Words by: Nolan MacDonald – 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.
Seventeen long nights of Supercross are gone, and we are back for the outdoor motocross nationals. Heading into the second round of the motocross nationals with nothing but sunny afternoons and great racing ahead of us, Hangtown should be a prime location this weekend.
After witnessing the first round of outdoors and the stomping that Star Racing/Yamalube/Yamaha’s Jeremy Martin put on everyone, it appears that the young rider has gotten his mojo back and this may be a summer where everyone will be chasing blue. The opening round didn’t stop with the 250 class, though; in our stacked 450 class, it was a battle to the last lap for the overall between Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey and Ken Roczen. Not only did Dungey steal an overall that put the crowd in awe, but we also witnessed a first moto win by JGR/Yamaha’s Josh Grant. Josh didn’t have a great second moto, but Glen Helen did not disappoint.
For the 250 class, there was so much talent out at Glen Helen. Somewhere back behind Jeremy Martin in the middle of the pack was BUD Racing/Kawasaki’s Valentin Teillet. I chose Teillet for Supercross before and he didn’t live up to my expectations, but being a GP rider in the past, outdoors is Valentin’s specialty. With 12-16 moto finishes for 13th overall, Valentin showed he needs a few awesome starts to get himself inside the top 10. Don’t count out Valentin to be a top 10 performer in the points this year because his GP experience for long rough motos can surely pay off. With some of the cooler weather we expect to see this summer and no humidity in California, I expect this weekend to be one of his better motos, especially since GP racing is generally in colder, muggier weather. Look for a top 10 overall for Valentin at Hangtown.
For the 450 class, one rider in particular will be the man I will watch all summer. Privateer Honda rider Tommy Weeck, riding for Weeck Racing, is back and, hopefully, this time to stay. With a 14-22 for an 18th overall at Glen Helen, Tommy surely has more in him than he showed, especially as we head to Washougal where he he finished 6th in a moto 3 years ago on the 250. I chose Tommy this week at Hangtown because it’s close to the Pacific Northwest, and Tommy now has a solid round under his belt. Weeck has fire in his gut and he’s ready to throw down for a top 15 at Hangtown.
This week surely will prove to be one to watch. This author will be at the races all day long Saturday and can’t wait to see if anyone can topple Dungey or match Martin’s speed. But that won’t be the most important thing on my mind, as my eyes will be following mid-pack all day watching the Dark Horses perform like I expect them to.
