250 Words: Seattle
Monday, April 23, 2012 | 2:40 PM
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It’s been a tough year for the Rockstar Star/Valli Yamaha team. The two teams merged this past off-season and showed up at Anaheim with high hopes, but it quickly unraveled like so many other teams and riders in 2012. So hard hit by injuries, the teams three 450 riders weren’t on the roster for that class at the start of the season!
But in Seattle it all came together for the team and for its best rider, Ryan Sipes, in the midst of all the Eli Tomac/Dean Wilson talk. It’s Sipes' first race win of the year and coming off his first career win at Indianapolis last year and an East/West Shootout win, more was expected of the talented kid from Kentucky. Injuries and maybe a switch to the unfamiliar West Region have held Sipes back this year but in Seattle we saw that if everything comes together, Ryan can win races.
Wilson and Tomac grabbed the headlines, but it was Sipes that left Seattle with the W.
Garth Milan photo
Meanwhile score one for Tomac in the West Regional Series as he caught and passed Wilson a couple of times in a hard fought race. He gained six points on Wilson after a collision between them left Dean on the ground. Tomac fought through a shifter that left him stuck in third and then second and then a burnt out clutch to take third.
But with the Wilson/Tomac collisions and racing attracting most of the attention, the underdog Sipes pulled away slow and steady for the win in a wild night in Seattle.
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I did not see any dirty racing between Tomac and Wilson. I saw two guys, separated by a couple points, battling for a championship and refusing to back down. It is Supercross. Block passes and running the competition high is part of how you get past another guy. Wilson went down and Tomac went off the track because neither guy was willing to back off the throttle.
Great race and I admired the determination to win from BOTH guys!
Of yeah, great job Sipes on the win! Nice to see you back.
JonR290--Completely agree.
Yes that race was superb, two determined racers, they say where ever you are in the world you'l find a jock on a street corner, there is a fast one in the supercross lites.
I don't see how you couldn't have seen any dirty racing there. Sure, block passing and a little contact is part of Supercross, but this was far beyond that. It's really unfortunate because fans miss out on battles that could've been. Wilson's first pass was a non issue, he went wider than he needed, but no big deal. The second one he made it clear he wasn't going to play fair. I was thinking after that, "Tomac needs to stop this in its tracks", and then he did. By far the worst part of it all was Wilson's whining afterwards like he hadn't completely brought it all on himself. Oh, and also this could've effectively ended the battle for the last undecided championship of the season. At least if Wilson can't come back, the championship goes to someone who deserves it.
warrior462: Bang on there, well said !
Shit. Damn. Hell. @#$^%& Piss. Poop. Hey thanks for the tip 'tricky'!
yeah good call my biggest problem with it was wilson crying like a baby. he asked for it. it wasnt the dirtiest ive ever seen but it was to a point where your watching and after the second one ,like wow I hope tomac fn cleans him out for that, you know.I like to see close passes in turns and maybe a little contact here n there but not to a point where someone has a good chance of being out of the series . injuries suck for us viewers , look at the 450's . wilson your kinda whining dude ! maybe tomac got your number and you know it
I was there and I saw it on tv, and I think it looked pretty clean all the way around. Not a lot of contact until deano went down, and had he been looking up a bit more he likely could have gone farther left and avoided the contact.
That was some great close racing from two guys who want this thing!!!
i have never really been a tomac fan but since last race i am!!! i think everybody thought after wilson's "clean" racing, please tomac....do it!!! BUT at the podium interview with tomac he found the right words: "when he wants dirty racing so we can play this kind of game". so it's up to wilson!
and congratulations to shorty!!! great personality!
I need to change my log in name to AS29ET17....anyways great race for both!
I used to have some respect for Deano, however, if he is going to dish it out and not take it in return, then who needs him.
Great ride Eli and Shorty, let's go back to back n SLC!!!
Really I agree with jonr29, with the addition that Tomac did pass dean twice with no contact and wilson hit him twice before Tomac squared the corner and even then Wilson had room and could have swung left and avoided contact. Tomac kept catching back up to Wilson and was slightly faster on this night. Dean should be glad Tomac's shifter got hurt or I fear the lead would be 9 instead of 4, than again Wilsons should held him up. Was a great race and really not that dirty on wilsons part. These are two great racers !!
The crowd said it all when Tomac got Wilson back, It was the loudest cheers of the night !!
I must of saw a different live interview of Wilson on Speed, cause it sure seemed like he was legitimately hurting, yet seemed to understand that his actions and the fact they both want it badly put him in that position. He could of easily went all Barcia style, yet kept his cool. People can read what they want into it, but I remember being surprised he kept it pretty in check for it being immediately after the race. Either way I'm a fan of both Dean and Eli, they seem genuine, have a personality and determination. Supercross is going to be good for years to come with guys like that at the front of the field.
The way I saw it.. Eli took the inside line, hit that rut with his rear wheel and the momentum took him wide and into Wilson. You can see it when he hits the apex. Anyone see that?
Dingfixer I agree. When Tomac took that inside line he hit a berm (rut) and it slightly stood him up, which made his turn wider than it normally would have been. I think if he didn't hit that slight berm he would not have made contact at all.
But hey, that's racing.
I thought it was great racing. Deano did seem a little whiny about it all, but from my seat, it looked like he was the one who was instigating. I like em both, and thought they both put a heck of a ride on, Just want to see em both act like men afterwards, and no matter the outcome, they are both still awesome in my book. I just hope Deano is not hurt and can battle to the end.
How many other gentlemen on here tired of seeing these guys get hurt ? Dang I am over the injuries!!!
Thats the way I saw it too. Tomacs' scooter jumped out of that tiny rut when he got on the gas. As much as it seems everyone wanted him to drop Wilson, I dont think it was his intention. And since it bent his shifter and cost him points, and losing a bunch more the race before, he seems smart enough to realize that staying clean gives him the best chance of winning championships. I dont fault Wilson either.
I am a fan of both Wilson and Tomac, but after the second time Wilson ran Tomac off the track, I was cheering for Tomac to catch back up and put it back too Wilson. I think Wilson could feel that Tomac was faster than him that night, and was riding aggressively and protectively to try and keep Tomac behind him because he knew Tomac would eventually run away from him that night. I thought both riders gave good speeches after the race. I agree with others that I don't think Tomac intended to hit Wilson that hard. He probably just wanted to bump him lightly and push him wide so he would have to let out and file in line behind him for the tight left hander coming up.