The track for this Anaheim didn’t draw raves. Most said they couldn’t find a flow on it. And, it was super slick, made even slicker when a drizzle came down just before the start of the 450 main event. Really difficult conditions to race in, and really, it came down to putting in smooth laps. And you know who is good at that?
Ryan Dungey sometimes gets criticized for not showing enough emotion or aggressiveness, but his temperament was the perfect one for a night like this. He kept his cool when his shock broke in the heat, pulled off a clutch ride in the LCQ, and then put that all behind him in the main to take the win. “I just tried to stay positive,” he said. “The team, they just said they were so sorry. But I’ve made mistakes, too, and they don’t get on me.”
Dungey said the hardest part of the night was adjusting back to the spring shock, which he hadn’t used in a few weeks. The team literally slapped it on there for the LCQ and sent him out for the LCQ. “I just had to trust that it was going to work,” said Dungey. “Once I got through the whoops for the first time, it felt good, and then I knew it was going to be okay.”
Davi Millsaps’ points lead is now up to 14. That’s pretty darn good. He also won his heat race. No reason to even bring up this, “Is he for real?” stuff anymore because it’s obvious that he is
Stewart vs. Millsaps in the main. And note the rain. And the rhyme.
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Reed and Andrew Short had a good duel for fifth, Reed came out on top. As for Short's team deal, he said he hopes to know more about his long-term plans by next weekend.
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Stewart was fast and looked solid early, but he definitely ran out of steam around the halfway mark, and wasn’t as aggressive. James told us after the race that he wasn’t tired, he was just trying to make sure he kept it on two wheels and get a solid finish after a bad few weeks.
What a night for KTM. They swept the 250 and 450 main events for the first time ever. They had two 450 riders in the top ten in points for the first time ever (Dungey and Matt Goerke). And, the KTM Jr. SX Challenge returned for the first time in years, and they totally swept it!
Jake Weimer took a handlebar to the stomach early in the race and had to pull off, he was being checked by the Asterisk medic team after the race.
Probably not the race Canard wanted, with some crashes. He took seventh but did hold off Villopoto down the stretch. With every point counting, you never know what this will mean in the end.
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A few more crashes from Trey Canard, who also had a few last week. He dug deep to salvage seventh. Late in the race, Villopoto was closing in, and they both got around Broc Tickle to gain a spot, and then Canard kept Villopoto at bay through the finish.
Rough night for Zach Osborne, who was hoping to finally log a clean night after dealing with a nagging shoulder injury for a few weeks. Instead, he crashed in his heat and the main event in the same spot. The heat race crash knocked him into the LCQ, which he won, but the main event crash dropped him from fifth to 11th.
Cole Seely had similar troubles, he was battling near Tomac for a shot at the podium until a crash left him way back. He finished 12th and gave up second in points to Tomac.
