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Supercross & Motocross
SX: The Burning Q - Biggest Surprise?
While a number of Supercross' biggest stars have been sidelined due to injury, another group has stepped forward to fill the void.
Team Honda Muscle Milk's Justin Brayton (Photo: Honda Red Riders)
PROGRAMMING NOTE: The Houston round of the Monster Energy Supercross Lites Championship will air on SPEED Sunday, April 1 at 1:00pm ET. #SXonSPEED
While Ryan Villopoto is (deservedly) the biggest story in Supercross these days, his continued excellence is far from the biggest surprise.
With the reigning champion on the verge of clinching a second straight Monster Energy Supercross crown, some of the focused has been freed up to cast a glance on the sport's up-and-coming riders who have recently stepped into the spotlight while filling the void left by the injuries of Chad Reed, Ryan Dungey, and James Stewart.
And among that group, who has been the biggest surprise of this championship season?
While the aforementioned injuries will be the defining aspect of this title fight (one that started off with remarkable parity if you will recall), an interesting second story has been the rise of others when presented with the opportunity. One man goes down, another steps forward to take his place.
Even lacking his primary rivals, Villopoto has been forced to work hard to remain at the front of the pack.
Of those riders keeping the champ honest, the two most impressive have been Justin Brayton and Jake Weimer. Kevin Windham and Davi Millsaps have put together strong seasons as well, with both riders riding especially well in recent weeks, but given their veteran status, that sort of performance was expected.
Weimer was forced to miss virtually his entire rookie season in the premier class one year ago due to injury. He returned at the tail end of the championship, but wasn’t able to really acclimate himself to the competition. He entered 2012 more or less as a first-year rider, and took a lot of people by surprise by landing on the podium at the second race of the season in Phoenix, grabbing a runner-up finish.
Just one week later in Los Angeles, he found himself leading the pack in the main event. While an incident with Stewart ultimately relegated him to 11th, Weimer got a taste of what it’s like to race with the world’s best. Since then, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Weimer, but given everything he’s been up against this season, he’s performed well and stayed resilient. While he failed to qualify in Indianapolis, last weekend in Toronto Weimer appeared to be a lock for his third podium of the season if not for one very costly mistake in the race's late stages. At seventh in the championship, Weimer should be proud of what he’s achieved this season considering the odds were stacked against him coming into 2012.
While Ryan Villopoto is (deservedly) the biggest story in Supercross these days, his continued excellence is far from the biggest surprise.
With the reigning champion on the verge of clinching a second straight Monster Energy Supercross crown, some of the focused has been freed up to cast a glance on the sport's up-and-coming riders who have recently stepped into the spotlight while filling the void left by the injuries of Chad Reed, Ryan Dungey, and James Stewart.
And among that group, who has been the biggest surprise of this championship season?
While the aforementioned injuries will be the defining aspect of this title fight (one that started off with remarkable parity if you will recall), an interesting second story has been the rise of others when presented with the opportunity. One man goes down, another steps forward to take his place.
Even lacking his primary rivals, Villopoto has been forced to work hard to remain at the front of the pack.
Of those riders keeping the champ honest, the two most impressive have been Justin Brayton and Jake Weimer. Kevin Windham and Davi Millsaps have put together strong seasons as well, with both riders riding especially well in recent weeks, but given their veteran status, that sort of performance was expected.
Weimer was forced to miss virtually his entire rookie season in the premier class one year ago due to injury. He returned at the tail end of the championship, but wasn’t able to really acclimate himself to the competition. He entered 2012 more or less as a first-year rider, and took a lot of people by surprise by landing on the podium at the second race of the season in Phoenix, grabbing a runner-up finish.
Just one week later in Los Angeles, he found himself leading the pack in the main event. While an incident with Stewart ultimately relegated him to 11th, Weimer got a taste of what it’s like to race with the world’s best. Since then, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Weimer, but given everything he’s been up against this season, he’s performed well and stayed resilient. While he failed to qualify in Indianapolis, last weekend in Toronto Weimer appeared to be a lock for his third podium of the season if not for one very costly mistake in the race's late stages. At seventh in the championship, Weimer should be proud of what he’s achieved this season considering the odds were stacked against him coming into 2012.
SX Seattle
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