450s Race Report: Chaos in Houston

 
As fans parked their cars in the massive parking lot outside Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas and made their way towards the gates, there was no way of knowing what would transpire later that night. Round six of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series may go down in history as one of the craziest races of all time. Fans filed into the beautiful, picturesque venue taking in the track, probably anticipating a tooth-and-nail battle between Ryan Villopoto and James Stewart or a third straight podium appearance for Chad Reed, but nothing that was imagined could have come close to what actually occurred.

The day started off much like the first five rounds, with James Stewart, Ryan Dungey and Ryan Villopoto as the leading qualifiers in the early practice session and Canard just a few ticks off the top three. Week-in and week-out, the four of them have been top qualifiers, but come the Main Event, JS7 and RV2 always seem to separate themselves from the pack. This evening would be a different story. With qualifying in the book, it was time to see what the 2011 Houston SX had in store for the fans.

Heat 1

Rocketing off the gate, and through the first turn with the lead was Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki’s Brett Metcalfe, with his teammate Dungey right behind. Dungey would quickly get by Metty and leave his teammate—and the rest of the field—behind, picking up the Heat 1 win. RedBull/KTM’s Andrew Short seemed to be on a mission to get to the next level on the orange machine and also got by Metty early. Short-dog rode home for second while Honda’s Trey Canard would fight from a bad start to finish third.

Ken Roczen showed up in Houston on a 350. Kenny qualified for the show 11th fastest and ended up top ten in the Main. Photo by Russ Erbe.

Heat 1 Qualifiers

Heat 2

Heat 2 was an opportunity for the riders to remind everyone how stacked the Supercross class is in 2011. Reed, Stewart and Villopoto were all on the line, ready to fight for just a heat race win. When the gate dropped, it was not Stewart but the other SanManuel/L&M/Yamaha rider Kyle Regal leading the all star cast through turn one. Regal’s teammate Stewart started back in around fourth and would quickly dispose of the top three and check out in the process. Regal held down second until Reed and RV2 made their way up and through, taking over second and third. RV2 made every attempt to get by, but in the end the heat race score sheet read Stewart, Reed and then RV2.

Heat 2 Transfers

LCQ

The LCQ got underway with Vince “T-Bone” Friese grabbing the holeshot and leading Jason Thomas through the first turn. For the rest of the race, the Motoconcepts/Yamaha rider and BTOsports.com/Suzuki rider would never relinquish there hold on the last two transfer spots of the night. With Kyle Regal and Chris Blose qualifying out of their heats, Vince would become the first rider other than Blose or Regal to take a LCQ win in 2011.

LCQ Qualifiers

Main Event

Twenty of the top 450 SX riders in the world left the gate for the Main Event in round six of the AMA Supercross series, but only fourteen would make it through the first turn on two wheels. Stewart, Reed, Blose, Brayton, Wey and Hahn were all on the ground in turn one, and this would be just the beginning of the chaos in what turned out to be an insane Main Event. Out front, having avoided the first-turn chaos, was GEICO/Powersports/Honda veteran Kevin Windham. Chasing the “Ol’ Man K’dub” at the end of lap one was JGR rider Davi Millsaps, Rockstar Makita/Suzuki rider Brett Metcalfe and Factory Honda rookie Trey Canard.

James Stewart had a night he would rather forget. Photo by Russ Erbe.

Back in the pack—despite not having gone down in the early pileup—Monster/Kawasaki title contender Villopoto checked in for lap one in twelfth spot with points-leader Stewart already up to fifteenth. The race was only one lap down and we had seen more drama than in the first five rounds combined. For the next five laps, Stewart and RV2 would slice their way through slower traffic and try somehow to salvage their nights. But for JS7, it would soon get worse. On lap six while coming through slower traffic, JS7 committed to a triple section with two slower riders ahead and ended up landing on the back wheel of JT$, sending them both down hard. I will leave the arguments regarding fault for the message boards.

Meanwhile, K’dub was checked out and living the dream in front of his “close to” hometown fans, and looking as flawless on the bike as ever while doing it. The other rider in the field who was close to home in Houston was Canard, and Canard seemed to bring something special with him to Houston. The quiet, likable kid from nearby Oklahoma was up to second and trying to close the gap on K’dub.

Houston Supercross fans hold their breath for Kevin Windham, realizing he could get his first win of 2011. Photo by Russ Erbe.

Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki’s Dungey had started the race in fifth spot, but by lap nine had made his way around Metty and Millsaps and was on a mission himself, knowing his main competition was in the back of the pack. The riders do not have radios on the track—and mechanics generally only offer up lap times and inspiration—but you can be sure Dungey knew where RV2 and JS7 were. On lap eleven, the race would once again deal the fans in attendance a new twist as K’dub, all alone up front, would make a mistake through an on-off section and go down very hard, giving the lead to Canard.

It was now lap eleven with the running order Canard, Dungey, Millsaps, Metcalfe and—finally making his way into the top five—RV2. Canard had about a four second lead over Dungey, but RD1 was coming, and coming fast. For the next seven laps, Dungey was ticking off lap after lap at about a half second per lap faster than Trey. By lap seventeen, the race was officially on. With two laps to go Canard would make a mistake over a triple, and RD1 would briefly move ahead. But Trey was not going to let this moment go. He quickly got back around the 2010 champ and would hold on by the skin of his teeth for his first ever Supercross class win. Dungey would come in just a fraction of a second behind the rookie.

Trey Canard crosses the finish line at Reliant Stadium for his first-ever Supercross win. Photo by Russ Erbe.

Back behind the battle for the top step on the box, RV2 had made his way by Metty and Millsaps on the last five laps and would secure the third step—and the points lead—going into round seven in San Diego. James Stewart somehow managed to finish the race after two vicious get-offs and coast her in for a fifteenth on the night. The six points he earned may not look like much to James right now, but at the end of the day they could be the points that win him the 2011 crown.

Round six of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series was a night I will not soon forget. Villopoto now has a nine-point lead in the chase for the title, and as a fan of the sport I could not be more excited with what lies ahead for 2011.

RV2 leaves Houston with a podium and nine-point lead in the series. Photo by Russ Erbe.

Main Event