Photos by: Hoppenworld

The Dark Horse is a weekly column by MotoXAddicts contributor Nolan MacDonald that elaborates on the riders who can surprise you and emerge to prominence when you least expect it. Some may be well known while others have never been heard of. To be recognized as a Dark Horse, a rider doesn’t have to win but rather perform above expectations.

The further we dip into the Monster Energy World FIM Championship, the more exciting it gets. With the third round stopping at Anaheim for the second time this year, it proved to be just as exciting as the opener if not more so. The night started off with a celebration for the 40th anniversary of Supercross and expanded into the retro themed kits among the racers.

In the 250 class, the Cole Seely and Jason Anderson show was extended into another episode as this series continued to be all about the two talented riders. Troy Lee Designs/Honda’s Seely got out to a great start, grabbing the Nuclear Cowboyz® Holeshot Award. Meanwhile, the points leader, Rockstar Energy Racing/KTM’s very own Jason Anderson, had a mid-pack start and was going to have to earn this win if he could take one. Things did not work out for Anderson, however, as Cole finally led 20 clean laps and put together a stellar ride for a victory. Anderson put on a great show for the fans, but second was all he could attain. Later on this week, the AMA ruled that Anderson doubled on a caution flag which gave him a deduction of 2 positions and 4 points, thus handing the points lead over to Seely along with that Anaheim II win. This week looks to be another round of crazy racing, as these two are neck-and-neck for the Championship with 6 rounds to go.

Shane Mc Elrath - Photo by Hoppenworld
Shane Mc Elrath – Photo by Hoppenworld

In the 450 class, it definitely was a night to remember. With Ryan Dungey getting the holeshot, it appeared the RedBull/KTM rider would finally nab himself a win in 2014, but this was not the case. Dungey tucked the front end and gave James Stewart the lead a quarter of the way into the race. The Yoshimura Suzuki rider Stewart showed that he was hungry for a win by holding off the likes of Ryan Villopoto and Ken Roczen. Battling through the pack the entire race though was Chad Reed, who spoiled Stewart’s win that we all thought he would grab that night. Reed battled from 6th place right to the front in a convincing fashion, showing that he still has all the talent and desire in him regardless of it being his first victory in over a year.

This week coming into Oakland, we have a very special 250 rookie who definitely should be someone to lookout for. Troy Lee Designs/Honda’s Shane McElrath is a Dark Horse this weekend in Oakland, partly due to his first top 10 finish last week with a 6th place and a strong running the week before in Phoenix before colliding with Cooper Webb. This is McElrath’s first year in the 250 class, after racing the final three outdoor races following his Loretta Lynn’s second places finishes. McElrath is not someone to sleep on, though. As the year goes on, look for Shane to show a wheel upfront with the big boys and have a successful career following this weekend.

In the 450 class, Yoshimura Suzuki’s Matt Moss looks to be a Dark Horse for this weekend in Oakland. Last week, Moss took a win in the first semi but, unfortunately, had some bad luck in the main event. With only a 19th last week after a semi-win, Moss didn’t look too good. But if we look back to the two previous weeks, Moss has a 13th and 9th overall finishes that show he is capable of breaking into a stacked top 10. Looking into Oakland this weekend, it appears with some clean laps and determination, Moss can surely break into the top 10.

Author

Freelance Everything. Author for MotoXaddicts and Motoplayground. Freelance filmmaker. Dip in photography. Editor in Chief of MX Press in Houston. RMXFilms.com