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Supercross & Motocross
SX: The Holeshot - Oakland
Monster Energy Supercross king Ryan Villopoto is hitting his stride and quickly reestablishing himself as the title favorite.
Monster Energy Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto (Photo: Kawasaki Racing)
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Round 5 of the 2013 Monster Energy Supercross Championship from Anaheim, CA will air LIVE on SPEED on Saturday, February 2nd at 10:30pm ET.
Just one week after he broke through to scoop up his first win of the season, Ryan Villopoto cemented his return to the front following a nightmarish opening round by dominating yet again in Oakland. Now, he’s within 10 points of Davi Millsaps, who stands atop the championship standings, and has to be considered a heavy favorite to make it three in a row.
Last year, Villopoto went on a similar roll right about this same point in the season, which led to his run to the championship. With that in mind, it’s definitely time for his competitors to be on alert and ready to step up in Anaheim this weekend.
A massive pileup on the opening lap made Villopoto’s path to victory that much easier in Oakland as Chad Reed, James Stewart, Justin Barcia, Trey Canard, and Ryan Dungey all were caught up in it in some way or another. Regardless, the champ was already out in front of the chaos and in the process of checking out.
However, the fallout from the incident resulted in a bit of a shakeup in the standings and now it's Millsaps, Canard, and Villopoto sitting on top. Reed fell from third to fifth, Barcia dropped to ninth with his second consecutive DNF, and Supercross legend Stewart is somehow not even ranked in the top 10 after recording a DNF as well.
Millsaps’ super consistent start to the season is the reason why he’s still holding on to the red plate. With a finishing line that reads 1-3-4-2, it’s little wonder he’s the points leader. Millsaps is doing everything he possibly can to keep his rivals at bay -- a fact that's even more impressive when you consider that he’s doing it without factory support. Clearly, the Rockstar Energy Racing machine is a good one, but it's never easy to run bar-to-bar with the million-dollar full factory efforts.
The man in the middle of the two hottest riders on the circuit is Canard, who continues to inch closer to what would be one of the more heartwarming wins in recent history. Last Saturday was arguably Canard’s worst overall effort of the season, but he still clawed his way to a fourth-place finish despite starting from behind on the opening lap and then falling halfway through the main event. That resiliency again demonstrated that Canard has all the tools to win and you have to think he’s bound to break through at some point.
The frustration brewing inside the helmets of both Dungey and Reed has to be nearing a breaking point. As two of the most consistent riders the sport has even known, they both have to be aching for a chance to battle for the win. Dungey rebounded from a recent stint of bad luck to return to the podium in Oakland, while Reed suffered through his worst outing of the season after being a central figure in the opening lap crash. They have both shown that the speed is there, but neither has pulled a strong enough start to put them up front. Along with Canard, these two are sure to get their opportunities very soon, but they need to do so quickly if they hope to a chance at staying in the championship fight.
Just one week after he broke through to scoop up his first win of the season, Ryan Villopoto cemented his return to the front following a nightmarish opening round by dominating yet again in Oakland. Now, he’s within 10 points of Davi Millsaps, who stands atop the championship standings, and has to be considered a heavy favorite to make it three in a row.
Last year, Villopoto went on a similar roll right about this same point in the season, which led to his run to the championship. With that in mind, it’s definitely time for his competitors to be on alert and ready to step up in Anaheim this weekend.
A massive pileup on the opening lap made Villopoto’s path to victory that much easier in Oakland as Chad Reed, James Stewart, Justin Barcia, Trey Canard, and Ryan Dungey all were caught up in it in some way or another. Regardless, the champ was already out in front of the chaos and in the process of checking out.
However, the fallout from the incident resulted in a bit of a shakeup in the standings and now it's Millsaps, Canard, and Villopoto sitting on top. Reed fell from third to fifth, Barcia dropped to ninth with his second consecutive DNF, and Supercross legend Stewart is somehow not even ranked in the top 10 after recording a DNF as well.
Millsaps’ super consistent start to the season is the reason why he’s still holding on to the red plate. With a finishing line that reads 1-3-4-2, it’s little wonder he’s the points leader. Millsaps is doing everything he possibly can to keep his rivals at bay -- a fact that's even more impressive when you consider that he’s doing it without factory support. Clearly, the Rockstar Energy Racing machine is a good one, but it's never easy to run bar-to-bar with the million-dollar full factory efforts.
The man in the middle of the two hottest riders on the circuit is Canard, who continues to inch closer to what would be one of the more heartwarming wins in recent history. Last Saturday was arguably Canard’s worst overall effort of the season, but he still clawed his way to a fourth-place finish despite starting from behind on the opening lap and then falling halfway through the main event. That resiliency again demonstrated that Canard has all the tools to win and you have to think he’s bound to break through at some point.
The frustration brewing inside the helmets of both Dungey and Reed has to be nearing a breaking point. As two of the most consistent riders the sport has even known, they both have to be aching for a chance to battle for the win. Dungey rebounded from a recent stint of bad luck to return to the podium in Oakland, while Reed suffered through his worst outing of the season after being a central figure in the opening lap crash. They have both shown that the speed is there, but neither has pulled a strong enough start to put them up front. Along with Canard, these two are sure to get their opportunities very soon, but they need to do so quickly if they hope to a chance at staying in the championship fight.
SX Seattle
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