by Andy Bowyer
One Industries Rev Up: San Diego
Thursday, February 9, 2012 | 10:50 AM
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PrintHello, everyone, and welcome to the Rev Up. We close our eyes and another week flies by. It’s already time to do it again, folks. This Saturday night’s dust up in Southern California will conclude the opening segment of the 2012 Monster Energy Supercross season, and what a start it has been. As you peruse the championship points, there are some things that may raise an eye brow while others appear to be fairly expected. Ryan Villopoto is leading with Chad Reed, Ryan Dungey and James Stewart closely in tow. As morbidly expected, we’ve lost some of our beloved to injuries. Respect. That said, the manner which said points came to fruit has been spectacular. Each of the big four has grabbed a “W” but only the defending champion has garnered a pair. When the checkers flew at A1, the forecast looked a lot like San Diego weather. As we’ve seen, this storm is variable. Like a tornado, she can change her ferocity and direction at any moment and with every drop of the gate.
The charge lands us in beautiful San Diego this time around. Hosting Marine stronghold Miramar, and the “32nd street Naval Station” she harbors most of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The eighth largest city in these United States is also synonymous with exotic animals such as the San Diego Zoo, Sea World...the San Diego Chargers (Jurassic Park quote), but I digress. Be that as it may, this Saturday night will witness the madness coming to town. The sound and the fury of our passion. We’re almost up to full song, my friends.
Villopoto leads the charge into San Diego.
Photo: Garth Milan
Moving forward in bench racing speak, RV Park remains the heat. Reedy, Bubba, and Dungey have shown they can get it done, but baring a few fluke starts and one off night, the rider carrying the red number plate to the line this weekend wears the bull’s eye on his back. A burden he more than is primed to carry. Why? Because of his corner speed. Ryan’s corners are better than the rest and by that nomenclature his alpha male status remains steadfast. The Thunder and Stew have shown the capacity to carry the mail, but they both have to step up their basic cornering fundamentals if they want to win again. Ryan is such a rampaging beast on the track, but he is going so terrifyingly fast that he “OJ’s’” to the face of berms and jump faces and this isn’t good for his long-time bum wrist. I personally thought that is what bit him around the halfway point in Oakland. Plus, if you watch any highlight clip of RV you can clearly see he frequents the edge. Much like Ricky Carmichael. Which, actually worked out pretty good. Ahem. Watch the number-one’s helmet through the corners. It is centered and his form is 100 percent moving forward with extreme prejudice. Speed defined.
What does Reed need to work on? Nothing. He’s sitting in a comfy championship seat and can rely on his experience to soldier on. Chad’s solace is the one chink in RV’s armour -- which is Ryan’s occasional poor starts and overwhelming aggressiveness. Chad is the most prolific podium finisher in all of supercross history. When he’s ready to unfurl the heavy artillery, he can. But, it’s still too early to type in the access codes. Ho, ho. He is in a position to win by attrition and consistency and he can do just that. What I love about Chad is he is a true racer’s racer. Not the fastest practice, or heat race badass, but when it is time to put it on the money, “Two-Two” is ready to answer the bell. I'd like to see him get mean this time around the block. Go get some, son.
Then we have the James Stewart question. While Jedi esque, he looks like he is going to bail at any moment to me. His front end isn’t positive, and he doesn’t look “in the track” a lot of times. They found something at Oakland, which I think was simply softer dirt, but as mentioned he is beat up now. But, he’s gnarly. Very, very gnarly. Stewart remains an anomaly. He could be ready to burn their ass, or just robot to a top four. When the bikes are pointed straight and are navigating a timing section, nobody is better than #7. Like I said, the man's corners were great in Oakland, and he looked even better at A2 before he stacked it up hard. He has to stop doing that. Period. Now he’s banged up and probably didn’t ride very much this week.
Dungey is looking to gain ground on RV and Reed in San Diego.
Photo: Garth Milan
At the tail of this group is Dungey, who hasn’t gotten off the line in the last two weekends. There is a lot of uncertainty and parody with the four-horsemen, but one constant is the start. None of them has come through the pack to win yet. I think Dungey could do a lot with a holeshot and get his name back in the fight where it belongs. He needs to make a statement before the east coast swing takes place and I think he can do just that. Ryan goes faster with confidence and he need to put his balls on the gas tank and get there. He’s done it before but needs to become born again hard. Now.
The rest of the boys, well, I think Andrew Short and Justin Brayton have the juice to get in there, but they have to get a holeshot and dig deeper. There have been some rumblings from Kevin Windham, and the song remains the same for him. Get your ass off the gate and run, son. Run hard.
Meanwhile the tiddler division has caught me with a deft upper-cut. I truly thought Dean Wilson and Tyla Rattray were going to roll over this crew. I saw Dean reel in Barcia at Atlanta last year then watched him go nuts in the outdoors. I thought he was primed to dominate. Well, he isn’t. Instead, the rider that posturized the field at Hangtown 2010 has placed his kung fu grip around the 2012 West Coast title belt. That man being Eli Tomac. The kid is straight crushing it and doesn’t look to be offering any quarter. Last time to dance for these boys for a while. Great weekend to make an impression. Nothing between you and the starting gate, but 15 laps and glory. Capture it.
Stewart (far) sits fourth in points behind Villopoto, Reed (near) and Dungey.
Photo: Garth Milan
Here we go again. This is what it’s all about. Time to roll up the sleeves before the East Coast swing and get into the meat of this debacle. Who do you love this time around? I’m going with James Stewart. May be a far off call, but only when you put a beast in a corner do you really see his teeth. He’ll need teeth, talons and more to beat Villopoto. He has them. So do Reed, Dungey, and...you get it.
Let’s roll. This time we’re back on the attack, LIVE ON SPEED. Let’s get it the hell up in here, boys! Who’s ready to see the show again!? Who has the juice!? This one has the smell of something weird, so let’s crack the knuckles and get ready to watch the crew do work.
Thanks for reading, see you next week.
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JS tweeted that he rode on Tuesday, before the rain came. He said he was sore, but will be ok by the weekend.. We'll see....
Another Great Rev-Up Andy! Who was your creative writing teach? Ya what could be caled insane would be the same four win a round each again. RV has his and who is gonna be next? I think we have to wait till it geos east to see a spolier win by Windham and I do think Brayton just might have it in him Both will have to pull the start off though. It is another great Supercross season! Who cares aboutu the stick and ball stuff, I quit that stuff in high school when the coaches said I had to choose between the two. Ya know what I did.
LETS RACE!!!!!!!!!!!
If RV1 stays off his face, he'll probably win it. If not then JS7 and CR22 will be battling it out for the win. Another great rev-up! Keep it up!
All RV needs is good starts, top 5 and he will be fine, JS top 5 starts and stay off the ground and he will be fine, Reed needs top 2 starts and do his thing, RD needs to holeshot cuz he aint passin RV or JS even if he is faster but when he holeshots he can win.
i've been talkin about RV's corner speed for weeks now. (go back through the posts I dare you!)
Glad someone else agrees that is what really wins races.
The Fundamentals.
Good read Boyer. That sums up the season and the main protagonists nicely.
Andy great write-up I like all of the articles you guys write. BUT , why is everyone putting RD at the tail ??? RD is only two points off CR and 5 points of RV and 8 points ahead of JS. He is closer to 1st than 4th by his consistancy. The wild card is JS and we all know he can beat all of these guys if he can stay up, but he goes down almost 70% of his races. But people are still bringing RD up at the tail of the fast 4. I predict he comes out 2nd , or 3rd at the worst this year. What do you think ??
GO RV !!! but huge respect to the rest !!
I am just happy to get back live coverage. Lots of racing left and anything is possible. The drama has not ended. If past seasons are an indication, there are going to be lots of stuff happening nobody expects or predicts.
Andy, "Then we have the James Stewart question. While Jedi esque", now I was thinking more along the lines of a Furturestic Space Age Lawn Dart by Whamo! You will notice that James rides bent forward, with his head down, in the crash position, as in a 747 going down. You are right Chad needs nothing, just hang out and enjoy the fun. As for RV, just make sure the Energizers are fully charged, place the the switch to the on position, set him on the track, and let him go! lol!
I see you survived the storm last weekend!
Bring it on!!! LIVE on SPEED.... love it!! ---- Instead of waiting for twitter updates, which is kind of cool, watching it live (or sort of, usually 10- 20 minutes behind) is second best to being at the race in person obviously...
I would like to see JS7 get another win in San Diego and tighten up the points even more....those first 2 rounds really sucked ....RV will be right there this week too, so it will either be RV or JS7 on top....the other will be second and I think Reed and Dunge will battle for 3rd spot.....unless of coarse RV crashes...or James crashes or Reed or Dungey crash..so basically none of know what will happen...but cant wait to watch!!!!
@davidl because RD lacks the agresion RV and JS have. When RD holeshots he is VERY good but when he gets a bad start he is not as great. RV can and has run down and passed RD but RD has yet to pass RV for a win in the last two years. Thats way he gets put in 4th. he may end up better in the points at the end but unless he picks it up it will be because of crashes or bad starts from the others.
"RV Park" ..man that bugs me everytime I see it....He deserves a cooler name than that!!
Bill C - Regarding RD, I just say this to the guys that dont understand why he is put at the back of top 4 ....Watch the JS7 GoPro.!!!...James wasted zero time passing Bratyon and Dungey.....Dungey followed Brayton for 10 laps before Brayton finally goofed and Dungey squeaked by.
Great write up Bowyer! The season is shaping up to be a barn-burner! I think RD5 sneaks a win out this weekend. I don't know why, but i think he is due another. Reed/Stewart rekindle the rivalry this weekend. God, I'm sounding like a "Lifetime Movie" here!!!LOL!!
Great write up Bowyer! The season is shaping up to be a barn-burner! I think RD5 sneaks a win out this weekend. I don't know why, but i think he is due another. Reed/Stewart rekindle the rivalry this weekend. God, I'm sounding like a "Lifetime Movie" here!!!LOL!!
oops! didn't mean to double click. My bad.
Yep, I have to agree that RD is 4th in the front 4. I love the kid I think he's talented and a great PR guy, but he does seem a tick or two off the pace and seems a little passive to me? I think most everybody here is on the same page for once which is refreshing! RV or JS unless not RV or JS... good times...
I remember RD passing RV at Millville last year but that's not supercross...
@billyc. chad does not need top 2 starts think back to LA he was in 6th or 7th and passed rd and js. but if you think about it you are also right that he needs those starts because its not very often he passes either one of them :P. RD needs to get mean stop being the nice guy and GO!!! he will not win the championship if he waits till the 11th lap to make the pass for 4th or 3rd or 2nd because the leader will be gone. GO RV1 enough said
It's not good to be known all season as the #4 guy. Dungey has speed and talent, like alot of you other guys out there, you have to wonder, is the guy waiting for a open invitation to make that pass.
I agree KilloMoto, RV Park sounds more like an insult! Besides it is getting old.
Great Rev up. I really get revved up when all the haters start telling us James is done, RD is outta it........ Come on guys, these athletes are mere seconds away from each other. The races are so highly strung events and you idiots in fan land cant accept the shear brutality and precision these riders require. Never in the sports season have we had so much talent at the top. The previous years (looking back at Bar to Bar we see domination by RC and Bubba (damm boring to watch) Now we get four top contenders racing really hard and Short, Alessi, Windham trying to crack into the top ranks. Please look at the sport for what it is and stop being so one eyed when you leave comments. These riders are simply iron men on bikes and deserve respect. Word to ya mother.......
@Blade, I Agree man. These are great times and I don't disrespect any to the riders, they would hand us all our heads in a basket. It's just cool to get on here & talk about it with other fans. I guess when one gets in a chat room with other fans that, for the most part seem to be more than just casual observers a certain amount of editorial is to be expected. That's the fun of it! Besides its not like I can talk SX/MX with my girlfriend?? She all, "I like the blue ones, the red's cute too.....
I think I see a clear pattern developing- Villopoto. Dungey. Reed. Stewart.....Villopoto. DUNGEY. Reed. Stewart.....Villopoto, etc. etc. etc. etc.
I love guys like @Blade that start by calling everyone else on here "idiots" and that we don't understand what we are talking about. Yet we are supposed to listen to what he has to say. Do I haqve to love all the riders equally? Am I "hater" if I don't? Does cheering for one more than another hurt their feelings? If I can't beat every one of them straight up am I not allowed to have an opinion?
Blade, you are a dumbass. How you like it?
I find it interesting that the big four are positioned exactly where they finished the season last year, the biggest points gap was between 3rd and 4th. Then in mx RV and RD were closer with CR trailing little futher back. I still say RD will get more aggresive
@Vet243- "Besides its not like I can talk SX/MX with my girlfriend?? She all, "I like the blue ones, the red's cute too....." funny but so true!
KilloMoto:
Ryan "The Machine" Villopoto
As czmark wrote "place the switch to the on position, set him on a track and let him go". Nothing bothers him nothing gets in his head, just turn, accelerate, jump, repeat.
Ryan "The Machine" Villopoto
Thats right Killomoto, Same as last year, How many times did RD sit behind Reed for 18 laps and NEVER make the pass?? Just like always, The kid is so good but could be so much better if he could just go for it a bit more.
Exactly mxchampion!! Thats the Dif in CR/RD and RV/JS... Some weeks there real fast but EVERY week RV and JS are fast.
I thought for sure after A! that Dungey was going to be more aggresive. but it just hasnt happened. He gets done what he needs to to stay in the hunt, but its like he wont take that extra step to get thaat one more position. He doesnt have that go for the kill attitude that ther other 3 have.. and it may hurt him for the title. He will finish the season in the top 4, maybe top 3 like last year, but he wont win a title without alot of help or start being aggresive.
@bd200 i thought also after A1 and pheonix that dungey had aggressiveness but after los angeles i was like "nope' if ryan has any hope of winning a title he MUST find the ryan dungey that won the title in 2010. if he would get his starts down he could do better. ive watched races over and over again and i saw that RD only holeshoted 2 times in the last 2 years he got it at vegas 2010 and and pheonix 2012 this stuff were hes 4-7th aint gonna cut it cuz odds are the other 3 our 1,2 and 3
Parody.........
Lolololololololololol!!!
If you put 4 riders on a track week after week, a pattern is going to develop that tells us who is fastest and who is 4th fastest. Even if it is MC, RC, RJ, and Hannah all in their prime and on the same machine. Somebody has to be 4th fastest. Right now it appears to be Dungey playing that role. I don't think it is disrespect from anyone commenting that he is 4th fastest, it is an observation. He may not get 4th every week, just as the fastest guy won't win every week, but he certainly looks to be 4th on the totem pole right now. Until he races with and passes any of the others, that is where he stands.
We've all heard it b4 but RV is the main man in my mind when it's said. "jump for show, corner for dough!" and he proved it last year by winning everything, including the monster million. The most "dough" ever!.... Rooting for CR this weekend. Odds are in his favor in SD
What a great SX season. Hope everybody stays healthy. Can't quite figure out why it's gotten so good in recent years other than the eye-popping money to be had if you are top five. Whatever, it's a great day for our sport.
@blade
PLease let us have our opinions. That is all we have.
If any of us were good enough we wouldn't be on here we would be getting ready for SD.
But also you are only partially right.
Yes they are all great, iron men and fantastic athletes.
But come Vegas there will be a champion, 2nd, 3rd and 4th.
So why can't we discuss our opinions in between races?
If RD5 comes out this week, starts 7th and rips to the front and wins then lots of people will be wrong.
The point though is lots of people can't be wrong.
I think he is awesome but right now on the thursday before SD I think he is 4th fastest.
Things change quick though.
Even if Dungey was the 4th best- he has had less big bike experience than the other three (not to mention being on a new bike, and a new team). Villopoto has a whole year on him, Stewart has 6, and Reedy has 8. Look at Villopoto's first year- then Stewarts- then Reeds... Then Dungeys. Why is it so hard for some people to believe that he belongs in that top group of riders? Let the season unfold and give him a chance. He has worn the red plate already this year. Even Stewart cant say that.
Dungey has shown steady improvement since Loretta Lynn's, and has remained injury free. Probably better to let that "killer instinct" develop 'naturally', rather than force it on him too soon.
Villopoto has jumped off the track already this year- stewart has eaten it hard several times-and I remember Reedy being launched into outer space last summer. You don't see Dungey doing that kind of stuff very much.
He just might catch up to where the other three are at- and eventually surpass them all. No other rider has had a learning curve as steep as Ryan Dungey IMO.
Ok- I'm done 'swinging on his nutsack'. Over and out....
@wfo_ufo
I defenitely wasn't saying RD5 does not belong in the top 4.
Some days he is the best of those 4.
To be fair to RV1 he has missed a lot of time through injury. But crashes will come with his aggressive style and injuries come with crashes.
I think JS7 is the luckiest with injuries the amount he eats dirt.
Luck is also a big part of what they do.
Trey Carnard and Ryan Morais were unlucky at L.A.
I think the way it is right now is the reason we bench race so much.
We all have opinions but basically we don't have a clue what will happen this weekend.
So we are a damn lucky bunch of fans.