The 2013 Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM World Championship series, heads back across the great state of California and down south to Angel Stadium for the third installment of the Anaheim Supercross. This Saturday night, Angel Stadium will become the first venue to host 60 SX races throughout it’s history. That is an incredible stat that nobody could have envisioned happening back when Marty Smith won the inaugural Anaheim SX in 1976.
A big factor in that record have been years like this one where the series stops in at Angel Stadium three times. Since the 2013 opener in Anaheim back on January 5th, the series has seen a flat out brawl with three different riders winning a main event. At Anaheim 1, Rockstar/Suzuki’s Davi Millsaps stunned everyone with his win, and at the last stop in Angel Stadium on January 19th, it was Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto that broke through for his first win of the 2013 season. RV backed that win up with back-to-back main event wins—winning again last Saturday night in Oakland—but even back-to-back wins was not enough to wrestle the red plate away from Millsaps.
Davi Millsaps has been one of the biggest turn-around stories the sport has ever witnessed. Sure, the #18 had three wins over the course of his career, and he finished second in the points in 2012, but the kid has never really been a factor for a premier class championship in his seven-year 450SX career. In 2013, Davi is one tip over—that resulted in a 4th place finish at A2—away from a perfect podium record in 2013. This against what some are calling the deepest talent pool in the history of the sport.
So what has changed for Davi in 2013? Well, the most obvious is the color of his bike. Davi was a Suzuki rider throughout his amateur career and for most of his 250 career, and he—despite the absence of any factory support—seems to be more comfortable on the edge in yellow. The second, and possibly the most important, change in Davi’s program is the addition of the fellow Georgian Ezra “Yogi” Lusk as his trainer. What strikes me as strange with this is that Yogi was never known as the most fit rider on the line, but somehow he has helped transform Davi into a 20-lap machine. Fading used to be Davi’s M.O., but in 2013, if you’re behind the #18 and waiting for him to fade to make the pass, you need a new plan. With this new found fitness and awesome starts, Davi has now held the red plate for three rounds and maintains a seven-point lead over Canard heading into A3. With Davi’s consistency, I see the #18 in the fight all year.
Davi’s biggest problem in 2013 comes with a #1 on his back. The two-time defending 450SX Champion started the season off shaky with a 16th at the opener but, since then, has gone 2-1-1, putting him eight points behind in third. Over the last three rounds, RV has cemented his status as “the fastest man on the planet.” At Phoenix, he got second, but only because he fell early in the main event. Since that fall, though, RV has been as dominant as any champ I can remember. His corner speed is the difference, and unfortunately for the nineteen guys on the line, no one is taking corners out of SX anytime soon. The way I see it is the only one that can beat Ryan is Ryan. I’m not sure the red plate will change hands this weekend, but I definitely see a vision of red on green in the near future.
My crystal ball may show RV with the red plate in his future, but Muscle Milk/Honda’s Trey Canard has ruined the credibility of my crystal ball all year long. My preseason predictions had Trey possibly finding the top five and maybe landing on the box late in the season after slowly rebuilding his speed and confidence. Never did I think Trey would be this fast, this soon. His 2013 comeback has been one of the most inspirational comebacks the sport has ever seen. The only thing that can give this fairy tale the perfect ending is a win and a championship–which, amazingly, look possible for the #41. Trey has gone 2-5-2-4 so far in ’13 and small brain farts were responsible for his 5th in Phoenix and the 4th last weekend in Oakland. His speed is on point, and his confidence is firmly in tact. Even with two crashes last weekend, Trey fought his ass off and came away with a fourth, hanging on to second in the points. Look for Trey to try to score his first-ever Anaheim SX win on Saturday night.
While Trey goes for his first-ever win in Anaheim, another Honda rider will be looking for his seventh win in Angel Stadium. Two-Two Motorsports/Honda’s Chad Reed has six wins at the “Big A,” and none will mean as much to him as his 7th if he can get it done on Saturday night. The first four rounds of the 2013 season have been an uphill battle for the #22. With only one podium on his 2013 scorecard, a win on Saturday night would be just what the doctor ordered. The thirty-year-old has been struggling with setups on the new 2013 Honda, and that may have played a role in his worst finish since the Detroit SX in 2008. Reedy has a few DNF nineteenth and twentieth place finishes from Atlanta 2012 and the first two rounds of 2010, but the ultra-consistent, podium machine has not seen a checkered flag in 12th since 2008. If anyone can turn it around, though, it is Reedy. He showed that his speed was finding him at round three, and hopefully, they will meet again at Anaheim 3.
Speaking of worst finishes of a career, Yoshimura Suzuki’s James Stewart is eleventh in the points after four rounds. When is the last time we have seen this with James not missing a round and still racing? Never. Do I see the #7’s season getting better in the near future? Normally, I would give you a definite yes, but each week gets harder to predict if/when that will happen. One thing that had me thinking he may be getting better was his speed in Oakland. All day long, James looked more comfortable and aggressive than he has looked all year on the Suzuki, but two turns into the main event he re-aggravated his torn ACL and DNF’ed with a broken throttle cable. I am not sure if we will see the James of old in 2013 ,and I will stick to my consistent prediction that if it does not change by San Diego, the #7 will pack it in for the year when the series heads east.
Another 450SX rider that scored a DNF last weekend in Oakland was Muscle Milk/Honda’s Justin Barcia. Justin was taken out in the same pile-up as James, and by the time he got air back into his lungs, he was two laps down. Barcia’s second DNF in a row moved him down to ninth place in the points. That has to be seriously disappointing for Barcie when just two weeks ago—after his dominant win in Phoenix—the rookie was second in the points and beginning to believe he could be a factor for the championship. While the championship may be a long shot with a forty-four point deficit, I expect a couple more wins out of the #51 in 2013. That could start this weekend in Anaheim, but I expect to see the wins when the series heads east where Bam Bam is used to the stadiums and the soils. Because Justin has nothing to lose from here until Vegas, the kid will definitely be fun to watch.
Next stop, Anaheim 3 on Saturday night. Make sure to tune into SPEEDTV for all the live action.
450SX Class Points
1. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki – 85
2. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda – 78
3. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki – 77
4. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM – 68
5. Chad Reed, Australia, Honda – 65
6. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda – 56
7. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki – 47
8. Justin Brayton, Cornelius, N.C., Yamaha – 42
9. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda – 41
10. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Fla., KTM – 39
Check out the A3 Animated Track Map
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2013 450SX Class Laps Led
Ryan Villopoto: 35
Justin Barcia: 20
Davi Millsaps: 17
Trey Canard: 7
Jake Weimer: 1
450SX Class Results: Oakland
1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
2. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki
3. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
4. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda
5. Mike Alessi, Hilliard, Fla., Suzuki
6. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda
7. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Fla., KTM
8. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki
9. Vince Friese, Cape Girardeau, Mo., Honda
10. Justin Brayton, Cornelius, N.C., Yamaha
