Round seven of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series heads back across the country—for the fifth and final time to California—to Qualcomm Stadium for the San Diego Supercross.
Check out the Racer X arrow getting nasty on the San Diego SX track!
Last week’s Houston SX was probably one of the most chaotic Supercross races I have ever witnessed, and with the forecast calling for rain in San Diego this weekend, this one could be even crazier. It is amazing that, with California’s sunny reputation, there are at least one or two mudders there every year. If rain stays in the forecast, expect the unexpected to take place once again.
After last week’s insanity, Monster/Kawasaki rider Ryan Villopoto swapped places with chief rival San Manuel/L&M/Yamaha’s James Stewart and carries a 9-point lead with him to San Diego. JS7, after being in the middle of a first-turn pile-up and landing on JT$ coming through the pack, managed to salvage six points in Houston. Stewart has been known throughout his career as being a tad reckless, but up until Houston had been more patient than I can ever remember him being in years past. Look for him to get right back on track in round seven. RV2 may consider the flip-flop last week a gift, and would certainly love to capitalize on the gift and extend his points-lead before heading East.
After the smoke cleared at Reliant Stadium in Houston, the winner was Factory Honda’s 450 freshman Trey Canard. Watching Trey win his first SX was an enjoyable moment for most fans, and I’m not sure—now that the first one’s out of the way—that we won’t see it again, even as soon as this Saturday. There is something about knowing that it is possible that allows a racer to take it to the next level. Trey may know that Houston’s unique circumstance helped, but in the end a “W” is a “W.”
Switching focus to the fifth through tenth-place guys, one guy that made his first appearance in the top ten for 2011 is Mike Alessi. The Red Bull/KTM veteran has been struggling ever since he injured his knee in 2009, and it was nice to see him make some improvements in Houston. Mikey has steadily improved over the last couple of weeks, grabbing a 10th last week. I talked to Mike, Jeff and Tony—their dad—this week, and they all seem very positive about the future. Check out the interview with Tony Alessi and look to MotoXAddicts.com next week for Jeff and Mike’s.
Mike Alessi and Roger DeCoster seem to be seeing eye-to-eye more often these days. Photo by Brian Robinette.
One rider that has not gotten much mention this year is Andrew Short. Red Bull/KTM’s Shorty came into 2011 sporting brand new colors, a new team and riding the recently developed and produced 350. Many people say that, with this depth of talent, and a bike 100cc’s down from his competitors, there was no way Shorty could find himself in the top five this year. Up until Houston they would be right, but Shorty pulled out of Houston with that elusive top-five finish in hand. Andrew has been one of the most consistent riders in the field for the last five years and sits sixth in points going into San Diego. It is likely that we will begin to see progressively more out of him as the series wears on.
Hear what Andrew Short has to say about Houston.
Another rider that has slowly been making his way to the front is Kyle Chisholm. The MotoConcepts/Yamaha rider, Chizz, will not be in San Diego due to a bad get off in Houston. Please keep Chizzy in your thoughts and prayers this week. He is currently still in a hospital bed in Houston Texas with a bruised lung and minor bumps and bruises, but it is sounding like he will be okay. He is a good kid, and MotoXAddicts wishes him a speedy recovery.
Top 5 Supercross class points:
1 Ryan Villopoto 132
2 James Stewart 123
3 Trey Canard 112
4 Chad Reed 105
5 Ryan Dungey 101
Photo by fan Devin Davis, dd410mx on Vital & Twitter.
Round seven of the SX series in San Diego will also bring back the cast of West Region Lites riders after a much needed, one-week hiatus from the series. While all the riders from the West surely enjoyed and appreciated the break, none could have appreciated it as much as points-leader Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki veteran Josh Hansen. At the last West Region stop, Anaheim II, Hanny broke his hand. Somehow, he managed to hold on for his third win of the 2011 season and an eight-point lead over teammate Broc Tickle. Reports are that Josh is okay and will ride, but as “hush-hush” as the SX teams are, we may not really know his condition until Saturday. Whatever Josh’s condition, every rider on that line knows he is not 100% and will do everything in their power to stop the second coming of Hanny from winning any more races this year.
One guy who is getting closer and closer to lighting the candles for his first ever SX win is Eli Tomac. Eli has been moving up the box every week. In Oakland, Eli scored his first podium with a solid third. At Anaheim II, he stepped it up to second, and now Eli will look to take that last step to the top of the box this weekend at Qualcomm Stadium. The GEICO Powersports/Honda rookie has had the speed all year, and look for him to possibly finish the job on Saturday with a win.
Also looking for his first win inside of a stadium is the young German, RedBull/KTM’s Ken Roczen. Kenny decided last week to throw his hat in the ring in the Supercross class on a 350, rather than take a week off, finishing seventh at the Houston SX in the process. At Anaheim II, Kenny scored his first podium with a third, and comes into San Diego knowing he may be heading home soon. With that kind of urgency and six solid races under his belt, you might not want to leave him off your possible winners list for round six of the West.
Ken rode the 350 in Houston and word has it, he’ll be on the 350 again for Daytona. Photo by Russ Erbe.
Many fans will be cheering for in San Diego for MotoConcepts/Yamaha pilot Kyle Cunningham. Kyle, unfortunately, seems to always be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Every week, Kyle comes out in qualifying and lights the world on fire, but somehow—either through bad choices, bad luck or just bad circumstances—ends up on the ground in the Main Event. If Kyle can get off the gate in the top three this weekend, he has the speed and fitness to put a win in the record books.
And then there’s Hanny’s teammate on the P.C. team: Broc Tickle. Broc comes into San Diego needing to out-point Hansen. After a fourth in the last Main Event, he is currently sitting eight points behind his teammate and can ill-afford to lose more as the West heads into a seven-week break. With only three rounds remaining after the West reconvenes at the Seattle SX in April, Broc needs try and close the gap.
Top 5 West region Lites class points:
1 Josh Hansen 113
2 Broc Tickle 105
3 Eli Tomac 91
4 Ryan Morais 84
5 Cole Seely 70
See you at the races!
Make sure you follow @dandunes818 on Twitter. I’ll be tweeting all the action live from the press box in Qualcomm Stadium.
Jimmy Button rides for spinal cord research
Be sure to support Jimmy Button as he rides his bicycle from San Diego Supercross 2,500 miles to the Daytona International Speedway. Jimmy sustained a spinal cord injury a while back and is riding to support Miles for Miracles and spinal cord research. To donate to Jimmy Button’s ride, visit milesformiraclestoday.com. Also, check out this video Jimmy made to raise awareness of the ride and the cause:
Good luck to you, Jimmy!
