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Supercross & Motocross
AMA MX: Down ‘12 Sets Stage For Epic ‘13
With four proven champions leading the way and a strong contingent of rising stars poised to challenge them, motocross is entering perhaps its most competitive era.
(Photo: Hoppenworld.com)
As the checkered flag waved on the inaugural Lake Elsinore National last weekend, it signified the conclusion of the 2012 American Supercross/Motocross racing seasons. Since January, the fastest riders on the planet have waged war inside the most well-known stadiums in the country throughout the winter and spring, and followed it up with a grueling summer at the most storied motocross tracks on the planet, giving it their all for 24 motos.
In the end, 29 weekends of competition and 41 points-paying races saw a very large contingent of riders sidelined with injury at some point, with many looking ahead to 2013. Even this season’s respective Supercross and Motocross champions were not safe from the injury bug.
Standing as the only rider to line up on the starting gate for each of those 41 races was Mike Alessi. After a solid Supercross season in which he and his MotoConcepts team gelled and dialed in their program, Alessi enjoyed a memorable summer outdoors, finishing on the podium in nine of 12 rounds and securing the runner-up spot in the championship. He managed to steer clear of the misfortune that plagued so many of his rivals and failed to score points just one time this entire season when a freak incident with an errant rock took him out of competition in the opening moto at Unadilla. To cap it off, Alessi was honored as the Sportsperson of the Year for the Nationals thanks to his relentless pursuit of success despite being relegated more or less a privateer, while also assuming the role of this season’s ironman by simply being there each and every weekend.
Alessi is a bright spot in what has to be considered a generally frustrating 2012 season. While the “Ryans” -- Villopoto and Dungey -- extended their reign atop the sport to three years, many of its most recognizable names weren’t able to take part in the action for a significant part of the season. If 2011 was considered to be one of the greatest seasons of all time, then 2012 has to be considered one of the biggest bummers, especially since hopes were so high coming into it.
Things started off even better than expected, with the “Big Four” winning the first four rounds of Supercross. After it appeared as though Villopoto and Reed were slowly stepping away from the field and setting the stage for an epic battle, all hell broke loose. First, it was the frightening crash in Los Angeles that took out title contender Trey Canard -- who was already behind with an offseason injury -- for the year, along with Ryan Morais, which seemed to cause a domino effect of scary moments that ultimately took down nearly ever top tier rider.
Chad Reed was next, with his big Dallas crash and multitude of injuries giving him absolutely no shot at coming back before the 2013 season.
Following the St. Louis stop, Dungey suffered his own hardship after a training injury forced him to undergo surgery and miss five weeks of the SX season.
Stewart’s blow to the head in Indy seemed to be the finishing touch on Villopoto’s successful title defense, but just a couple weeks after he claimed the crown, Villopoto was lost for the remainder of the year as well… at his hometown in Seattle race no less.
Even Kevin Windham, the sport’s ultimate ironman, wasn’t spared, going down in Houston, which essentially put an end to his season.
Ultimately, what looked like it would be the most successful field of riders to ever line up on a gate for the outdoor nationals lost two of its biggest players and its defending champion. While Dungey and Stewart managed to recover well enough to be at or near full health in time for the opening round, it was a short-lived summer of promise.
The opening pair of rounds this summer were of such epic proportion to suggest the Dungey-Stewart rivalry would more than fill the void left by the absence of Villopoto and Reed. Both Stewart, who was making a long overdue return to the outdoors, and Dungey were at the top of their games and it looked as though things would work out just fine.
However, the moment Stewart went down at Thunder Valley, everything changed and we were once again looking at a one-rider showcase en route to the title.
In the end, 29 weekends of competition and 41 points-paying races saw a very large contingent of riders sidelined with injury at some point, with many looking ahead to 2013. Even this season’s respective Supercross and Motocross champions were not safe from the injury bug.
Standing as the only rider to line up on the starting gate for each of those 41 races was Mike Alessi. After a solid Supercross season in which he and his MotoConcepts team gelled and dialed in their program, Alessi enjoyed a memorable summer outdoors, finishing on the podium in nine of 12 rounds and securing the runner-up spot in the championship. He managed to steer clear of the misfortune that plagued so many of his rivals and failed to score points just one time this entire season when a freak incident with an errant rock took him out of competition in the opening moto at Unadilla. To cap it off, Alessi was honored as the Sportsperson of the Year for the Nationals thanks to his relentless pursuit of success despite being relegated more or less a privateer, while also assuming the role of this season’s ironman by simply being there each and every weekend.
Alessi is a bright spot in what has to be considered a generally frustrating 2012 season. While the “Ryans” -- Villopoto and Dungey -- extended their reign atop the sport to three years, many of its most recognizable names weren’t able to take part in the action for a significant part of the season. If 2011 was considered to be one of the greatest seasons of all time, then 2012 has to be considered one of the biggest bummers, especially since hopes were so high coming into it.
Things started off even better than expected, with the “Big Four” winning the first four rounds of Supercross. After it appeared as though Villopoto and Reed were slowly stepping away from the field and setting the stage for an epic battle, all hell broke loose. First, it was the frightening crash in Los Angeles that took out title contender Trey Canard -- who was already behind with an offseason injury -- for the year, along with Ryan Morais, which seemed to cause a domino effect of scary moments that ultimately took down nearly ever top tier rider.
Chad Reed was next, with his big Dallas crash and multitude of injuries giving him absolutely no shot at coming back before the 2013 season.
Following the St. Louis stop, Dungey suffered his own hardship after a training injury forced him to undergo surgery and miss five weeks of the SX season.
Stewart’s blow to the head in Indy seemed to be the finishing touch on Villopoto’s successful title defense, but just a couple weeks after he claimed the crown, Villopoto was lost for the remainder of the year as well… at his hometown in Seattle race no less.
Even Kevin Windham, the sport’s ultimate ironman, wasn’t spared, going down in Houston, which essentially put an end to his season.
Ultimately, what looked like it would be the most successful field of riders to ever line up on a gate for the outdoor nationals lost two of its biggest players and its defending champion. While Dungey and Stewart managed to recover well enough to be at or near full health in time for the opening round, it was a short-lived summer of promise.
The opening pair of rounds this summer were of such epic proportion to suggest the Dungey-Stewart rivalry would more than fill the void left by the absence of Villopoto and Reed. Both Stewart, who was making a long overdue return to the outdoors, and Dungey were at the top of their games and it looked as though things would work out just fine.
However, the moment Stewart went down at Thunder Valley, everything changed and we were once again looking at a one-rider showcase en route to the title.
SX Seattle
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