by Davey Coombs
450 Words: Indy
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PrintSaturday night's race at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis practically served as a microcosm for the entire 2013 Monster Energy Supercross season so far. The building was packed, the fans were engaged, and Kevin Windham's transfer may have earned the biggest applause of the night.
The winner was the man most expected to win, two-time defending champion Ryan Villopoto, who is beginning to ease away from the early leader, Rockstar Energy Racing's Davi Millsaps. Millsaps once again had a solid night, riding in podium position most of the way and maximizing his point value on a night when he was not as fast as the winner. Red Bull KTM's Ryan Dungey showed inspired speed, maybe more so than he has in any other race so far, including the one he won back at A3. James Stewart had the speed to win, but once again made an unforced error and his inconsistency remains the most consistent thing about him. Chad Reed looked like he was riding hard but he just didn't move forward fast enough, and Trey Canard's title contention continued its steady slide, this time with a crash he was fortunate to walk away from. Justin Barcia was fifth, and Andrew Short seventh—right about where they were pegged to finish from the start of the season (even though Shorty is now on a BTOSports.com KTM and not a red bike). And the RCH guys—Broc Tickle and Josh Hill—hovered just outside the top ten, which is not the finish their bosses Ricky Carmichael and Carey Hart probably wanted for them.
Villopoto edged away from Millsaps and Dungey in Indy, and in the series.
Simon Cudby photo
Add it all up, and it's as if we've entered a holding pattern where everyone's performances so far could be summed up by Saturday night's racing. Will it continue like this? I really don't think so. With only six races left in the series, we may see some folks hitting the panic button. Sure, there is a whole summer of outdoors to come, but for guys like Reed and Canard, who expected to at least win races, and Millsaps, who has his first and best chance at winning the title this late in a series, why not throw caution into the wind and take the fight to Villopoto?
Because if there's one thing that we've seen before, it's Villopoto's McGrath and Carmichael-like ability to manage a points lead. Since his rookie year of 2006 he's earned four outdoor championships and two 450 SX titles, which means he knows how to close the deal. He's not one to count his chickens before they've hatched, and he seems to have hit stride at the right time. This championship is now his to lose.
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Good point on RV's ability to manage a points lead. He is the current master. Not sure why you wasted 31 of 450 words on the RCH team. There are at least 3-4 other privateer teams that have done more with less and deserve mention before RCH.
Indy was Dungeys best oppurtunity so far to make a statement by beating RV. They were both right there from the start of the race and had to pass the same guys...Stewart fell and Saps just appeared a tick off for whatever reasone. You could see in Dungey's riding that "the time is now" thought was in his mind and he pushed with all his might....but still came up short....As the series whinds down, there are only 3 guys left in the hunt...and then you have Stewart who has shown he can run up front the last few weeks and wants to win races...Reed is back there and going a full SX without a win is going to be a blow to the Ego, so he will be pushing.....Crazy only six rounds left...seems like yesterday we were begging for A1 to get here.....
Solid write up Davey!!!
RV just has to keep er on two wheels and he will be good. It's his to lose.
One thing people need to remember is that Davi and Dungey can't screw up either. They are in just as vulnerable position as RV. If Davi and Dungey have a bad night and RV wins, well then, yeah.
The pressure on those 3 is pretty much equal. They can't really screw up anymore. And they all have to finish in front of or right behind one another to keep the points close and their title hopes alive. You don;t have to win, you just have to finish ahead of the other guy(s).
I just pray that they all stay healthy enough for outdoors. I love supercross but man i can't wait til Hangtown.
Poor Tickle, i hope he steps it up outdoors or his boss isn't going to be to happy.
I bet RCH is pushing for Tomac HARD. Eli is their only shot at a guy who has serious potential in the 450 class once the bugs get worked out. This is there chance. I would love to see Eli on a Zook.
The bummer about this points lead with 6 races to go is the RV really only has to race with DM and RD. While he manages the championship which he will, we may be deprived of some great racing.
If RV is in 4th with DM and RD behind him, let's say in front are JS, JB and CR or TC, insert whoever. Is he going to try and charge to the front and race with those 3 riders if the guys in the championship fight are safely behind???
Might not be prudent. I think with each race that clicks off the less likely we are going to get to see the RV/JS/RD showdown or whoever you want to put in there that we are looking for.
Right now, the guy that needs to push the most is RD and I hope he does. From there it is DM, though closer than RD he cannot afford to lose points for a 5th or 6th straight week. Then you have JS7 with no title hopes and nothing to lose, simply trying to prove he is still the top contender his fans want him to be. CR22 needs to win a round for this season not to be condsidered a failure by his standards.
JB would love another W to show what he is bringing to next years fight and this years outdoors.
The bad part for Dungey is he has had quite a few 4th and 5th place finishes while still riding great... If he has another couple nights like that while RV is up front, its going to be the end of his hopes..Plus as menitoned, if you have Stewart , Reed and Barcia all up front doggin for pride and are in front of Dungey....they will make things really hard on him and nobody is going to just move over...I still think Saps and Dungey will find one another on the track and that will be the most interesting turn of events.....
I personally think that RV may have learned from last year if he doesn't maintain his intensity it's easy for him to lose focus. I think it was partly a lack of focus that ended his outdoor season before it began.......
Wouldn't be surprised if Vegas is meaningless as far as the Championship goes....the raging Red Head is on a role.
Considering all the players are healthy this late in the season DM has performed better this year than he ever has. It seams that RV had to re-think his approach to the season and once he calmed down and focused on the big picture he has been steadily taking points back from DM. Now that RV has a lead and DM is under the gun it will be interesting to see how DM holds up mentally. RV has figured out how to deal with the weight of the points lead and he has proved he can handle the weight of a large deficit I see the points gap getting much bigger.
I think RV will still fight for wins, even if he is 'managing a point lead'. it is in his blood. Dont worry, a race will still be there. If RD was in front of RV last week, RV would have still pushed for the win, even though he said he was going as fast as he could keeping Dungey behind him. They looked equal- I wonder if RV could have got Dungey if it was reversed last Sat?
That picture of Dungey and Villopoto is awesome. My interpretation, RD man I gave it all I had good job...RV man I survived that one good race!
Total respect thanks for the show guys!
Yeah Preston!!! God forbid you think any of these guys in the title hunt have any intelligence,
Or better yet, follow team orders from guys a lot smarter than them. Guys that pay their salaries maybe. I am sure you are waiting for James to beat RV by a half second so you can cry straight up! I am sure you will get your wish because if I am RV I am not risking a title, racing with someone who has made aggressive and ke out passes on me in the past.
Of course I pick James because he is the only rider you ever wish to comment about.
Supposed to say " take " out passes.
Preston. dont be racist talking about Nerdy couch Coachs
Just watched RV's go pro from Indy. Damn he scrubs that thing so hard after the Davi pass.
MustardDog: You don't have to "wonder". It has never happened. NEVER. It's an urban myth that RV runs Dungey down and beats him. You can not find video of it. Go ahead and try. 2 years ago, outdoors, RV was on Dungey's back wheel and past him on the last corner when Dungey tightened up a little but HE HAS NEVER "RUN DUNGEY DOWN WHEN DUNGEY CHECKED OUT". 3 years ago(Dungey's rookie year), indoors, he couldn't catch Dungey so he slung his bike under Dungey in a turn and wrecked them both. He then mounted in front of Dungey and crashed trying to stay in front of him(broke his leg). He has passed Dungey a few times through the years in traffic early in the race but he beats him almost always because he gets much better starts. That's it-period! The last person to "run Dungey down was JS7 at A-1 when Dungey was a rookie in 2010. Dungey was out by 4 or 5 seconds and Stewart caught him late. A couple weeks later, Dungey got out by a few seconds and Stewie couldn't catch him.JS7, RV, you name it, NOBODY runs the Dunge down when he gets a couple seconds on the field.
@RCRDDW
Rose colored glasses! Every one has been run down and passed! Some less than others.
Rcrddw
How about unadilla 2011??? He passed him both motos. Moto 1 right in front of me. Steel city, Pala( 1 st moto)???
I don't discredit Dunge in anyway. He's a bad dood and a proven champion.
Fanatism of some people here..... Lol
Preston is throwing that out there just in case his dreamboy Stew gets a win nobody will think RV just settled for 2nd, and coasted...
RCRDDW---What about Steel City, when RV waited until the last corner and passed Dungey?? He ran him down there... Oh yea, and Unadilla.. it happened there too.. It happens to ALL of them.. nobody is unbeatable.. And everbody has been run down before..
RCRDDW has a good point. I think because Rd has not had the passing prowess of RV it is often assumed he is not as fast.
They are so different yet often arrive at almost the same spot. RV with pure aggression and point and shoot speed. RD being more calculated , smooth and precise. With RD's style comes patience and with patience comes the criticism of RD. Less willingness to take chances can be and is perceived as lack of speed.
Being a big Dungey fan I am very happy to see his aggression passing at both Daytona and Indy. If that becomes a permanent bullet in his gun, he may reign at the top for several years! I do believe he will have to share race wins and titles with RV ( who right now, still holds the edge! ) Can't wait for motocross!
I have no idea why Carmichael or Hart would be pissed. Where did he think these guys were gonna finish? Top five? Lower your expectations or get title contenders. Reed, Weimer, and Tomac all stuggled to get top fives. Hell even Windham couldnt do it. Lower your expectations or add more zeros to the contracts you give out.
IMOTP - "Inconsistentest Man On The Planet"
Ryan dungeys approach towards a championship looks absolutely flawless unless Ryan villipoto shows up
Xxktm excellent point except I remember JGR saying "they would never buy a champion, but build one" a year or two later they said screw this and bought Stewart haha we all saw what they got for those added zero's lmao
RCRDDW,
LA. 2011. RV 9th first lap. Dungey 2nd. Dungey 1st second lap. RV 6th. Stewart puts Dungey to 2nd on lap 3, RV still back in 5th. RV ran Dungey down eventually and passed him on lap 9 before setting his sights on Stewart and passing him too for the win. NEVER?? Urban myth?
Thanks to amasupercross.com, we can go back and look at any race since 2003.
RD fans attempting to compare RD speed to RV speed. I'll consider pondering it if RD ever wins a championship that RV didn't take himself out of. Similar to CR earning titles when RC and JS didn't line up. Fan of all 5 of these champs, only 3 of them have been the Alpha Dog.
The leader of any Supercross has the ability to ride the best line....the guy trying to pass the leader has to go faster in the second best line....not an easy task even for the best riders in the world....hats off to Villopoto for controlling the best line....and hats off to Dungey for keeping him honest using the second best line...and that's the bottom line..all puns intended
motodog77....crashing is the direct result of making mistakes...making mistakes is the direct result of riding above ones ability...riding above ones ability does not create a champion....champions finish
motodog77....crashing is the direct result of making mistakes...making mistakes is the direct result of riding above ones ability...riding above ones ability does not create a champion....champions finish
@ comedian I dont believe its riding outside their ability as these guys can probably ride better than they can walk thats how long they have been on a dirt bike but they often push the limits of what the track or their tires will allow
jeramey....cool name btw...if you push beyond the limits of what the track or your tires will allow...you have just exceeded the limits of your ability
with villopoto early on on the west he was pushing the limits of the dirt and washing out now on the east he's getting away with it and it certainly doesnt seem like he backed it down if anything he turned it up
so has Dungey...respect to both
@comedian - one only has to take the 2nd best line for a brief moment to make the pass on the leader...and if the 2nd best line stuffs the leader over the berm, for that brief moment in time it becomes the best line, LOL
@motodog77 name a season that RV won that RD didnt take himself out of. Include dnfs that had nothing to do with RDs riding.
But what about RC and RJ? Not to mention RG killing RH. or did he? What about RL or JW? Did BG take the easy way out as well? I know RS did!
RV has run down and passed RD many times and RD has done the same to him.
I have watched JS do several times as well as others
I listed 5 races in 2011 where RV did and RCrddw does respond he just posts the same false statements on this post
clearly RV has gotten better starts on average than RD (part of racing) this also gives RV less chances of passing him.
clearly his average lap times are slightly better than RD's
clearly he has more success passing in a race
in the four seasons they have raced each other RV won 27 RD won 12
They are so close in speed you never know who will come out on top but to this point RV simply has
to say no one has ever run down and passed RD is simply wrong
@sherpa
Would you agree that crashing and DNF's are part of racing and every rider has to start the same number of races????
If your answer is YES! Your statement is based on what if's. What if's have no place in the outcome of a championship.
Champions are the best on average over the season.
Last man standing is the Champ PERIOD!!
Is
RCRDDW the old J_Slone? Dude you really must not like RV, always got something to say agenst him. Whats the deal?
comedian66 was RV Riding above his ability wheb he tore his ACL last year?? You have a very simplistic view of how guys get hurt.
@billc I too have brought up our old friend Sloan to him and he never even replies. So it's either Sloan or Ryan dungeys mom
haha I too have called him out as JSloan, and ironically I used to accuse JSloan of being RD's mom...lol
miss that guy....wonder if he caught some e coli virus from the toilet seat?
LOL he could use a good case of e coli to clean him out!! HAHAHA
Sloan and the toilet seat. That was one of the funniest things I've read here. That was good!
@BillC
RCRDDW wants to have Dungey's love child.
@xxktm
I agree about RCH. I think RC is a little bummed he couldn't motivate Tickle to at least contend for 5th through 8th. Like you said RC is going to be hard pressed to find a guy with his intensity without spending mucho dinero. They need Tomac or Baggett.
Bucky looks like I will see you in MN
BillC....yes as a matter of fact he was...he was trying to come back from a bad start and was coming to hot into a left hand turn and grabbed to much front brake...and just for the record BillC...you should stop drinking
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc6pXdNqF3s
Great article. I think we will see Dungey turn it up a few notches now. He will push his limits to either stay ahead of RV or catch him and pass him. He will put Milsaps behind him every week and will slowly nibble away at RVs lead. I predict RD will win at least two more rounds, RV will win one more, JS will win one and not sure who will get the remaining. I have to believe Dungey is doing nothing else but practicing starts, at least that is what I would be doing if I were him. He doesn't need a top three start he needs the holeshot if he expects to win this title.