Matt Goerke is this week’s 450SX Dark Horse. Photo 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.
Entering the fifth round of the season, we make our third and final stop at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA. All four rounds this season have proven to be wild ones, with three different winners in the 450SX class and an array of excitement among three riders in the 250SX class.
This past round at Oakland, the 450SX class was known as the Villopoto show. Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto, grabbed an early lead in the main event and never looked back. Meanwhile, James Stewart showed his talent by battling through the pack for a strong second place while Chad Reed finished out the podium. Going into week five, Villopoto, the three-time champ, has the points lead and has a long road to earn that fourth title.
Oakland’s main event for the 250SX class was yet another barnburner. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Dean Wilson finally looked back to his old self and led 14 laps into the main event. Yet again Rockstar Energy Racing/KTM’s Jason Anderson swooped in on the last lap to grab his third win of the season by capitalizing on some bike problems Wilson had. The story of the week was definitely the rookie Justin Hill, though. The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider rode out front with the best of the best in Oakland and kept himself on the podium, showing nothing but raw speed and talent.
This will be our final stop at Anaheim this year, and there is no doubt it will continue to live up to its potential. With cool weather and a great night of racing ahead of us, this may be the most exciting race yet this season. There are so many questions to be answered in both classes such as the possibility of Yoshimura/Suzuki’s James Stewart winning and the odds of KTM/Rockstar Energy Racing’s Jason Anderson pulling off another spectacular, last-minute victory, but leave it up to the dark horses this week to really be someone to watch.
In the 250SX class this, week we have privateer Topher Ingalls. Topher Ingalls is known as a small privateer in Monster Energy Supercross, but in Canada at the outdoor nationals, Ingalls is a front-runner for the championship. Last summer in the CMRC Nationals, Ingalls respectfully finished 3rd overall on the season even with three DNF’s. Topher has had flashes of speed all of the 2013 season, with a career-best finish of 8th place at Salt Lake City Supercross in Utah last April. This past weekend at Oakland, Topher finished 15th, which is not even close to the young racer’s potential. Look for Topher to mix it up with the top 20 yet again this weekend and battle his way to top ten or better. With his 8th place last year and even a 12th place, Ingalls shows he definitely is a dark horse with plenty of speed.
In the 450SX class, we have BTO Sports/KTM/WPS’ very own Matt Goerke. Matt is no stranger to success, though. Having racked up dozens of amateur titles and recently a 2012 Canadian Motocross Championship, Goerke knows what it takes to run up front. This season is all about bringing back what he brought to the table in 2013, as Goerke had a consistent string of top tens and even ran in the top ten in points. Unfortunately, that all ended last season with a wrist injury he suffered, which leads him to regaining that speed and confidence this season. Last week, Goerke finished 16th, but it definitely is not up to his full potential. This year, Goerke has had some bad luck with a broken finger on his clutch hand and with some crashes. If the BTO Sports rider pulls it all together, look for another string of top ten finishes.
