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Joined
7/1/2008
Location
Castle Rock, CO, USA
Edited Date/Time
1/25/2012 12:41pm
Here are some reflections on the season thus far.
Top 10 450:
Villopoto - He has really proven that he's got the speed to run with anyone out there. Between Stewart's bad night (15th) and Dungey's (DNF), he's done the best damage control out of the three (7th). I was expecting him to be fast, but he has still impressed me with both fitness and speed. I've been more impressed with RV's ability to come through the pack than anyone else on the track. Villopoto embodies the spirit of a racer. There's not a single night where he's come into the race thinking, "I might not be able to pull it out tonight. I only qualified 9th fastest." He has confidence in himself, his bike, and his program. I think it will be next to impossible for his competition to get a mental edge on him as he doesn't seem to care - he just goes out and wins.
Stewart - I think I've only seen the real James Stewart once this season - at A2. I'm not entirely sure who's been riding his bike at the other rounds, but he's been much less Stewart'esque than I expected. My wife has only been keeping up with the sport since 2010, and before this season kicked off I was explaining to her Stewart's ability to grab another gear and do things the rest of the field couldn't. Granted, I knew this year would be a different story based on the increased level of competition, but I haven't seen him ride at all like he used to, save for one race - A2. Would the real James Stewart, please stand up? I'd love to be able to watch a race and say to my wife, "THAAAAT'S what I'm talking about. Did you see that?!"
Reed - I wasn't sure what I thought of Reed's chances pre-season. I was impressed with him undertaking his own team, but I was afraid that it might be too little too late. He had a horrible year in 2010 and things weren't looking promising for a solid rebound this season, but he has proved me wrong! He was pretty quietly getting respectable finishes early in the season, but he's come on strong these last few rounds and showing everyone that he's back just as strong as he's ever been. I've been very impressed with Reed this season and he's higher up in the points standings than I figured he'd be at this point.
Canard - There were quite a few people that expected big things out of Canard his rookie season in the big bike class. There were also a lot of people that thought those formerly mentioned were nuts. Well, I think Canard answered his fans and skeptics. Canard grabbed his first 450 supercross win while the reigning champ has yet to grab his first of the season. Canard also, arguably, looks the most comfortable on his bike out of any of the other riders out there, save for maybe Villopoto. He's well on his way to a solid season, tied for third in points, as well as a great career in the 450 class. I'm expecting big things from him in his future.
Dungey - What to say about the Dunge. He's been... disappointing. I'll preface my comments by saying he absolutely earned and deserved his 2010 championships. This season, however, he's not done much to silence his critics. Yes, he's been solid and finds himself on the box far more often than not, but he has yet to capture an elusive win - which is exactly what he needs to do right now. If not for his DNF at A2, Dungey would likely only be about 5 points out of the series lead, but he'd be there based upon his consistency and the misfortunes of his competition more so than based upon him being faster than the others on any given night. Sound familiar?
Short - Short also needs to run "Quietly" on his butt patch. He's silently had a pretty consistent season and seems to be improving. He's also the "best of the rest" as he sits highest in the points of those who were not dubbed as "the big 5." I'll go ahead and hit the dead horse a couple more times with these comments while I'm at it: Short has been a guy that needs just a little bit extra to break through to that next level. So why, if you need just that little bit more, do you take 100cc's away from the guy?
Metcalfe - Metty has been a pleasant surprise this season. As a guy who's always been touted as more of an outdoors specialist, he's done pretty well for himself in this stacked 450 class - especially for a rookie. Canard's performance this season seems to keep people from remembering Metty's rookie status.
Millsaps - After reportedly being told to "try harder" by his team, it seems as if Davi is doing just that. After a lack-luster start to the season, Davi has poured it on strong here lately, only missing the box by one position in Houston. Maybe he wants to get a ride next season after all.
Brayton - Brayton has shown some serious speed at times. Who expected this guy to come out and win his heat at the opening round? I certainly didn't. For as much speed as he seems to have, his inconsistency (or bad luck) seems to be just as prevalent. It'll be interesting to see just where he stacks up when he gets it all figured out.
Tedesco - After nearly falling off the face of the earth, Tedesco has shown some speed, some bad luck, some tenacity, and the will to press on this season. He's had his fair share of dirt samples this year, be it another rider's fault or his own, but he's done well to find himself in the top 10 in points at this time in the season.
Honorable mention to Kevin Windham - Kevin can't seem to catch a break to save his life. Everyone shed a collective tear when he went down hard in Houston. Every win this guy gets is always labeled as his last, and with a field more stacked than ever, Steel City may just have been his last. It's a shame he couldn't capture one in Houston - he was really on rails and more on fire than I've seen him in a while. Between his lapper experience in Phoenix, his crash in Houston, and his heat crash and mechanical (?) last week at San Diego, Kevin is due for some good results.
A not-so-honorable mention to Kyle Regal - It seems that my pre-season thoughts about Kyle were right on. He's an outdoors guy on a supercross only team. That's an interesting combo. He had a lot of hype before the season began that he's yet been able to deliver on.
What about you guys? What are your thoughts on the season thus far?
Top 10 450:
Villopoto - He has really proven that he's got the speed to run with anyone out there. Between Stewart's bad night (15th) and Dungey's (DNF), he's done the best damage control out of the three (7th). I was expecting him to be fast, but he has still impressed me with both fitness and speed. I've been more impressed with RV's ability to come through the pack than anyone else on the track. Villopoto embodies the spirit of a racer. There's not a single night where he's come into the race thinking, "I might not be able to pull it out tonight. I only qualified 9th fastest." He has confidence in himself, his bike, and his program. I think it will be next to impossible for his competition to get a mental edge on him as he doesn't seem to care - he just goes out and wins.
Stewart - I think I've only seen the real James Stewart once this season - at A2. I'm not entirely sure who's been riding his bike at the other rounds, but he's been much less Stewart'esque than I expected. My wife has only been keeping up with the sport since 2010, and before this season kicked off I was explaining to her Stewart's ability to grab another gear and do things the rest of the field couldn't. Granted, I knew this year would be a different story based on the increased level of competition, but I haven't seen him ride at all like he used to, save for one race - A2. Would the real James Stewart, please stand up? I'd love to be able to watch a race and say to my wife, "THAAAAT'S what I'm talking about. Did you see that?!"
Reed - I wasn't sure what I thought of Reed's chances pre-season. I was impressed with him undertaking his own team, but I was afraid that it might be too little too late. He had a horrible year in 2010 and things weren't looking promising for a solid rebound this season, but he has proved me wrong! He was pretty quietly getting respectable finishes early in the season, but he's come on strong these last few rounds and showing everyone that he's back just as strong as he's ever been. I've been very impressed with Reed this season and he's higher up in the points standings than I figured he'd be at this point.
Canard - There were quite a few people that expected big things out of Canard his rookie season in the big bike class. There were also a lot of people that thought those formerly mentioned were nuts. Well, I think Canard answered his fans and skeptics. Canard grabbed his first 450 supercross win while the reigning champ has yet to grab his first of the season. Canard also, arguably, looks the most comfortable on his bike out of any of the other riders out there, save for maybe Villopoto. He's well on his way to a solid season, tied for third in points, as well as a great career in the 450 class. I'm expecting big things from him in his future.
Dungey - What to say about the Dunge. He's been... disappointing. I'll preface my comments by saying he absolutely earned and deserved his 2010 championships. This season, however, he's not done much to silence his critics. Yes, he's been solid and finds himself on the box far more often than not, but he has yet to capture an elusive win - which is exactly what he needs to do right now. If not for his DNF at A2, Dungey would likely only be about 5 points out of the series lead, but he'd be there based upon his consistency and the misfortunes of his competition more so than based upon him being faster than the others on any given night. Sound familiar?
Short - Short also needs to run "Quietly" on his butt patch. He's silently had a pretty consistent season and seems to be improving. He's also the "best of the rest" as he sits highest in the points of those who were not dubbed as "the big 5." I'll go ahead and hit the dead horse a couple more times with these comments while I'm at it: Short has been a guy that needs just a little bit extra to break through to that next level. So why, if you need just that little bit more, do you take 100cc's away from the guy?
Metcalfe - Metty has been a pleasant surprise this season. As a guy who's always been touted as more of an outdoors specialist, he's done pretty well for himself in this stacked 450 class - especially for a rookie. Canard's performance this season seems to keep people from remembering Metty's rookie status.
Millsaps - After reportedly being told to "try harder" by his team, it seems as if Davi is doing just that. After a lack-luster start to the season, Davi has poured it on strong here lately, only missing the box by one position in Houston. Maybe he wants to get a ride next season after all.
Brayton - Brayton has shown some serious speed at times. Who expected this guy to come out and win his heat at the opening round? I certainly didn't. For as much speed as he seems to have, his inconsistency (or bad luck) seems to be just as prevalent. It'll be interesting to see just where he stacks up when he gets it all figured out.
Tedesco - After nearly falling off the face of the earth, Tedesco has shown some speed, some bad luck, some tenacity, and the will to press on this season. He's had his fair share of dirt samples this year, be it another rider's fault or his own, but he's done well to find himself in the top 10 in points at this time in the season.
Honorable mention to Kevin Windham - Kevin can't seem to catch a break to save his life. Everyone shed a collective tear when he went down hard in Houston. Every win this guy gets is always labeled as his last, and with a field more stacked than ever, Steel City may just have been his last. It's a shame he couldn't capture one in Houston - he was really on rails and more on fire than I've seen him in a while. Between his lapper experience in Phoenix, his crash in Houston, and his heat crash and mechanical (?) last week at San Diego, Kevin is due for some good results.
A not-so-honorable mention to Kyle Regal - It seems that my pre-season thoughts about Kyle were right on. He's an outdoors guy on a supercross only team. That's an interesting combo. He had a lot of hype before the season began that he's yet been able to deliver on.
What about you guys? What are your thoughts on the season thus far?
Josh Hansen - Coming into this season I think just about everyone knew that it was Hansen's championship to lose. He's a 40 something year old in the tiddler class. He's had some questionable moves so far this season, but one thing that is above question is his desire to lock down this championship. Riding through two rounds with a broken hand is utter grit and determination, regardless of what you think of his personal life. I think this is a make or break season for Hansen. If he doesn't get this championship, he could quite easily fade out of the picture.
Broc Tickle - For someone who's not a rookie, he's made several rookie mistakes with Hansen being the benefactor. He's done well this season like most expected, but I get a feeling that he just doesn't quite possess the raw speed and talent that Hansen, Tomac, and Roczen do.
Eli Tomac - Eli started this season in relatively disappointing fashion. I was expecting more from him, and given these past few rounds, it would appear that I was right to do so. Eli has talent, fitness, and something you can't teach - raw speed. If the west coast started two rounds ago, he'd be my pick for the championship. He'll definitely be the favorite for whichever coast he's on next year.
Ryan Morais - Mo's points standings don't seem to reflect his performance this season. And by that I mean I was a little surprised to see Morais up so high in the points. He's another 40 something year old that should be battling for the championship right now, but just like every season before, he's just need on the pace of the lead group.
Cole Seely - Seely was a dark horse for the west coast championship this season, and he's proven that he could have been in the thick of things with his win. However, he's dropped way out of the running due to bad luck striking several rounds in a row. Seely has a lot of talent and like Tomac, will likely be a favorite for the championship next season.
Ken Roczen - Roczen went from a sketchy train wreck to someone who has immense potential. I personally witnessed his performance in Lakewood for MXdN and was very interested to see how he'd do this season. I, like most, thought after Phoenix it was time for him to pack his bags and head home as he didn't have much to gain from staying besides a few broken bones. Good thing I'm not his team manager. He's really found his feet these past few rounds and will get a win before he heads home.
Tyla Rattray - Tyla has surprised me. He's put in some really solid rides and came back from a back injury this past weekend and managed to hold off Tickle for second from early in the race. If not for his injury and time off, I think he'd be right in the thick of things in this championship fight.
Kyle Cunningham - Cunningham cannot seem to stay away from the dirt. Be it his own fault or the fault of another, I think he's sampled the soil at every round this season. He's shown remarkable speed but he just can't seem to put a whole night together. Maybe next year we'll see some improved consistency.
Martin Davalos - Another guy who's been in the Lites class waaaaaaaaaaaaay too long. It's time for Martin to move up. Just like every year previously, this was touted as "his break out year" before the season began. And just like every year previously, he's yet to break out.
Jimmy Decotis - Jimmy has done just about as well as I expected him to do when news was released that he'd be filling in for Wilbur. He's not at the pace of the top guys, but he's a solid rider with potential. It'll be interesting to see if he can land another good ride next season or if he fades back to mid-pack on a privateer effort.
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NY, NJ, & all you other eastern states................your winter hasn'been shit!
Come to Montana we've had 4 fuggin' months of this of this fuggin' nonsense!
" No, no, no, no, you ain't seen nothin' yet"
Tomac has been a surprise ... in that he seems to ride with a lot of experience. A couple mistakes here and there but he shows a lot of on-track savvy for a rookie.
I never said his podiums were due to the misfortunes of his competition, but rather his position in the points (if he didn't DNF) would have been due to Stewart's 15th and RV's 7th.
#it'salittletooearlyforthis
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