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Supercross & Motocross
SX: The Holeshot - Las Vegas
Brandon Short writes that the Monster Energy Supercross finale in Las Vegas was an appropriate conclusion to the 2012 season.
The 2012 Monster Energy Supercross season is now behind us. The highly anticipated Las Vegas finale always presents an opportunity to close the season on a high note. And even if there weren’t any championships on the line this time around, I’d be willing to bet that no one left Sam Boyd Stadium disappointed.
And yes, the names we’ve grown accustomed to seeing stand atop of the podium this season once again prevailed, but that doesn’t mean the action that went down on the night wasn’t packed with the sort of drama and excitement that makes Supercross so captivating to begin with.
Very rarely does the premier class get overshadowed by the Lites division but it happened Saturday evening. It was a night for the rising stars of the sport to be showcased on the biggest stage. With a pair of 15-lap main events, combined with the 10-lap East/West Shootout, there was ample opportunity for the wild nature of the class to be displayed. And more often than not, the youthful exuberance of these young riders produces incredible racing. And even though the respective regional champions, Justin Barcia and Eli Tomac, were the stars of the night, it was still a ton of fun to watch.
The growth of many of the riders in this class has been a key if overlooked story this year. In particular, Jason Anderson, Ken Roczen, Marvin Musquin, and Malcolm Stewart have really come a long way. Yes, the talent of Roczen and Musquin was widely recognized prior to the start of the campaign, but these are still two developing riders who are trying to get settled on U.S. soil. Roczen is still very young, turning 18 a couple weeks ago, while Musquin competed in only his first full season of Supercross competition.
Both riders have been staples at the front of the field, with Roczen even grabbing a win. He was consistently the biggest threat to Barcia’s dominance but just wasn’t able to pull off the sort of starts he needed to continually apply the pressure. As for Musquin, he surged towards the end of the year after a solid start. Perhaps nothing was more eye-opening than his blistering speed in Seattle, posting the second-quickest lap of practice -- in either class.
Anderson appeared to be lost at times last season as a rookie and he got off to a relatively slow start again this year. However, as the weeks passed, you could see his confidence increase and now he stands as podium contender. The same could be said for Stewart. Obviously, being the younger brother of JS7, there is a considerable amount of attention directed his way. Bearing the Stewart name on the back of your jersey automatically demands success in the eyes of some.
Being on a quality team helped build 'Mookie''s confidence and he was running in podium contention on several occasions. While mistakes ultimately cost him stronger finishes, he still made huge strides, apparent with his fourth-place finish in the final East Main Event.
And yes, the names we’ve grown accustomed to seeing stand atop of the podium this season once again prevailed, but that doesn’t mean the action that went down on the night wasn’t packed with the sort of drama and excitement that makes Supercross so captivating to begin with.
Very rarely does the premier class get overshadowed by the Lites division but it happened Saturday evening. It was a night for the rising stars of the sport to be showcased on the biggest stage. With a pair of 15-lap main events, combined with the 10-lap East/West Shootout, there was ample opportunity for the wild nature of the class to be displayed. And more often than not, the youthful exuberance of these young riders produces incredible racing. And even though the respective regional champions, Justin Barcia and Eli Tomac, were the stars of the night, it was still a ton of fun to watch.
The growth of many of the riders in this class has been a key if overlooked story this year. In particular, Jason Anderson, Ken Roczen, Marvin Musquin, and Malcolm Stewart have really come a long way. Yes, the talent of Roczen and Musquin was widely recognized prior to the start of the campaign, but these are still two developing riders who are trying to get settled on U.S. soil. Roczen is still very young, turning 18 a couple weeks ago, while Musquin competed in only his first full season of Supercross competition.
Both riders have been staples at the front of the field, with Roczen even grabbing a win. He was consistently the biggest threat to Barcia’s dominance but just wasn’t able to pull off the sort of starts he needed to continually apply the pressure. As for Musquin, he surged towards the end of the year after a solid start. Perhaps nothing was more eye-opening than his blistering speed in Seattle, posting the second-quickest lap of practice -- in either class.
Anderson appeared to be lost at times last season as a rookie and he got off to a relatively slow start again this year. However, as the weeks passed, you could see his confidence increase and now he stands as podium contender. The same could be said for Stewart. Obviously, being the younger brother of JS7, there is a considerable amount of attention directed his way. Bearing the Stewart name on the back of your jersey automatically demands success in the eyes of some.
Being on a quality team helped build 'Mookie''s confidence and he was running in podium contention on several occasions. While mistakes ultimately cost him stronger finishes, he still made huge strides, apparent with his fourth-place finish in the final East Main Event.
SX Seattle
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