Who will win the 450 class at Hangtown?
Monday, May 14, 2012 | 2:20 PM
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PrintWho will win the 450 class at Hangtown?
James Stewart 26421 votes - 75.7%
Ryan Dungey 6507 votes - 18.6%
Mike Alessi 660 votes - 1.9%
Davi Millsaps 216 votes - 0.6%
Andrew Short 146 votes - 0.4%
Justin Brayton 131 votes - 0.4%
Brett Metcalfe 421 votes - 1.2%
Jake Weimer 147 votes - 0.4%
Other 247 votes - 0.7%
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Mike Alessi will win this championship !
Kind of off topic but did any see this write up for Rickie Fowler. He's been doing really well and getting some attendtion and some MX mentions with Mcgrath.
Rickie Fowler is now golf's benign renegade – edgy enough to get people talking but classy enough to prevent any squawking. That comes in part from McGrath's influence.
Fowler already has legions of fans in flat hats like 11-year-old Jake Newman and his friends. (Yahoo! Sports)"Rickie looked up to him," Rod said Saturday. "He taught him how to deal with people. Don't be someone he's not. People love that."
Including four boys who waited off the 17th green Saturday, two in baby blue Puma hats, one in a white Puma hat, and one who came to the course without one because he wanted to buy one. Sadly, they were all sold out. Which tells you something.
"He's just awesome," said Jake Newman, 11. "I've been following him since his rookie year." (That's a long time in kid's years.)
Jake and his buddies' fandom was rewarded Saturday when Fowler walked off 17 and walked briskly to the 18th tee. He saw the boys and nodded approvingly. The boys went nuts.
[Related: Brilliant third round puts Rickie Fowler into contention]
And even though Fowler's moustache and long hair cries 'rebel,' parents love him too. You'll see the trademark Puma slogan and the flat brims on young and old. Well, older. "I get a laugh out of it and feel honored when there's 40- or 50-year-old guys that are cruising around in all orange," Fowler said. Marketers aren't laughing, though. Longtime golf writer Ron Sirak calls the sea of Fowler-fluorescent colors "the new reality of the PGA Tour."
But there's a very serious side to Fowler, too. He acknowledges the crowd but he doesn't joke around much. He rides his Honda bike sometimes but not often. He insisted on wearing long pants as a junior golfer even though pretty much all the boys wear shorts, because "that's what the pros wear." (One year, Rickie dressed up as Fred Couples for Halloween.) You have to be pretty diligent to go from a San Diego driving range to the top of the PGA Tour, and part of that is from seeing his dad transport sand and gravel in one of his trucks. This is not a country club family, and Fowler is not a trust fund baby.
"I'm very proud," said Rod. "He's an awesome kid."
So he's got all the ingredients of celebrity swirling around under that flat-brimmed cap: likeablity, style, seriousness of purpose, a killer swing, an unlikely back story, and finally, a Tour victory as of last week at the Wells Fargo Championship. Now he needs a big moment at a big event. That could come as soon as Sunday.
But there is an obstacle, aside from Kevin Na, Matt Kuchar and the rest of the TPC leaderboard: Fowler's final-round scoring average is not great. He's 63rd on Tour with a 71.11 – almost a full stroke worse than his third-round average. He's only 23, so there is plenty of time, but the world awaits the next Tiger and Fowler will have to close like Tiger to be like Tiger.
Even though he'd rather be like Jeremy McGrath.
Thanks for the laugh motomecca!
That many people seriously think Stewart can come out and win this soon? Really?
D. Davis will win.
@warrior462,, yep....
.RD But I would not be shocked to see JS do it. I don't see anyone else runnning there pace every week. So it's them two for the title. All I know is i CAN'T WAIT!!!!
The race is held to see who wins. It just might be more than a two man battle this year.
Why all the votes for Metcalf?
I was also surprised by the number of votes for Metcalf as I dont think that is likely at all. Looking like RD but you just never kno wif Alessi gets a hoelshot and they other guys are back aways........ ever notice Alessi cant pass anyone? I believe the is backwards when he is not in the lead, he is constantly looking over his shoulder the time when in traffic..... but he could win with a holeshot. Also think Brayton will be fast and solid but the guy NEVER gets the holeshot and he is not fast enought to chase down Dungey.
So.... 1. Dungey. 2. Brayton. 3. Milsaps 4. Stewart. 5. Rattray
Wow, Metty leading the poll? Huge Metty fan, but now sure where all those votes are coming from.
I mean, I think he CAN, but I wouldn't put him as the favorite right now.
Talk about a rigged poll. Just goes to show racerx cannot make these polls fair. What the hell is this racerx??
JS7 will win hangtown with ease !
right on preston! Im with you guy! It's just a shame for KTM there still not going to get that elusive championship in the states this year... And for Alessi to win that Championship, That dude wont even take an overall. May win a moto or two, but no way the championship.
Stewart will win practice, Dungey will win everything else.
All things considered - I have absolutely no idea who will win. It's a crapshoot imo.
Probably Dungey the 1st race, he should be in better shape, Stewart if he's been puttin in some hard training, those 2 should go 1 - 2, a toss up for 3rd
I'm stumped as to why so many people think Metcalfe has Dungey covered?
I sure would like to bet all those Metcalfe fans talk about some easy money. Looks like a nice easy trail ride for the Dunge this year other then a possible Stewart hurricane interruption.
Yeah, The Metcalf thing is crazy. No disrespect in any way to Metty, but he hasn't really won anything, and all these people are voting for him? Almost as silly as someone thinkin' Alessi can win the title. Open your eyes and watch the racing, for crying out loud! With the lineup of riders currently ready to go at Hangtown, the clear favorites to me would have to be Dungey and Stewart (if he can stay on two wheels-and good luck-I really hope he does). Hopefully some of the others can step up, but the skill level of 5 & 7 will be above the rest. And I can honestly say "come on guys,prove me wrong, run with the top tier guys." That would mean better racing all around. A win/win for everyone.
The more I think about it, the less credible these surveys are becoming. Again, no disrespect to Metty, but something is jusy wrong here.
"just" not jusy-lol way to close to juicey.
Who's gonna be on Reed's bike???
I didn't vote for Metty winning at Hangtown, but to all of you who can't figure out the votes, did you forget that the only reason he didn't beat Dungey - and win Southwick - was that he ran out of gas? That was year before last, and admittedly he wasn't quite as fast last year. But it'll be interesting to see what he's got outdoors this year.
What I think is interesting is that Metty and Alessi are similar in that they are always a threat to win Outdoors (Metty won Southwick 2011, and ran out of gas almost winning southwick 2010), but they just seem to "go through the motions" during SX. Now in case you haven't noticed (a sh*t-ton of SX-only Teams) the money in the indsutry is in SX, and the roots are MX-Outdoors. Maybe they just have a mental block, or just consider it a necessary evil, but I think both Metty and Alessi just sort of sit through supercross waiting for teh Nationals....kind of the opposite of Stewart, which btw I voted for him. I lvoe watching him race!
thank you; Sorry 'bout that. I'm too "old school"! Don't text, tweet, twitter, facebook, etc. Seems too pompous. I know it sounds weird, but I prefer two-strokes too!
People are severly underestimating Ratray on a 450. I think he will be up front with Dungey and Bubba.
Predictions = 1. Dunge, 2. Milsaps, 3. Brayton or Stewart