, yet there have been several times last season where Stewart passed RV. If we used your logic, then Stewart is the faster and better rider since RV has not started behind Stewart and passed him (unless Stewart crashed), yet Stewart has passed RV. You're response will likely be to go to the laptimes and say, "Stewart's not faster, look at the laptimes, RV is faster." That's all fine, but if you go to the laptimes to prove your point about RV being faster, then you have to concede that I can go to the laptimes to show that Dungey is withing fractions of a second the speed of RV. Taking that, and taking Dungey's 2010, 2011, and 2012 season thus far, I can reasonably say that Dungey is every bit as good as RV.
You're all about inserting excuses for RV. RV didn't win because of a bad start, RV didn't win because of coming through traffic. Dungey only won because he had a good start, etc. etc. You can only make so many excuses before you sound ridiculous, BillC, and you're at that point. Dungey has the results and laptimes to prove that he is every bit as good as RV, Stewart, and Reed. Heck, even RV admitted in last seasons outdoor nats that he would have come up short if not for Dungey's gas mishap in Texas. But you must be right, BillC, Dungey is just not as good.
Alright sloan I have to weigh in here. It is clear that most of the time RD is just a few tenths to a second off RV's pace this year. It is clear to me you are biased toward RD. I am cool with it and think RD is a awesome rider and a quality person. PLEASE do not hold on to the silly IF game. Neither RVs dnq or RD mechanical were their fault. RV lost more points than RD did anyway. If you throw out one's bad luck you have to throw out the others.
On the flip side I believe that the industry and posters on here are underating RD. I have every confidence that he will be there every race and improve and actually come out ahead of CR and probably finish 2nd in this series. The guy is great and I do think he is a little too nice at crucial times. It is really cool to see riders pick their battles and back off from some. RC had the trait of really killing it the first part of the season and then backing it to 95% the rest to maintain his lead and not crash out. This was in SX, he had more confidence in MX.
I rate RD as a very close third and expect him to ease past CR soon. JS just crashes too much and I feel if he didn't RV would be under severe pressure to keep up. All four are close enough to win on any given weekend, and all four have different riding styles and levels of agression. All four have different achilles heals.
Another thing we all make excuses for our favorite rider, it is a way of reassuring our selfs that they will do better next week. I enjoy reading posts and opionions on here and putting in my two cents.
J_Sloan i think I said "Thats true bd200 but we are talking about SX not outdoors" You must have missed that.
. Now on to the rest. I DON'T make excuses for RV. He does not need them. We have two guys here, 1 RV who has won from outside the top ten, and then we have RD who has only 2 wins in the last 22 races... BOTH times he holeshot. RV on the other hand has 8 win's in the last 22 races and MANY of them he did not holeshot.... If you think that makes them equle I can't help ya. ( I don't and have never drank or done drugs but if I ever do I want what your on)
. You Like to keep bringing up RD's DNF... Well with 8 moto's to go RD was 1 point down and what happen?? RV CRUSHED HIM so who is makeing excuses??? NOT ME.