Dungey began a tear at the third Anaheim race, then promptly won six of nine main events. He has only finished off the podium once, and that was at the opener. Now he's truly riding better than ever in a Hall of Fame career, and he's tied with Jeff Ward with twenty career wins in AMA Supercross. Not bad for a guy we hardly spoke about on the eve of the season! Dungey has done it with a steady hand, few mistakes, and obviously lots of hard work. He's set to make history for Red Bull KTM, as the championship he wins here will mark the brand’s first in this series, the most important in all of dirt bike racing. Weege will have more on that later on down.

So what of the others who were supposed to be next? Ken Roczen was incredibly fast at first, then he started making costly mistakes, culminating in ugly crashes in Atlanta and then his foot-twister at Daytona. He's been out ever since, and I don't think we’ll see the RCH Racing Suzuki rider back on a track until he begins his defense of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, which begins on May 16 with the Hangtown Motocross Classic.

Trey Canard got himself a couple of wins on his HRC Honda, but his supercross tour ended with an ugly crash with Team Tedder's Jake Weimer at Detroit that will have both on the sidelines for weeks to come. Canard's teammate Eli Tomac has a couple of wins and a very, very long shot at the title; he's in it mathematically, but it would take a month of bad mistakes (and zero points) by Dungey to actually let a Honda win this title for the first time since 2003. 

Reed has had flashes of his old self, but mistakes and that whole black-flag deal at Anaheim 2 spoiled his title hopes. Millsaps never quite got going on his Kawasaki (this is the first year he's ridden one since he was a Team Green rider on 60cc minicycles), and his teammate Will Hahn didn't make it out of the first race before getting injured (though he's thankfully now back on the bike). 

So how would things have been different if Ryan Villopoto had stayed? He surely would have been everyone's favorite for a fifth straight SX title, but it was obvious last May that he was suffering from a heavy case of burnout. Had he not gone to Europe, I’m not sure he would have been as competitive as he was in years past. Even now, while racing the FIM World Championships, Villopoto has had his ups and downs, acclimating to the slower pace of life (they are off again for two weeks and his fourth race of the year won't be until April 19 in Italy) and the notion that Tony Cairoli is not the only fast man in Europe. Seriously, who would have thought that after three GPs neither Villopoto nor Cairoli would be the points leader, that Max Nagl would have two of three wins, and Clement Desalle would be the ahead in the standings?

And then there's James Stewart, the man without a circuit—for now. Stewart appealed his punishment for using his prescribed medication Adderall without prior permission from the FIM (which he now has for when he returns). He took the medicine, and now he's taking the punishment. How much longer he’ll be sidelined remains to be seen, as he had his final appeal earlier this week, and the chatter online and in racing circles is that he may get some relief on the sixteen-month suspension that knocked him out of the Monster Energy Supercross Championship and could leave him out of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross until mid-August unless the three folks on the Court of Sporting Appeals decides in his favor.

So would Stewart be the one closing in on this title, rather than Dungey, if he were racing? We'll never know, but I have a feeling Stewart would likely have the same kind of world-class speed/world-class crashing that has plagued him these past five or six seasons. In other words—and I know I’m going against the grain here—I think this would be Dungey's year in supercross anyway.

That said, I truly believe Stewart’s time off will make him a truly formidable contender when he does return. It’s likely rekindled his flame, just as going abroad seems to have at least gotten RV's competitive juices flowing again, even if he's not winning right now. Stewart has been popping up on the internet and even at St. Louis last weekend, and he looks happy, healthy, and raring to go. If he gets the green light to come back a little earlier, we may be in for an epic summer as he takes on Dungey, defending MX champ Roczen, former champ Reed, Tomac, and more. But that's still a very, very big if. 

GODSPEED, SHARON CLAYTON (DC)

The motorcycling industry lost a pioneer this week when Sharon Clayton passed away at the age of 80 at her home in Las Vegas. Along with her husband, Chuck, she co-founded Cycle News in 1965, which became “the weekly bible of motorcycle racing” and a huge success. The Claytons grew the newspaper into a juggernaut, covering motorcycle racing from all over the world, both professional and amateur, paved tracks and dirt tracks—wherever and whatever was raced, Cycle News covered it. There’s not enough room online to list all the people who transitioned through “the Clayton School of Journalism,” but the Cycle News alumni included such well-known media folks as longtime in-house editors Paul Carruthers, Kit Palmer, and the late Terry Pratt; future magazine editors like Charlie Morey, Jody Weisel, Dennis “Ketchup” Cox, Larry Little, Tom Mueller, Ken Faught, and Donn Maeda; and well-known photographers like Jimmy “The Greek” Gianatsis, Kinney Jones, Karel Kramer, Frank Hoppen, Geoff Meyer, and more. There were also folks like the glass-rattling Henny Ray Abrams, who become one of the most influential voices in all of road racing, and just way too many more people to list here. (And from Racer X and MX Sports alone, Jason Weigandt, Eric Johnson, Bryan Stealey, Jason Weigandt, Steve Matthes, Jen Kenyon, and myself all had many, many features, columns, and photos published in Cycle News over the years.)

Chuck Clayton passed away some years ago, and Sharon ran the publication by herself for a few years before selling the title. It’s no longer a printed product, but it still exists online at www.cyclenews.com. No matter, both Claytons will long be remembered for what they did not only for motorcycle racing’s growth and the rights of riders, but also the way they helped fallen riders with the Clayton Foundation, their charitable project that helped out many, many competitors over the years. Both are in the AMA’s Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Godspeed, Sharon Clayton, and thank you.

SPIRIT IN ST. LOUIS (Jason Weigandt)

Not even the St. Louis Supercross, often the site of crazy scenarios and great racing, could deliver during this Monster Energy Supercross campaign, which unfortunately has lost some steam thanks to Ryan Dungey's massive points lead. Plus, his teammate Marvin Musquin is doing similar—no, the exact same—damage in the 250s.

When Dungey finally, officially, gets this title, it will be a big deal. First, KTM has never won the main title in AMA Supercross—the only jewel the brand has failed to place in its crown. Second, Dungey will be the first rider to go five years between titles. While so much of the talk is how sudden KTM's rise has been from also-ran to legit contender to dominant force, this story is more about persistence and patience. Dungey and company went through four seasons of effort and promise that didn't turn into titles, and that window alone is more than most riders get at this level. The fact that he's not just still in the hunt but actually better than ever is a testament to his never-ending motivation. Plus, KTM already had its next star lined up in Ken Roczen, but even Kenny moving to Suzuki proved to be a hit they could absorb, at least for now. Someday Kenny will be back, and we all know he's a formidable competitor. But let this season be known as the one where Dungey and KTM finally got their prize. It's not the most exciting story to watch unfold for twenty laps right now, but in the big picture, it's one of the most remarkable tales we've seen.

THE RETURNS (Chase Stallo)

It’s easy to get lost in the shuffle in this sport. Well, any sport for that matter. Social media has helped keep riders on the mend relevant—who doesn’t love slow-mo whip videos? As Monster Energy Supercross draws to a close (that went fast!) and the opening round of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross demands our attention, riders, either sidelined for the entire supercross season or most of it, are getting back on the bike.

Autotrader.com/Toyota/JGR Yamaha’s Justin Barcia, who may return at Houston following a pelvis injury sustained in testing before San Diego, was recently spotted at the JGR test track getting in some outdoor prep with teammates Weston Peick and Phil Nicoletti. Patrick Evans, who contributes to Racer X, put together this video:

Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Wil Hahn, who was just getting started on his new ride before going out with numerous injuries at the season opener, is also back riding and is expected to return for outdoors. Check out this Insta clip of Wilbur:

It’s good to see these boys riding again. See ya outdoors—or Houston!

AS THE TRAINERS TURN (Steve Matthes)

Sometimes I think we need a flow chart for this kind of stuff, but in the latest trainer/rider switch, former 125MX and 250SX champion Johnny O’Mara has parted ways with JGR Yamaha’s Justin Barcia and gone over to current 250 Class champion Jeremy Martin of Yamalube/Star Yamaha.

Not sure what happened with Barcia and O’Mara, and I’m sure both sides will say nothing but good things about their time together, but with Justin getting ready to come back, it does seem like a strange time for something like this. I suppose it was probably a poor mesh of personalities or differences in opinion on training. I wonder if we’ll see a return of Jeff Stanton to work with Justin.

O’Mara, of course, worked with Ricky Carmichael back in 1998 or something, and Martin rides at Carmichael’s house, so as far as a reference is concerned, I’m sure RC had a hand in this or put in a good word with O’Mara to pick up Jeremy. O’Mara is one of the classiest guys around—and one of the best trainers, to boot—so I look forward to seeing these two guys work their magic this summer.

PRO PERSPECTIVE (Jason Thomas and David Pingree)

PING: It’s been a long grind for those racing or touring with the series in some capacity. For riders, this fourteen-day stretch is a much-needed rest for their bodies. Every rider has something that is sore, aching, or strained, and now is their chance to let it rest. Those who have been physically burned-out by all the training, riding, and traveling will get to recharge the batteries and come out swinging for the home stretch of the SX season. The Easter break is also a great chance to spend some time with their families over a weekend. One thing that has really changed about the sport in the last decade or so is the number of riders who are married, many with children. The mindset during the 1980s and 1990s was that girls were a distraction. While many riders had girlfriends, they had them in every state. Sorry, ladies. These days it is the norm to have a wife and kids hanging out in the pits with you, and this is one of the few opportunities they get to spend a weekend at home together. Enjoy it. Happy Easter, everybody.

JT: Finally, a weekend off. That has been easily the most common sentence uttered in the supercross industry this week. For the racers, this week has probably been filled with outdoor testing, maybe the first of the new year. It is definitely a nice change at this point, and for most of the country it isn't hot enough to go out and have too much fun…yet. Today, though, most riders will either already be in weekend mode or close to it. Saturday and Sunday will be a nice time to recharge instead of boarding yet another airplane. It is much needed by now and does a lot of good for everyone's motivation. Riders know there are only a few supercross rounds left before we kick off another series. They will be moving their focus to the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, where everyone is still tied for the lead as of today. For many, these last few supercross rounds will be a bit of "going through the motions," but hopefully this weekend off will energize most to finish strong. For now, though, everyone will be enjoying their own bed on a Sunday morning.

THE NUMBER: 19 (Andras Hegyi)

Twenty-three riders have been able to get podium in small-bore AMA Supercross with KTM. The first rider to put KTM on the podium was the American Robbie Horton in 1998. That was also the first AMA Pro Racing podium finish for KTM (though back at the 1974 Daytona and Houston Supercross races a man named Buck Murphy had two podium finishes in the 250cc class aboard a Penton.) The further KTM podiums were gained by Brock Sellards, Kelly Smith, Josh Hansen, Mike Alessi, Ryan Sipes, Wil Hahn, David Pingree, Billy Laninovich, Nathan Ramsey, Justin Brayton, Jason Anderson, Justin Hill, Jessy Nelson, and Shane McElrath; by French riders Marvin Musquin, Steve Boniface, and Rodrig Thain; and by Australians Matt Moss and Brett Metcalfe. Then came South Africa’s Grant Langston, Ecuador’s Martin Davalos, and Germany’s Ken Roczen.

Until this season, Roczen has been the most successful KTM podium rider, with 18 podiums during three seasons between 2011 and ’13. Roczen's record was overtaken by Musquin in St. Louis. Marvin now as got his 19th 250 SX podium with KTM.

Musquin got another record for KTM in St. Louis. Marvin is the first KTM rider to get five wins in a small-bore supercross season. In the past the KTM riders were able to get only four wins in a season. Ken Roczen and Musquin got four each in 2013, while Jason Anderson got four wins in saddle of KTM in 2014. With that quantity of wins Roczen and Anderson became champions.

Musquin has also stepped up higher also on the French all-time podiums list. By now Musquin is the second most successful French podium rider as he has overtaken Mickael Pichon in St. Louis. Pichon got 18 podiums, while Musquin has got 19 podiums. Among the French riders only Stephane Roncada is more successful than Musquin. Ron-Ron landed on 27 podiums during his career.

THINGS WE WOULDN’T GET AWAY WITH TODAY

DYLAN FERRANDIS (Andras Hegyi)

Dylan Ferrandis, who is contesting his final season in the FIM MX2 World Motocross Championship before moving to the USA for 2016, has become the 32nd French GP-winner in the FIM World Championship. Ferrandis won the overall last weekend at the Grand Prix of Argentina. This is the second prominent career success for Ferrandis, who was also a member of the winning French team at the Motocross of Nations last year.

Here is a list of all the French riders who won GP races over the years: Mickael Pichon (38 wins), Yves Demaria (37), Sebastien Tortelli (21), Jean-Michel Bayle (15), Marvin Musquin (14), Frederic Bolley and Jacky Vimond (13 each), Gautier Paulin and Women’s class racer Livia Lancelot (10 each), Mickael Maschio (8), Christophe Pourcel and David Vuillemin (6 each), Pierre-Alexandre Renet, Julien Vanni and Sebastien Pourcel (5 each), Steven Frossard, Frederic Vialle and Jean-Jacques Bruno (3 each) Jordi Tixier, Milko Potisek, Christophe Martin, Thomas Allier and Luigi Seguy (2 each), Nicolas Aubin, Romain Febvre, Thierry Bethys, Xavier Boog, Benjamin Coisy, Florent Richier, Cedric Soubeyras, Daniel Pean (the first French GP winner back in 1977!) and Dylan Ferrandis (all with one apiece).

Ferrandis, who now shares the red plate as points leader in MX2 with Jeffrey Herlings, announced last fall that he would be coming to America in 2016. He may or may not be joined by defending FIM MX2 World Champion Jordi Tixier, who got off to a rough start in his title defense and missed the Argentinian GP after being suspended for a month for attacking an official after being told he could not race the second moto at the scorching hot Thailand round after nearly passing out on the track at the end of the first moto.