The 2013 Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM World Championship series, heads to the “Land of Chad Reed” for the San Diego Supercross and the final stop in the series before it says good bye to California and heads east. We call San Diegot he “Land of Chad Reed” because the Two-Two Motorsports/Honda rider has dominated in San Diego since coming here from Australia. Saturday will mark the 30th time the gate has dropped for an SX race in San Diego, and Reedy has won six of the ten main events he has started. Something about San Diego just seems to spark the #22’s season and tends to send him east with a smile and momentum.
If there was ever a time that Reedy needed some momentum and as spark lit on his series with a win, it is now. Over the first five rounds of the 2013 series, the man known as a podium machine throughout his stellar career has only been on the podium one time. This is the worst start to the season the 22 has ever experienced—minus his injury riddled 2010—and San Diego probably could not come soon enough. Last year, Reed already had three podiums and a win under his belt heading into Qualcomm, but what San Diego did was show him he could run down the #1 and pass him straight up. Monster/Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto won the race with a last lap pass on Reed, but with Reedy showing he could chase him down, it was officially on. In my eyes, this Saturday nights main event for Reed is as big as it gets in the grand scheme of his 2013 Championship campaign. He now sits 5th in the points, and that twenty-six point gap needs to start shrinking, now.
The winner of the 2012 edition in San Diego is the two-time defending supercross champ, Ryan Villopoto. I’m not sure what to think about Ryan’s 2013 season so far, but all things considered, he is still in a decent spot heading into round six. One thing I do know is that while RV was able to win at Anaheim 2, I think he was thrilled to get out of Anaheim alive. In the three main events run in Angel Stadium, RV spent a lot of time picking up his Kawasaki after crashes and finished the Anaheim rounds with a 16th, a 1st and, last weekend, an 8th. RV has won every main event in which he has kept it on two wheels in 2013, but unfortunately that has only been two of the five rounds. He is definitely still the man to beat at this point, but with him sitting seventeen points behind Rockstar/Suzuki’s Davi Millsaps, he has some work in front of him.
While Villopoto and Reed have surprised us all with their lack of consistency in 2013, Davi Millsaps has done the exact opposite. It is now time to throw away the surprise label and the doubt with Millsaps and start to—believe it or not—consider him a true title threat in 2013. Yes sir, with the most winners ever lined up for a supercross race, Davi Millsaps has a fourteen-point lead in the 450SX Championship five rounds deep. What makes his success even more of a surprise is that Davi used to only excel on the rutty, technical East-style tracks. Davi is not only one of the four different winners on the west swing of the series, he is also the most consistent. I do not know what exactly to attribute his newfound confidence and aggression to, but whatever it is, can I buy two? It has been a transformation like none other, and with the series heading to a place he has won before, I think we may see more of the same from the #18. Before Anaheim 1, Davi’s last win was in San Diego back in 2010.
The only former champion on the line who has not won in San Diego—but did pull off an incredible win last weekend at Anaheim 3—turning his season around is Red Bull/KTM’s Ryan Dungey. Not only did the 2010 450SX Champion win last weekend in Anaheim, he did it in possibly the most dramatic fashion ever. I have been digging this week and have not found another time a rider has taken the final transfer spot in the LCQ and won the main event. There have been a handful of LCQ winners that have won the main, but Dungey squeaked in, getting second in the LCQ. Whether or not it’s been done before, it was amazing to watch the #5 crash in turn two of the LCQ, get up, mount a charge and, with a last lap pass in the whoops, make the main event. It was one of the biggest turn arounds I have ever witnessed. With his first win of the 2013, Dungey moved up from 4th to 2nd in the points.
The rider that was second heading into A3 is now in third after an Anaheim 3 he probably tried to quickly forget. Muscle Milk/Honda’s Trey Canard started the year off with a surprising second at A1 and, since then, has stayed consistent—until last weekend that is. Trey did not look like himself at A3 and very uncharacteristically went backwards after a great start in the main event. Trey started third, had two small tip-overs and crossed the line 7th. Before the race, a video was shown on the jumbotron at Angel Stadium that featured Trey’s violent 2012 crash that left him with a broken back. The video was pretty in-depth, and Trey’s mom thought it might have gotten into his head a little before the race. All day, Trey said he did not feel comfortable, but if it did have anything to do with the video, I’m sure the #41 will shake it off.
One 450SX rider we haven’t talked to much about—other than talking about the drama with his team folding—is the now privateer Honda rider Andrew Short. Shorty has quietly had a good year and, since losing his factory Honda after Anaheim 2, has strangely gotten better. The #29 has scored back-to-back 6th place finishes on his production Honda and has climbed up to sixth in the points. Throughout Shorty’s professional career, he has been known for being OCD about his equipment, so I think he may even be surprising himself with how well he is performing on the privateer Honda. Don’t get me wrong, with some help from Mike Kranyak, he does have some goodies on his bike and a big rig to pit out of, but his bike is far closer to production than it is factory. Can Andrew improve on the 6th place finishes? I am not seeing it, but with a start and the stars aligning, anything can and usually does happen in SX.
Over the last few weeks, when we have talked about Yoshimura/Suzuki’s James Stewart, I have been adamant that the former two-time supercross champ would pack it in after San Diego with his torn ACL. With rumors floating around that he needs a set amount of top ten finishes to collect his Red Bull sponsor money and his results suffering, I figured James would call it a day before heading east. Now, though, I am beginning to believe we may see the #7 for the rest of the year—barring any unforeseen new injuries. Why? Well, I think Bubba has turned a new leaf in the maturity department and may have finally been humbled by his competition, his injury and age.
James, with over ten years as a professional, is finally starting to see the sun setting up ahead, and it looks like he is truly appreciating riding dirt bikes. He was awesome to watch last weekend at A3. For years, we have never seen James back her down when the win is in front of him, but he wasn’t feeling it. In years past, his good start and running 2nd at A3 would of ended with a win or a spectacular bouncing Bubba crash. Last weekend, though, for what had to be one of the first times in history, James backed her down and took what was a season-building 4th in the main event. For me, it showed me first that James can still win with his injury with a little more fitness, and secondly, he has turned a new leaf. I personally loved seeing it, and will—for now—retract my “James is heading to the couch” statements.
While James is beginning to see the sun set, Bam Bam is just now seeing the sun creep over over the horizon. Muscle Milk/Honda’s Justin Barcia now has two podiums and a win in the three main events he has finished in 2013. With two DNF’s, though, Justin is fourty-six points back in 7th. The kid is for real, and all I kept thinking last weekend when Justin was trying to pass Stewart was, that has to be a dream come true. You know that growing up coming through the amateurs that when Justin dreamed about racing SX, passing Bubba was a huge part of those dreams. At A3, he lived it, and while he knows James is injured and late in his career, I doubt that mattered. Every pass Bam Bam makes, every podium he lands, and every win is going to pile up and make this kid a superstar.
So the stage is set and the San Diego SX is this weekend. One more thing to quickly talk about is the return of RCH Racing’s Josh Hill. So far Josh only made it through one practice at A1 before getting bit by the injury bug again. For now, we just hope he makes it to his heat race. But if he makes the main, there is a chance we will see 10 450SX past main event winners on the line for the first time in history—just another reason to call this the most talented field in the history of the sport.
Bring on round six!!
450 SX Class Season Standings
1. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki, 107
2. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 93
3. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda, 92
4. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 90
5. Chad Reed, Australia, Honda, 81
6. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 71
7. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda, 61
8. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki, 56
9. Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Yamaha, 53
10. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki, 48
450SX Class Laps Led
Ryan Villopoto: 35
Justin Barcia: 20
Ryan Dungey: 19
Davi Millsaps: 17
Trey Canard: 7
Jake Weimer: 1
Mike Alessi: 1
Check out the 2013 San Diego SX Track Map
[video_bar]
450SC Class Results: Anaheim Race 3
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
2. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki
3. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda
4. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki
5. Chad Reed, Australia, Honda
6. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda
7. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda
8. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
9. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki
10. Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Yamaha
