450 Words: Toronto SX

With no points being awarded to the Lites class and none of the big-name factory Lites riders in attendance, most of the focus in Toronto was on the AMA Supercross class. The series is waning, and Round 12 had the potential to be a major factor in the championship. The Toronto event also served as the lone “world event” in the 2008 Monster Energy AMA Supercross series, an FIM World Championship. But the big story in Canada was the grueling track conditions, which have been one of the most consistent hurdles the riders have faced all year. The season opener saw rain, then San Francisco was a bona fide mudder, and of course we all remember Daytona. Third-place finisher Davi Millsaps described the struggle with the tracks well in his post-race interview on Supercross Live! when he said, “I thought supercross meant racing on nice, dry, hard tracks, not indoor mud races.”

San Manuel Yamaha's Chad Reed holeshot and led all 20 laps en route to another important win.

While Toronto wasn’t exactly a mud race, the frozen soil thawed all night long and destroyed what had begun as a work of art. The mud wasn’t the only thing destroying the track, as San Manuel Yamaha’s Chad Reed pulled an all-important holeshot and led every lap of the main event. After taking the checkered flag in his checkered-flag riding gear, “Two-Two” was elated and did some pretty cool celebratory burnouts for the crowd. Sadly, the smoky burnout was about the most exciting thing the large crowd had to cheer for all night.

The key to success in Toronto was the holeshot. After the race, Reed said, “When you watch the video, you’ll see I was really going for that one.” After Reed grabbed the holeshot, it looked like there was going to be a battle between himself and his surging teammate, Josh Hill, who was fresh off his huge win in Minneapolis. Unfortunately, he would go down on lap three, giving Reed a huge lead.

The AMA Supercross class podium.

Kevin Windham had started in the top ten  and made some quick moves to get into second. He was also making some time on Chad, who was clearly riding conservatively. Just when it looked like Kevin was closing in, he went down in the exact same corner Hill did, handing the runner-up position to Davi Millsaps. Again, just when it appeared that Reed may come under fire, Davi went down and Chad was gone. Kevin and Davi then battled hard for second place, with Kevin getting the nod and keeping his title hopes alive. He now trails Chad by 20 points as the series heads to Dallas.