Santa Clara Supercross - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 2

Round twelve of the 2016 Monster Energy Supercross Championship took place in Santa Clara's Levi's Stadium. This was the venue's second year on the schedule and once again it provided some decent racing. But unfortunately, the outcome of the races was more of the same. The 450 class saw a battle of attrition ensue between Ryan Dungey and Ken Roczen, with Dungey taking home the win. In the 250 class, Cooper Webb got a decent start and worked his way through the field to secure his fifth win in eight rounds. Sounds familiar doesn't it? Dungey and Webb have once again dominated their respective classes so far this year, and I don't see that changing in the remaining round(s). Now, let's get into the best and the worst of Santa Clara.

450 Class

The Good: Ryan Dungey | 1st Place

Dungey has completely dominated Supercross this year, and there isn't much else to say about it at this point. He gets good starts, he is aggressive in the opening laps, and he has the speed to straight up out-pace the top contenders. He's putting on a riding clinic this year, and I can see him displaying the same level of dominance when Lucas Oil Pro Motocross kicks off in a little over a month.

The Bad: Eli Tomac's Starts

Oh Eli, why are your starts so bad? This field is too deep to get a bad start and expect to get anywhere near the podium. Unfortunately, this has been Eli's biggest problem this year. Granted, he has gotten good starts a few times and struggled to stay in the top five, but he's typically gotten poor starts. This past weekend he rounded the first corner somewhere around sixteenth, which is... not good. I personally don't have any holeshot tips for him, but he has to figure out something if he ever wants to seriously contend for a Supercross title in his career. All-in-all, it's been a rough year. On the bright side, Lucas Oil Pro Motocross is right around the corner, and we all know Eli is pretty fast outdoors. Hopefully, he can switch gears and his mind-set to go back to the dominant force we saw during the first two rounds of last year and give Ryan Dungey the challenge we all want to see.

The Ugly: James Stewart's Bike Issues

There's definitely a black cloud hanging over James Stewart. I just can't believe how much bad luck he's had this season. First it was the Anaheim 1 incident, then the lapper incident at Atlanta, then he looped out at Daytona, and now his bike has electronic problems in Santa Clara. I honestly don't know if it will end, but I hope for his sake he has no more issues this year. He needs to get his confidence up before we head into the nationals, and a few solid Supercross rides over the course of the remaining rounds will do just that. Nonetheless, it's been rough as a fan to watch him go through as much adversity as he has these past two years, but I look forward to seeing him get the train back on the tracks sooner rather than later.

250 Class

The Good: Cooper Webb | 1st Place

Cooper Webb did exactly what he needed to do in Santa Clara to maximize his chances of taking home another 250 West Supercross title. He came out and won, after rumors struck of him having a crash mid-week. According to Cooper, he did crash on Tuesday before the race and didn't ride again until Saturday morning in Santa Clara. He even offered his thanks to Dr.G as the only reason he was able to race competitively that night. This was a diverted disaster that could have led to Craig or Savatgy to be right back into the thick of things. Instead, he holds a 16 point lead heading into the final round which should be more than enough cushion assuming things go smoothly. Although that's not a guarantee with how much adversity Cooper has faced this year, but I fully expect for him to put in a solid ride in Las Vegas to secure the title just as a defending champ should. Now it's time for Cooper to start transitioning into outdoor preparation mode, because we're all looking forward to seeing him challenge the defending two-time champion and his teammate, Jeremy Martin.

The Bad: Joey Savatgy | 3rd Place

Joey Savatgy needed to win in Santa Clara to even have an outside shot at stealing the title from Cooper Webb in Las Vegas, and he didn't do it. A bad start swept away any chances at a win and poor lappers just made the situation worse (while Cooper made the best of his moves through the pack). There are positives for Joey to take away from this season though. He was the fastest guy besides Cooper and even looked like he would make a run at winning the title before his crash in Dallas. So if Joey decides to return to the 250 class in 2017, and I believe he will, he should be the title favorite on whichever coast Mitch signs him up for.

The Ugly: Hayden Melross' Crash

Hayden's crash was something I didn't think I'd ever see. He endo'd into an extended nose wheelie, pulled a Superman through the Tuf-Blox, and then landed on a metal fence. Can you say ouch!? Luckily, he was just sore the next day and didn't have any major injuries. But I can't imagine how badly the wind got knocked out him on this trip. The only thing that was worse than the crash was how everyone that rushed over seemed more concerned about the bike than Hayden... Check out the crash for yourself below.

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