Photo: KTM Images-Hoppenworld

The 2013 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship Series, heads across the border to the Great White North. Toronto, Ontario’s Rogers Centre will host round twelve of the 450SX Championship and round six of the 250SX East region. Toronto has been hosting SX races since 2004, but this will be only the seventh time it has been included as part of the AMA Supercross series. Previously, Toronto was a part of the World FIM GP SX series and was used as a tune up race for the AMA series. The first-ever winner was Ricky Carmichael in 2004. Since then, Two-Two Motorsports/Honda’s Chad Reed and Yoshimura/Suzuki’s James Stewart have each won it twice, and Monster/Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto and Red Bull/KTM’s Ryan Dungey each have a win apiece.

Heading into the 2013 edition of the Toronto SX, all the 450SX Class Championship momentum looks to be in the firm grasp of the two-time defending champ: Ryan Villopoto. Since notching his third win of the season in Arlington, the #1 bike has been on a terror and comes to Toronto on a three-race win streak—winning four of the last five main events—and with a season-leading six main event wins on the year. The kid from Poulsbo, Washington seems to be able to flip a switch at will when it’s time to win, and that switch is in the full-on position at this point. In the last five main events, RV has come from twenty-seven points down to nine points up in his bid to carry the distinct title of a back-to-back-to-back 450SX Champion.

RV, once in the lead, has won every main event. Can he do the same with the red plate? Photo: Chase Yocom.
RV, once in the lead, has won every main event. Can he do the same with the red plate? Photo: Chase Yocom.

While RV looks to separate himself as the man to beat in 2013, Ryan Dungey has begun to look like the man with the best chance at dethroning the two-time champ. Like RV, Dungey too appears to have another gear, and over the last two rounds, the #5 has shifted up. Dungey has finished second to RV in the last two main events, but it was last week’s main event in Indianapolis where he finally let RV know he came to play. While Dungey still struggles with aggression, his only problem of late seems to be the early laps and keeping RV behind him. If he can get that dialed in, we may see this Championship come down to Vegas. As it sits, Dungey is 3rd in the Championship with seventeen points between himself and Villopoto.

Through the first nine rounds of 2013, the 450SX Championship was all about Rockstar Energy’s Davi Millsaps. The #18 surprised everyone, including himself, when he won the opener at Anaheim, but the real surprise came when he kept a firm grasp on the red plate through nine rounds with consistency and a second win at the San Diego SX. The seven-year veteran was defying logic, but in the back of most everyone’s mind was the question, when will Cinderella’s chariot turn back into a pumpkin? Well, the clock ticked towards midnight in St. Louis, and midnight struck a week later in Daytona. Davi did fight back last weekend in Indianapolis for a fourth, but when watching him race the top guys, he seemed closer to the Davi of old than the Davi of the first nine rounds of 2013. Previously he seemed like the aggressor, but over the last three rounds, he seems to have misplaced his mojo. This could be due to the fact that he injured his knee before Daytona, or you can chalk it up to the Ryans knowing what time it is. Whoever wants this Championship needs to show it now, and with Davi only nine points down, this may be his best and only chance to prove he’s a champion.

Davi is as close to a championship as he has ever been. Will he seize the moment or watch it slip away? Photo: Suzuki-Racing
Davi is as close to a championship as he has ever been. Will he seize the moment or watch it slip away? Photo: Suzuki-Racing

On the line in Toronto will be six riders that could possibly win the 450SX main event, but the reality is that only the three listed above have a real chance at the 2013 450SX Championship. Fourth place in the points heading into Toronto is Chad Reed. With forty-nine points between himself and Villopoto, his third championship is a long shot at this point. I think Reedy’s main objective from here until Vegas is main event win number 43. If you asked me after his podium in St. Louis, I would have said that I think he can get it done, but since then—with a crash in Daytona and a bad start in Indy—he’s back to hovering near the top-five. Reedy is in the encore of his career, and I would love to see the two-two notch a few more wins before the curtain falls, but at this point, it’s not looking likely in ’13.

Behind Reedy sits the two Muscle Milk/Honda boys, Trey Canard and Justin Barcia. Last week in Indy, Justin and Trey got a little too close for comfort on the track, and a mistake by Canard while the two were fighting over position sent him down and probably out for the Toronto SX. Trey suffered a concussion in the crash, and last I heard, the #41 was probably going to be parked for round 12.

Barcia was able to stay up in Indy and grab his seventh top-five of his rookie year. Overall, the Honda riders have lacked consistency in 2013, and a lot of talk is contributing that to their brand new 450. Like any new design, it takes time to work out the kinks, but with three championship contenders campaigning the new bike this year, many expected better results.

With the 2013 Championship out of reach it's all about pride and wins from Toronto to Vegas. Photo: Suzuki-Racing
With the 2013 Championship out of reach it’s all about pride and wins from Toronto to Vegas. Photo: Suzuki-Racing

Over the first seven rounds of the series, everyone was talking about Millsaps being the biggest surprise of the year, but for me, the biggest surprise was the zero podiums from James Stewart. While Millsaps was shocking the world up front, Stewart was digging himself a hole. It wasn’t until his first win at round eight in Atlanta that the #7 found the podium. Since then, though, James has found his groove and comes into Toronto with three podiums out of the last four rounds. At Indianapolis last Saturday, James was well on his way to possibly bringing his main event win tally up to 46, but he stalled his RMZ450 in a corner, and that was all she wrote. You cannot make mistakes and win in 2013, but James was able to find the podium due to Millsaps’ mistake on lap 20. Like everyone else from fourth place back in the points, James is racing for pride and wins from here on out. With some of his best venues on the horizon, I see a win in his near future.

With only six rounds left to run, the Championship is looking like a three-man race to Las Vegas. With the #1 having the nine-point lead and all the momentum, the #18 and the #5 need to act now. The question is, can they?

Next stop, Toronto!

Check out the animated track map for the 2013 Toronto SX

450SX Class Season Standings

  1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 227
  2. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki, 218
  3. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 210
  4. Chad Reed, Australia, Honda, 178
  5. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda, 168
  6. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda, 165
  7. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki, 155
  8. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM, 136
  9. Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Yamaha, 112
  10. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki, 109

450SX Class Results: Indianapolis

  1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
  2. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
  3. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki
  4. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki
  5. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda
  6. Chad Reed, Australia, Honda
  7. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM
  8. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Fla., KTM
  9. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda
  10. Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Suzuki
Author

Dan Lamb is a 12+ year journalist and the owner of MotoXAddicts.