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.
As we travel to our thirteenth round in St. Louis, Missouri plenty of riders have snuck into the top 5 and top 10. This year, we have had a myriad of milestones including first wins, personal records, career wins and more. As our top riders start to consistently end in the same positions, we look for dark horses who can really topple the pyramid of results.
This year has been a pretty good year for dark horses. With choices like Matt Lemoine (who podiumed this past weekend) and Dean Wilson on the 450 (fastest lap time twice), these reports have become slightly more than a guess but an insight on how hard these riders do really work.
Last weekend was a crazy one in Toronto. First off, in the 250 class, we had the previous points leader Adam Cianciarulo pull out of main event a few laps in due to a shoulder injury. Justin Bogle capitalized and won his first main event of his career, putting him just 5 points behind Martin Davalos for the points lead. Mid-week we had reports that the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rookie Cianciarulo is out for 3-4 months because of his shoulder, which leaves the Championship to Justin Bogle and Martin Davalos.
In the 450 class, we saw a glimpse of the old James Stewart aboard his Yoshimura Suzuki. With a lackluster start, Stewart battled his way from 14th to 1st in what looked like an easy one for Bubba. Stewart flew around the track doing rhythm sections that nobody else did with such ease that it appeared that we had taken a time machine back to 2009. For the other riders, it seemed like a rough night. Ryan Villopoto had a 6th place finish while training partner Ken Roczen drifted back to 5th place. Regardless of the finishes, Villopoto still stands 25 points ahead of Red Bull/KTM’s Ryan Dungey.
This week, we have a few Dark Horses that look to really succeed. In the 250 class, we have XPR Extreme Performance’s Jackson Richardson. This year Jackson has been known for a consistent string of finishes from 17th to 15th. Starting off his east coast tour in Dallas, Jackson worked his way up to 17th place. The following week in Atlanta, Jackson didn’t even qualify for the main, but it must have put some fire in his eyes because, since Atlanta, Jackson has qualified for a string of main events placing up to 15th until this past week in Toronto where the privateer placed a strong 11th. This must be a boost of confidence for the Richardson as it looks like he can keep building on this and definitely put himself into the top 10 in one of the few final east coast rounds. Streaks of good results are a benefit to any rider, and it really puts their mindset where they need to be, which is exactly what is happening to Jackson Richardson.
In the 450’s , we have a strong veteran rider who looks to get back to his true potential. RCH Racing/Suzuki’s very own Josh Hill has been riding strong this year. In 4 of the last 6 east coast rounds, Josh has really been riding strong. With three 9th place finishes and an 8th place, Josh seems to have put his program back together and is charging hard to finish out the season. With so much potential early in his career, Josh had the ability to win a 450 supercross in his first season in 2010 and then come back with another win at Anaheim 1 in 2011. Unfortunately, injury struck Josh, and it has been a hill climb ever since. This year appears to be the comeback year, though, for the Oregon native as he continues to show success at every race. This week in St. Louis, Josh could finally put himself in the top 5. With so much confidence these past few rounds and after years of injury giving him the desire to succeed, this weekend seems to be the one where Josh could seize the moment.
This weekend in St. Louis, we visit Edward Jones Dome where we expect yet another round of excitement for fans. With so many riders with so much potential, it appears that yet another weekend of supercross will have a few surprises in store for us.
