Rapid ReaXtion: K-Dub Lost for the Season
Tuesday, April 3, 2012 | 5:00 PM
For over 28 years, Rocky Mountain ATV/MC has been the trusted source for off-road and racing enthusiasts who demand high quality riding gear, low prices and unmatched customer service. Get fast, free shipping on orders over $99 and free apparel exchanges.
Tweet
Advertisement | Advertise with Us
Share
Comment
Email
PrintChase Stallo:
In what has already been a season marred by injuries, word came down today that yet another big name would be sidelined for the remainder of the season. The ultimate fan-favorite, Kevin Windham has been lost for the year with a dislocation to his right shoulder and damage to his left thumb and right hip.
Not only is this a giant blow to the fans, but also to the level of competition that we’ll experience throughout the remainder of Monster Energy Supercross. Early season injuries to Canard, Dungey and Reed, among others, have depleted a field that not long ago was considered, by some, as the deepest in history. Coinciding with the ever growing rash of injuries, James Stewart is experiencing a career worst year (while also dealing with his own injuries). And with Ryan Villopoto having already put the wraps on the 2012 Championship last weekend in Houston, fans across the country are already salivating for the start of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship.
Many fans have been wondering what this will do to Windham’s chances outdoors; well it’s pretty simple. Windham had no prior plans to race the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, anyways, so he will concentrate on a return to Monster Energy Supercross in 2013.
For a rider that has achieved some much throughout his illustrious career, and this season—reaching a milestone of 200 main event appearances— it’s tough to see his year come to end this way.
Steve Matthes:
Wow, when I heard the news this morning that GEICO Honda’s Kevin Windham is out for the rest of the year with injuries suffered at Houston, I immediately pictured a Friday the 13th movie. You know, where the slashed up young teenaged girl is stumbling around screaming, there’s blood everywhere and just when you think she might have gotten to the road to flag down some help, a goalie-masked killer comes out from behind a tree and finishes her off. Only instead of a teenaged girl, we are talking about the 450 class, and instead of wearing a goalie mask, this 450 supercross class killer is wearing a surgeon’s mask.
This year’s series has been the exact opposite of everything that last year was and to me, one of the most compelling stories left was watching Kevin Windham try to pull off a win. Salt Lake, Seattle, New Orleans and Las Vegas represented great places to see the old man of SX go for victory. Sadly, when this season ends, it will be two years since the #14 stood atop the podium and each year the chances get less and less that he will do it again.
What a way to go out though! That heat was the race of the year, some might say, and he was lining up James Stewart for one more try when he face-planted. Sometimes, movies don’t have happy endings.
Oh well, at least we have the Eli Tomac and Dean Wilson battle to look forward to!
David Pingree:
This sucks. It really does. To put it more poetically, this sucketh. One of KW’s great qualities is that he has been able to stay healthy season after season, racking up a bunch of main event starts in the process. With the dozens [literally] of other riders sidelined with fractures, sprains or strains it was likely that Kevin would wind up on the podium again during the final rounds of the series this year. No such luck now. And the real kick in the crotch here is that we don’t get to see the #14 line up at all this summer for a national motocross race.
The good news is that his injuries are relatively minor, although they probably don’t feel so minor right now. And the old man of motocross will likely heal up completely and be ready for yet another season of supercross in 2013. There is also a great battle waiting to be finished up in the West Region Lites class. And the nationals mean a fresh start for most of the riders who are currently on the bench. Just try not to fall asleep during the 450 main events for the next four weeks.
Jason Weigandt:
Way back in the day, about 10 years ago, Kevin Windham went down with a huge leg injury in practice at the Atlanta Supercross. Today, K-Dub looks back at that crash as a blessing in disguise, because the forced time off helped him renew his love for racing. The 24-year-old Kevin Windham needed that, because he wasn’t getting the results he wanted, and couldn’t find the motivation to get them.
That’s not the issue here. This injury is not as bad, but it hurts more, because at the exact moment Windham crashed, he was riding as well as he has all season. It’s the same situation for Chad Reed, who was absolutely on fire right before he went down in Dallas, or Ryan Dungey, who had won the Atlanta SX days before he landed on his shoulder. Pain is something every racer deals with much better than the average person, and so, even while they’re dealing with broken bones, rehab, and the complete pain-in-the-ass of just trying to do regular chores at home while hurting, the thing that hurts most is knowing the injuries will cost them a chance to win races. And Windham, with Houston, New Orleans, Seattle, Salt Lake and Vegas on the horizon—all races he has won before—knew this was his chance. That hurts.
Aaron Hansel:
Conspiracy Theory Alert: The supercross Gods hate Kevin Windham. Ok, that may be a little bit over the top, but how else can you explain the fact that something weird seems to happen to him at his hometown races of Houston and New Orleans? Not only did Windham’s crash in Houston ruin his night there, it also prevents him from competing in New Orleans, which is just a couple of hours from his home in Centreville, MS.
We can’t forget last year either, when Windham was running away with the win in Houston and uncharacteristically crashed out all by himself. Need more evidence? In 2009, the last time the series went to New Orleans, Windham was selected for a random drug test following the race. He passed of course, but the test took so long that by the time he was able to get away from the stadium to meet his crew, the prime celebration hours had already passed. Still think my theory is crazy?
Ok, I’ll come out of my basement and take off my tinfoil hat for a moment here so I can be serious. Any time a rider injures himself, no matter who it is, it’s a bad deal and we should be thinking about every single rider that has gotten hurt this year. The timing of Windham’s injury, however, makes for some deeper effects on the series itself. Windham was beginning to show signs of a late season surge, and a win from the veteran in any of the remaining races would have injected some excitement into a series that has already been decided with four races yet to go.
Here’s to a speedy recovery for Windham, as well as all of the other racers that have suffered injury this year.
Did you like this article?
Check out ACTION FIGURE
in our Latest issue of Racer X available now.
Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil Honda’s Cole Seely is a man of many talents— skateboarding, BMX, import drifting … and he’s pretty good at this motocross thing, too. Page 156 .
Look for the verified symbol 
Impulse Studios
This sucks so much. I am 16 and Windham is my favourite rider. I have been watching him ever since a was a very young kid. I knew he had another podium or two in him this season and was definitely a contender for a win! What made it even worse was that I wont see him at millville this year and probably never will again :(
GET WELL KDUB #14
Bummer, Get well Kdub. The opening cerimonies will be boring without you!
Absolutley love the man and how he represents the sport in such a professional manor. I have followed his career since it started and wish nothing but the best for Kevin but part of me wishes he would retire and move into a team management position before he gets seriously injured. I know he has a wonderful family and I just couldn't stand to see something bad happen to him at this point in his career.
Be safe KW.
Eeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaahhhh (the sound of exhaling a lungful of frustration).
That really blows. Just when he seemed to peaking this season too. Such a great Heat Race in Houston... man, everybody was already thinking ahead to the main. That was just awful. And we could see you trying, TRYING so hard to get your right foot back on the peg before you... oh sh!t. Get well soon K-Dub. Maybe you will be rested and strong enough by mid-summer to surprise us with a National appearance. Great run this season. So sorry it ended this way for you -and the other guys too.
This has been a season from hell except if you are Villopoto but K-Dub sure gave us an epic last race race. The way he was battling with Stewart in his heat race made me think he was due for a win in his heat and possibly even in the main but it was not to be. Heal up K-Dub and bring it next year because you can still haul the mail!
Forget being out until next year, K-DUB should definitely race Budds Creek this summer. Mostly because that's the only National I'll be going to this year, but also because he is badass at that track. I remember the year he won the GP round there. K-DUB! USA! 1999!
For the love of Supercross/motocross, lets hope that the the carnage has stopped for the last four rounds because if any more top riders get injured the outdoor nationals will barely be able to fill the gate and will suck from a fan perspective. I hope James will shake off this disaster of a supercross season and race the outdoors with better luck staying on the bike.
Keven is a class act, it is easy to like a guy that works hard and races clean. These punks need to learn from Keven. Funny how Keven can pass James without contact but James can not????? Keven is the difference between a great person / great rider and just
being a grate rider. Get well soon, the sport needs you.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!! And I have Seattle tickets!!!! Get well K DUB.
GET WELL KDUB #14
it's really sad, i'm sure that Windham would win one main event before the end of the sx season, in great form like at Houston everything is possible from K-Dub, or a bad start or just one little mistake of Villoboss and K-Dub would be on the top of the box too, and at 34 years old, 15 years after his first sx class win in 1997, and i don't know why but i'm pretty sure that if Villo and Windham are one and two on the final lap of a main event, Villo would let Windham take the win
@mit12 ...Hey punks get off my lawn , you long hairs ...ha ha ha ... By the way , its Kevin ...Not Keven .... and just so you know , JS and Kdub the two most gifted riders ever to ride a Motocross bike , had a heat race that was incredible to watch , and showed how those two knew how to race each other without making contact ... Kevin got excited , and rode over his head thats all ! Get Well Kdub , and Js ..
@Preston...before you go grammer police on someone, make sure you can put a sentence together. A person with you knowledge should know where a comma goes and where a period goes. Also there is not a space after your word then a comma. K-Dub did not get excited and ride over his head, he was running that pace all day long. He made a mistake and that is what happened. JS and K-Dub are gifted riders but there is a difference. Dub has bike control and knows how to pass someone because he calculates where he is faster on the track. He will take two laps and see where he is faster, then make it stick. There are other riders that do this, RV, CR, RD. Then there is JS he is gifted with pure speed but lacks the smarts to calculate a race. As for not making contact, I truly hope your kidding and actually watched the race. Just another prime example of JS out of control through the whoops and uses another rider to stop him. (Dallas 2011.)
since when does spelling someones name right have anything to do with grammer?
"a person with you knowledge"
classic ironic comment
I think you missed the point @timi...Ironic.
@Preston is such a Stewie lover it is beyond creepy. He mentions Stewie in every post on this site, wether the story is about Stewie or not. And Stewie pushed K-Dub up into the tuff blocks on his pass there Presto. Watch the race please. K-Dub is clean Stewie not so much..Typical.
If Stewie is one of the most gifted riders, why does he crash so much, Kawi or Yamaha.. Most gifted riders dont crash out of series almost 50% of his career.
@bd200 thank your for getting the point I was making! I am have watched this for a long time and I really think JS just doesn't know how to pass a rider that is running his pace. He cant even pass Kyle Regal clean while running in 10th place! I really dont think he should run the Nats, it is one thing to crash in 2nd gear, it is another level when you wad up 4th gear pinned on that little blue machine. JS if following the career of Pastrana and less of the careers of Mc and RC. I will keep saying this, I think the concussions have caught up with him. You cant run the pace of RV, CR, and RD, he sure trys but his reaction time is way off at that pace.
Shut up, this article is about Windham. Nothing to do with Stewart so why talk about him? You people are worse than teenage girls.
Preston brought JS to this and we are giving an opinion on the post. Chillmatic..."Chill"
I have never understood why people say "Shut up" and "STFU" on a thread...really???
JS is brought up a lot on this site because he is has been a 4-5th place rider in the last two years. Enjoy the show because he may not be around MX that much longer.
Alright KDub, you came, you continued to make us fans love you, now go enjoy your time off and rejuvenate your batteries. Invite me to go boating if it makes you feel better, but don't forget, we'll be waiting patiently for A1 2013. Thanks for 2012.
Chillimatic, you beat me too it. It's amazing to me how JS is brought up in almost every thread. There could be an article about New performance muffler bearing on the market and some goon will mention his name and how he crashed at yards yards race. BD200, don't blame Preston for bringing up JS, mit12 felt he needed to bash him on an article written about KDub...
Btw mit12, if you go back and watch the replay of them racing, on the last whoop Stewies rear wheel kicked up and was off the ground most of the way into the corner, which is the reason he tried to signal sorry to KDub for taking him that high. You might dislike JS, but call it for what it is. I've never been on a message board with so much hate....
That was supposed to say yadda yadda race. Lol damn IPad auto correct.
BTW, heal up KW, were gonna miss you out there.
Dungey, Tedesco, Windham, Reed, Byrne, Wey, Short, T Hahn, Canard, Blose, LaMay, Stroupe, Morais, Hill, Partridge...the list grows bigger.
Heal up quickly, K Dub!
Guys, hate what happened but KW really did give us all a thrill in houston. And i bet he will ride some select MX races this year. He is really having fun and you can tell it. KW thank you and we will see you again when you are ready man !!!
Does anyone know why JS was mad at Kdub. He passed him aggressive put him to the tuff blocks and raised his hands. he even looked back at kdub. i didnt see kdub do anything wrong. He was racing js straight up and making time on him.
I really think Dungey is gonna be strong outdoors and i dont see Js7 racing outdoors plus NOT racing blue 2013. That bike will end his career. he needs yellow or red.
Gonna miss KW.
AMA really needs to rethink the engine sizes on the bikes, and track design before a big name rider dies at a SX.
SX has evolved into a high speed scrub fest.
KW-I'm so sorry! You are the main reason I race every year. I figure if you can continue to push at your level, and I can still line up at a local level. Go spend time with the family and make another run at it next year.
JS7 is losing his mind. He probably thought KW shouldn't have raced him because Stewart is the 2012 SX Heat CHAMPION!!! I really hope he figures something out, but I think he is shot. Stewart is DANGEROUS and DISRESPECTFUL., partially because he lost his head. Go.....um......shoot, this season blows.
dgizzy1, it looked to me as if JS raised his hand to apollogize to KW for taking him that high. The last whoop kicked his rear wheel in the air and it looked like he went into the turn hot.
I really also think JS needs to change color bikes next year.
@br411....Periods ... Comas , etc ... who cares ....How many Titles does Kdub have ? How many wins does Kdub have ... Now go check JS7s Stats , and let me know what you come up with ........... Never mind ...I dont want you to respond anyway ..... I only will respond to Stewie Lovers ..... LOL ..... All you Haters are fake fans , or just plain old Mind Controlled Rednecks ..... spellcheck is for wussys , and rednecks ....lol lol..... peeeeeriodddd!...... Lighten up guys you all seem UPTIGHT for your age 50 and up
PS KEVEN WINNNDAMM Is My favorite rider , has been since his very first national , which I was at , so back off Dorks .... I am a fan of the sport ,,,, not just one rider , Stewie just happens to be the best this sport has ever seen , all the other riders should thank him for making them better riders .... Scrubbing speed , looking at the track in a different way , and bringing this sport more in the limelight .... No response necessary !
I agree with PRESTON .....
@the chosen one ... I guess my biggest surprise , has been from the fans , I have been involved in this sport , since 1972 , Been to most of the tracks around this country , and some overseas ...Seen all the Bar banging fights and dirty riding , that was expected , in the 80s 90s .... Then here comes Stewie , A crazy fast black kid , In an all white sport , fast as hell , and riding totally different ... I am thinking wow , the fans will love this ....Little did I know that he would also bring all of the White Racists ,outof the woodwork , I was surprised how some of the fans were treting him ... I was Flagging at a national, and everylap when JS would come by A large group of fat drunks would yell racist comments , ruined my day , and made me mad as hell . and it has been happening ever since , on her , and at the Track ....Not One Other Rider ever has to go through this , On his own fan site people leave Racist comments all the time , Not felling sorry for him , he is a strong positive person , and It probably bothers me more than him , I feel sorry for all of the true fans that have to put up with this >>
many typos on my last comment ,,, for you nerds ....lol Have a nece dayy
@thechosenone ...Yeah , I went on a rant , But sometimes have to get it out ... You seem like a pretty cool level headed guy , thats why I respond to your posts , Its easy to get wrapped up in the drama of the sport ... I am flagging again this year , and I hope if JS does the Nationals the fans Show some respect , I have meet James and his family a dozen or so times , and not in an autograph line , The Stewarts are a very friendly and Cool ,
Heal up quick KDUB. Since RV has the title locked up... maybe he should take over the huge opening ceremony transfers!? Or at least someone should...
Safety possibilities.....
Cut tuff blocks to half their height so they are move forgiving if you land on one,,, yeah,, sponsors not like it but hey,, riders first,,,,
track design,,
instead of triple,, turn,, triple,, turn,, etc,, how about more option, sand and whoop sections? better racing, keep riders closer to the ground,, yeah, casual fans like big air,,, however we racers know the best racing is on the ground,, not in the air,,,
What you think dirt works????
Thanks Kdub for making it a show this year,
Great observations, all! I especially like Jason's analogies. That does hurt, I'm sure!
@Preston.....There you go again with your race baiting code word.....
You railed on me a couple weeks back saying I posted too much. How many posts do you have on this thread alone? You are also one of the worst for using proper grammar and punctuation then you say "who cares"?
So once you have said your peace you close your mind to any other opinions too.
Typical close minded race baiter.
Nice work loser.
Hypocrite much?
@Preston--You sound more racist than any poster on here.. If a guy doesnt like Stewie it makes him a "redneck"?? You sir are a racist of the worst kind.. His color means nothing to me, its all atitude, and Stewies sucks sometimes..
@bd200 - I agree with you 100%.
All of the rednecks I know are not racist at all. Redneck out where I live means we can take care of anything by ourselves and we don't make excuses for anything. My neighbor (who just happens to be black) is one of the best Rednecks I know and people like Preston get under his skin as badly as they do mine. Preston, you are a moron. An excuse making, race baiting loser that is no better than Al Sharpton. This thread is about KDub. Not Bubba. Take your race baiting to your own blog at http://www.prestonluvsbubbles.com where you can enjoy your mancrush in private. Everyone else here is tired of it. Dbags like you keep perpetuating stereotypes. Most of the rest of the world is over it. You should be too.
Get Well KDub!!!
Prestons website is up and active and he is going to be taking 'members' soon...
http://www.prestonluvsbubbles.com