Wil Hahn is a good start away from a breakthrough 450SX ride. Photo by: Hoppenworld

The Dark Horse – Round 8 – Atlanta

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.

Our seventh round of the year at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas was the big turn in the series—not only in location but in Championship standings as well. AT&T Stadium, formerly known as Cowboys Stadium, had big shoes to fill when it came to the excitement we saw in previous rounds. The stadium not only filled its shoes, but it filled the stands as well. With 50,000+ fans on hand, it looked to be the biggest attendance in Dallas Supercross history in recent years.

The 250 class in Arlington was filled with fresh faces and plenty of rookies on hand. As we headed east, the entire lineup of riders changed for the 250 class with the year split in half for the smaller bikes. With high expectations for many riders, it was rookie Adam Cianciarulo who lived up to the hype for his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team. The rookie known as ‘AC’ came out with a bang, winning his first heat race and then going on to win the main event. Eight other riders have done this in Supercross history including Ernesto Fonseca, Trey Canard and Ryan Dungey. The Pro Circuit/Monster Energy/Kawasaki team reestablished their dominance in the 250 class this year as all three riders finished on the podium. Cianciarulo won with teammate Blake Baggett close behind, while Martin Davalos charged hard for a solid third place.

Adam Cianciarulo surprised a lot of people with his debut victory in Dallas. Photo by: Hoppenworld
Adam Cianciarulo surprised a lot of people with his debut victory in Dallas. Photo by: Hoppenworld

The 450 class had some heartbreak for the fans in Dallas. With Chad Reed trying to tough out an injury, it appeared he would do his best to get into the night show. Just a few minutes into second timed practice, the Discount Tire Racing rider was attempting to do a hot lap and his shoulder popped out of place. Look for Reed to be back for outdoors and the west coast Pro Circuit rider Dean Wilson to fill in for him for six rounds. Meanwhile, Dallas still had a show to be put on for the premiere class. Red Bull/KTM’s Ryan Dungey came out with the holeshot, and the Yoshimura/Suzuki rider James Stewart was close behind. Stewart quickly got the lead and checked out while Dungey sustained a strong second. The battle for the night, though, was from third to fifth place. Muscle Milk/Honda rider Justin Barcia grabbed third by whipping past Red Bull/KTM rider Ken Roczen with authority, securing for himself a spot on the podium. Ryan Villopoto and Ken Roczen respectively finished fourth and fifth. With the points standing as they are now, the battle for the Championship is looking to come down to the wire in 2014, with Villopoto only 12 points ahead of Ken Roczen and a mere 14 above James Stewart.

Heading into Atlanta, it appears that the Georgia Dome fans will definitely bring some noise for some exciting racing. We are only one round into the Eastern Regional 250SX Championship and less than halfway through our 450SX Championship. This week appears to be the race that will answer a lot of questions. Will Ciancarulo remain on top? Will the 450 points chase tighten up even more? Atlanta has never failed to disappoint in the past and is best known for their loud crowd, so the show this week will hopefully be the loudest we have ever seen.

Kyle finished 8th in Atlanta in 2013, but will look to improve on that Saturday night. Photo by: Hoppenworld
Kyle finished 8th in Atlanta in 2013, but will look to improve on that Saturday night. Photo by: Hoppenworld

The Dark Horse for the 250 class this week is privateer Kyle Peters. After suffering a season-ending injury last season, Peters looks to put his machine inside the top ten and prove to the world he deserves a ride. Finishing in a noble 11th place last week at AT&T stadium, Peters showed that he is on the brink of getting inside the top 10, and it looks like he will only get better throughout the season. Being that last week was his first race back since injury, Peters looks to put down a clean race this weekend and get a solid start that could result in a good finish. Not only could Peters become a consistent top 10 rider, but he could possibly break into the top 5 this year, so look for him to be running in the pack this weekend in Atlanta.

In the 450 class, our Dark Horse for the week looks to be GEICO Honda’s very own Wil Hahn. Wilbur has consistently improved this season, finishing outside the top 10 his first few rounds and improving week by week. In Dallas, Hahn won his semi and moved on to the main event to finish eighth in front of his home crowd. Look for Hahn to take this confidence and carry it into Atlanta where I see him surely moving into the top 6.

Author

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