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Supercross & Motocross
SX/MX: Top 10 Riders Of 2012
Who were the best ten SX/MX riders in 2012? SPEED.com breaks it down…
(Photo: Hoppenworld.com)
Ranking the SX/MX Top Ten in 2012 wasn't nearly as cut-and-dried as in 2011, as no elite rider proved capable of avoiding injury and assembling a complete, combined year in Monster Energy Supercross and Lucas Oil Motocross competition. However, some riders made more of a mark with the time they had than others…
10. Tie - Davi Millsaps, Jake Weimer, and Justin Brayton
Davi Millsaps, Jake Weimer, and Justin Brayton were the men who repeatedly stepped forward to keep things interesting while the sport's biggest names were out mending. The 'best of the rest' tag was in full effect, and while there were no wins to be had among them, there were plenty of podiums along with a runner-up SX campaign for Millsaps (and an injury-hit, ninth in MX), a third-place ranking in MX and fifth in SX for Weimer, and fourth (SX) and seventh (MX) for Brayton.
7. Blake Baggett
Blake Baggett bounced back from a somewhat disappointing zero-win, fourth-place campaign in Lites East competition to claim the 250cc title during the outdoor season in impression fashion. Baggett showed an uncanny ability to make up for poor starts and left no one in doubt of his skill, talent, or determination by the conclusion of his '12 MX campaign.
6. Eli Tomac
Eli Tomac enjoyed a spectacular '12, defeating Dean Wilson for the Lites West crown (after which he pushed Justin Barcia for the East-West Shootout win) and finishing third outdoors. He also raised eyebrows and dropped jaws by closing out his year with a win in one of the three legs of the second annual Monster Energy Cup.
5. Justin Barcia
As remarkable as Tomac's year was, he found himself overshadowed by fellow Honda prospect Justin Barcia. Barcia dominated the Lites East series, won the East-West Shootout, and was second to Baggett on the motorcross undercard. And he not only won a leg of the Monster Energy Cup -- he walked away $100,000 richer by taking overall honors in what was a sterling Team Honda Muscle Milk debut.
4. James Stewart
James Stewart can still bring it, but he suffered through yet another season better defined by mistakes, controversy, and injury than outright success. In addition, Stewart's long-held claim of being the unquestioned fastest rider on the planet isn't exactly unquestioned these days. Stewart scored just two wins in 11 SX starts, but did win the opening four motos of the MX season (following a team swap) before injury struck him down yet again. Stewart is not only still capable of dominating races, but championships as well if everything goes to plan -- but there's no longer the overwhelming sense that he's going to run away every time he takes the gate.
3. Chad Reed
Chad Reed only lined up for seven main events in 2011, but in that span he showed incredible speed and motivation. The Australian was just finding his groove, pushing Ryan Villopoto for all he was worth, before a big crash sidelined him for the remainder of the year. Sure, he's well up there in years (at least in this unforgiving game), but no one is going to repeat the mistake of counting him out this time around.
2. Ryan Dungey
Ryan Dungey has a legitimate argument that he should be #1 on this list -- he had the best overall year and made some history along the way. Dungey took KTM to its first-ever Supercross main event win and then its first 450cc championship (in emphatic fashion) once the motocross season came along.
1. Ryan Villopoto
While Dungey was strong throughout '11, Villopoto spent half the year on the shelf, but reminded everyone why he's the best SX/MX rider on planet Earth when he was healthy. Villopoto backed up his unbelievable '11 (SX championship, MX championship, Monster Million winner, MXoN victory) by successfully defending his Supercross title and locking up the crown earlier than anyone in history. He would have likely proven hard to beat in motocross competition as well had he not gotten injured late in the SX season in front of his home fans. Expect Villopoto to return at full strength in 2013, prepared to resume his developing rivalries with Dungey, Reed, Stewart, and anyone else out there with an eye on #1.
SPEED.com Motorcycle Racing Editor Chris Martin saw Eddie Lawson win aboard a Kawasaki the first time he attended an AMA Superbike race and witnessed Ben Bostrom win a World Superbike race aboard a V&H Ducati the first time he worked one. He has written about AMA SBK, WSBK, and MotoGP for SPEED.com since 2003. Chris is now on Twitter.
10. Tie - Davi Millsaps, Jake Weimer, and Justin Brayton
Davi Millsaps, Jake Weimer, and Justin Brayton were the men who repeatedly stepped forward to keep things interesting while the sport's biggest names were out mending. The 'best of the rest' tag was in full effect, and while there were no wins to be had among them, there were plenty of podiums along with a runner-up SX campaign for Millsaps (and an injury-hit, ninth in MX), a third-place ranking in MX and fifth in SX for Weimer, and fourth (SX) and seventh (MX) for Brayton.
7. Blake Baggett
Blake Baggett bounced back from a somewhat disappointing zero-win, fourth-place campaign in Lites East competition to claim the 250cc title during the outdoor season in impression fashion. Baggett showed an uncanny ability to make up for poor starts and left no one in doubt of his skill, talent, or determination by the conclusion of his '12 MX campaign.
6. Eli Tomac
Eli Tomac enjoyed a spectacular '12, defeating Dean Wilson for the Lites West crown (after which he pushed Justin Barcia for the East-West Shootout win) and finishing third outdoors. He also raised eyebrows and dropped jaws by closing out his year with a win in one of the three legs of the second annual Monster Energy Cup.
5. Justin Barcia
As remarkable as Tomac's year was, he found himself overshadowed by fellow Honda prospect Justin Barcia. Barcia dominated the Lites East series, won the East-West Shootout, and was second to Baggett on the motorcross undercard. And he not only won a leg of the Monster Energy Cup -- he walked away $100,000 richer by taking overall honors in what was a sterling Team Honda Muscle Milk debut.
4. James Stewart
James Stewart can still bring it, but he suffered through yet another season better defined by mistakes, controversy, and injury than outright success. In addition, Stewart's long-held claim of being the unquestioned fastest rider on the planet isn't exactly unquestioned these days. Stewart scored just two wins in 11 SX starts, but did win the opening four motos of the MX season (following a team swap) before injury struck him down yet again. Stewart is not only still capable of dominating races, but championships as well if everything goes to plan -- but there's no longer the overwhelming sense that he's going to run away every time he takes the gate.
3. Chad Reed
Chad Reed only lined up for seven main events in 2011, but in that span he showed incredible speed and motivation. The Australian was just finding his groove, pushing Ryan Villopoto for all he was worth, before a big crash sidelined him for the remainder of the year. Sure, he's well up there in years (at least in this unforgiving game), but no one is going to repeat the mistake of counting him out this time around.
2. Ryan Dungey
Ryan Dungey has a legitimate argument that he should be #1 on this list -- he had the best overall year and made some history along the way. Dungey took KTM to its first-ever Supercross main event win and then its first 450cc championship (in emphatic fashion) once the motocross season came along.
1. Ryan Villopoto
While Dungey was strong throughout '11, Villopoto spent half the year on the shelf, but reminded everyone why he's the best SX/MX rider on planet Earth when he was healthy. Villopoto backed up his unbelievable '11 (SX championship, MX championship, Monster Million winner, MXoN victory) by successfully defending his Supercross title and locking up the crown earlier than anyone in history. He would have likely proven hard to beat in motocross competition as well had he not gotten injured late in the SX season in front of his home fans. Expect Villopoto to return at full strength in 2013, prepared to resume his developing rivalries with Dungey, Reed, Stewart, and anyone else out there with an eye on #1.
SPEED.com Motorcycle Racing Editor Chris Martin saw Eddie Lawson win aboard a Kawasaki the first time he attended an AMA Superbike race and witnessed Ben Bostrom win a World Superbike race aboard a V&H Ducati the first time he worked one. He has written about AMA SBK, WSBK, and MotoGP for SPEED.com since 2003. Chris is now on Twitter.
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