Photo above shows Dungey receiving his bike from Goose while his mom cheers him on, long after the second moto began. (Photo by Hoppenworld)
Here we go! It’s time for the penultimate round of the Lucas Oil Motocross Championship in Delmont, Pennsyvania, at Steel City Raceway. Since 1987–when Steel City hosted the 125cc United States Grand Prix–the famed circuit has been hosting world class motocross. For many years, Steel City Raceway has played host to the final round of the AMA Nationals and, because of that, saw some of the greatest Championship fights conclude on its loamy natural terrain. Few can forget Championship wars at Steel City like the battle down to the last moto between Jeremy McGrath and Jeff Emig for the 1996 250cc Championship or the fight for the 2000 125cc Championship between Travis Pastrana and Stephane Roncada, and fans will never forget Grant Langston‘s famous broken wheel incident in 2001 that cost him the 2001 125cc Championship to Mike Brown. The track has seen its share of Motocross history, and the way the 2011 AMA Motocross Championship is shaping up, there is a great chance of seeing some unforgettable action this Saturday.
At the last stop in Southwick, Massachusetts, Ryan Villopoto stretched his lead in the Championship, but it was the man sitting second in the 450 Championship that stole the show–and quite possibly the momentum. Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey–after winning moto one–sat on the starting line for moto two with no bike and had to watch the race start without him. Then, thinking his Championship was over, Ryan began the long walk back to the pits before he saw his mechanic Goose Gosselaar come over the hill with the number one Suzuki underneath him. Ryan grabbed the bike from Goose, joined the second moto moments before the leaders completed their first lap and miraculously charged all the way back to finish seventh in the moto. With his incredible ride and a 1-7 score, he salvaged a third overall on the day but, more importantly, only dropped one point on the day to Monster Energy /Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto in the Championship. What Dungey did may go down in Championship Motocross history as the greatest display of heart and desire ever shown by a MX competitor.
It’s not often that the man that loses is able to steal the momentum, but if you’re Ryan Villopoto, you have to be thinking, “How do I stop this kid?” Villopoto went from seeing Dungey standing at the gate without a bike at the start of the moto to finding out that he only gained one point. It was obvious to anyone watching that Villopoto had seen that Dungey did not start moto two and decided to ride a very conservative race. The rainy conditions were ripe for mechanical problems and mistakes, so he seemed to be in survival mode. In the end, Justin Barcia and Justin Brayton got away from him, and Brett Metcalfe passed him for the overall win. With his 2-4 finish on the day, Villopoto comes into the last two rounds with an eight-point lead. With such a small lead, he is still going to have to beat Ryan Dungey straight-up to win this title.
One man that Dungey and Villopoto will not have to beat to win the title is TwoTwo Motorsport/Honda’s Chad Reed. For the first seven rounds of the AMA Championship, Reedy looked on form to win his second AMA 450 Motocross Championship but, since his ghost ride at Millville, has looked too rattled to compete for wins. Chad went from battling for wins to finishing off the podium, and at the last round, he DNF’ed both motos. Chad put up a heck of a fight this year and made it clear he’s far from done, but with a sixty-five point deficit, his 2011 Championship hopes are gone.
Two men not in the Championship fight that gained a lot of momentum and respect at Southwick were American Honda’s Justin Barcia and Rockstar/Makita Suzuki’s Brett Metcalfe. Both turned a lot of heads and had their “best evers” at Southwick . Barcia, after having mechanical problems in moto one, came out in moto two and destroyed the field for his first-ever 450 moto win. Metty, meanwhile, went 3-2 for his first-ever 450 AMA National overall win. Both Metty and Barcia showed everyone that they intend on racing for wins even if they are not in the Championship fight.
With two rounds to go and Dungey and Villopoto only separated by eight points, the 2011 AMA 450 Motocross Championship has the potential to be one of the best ever. We have been treated to more firsts and best evers than we’ve witnessed in a long time, and we expect the last two rounds to continue the trend. So sit back, relax and enjoy the conclusion of the show.
450 Motocross Points After Ten Rounds
1 2 Ryan Villopoto 431 2 1 Ryan Dungey 423 3 22 Chad Reed 366 4 24 Brett Metcalfe 304 5 800 Mike Alessi 243 6 32 Jacob Weimer 196 7 29 Andrew Short 196 8 14 Kevin Windham 199 9 18 David Millsaps 173
