Monster Energy Supercross: Anaheim 2 2010

Three-rider battles for the lead? Yeah, we'll take those.

In what really should have been a mud race, after nearly six solid days of rain, we got a big surprise on Saturday night at the three AMA Monster Energy Supercross rounds at Anaheim Stadium. The Dirt Wurx and Feld track guys did a masterful job of getting the track done early (it was one of the shortest builds ever), keeping it dry, and fixing what was wet on Saturday morning. All of that combined to make for a very good track on Saturday night.

That's the good news.

The bad news? They set the bar really high. Now, short of a build-an-ark type flood, everyone's going to expect something approaching the same in the future, no matter the weather.

The pack heads for turn one. Stewart grabbed the holeshot.

As for the racing? Well, it didn't disappoint, either. Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you know that last week's round in Phoenix provided some of the wildest action seen in a while. Whether it was the intense heat race crash involving San Manuel / Yamaha / JSE's James Stewart and Red Seven Ride Co's Kyle Partridge, or the tangle between Stewart and Monster Energy Kawasaki's Chad Reed that ruffled feathers and left Reed with a broken hand...not to mention an appeal against a possible penalty at the AMA truck (later overturned), there was no shortage of stuff to talk about.

The biggest question however, was the condition of Stewart, who'd spent the week at home, trying to rehab his very sore right side. Discussion has been ongoing about whether he could race, and he rode a minimal amount of practice on Saturday. One thing that's not in doubt, is that if he didn't line up at A2, Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey would build an even bigger points lead than he already has.

Hill took over the lead from Stewart on lap six.

When the gate dropped for the main event, it was Stewart with the holeshot, and after things settled in a little, he was followed by his teammate, Josh Hill, and the series points leader, Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey, who'd taken the win last week in Phoenix. Of the lead trio, it looked like Stewart was not his usual smooth self, and Hill quickly began to pressure him, eventually taking over the top spot on lap six. Dungey appeared content to watch for the first 12 laps, staying in close contact with the leaders, but on lap 13 he took over second from James Stewart, and three laps later, he went by Hill and into the lead. Hill hung onto second, and Stewart was third.

All three of these guys were about this far apart for much of the main.

The good news? There wasn't anything on the track that merited hours of post-race drama at the AMA truck this week. Actually, the only sign of distress was on James Stewart's face. He wasn't exactly high-fiving anyone, or shaking any hands, and one of his mechanics had to help him remove his helmet after the finish of the main event. He's definitely still hurting after last week's crash, and we're starting to wonder if he can continue with the series. He's definitely not riding his normal style.

One thing no one can say is that the racing wasn't exceptionally clean. After an outside pass, Dungey could have been launched into the cheap seats in this corner.

With his second straight win, Dungey now has a 15-point lead over Hill, and Ryan Villopoto (who finished seventh after starting mid-pack) is another five points behind Hill.

Hill (2nd), Dungey (1st), and Stewart (3rd) made up this week's podium.

In the Supercross Lites West action, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Jake Weimer is now three-for-three in the win column. His teammate, Josh Hansen, grabbed the holeshot again this week, and though he eventually finished fourth, he was free of the crashing gremlins that have plagued him for the first two rounds. Once Weimer worked his way to the lead, he was gone, and cruised in with a three-and-a-half second lead over Troy Lee Designs / Lucas Oil / Honda's Wil Hahn. Wilbur has improved every round this season, going from fourth at A1, to just missing the podium at Phoenix at round two in a last-lap battle with Geico Powersports Honda's Blake Wharton. (Wharton was eighth this weekend).

Josh Hansen seems to have picked up some of the holeshot magic from his dad, Donnie.

Rounding out the podium at Anaheim was Trey Canard (Geico Powersports Honda), who'd worked his way from nearly mid-pack to finish third. Canard and Hahn are tied for second in the overall points with 56 apiece, and trail Weimer by 19 points.

Wil Hahn scored second here, and could be a threat for a win.

Two riders who turned in their best efforts of the season were Cole Seely (Troy Lee Designs / Lucas Oil / Honda) who was fifth; and Gautier Paulin, who scored a sixth in his last race before heading home to France to start prepping for the 2010 GP season.

Max Anstie and Gautier Paulin dicing for position. The Frenchman won that batte.

After dodging the mud race bullet at Anaheim, the Monster Energy Supercross tour heads north to San Francisco, which has traditionally been one of the wettest stops. Fortunately, the forecast looks pretty good. Be sure to check back at Vital MX for full coverage.

Jake Weimer is three-for-three this season.

Results

2010 Monster Energy Supercross

Anaheim, CA

Supercross Lites Heat 1
1. Josh Hansen

2. Cole Seely

3. Trey Canard

4. Travis Baker

5. Chris Gosselaar

6. Sean Borkenhagen

7. Ryan Clark

8. Robert Kiniry

9. Jeffrey Mann Jr.

Supercross Lites Heat 2
1. Jake Weimer

2. Broc Tickle

3. Wil Hahn

4. Max Anstie

5. Jeff Alessi

6. Antonio Balbi

7. Hunter Hewitt

8. Tanner Reidman

9. Jake Canada

Supercross Heat 1
1. Josh Hill

2. James Stewart

3. Andrew Short

4. Austin Stroupe

5. Tommy Hahn

6. Chris Blose

7. Kyle Chisholm

8. Nick Wey

9. Justin Keeney

Supercross Heat 2
1. Ryan Dungey

2. Ryan Villopoto

3. Michael Byrne

4. Ivan Tedesco

5. Kevin Windham

6. Davi Millsaps

7. Justin Brayton

8. Grant Langston

9. Manuel Rivas Gomez

Supercross Lites LCQ
1. Blake Wharton

2. Gautier Paulin

Supercross LCQ
1. Fabien Izoird

2. Jason Thomas

Supercross Lites Main Event
1. Jake Weimer (Kawasaki)

2. Wil Hahn (Honda)

3. Trey Canard (Honda)

4. Josh Hansen (Kawasaki)

5. Cole Seely (Honda)

6. Gautier Paulin (Yamaha)

7. Max Anstie (Yamaha)

8. Blake Wharton (Honda)

9. Travis Baker (Yamaha)

10. Broc Tickle (Yamaha)

11. Robert Kiniry (Suzuki)

12. Jeff Alessi (Yamaha)

13. Antonio Balbi (Kawasaki)

14. Sean Borkenhagen (KTM)

15. Ryan Clark (Honda)

16. Chris Gosselaar (Honda)

17. Hunter Hewitt (Suzuki)

18. Tanner Reidman (Honda)

19. Jeffrey Mann Jr. (Kawasaki)

20. Jake Canada (Kawasaki)

Supercross Main Event
1. Ryan Dungey (Suzuki)

2. Josh Hill (Yamaha)

3. James Stewart (Yamaha)

4. Andrew Short (Honda)

5. Kevin Windham (Honda)

6. Justin Brayton (Yamaha)

7. Ryan Villopoto (Kawasaki)

8. Davi Millsaps (Honda)

9. Michael Byrne (Yamaha)

10. Ivan Tedesco (Yamaha)

11. Kyle Chisholm (Yamaha)

12. Tommy Hahn (Suzuki)

13. Nick Wey (Kawasaki)

14. Jason Thomas (Suzuki)

15. Chris Blose (Honda)

16. Fabien Ioird (Kawasaki)

17. Manuel Rivas Gomez (Kawasaki)

18. Justin Keeney (Kawasaki)

19. Austin Stroupe (Suzuki)

Supercross Lites West Point Standings
1. Jake Weimer 75

2. Trey Canard 56

3. Wil Hahn 56

4. Blake Wharton 51

5. Ryan Morais 42

6. Broc Tickle 42

7. Cole Seely 38

8. Josh Hansen 32

9. Max Anstie 32

10. Gautier Paulin 30

Supercross Point Standings
1. Ryan Dungey 72

2. Josh Hill 57

3. Ryan Villopoto 52

4. Andrew Short 52

5. James Stewart 51

6. Kevin Windham 51

7. Ivan Tedesco 43

8. Justin Brayton 41

9. Davi Millsaps 37

10. Tommy Hahn 30