by Davey Coombs
450 Words: Anaheim 1
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PrintYou already know who won the races. Now enjoy 450 Words for an extra take on a story you might have missed.
The first race of every series is loaded with great expectations for a few elite riders and distant hopes for pretty much everyone else. While we like to think there is always an underdog who can rise up and beat all the favorites, it rarely happens. And with a top-loaded field of former champions like Ryan Dungey, Chad Reed, and James Stewart—let alone reigning champion Ryan Villopoto—few might have predicted that the last lap would come down to Davi Millsaps and Trey Canard. Sure, they’ve won Monster Energy Supercross races before, but for Rockstar Energy Racing's Millsaps, that was a few years ago; for Muscle Milk Honda's Canard, that was two years and two nearly career-ending injuries ago. Between these two charismatic, well-liked racers, it would be hard to pick who deserved—and needed—this win more. Their hopes were nearly as distant as, say, Weston Peick, Bobby Kiniry, or one of the far less supported racers out there on Saturday night, but there wasn't a person in Angel Stadium who might have picked them to go 1-2.
After the race, I wandered over to both the Rockstar Energy Racing and Muscle Milk Honda rigs. Both teams had tumultuous off-seasons. Bobby Hewitt's Rockstar squad didn’t get much in the way of support from the struggling American Suzuki, and Honda of course turned over its management, with Gary Martini taking over the reins of the program Erik Kehoe had led for some time. Needless to say, the Honda folks were very pleased with both Trey's runner-up ride and Justin Barcia's mostly impressive debut; the Rockstar Energy Racing gang was downright ecstatic with the win.
RV had his struggles coming through the pack at the opener, leading to a 16th place finish.
Simon Cudby photo
But what about the other guys? What were they thinking after the race? Red Bull KTM's Dungey and TwoTwo Motorsports' Reed both took away solid points in third and fourth, which is what we expect from veteran talent like them. And Yoshimura Suzuki's Stewart was probably trying to make sense of another freak injury that might once again sideline him long before the title run.
The man who had the worst night—Josh Hill and Josh Hansen notwithstanding—was Ryan Villopoto, rider #1 and the man with the greatest expectations of all. He has a rare shot at history in 2013: RV could become only the fourth man in Monster Energy Supercross history to win three straight championships. He knows his moto history and knows this is his chance at something extraordinary. But a poor start, mistakes in traffic, off-track excursions, and finally a cartwheel over a Tuff Block while passing the cautious Stewart were not part of his game plan. Sixteenth place sure wasn’t either.
Ten years ago to the very night—January 5, 2002—defending champion Ricky Carmichael cartwheeled himself out of the race in the middle of the Anaheim opener. (The fairly unlikely top three that night? Frenchman David Vuillemin, veteran Mike LaRocco, and premier-class rookie Ernesto Fonseca.) Of course, Carmichael picked himself up, dug deep, and started fighting back. He would end up with a second straight title and add that rare third consecutive championship in 2003.
Like RC a decade ago, this is RV's chance to dig deep and take that shot at history. But with a deep field to climb through and a reinvigorated Millsaps and Canard, it's going to be quite a chore.
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RV can do it no problem. He has speed that only JS can match. If he can avoid another bad night and keep it on two wheels he will win it.
he is only 15 points behind RD and that can be made up just as fast as he lost it. Everyone will have at least one bad night this year. RV can still come thru the pack like no other (except JS) so bad starts will not hurt him as bad as they will others. ofcorce he did not get the job done last week but that is rare for RV.
What a supercross! The ups and downs of racing at it's best.
The absolute best part of racing is that it is clear cut......while we love the bench racing, it is so easy to know who was the fastest on the night. The fastest rider was the one that got to the finish line first. And after a few days of bench racing, it's the same winner as the one I saw on the television.
And just a quick observation.....While I appreciate the expertise of the announcers (or color guys), there should be some way to let them know that what is happening on the track is ALWAYS more important than what happened in the past. Still, they all do a fairly good job, but it's the racing that is going on "now" that should take priority in the booth.
Sounds like RacerX might know a little more about the extent of Stewarts injury.....both DC and Matthes hint that it is pretty serious.....and that sucks!!
Typical Suzuki. Cheap-out on the people that do for you and giving away a million-dollar contract to a guy that may or may not even race at any given moment.
I'm very happy for Mr. Hewitt's Rockstar team and maybe this will be the wake-up call the cheap bastords in Brea need.
A total freakin support rider (with NO SUPPORT) wins A1 and they can't manage any help whatsoever? Really? Why any racer / paying customer would choose this is beyond me.
Maybe they (U.S. Suzuki) could waive the contingency exemption since they (Rockstar) are not truly "factory-supported" and at least let them get the $ for parts replacements and whatnot.
I couldn't have imagined this season would start this well. Unlike years past, we started with 4 dudes who would be expected to win the championship. We got Barcia for the wildcard - so maybe 5. And chances were really good that one guy (RV) would check out, one guy (JS?) would crash out and from there it would be "Well maybe RD and CR will step it up." Instead we have 7 guys FULLY in this thing for real right now. WOW....when was the last time that we had 7 fully legit dudes going into round 2?
the most distubing thing was RD5 not catching and passing those guys.
Suzuki may be down, but they are doing their best to provide a stock bike that can run with the very best professional teams on the planet. That is the most important support a manufacturer can provide, and it is available to all of you. Just head on down to your nearest Suzuki shop, and let them help you to ride faster and win more. (Hey, you might even save some money, while you are at it.)
In business, as any working man knows, sometimes you have to give to get. You can't demand a raise without putting forth extraordinary effort. Well, the same applies to business deals in tough economic times. Sometimes you have to make do until finances turn for the better. I assure you Suzuki is doing the best that they can, and they will pay it forward as things get better. After all, they are back in talks with Dorna and planning a return to MotoGP in 2014, so there is light at the end of the tunnel.
But, right now they need your help, and they've done the best that they can to make it easy for you to help them... By providing an excellent stock bike.
@ Endo4.....I wouldn't worry about Dungey, it was the opening round and of all the guys supposed to win and be so much faster than him guess who still landed on the podium? His approach is very smart and methodical and has been proven to work when everyone is pushing to the breaking point for individual race wins.
Endo4, Dungey's new air shock was causing the bike to hook up enough to make the front tire want to wash out. When he tried to push later in the race, it did wash out and he lost contact with the leaders. Part of this is because the extra cold temperatures that night was making the dirt extra moist and greasy. He'll be a threat for sure.
Now, if we just get RV to settle down, and JS7 to a) run a wider front tire, or b) soften his front forks, or c) decrease the rake, or d) do a little of all of the above... We'll be in for a killer season.
Oh yeah, and KW14 quit moping you geezer. NOTHING IS OVER !! Get back out there.
I think people are being a bit hard on the top guys. When I got back home I watched on DVR the race again. Millsaps and Canard were absolutely hauling. They looked incredible, though the two have completely different riding styles given their size. It was not that RD or Reed were slow. I think we may finally be getting what we have wanted for so long….more guys that can win races and podium outside RV, RD, Reed and Stewart. We may have two more players in the Title hunt in addition to Barcia.
RV will not win the title this year
for those that missed the memo SUZUKI FILED BANKRUPTY not to long ago, there is no cash to go around......
Chowderhead.....nobody out there is on a STOCK bike, if Team Rockstar wants to complain about no support, they need to swap brands, they knew going into this season that there would be no support, Milsaps got paid plenty at JGR and didn't perform. He looks about 30 lbs lighter than last season, but I think he will be back to his 5-8 place finishes started next week right with Andrew Short.
Didn't say anyone was out there on a stock bike. But, a privateer effort did kick the behind of all the top teams. Suck it!
@ Not4show.......Millsaps got 2nd in the series last year, how is that not performing? I think Feld might agree with you though considering they left him, the series runner up, out of the press conference while including guys who DNF'd and didn't even podium or even compete in the series last season (Reed, Stewart, Barcia). Should have been Villo, Millsaps, Dungey only in the press conference or all of them.
I'm glad it played out like it did though now that A1 is said and done, Millsaps beat all of them and was a contender all day on inferior equipment. There's no way Millsaps' bike has the resources in it like Canard's, Reed's, RV's, Stewart's, etc. It looks good on Millsaps.
@Not4show--I have to agree with Retardcross, Millsaps finished the series in 2nd place, and got 2nd at the Vegas finale, which gets JGR a ton of media exposure.. He actually outperformed Stewart on the Yamaha last season, and I am sure they paid Stewart more..And for the money he makes and the others are making alot more, even if he finished 5th place in the whole series, its not bad since they are not a factory effort, and they arent paying RV or Dungey type of money..
Davey , RC's cartwheel was 11 years ago not ten but great writeup ! RV is better off than RC was because he is not hurt and has 5 points not one- he is worse off because he has a MUCH stronger feild to contend with- NO disrespect to the guys then. RV is a TINY bit faster than most the other top guys- TINY !
Sometimes we don't give RD and CR etc enough credit- TC is and was fast- he is faster on 450s than on 250s. Barcia is FAST and both TC and Barcia are HARD to get around. RD did GREAT and its exciting to think about the air shock he is running.
I am still hoping like crazy JS has a slightly torn MCL or a strained but not torn acl or just a very sore knee. I want him healthy in the worst way. If its an torn acl he better just get it fixed. lets cross our fingers. Hey guys - he didn't wreck !!!!!!
Heres my take- I still say RV takes the title but not til Vegas and it will be the toughest championship yet. Trey Canard needs to chill the next 2 races and just get he sea legs on and only take whats his - DON'T push it man !!! Same goes for Barcia - these two guys will be beating all others and pushing RV to the edge by midseason. RD and CR will be right there and I wish but don't have confidence that JS will be back up front. I still feel that Milsaps will be coming in about 5th- 8th on a regular basis, which is VERY good. I don't see RV winning if more than 3 top guys start in front of him, if he gets a top three start I'll say he takes the race. Part of what makes Barcia and Canard so good is they are incredible starters and true racers that know they can and will win. The crazy thing is there will be no more gaps after the top seven go by, I believe the next 6 guys will be sticking their wheels in the tail end of the elite guys in every race and actually doing some damage.
Gone are the days when we could pretty much tell you who was going to win unless they got hurt.
The tough thing for RV is he HAS to push it to win and slicing through the pack will be MUCH harder this year.
The track was really good at a1 with the exceptio that I wish it was a couple feet wider- it did seem narrow to me.
Davey Thanks for the history lesson, reminding us how RC started out in search of his 2nd title. RV will regroup, come back and try to the same thing. It would not be the first time, history repeated itself.. although, as stated, the field may be at its deepest ever, which will make it a tough challenge..but RV has a history of over coming obstacles that stand in his way..Only the first round, you can't count the champ out yet...
RV's main event was down right frustrating for me. I'm a die hard Villopoto fan and was caught off guard by his mistakes. I'm not only a fan of his out right speed and aggression, but because he is a Washington native like myself! No matter who wins the Championship, it will be a great season. But I'd still put my $ on RV...
carlsbad, from what I heard, Suzuki should be offering pro contingency for AMA Supercross/MX.
Not4show, You're an idiot. They filed bankruptcy for their Automotive division - they're restructuring all their resources back to the motorcycle division. Also, the reason they lost support from Suzuki is because RCH came on board. Having three "Factory-supported" teams would probably seem too much for them, don't you think?
@retardcross - just to clarify last year, JS7 had 2 wins and 5 podiums in 11 attempts, the 4 Champs that were at the press conference last week all won races in '12 SX and Barcia won the 250E SX, was in the hunt for the 250 MX title all summer, and had just won the MEC, pretty sure AMA had the right 5 guys at the conference. Let's watch a few rounds and see who's top 4 in points, it'll be clearer then.
Chowderhead, It must hurt Suzuki to know that many people would rather ride 10 year old RM250's than anything sitting in their showroom. But when you stop listening to customers, you have to own whatever comes your way.
Retard-BD200, Milsaps 1st podium wasn't until Race 10, with Dungey and Reed canard out.....and yes he podiumed 5 of the last 8 races, good for him he capitalized on what he was racin against. But where was the speed at the beginning of the year on a bike that he has been on???? He was one of only a few riders who survived the season and lined up for every SX. But including him 7 guys with a shot to win......I would take him finishing 5-8 alot.
I think Milsap is alot like short, very solid rider with predictable finishes. Most people Blamed the KTM 350 for why short wasn't "winning" but got the same results after he switched to Honda. Well except for the 1 win in which RV, JS, CR were hurt and RD just came back from his broken collar bone.
Rockstar has the money for the equipment, they are very far from having SUB-Par equipment.
cpprunner17---Your a complete tool, when AMERICAN SUZUKI filed bankrupty it included all divisions. Yes they shuttered the automotive side, but they also had to restructure their motorsports divisions as well.
They have one factory team(JS7) and I can't see why they put all their eggs in that basket unless they were looking for an omelet, and one factory supported team....RCH...did any of those guys make the main, I"m not even sure who's on that team.
Suzuki didn't support Alessi, and aren' supporting Rockstar.......who cares get over it, not enough money to go around. If they want to cry about not getting a certain sponsor(thats what suzuki would be) don't use their product.
@ motodog77....I understand that as well, but it's also politics as with anything. I just don't see how you exclude the runner up of the series from the previous season? Millsaps is definitely not a nobody and has won races and a championship. Kinda comes from the same spectrum as the SX awards ceremonies starting to hand out awards outside the top 3 series finishers once Stewart ended the 2011 series in 4th. Be nice if the credit was spread equally among the riders who earn it and not just the assumed fan favorites.
@ Not4show.....Not saying Millsaps bike sucks by any stretch of the imagination, but you're on glue to think it's on the same level with the factory team bikes. If all bikes were as good as eachother, there wouldn't be such thing as factory bikes.
Milsaps finished 5th or worse 10 times,
The biggest thing I see different this year is that Milsaps seems to be a lot thinner than he has been in the past. So maybe a complete program change since he left JGR. The more fighting for the win the better for the fans.....we'll see by A3 if he turned the corner or not.
I"m not saying his bike is "factory" level........I actually think that plays a bigger role in the outdoors anyways. But I bet its pretty darn close on suspension, and only a tick off on motor.
I think it was easy to not include the runner up to the series, when he didn't win a race that year, and even though RV won the title he basically missed 3 races. and Milsaps was still 50 points behind.
Dungey missed 5 races and only missed out on 2nd in the points by 9.
It's a championship series above everything else and he podiumed in the series, it's not a race win contest as odd as that may sound. I get what you're saying as well though. If Millsaps was still JGR I'd imagine they'd be pissed at the lack of representation in the conference though.
And I guess by that logic he better be included in next year's press conference.
I don't get why Rockstar Suzuki needs that much help....looks like their doin just fine....keep doin it and the help WILL come (see team22)...when the bike WORKS to begin with you can get away with less help I guess........where are all the 450 KTM privateers by the way.....oh. the RV thing is this....theres A L O T of laps left...ALOT...and everybody is going to have to get OUT of their comfort zone because theirs a few guys out there that LIVE at the edge and they will be in the hunt....may the best man win....buckle up.
Here are some stats on which bike may be better and where support is or isn't going. Make your own conclusions........
450 main event- Hondas 35%, Suzukis 25%, Kawasakis 15%, Yamahas 15%, KTMs 10%
250 main event- Hondas 40%, Kawasakis 20%, Suzukis 15%, KTMs 15%, Yamahas 10%
misoheye whta are these stats based off??
contingecy$$$ ? amount of riders ??
Here's some comedic relief that will fire up RV to dig deep (and all gun lovers).
http://youtu.be/gm7dZi_DFZQ
@wiles..% of bikes in main event..thought that was clear sorry.
I don't think comparing Milsaps to himself last year is a fair assesment.
The "death trap 450", otherwise known as YZF, was / is seriously flawed for pro-level competition.
Why would a guy that knows the limits of the bike exceed them and risk (certain) injury so we keyboard clowns can critique him one way or another?
The RMZ is a FAR better platform as a starting point for a pro-level race machine, and I think Misoheye's (thanks) percentages show this.
I'm glad for Milsaps and the stat that Matthes shot out about #7 & #18 winning their first races AWAY from said death-trap must be a condemnation of the bike or proof of the riders abilities / skills......or #D all of the above.
I think it was Suzuki's U.S. automotive division that filed for BK.
Suzuki has a history of taking the cheap route. I know people that worked for Suzuki (laid-off / early retirement) and people that still do.
There is a reason Suzuki has traditionally been the fourt of the "big four" and now is fifth of the "big five".
I've always liked their take on what a Motocross bike should be, just not always the end result, BUT their business practices have been atrocious for way too long to imagine it as anything other than corporate policy.
As for the comment of too many support teams, my answer is: how many will be just enough to fill the hole #7 leaves WHEN he does his thing?
Am I the only one thinking Milsaps is their best corporate representaion in the 450 class?
With you, 323mx, Peick's dad just seems to burn bridges wherever he roams! Love how he makes a comment on vital, and then later says he wishes the post would just go away! hahaha! Man, those suckers over at Proride.com must not know what they may be throwing their money into, the black hole!
Oh man, my bad on the math! It was eleven years, not ten... I am always screwing up birthdays and anniversaries.
DC
MX Sports
These are the %'s from all 80 (250/450's) that were in the heats. Everybody can say what they want about Honda, with 14 more bikes in the night program than it's nearest rival(Kawi), 50% of the top 10 in 450's and 40% of the 250 main I would have to say they seem to know what to do just fine.
Honda 40%, Kawasaki 22.5%, Yamaha 15%, Suzuki 13.75%, KTM 8.75%
Villopoto maintains a points lead very well, but doesn't come back from a deficit nearly as well. Of course, there isn't a lot of data to go by, but these are the trends. We'll see what he can do, he's certainly capable, but I'm sick of people acting like he's head and shoulders above the rest. This is very clearly not the case.
We'll see how Milsaps works out this year. Don't forget Stewart won on the Yamaha also, and by last years logic, Milsaps had a couple runners up.
I think he put himself on a new program that st working for him,
We'll be at Anaheim 3, I figure by then, if he is till a top 3 rider, then he definitely turned the corner.
People, don't forget that DM won a Lites title on talent alone. He's always been lazy and not in top shape and now he is motivated. So I think he is gonna be a major player all year. I can see Trey pushing it too hard now and crashing. If not, he will challenge. The guy is fast just pulls a JS or RV way too often. Stewart won't finish the season. RV will win some and crash some and I don't see him repeating as his career could be following in the footsteps of Stewart. CR and Dungey are sitting just fine and I think Dungey will eventually win it all.
Is it really SOOO odd Millsaps won it? If asked who you thought would compete for 5th & 6th, Millsaps, Canard, and maybe Barcia would have been logical choices, yes?
Would they win? Well, only if something happened to the Top Four. And, except for Reed, something did.
Not taking from Davi, just saying if I told you the big four would have problems and ask you would win instead, Millsaps is one of several likely answers. And then.... that's what happened.
hey carlsBAD,
did not know REED was riding a "death trap" last year.Or Canard,or Wey,Hahn,etc....ALL of them CRASHED OUT.(even Stewy,after first couple of outdoors)
Great article Davey!
@ BillC ~ With talent that runs as deep as it does in the 450 class 15 points is not that easy to make up. Not only do you have a total of 7 guys that could likely stand on the top step you also have Weimer, Brayton, Alessi, Shorty, KDub, and Grant that could play spoilers by getting inside the top 5 at any race. You also said, "RV can still come thru the pack like no other" but obviously he couldn't do it at A1. If everybody stays healthy RV has his work cut out for him as does RD, CR, JS, TC, Milsaps, and BamBam.
@ Not4show~Suzuki's automobile division filed bankruptcy not their motorcycle division. The motorcycle division still has money.
@davidl~I agree with 99% of what you say. I DO NOT think RV will get the title this year, especially if everybody stays healthy. I also agree that TC needs to be patient, ride smart, and not overly aggressive.
It really surprises me that all of the MX/SX experts that comment on here did not even think TC would be top 5. I anxiously awaited his return because he proved he can run with these guys more than once. He is a former champ that fought hard for his titles. I guarantee you that none of the top guys in the 450 class were surprised at TC's finish.
This will be the best season of racing in years. Just think what 2014 will be like when Baggett, Tomac, KRoc step into the class.
Gotta go with Not4show it was the auto side of Suzuki that drug the company into the mess they are in but that being said not much more money to go around anywhere else, I was super surprised they did the RCH deal, that was announced just before the bankruptcy, you don't just wake up broke one morning, it's a long time coming. Let that be a lesson to us--- quit driving vitaras, equators and buy power stroke or a duramax!!!!!
RV was "is" so fast that it's doubtful he won't make up the points quickly. Hope he isn't too fast for his shoes and keeps on crashing. I mean, he was so fast in the qualifier that he looked like the JS of old. Very impressive, especially since it's really rare that any of us get to witness such raw speed.
@ RCRDDW
are you the infamous JSloan by any chance? You seem to really love Dungey.....
FYI....pretty sure RD went down in his heat and also in the main? Thats the same amount of times RV did....obviously not as serious but still relevant. When you repeatedly compare RV to JS you're overlooking some significant differences.....RV has multiple Championships in the last few years and James....not so much.
If RD wins this he may do it without winning a single main event.....I guess that's what you're into.....boring for me.
Did not see or hear of Dungey going down in his heat...he got a bad start, 14th and had to work his way up to sixth place passing Reed in the last corner before the checkers...So he came from the back in 8 laps...not bad for some one who "can't pass"...Reed looked surprised in the corner to see the KTM cut under him..when Bates interviewed him afterwards, she made the comment of how Chad was mad about how RD had blown by him...when in fact he did not blow by, just took the inside line causing Chad to have to change his line up a bit...
As for winning a title without winning an event ..it is possible and the title is the goal, so I am sure he would take it, but Dungey can run with the any one on any given night, he will win a couple of events as he did last year...instead of finding his style boring, I admire his ability to pick his spots, stay focused, ride in control and except that some nights, others are faster..Hard for any competitor to accept, as winning is the goal, but it is a smart and mature way to approach racing, especially with so much talent on the track..That is also the approach his mentor used to collect all those world titles...
Villopoto did look very fast in his heat.. his catching Barcia was impressive, but aided by Barcia riding uncharacteristically tight and not jumping the quad, where Poto made up a lot of time..RV will be the biggest threat to win each race, he is still the guy to beat with is ability to shift into warp speed..
To me, it is hard to find fault with any of the "Sensational Seven"..Barcia, Canard, Dungey, Millsaps, Reed, Stewart, and Villopoto are all capable of winding up atop the practice times and winning an event, that makes the season so interesting, plus they all have there own way of racing, making this not only on of the fastest fields in history, but also one of the most diverse.... Here's to the 2013 Supercross, may it be one of the BEST ever!!!
How anyone can compare RV to JS in the crash department is beyond me. I can see that RV crashes a decent amount too but.... the #7 still takes that department by a mile, just look at the race results and titles the past few years. If you account for experience and years as a pro too, someone hasn't learned much.
Hansen didn't have a bad night. He had a typical Hansen night.
I thought that it was kind of funny that the design of CR's jersey looked like it had a big #7 on it...
its funny all this insight
after one race ...im going
to give it 3 .. 4 races before
comimg to any opinion for the season. I would like to see the Pontiac silverdome on the schedule .
its funny all this insight
after one race ...im going
to give it 3 .. 4 races before
comimg to any opinion for the season. I would like to see the Pontiac silverdome on the schedule .
BillC, mabey you didn't see the race so let me tell you, James stewart did not pass anyone coming from behind, he was getting passed because he is done!!