Steel City Spoiler Race Report
Saturday, September 3, 2011 | 6:40 PM
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PrintAfter a full season of back-and-forth battling for the 250 and 450 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championships, the title picture is suddenly much more clear.
In fact, it's totally clear in the 250 class, as Dean Wilson went 1-1 at the Steel City National to officially clinch the 2011 250 Championship on his Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki. Wilson ended both motos with big leads, making it clear why he's the man this year in this division.
Meanwhile, after 30 minutes of epic battle, Ryan Villopoto's last lap, last turn pass on Ryan Dungey at the end of the first moto at Steel City completely flipped the momentum Within seconds, Villopoto's pass led to a six-point swing in the series' standings, which is difference between Villopoto finishing second to Dungey, but winning the race instead. It also led toa huge shot of adrenaline for the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider. Because when moto two began, Villopoto made a first-lap pass on Dungey and pulled away, and this time Dungey wasn't able to run with him. Dungey then fell a few laps later and dropped to third behind Chad Reed. He got back around Reed, but wasn't able to mount any sort of an attack on Villopoto.
And Villopoto was running a superb race out front, winning the overall via 1-1 scores. Villopoto quickly stated on the podium that this was his "Salt Lake City" race, mentioning how he won the next-to-last round of the Monster Energy Supercross tour to build a small points cushion heading into the final round. He's done that here, carrying a 14-point edge heading into next week's finale at Pala Raceway in California.
Dungey's teammate Brett Metcalfe took third overall with 3-4 scores, as Reed went 5-3.
Wilson's win came after overcoming an early challenge from a pair of GEICO Honda riders. In the first moto, rookie Justin Bogle challenged Wilson early before eventually losing the pace, and his teammate Eli Tomac took over second. In moto two, Tomac started right behind Wilson and actually took over the lead from him for several laps, but then Wilson came back to make the pass and hold on for the win. Tomac and Red Bull KTM's Marvin Musquin rounded out the podium, with Musquin getting good starts in both motos and going 3-3.
Look for more later with the Racer X Race Report including the WMX race report, as well as results, standings and photos.
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Holeshot !.
Go RV! MXoN #1!!!
Weege, you've ruined our sport. Are you happy?
Got what i wanted to see, the two Ryans out front! Congratulations to Villopoto, he was the faster man today! As a Dungey fan, he did not have any thing for Poto today. Hope Dungey can come back and win at Pala next week. Villopoto does not deserve this Championship, as no rider deserves a championship, he will have earned it as a true chamion does if he closes the deal next week. Congrats to Wilson !
what r u talking about rv deserve the championship he is earning it like he did in sx riding smart like rc did back in the day nothing wrong with that besides we all know he can be the fastest guy out there when he needs to i think he could be the next rc bubbas stupid crash or win riding that wont work against this guy being a rc fan i admit i hate it when he was riding championship mode because didint push himself if he knew getting second would get the job done, we all like to see our favorite rider letting it all hang out but we cant deny people remembers championships much more than races rc 15 championships who would forget that, go rv
Its not over until the fat lady sings and she will be at the finish line at the 2nd moto at Pala. Good racing and a great season so far.
czmark - good point. Just ask Pourcel or Canard about how one race can change the outcome of a season.
Villopoto was granted 2 huge gifts by the mechanical issues Dungey had. But make no mistake about it, Dungey had his chance in the outdoors but I think he will always be Villipoto's b%$#h.
OMFreakinG, alezx9, ever think about using a period....in a paragraph?
Yawn.Steel city or Colorado are one of the races that need to be replaced by a national in the Southeast.Both tracks suck equally.
Awesome first moto. As a Dungey fan, it obviously didn't go how I'd have liked, but it is what it is. Villopoto is an amazing rider. Unless there is some major trouble at Pala, he has it this year. Enjoy it RV2 fans, it's well deserved. Us Dungey fans had a great year last year, and the year before and it's your turn to celebrate this year. Both of these guys are truly great riders and will clean house at the Motocross Des Nations.
While I am from the NW and watched Villo coming up, I am really more a Kawi fan than anything.
It is just sweet to have my favorite color winning championships. Even better it is by a guy I watched come up and like as a rider.
I would be happy to have Green win a championship with RD as well. :-)
ROGER DESCOSTER HAS ALREADY PICKED DUNGEY TO RUN THE NUMBER 1 AT MXON BECAUSE HE HAS RAN IT THE LAST TO YEARS AND ONE IT
Nice spelling DA16, the correct spelling is "Last TWO years and WON it. And lay off on the cap locks while you are doing spell check.
Yeah,
picking RD to run the #1 probably cost him the championship this year. Might just give RV that little extra incentive to "Make a point". Hmmm.... :-)
Wow, sum ppl need too learn how to right. seriously.....
Do you see what you've missed James Stewart? Yeah we know. L&M Racing is a "Supercross Only Team!" Better be ready Bubba because these are the REAL pros who'll be cleaning your clock in the SX 2012 Season! While you're out skiing the lakes of Central Florida and playing fake law enforcement and getting charged with felonies,the true boys of summer are out here kicking butt and week after week giving us what it takes to be the CORE of fans favorites. And you JS7? looking forward to the latest & greatest you have up your sleeve to disappointment us should you choose to actually show up at A1!
This board is one gigantic grammatical nightmare. To all that spell incorrectly, you are making your english teachers proud. Between the lack of periods or lack of punctuations,there is hardly any room for making a point...which by the way makes the story you're telling much more enjoyable.
Lol, I love when people run their mouths about Stewart. He is ridiculous on a motorcycle, yet people give him grief incessantly. Those people are, of course, the ones that have never ridden a motorcycle "for real" and have no idea what it is like to compete at any sort of level.
This, like the SX title, is rightfully Dungey's. He's finished off of the podium 2 times, and those two times are due to mechanical failure. He was also the only one of the "big guys" to have a mechanical DNF in SX or he would have won that too. Villo said last weekend that he didn't want to win the championship because of a mech. failure but it seems as though he is going to anyway. It's a shame, because everyone preaches "consistency is key", when Dungey is consistently the fastest, yet his luck has horrible luck. Just enough bad luck to cost him 2 championships in a row.
@MX117......I couldn't have said it any better. Congrats to RV for his convincing victory at Steel City. However, there is one race left. As CR500AF wrote earlier..... "good point. Just ask Pourcel or Canard about how one race can change the outcome of a season".
This has been a fantastic season. Thank you RV2, RD1, and CR22, with TC41 and JB17 adding some fireworks a couple of times. Congrats to Metty for his first overall since coming to the USA.
The Dunge will be back next year, and, he will elevate KTM to the winners circle. RD and RD will again be a formidable team.
MXdN will be a barn burner as the French, Germans, Aussies, Brits are going to field good teams. Don't underestimate the "frogs" on their home turf........
Hmmmmmm......any one handicapping the Monster Cup???!!!!!!!!!
I agree with 450 second moto...............Its amazing to me how over the years they have turned a proper outdoor track into a supercross track. No need for all those timing jumps on an outdoor track, especially this one.
I freaking love motocross. That said, the average American reads and writes at a 3rd grade reading level, thank you for proving that motocross community. "It also led toa huge shot..." HukT oN FoniCs WurKt 4 M3!!!
What the hell are you talking about@ Greg, What does JS have to do with any of this , What makes you think he wont be ready or fast , 2nd most wins last year in supercross, yeah i am sure hes real slow by now , probably doesnt even ride anymore.. You must be a child
@gregjerk .... Yeah What the Hell are you babling about , if not a child, possibly just stupid
im tired of everyone bringing up dungey's "problems" during this year. They are more mental problems for him then physical problems lol everything gets to his head. poto is the fastest rider and the most physically and mentally fit. he doesnt let anything get to his head like rd or js7 he won the supercross title at las vegas and on the podium he said "its time to train for outdoors." lol REAL CHAMPIONS CAN WORK THROUGH THEIR PROBLEMS AND STILL COME OUT AS A CHAMPION. yes i understand dungey WAS a champion last year...ok but who did he race half of chad reed, no rv, no js7, big whoop andrew short (i am a fan of him im just saying hes a top 10 rider not a champion.) Face it poto has this championship!
@ bill "the queer." and,... i think you'll always be an idiot for making such a retarded comment on dungey. btw, make no mistake about it, villo got lucky dungey had a few mechanicals, otherwise, it'd be a different story. rd5 will be champ several times again, you can count on it, you douche bag!
These are the good ol' days...450 moto1 was epic. The Ryans ran laps in the 2:20's all moto, except a 2:30:01 by RV2 on lap 8. No one else broke the 2:30 barrier. RV2 laid down the fast lap of the moto (2:26:571) in lap 12 of 15!
RV2 showed a front wheel to RD1 on the last corner for 4 or 5 laps. This conviced RD1 to over protect the inside on the last lap. RV2 waited until the last lap, last corner to bltz the outside line.
RD1 and RV2 are both in a different dimension from the rest of the pack. The deNations is going to be great! I think de Coster is going to have time of it to keep the Ryans from racing each other.
Moto on!
@Open Class - That's kind of how I feel about Dungey. Except for the watching him come up part; I live in Massachusetts. I've ridden Suzuki since 2001, so it's nice to see someone win on your color bike. I mostly like him for his qualities as a racer, but for a top guy to win on your favorite brand is the cherry on top. I'll still cheer for him when he comes by on a KTM. It's been good to be a Suzuki rider since Carmichael came on board. With the loss of DeCoster and now Dungey, it could be a while before a yellow bike is winning again.
@ Golfyoda - Yeah, I know it's not over until it's over, but it's unlikely to go Dungey's way. Kawasaki has been flawless mechanically this year, and I can't see Villopoto making any huge mistakes. You never know, though. It was still a great year of racing, either way.
villi crash at red bud and dungeys southwick cancel each other as far as points go....dungey straight out lost 25 pts because of a mechanical in texas if u gave him the 25 pts was out front at that point bike ran out of gas..add it to dungeys points who would be trailing going to pala?????? so all u villipoto fans that are saying villipoto is the fastest and smartest he has had better luck no dnf s this year than dungey this year..
not knocking villipoto even though i don t like him..i give him credit.he has capitilized on advantage he was given which dungey or reed would have done too..but also give dungey some credit for digging his way back into it and giving us a exciting series to watch this summer...
It is not either or with RD and RV folks.
Because I, or others, like one rider over the other does not automatically imply a dislike of the "other" guy.
I like both, TC, and a few others because they are at their harts true motocross racers. They respect the sport and each other, and work very hard for what they get. These are good kids/ young men and a credit to the sport I feel is the best in the world.
So while Green is my favorite color, and yes RV my favorite rider (watched him come up in the NW), I do in fact still like "the Dunge". He is an amazing rider and his cornering form is likely the best there is.
Perhaps some of you can NOT pick a favorite rider, though I do not know how that works.
Also, please quit playing the "what if" game. It is a rat hole and meaningless.
For every one what if, anyone could come back with counter what if.
Go RV! bring it home.
Imagine a world where RV and RD are on the same team. Holy cow!!! would that be something.
Oh, wait a minute.....:-)
Open Class, I can't say I really have a favorite rider out there, although I saw myself rooting for RD this year, and that was basically for one reason, all the idiots saying that he never earned last years titles, becasue the top riders were not there. RV was there in SX, until me made a mistake on his own. He had the most dominant big bike class season ever, and a lot of morons never gave him credit.
And I think people are playing the "what if game" on here for one reason, becasue some people on here are so biased, and the fact that they call RD a woman, he can't ride, is only a top 10 rider, etc. They are just reminding these people that only becasue of mechanical DNF's (which only RD has had) that RV will win these championships this year, than what does that make RV? Should RV have the ** next to his season stating that RV only had enough points to win the title due to others mechanical DNF's? And the funny part is, and you know its the truth, is that if the tables were turned and RV was the one down in points because of mechanical issues, they would be the ones crying foul. Even rooting for RD I would still be saying RD got lucky if RV was the one having the mechanical issues this year.
RV was the faster guy yesterday, and seems like this year he has capitalized a little better than RD during cruch time, when the pressure was on and really needed. Even though RD has had a few heartbreaks this year with mechanicals, which have basically cost him championships, there were times he had the chance to shift the momentum later in the year and he didn't do it, just like here at Steel City. RV had the better of him today, as that last corner mental mistake by RD really cost him. Both riders are going to deserve this well earned title, its been a great year for racing and us fans.
Yes Open Class I too dont like playing the what if "game" There are to many of those in racing. I dont really ever have favorite riders exepct I will root for some people for some reasons such as tey are from TX or Brayton from Iowa and like to see the last names of some of the people racing and wonder if it is the kids or grandkids of people I raced with.
As CZMark said it ain't over yet anythng can happen because it has happened to me and just about everyone. I do have a deep seated thing about Kowie's ilt just goes back to my raccing roots. I never bought a Kaw, never raced one did have to ride some that I worked on.
I think the 2011 racing year has been one for the books! Now that the closest kept rumor is out about KTM and Dungy the silly season should get into full swing.
Goimg to check the other posts and see what is up there!
Take care alll
I am a Dungey fan but... U have to think RV was struggling with bike set up in the first 3/4 of the year. Had he been on the 2012 all year I don't think it would b as close. That said it's been a great year to watch and all we can hope for is a little more drama at the last round. On Stewart I think these guys are def. closing the gap in raw speed. But I believe his bike is holding him back a bit as well.
Skipping outdoors def cost u speed come indoor time
Am I the only one that noticed what a piece of crap the track was.One lined baked out roached out crappy conditions.I have been there as a pro wrench for several top 10 riders and I have never seen such poor conditions at this track.Shame on you promoters for a serious lack of giving a crap about professional race conditions.This is why other tracks have lost nationals.You should be next!!!
I'm a big fan of Ryan Villopoto's, he's an amazing rider and he won the supercross title and will likely win the outdoor title fair and square. But the reality is, had it not been for mechanical D.N.F's, Dungey would have probably retained both of those championships.
how about barcia or canard for champions next year =)?
Well said motocynic.
Should move Steel City to Monster Mountain in Alabama.
Nobody in the world goes as fast as James in SX. He will be the champion in 2012. And when he gets off the Yamaha and is riding anything else he will dominate in 2013. And who cares if someone misspells a word or misses a period.
James who? I remember this years SX champ. I even remember the champ from last year. Don't remember either of them being named James though. Oh wait! There was the guy who won it a bunch of times. No, his name was Ricky.
Yeah, sorry.....I am guess I'm just not familiar with this James guy. Does not sound like he has done much in his career, or anything recently.
As you said, 2012 is a new season.
Ryan "dummy" got passed on the last turn because he was too busy trying to block vollos line instead of getin on the gas!
Ryan Dungy is NOT a dummy, he is a first class top shelf racer. He is a classy guy that makes MX and SX better for all us fans and tries his best just about every time out there. He is twenty times better and more of a man than some PUNK that calls him "dummy".
I am a RV fan and have been pulling for him since his first pro debut and was very glad he won steel city.
On the last lap RD had been chased and stalked for 30 minutes of blazing and grueling adrenilin pumping racing and had probably put in his best race to date. He overjumped the big table top and then cased the big step up, both would have put 80sguy down easy. Recovered well in the upper sweeper keeping a snarling RV behind him, but showing he was finally cracking. He took RV's inside line for the fourth time in a row before the finish. RV simply switched and carried more speed into the outside, (he was clearly ready this time) setting himself up for the final inside before the finish. If I had rode as well as RD I would be proud. These guys are now in RC turf as far as speed and stamina and I am benifitting as I was there and saw every foot of it and I am still carrying a buzz from it !!
These guys were 1 minute and 22 seconds ahead of the next racer of the best in the world, and are going to represent the USA in 11 days at MXoN.
and some little punk calls one of them "dummy"- wish you were a MX fan, you would grow up and and enjoy the best racing in the world and respect what these guys do
that was a great ride by both Ryans. Mege props to whom ever wins the title. Either one deserves it. I'm still bummed for CR22. He was my pick. He really showed some speed early on. Bring on Supercross!!!!!! (after the MXoN)!!!!
the what if game is based on facts dungey straight up lost 25 pts...i feel it had a impact on the title chase all i m saying....if villipoto lost 25 pts in th outdoors and dungey didn t i would say the same thing...i m not being biased...in sx both dungey and villipoto lost 25 pts villpoto wanted it more and won the title..but with all that said title chase not over going into pala but if villpoto has a dnf in one of the motos do u think that will have a impact on the title chase???...but i think villipoto will ride smart and take home the title...both riders are equal each have tracks they are faster on i ll give it to villi at steel city was faster than dungey