Photo: Nicolas Cade
Believe it or not, it’s time for the 2012 Monster Energy AMA Supercross and FIM SX World Championship series to get kicked off with the most anticipated Anaheim I in decades. The music has finally stopped in the Supercross industry’s crazy game of musical chairs called Silly Season, and it is time for the deepest group of talent the sport has ever seen to head to the big A. There have been years in the past where the hype has far outdone the actual racing, but with 2011 already in the books as one of the greatest SX series’ of all time and some new talent joining the already incredible depth on the line, 2012 looks to be even better.
2012 will mark the thirty-eighth year of Supercross racing, and this will be the twenty-second time that Anaheim Stadium will play host to the opener. Over the years, riders have learned that you can’t win the series at the opener, but you sure can lose it there. While fans think of Anaheim I as one of the most important races of the year, riders see it more as a good race to find out where they’re at in comparison to their competition–and a place to get some points on the board. Ricky Carmichael is the only man in the history of the sport that did not score a point at the opener and still went on to win the series, so that, in itself, is proof of the importance of getting some points on the board at A1. Still, solid points are more important than a win at Anaheim I. Carmichael won five Championships, but never won Anaheim I as a part of any of those.
Check out the track map for Anaheim I
One man that did win Anaheim I and a Championship is the man that wears the big red #1 for 2012: Ryan Villopoto. This time last year, RV2 was coming back from a long layoff after a severe leg injury sustained at the 2010 St. Louis SX, and nobody really knew where he was mentally or physically. But by the end of the first twenty-lap main event of the year, everyone knew where he was: on top of the podium. From there, RV2 went on to win five more SX main events–six total for 2011–and by the end of the year, the Monster Energy/Kawsaki rider had traded in his RV2 monicker for RV1.
Ryan not only won the 2011 AMA Supercross Championship, he won the 2011 AMA 450 Motocross Championship, led Team USA to the 2011 Motocross of Nations win and won the one million dollars for sweeping the inaugural Monster Cup as well. RV2 will be RV1 until at least this time next year, and until somebody knocks the new king of the mountain off the peak, he will be considered the big dog heading into 2012.
The list of guys that have a chance of dethroning RV1 is not long, but it’s a heck of a lot longer than it has been in past seasons. Last season, we had five riders win main events, and the four that did not take home the Championship will return in 2012 to try and knock the new king down. The man that finished second in the Championship in 2011 is the two-time Supercross Champ, Chad Reed. The TwoTwo Motorsports/BelRay/Honda rider and owner returns for his second year with the team with his sights set on winning his third SX Championship. Last year, Reedy finished only four points behind RV2, tallying an impressive eleven podiums and two wins.
For the first time since 2008, Chad returns riding the same color bike, for the same team. From 2008 through 2011, Reedy rode for four different manufacturers in as many years, but it looks like he’s traded in the insecurities of working for “the man” in for working for himself. Returning with Reedy and his Two Two Motorsports team will be his Team Manager Dave Osterman, mechanic Lars Lindstrom and new addition Mike Gosselaar, who will join the already formidable cast as their Crew Chief. This time last year, Reedy was a man without a home scrambling to get his new team together–but not in 2012. This year, he has the full support of Factory Honda and is more than comfortable with his bike and team. We expect a different Chad Reed than the one that rode to a barely noticeable 5th at Anaheim I a year ago.
Another solid candidate for the 2012 Championship is the 2010 Supercross Champ Ryan Dungey. Ryan finished a close third in 2011 with the most podiums (13) and one main event win and will look to improve on that in 2012. In one of the biggest moves of the 2012 Silly Season, Dungey up and left his long time team, Factory Suzuki and joined long-time mentor Roger Decoster in the Red Bull/Factory KTM rig. Ryan had been with the Factory Suzuki squad since 2007–when Decoster yanked him out of the amateur B class–and some have questioned his move to leave Suzuki for an unproven motorcycle in the KTM. To date, KTM has never scored a podium in the premier class of the AMA Supercross series, but having acquired Dungey, they look to change that. One thing is certain and that’s that KTM and Dungey will do everything in their power to get that bike on the top of the box.
Finishing a surprising fourth in 2011 was two-time Supercross Champ and probably the most famous SX rider on the planet, James Stewart. In 2011, James finished thirty-seven points behind Villopoto earning nine podiums and five wins. When James was on it, he looked unbeatable, but when he wasn’t, he was usually picking his bike up off the stadium floor. Throughout the 2011 season there was talk that the bike could have something to do with all the crashing, but when the chips fell during the off-season, James ended up staying with the blue machine, but moving into a new semi. Team Suzuki pushed hard to sign James for the 2012, but the Joe Gibbs Racing team pushed a little harder and signed him to a lengthy, three-year contract. Many were surprised due to all the talk that JS7 didn’t want to be on the Yamaha any more, but after riding the JGRMX machine, he decided to make a deal with his former mechanic and new Team Manager Jeremy Albrecht. If there’s a team with the resources to get the number seven to the top of the box, it’s the JGRMX team. No matter how many times JS7 hit the ground in 2011, he still has to be considered one of the favorites to win every race and a definite contender to capture his third SX championship in 2012.
The only other man in 2011 to make his way to the top of the box was then rookie, Trey Canard. The very likable Factory Honda rider won three main events and finished fifth in the Championship in his first season in the premier class, but since the weekend before the 2011 Seattle SX, Trey has been injured more than he’s been on the track. While doing some outdoor testing, Trey broke his femur, and then in his second race back at the Washougal national, he re-broke the very same bone. After returning to the bike and preparing for the 2012 Supercross Championship, the number fourty-one went down hard again and broke his collarbone. This last injury was just three weeks ago. Trey has since had surgery to put a plate in his collarbone and is already riding again. Speculation as of today has Trey riding at local SoCal SX tracks to see if he’s ready to give Anaheim I a go. We talked to someone close to the Trey Canard camp today that says it’s likely that we won’t see the Oklahoman until Anaheim II, but weirder things have happened.
Outside of the top five contenders is a huge list of guys that have a chance to get up into the top five on any given day and possibly even steal a podium or two. The problem with predicting anything with these guys is that there are just too many variables and questions. The guys on the top of most 2012 dark horse lists are guys like Justin Brayton, Jake Weimer, Kevin Windham, Brett Metcalfe, Davi Millsaps, Broc Tickle, Austin Stroupe, Ivan Tedesco and Andrew Short, along with some huge question marks like Josh Hill and Josh Hansen. Every one of these guys has the potential to turn the corner and move into being contenders, but predicting that it will or will not happen is just not possible until a few rounds in. When you look at the line-up of talent that is on 450 teams for 2012, it boggles the mind. The possibilities this season are endless.
Here’s a quick look at the depth of the 450 class. These are just the 450 riders on teams that hired them to be in the main event this Saturday. There are far more than twenty.
#1 Ryan Villopoto – Monster Energy/Factory Kawasaki #5 Ryan Dungey – Red Bull/Factory KTM #7 James Stewart - Toyota/JGRMX #9 Ivan Tedesco – Hart and Huntington/Dodge/Kawasaki #10 Justin Brayton – Muscle Milk/Factory Honda #11 Kyle Chisholm – Jeff Ward Racing/Kawasaki #14 Kevin Windham – GEICO Powersports/Honda #18 Davi Millsaps – Toyota/JGRMX #21 Jake Weimer – Monster Energy/Factory Kawasaki #22 Chad Reed – TwoTwoMotorsports/BelRay/Factory Honda #24 Brett Metcalfe – Yoshimura/Factory Suzuki #25 Broc Tickle – Monster Energy Pro Circuit/Kawasaki #26 Michael Byrne – BTOSports.com/Suzuki - *Out with broken nose and fractured C6 #27 Nick Wey - Ti-Lube/Foremost Insurance/Mafia M/C #29 Andrew Short – Supercross.com/Larry Brooks/Jeremy McGrath/Honda #32 Tommy Hahn – Privateer Honda #33 Josh Grant – Jeff Ward Racing/Kawasaki #36 Kyle Regal – No press release yet. Hearing a privateer Honda #41 Trey Canard - Muscle Milk/Factory Honda * Questionable with broken collarbone #47 Chris Blose - Ti-Lube/Foremost Insurance/Mafia M/C #48 Jimmy Albertson – BTOSports.com/Suzuki #52 Ben LaMay – Rock River/Yamaha #56 Austin Stroupe - Star Racing/Valli Motorsports/Rockstar/Yamaha #65 Ryan Morais – Star Racing/Valli Motorsports/Rockstar/Yamaha #66 Jason Thomas - BTOSports.com/Suzuki #72 Jarred Browne – Rock River/Yamaha #75 Josh Hill – Hart and Huntington/Dodge/Kawasaki #83 Kyle Partridge - Hart and Huntington/Dodge/Kawasaki #100 Josh Hansen - Hart and Huntington/Dodge/Kawasaki #800 Mike Alessi - MotoConcepts/JTRacing/Suzuki #801 Jeff Alessi – MotoConcepts/JTRacing/Suzuki
Make sure you’re tuned into SPEED TV/FUEL TV for all the live action starting at 7 pm PST/10 pm EST, and if not, set the DVR. You can also follow @dandunes818 and @motoxaddictsCom for updates, results and more. This is one race you will not want to miss!
