by Davey Coombs
450 Words: L.A.
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PrintYou already know who won the race, but there is so much more to it than that. The 450 Words column focuses on another story, from a different angle, because in racing, there's always more to the story than just one man standing on top of the podium.
The Los Angeles Supercross went great for Honda. The Los Angeles Supercross was also terrible for Honda. On a night when red riders swept both main events—first Eli Tomc on the GEICO Honda in the Lites race, followed by a very impressive effort by TwoTwo Motorsports/Bel-Ray Honda's Chad Reed in the premier class—the brand also endured the horrific crash of Trey Canard that brought the race to a halt. The crash followed a DNQ for Justin Brayton, Canard's teammate on the in-house Muscle Milk Honda factory team, as well as a bad night for Lites SX title hopeful Cole Seely. Now we await word on the damage done to Canard's already beat-up body, and wonder just how unlucky and fragile this charismatic competitor can be.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Trey Canard (left) and Ryan Morais.
Photo: Simon Cudby
It's been a tough ride for Honda going back to the 2004 AMA Supercross season. That's when their defending champion, Ricky Carmichael, not only missed the entire series with a knee injury, he also signed with Suzuki after failing to come to terms with Team Honda. Carmichael had two more SX titles in his tank, but he won them on yellow bikes, not red.
There have been flashes of brilliance, including race wins here and there for Davi Millsaps and Trey Canard, as well as a few by satellite-team rider Kevin Windham, but the factory team has struggled to make a title run. Riders like Andrew Short and Josh Grant have come and gone, and then there was the star-crossed Ben Townley, who barely got to race his factory bikes due to a terrible rash of injuries. Now, with Canard likely out again, they are left with Justin Brayton, a workhorse for sure, just not a winner so far.
Meanwhile, the red bikes have shined under other tents, especially in the Lites class, where GEICO rider Justin Barcia will wear the #1 plate in the upcoming East Region, and the aforementioned TLD Cole Seely has otherwise been very impressive.
Chad Reed got his first win of 2012 in L.A.
Photo: Simon Cudby
And then there's Chad Reed, the man many thought would end up on Team Honda last year, only to see the company sign Josh Grant at a discount instead. Reed liked the bike so much that he chose it for his own team, and then he earned more and more factory parts and support with more and more podiums and wins. By practically privateering it, Reed turned around a lot of indifferent opinions about him. He's the most popular rider on the tour right now.
Did Ricky Carmichael leave the Red Riders cursed? Who knows? But we do know this: It just hasn't been the same under the Honda tent since RC parked his CR. Erik Kehoe and his team are certainly working hard, but they just can't get a break right now—at least not the kind they actually want.
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Good write DC, keep the micro-stories coming!
,Not sure how brayton keeps getting factory rides. Hes a good rider, but I have never thought he was a top guy or even a threat to podium.
I know luck has a tiny portion to do with the results, maybe one percent (or something like that) But man has Factory Honda really gone down hill. A Factory Honda rider not making the main???? Wow Honda!!!!! Who is making these calls? At this rate, another ten years, Ktm is going to be the big desired place to be, and honda is going to be the once "big red". If they would stop being so freaking cheap, they could take back what is theirs. They sure are lucky to atleast have Mr Reed atleast riding one of their motorcycles.
Sure would of been nice to watch the race, thanks CBS for showing basketball in it's place here in NC. How is MX going to get good ratings and exposure if the broadcasters that are contracted don't even show the race??? Let Speed have ALL the races, supercross and the nationals.
I to became Chad Reed fan last year. Not because he rides a Honda but because of who he is. Bummer for Trey, such a good kid, but no luck.
Oh, and go Dungey!! Other than 2nd moto Southwich and Freestone its been close to year since he finished off the podium. Pretty dam good ! Nobody else can say that.
I to became Chad Reed fan last year. Not because he rides a Honda but because of who he is. Bummer for Trey, such a good kid, but no luck.
Oh, and go Dungey!! Other than 2nd moto Southwich and Freestone its been close to year since he finished off the podium. Pretty dam good ! Nobody else can say that.
I need to clarify on Brayton. This may be his first big factory ride, not rides. I think he was with jgr last year. Anyway, i see him as a poor man's andrew short. The legendary honda team should be like the yankees, with the top guys all the time and dominating. Sad news. Good thing reed liked the honda.
Davey, good article, too the point, shirt, and informative ! These are the articles worth reading.
Davey, good article, too the point, ( short ) and informative ! These are the articles worth reading.
CBS he,he,he one big joke....no interveiw with R.D or STEWART......Bring back speed channel.............................
CBS get out of motorcycles and stick to womens sports.
Completely agree. CBS Coverage BLEW.
Honda has found out long ago ( 1997 ) they don`t need a marque rider to sell bikes .
CBS in my area didn't even show the race. Two paid programing shows. Davey can you check into this for us Boise Fans. I feel robbed
You have to sign the elite rider. In the last 2 years (with Reed and Dungey up for grabs) Yamaha and Suzuki failed miserably. Yamaha: Pourcel, Stewart...really? Suzuki: Let The Man go. Let RD5 go. Sign Mike Allessi...really? Honda made some bad choices also and had some bad luck. I think KTM/Decoster realized there were 2(maybe 3 with CR22) riders who could put them on the podium and get them a championship soon and they went out and got their guy. Hats off to them.
James Bobble Stewart keeping the streak alive, crashing when he's got it in the bag.
A few comments. Tough luck for Canard and Morais - best wishes to both of you! Also, good to see Reed and Tomac on the top step. Last, cool that each of the manufacturers had a bike in the top five.
Just some constructive thoughts! Could whoever organized last weeks Phoenix SX camera work be hired for the rest of the season? Anaheim was a bust and we only got to watch around 1/4 of the race on tv and same with LA. The set up, the overhead cameras and camera co-ordination made Phoenix an actual race from start to finish. This would really be great if it could happen. BTW, not interviewing RD and JS after the LA race was such a huge disrespect not only for the riders but the manufactures as well. Please CBS, show some common decency with our sport. Look at the stadiums, they are always packed!!!
@ZDazzle, got what in the bag? He finished exactly where he would have had he kept it on two wheels. Also, little suggestion RacerX, when the 250's haven't aired yet, don't put the damn spoilers in 450 Words, some of us like to see it and act like it's live. I know it's not smart to even come here with that as a goal, but I had to check on Canard's condition, really hoping for the best for him.
Honda racing has definately gone down hill since they screwed over RC. Its what they get. They did the same to Mcgrath. I thought Brayton would be a better rider for them also, he didnt even make the main. How dos a factory rider do this?? I know RV had it happen once last year, but he was also contending for the title. which he won..
cbs sucks worse than brett whats his name - half of the first heat because of a football coach - highlights (thirty sconds) of heat two - a commercial break during the main event - more speed please - davey - this cbs shit (or nbc for the outdoors) just does not cut - it is not even live - what the hell is the point - if it is about money than feld sucks too
And where are all the ass wipes that said Reed was fat and out of shape? Yoo Hoo show your faces.
sorry for the spelling - i am pissed off about this shit
@coolhand - yeah I said that Reed looked out of shape. Maybe he was just retaining water :)
Interesting article DC. I was just wondering before I read this, is it feasible that Suzuki will win either a Lites or SX main this year? I like Metty, he works hard and is solid but I don't see him on the top of the box in SX. Alessi is less likely. In the Lites, Davalos has speed but horrible consistency and while Jason Anderson has improved he seems a cut below Tomac, Wilson, Seeley, Musquin, and Rattray in speed. In the Lites East, they have Wharton coming back from big time surgery, and Hunter Hewitt. Wharton has a win in Lites, he might be the best bet to get Suzuki a win this year but that seems like a bit of a longshot.
I could say the same about Yamaha but I still think JS7 will get it figured out.
I don't think we've seen the last of big names missing the race. Already this year we've had Tickle, Stroupe, Wey, Alberston, Grant, and now Brayton miss the main. I can see them going back to semis in the future as there are just too many fast guys out there now and only 20 spots. Brayton has a 4th at A1 to go with his DNQ so.....
Sounds like it was a good race that I missed because CBS decided to fill their pockets with 2 paid advertisements. WHAT A JOKE CBS IS!!! I knew they would screw it up when I saw the schedule before the season even started. Let Speed bring us the coverage.
I know that JS7's pass on Weimer could have been worse but it was still pretty ugly! If I was Weimer I would have waited for him to come back around and ghost rode my bike into his face! Stewart has a total lack of respect for other riders and their safety. If every fan of the sport realizes this and wants something done about it then why doesn't the AMA acknowledge it? They seem to keep turning a blind eye to his recklessness!
I watched the Weimer/Stewart incident a couple of times slo-mo. The camera angles were not great but it looked a little bit like Weimer checked up when he saw JS coming in hot and in doing so lost his balance which might have contributed to his crash. His right (outside) foot came off the peg before JS made any contact. Not saying the pass was not aggressive, but I think there was more to it that a take out. Bummer for Weimer, he has been going so well and would have been top 5 otherwise.
Amazed by RV's passing speed and aggression. Wow.
pizzacorner, don't be a moron. What makes Chad Reed annoying is crap like the red plate drama he tried to create at Freestone, and him and Stewart acting like 12 year old girls fighting over a date to the middle school dance in '09 SX. The fact that he can beat those faster than him just shows how smart of a racer he is, and how good he is at putting himself in proper position. Hate a guy for his off track garbage or dirty racing moves, not for the things he does right. Not that I hate Reed, I'm not a big fan, but I respect him as a long time top contender which is an amazing accomplishment in such a rough and dangerous sport.
pizzacorner.......Reed being consistent and healthy and only pulling the trigger sometimes is what had kept him in the hunt in just about every title he's ever contested. He was given nothing last night, with RV out of the picture Reed had everyone elses' numbers last night. People are often quick to slag Brayton but he is one of the most consistent quiet guys out there always in the top 5, he most definitely deserves the ride he got. The guy has won outdoors before in the 450 class and is a solid top 5 bet almost every weekend which is huge in this field. The past two weeks have been very uncharacteristic of his career as a whole.
Reed looked great, and wasnt handed anything, he ran down Stewart and passed him and beat him plain and simple straight up.. I love how the TARDS all say he is fant and out of shape and wont ever win, then he wins the next race. Love it, But the big-mouths wont have enough sack to admit they are the ones who said it.
Hay there Joe Gibbs how's that Nascar suspension working out for your overpaid wannabe??? I'm almost as sick and tired of reading about the stupid Nascar resources the team has as I am reading about ATV propaganda in my motorcycle mags. Enough already,lets compare apples to apples=leave the freaking oranges where they belong,in the flippin orange cart with the other booger eatin' oranges!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
anyone think that they only interviewed the winner due to some angst amongst the others over the Canard, Morais crash?
You know, the Canard & 'Mo crash should have been live.... CBS sucks.
Dungey is the only 450 guy to be on the box at all 3 rounds so far.
As long as I have been following MX/SX I have never seen anybody get booed and is as hated as Stewart. And he earns every bit of it. The list is very long with the people he has taken out. Reed, RC. Jeremy, Ivan, Kevin, Travis Preston, Jake, ect, ect, ect. This guy is a dick.
Honda dropping the ball. Maybe on a single rider standpoint. But they have a massive spread. Last weekend in lites I think it was something like 13/20 riders rode honda.
@MeanGreen: you can't be serious right? were you calling for Chad Reeds head last year against james? or better yet how about all the time RV has taken 800 to the ground since turning pro...calling for AMA to roll heads then?
nope, ur just a hater...go away, it is called a block pass, do they have those where you race?
RV is the beast and he is hungry. Stewart looks more like just a top 5 guy with each passing race and put him and RV out front running one and two and RV will hand him his hiney. And outdoors this summer, forget about it. Stewart was driving that Porsche the last few months while RV was driving himself to greatness and there ain't no catching up now.
the way i see it is all week Weimer was being talked up because he podiumed. On the pulpmx show he was saying he can compete with the top 5 , which he probably can, but if I'm stewart, I'm comin up on 21 and what better way to shake this kid's confidence than put him in his place and show him he's with the big boys now. I wasn't happy with the move cuz I'm on the Weimer bandwagon but hopefully he can bounce back and get some revenge on stewart. And isn't that the nice thing about SX/MX supposed to be once the gate drops anything goes? No B.S. BCS championship voting, no fines going out left and right, no umpires to blow games... the list goes on
Red44, I believe your comments are directed at me. I can take the heat. I said Reed would be lucky to win this year. Read it again Correct me if I am wrong but a restart when RV and RD are out front is Lucky.
Reed did what he always does.To this point, he has not shown any speed that leads you to believe he is going to win a race or especially come from behind to win a race, when everybody else gets a reasonable start and stays on two wheels.
I have never taken away from the guys skill and savy. I just find him boring except when he is racing Stewar tor telling the truth on the podium. The stars line up for him frequently because of his talent, his smarts and the fact that he rarely crashes.He is now 30 and his best days are behind him. Plain and simple.
If he RV, RD and JS all start up front and don't crash, he will have little chance of winning. If TC had stayed healthy I would have included him. Your Aussie crushs odds just got better without Trey!
I'll be waiting for your brilliant response if and when he wins again, which will likely be the next time they ride a dried out dust bowl like Vegas or 2012 LA and a couple of the top guys fall down!
Red54m - Reed had the fastest lap until the last lap. He was consistently in the 54's until RD fell off the pace and CR had a 4 second lead. He straight up passed JS. RD doesn't seem to able to pass him (at least last year). Would he had won if there wasn't a red flag? Not likely, but some nights the winners are the luckiest.
There's a whole lot of stupid in this thread...
Wishing the best for Trey and Ryan.
I was there and feel i learned some things
1. RV is the fastest man on the planet maybe faster then James was.
2. Canard has horrrrrible luck. P199 all over agin so much speed and bike talent and just wading up all the time.
3. Stewart is just off, off in practice, off the pegs through the whoops (consistantly)
4. 22 maybe number 1 this year, you gotta respect his ability to be in position. Let us not discount the fact he is just coming off an injury.
5. 2012 could be the GSOAT trumping the mighty 2011 season.
Will Stewie take the main event next week? If he stays up!
And if so, it will make four winners in four weeks.
Hopefully the races will stay competitive all season and the title will be decided at the final race.
This could be the most entertaining series that the fans have seen in years ...
Guess some people on this thread never watched the LA race? Reed passed James, pulled on Dungey and did some amazingly blitz passes in tight corners. If I remember well, he just came off a broken thumb injury and had little time on his bike before the season. Nobody's safe until the last race, that is my bet and CR, RV, JS and RD will probably be right in it until the last race. I'm guessing James is a little shell shocked at the moment, but he has talent and will get better again.
Pizzacorner.................waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa !
"I'm guessing James is a little shell shocked at the moment" You think? :) I've said it for the last several years and will say it again. Jame's title winning days are over. But he's entertaining to watch. And MC's record is safe.
Dear AMA and Feld,
Please fix the Tuff Block covers so they don't come off. Not hard. Put a strap on them like a saddle on a horse. In this manner the bike might grab the cover, but that block would stay with it forcing the rider/track crew to get the thing out properly. Riding around with the cover wadded up in your rear wheel/brake is unsafe. LONG term: find a way to eliminate covers getting caught in the bike altogether. Technology went from hay bails to Tuff Blocks, surely technology can solve this problem.
rcmx I will agree the covers have been more unsafe than the haybales. Great idea for the sponsers and the look of the track but the sponsers should come up with the fix and FELD and the AMA should require the the blocks to actually add safety and not cause danger. I HATE the injuries in this sport. I keep thinking something will be done ever since Grants win in 09, there have been dozens of close calls since then and now two guys are in the hospital and could have been killed.
CR has I believe the most sx wins of active racers ,tied with the fastest crasher on the planet. The pass CR put on Weimer was incredible. The pass stewi put on jw was the same as what Cr did to Stewi last year,only diff is stewi didnt change his line to avoid the contact and JW did,which put him into the tuff block. Reed is so good,he passed [under control] stewi & gapped im easily & quickly. CR has the most podiums than ANY racer. He looked past his prime the first half of the natnls..lol.. He still wound up with a bunch of moto & overall wins.... Dungey,Poto and Reed are a step above all the other racers and time keeps proving just that. Takes an extreme amount of talent to beat every racer on the gate. At the end he`s going to be in contention AGAIN ..
how about you all
stop using the word tard , or stewtard , or any other tard , its wrong to some folk
Pretty good race, weird track.......Feel bad for Trey and Morais.....JS7 barely made contact with Weimer (if he even did at all) and it wasnt a blantant "take out" move by anymeans......... But folks want James head and people actually boo the guy for making a pretty clean pass....that is hilarious....If Reed made that same move people would cheer for him....I didnt see any of those guys put in "clean" laps..CR, RV, James and the Dunge all seemed to be fighting that track all night. Coming up short, bouncing all around on hard pack clay with a loose top soil that had not been watered(since they thought it was going to be a mudder) except the run off areas from the tarps....Traction was giving guys fits all day....Good to see 3 different winners and JS7 finally get on the podium.... My boy RV almost threw it all away on that restart over the same triple the Trey and Morais crashed on.....
I HATE YOU CBS!!!! THIS HALF AND HALF SH*T IS RUINING THE SPORT FOR THE FANS THAT ARENT FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO GO TO THE RACES IN PERSON! you want to promote the sport.....CAN CBS! ON ANOTHER NOTE, PRAYERS OUT TO CANARD AND GOOD JOB DUNGEY!!!!
mrready2race at least you got to watch it on tv. At least that how it sounds.
Massachusetts got pre game report for the Patriots. I had to watch it on YouTube
this morning.
Red44, I also will admit that I said Reed is fat. I didn't say he would never win again though, and I don't recall anyone saying he was done. He is fat, though. There aren't many riders on the track that have camera angles or gear colors that make them look so. He isn't FAT, like JoJo Keller fat, but he is carrying more than his fighting weight. I think you took people saying he is fat to mean they thought he is done. I actually think he is the 2nd best rider on the track at this point and should win a few when the conditions are right. Find it interesting that he was complaining that they covered the track though to prevent a mudder. Wonder if he thinks differently now after winning?
Motobk, you must not have been following SX/MX for that long. There was a point where even the late great RC was booed a ton. Chad Reed booed a ton. Now Stewie. Also, Reed did not have the fastest laps the entire race. It was different through out the race. You had Vill and Stewie mixin it up. Reed was managing the gap..
I've not been impressed with this stadium the last couple of years. It was probably just the camera angles but it looked like an overhead view of one of those tiny kiddy coasters... waaay to short.
Stewart needs to stick to making tv shows, for whatever reason he's alot more successful at that.
Amazing ride for #1 on that short track. he couldve easily settled into 7th or 8th.
Thanks DC, well written story!
@half316-- You nedd to tell me WHEN DID RV TAKE DOWN ALESSI?? I have NEVER seen that. Dont try and shift the conversation another way. RV is not a rider who takes guys out. Just ask K-Dub..
I think SX is trying to attract outside sponsers by airing on CBS, but the time slot makes it pointless. And yes, CBS is the worst coverage in the history of anything.
I am happy that just making the main event is tough this year. It keeps the races interesting.
I hope Weimer PUNTS Bubba off the track next time he gets the chance.
Bubba was watching Weimer blocking Reed and he didn't want anything to do with that so he got it over with quick. Weimer was going backwards after 3 laps.
I wouldn't say JW was going "backwards", we're not talking about Mike Alessi here. He got passed by Chad Reed who was hauling and JW was on pace. It could have been a non-contact pass but he was probably worried about getting challenged if he didn't drop him. JS had the inside line on him so there was no other reason to put him on the ground. I don't care either way that's what happens in racing but that wasn't in James' best interest. JW is a strong starter and is going to see him lots this year at the front by the looks of it. I am going to go on a limb and say Weimer gets a win this year, why not lol.
I love MXA for no other reason than they are not afraid to call like they see it.
"Reed took the lead from Weimer (who was then block passed into a crash by Bubba) and..."
See the difference here:
"Reed took the lead", AND Bubba block passed JW into a crash.
Pretty much sums it up in a sentence.