Take a deep dive inside the lap charts with this week's Sign of the Lap Times.
450SX Class
| Lap Rank | Finish | Best Lap | In Lap | Avg Lap Time | Rider |
| 1 | 1 | 51.703 | 2 | 53.206 | Ryan Villopoto |
| 2 | 19 | 51.956 | 6 | N/A | James Stewart |
| 3 | 3 | 51.991 | 6 | 53.316 | Ryan Dungey |
| 4 | 4 | 52.176 | 4 | 53.920 | Justin Barcia |
| 5 | 3 | 52.333 | 5 | 53.883 | Trey Canard |
| 6 |
5 | 52.795 | 6 | 53.927 | Davi Millsaps |
| 7 | 8 | 53.943 | 3 | 55.495 | Josh Hill |
| 8 |
6 | 53.989 | 5 | 55.410 | Justin Brayton |
| 9 | 17 | 54.029 | 4 | 57.084 | Weston Peick |
| 10 | 7 | 54.038 | 8 | 55.165 | Andrew Short |
| 11 | 12 | 54.094 | 9 | 55.485 | Phil Nicoletti |
| 12 | 9 | 54.199 | 5 | 55.300 | Jake Weimer |
| 13 | 10 | 54.224 | 5 | 56.038 | Broc Tickle |
| 14 | 20 | 54.247 | 4 | 54.606 | Mike Alessi |
| 15 | 11 | 54.359 | 5 | 56.333 | Matt Goerke |
| 16 | 15 | 54.759 | 4 | 56.753 | Chris Blose |
| 17 | 14 | 54.997 | 4 | 57.544 | Les Smith |
| 18 | 13 | 55.515 | 2 | 57.566 | Robert Kiniry |
| 19 | 16 | 56.531 | 3 | 1:00.259 | Kyle Partridge |
| 20 | 18 | 56.744 | 3 | 1:01.460 | Adam Enticknap |
*NOTE: There was an error in James Stewart's average lap time, therefore we were unable to use it.
450SX
- Ryan Villopoto rolled to a fifth straight win in Houston. He bolted to an early lead that was helped by setting his first three laps under 52 seconds—the only rider to have more than one lap under 52 seconds. The points leader would also set the fastest lap of the night with a 51.703 on lap 2.
- Ryan Dungey came ready to match the intensity of RV, setting his first seven laps under 53 seconds, which was the best in the field.
- A crash ruined any chance James Stewart had of securing his first podium since Indy, but he was able to nudge Dungey out of the second-fastest lap spot with a 54.956, just edging RD’s 51.991—also set on lap 6.
- NINE: Number of riders that set their fastest lap in the 54s.
- Phil Nicoletti matched a career-high in Houston, and was moments away from his first career 450SX top ten—before crashing late in the race. The N-Fab/TiLUBE Yamaha backed rider set the latest fastest lap of the night with a 54.094 on lap 9.
- Trey Canard, who found the podium for the first time since A2 in Houston, was also setting a nice pace early, with his first six laps all under 54 seconds.
- Davi Millsaps was the most consistent rider of the night, setting all 20 laps under 55 seconds. The Rockstar Energy Racing man was the only rider to achieve the feat.
Comparison
Ryan Villopoto vs. Ryan Dungey – Laps 8-20
Ryan Dungey has been unable to stop the red-hot Ryan Villopoto, as RV rolled his streak to five straight wins, tightening his grip on the points chase. But Dungey has shown he can match RV’s intensity. Dungey’s first official lap in second came on lap eight. Once he had a clear track in front of him, Dungey actually set a faster pace than Villopoto, as you will see below.
| Lap | Ryan Villopoto | Ryan Dungey |
| 8 | 53.244 | 52.914 |
| 9 | 53.045 | 52.956 |
| 10 | 52.861 | 53.624 |
| 11 | 52.989 | 52.885 |
| 12 | 53.42 | 52.534 |
| 13 | 52.409 | 52.619 |
| 14 | 53.019 | 52.155 |
| 15 | 52.671 | 53.226 |
| 16 | 53.479 | 54.247 |
| 17 | 53.614 | 55.422 |
| 18 | 54.726 | 54.771 |
| 19 | 55.565 | 54.608 |
| 20 | 57.18 | 55.841 |
| Avg | 53.709 | 53.677 |
Dungey rallied off consecutive 52s once taking control of second. RV answered with a 52 of his own on lap 10, but Dungey fired back with four straight laps in the 52s, compared to only two from Villopoto. But RV was resilient and came back strong, especially when they hit lapped traffic. He was quicker than Dungey on the following four laps (15-18), and that helped him secure his fifth straight win.
Ryan Villopoto set the fastest lap of the night in Houston.
Simon Cudby photo
250SX Class
| Lap Rank | Finish | Best Lap | In Lap | Avg Lap Time | Rider |
| 1 | 1 | 52.959 | 4 | 54.614 | Blake Wharton |
| 2 | 3 | 53.122 | 8 | N/A | Marvin Musqin |
| 3 | 2 | 53.281 | 7 | 54.528 | Wil Hahn |
| 4 | 4 | 54.763 | 8 | 55.514 | Tyler Bowers |
| 5 |
8 | 54.766 | 5 | 56.703 | Lance Vincent |
| 6 | 5 | 55.129 | 6 | 55.991 | Gavin Faith |
| 7 |
17 | 55.464 | 2 | 56.587 | AJ Catanzaro |
| 8 | 6 | 55.521 | 4 | 56.508 | Cole Thompson |
| 9 | 13 | 55.683 | 3 | 56.687 | Vince Friese |
| 10 | 7 | 55.736 | 9 | 56.694 | PJ Larsen |
| 11 | 20 | 56.113 | 5 | 56.953 | Zack Freeberg |
| 12 | 15 | 56.342 | 3 | 58.671 | Ryan Zimmer |
| 13 | 10 | 56.446 | 2 | 57.816 | Steven Clarke |
| 14 | 14 | 56.478 | 5 | 58.245 | Jackson Richardson |
| 15 | 12 | 56.633 | 4 | 58.007 | Zack Williams |
| 16 | 11 | 56.806 | 9 | 57.786 | Levi Kilbarger |
| 17 | 9 | 56.871 | 3 | 57.720 | Daniel Herrlein |
| 18 | 19 | 56.988 | 11 | 58.835 | Mitchell Oldenburg |
| 19 | 16 | 58.247 | 3 | 1:00.545 | Bradley Ripple |
| 20 | 18 | 58.504 | 3 | 1:02.612 | Chad Crawford |
*NOTE: There was an error in Marvin Musquin's average lap time, therefore we were unable to use it.
250SX
- Blake Wharton found redemption in Houston, erasing the bad memories from a last lap blunder in Indy. The Rockstar Energy Racing rider set the fastest 250SX lap of the night with a 52.959, and was the only 250 rider to set a lap under 53 seconds.
- Points leader Wil Hahn extended his points lead over Marvin Musquin in Houston and also became the only 250 rider to set his first nine laps under 55 seconds.
- Motoconcepts’ Gavin Faith had a career-high fifth in Houston, thanks to setting 10 of his first 11 laps under 56 seconds. Three-time defending AMSOIL Arenacross Champion Tyler Bowers, who was making his SX debut for Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki, also set 10 of his first 11 laps under 56 seconds en route to a fourth place finish.
- Marvin Musquin would join Wil Hahn as the only 250 riders to string together three consecutive laps under 54 seconds. Musquin’s streak came during laps 3-5, while Hahn’s came during laps 4-6.
- Mitchell Oldenburg, who has been battling an injured collarbone after a crash in Toronto, struggled in Houston—finishing 19th. But the rookie privateer did manage to set the latest fastest lap of the night with a 56.988 on lap 11.
Comparison
Blake Wharton vs. Wil Hahn
Blake Wharton’s aggression early helped him garner the lead, but his relentlessness down the stretch led to his first 250SX win of 2013. Let’s take a closer look at the Wharton/Hahn matchup from Houston.
| Lap | Blake Wharton | Wil Hahn |
| 2 | 54.404 | 54.214 |
| 3 | 53.215 | 54.362 |
| 4 | 52.959 | 53.301 |
| 5 | 54.017 | 53.775 |
| 6 | 54.038 | 54.581 |
| 7 | 53.75 | 53.281 |
| 8 | 55.109 | 53.957 |
| Avg | 53.927 | 53.924 |
| 9 | 54.809 | 53.915 |
| 10 | 54.739 | 54.768 |
| 11 | 56.469 | 55.702 |
| 12 | 54.932 | 56.329 |
| 13 | 55.553 | 54.364 |
| 14 | 55.260 | 55.750 |
| 15 | 55.346 | 55.108 |
| Avg | 55.301 | 55.133 |
The two couldn’t have been much closer through laps 2-8, with Hahn’s 53.924 average lap time just edging out Wharton’s 53.927. The last seven laps are were things got interesting. Hahn and Wharton traded fast laps, going toe-to-toe for the win. A 56.469 on lap 11 for Wharton could have proved costly, but he rebounded with a 54.932 the following lap. Hahn, who had his share of problems with the finish line double, could have also been deterred by a 56.329 on lap 12, but he also would come back strong the following lap with a 54.364. Hahn closed back in on Wharton on lap 13 with a strong 54.364, but again Wharton would answer the following lap with a 55.260 to Hahn’s 55.750.
Blake Wharton set the fastest lap of the night in 250SX.
Simon Cudby photo
