Vital Buzz

Need to get caught up on the weekend? You can check out the following links for: 31 photos from Saturday’s practice and qualifying at High Point . 31 photos from Sunday’s race action at High Point .

Memorial Day weekend is always filled with plenty of racing, including motocross, so let’s dig in and see what went on over the last few days.

Of course, the U.S. moto scene was focused on the 31st annual National at High Point Raceway in Mount Morris, PA. Before the action got started, though, there were a batch of Motocross Legends who took to the track during opening ceremonies, including Jeff Stanton, Broc Glover, Gary Semics, Chuck Sun, Roger DeCoster, and a whole bunch more. It was cool to see all those guys on the track, bringing back memories of times that we’d seen them ride in the past, as well as for the clouds of two-stroke smoke that each brought along with them. You can click the following link for nine photos from the Motocross Legends Tour .

After finishing fifth in Hangtown, Brett Metcalfe suffered a dislocated thumb during practice, and didn’t ride. Add that to the fractured shoulder blade that Chris Gosselaar scored at Hangtown, and the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki squad was at half-strength on Sunday. But the half that was riding? Wow. Ryan Villopoto was as solid as ever, scoring a pair of second-place finishes on Sunday.

We’d suggest, however, that the ride of the weekend belonged to Ryan’s teammate, Ben Townley. After going down on the start straight after tangling with another rider’s footpeg and losing at least three spokes, Ben rode one lap before coming in for a replacement wheel. He explained, “On the first lap I was going around and I could hear something hitting the disc. I guess Bones took a closer look at it and he said to come into the pits when I came up the back hill. I pulled in and got on the stand, and it felt like an eternity. I was last already by then, and way last by the time I left the pits.”

After about a 45-second pit stop, Ben got back on the track in 39th spot and rode his heart out for a 10th-place finish in the first moto. Afterward he said, “When I was on the ground I went, ‘Well, there goes all those points.’ I couldn’t believe it. Then I got to the pits and changed a wheel and after that I just put my head down. I was on my own for a long time. I’d just read my pit board and just watch that every lap just like I was at home practicing. Just go about my race on my own. I slowly caught people…it took at least 15 minutes. (From then on) some laps I was getting like five guys a lap. I didn’t realize I’d passed that many people until the told me I’d finished 10th. I kept telling myself to fight hard, and it took a lot out of me to come back that far. I pushed all the way until the second-to-last lap, and I saw that I couldn’t pass any more people and backed it down.”

“Between motos when I was back at the rig I just told myself to go out there and make sure I get maximum points in that one and limit the damage. I lost nine points today, so I’ve just got to come back at the next round, keep improving for the rest of the season, and get those points back.”

Ben was also impressed by his first visit to High Point. "I was disappointed last night when I saw them flattening the track.  I thought today it was good. Obviously I was able to find spots to pass…it’s not like there wasn’t anywhere to pass. It got rough by the end of the second moto and that’s how I think a motocross track should be. It should be rough and demanding and tough. The best man should in on the day…emerge fit and strong.”

So how’s he feeling about going to Southwick for the first time? “I’m really looking forward to it now after today. I’m really looking forward to it. I like riding in the sand.”

Ryan Villopoto now has an eight-point lead over Townley in the season standings, but don’t look for him to get comfortable. “It’s only the second round, and  we’ve still got a whole bunch of races left. I’m going to have to go out every moto and every weekend and win a moto. Winning a moto gives you some points difference over second, so I need to get up front and hopefully nail one down.”

Ryan also caught and passed Jason Lawrence late in the first moto, and given the fireworks between the two the previous weekend in Hangtown, we asked if that played into his pass on Jason. "It was towards the end of the moto, so I knew he was feeling it. We caught Dungey really fast once I caught Jason, and I passed Dungey and once I caught back up to Jason,  it was clean racing. Once you stick a wheel in there and it shows him that you’re there and once he rides clean you kind of know how it’s going to pan out."

And Josh Grant's overall win? He was nothing but solid, riding smart and exhibiting none of the tightness that hampered him in Hangtown.

Ryan Villopoto now has an eight-point lead after four motos, but doesn’t think taking home a second consecutive title will be easy. “Josh is riding good and Ben’s on it, so it’s going to be tougher than last year.”

Motocross Lites Points (after four motos)

The other battle royale on Sunday was for the top two spots in the Motocross class, between James Stewart and Ricky Carmichael. While both guys complained about their bike setups and comfort level at Hangtown (and still had an over-30-second lead on third place), Ricky clearly got better between rounds, while James was still struggling. Ricky also came back from a small tip-over crash in the first moto, reeled in James and left him behind. After the race, Ricky told the crowd, “It was just a stupid mistake.  I went into the turn a little too fast and tried to grab the inside and just didn’t have enough brake. I got in-between both of the ruts and fell down.”

“I have to say thanks to Suzuki. I was on a different bike this weekend, it was really, really good, and I felt great this week when we tested.”

“This one will be special for sure. Just for coming off of last week, and how I felt and obviously racing this guy (pointing to James). I think we feel so good about ourselves and our program when either he beats me, or I beat him. When I beat him I feel awesome, like when I beat Jeremy, it just felt awesome, and I’m sure for him it’s the same way. So that’s what makes it special. Anytime you can beat the toughest competitor you’ve ever raced, it makes it sweet.”

For his part, James said afterward, “I struggled all weekend with bike setup. It’s pretty frustrating. We’re trying our best and trying to make improvements, but it’s hard to make improvements when we’re at the race and you’ve got this guy next to me (Ricky) racing. For me it’s just frustrating because this year after Supercross I had a lot of momentum, and coming in I felt pretty good, but to come out and struggle last weekend and struggle this weekend…”

“I was really struggling in the corners today. I was just really fighting to get into them. That’s where I really lost all my time. He could jump that tunnel jump cleanly every lap, and I could only get every other lap when I was trying. And that three-three in the whoops, I really didn’t have that part nailed. Sections like that, I usually shine the best on as far as jumping stuff. And this little stupid drop-off thing, every lap I came by I was thinking about last year (where he crashed while racing with Ricky). I almost had another experience in the first moto.”

So was there a point in the second moto where James decided to let RC go, particularly since Ricky’s only racing half the races this season? “No, for me, I’m a racer. I always try my best and give it 100 percent. But I knew I didn’t have anything for him from the first practice all weekend. There wasn’t going to be anything magical that was going to happen during the race. I was just kind of riding my own pace and checking these guys behind me. All we can do is go back and work as a team to get better. It’s definitely for me, and I’m sure everybody, frustrating. I haven’t lost two races in a row all year, so for me it’s kinda like a shock. But like I said, this guy rode really good.”

Look for lots of testing to be completed at James’ house between now and Southwick.

Ricky has a 10-point lead in the title chase, but like we mentioned earlier, isn’t planning on racing the full season.

Motocross Points (after four motos)

Privateer Props of the weekend have to go to Gavin Gracyk, longtime Ohio resident and frequent Canadian MX Nationals competitor, who put in a pair of great 12th place rides in the Motocross class on Sunday for 11th overall.

One of our globetrotting contributors, Ed Subias, attended the Red Bull X-Fighters contest at Slane Castle in Dublin, Ireland, and sent back a quick gallery of photos from the weekend. He also noted, “The event was crazy, 35,000 plus spectators, rain, and insane freestyle. Overall I had an awesome time.”

Results - Red Bull X-Fighters Slane Castle:

You can click the following link to check out Ed’s photos from the Red Bull X –Fighters.

The first round of the CMRC Canadian National Championship was held last weekend in Ste. Julie, up in Quebec. In the MX1 class, Paul Carpenter and Jean Sebastien Roy swapped moto wins, with Carpenter scoring the overall for round 1.

In MX2 East Action, Michael Willard was the man on top with a pair of moto wins, edging out Tyler Medeglia’s 7-2 score.

CMRC Motocross National Championship
Circuit de Ste. Julie
Ste. Julie, QC

MX1

MX2

Their next round is Gopher Dunes on June 3rd.

And finally, over at the Japanese GP, the MX1 and MX2 competitors broke the mold of recent Coppins/Cairoli wins, with Billy Mackenzie and Christophe Pourcel topping the charts in MX1 and MX2, respectively. It was also particularly cool to see Mike Brown score a moto win.

MX1

MX2

The MX World Championship competitors get a week off, and their next round will be in France at St. Jean D’Angely on June 10.

Leticia's our pick for the best addition to the Nationals so far in '07. We also have a nominee for the worst, and you can check it out by going to the link below.

Hey, besides the photos you see here, you can also click the following link for bonus pics in a separate Vital Buzz photo gallery.

That’s it for now. Be sure to check back during the week for more on VitalMX.com.

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