A picture says a 1000 words. Photo: Chad DeRosa
The 2012 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, heads to Atlanta, Georgia for round number eight and the Atlanta Supercross. Saturday night’s race inside Atlanta’s Georgia Dome will mark the thirty-fourth running of the Atlanta SX, and unfortunately, one of the men that made the 2011 version the race of the year will not be on the line. There have been times where we have seen an injury cast a somber mood on fans and the industry alike, but nothing like the collective sigh heard all across the Supercross community when Two Two Motosports rider Chad Reed announced he is out for the season. Reed is a warrior that has captured the hearts of fans everywhere, and the series will definitely miss the #22 from here on out in 2012. We hope to see the #22 make a full recovery and, even though he probably never has to work another day in his life, we do not think for a minute that we will not see the Australian back at Anaheim 1 in 2013.
With Factory Honda’s Trey Canard and Chad Reed now at home recovering from their injuries, the big five seems to have become the big three—and with the way Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto has been riding, some may begin to consider it the big one. Since getting beaten straight up in Oakland by Reedy and Joe Gibbs Racing/Yamaha’s James Stewart, the defending champ has run off three-straight wins. In those three wins, only Reed could keep the #1 honest, and it remains to be seen if Stewart or Ryan Dungey can consistently run with him. Right now, RV looks like a finely-tuned machine. With his starts dialed and his incredible consistency, he may be hard to stop. He heads into round number eight with a thirteen-point lead over Red Bull/KTM’s Dungey and a massive forty-two point lead over Stewart.
After a second place finish in the Main Event at Dallas and a DNF by Reed, Ryan Dungey jumps up to second in the points, and considering his ability to consistently score points, he is still very much alive. Dungey has taken some criticism for not pushing the envelope in 2012, but as rider’s crash out of the Championship, we wonder if there is not some intelligent method to his madness. Last weekend in Dallas, Ryan was impressive, but his start was once again his Achilles’ heel. The 2010 Supercross Champ put in a great ride that brought him from outside the top ten up to the second spot on the box. In the future, if he wants to challenge RV, he is going to have to get his starts figured out. The only way to close the speed gap on the #7 and #1 is to start with them or in front of them. You cannot beat what you cannot see.
Forty-two points back and currently fourth place in the Championship is the two-time Supercross champion, James Stewart. At the last round in Dallas, James once again struggled to get out of the gate, leading him to run into problems. This time, unlike many others in 2012, he did not hit the deck, but when you stall your bike and are stuck trying to kick it over while everyone rides by, it is all the same. In the end, James charged hard for the whole twenty and was able to salvage a sixth. With Villopoto banking wins, points and confidence, though, salvaging will not get the job done. We can talk about James’ setup, mistakes and bad luck until we are blue in the face, but the bottom line is the former champ needs to start winning starting this weekend in Atlanta—and then win a lot more—to even have a chance. In the past, we would have said it could be done, but in 2012, our optimism is dwindling fast with the #7. Still, like we say every week, things can and often will change quickly in Supercross.
The man just behind JS7 in the points is Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer. Jake has, surprisingly, scored two podiums now in the 2012 Monster Energy Supercross series, starting off the 2012 season on high notes with a fourth in the opener and a second in Phoenix. After a great opening, though, he then went missing. For the next four rounds, Jake spent his time either battling for sixth or being pushed over berms by the front runners. Well last weekend, Jake said “no more mister nice guy” and, with that attitude, rewarded himself with a third in Dallas. Jake rode solid, and when Dungey—who was the pusher in the “over the berm play”—challenged him late in the race, Jake gave him a real fight. Look for Jake to continue to improve and find his way to the box more and more now that Reed is down.
With Reedy now injured, you can also expect to see some new riders making their way on to the podium. While guys like Hart and Huntington/Dodge’s Josh Hansen, Muscle Milk/Honda’s Justin Brayton and MotoConcepts’ Mike Alessi used to need mistakes from a few riders to get there, they may now only need a mistake from one. Take in mind that these guys are all paid a healthy bonus to get on the podium, and it is amazing what a little belief will do to get you there. While it was a huge blow to the fans and the series to lose a competitor like Reed, it is a huge opportunity for the fifth through tenth place guys to step up. It will be interesting to see which will be the ones to seize that opportunity and take it to the next level.
One rider we know to be good at seizing opportunities is Factory Muscle Milk/Honda’s fill-in out east, Cole Seely. Cole, for the second-straight year, is the man for the fill-in ride job over at Honda. Cole will be riding Trey Canard’s 450, and since he and his new teammate Justin Brayton are already training buddies, it seems like a great fit. Good luck to Cole and to Factory Honda as well. The team has been dealt some pretty bad hands over the last couple of years and sure could use some good finishes.
Supercross Class – After 7 Rounds – 2012 Championship Points
Full Championship points standings »
1 1 Ryan Villopoto Seattle, WA, USA 158 2 5 Ryan Dungey Belle Plaine, MN, USA 145 3 22 Chad Reed Dade City, FL, USA 128 4 7 James Stewart Haines City, FL, USA 116 5 21 Jake Weimer Wildomar, ID, USA 92 6 14 Kevin Windham Centreville, MS, USA 92 7 24 Brett Metcalfe Lake Elsinore, CA, USA 88 8 800 Mike Alessi Hilliard, FL, USA 81 9 10 Justin Brayton Murrieta, CA, USA 80 10 100 Joshua Hansen Elbert, CO, USA 80
