The Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, headed east to Arlington, Texas for round seven for the Supercross Class and round one of the Eastern Regional Lites Championship. The Lites East Regional opener was an encore performance from returning champ GEICO/Powersports/Honda’s Justin Barcia while the Supercross Class Main Event was an intense dog fight between Two Two Motorsports/Honda’s Chad Reed and Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto that ended with RV winning his third-straight and Reed injured and out for the year. Rather than tell you all about it, though, we will let the MotoXAddicts lap time comparison graphs do the talking.
On the left of each graph, you will notice the lap times and the numbers on the bottom signifying each lap. Below that, we have the top five riders in the order they finished and each lap time from the Main Event after their name. Also note that each rider’s fast lap is shaded in blue.
Each week, we will be graphing out the top five from each class to better understand how the week’s Main Event played out. Are we total moto nerds? Probably, but because we are not alone, these should be enjoyable for everyone that ventures in weekly to check them out.
Click the graphs to enlarge and to view as slideshow.
In the first round of the East Coast Lites, we could not have asked for a more exciting, bar-banging Main Event. Rockstar/Suzuki’s Blake Wharton grabbed the early lead only to be taken out by the MonsterEnergy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki of Darryn Durham. Durham went on to finish with a career-best second in the Main Event. Red Bull/KTM’s Ken Roczen set the 2nd fastest time of the night but, despite a late race run at Durham for second, finished third in the season opener. In the end, the Dallas Supercross opener was all about Justin Barcia. The 2011 Eastern Region Lites Champion showed he is in the house for one reason: winning back-to-back titles.
In the Supercross Class, the Factory Kawasaki of Ryan Villopoto grabbed the early the lead, and although it would appear on the graph that he just ran away with the race, we all know that the TwoTwo Motorsports/Honda of Chad Reed was giving RV a run for his money until his crash. Chad Reed would set the fastest time of the night with a 46.662 on Lap #6, the same lap RV would set the second fastest time of the night with a 46.734. Red Bull/KTM’s Ryan Dungey got off to a horrible start in the Main Event, but after charging for twenty laps, benefiting from Reed’s crash and making a last lap pass on Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer, the number five finished in second. Jake Weimer held on to score his second podium of 2012 with a third. Below we graph out the six lap head-to-head battle between Villopoto and Reed.
For fun this week, we decided to graph up the six-lap battle between Chad Reed and Ryan Villopoto since it provided some of the best racing we saw all year.
This week’s Lites versus Supercross Class graphs made up for a more exciting match up than last week’s due to the simplicity of the Dallas. Dungey and Weimer would have another great face off by the looks of things, and a fast Justin Barcia would try his best to keep them in his sights while dealing with Darryn Durham and Ken Roczen assuming they all started in the order they first appear on the graph.
Next stop Atlanta.
