Going For The W
Tuesday, January 25, 2011 | 9:55 AM
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The fans finally got what they wanted to see in Monster Energy Supercross. A battle. Saturday night’s Los Angeles race was simply as good as it gets, with James Stewart, Ryan Dungey, Trey Canard and Ryan Villopoto scrapping for the lead. There were 41,000 people screaming from the stands, and many, many thousands more watching, yelling and screaming at their TV sets at home.
But when Villopoto won, he prevented 19 other riders from enjoying the battle. James Stewart, for example, wasn’t one bit excited about the race, because he finished second after leading a whole bunch of laps. You don’t get great battles like this one without a healthy, motivated pack brimming with confidence. No matter how fast the rest of the pack was going, he believes this race was his.
After the race, I caught up with Stewart to get his take on the battle. Was it as fun for him as it was for the fans that were watching?
“It was a loss,” he said, clearly bummed over the outcome. “So it wasn’t the funnest race I’ve been in. But we got to battle. Hey, it’s my third race back, and a third a first and a second, at the beginning of the year if you had told me I would get that, I would have taken it. But when you’re out front leading the race, it’s just very, very tough to take a loss like that. I’m just going to go back and do my program. I know I have it. I know I’m okay. But I think I’m just a little hot headed right now because I gave one away again.”
Stewart held an early lead over Villopoto, but a mistake would cost the number seven.
Photo: Simon Cudby
Yes, Stewart did crash while leading, washing the front end out on his San Manuel Red Bull Yamaha and handing the lead to Villopoto. But things weren’t exactly going to plan before that happened. Stewart got into the lead on the third lap, but by lap 10 the pack was still on his wheel. Normally, once Stewart gets the lead, he simply takes off. But this time, just like Phoenix last week, he couldn’t shake everyone.
“I made a mistake in the whoops one lap, and I really slowed my pace down,” he explained. “And I don’t know which line was slower, the outside or the inside, with the triple leading to the finish, and Villopoto ran it in on me. That was actually the best thing that could have happened, it actually got me going. I started pulling that gap out a little bit, but then I just lost the front end. Those guys took off and I had to regroup and catch them. I got back to second, and man, I was going to give it one last big effort to try to catch Villopoto. I was catching him, but then I made one big mistake in the whoops and almost lost the front end again. So I was like, I am going to have to take what I got tonight.”
Stewart would salvage second in LA. But he wasn't happy about it.
Photo: Simon Cudby
For most, salvaging second after a crash, against a field that’s riding this well, would be victory in itself. But Stewart isn’t interested in moral victories. He wants the actual W. And he believes he was going to get it on this night. He ended our chat with complete conviction when I asked him if he would have won if he had not gone down.
"I would have won," he said.
“I would have won the race. It’s just that I was not riding that good at the beginning. He [Villopoto] rode good, and Ryan and Trey were on it. I think anyone would be as mad as I am right now. When you’re out front and you give one away, or let it go…I’m not going to sit here and lie: I should have won that race.”
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"a little hot headed because he gave one away again" ? he hasn't fell in a main this season besides this one, or is he talking about his whole career how he always falls?
I don't know about everyone else but this new website SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RV2 was midpack on lap one and by lap ten he was hounding james. What makes him say " I would have won that race?
Woulda, shoulda, coulda, it doesn't matter. What matters is that YOU LOST!
This website does suck, nothing fits, ads overlap everything, you have to hit compatibility view every time you click on a link, you can't (at least me) share from this site to facebook, it really does suck, fix it or go back to the old one because I don't enjoy coming to this website as much as I used to.
It's good to see that attitude. It has become very commonplace to have riders say "I feel good about my finish" instead of "I didn't win." The whole point of racing is winning. As the old saying go's, second is the first loser.
The only reason he had the little bit of time on Villopoto before he lost the front end was because Dungey ran it in on Villopoto in the first turn and basically made him stop while Dungey almost laid it down (which by the way made me laugh my ass off). Villopoto would have caught him again and made the pass stick. The man came from 9th after the first lap to making a pass on Stewart, after Stewart had clear track for several laps. You are not gonna stop Villopoto if he wants that win.
Im not one for complaining, but it seems as though the new website is all about advertising advertising and advertising. It is so in your face. Its painful for the eyes and a fair amount of work to spot, amidst all the colourful banners, what it is you want to read. Its a total information overload. Motocross fan website meets Ikea catalog. As for James....only one thing annoys me about his I shoulda won comments...People that are surprised he makes comments like that. Personally I do not think its a smart move cause you only PO your competition. As skilled and accomplished as this field is...not a good idea. On the flip side to that coin Ive always wondered where and when the journalists are getting these comments. If its just after they have gotten off their bikes....actually forget that...most riders find a way of composing themselves.
Did you see where james was after the 1st gorner 6th or 7th RV2 was not in 9th place after lap 1!! Lap 3 he was 3 seconds behind the the leader Dungey Ryan made good moves and was cutting thru the field, Would james have won?? I dont know Fact is he didn't but his attitude and his will that he wants to win that bad is what a champion has to have. RV got around a few people that crashed while they were ahead of him but thats's racin! If you watch the broadcast RD 5 had RV passed but bobbled, this is a great season but to say it is better than RC JS CR in thier prime?? I don't think so
rodney I agree, I laughed when RD said he was happy about 3rd... WTF!! you should be pissed RD You had the lead and got 3rd. JS seems to have grown up a lot IMO. RV is ON IT!!! Man what a season so far.
I loved RD's somewhat desperation attempt to stuff RV. Was he trying to pull a Hansen and take him off the track or what???....Dungey made more mistakes than anyone if you watch the race...Pressure??? Well, maybe Trey made more mistakes....but RD was a close second.....I think Stewart is simply upset with himself and is stating he blew it and should have won in his eyes.... They are interviewed right after the race when they are frustrated most....RV or Dungey would say the same thing if that happened to them......
JS & KDUB are my favorite riders. James isn't gonna beat RV2 EVERY race & RV2 isn't gonna beat JS EVERY race. My opinion, if JS woulda stayed up, one of them woulda went down anyways later on, they are that even speed wise, and that competitive. Have to agree with the woulda, coulda, shoulda analogy. Or my H.S. History teacher's quote. "If a bullfrog had wings he wouldn't bump his little azz hopping around the pond".
@ sorethroat of course he wants to win every race you Inbred Jackass thats why they race!! This sport dosen't need u Clown! You can get back to your klan rally now.
The web site does not work properly. I now just go to TWMX or MXA. This site is to busy
James has raced big bikes for many years and really has nothing left to prove. RV has yet to win the big bike class, it's good racing, good competition and anyone of us on here wishes we could smell either of their exhaust fumes on the track so leave the trash talk off of here and just agree with the fact that we will all be entertained for the next 14 races! Poto will win some, JS7 will win some and they both will have a bad race and someone else will win a few! It's called racing! Jeremy McGrath won many titles on years where he won less than 10 races! It's not always the fastest guy that wins the title!!
SoreLoser needs to check what year it is. "Blackie" is not a suitable term. Someone needs to moderate these comments. Trace that guys IP and show him the permaban stick.
Come on RacerX, curb the racism please.
Site is way too cluttered for sure, but the photo galleries are soooo much better.
shoulda, woulda, coulda.
IF my aunt had nuts, she would be my uncle.
stewart did fall, villopoto did have the fastest lap and caught him from 9th.
Seriously this is 2011, Racism is dead moron. James has already secured his spot in the AMA hall of fame whether you like it or not
YES, who ever they hired to change the format of this site should be fired ! There is too much going on in the background, the articles are hard to read, and the content does not flow. ! ! !
I watched the race again last night and Villopoto got hung up with Dungey the lap before James fell. James might have thought he was gapping those guys but the tape tells the true story, RV would have caught him again in a lap or two. Watching James checkout and win by 30 seconds has never been fun so now that we know RV can match his pace, it makes the season that much better.
I think the attitude James shows is the way anyone of the racers should hve/show. I have not yet saw the race, dont have TV waiting on a friend to bring the vid over. I also think what Reed did was great! I study the lap times and lap charts every Sunday after the races, if you can read into it what is really there you can almost see the race going on in your mind. I like THE SIGHN OF THE LAP TIMES article also. As we sometimes find out the fastest lap deos not always show the fastest person out there. I sometimes wonder why it is such a big deal to win practice other than bragging rights. Lest just keep this great racing going for the whole season and no more injuries.
Hey Stewart, I would have won too, had I entered that race !!! What crap from this kid nothing but excuses come from his mouth, The fact is you got hunted down from a 12th place start by RV and the only thing that " would of " happened was that RV was going to pass you for the win !!! get over yourself and give respect were its deserved
Watch it again folks. James either had arm pump, or tucked the front end on purpose so he'd have an excuse for the loss. Was way too far into the berm to still be breaking that hard. Also see the look of defeat in his eyes at the end. No "moral victories" here. He got caught and beat! He knows it, we all know it!
I agree, this new website sucks horribly and pains me to look at. I use to be on here every 10 minutes, now its once a day. I totally prefer TWMX.com now.
Sorry racerX but change isn't always better.
!2th place start to a win (go RV). What an idiot. The "smart" thing to do would be to finish third! Right stewie?
the guy is a sore loser period! atleast when carmichael got beat hed admit he wasnt the best guy that night, but of course he wasnt happy about it either. that guy cant admit defeat and never could, hes PATHETIC
pure BS VP was catching stewie and when #7 started to gain VP picked it up and won it staight up he would have passed bubba in the end
You could really tell this race got to JS7 by his post race comment. He said:" you can't win on the ground, but it won't happen again"???? What he's never going to crash ever again? He was really flustered! He is so used to dominating whenever he wanted. The class of riders have really turned up the heat!! "The man formerlly known as the fastest man on the planet". I think he really motivated the others to step it up with his arrogance. I'm glad he did the racing has been GREAT!!!!
Wow, a real bummer for Stewart. I have to agree with his comment tho. If I was him I would have said the same thing. "I should have won" Everyone here can bash and say he made excuses but who in their right mind say anything else after a race like that. Yes RC did say the enemy was better sometimes, but from what I just read James just said that his competition was riding great as well. From my point of view, no matter how good you are, if you are leading a race then it is yours to lose. You control it ALL when you are up front. He got beat and that is a fact. But I would have said the same thing he said.
Supercross has become a sport of survival... I really dont think you are going to see anyone win by 15 seconds anymore. The top guys are going to do what is needed to b done to get on the podium. The #1 thing is to be in it for the whole season.
I wonder what these message boards would look like during the late 70's - 90's. What would people be saying about the things that Bob Hannah did/said. He would have taken you out to win a race and made no apologies. I would love to see what would written the day after Rick Johnson went to the Kawasaki pits to challenge Ron Lechien to fight, or when Damon Bradshaw launched his bike at Jeff Matiasevich. I hope there is some REAL controversy soon so that everyone can get fired up about something that matters.
This comment from Stewart reminds me of when he won the outdoor title, you know the one where there was " no competition there " where he said if Carmichael was there he would have beat him..LOL Carmichael gave you every chance to prove it and he kicked your ass every time...... Now he retires and you would have beat him with no problem if he was there ....ahahahahahaha what a joke
Man, I know we are all entitled to our own opinions but ALL of these dudes deserve respect! RV rode great, Dungey could have done better, Trey impressed the shit out of me and James truly does have the heart of a champion! If any of you have ever seen him ride you could tell he is holding back but that shouldn't take anything away from RV! Good thing is there are still 15 rounds to go to see who the best man is. But watch out for Canard to sneak in a win here real soon.
That is one of the problems with free speech - sometimes you have to hear or read something offensive, racist, narrow minded, and just plain mean. Everyone has a voice and vote, even if they are not operating with a full deck. All I can say is holly comments this season! The interest is tremendous and the manufacturers/distributors have to be very pleased with all of it.
dude...if i said "i should've won that race" for all the times i felt that, i'd be on tv battling with you guys...lol. stop cryin' james, and make it happen....you made a mistake, just like villopoto did last week. who cares about who should've won. you didn't win this time. it happens to all of us.
i really don't care who wins the championship this year. i like everyone (in the top 10). i'm just really happy to see multiple guys up front, pushing for the win. this season has to be one of the best ones in years, if it keeps going like this! i like the unpredictability and the really close racing. it shows alot about not only how hard the riders are pushing, but how well the teams are operating too! it's pretty bad ass to have that many teams on top of $hit.
Some of you people are amazing!! You rip the guy for stating that he is NOT happy with second. What the hell do you want him to say??? Guys like JS and RV and RD and CR are ALL out there to win.....thats it.....they are not riding hoping they get a second or a third....will they take a second or a third over something worse?? Absolutely!! And don't say the guy doesn't give anyone credit either.....he clearly said that RV, RD,and TC rode great, go to Transworld and listen. When a top guy loses a race he is NOT obligated to suddenly hang on the nuts of the guy who beat him....regardless of who it is. This is great racing and we are lucky to have guys like Stewart and Villopoto who are clearly not happy when they don't win and they feel like they should have!!! Back off these guys and enjoy the racing!!
People get over the advertisement bicker! Advertisement is what keeps the money flowing in sports, and without it, these riders are only making the money that your local tracks give out, which is not worth risking it all to entertain you. Dungey my not be the fastest guy on the track, but those who ride over their heads for the win, a lot of times find themselves on the ground, and sooner or latter hurt, and unable to finish out the season. As for the race. Ryan won! was running the fastest lap, and if you want to play the would have card, Ryan would have past James, he was riding fast consistant laps the whole race, and made no mistakes when it counted! As for the "Idiots" talking the racist crap, get a life, and get out of the stone age! These are very talented kids that do not deserve those type of comments. If you are worried about the color of someones skin, you my as well not come out of your house, for we are a nation of color surrounding you!
"i would have won" ...get real. He makes it sounds like he gave a away a certain win. Villopoto caught him because he was faster not becasue Stwart made a mistake. The only reason Stewart made a little gap on RV is because Dungey tried a pass that slowed them both down. Stewart is so bummed simply because he go flat out beat by a faster guy on the track and he could do nothing about it. He didnt give it away ...Ryan took it ...crash or no crash, RV has put the fear in Stewart :) it's on!
RV owned JS that race. I don't know how JS can think he had that one in the bag.
to yzf125 if you remember in 2006 james only lost to ricky by 2 points and beat him straight up on several occasions, there is ALWAYS someone faster. Ricky could not run James supercross pace the year he retired, just like james could not run Ricky's outdoor pace. people just love to start runnin their mouths instead of just saying it's great racing this year. Oh wait a minute funny how none of you are calling RD the next GOAT this year. I'm a Stewart fan no matter how good or bad he does, I guess some people just look for the next ban wagon to jump on!!
I also like what appears at this point to be a mutual respect between RV and JS. They dont talk crap about each other (yet) and they both acknowledge when they mess up and lose because of it. It's a nice change to have the rivalry be between two RACERS and not so much between two PEOPLE. I dont know, this constant bashing of any of these guys week in and week out gets really old. Seriously, I've been there and done that in the past and i can tell you it is much more enjoyable to just sit back and enjoy watching some super talented dudes go at it on the track every week!! Some of you should try to do that!!
agreed, everyone shut up and let em race, neither of them's payin our salaries!!
..."hang on the nuts of the guy who beat him" this cracked me up for some reason. Yes, the comments are greater this season.
Those of you complaining about the site, try ANYTHING BUT Internet Explorer and it seems to run much smoother. I use chrome and it works fantastic. As for the article, nice writing Weeg, Stweart has the heart of a champion, a leader just like Villopoto. That's what makes this racing so exciting. Both guys would rather pile-drive themselves into the ground than lose. That creates nothing but win for us fans. :)
Man I am so pleased to see intelligence on here! Those guys are all bad dudes and they put it all out there week in and week out and don't deserve the crap some of you talk about them. But the funny thing is they really could care less, just thank the heavens it is not a one man show anymore and none of us really know what is going to happen! May the best man win...
Don't expect a racer to say "yeah, I got beat". That's not in their mentality, if it were, you'd have a lot less compet*tive spirit.They all want to win & how they mentally set up for that is their business, not mine. It does sound like malarkey to me when I watched the same thing everybody else did. RV had everyone's #. We don't hear about the "psyc jobs" that we used to from the 70's/80's but you'd better believe they still play them mind games.
Looking forward to Bubba's face when he is standing on the podium after he is beaten by RV straight up... Don't think I'll have to wait long.
anyway you slice it the racing was great period! battles and mayhem in both classes. i'm still not sure Dodger Stadium is better than Anaheim but at least it is closer to town (west-side) well worth the ticket price.....you expect the front runners to be there but Canard just got added to the list top 3 he will be the spoiler in races to come....
"So I was like, 'I am going to have to take what I got tonight'" = Maturity = A new, dangerous James Stewart.
ah yea, the white pointy hats sure do come out when theres a chance to bag on #7.
glad to see soreloser comment removed.
see stace, all it takes is a couple mountain bikers to keep the motoheads in line...lol
the moto forums and comments are like 10 years behind the other sports forums.
Im glad to see more activity here, maybe its time the cheapos in the moto scene stopped selling ads and invested in a proper forum.
10-4 cory, 10-4.
your right mx and sx are behind alot of sports right now, in alot of different ways,but, sx is leading the charge to catch up.
Regarding the new site I dig it. Looks cool. It works fine using Firefox. And as for advertising TWMX has just as much only not the dual side-bar ads on their home page (but they exist once you delve in). Hey, these guys gotta pay the bills to give you free web site access so quit your whining already. Gees. Or would you rather pay $ ? Lighten up.
i thoughti was the olny one who hates the new website it blows ! but the racing has been good
Fight, fight, fight Yamadog!! Its crazy how things have changed for 2011...... Where's the twotwo in this article?¿¿¿
"I would have won." Keep telling yourself that stewart. We ALL saw Rv2 catchin you and he came from WAY back. and you can tell yourself that when Rv2 is holding that #1 plate in 14 rounds. "I would have won" hahahaha what a joke
dam sounds like no one really knows what place rv started! what was it 12th or 9th or maybe 14th or 16th on or after the first lap? all you rv lovers are just js haters because you guys werent around last year it was all about rd this rd that. js has yet to ride at full speed and personally im still waiting on the series to truely get exciting when they move east!!
RV Rounded turn one in 12th, finished first lap in 9th. feel free to watch the race again if your not sure, its worth watching someone come back from that far to catch stewart.
Just Got To Agree With Everyone That This WEBSITE SUCKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
as i studied the turn that JS washed out....he was sitting at the rear than at the front...JS will win this one...
RV did finish lap 1 in 9th place, he was around 12th after the first turn. http://results.amasupercross.com/data/2011/03/sxm1lap.pdf
Uh, I forgot to vote. I was contacted I guess as a beta tester 4 this new website. I said it sucked then, and I'm saying it again lmao. Seriously, story layout is larger, kinda easier to access, but when I click on a story I get the one below it because of slow loading, slow server? Just need to tweek the fancy fading stuff out....open site, see options & click desired, that simple. Not chase your story, etc. You know I made tracks dedicated to Bubba in MCM2 online racing (SX5FE_Madman), and got called a n- lover. I'm a 49 y/o white country boy, found out through time some of my TRUE, REAL friends that stick with ya in tough times are black. Worlds gettin too small 4 that crap. But you cant help stupid. Oh well. Had a old black farmer & his wife near a farm where I grew up, he got cancer and was worried about his tobacco crop. Me and like 8 neighboring farmers showed up on a Sat morning, cut his burley, housed it next day. One of best highs I ever had seeing him cry with his thanks and prayers for housing his burley. Another thing I've learned is Karma is real. Better get rid of that hate man, trust me.
Guys you could say what you want but stewart was catching RV towards the end and I do beleive JS would have won. Now that he is pissed I cant wait for this wkds race. ITS SHOWTIME, Its on now
Everyone that is bagging on JS because of his comment must not be to competitive in real life. If you tell yourself week in and week out that your happy just to settle with second or third then thats all your going to get. If you tell yourself that your going to get the win then it is going to happen. That is why motocross is mental more than physical. A lot of the pro's can run for the length of the main, its the ones who want it most that are going to finish in the top spots. Yea RV was running really well but truth is he might not have won if JS didn't hit the ground!
I would not be a fan of a guy who is happy with a second unless he just had a horrible race and was able to salvage a 2nd place. Do you remember what RC's face looked like when Windham finally beat him outdoors, he was pissed. that is the way it should be. Do I think Stewie would have won the race had he not went down?? NO, RV made up that mush time on him because he was faster, and he would have passed him eventually. Just my opinion, but I dont want to hear a guy be "happy" with 2nd, unless something happened out of his control and he salvaged points.
Obviously the website is catching a bunch of negative feedback but I could not disagree more! The home page is such a breathe of fresh air and much more streamline and easier to navigate and look around without being overwhelmed. Advertisements are part of it and I think you all have done a good job tastefully implementing them in the site.
Pre-Redesign I enjoyed the layout of TWMX.com better but now I definitely love this one much more. Photo galleries are great!
Wish you could like someone's comment or reply to someone's post to keep the threads together.
As a designer I know its impossible to please everyone but I definitely think yall are taking steps in the right direction.. Keep up the great work!
As for all you haters.. I imagine you have PCs and viewing this from Internet Explore and in that case your entire web experience is awful! Do yourself a favor and go out and buy a Mac and download Chrome :)
New format SUX.This used to be my home page so I was on every day.Now I look once,twice a week.I keep hoping it will be revised as there are many problems.VERY Dissapointed with RX
I think the consensus is pretty unamimous that one the new website format sux and two, Villapodium would have passed Stewart eventually and the only gap that Stewart was getting was caused by Dungey trying to weld his frame to Villapoto. Im a not a fan of either of the two, just great racing! Hope it continues this weekend. Very sorry to hear of what happened to Nathan Woods in the WORCS series, RIP.