AMA MX: The Original Extreme Sport
This year's wild outdoor season is proving once again why motocross is considered the original extreme sport.
Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Chad Reed (Photo: Steve Cox)
Motocross is not a tough sport -- it’s far more than that. Motocross is known as the original extreme sport for a reason. So far this season, we’ve had two points leaders drop out of the 450 Class in nearly consecutive weeks, with Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto and Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Mike Alessi both knocked out of contention prior to the fourth round of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championships held at High Point Raceway last Saturday.
Simultaneously, Alessi’s teammate, Chad Reed, was just hitting his outdoor stride after two years away from the series, while also improving in an illness that has had him vomiting before, during, and after just about every moto run so far this year. The Australian took advantage of the situation at High Point and took the first 450cc National win of his career with a 1-1 score, claiming the points lead in the process. Amazingly, Alessi remains second in points and only 19 behind Reed, still five clear of Honda Red Bull Racing’s Andrew Short.
This is significant because Alessi had surgery to repair his broken kneecap and rumors have him returning to action at the Colorado round. This would be less than three weeks after he broke it in the first place. If he does, that’s nuts, but it brings another guy back into the title chase. However, he no longer has the the momentum, his teammate does.
