Vital Buzz: Millville 2008





Monster Energy Kawasaki's Mike Williamson passes along the message to James Stewart.


Click any photo in this article for a larger image.



Congratulations to James Stewart and Monster Energy Kawasaki crew, as well as Ryan Villopoto and Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki for picking up a pair of titles at Millville last weekend.




When James lined up for the second moto, he and Fox had added a couple new items to his gear. There was a special butt patch to commemorate the championship, as well as a different digit…a number one for the back of his jersey. Sitting on the line and looking at the non-regulation jersey, his teammate Tim Ferry jokingly said, “After the race I’m protesting that guy.” For his part, James said, “It’s the first time that I’ve won this thing, so I kind of wanted to celebrate it in style.”


With the championships safely locked up for the season, the attention in the MX1 class turns to the race for second overall. While it could almost be considered first in class (Non-James MX1), the battle is between Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Timmy Ferry, and Honda Red Bull Racing’s Andrew Short who are separated by only six points.



Short put in one of the most impressive charges of the weekend after a first-turn crash in the second moto. Shorty backed up his second in the first moto with a fifth in the second, which was impressive after being scored 28th on the first lap.



For his part, Ferry didn’t look like he had quite the speed he’d had in some of the previous rounds, but he’s still getting back up to full speed after a practice crash coming into the Washougal round.



Broc Hepler (Yamaha Factory Racing) made his first appearance of the National season in Millville, and his first pro race aboard a 450. After finishing a strong fifth in the first moto, he had to weave his way through the carnage of the second moto start, and came home 11th in round two for eighth overall. He also displayed a gnarly scar along the bottom of his right forearm, where he’d had surgery to repair the broke bone.



Ivan Tedesco was another returning rider, and he finished 11th overall in MX1 for the day. The Millville whoops covered a much span this year, and were maybe half the length that they usually are. They also featured a lot more sand than in previous years, though riders did mention that they’d occasionally find a hard rut at the bottom, which were capable of shooting them in unexpected directions.



Matt Goerke was another new rider in the MX1 class last weekend, moving up from the quarter-liter SX-F to the full-sized KTM. He was running fourth in moto one after passing Hepler and Tedesco, but a flat tire four laps from the end slowed his progress. He was also running just outside the top three in moto two, before a crash in the whoops dropped him down in the pack. He eventually finished seventh.


Matt’s MDK KTM teammate, Nick Wey, went 10-4 for fourth overall. We don’t know if a top-five bet was on with his teammate, Steve Lamson, but if it was, Lamy might show up at Southwick with a “unique” haircut.



Jeff Alessi grabbed the moto two holeshot and ran in second early in the race, but eventually finished sixth. Still, that was good for sixth overall.



After playing speed bump at Red Bud (and if you’ve seen the video, you know how horrifying that was), we hear that Mike Alessi is back riding, has his speed back, and is anxious to return to action. Now he just has to get back a little of the strength that he lost while healing, and get the nod from Rockstar Makita Suzuki Team Manager, Roger DeCoster. Despite missing four rounds, Mike is still in seventh overall in the MX1 standings, and is only nine points out of fifth.



Ouch. This is one of the most common injuries we see in the pit area, and one that mechanics will recognize instantly. It’s a burn from the back of a muffler. We’ve seen more than a few of these this summer.



With his 2-1 day, Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey took the overall at the same race where he made his pro debut in ’06. It was also his second overall in a row, and the win sure was a treat for some of his hometown fans.



Blake Wharton took the top spot among the new rookies that moved up after the AMA Amateur National Championships at Loretta Lynn’s, but it’ll be interesting to see how he and the rest of the graduating class (like P. J. Larsen, shown here), respond over the next couple rounds. Getting some of the first race jitters out of the way should help settle some nerves at the next round.



You have to feel bad for Martin Davalos. He holeshot both MX2 motos, but came away with a 24th-place overall after problems and crashes took their toll. If he could get a little luck on his side…



What does it take to win three championships? A great bike, lots of skill, and some training reminders to pound out the laps. Randy Lawrence provides a little motivation during practice.



Ryan Villopoto’s second moto performance was pretty amazing. After starting in second spot behind Martin Davalos, he quickly took the lead and began a sprint to separate himself from the pack. Unfortunately, he lost the front end on a fast downhill and crashed, leaving him near the rear of the pack. After remounting, he charged from deep in the field to move all the way into second spot, passing Brett Metcalfe and Blake Wharton with less than a handful of laps remaining to grab second spot.



That’s what it’s all about...number one with a bullet. Ryan Villopoto’s third straight MX2 title might have been the easiest one yet, as he hasn’t had any DNFs, and wrapped it up with two full races remaining.


Next week is Southwick, which should be interesting, with the arrival of Martin Honda’s resident sand ace, Marc de Reuver from The Netherlands. It’ll be cool to see him in action again (we haven’t seen him live since Valkenswaard earlier this year), and we dig seeing riders travel back and forth. The podium finishers from last weekend noticed an online interview with Marc last week where he did make some bold predictions, but as Marc has mentioned in the Vital MX forums that, “I don't come to beat anyone, I come to have a good time and hope to make a good result. I never said I was gonna beat anybody or something. I don't run my mouth, my results speak for me...”


It seems that with the Motocross of Nations getting closer, people are already looking forward to the annual us vs. them bench racing. Look for Marc to be sporting the number 154 next weekend.

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