With twelve rounds of the 2013 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, completed and a week off for Easter, most riders have been preparing for the upcoming 2013 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship that kicks off on May 18th at Hangtown. But for Red Bull/KTM’s Ryan Dungey, Rockstar Energy’s Davi Millsaps and Monster/Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto, it is still all about winning the 2013 450 Supercross Championship. The #1, #18 and #5 are separated by a mere 22 points with Villopoto hanging onto a 12-point cushion over Millsaps. With the man in fourth—Two-Two Motorsports/Honda’s Chad Reed—56 points back and having knee surgery and the man that sits fifth place in the points—Muscle Milk/Honda’s Justin Barcia—68 points back, this is going to be a three-man fight to the finale in Las Vegas.
Over the first six rounds of the 2013 SX season, it looked like Millsaps’ series to win. The seven-year veteran started the season by shocking everyone with his win at Anaheim 1, and the electrical current continued through his round six win in San Diego. At that point, Millsaps had the defending two-time champ Villopoto on the ropes, but since then, the #1 came off the ropes swinging and won five of the next six main events—finishing 2nd in the only race he didn’t win. With that, Villopoto climbed out of a 27-point hole and is now leading the Championship by 12. Villopoto has thrown down the gauntlet and made it abundantly clear that to beat the champ, you’re going to have to knock him out.
Ok, that whole paragraph was filled with boxing metaphors, but at least I didn’t say RV floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee—although that may be accurate at this stage. What’s most impressive about what Villopoto has done is he did it once again after missing the entire 2012 outdoor season. It seems like nobody has been talking about it—maybe because we’ve come to expect quick recoveries from RV—but his ability to come back from major injury is impressive nonetheless. The kid is a machine, and unlike most, injuries seem to make the machine better. The question now is, can the #18 or #5 figure out a way to find RV’s emergency shut down switch before Vegas?
As far as the points situation goes, with only 12 between he and Villopoto, Millsaps does still control his destiny in this Championship. With five rounds left on the schedule, Millsaps can win this title by winning the remaining rounds. If RV finished second in all five, he would relinquish his #1 plate by three points, but is that scenario even remotely possible? Yeah, it’s a stretch. I cannot and will not count Millsaps out, but with the way that Dungey and Villopoto are riding—and with wildcards like Yoshimura/Suzuki’s James Stewart, Muscle Milk/Honda’s Trey Canard, Barcia and even Reedy, who will possibly be back from knee surgery for the last few rounds, still on the gate—I cannot see Millsaps winning out. What will win Millsaps this title is getting back to his early round starts and consistent podium finishes—and hoping for a bad race out of Villopoto. If Davi can stay on the box, it will be tough for Dungey to make up his ten-point deficit and put the pressure on RV to close it out.
Dungey, with his newfound speed and aggression, may be the biggest factor down the stretch in ’13. Over the last few rounds, the #5 has turned the corner with bike setup as well as mental setup, and it has shown on the track. While RV is like a light switch, Dungey is more like a wind-up toy. RV is on or off, and Dungey has always been more about gaining feel for his bike setup and slowly building momentum throughout the season.
Over the last two rounds, we have seen both Millsaps and Dungey raise their game and come incredibly close to matching RV’s intensity. At the last round in Toronto, the three of them looked like three men in the Championship. Millsaps got the holeshot, and after two turns, even the casual fan on the 300 level of the stadium could figure out who the Championship trio were. The #1, #18 and the #5 were on another level, and with the Championship finale drawing closer, I think we will continue to see more of the same.
With the Championship intensity at an all-time high, can Millsaps or Dungey count on a mistake by Villopoto? I don’t think so. The two-time defending champ showed in 2011—specifically at the penultimate round in Salt Lake City—that he not only can deal with the pressure, but he can thrive in it. Back in 2011, RV had a 6-point lead over Reed and three riders within 9 points of him heading into Salk Lake City. Ryan slammed the door in their faces with a win in Salt Lake City that gave him the cushion he needed to seal the deal on his first-ever 450 SX championship in Las Vegas. With six national championships already under his belt, just waiting for a mistake may not be enough. Somebody needs to pressure the #1 and try to force it.
Overall, 2013 has been an incredible roller coaster ride with more surprises than a Stephen King novel. As the series now heads to Houston, the roller coaster charges back up the hill for its final plunge into the home stretch. Right now, we have three men in the front car in line for the championship, but with spoilers like Stewart, Canard and Barcia on the line, it could be an epic finish. Strap in and enjoy the ride because we still have four rounds left before the finale in Vegas. Check out the points below.
450SX Class Season Standings
- Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 252
- Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki, 240
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 230
- Chad Reed, Australia, Honda, 196
- Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda, 184
- James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki, 169
- Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda, 165
- Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM, 148
- Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Yamaha, 122
- Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki, 122
