It’s time to go back to Atlanta! The Georgia Dome is the site of tomorrow night’s Atlanta Supercross, also known as the DMXS Radio Party After-Party—that’s how they roll in the ATL! More on that later.
When the Monster Energy Supercross paddock packed up and headed east after the Arlington SX near Dallas, the red plates were on the orange bikes of Ryan Dungey and Marvin Musquin. Together, they’ve not only made huge strides towards bringing heel-clickers back, they’ve also put Red Bull KTM into the best spots they’ve ever been in AMA Supercross, leading both classes at the same time for the first time in the manufacturer's history. Dungey is having himself a career renaissance, and his emphatic win last weekend at AT&T Stadium could give him some serious momentum as the next three rounds all go closer to his home (now in Central Florida). Ken Roczen is still right there, but a mediocre start last weekend and an aggressive Dungey have the early title favorite playing catch-up now.
As for Musquin, we’ve surely said it before, but here it is again: nice guys finish first too. Widely respected in the pits and from the stands, he rode the best race I’ve ever seen him do in supercross, serving notice that he will be tough to beat in the just-started East Region drive. This is probably the first time Musquin has been completely healthy to start a series, and like Dungey, momentum is now his. I am sure we will see a faster Jeremy Martin, now that he managed to get through the first round by actually qualifying—something didn’t happen the last two seasons! Defending #1 Justin Bogle looks like he’s still coming back from injury, and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Joey Savatgy was a solid third—his first-ever SX trophy—even though he admitted to our Eric Johnson earlier this week that he spent too much time following others. If Savatgy gets a better start (and teammate Arnaud Tonus stays off the Tuff Blocks at the start), both will be vying for podiums this weekend.
Beyond that, we saw Eli Tomac exact some revenge on Chad Reed for a previous run-in, and then Eli himself went down. The GEICO Honda rider has struggled the past few weeks to have the full package (including starts, unfortunately) and the points deficit he faces keeps growing as the ever-steady Dungey keeps taking as much as he can from each race—I know Ryan works with Aldon Baker now, but those persistant finishes are a page out of Ricky Carmichael’s playbook: When the wins present themselves, take them; when third is all you’re going to get, take that.
Here's another interesting bit I noticed: we have yet to see back-to-back winners so far this season in the 450SX Class. No one has won two in a row. That last time Monster Energy Supercross went this late without someone taking two in a row was 1997, when we went the entire series without seeing anyone win back-to-back races! Jeff Emig ended up as the champion, but the winners in that fifteen-race series were:
Greg Albertyn (Los Angeles)
Doug Henry (Los Angeles 2)
Jeff Emig (Tempe, AZ)
Doug Henry (Seattle)
Jeff Emig (Indianapolis)
Damon Huffman (Atlanta)
Jeff Emig (Daytona)
Jeremy McGrath (Minneapolis)
Jeff Emig (Houston)
Ezra Lusk (Orlando)
Jeremy McGrath (St. Louis)
Ezra Lusk (Pontiac)
Kevin Windham (Charlotte)
Jeff Emig (Dallas)
Doug Henry (Las Vegas)
Dungey is obviously the only man that can stop the trend this weekend—he won his first-ever 250SX race at the Georgia Dome in 2007, but then again, so did Trey Canard in 2008! Tomorrow night could get really interesting!
THE NUMBER: 4 (Andras Hegyi)
Last Saturday the winning combo of Ryan Dungey and Marvin Musquin marked the fourth time that Austria-built KTM was able to sweep both classes in Monster Energy Supercross. The first time it happened was at Anaheim III in 2013, when factory Dungey topped the premier 450SX Class while his then-teammate Ken Roczen topped the 250SX Class. KTM had another sweep in both classes in 2013. Ryan Dungey won again in Minneapolis, while another factory KTM rider, Marvin Musquin, got the win in 250SX East Region series. And last year Red Bull KTM had one winning combo, which came in the season opener at Anaheim. Roczen won his first 450 victory, while KTM-supported Rockstar Energy rider Jason Anderson triumphed in the 250SX Class. This weekend, Atlanta will mark the first time that Roger DeCoster’s Red Bull KTM factory team has held both red plates in this series.
RESTART REVISITED (Aaron Hansel)
You probably know that the restart order for a staggered start after a red flag, like the one we saw last week during the 250SX Main in Arlington, is determined by the running order prior to the red flag being thrown. But how does the AMA capture that order? Because once the red flag comes out the racing ends—racers don’t finish their current lap to determine order. Instead, the restart order is determined from the order recorded on the previously completed lap. Last week the leader (Marvin Musquin) had completed seven laps when the red flag came out, so riders were lined up in the order they crossed the finish line in on lap six. Although it can help or hurt riders who have lost or gained ground, it ensures that the last lap in which every rider has crossed the line is used. Now you know!
And it was cool to see the long shots of the holeshot from the side so we could watch all of the riders trying not to pass one another before they got to the white line that was marked by the single-most-noticed FMF Tuff Block since Dianna Dahlgren decided to go all Kate Upton and lounge on one last month!
TOP JIMMY (Steve Matthes)
There’s no doubt that the depth of talent in the 450SX Class is pretty strong this year. Yes, we’ve had our fair share of injuries in 2015 like always (Barcia, Wilson, Brayton, Hahn), but it’s still really tough to make the main events. Guys like Nick Wey, Kyle Chisholm, and Josh Hill have watched the twenty-two-man main events take off the line from the stands more often than they probably wish to count.
And so has Jimmy Albertson for that matter. Twice this year the #53 has failed to make it in the main, but one of those times (Oakland) it was due to crashes more than speed. And speed is what I’m getting at here, as in Top Jimmy has found a bit more this year. He loves it when people talk about his three different bike brands in one calendar year, but his move from Honda (SX 2014) to KTM (MX 2014) to Yamaha now has seemed to help him a bit each time. And now, funded heavily by ARMA Energy, he’s building his own team with Mitchell Oldenburg as his 250SX rider, his brother Gregg as mechanic, wife Georgia as team manager/dog rescuer, and Jim Lewis doing the mods for Merge Racing.
In Dallas he crashed in the whoops and then proceeded to get run over by a couple of riders. It was a nasty crash and no one would have blamed him if he called it a night after that. With the DNF he had the last gate pick for the semi race and from the far outside Top Jimmy roared into the first turn with a nice start. His Merge Racing YZ450F clearly has some power in there! Albertson made it into the main event from there and continued on his quiet-yet-impressive season. Unlike other years, he’s riding into a qualifying position rather than getting a start and trying to hold on to a spot. He’s separated himself from some other “bubble” guys and riding well this year. It’s okay if you didn’t notice until now, but from here on out watch the bumblebee Yamaha rider out there, mmmmk?
PRO PERSPECTIVE (David Ping and Jason Thomas)
DMXS Radio is having their annual shindig/beer-fest/human sacrifice not once but twice this year.
PING: With two rounds in Atlanta now there is one major concern that fans throughout Georgia and the surrounding states have: How is it humanly possible to live through two DMXS supercross parties?
I went to the DMXS party one time, years ago, and I believe I’m still drunk from that night. I didn’t come away with any tattoos or venereal diseases, though, so I consider myself very lucky.
There are two simple steps you can take to ensure that you don’t wake up the next day with a tramp stamp of Celine Dion or a set of genitals drawn in Sharpie across your cheek. First, you must hydrate like you’ve never hydrated before. Yeah, Budds Creek gets hot and Unadilla can be humid, but whatever the volume of water you consumed to prep for races, you need to double for this weekend. In fact, if you haven’t already been chugging Pedialyte like a freshman pounding Keystone Light at his first frat party, you are way behind the curve for the first party. Drink water until you feel like you have to pee while you’re peeing.
Next, get a good wingman. Maverick had Ice Man. Edmund Hillary had Tenzing Norgay. Napoleon Dynamite had Pedro. You can’t go into that dragon’s lair without someone who has your back and everything. Without a bro to look out for you, Kevin Kelly will shame you into taking shots. So many shots. And once you feel like you’ve been roofied from all the Fireball that David Izer gave you, he will whip the crowd into a frenzy until they strip you naked and duct tape you to a light pole outside the club. I’ve seen it happen a million times. How crazy does it get? I’ll be in California for both events and I’m still locking my door once the sun goes down. Good luck.
THOMAS: I will be at both of these DMXS parties and have read all of the advice that Ping just gave. I have done none of these preparatory moves and am prepared to pay a hefty price for my oversight. I only ask that Kevin Kelly and David Izer have mercy on my soul and I somehow escape the infinite Jaegermeister shower that will undoubtedly spring from the nearest bottle.
As for a wingman, I put an ad on Craigslist this afternoon. No word yet on that, but I did get a few other questionable inquiries. I am willing to take my chances alone on the first of these dual DMXS debacles. I will have back-up next weekend and will take no prisoners.
WHERE IS BLAKE WHARTON? (Chase Stallo)
That was a common question leading up to the 250SX East Region opener in Arlington. There wasn’t as much as a peep from the former GEICO Honda and Rockstar Energy Racing rider during the off-season. But Blake Wharton was in attendance last weekend, albeit in a much different way than most imagined. Blake and his band, Rouge Locusts, performed in the pits last weekend and have plans to play in Houston as well.
“It is a little weird. I’m a racer, but we have an opportunity to play music,” Wharton said of the playing music at a race instead of racing. “I knew I couldn’t turn this down, even if it is a little awkward at first. It’s weird because you’re going back to people that only know you as a racer.”
Wharton hasn’t completely closed the book on his racing career, though. “I’m not sure yet,” Wharton said when asked if he was retiring. “I’m not racing right now; that’s all I know for sure. I’m doing school and music right now. Things just didn’t materialize for this season. But to say I’ll never race again, it’s too… I can’t say that.”
We’ll have an in-depth interview with Wharton on the site early next week, so make sure to check back.
CHAD REED + TWO STROKE (Chase Stallo)
It’s a rarity that we get to see the world’s best motocross riders on a two-stroke nowadays. So when one of the all-time greats jumps back on one for the first time since 2005, you know it’s going to go big. Yesterday, Chad Reed rode a two-stroke and posted a few videos on his Instagram. And it was glorious. “September of 05 was the last time I rode a 2smoke. Was a little rusty swinging off the clutch of this thing today,” he said in the post.
FREE VANILLA ICE (DC)
This could have gone anywhere in Racerhead:
Head-Scratching Headlines of the Week: "Heist, Heist Baby"
Pro Perpective: Ping: "My motto is 'never touch someone else's junk...'" JT$: "Vanilla Ice needs to get with Aldon Baker if he wants to break out quicker..."
Random Notes: Former pro motocrosser, rapper and home-renovator Robbie Van Winkle has himself in quite a pickle down in the FLA...
But it's big enough and strange enough to go here with the main stuff. Van Winkle really was a former pro motocrosser and he sold millions of records in the eighties. He also did a great job with his second act, which was to get into the home renovating and reality show business, starring in some very popular programs on the Do It Yourself Network. He still tours and even played one night for the riders and their families at Loretta Lynn's. Add it all up, and this doesn't make much sense. The house, which was next to the one Van Winkle and his partner Wes Cain (yes, the longtime racer announcer) are working on was basically abandoned, and even the realtor who controlled it told the local news reporter, "Whoever it is, why would you jeopardize going to jail for basically junk? It was just worthless furniture and some items so it doesn't make much sense. The house wasn't full of Picassos, so it wasn't a high-dollar heist, so it's just the principal of having to secure the place two and three times."
If you've ever met Van Winkle at the races or anywhere else, you know he is a really nice guy who got a bad rap (pardon the pun) when his record label over-amplified his racing record (he did not win a whole bunch of national championships) and then told him not to credit Freddie Mercury and Queen for the iconic riff that opens not only their hit "Under Pressure" but Van Winkle's "Ice, Ice Baby." What you may not know is that Van Winkle, who was the Justin Bieber of his day, was wise with his money, so he doesn't exactly need a couple of old bicycles and a pool heater... This was either a really stupid mistake or, I'm hoping, a misunderstanding between within his production crew. Either way, this breaks the record in Racerhead for space devoted to Vanilla Ice!
BENCH RACING
From longtime reader Jim Myerson, bench-racing about the "first European" winner in supercross:
One other thought: Sanctioning bodies and race series aside, wouldn't that then mean the first European to ever win a STADIUM motocross / 'Supercross' in the US was Gerrit Wolsink (1973 JFK Philly bowl) ? (Not counting Karsmakers '73 Daytona). I was only 13 in 1973, so I'm not sure why I recall this stuff - - probably from reading Racer X!
JMD? (Andras Hegyi)
Last Saturday at Arlington, Ryan Dungey got his sixteenth win in AMA Supercross’ premier class. With this success Dungey caught the French legend Jean-Michel Bayle on all-time wins list. Dungey debuted in 450SX in 2008, full-time in 2010. JMB, the two-time FIM World Champion and three-time AMA Champion, raced in the US part-time in 1989 and full-time from 1990 to ‘92. Bayle got his sixteenth win in his fifty-fourth race in 1992; it’s taken Dungey eighty-nine races to get his sixteenth.
TEAM TEDDER 450 (DC)
Jake Weimer is having himself a pretty good year with Team Tedder—he’s just 1 point behind Kawasaki factory rider Davi Millsaps in the series standings. Weimer, who was dropped from the Monster Energy Kawasaki team last year, has been motivated to get in front of his old team, and Team Tedder/Monster Energy Kawasaki is giving him as much support as possible, even though their actual rider, Dakota Tedder, has been out with a broken hand—he had his third surgery on it a couple of weeks ago.
Now Matt Tedder, the family patriarch, tells us that the plan for Dakota is to get on the 450 when the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship starts up in May at Hangtown. He’s tall, good, and fast, so look for him to be challenging for top-tens now that he won’t be racing with all of those smaller guys in the 250 Class.
ON THE HORIZON (DC)
We are now one week away from the start of the 2015 FIM World Motocross Championships, which means the long-awaited duel between eight-time FIM World Champion Tony Cairoli and nine-time AMA Supercross/Motocross Champion Ryan Villopoto, with the rest of the MXGP guys motivated to force their way into the conversation. In the MX2 Class Jordi Tixier will try to defend the #1 plate he won on a KTM aboard his new CLS/Monster Energy Kawasaki team while Red Bull KTM’s Jeffrey Herlings tries to manage the lingering effects of his broken femur and his heroic (but unsuccessful) attempt to race the last GP in Mexico and salvage his championship. Now, finally, the longest off-season in the history of off-seasons is wrapping up and everyone is flying to Qatar in the Middle East for next weekend’s nighttime opener. The races will be run on tape-delay on CBS Sports Network (though not sure if its both classes or both motos), and you can also buy a live-streaming package from www.mxgp-tv.com for 99.99 Euros, which equals a little over $112. I get the package every year and it works well (but the races run at some very early hours when they are in Europe six hours ahead of the East Coast).
PULPMX LINKS (Matthes)
Privateer Adam Enticknap talks about life on the road, Weston Peick and trying to get off the island.
Jeremy McGrath and Pete Fox comment on a pair of plaid pants that MC wore one time and one time only in this Blazier column here.
David Vuillemin talks tire pressure, Musquin, Dungey and more here.
Chase Stallo and Jason Thomas join me to look ahead to the Atlanta SX’s on the Fly Racing Moto:60 Show here.
RANDOM NOTES
Head over to www.racerxdigital.com to get a free preview of the new April '15 issue, or just watch the Instagram video below for a quick 15-second look inside.
Factory Effex and Pro Circuit are sponsoring the Atlanta 1 round of Racer X MotoDynasty Fantasy Supercross and will be giving out prizes to the winners of the 450 and 250 classes. Click HERE for a chance to win.
Heading to Atlanta for the 8th round of Monster Energy Supercross this weekend? Stop by the Racer X booth—located in the Party in the Pits—to pick up a free copy of Racer X Illustrated. You can also sign up or renew for just $20 (60 percent off the cover price) to get a one-year subscription, a FREE pair of Racer X socks, and an extra issue!
So one team (Red Bull KTM) produces two wins in the same night. How often does that happen? Our Aaron Hansel ran through this data two years ago.
For the latest from Canada, check out DMX Frid'Eh Update #7.
The NFL’s all-time leader in return touchdowns (punt and kick combined) and all-time punt touchdowns is apparently also a big fan of supercross. Devin Hester, a Miami University graduate currently playing for the Atlanta Falcons, has a sick custom Hurricanes bike the guys at DMXS captured.
A few weeks ago we made a move to clean up the article comments section for the site by changing to a social-media-based system. You now have to use your Facebook or Twitter login to post, as most web sites note that the fewer anonymous posters they have, the fewer ridiculous comments they get. We're quite pleased with how it's turned out, with some good solid bench racing amongst hard-core fans, but fewer personal attacks. Here's a great comment this week, at the end of our Rapid ReaXtion story on the current 450SX standings.
Justin Crown
After round 7 in the 2013 SX championship Ryan Villopoto was third in the standings, 24 points behind Milsaps and three behind Dungey By the end of the season he was 33 in front of Milsaps and 34 in front of Dungey. He made up a massive 57 points in ten races on ‘Saps and (ironically) 37 on RD. I'm not saying Tomac is at the experience level that RV was (is) ...but it is possible, and Tomac certainly has the speed. With Dungey's consistency, Tomac needs to be on the podium in all of the last 10 and have at least 7 wins. One at a time.
So note to Tomac: Don't argue for your limitation or you'll be right every time. Create your legend now, you're in the perfect position to do so. Don't let negative thinking limit you and ride like you Know you can! My outcome is Eli Tomac is 2015 SX champ!!! Passion, history, and stats. That, folks, is what bench racing is all about!
KTM left Arlington with a win in each class, but they’ve traveled down a long road before reaching their recent success. The first twenty-five to subscribe or renew will get a Penton: The John Penton Story DVD that looks back at the origins of the now-Austrian brand. Follow the link to see if you made the cutoff.
Thanks for reading Racerhead. Have a good weekend and see you at the races.