by Andy Bowyer
Rev Up: St. Louis
Thursday, February 28, 2013 | 9:50 AM
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PrintHello, everyone, and welcome to the Rev Up.
Snap, bang, boom! Round nine of the 2013 Monster Energy Supercross series makes its way to “The Gateway to the West” in St. Louis, Missouri, home of the St. Louis Arch and some of the most memorable races ever. A little disclaimer to the cheesy three-word opening sentence, as it pertains to the sound the factory 450 makes when the engine hiccups in the air over a triple. You’ll hear it at supercross races dozens of times a night, and each instance will capture your attention. I’ve been astounded by the factory 450’s all season. With each passing week I see the guys do something on them that I’ve never seen before.
Last weekend in the 450 main James Stewart entered the whoops at what appeared to be 40 mph from a near stand still. It looked like he just grabbed too much of a handful out of the 180 degree right and surprised himself because he was three whoops deep before his tires touched. He then swapped twice, pretty much all the way to the handlebar stops and back; both times correcting it with a quick and violent WHAAP...WHAAP of the throttle. Then he destroyed the proceeding berm and went about his business. Those types of scenarios never existed until the advent of 450cc four-stroke power. And it is awesome.
Davi Millsaps carries a 22-point lead into St. Louis.
Simon Cudby photo
It’s crazy this year. Some of the most perfect laps of the season have taken place in the qualifying sessions. Supercross LIVE! with Jim Holley and Kevin Barnett has been a godsend if you haven't been able to see it in person. Live and in color, you can see Davi Millsaps make a charge at the timing line then go beast mode for one hot lap—it’s purely astonishing. Then, you see Ryan Villopoto take his turn to throw it down before scrubbing the finish line with his head transfixed on the leader board. Then, James Stewart, then Justin Barcia, Ryan Dungey, Trey Canard, Chad Reed, so on so forth until the checkered flag flies. There are so many reasons to attend a supercross this season and the qualifying spectacles are just one.
Round nine, folks. Time to get down to brass tacks. We’re already halfway through the story of the 2013 Monster Energy Supercross Championship, and Rockstar Energy Racing’s Davi Millsaps is the man. He continues to slay the expectations set for him each race, and instead, raises the bar even higher. There are no asterisks behind his 22-point lead. Instead, his corners are textbook perfect, his starts have been (by far) the best and he races into the second half of the series somehow primed to improve. Millsaps and his team have put together one of the best first half efforts in modern supercross history against what may be the most talent laden field of all-time. Be that as it may, there are nine more main events to race and the wolves are coming.
The favored theme for the 2013 series is that nobody can predict who is going to win the main events. Well, I’ll tell you who I thought was going to win the last two weekends after practice—James Stewart. He has gotten past his knee injury and he looks undeniably strong right now. His riding style even looks to have aged as it reminds me more of Jeremy McGrath in his relaxed command of the obstacles. He still makes me nervous in the corners and his suspension doesn’t even look like it moves in the whoops. Nothing new to report there, but he is out to prove something and I see more wins, and hopefully not a gargantuan crash, coming for the Yoshimura Suzuki enigma.
Ryan Villopoto will try and close the gap on Millsaps Saturday.
Simon Cudby photo
Enter wolf number two. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto is not a rider you want chasing you down in a championship. In fact, he’s the worst-case scenario as the two-time defending champion has been regarded as virtually unstoppable for the last three seasons. The phrase, “only Ryan can beat Ryan,” has been repeated often. He beat himself early and often through eight rounds, now he has to fight back from a formidable deficit. I don’t think the 22 points is as big of a problem as simply the speed and consistency of Millsaps is. But, now he is in second place and his focus is solely centered on the #18.
A name to throw out here is Muscle Milk Honda’s Trey Canard. Canard was on it in Atlanta as the slightly softer soil met his hands favorably, and he had some speed. Then, in his heat race, he got his spokes cleaned out by his teammate, who if he doesn’t slow his role a little is aching to get his chain pulled by one of the veterans, but I digress. I don't like it though. I’m a Justin Barcia fan, but he isn’t making any friends with some questionable reactions on the track. Just the same, remember Bam Bam has already won this season and is performing great as a rookie. He’s very tough, and I expect he’ll win again before the dust settles. For what it's worth, Canard won the 2008 East Coast Supercross title in St. Louis so he may have some extra juice.
Red Bull KTM pilot Ryan Dungey finished sixth last weekend and he could have just as easily won had he grabbed the holeshot. Dungey has a lot of fire right now and he is extremely capable of winning this championship. You cannot rule him out to win his second main event of the series.
The lightning rod this weekend will be GEICO Honda's Eli Tomac. He wasn't ready for the charge last weekend, but he'll be a different guy this Saturday night. I predict he will qualify well, win his heat race, and make something big happen in the main.
St. Louis. Looking at the 2013 version of this round I go back to watching a certain #13 on a Team Great Western Bank Kawasaki leading the pack in 1996. It was “Factory” Phil Lawrence holding off Jeff Emig, Mike LaRocco and Jeremy “Showtime” McGrath. Phil went down, then Emig, in his home state, went on to break Jeremy’s win streak at 13 in one of the most electrifying main events of the decade. Since then, an odd number of quirky and championship impacting moments have taken place in Missouri. It’s weird how each week we keep waiting for a bombshell, but instead, Millsaps keep chugging along. It isn't weird, though. In fact, the point leader may very well be the safest bet to win this weekend.
Ryan Dungey seeks his second win of the season in St. Louis.
Simon Cudby photo
We'll know a lot more after practice.
Its time to hear that crazy snap, bang, boom again. I can’t wait to get to St. Louis. Your narrator’s first of only three-career supercross races was at this venue in 1996. I’ll never forget lining up next to "Iron" Mike LaRocco in the first 250 heat and looking back at my Pops to give him a high-five. American Supercross has grown so much since then, but the acid in my throat and warming sensation throughout my face is as familiar as last week. Every single round of this tour has left us on the edge of our seats, and how exactly do you feel coming into round nine? All the boys are healthy and those 450’s will be breaking past the imaginable once again.
Who do I think is going to win this weekend? All of us. No live TV this time, but stay tuned to www.racerxonline.com and @racerxonline on Twitter and Instagram and you'll feel like you're there. Kind of. I'll be walking the pits from 10am till opening ceremonies. Hit me up if you want to bench race.
Thanks for reading, see you at the races.
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Ok, my prediction for St.Louis.
1. Stewart
2. Villipoto
3. Millsaps
4. Dungey
5. Canard
Great article Andy--I am not going to make a prediction on the winner, as a 1 in 6 guess doesnt really make for favorable odds.. I just want to see a great race, and some good soild for once.. St.Louis is always good, and then Daytona, then Indy. for more good dirt.. So lets hope the racing gets better starting now.. The person who has lead after lap 1 has won every race.. That is sad..
I'm right there with you @bd200. St. Louis has provided a favorable racing surface in the past. Let's keep our fingers crossed for some good racing!
ha there is no way this comment section is giong to be longer than Matthes
I just want Reed to show us some brilliance. All of the dogs have barked so far this year, and barely a growl out of Chadley. It is time.
I kinda agree with Brad46 on the 3 podium contenders again this week, not necessarily in that order, but would maybe throw in Barcia or Tomac in the mix this week also, then again it depends on the start in this class to see if RD or TC can get up there, it's tough to pick with the top 10 so stacked, If Stewie wins again I think he'll win Daytona also but I'm sure Villo is going to try his best to prevent that! It's going to be good either way, enjoy race fans!
To all the guys who keep telling me that the practic times don't matter and the guys don't care about them.
."Live and in color, you can see Davi Millsaps make a charge at the timing line then go beast mode for one hot lap—it’s purely astonishing. Then, you see Ryan Villopoto take his turn to throw it down before scrubbing the finish line with his head transfixed on the leader board. Then, James Stewart, then Justin Barcia, Ryan Dungey, Trey Canard, Chad Reed, so on so forth until the red flag flies. There are so many reasons to attend a supercross this season and the qualifying spectacles are just one."
.YES THEY DO!!
Unless the track is better than what we have seen picking a winner is hard. Tell me who will get the best holeshotout of the fast 8 and there is your winner. But I hope its a good track with good dirt and if it is I will pick RV or JS.
I don't see RV settling in this week. Going for the win.
1. RV
2. DM
3. JB
BD’s BS; Pressure
After St Louis, the season will be on the down hill side and the pressure will start to mount on those who still have championship aspirations. How each contender deals with it, will decide who gets to carry the #1 plate next year.
Milsaps entered into the season under the radar, feeling none of the championship pressure some of his competitors were experiencing. Perhaps that is why, Davi has looked unshakeable thus far through the season, managing to avoid all the misfortune encountered by his rivals. As the season winds down and holding the points lead, will he start to feel the championship pressure? What if someone starts cutting into that lead, how will he react?
Villopoto entered the season with the pressure of a seldom accomplished 3 peat on his mind. Could that explain some of his early season problems? Even for some one as unflappable as Ryan, that’s a lot of extra baggage, cluttering up the thought process. He admitted as much, when he said, he just needed to have fun and where he finished is where he finished. How is he going to handle the pressure going forward knowing each week his chances of keeping the #1 plate are slipping away?
Dungey got KTM the outdoor title they wanted and entered the supercross season knowing how desperately the factory wanted the indoor title. Supercross is not his strong suit, so he had to feel the pressure to perform. Ryan’s usual good starts and consistent finishes have been subpar; could that be the pressure working on him? Is that why we have seen him get more aggressive lately and will that trend continue as the series nears its end?
Canard entered the season happy to be racing, under no pressure at all to perform. After a couple of surprising 2nd place finishes, did he suddenly start to feel the pressure of running up front? Is that what caused his sudden rash of poor starts and finishes? Will Trey be able to put that aside and get back to riding his best, getting him back in the title hunt?
Barcia, Reed and Stewart are basically out of contention for the title, so the only pressure they should feel, will be from themselves and their pride. All 3 have the speed to win, which can still drastically affect the title outcome. What happens if one or all of them catch fire, start running up front and winning? How quickly will it add pressure to the contenders?
They say, Champions thrive on the pressure to perform, come Las Vegas, we will see just how true that is…
Had to bring my lap top into town to leave my posts, now its back home where the snow storm has left me with out electric, cutting off my heat and water since Monday..The electric company tells me it may be 3 or 4 more days before this country boy gets back on the grid...Enjoy my absences, as I will be back next week...
Great article , Andy. Hey, BD, how about that generator? :)
Hang in there!
@BILLC--boy you are really pushing the "practice time" stuff lately, for like 2 weeks now, and even pushing for points for practice.. Whats with that all of a sudden, trying to get kudos for your guy Stewart or what?? LOL.. You have been really pushing the practice times, we all know you are a Stewart fan, and he is the best practice guy out there..see the connection?? LOL.. its still just practice..
And the article is still just an opinion,
@BillC- oh yeah those practice lap times matter. As I was standing there at A3 practice, every rider who was laying down a hot lap would slow down and look back as they past the leader board.
My educated guess is that whoever gets the holeshot that isnt Mike Alessi will win the main haha. The fastest times and practice times with a holeshot equals wins this year. Stewart has had the speed all year, just not to win on an injury. But the next few weeks are going to be fun to watch for the doubters. I love it. I actually want Reed to do good though. Hes been quite short of "up front" all year. RV will ride reserved to gain 2 points instead of 5.
On my way from Nor Cal to St Louie...... Looking for a great weekend of racing and hope RV and Stewie do battle this weekend! Also look to see a Honda up front for awhile and see perhaps a 4 rider battle for the lead in the early laps. Calling Tomac for a 3rd place finish or a main event soil sample (With no injury!)
@BD25 hopefully RacerX will do an admirable job filling in for you.....lol @tooth yeah RV being known for his restraint will make a habit out of gettin second....lol ...sure he will.! ......pray for traction.....traction will fix it all...and try BOB's idea of not using a cookie cutter to plan the track lay out...off timing "stuff'...sand... s'corners...off cambers...uneven untimed whoops and possibly the use of imagination and something NEW...!!!!!! that said , if tracks stay the same the LaRocco style guys are not winnin'......RV1 51 41.
Yep, I agree.. Its just practice,, but,, that determines gate pick,, which is obviuosly extremely important..
- yes it feels like with every post BD is fishing for a job at Racer-X - you go guy!
@Bill-C @therealmofo...it started when after RV lost to JS in Atlants Retardcross said practice times do not matter - he qualified his statement later however - it was more specific than a broad "it does not matter" - but we can all agree with this: if at every race the leader at lap one wins - you better be damned sure to get a good quali in! gate pick could just be everything!
Proof - to be fair like I said he qualified his statement later.
Retardcross wrote: 2:28pm February 25, 2013
@ Chillmatic.........Practice doesn't matter....
@ dinosaur.....I shouldn't say it doesn't matter, but practice is just that, practice. If you finish even top 20 in practice out of 40 guys making the night show, you're still getting a good gate pick on your preferred side of the doghouse for your heat race no matter what. Top 10 in practice have a great gate pick no matter what in my eyes, if you're one of the first 5 to the line you are going to get a great gate for your heat. I say heat races farrrrr outweigh practice times. Bottom line is though, if practice times and heat wins meant anything really, we wouldn't have to go racing because JS would clean up
Anyway - lets hope to have a track where you get er in there and not wash the front end...
This just in on the BTO Sports podcast Rick Johnson said Quote: "I am a student of the game man..if James Stewart was doing something I would have figured it out. If Ryan Villopoto was doing something i would have figured it out. If they were doing something Dirty Iwould have done something dirtyier - so for me I feel that in my prime I could have taken anybody at any time. The guy that I think is the best - just rider - you know, as far as sheer speed and doing phenomonal stuff is James Stewart. I mean he has evolved the sport - you know - i mean he didn't create the scrub - hell I was doing that stuff a long time ago ...jumping early and crossing up to stay low and blah blah blah, then all of a sudden its a bubba scrub, but James is one of those guys that watch videos and is very keen on momentum his line is always six to eight inches wider than the next guy....he says he'll whip anybody's ass in the top ten (referring to the racerx top 30 list.)
Just saying that is some opinion there! What do you guys think! This has got to be fodder for a huge debate on the best rider sx (I stll go with MC anyday)
@dinosaurmedia,, Nothing new in my eyes as to what RJ said.. Its just nice to hear it from a person that has been there with 1st hand experience.. Wonder what the "haters" will say about that???
@ dinosaurmedia I thought you were going to hang me out to dry, thanks for being logical it's rare on here. I still stand by those statements by the way. RV didn't seem so concerned about his 7th place practice time when he got 2nd in the race that counts. I think BillC is reaching a little bit with that jab.
@mxmofo--Yes practice times determine gate pick but only in the heat race..fter that it is heat race results that give the gate pick in the main..
@As to whipping anyones as$ in the top 10 list. I would have to say RJ could have except the top 2.. I dont think RJ could have taken Mcgrath or Carmichael.. He could ahve run with Hannah, RJ should have had more titles but the wrist injury got him..
@ BD25
I'll come over chip the ice on the Hot tub and we can tip til we donts feel the cold anymore ! LOL !
@therealmofo ,, Thats true, but you need the best gate pick in the heat, so you can do well in the heat, to get a good gate pick for the main...
@therealmofo,, I think RJ could have beat RC in SX.. SX was not RC's thing like MX was. There were at least two years that Reed was clearly faster than RC in SX.. Reed would have one bad race that cost him in '03 and '05 I believe. Reed's problem is that he would ALWAYS take about the first 6 or 7 SX's to get things dialed in...
RC never could go through the whoops very well... And in the 1980's,, those whoops were much much harder than they are now.. RC would have gotten schooled by those guys in the 1980's (in the whoops).
I think BillC's point is that the riders DO care about their practice times and in the end the times DO matter...Doesnt matter if James is fastest or RV or Brayton....Otherwise, like stated above, you wouldnt see the guys going hot lap after hot lap watching the board and one another trying to best each other to get on top of the board....I have witnessed it in person and if you think Reed or Barcia for example are not trying to nab that top spot your crazy.....James just happens to be the guy who more frequently sets the table for how fast you can go on the track....every time those guys cross the finish line, they look at the tower to see where they are at....before their mechanic can even tell them the actual time....Practice or shall we call it what it is called, QUALIFYING practice doesnt pay points or money...but it sets the tone for the evening...I am sure every rider out there would rather be on top, than the bottom.....
@mxmofo--I know RC said he had to work hard to win at supercross.. But dont sell him too short--he has 5 titlles, and second all time in wins.. And your boy Stewart could never beat him for a title either.. Reed did well in '03, 05 RC whipped him good.. But RC is second in every supercross catagory on to "The King" so I will give RC this one..He is the GOAT for a reason..
@mxmofo--RJ is one of my all time favorites believe me.. But he didnt even win back to back titles, he split them with Jeff Ward.. RJ won in '86 and '88 with Ward winning in '85 and '87, the Stanton took the next two in a row--'89 '90 then Bayle in '91, and then Stanton again in '92.... I would give Stanton a better chance than RJ in Supercross..
@KilloMoto ,, well said...
The whoops were taller in the '80's I agree, but they were also closer together.. The big 450's of today would eat them up like they do now, plus the advances made is suspension today makes a huge difference.. I think they used way more dirt back in the '80's also. it seems the dirt was deeper and tracks were spread out more too. Unless its just me..
I never said the riders dont care about practice--I said its not that important.. I thin k if the riders are top 3 and are within a tenth of a second of everyone else, they are happy.. But I do not see it as super important like some guys.. I have actually seen guys on here claim their guy was the fastest rider of the race based solely on a practice time.. But their guy lost the race.. But they still say their guy is the fastest.. I'm sorry but I disagree with that.. How many times has RV finished 3rd or even 4th in practice the last 2 or 3 seasons and still win the race?? Alot, it isnt that big a deal.. Do the riders try to win practice?? Sure..does it bother them if they dont, I dont think so.. Not much.. As long as they are towards the top they are fine I am sure..
@bd200,, C'mon,, I'm not "selling" RC short.. All I said was Reed was clearly faster in those years.. Also, Stewart is not my "boy." He's just by far the most fun to watch in my opinion.. Lets also take into consideration the level of competition in the RJ era?? Much tougher than the RC era,, without a dought.. RC was clearly the best in his era,, but the GOAT? Impossible to prove.. Put RC up against Hannah, Bailey, Ward, Lechein, O'Mara, Bell,, and things wouldn't have been so easy for him.. Also, RC was lucky in the injury department as well.. Please spare me with the "luck is the residue of preperation" speech.. That does have some truth to it, don;'t get me wrong.. But, RC has crashed extremely hard before, and he was lucky not to have gotten injured those times...
@bd200,, C'mon,, I'm not "selling" RC short.. All I said was Reed was clearly faster in those years.. Also, Stewart is not my "boy." He's just by far the most fun to watch in my opinion.. Lets also take into consideration the level of competition in the RJ era?? Much tougher than the RC era,, without a dought.. RC was clearly the best in his era,, but the GOAT? Impossible to prove.. Put RC up against Hannah, Bailey, Ward, Lechein, O'Mara, Bell,, and things wouldn't have been so easy for him.. Also, RC was lucky in the injury department as well.. Please spare me with the "luck is the residue of preperation" speech.. That does have some truth to it, don;'t get me wrong.. But, RC has crashed extremely hard before, and he was lucky not to have gotten injured those times...
Yeah, my internet is slow.....
@ bd200 ..... You're on the same page as me with the practice time stuff, I'm just kinda done arguing that point because I did't want to sound desperate lol. I agree that the guys do gun for being the fastest in practice, of course they want to be the fastest, they are the best at what they do and have a lot of pride. But I don't think they're losing sleep over it or getting nervous about the main when they finish 4th or 5th in practice when everyone is within a fraction of eachother.
@retardcross - a am about being fair - to a fault - some might say.
IF they let um run a 300 2 stroke he wooda skimmed the whole section without the headshake DUH
@bd200 ,,, And lets not forget, that if RC was racing back in the 1980's,, he would not be riding a 450 with the suspension they have now,,, unless it would have been a Super-Duper-Duper Factory bike....
You guys remember RC's crash in St. Louis in the whoops in 2006? STL, also the site of his last career supercross victory in 2007. I think..
How about Ernesto Fonseca landing on Kelly Smith on the last lap for the win?
Then there was that guy who finished 5th place in the 450 class in 2009...
The dirt is usually soft and it ruts up in STL, which creates some havoc. Looking at the Kawasaki Track Map...this track looks surprisingly good. Can't wait for Saturday!
Hannah would have put so many knobby tracks up and down RJ he would have looked like a three day run over Leopard!!!
therealmofo i NEVER pushed for points for practice!! I said in the chase thread that if they really feel the need to change things up do points for the "heat" races. but I am NOT pushing for that either. and for the 1000th time RV is my guy not JS.
. Also I was not pointing the finger at any one guy on here but a lot of guys say the times mean nothing. and i have always said the guys are really going for it but some said not true!!
I would just like to see someone win that is not already filthy rich
@ FatBastrd51,,, hahaha.. I belive that guy is #18.. Winning so far... He's rich, but not filthy rich..
What RJ did was not a scrub, a cross up is not a scrub. when you do a scrub the front tire is pointed down, a cross up it points up. You can not do a cross up full tilt on a drop off type jump there for it's not the same to me. same as that old JOJO keller pic. I saw him do that a million times at Southwick. VERY cool but not the same as a scrub.
Yes i have heard Saps baths at least 3 times a week weather he needs it or not so there for he is not filthy.
@mxmofo--Now you actually dont think RC deserves the title of the GOAT??? WOW!!!! and you say you arent selling RC short?? The guy won 5 supercross titles.. If not for a knee surgery it would have probably been 6.. You say Reed was faster than Rc for 2004 through 2005, but never beat RC for a title...and the competetion was there.. Look at Reed and David Vullimen, easily those two wins titles if not for RC, so does Windham, all as good as the guys in the '80's, just couldnt get titles because of RC.. And RC took down Mcgrath dude--the KING... I dont know what else he has to do for you, but 5 supercross titles, and 10 outdoor titles.. Yes he won 15 titles in 10 years, that alone makes him the GOAT..Plus 101 outdoor wins to his credit..And you cant say he wouldnt have done so well against the guys from the '80's because its a totally different era... Dont know why you have hard feelings for RC, maybe your guy Stewie couldnt get a title until he was gone still gets you.. But he deserves every accolade he gets including being called the GOAT..
@mxmofo1 im talkin a 3 digit number guy,and he lays a big ol fat kiss on erin bates LOL
In the 80s it was the same deal,tracks were harder for the equipment ridden the best guys always rose to the occasion,he who put in the work did well,they started that monster training,barnett used to push his bike up the sand dune hills after he practiced for hours
stewart will win the next five
They also had energy drinks come in powder form, wasnt sugar an caffiene tho
I dont know who gets the victory, but I bet Davi's lead INCREASES again! A full race over everybody! A bunch of riders are going to be hating life Sunday morning.
My crystal ball says ST Louis looks like this-
RV
JS
RD
CR
JB
TC
JW
JB
DM !!!!!!!!!!!
@Maico25--Hannah himself said if not for his wrist. RJ would have rewrote the record books.. So Hannah disagrees with you..
Hannah would have been a Beast if he was racing in today's times! JS7 will win the next 3 races at least. I would love to see DM win the championship, it would be the first non factory guy ever!
Eli to KTM 2014 best move! Dungey is through, he will not win again this year. And he will lose the MX number one plate, if all of these guys are healthy.
Reed is done, I bet you he doesn't race the Nationals!
Sheik_Racing
Really went far out on the limb with Reed not doing the Outdoors you lil Germantown twit! LOL !!! Dungey done ! What up ! Yeah right you have pooh in your eye stink breath! LOL!
Trade in yor red shoes for those ay preppy boat shoes !
Kc Herring
Nice hair peace 420 joker !!!
Maybe this was mentioned and I somehow missed it, but didn't RV's win in Dallas tie him with Hannah for career SX wins at 27? I know Hannah was on a podcast recently, but I don't listen to those. 2 more wins and he's in 5th by himself, but that will be it for this year. The three-peat of championships, if he can pull it off, would be a lot bigger deal IMO.
@bd200,, no, RC, or ANYONE deserves that that title.. If you go by championships, then yes, RC has got that covered.. Its just not that simple.. "GOAT" ,, to me, means that a person could have beat anyone at any time for a championship,, and that just can't be proved,, never will.. Even Ron Lechien said the same thing,, and I quote, " You can not compare era's." That's what he said, and I agree.. You simply cant prove it..
RC beat MC when MC was getting out of SX..
@FatBastrd51,, hahaha,, I agree
RC CHEAP SHOT !!!! 2001 HAVING THE 250 CLASS SEWED UP MX style... Dropping down for Kaw to help brown and getting another 125 victory will to me be a chump trick....................AMA should put a rule in for that !
@Charlie Iowa City ,, i feel like i know you?
Great article Andy!!
1) RD
2) DM
3) TC
4) JS
5) CR
6) Tomac
7) JB
8) RV
9) Shorty
10) Brayton
250 class
1) Wilson
2) Musquin
3) Martin
4) Hahn
5) Wharton
RC was forsure the GOAT, nobody accomplished what he did, 10 MX titles will never be broke. I'm taking RV & DW for the wins this week!
Never ever does the forum here lack for idiocy. I'm watching an argument concerning RC which is smakcing about how he would have had big trouble with the greats of yesteryear. I guess it is based on Reed "clearly being faster" in several years where, oh, RC won the title. Anyway, someone needs to pay attention to whose hands RC ripped the title from. No RC, and MC probably wins a few more before getting bored with it. The greats are the greats, all of them, including James and Reed. Who knows who would have handled who, but the idea that it wouldn't have been an all-time fight to the death is just stupid. Imagine RJ, Ward, Stanton, Bradshaw, O'Mara, Bailey, Bayle......all in their prime, against, RC, Stewart, Reed, RV, MC.........I will say the old-timers probably would not like these ice-skating rinks that are passing for tracks of today. Let's put these races on the tracks they had back then where you could stick a front wheel into a corner and have that needed term of STICK come to fruition. Today's guys need to place the front wheel and hope it doesn't slip.
Ok this is going to sound totally weird but I'm going with Reed this weekend. I saw an interview with him before bed and I had a weird dream about him.. I was walking with him down some street and he asked if he could eat my Doritos while I hold his jacket! WTF? He was whining about his Honda and said he is holding it WFO from now on cause he is tired if losing. (Swear, true story on dream).
I'm not into astronomy or holistic stuff at all, but I am into coincidence. Come on Reed, make this dream look like a vision and win one for the Ricker.
rickamatuzio what ever you ate before bad last night... Don't eat it again!! LOL
You'd have to think Millsapps is due for a bad start. If he gets one and still gets back on the box his legend only grows; so happy for him. Those Inside the Moto shows are really heartbreaking to watch, what these guys go thru.
Predictions are fun....but only that... so " that being said " here is what I think/would like to see...
Holeshot to Stewart.....Barcia , Canard and RV follow...... Milsaps is somwhere around 6th or 7th with Dungey and Reed.....Stewart and his buddy Barcia pull away and have a few back and forth passes before Barcia goes down and somehow takes Reed (who is in 8th) out with him..... RV passes Canard and the fallen Barcia and just hangs close seeing that Milsaps is still mired in the pack.....Dungey and Saps go back and forth...by this time the guys are all spread out.....Stewart comes across the line with another win with RV 2nd and Canard 3rd........
Or the complete opposite could happen..... BRAAAPPPT!!!
Back to back Stew. Enjoy the show everyone!
Yep Stewart will win or at least he should I bet they finish in the same order as last week.
B-KR, I got a chuckle out of your post here about RJ, Bayle, Ward, Stanton, etc being the old timers. I guess you are right, they are "old-timers." But my guess is you are in your mid 40s to refer to those bunch of guys. If you were in your early 50s or older you would have referred to the real pioneers of SX (or as it was called back then--stadium races). Guys like Ellis, Karsmakers, Smith, Hannah, Tony D., etc. Now these guys raced hard on tracks that were rough (not groomed), on bikes that still had dings and dents on them from the previous race. And they raced two nights in a row in some cases. I can honestly say I do not remember ever reading in Cycle News a few days after the race that they complained about "one-lined" tracks, sore knees, or the types of dirt that was used.
Another thing. I keep reading where every body is waiting for Milsaps to have a bad weekend. I happen to remember a few weeks ago when just 50 feet off the gate he DNF'd in the heat race. Does that not qualify for a bad race? He has a good team and a good bike; combine that with a good attitude and it adds up to a championship. Of course, I could be wrong and probably am.
Glad to see someone mention Dungey...