Top 10 450 SX Races of the 10s

New decade has arrived. A new SX season is upon us in 2 days. I figured we could discuss and reminisce about the 10s one last time before we start our new chapter. This list is only my personal one and to generate discussion, as well as give us some great YouTube races to watch as we gear up for A1. I don't want to flood the main post with YouTube videos, but if you want to drop some in the comments, feel free.

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Chronological order:

2010 Saint Louis - The first time we really got to see Dungey and Villopoto go at it on the 450. With the injuries earlier in the season to the superstars of Stewart and Reed, it was the emergence of the Ryans in which one of the two would dominate the majority of the 10s. For one reason or another, we never got to see them go head to head until this race. They get into the first two slots pretty early on and then the lappers tighten them up. What happens next would be a two or three lap span in which craziness ensued. Four riders would be within a few bike lenghts of each other after the infamous get together between the Ryans. Villopoto's season would end right then and there and Dungey would take complete control of the 2010 SX Championship.

2011 Las Angeles - Stewart and Reed returned with something to prove in 2011, but Villopoto and Dungey also proved they weren't going anywhere. Villopoto came into the season strong, winning the first race and pressuring Stewart in the second before falling. In the third, we were in for a treat as Dungey, Villopoto, and Stewart would end lap 10 separated by only 1.5 seconds. While Dungey and Stewart battled out front, Villopoto had to play catch up. And catch up he did. This race to me was really the race where it was official that Villopoto had arrived. After a battle with the other two aforementioned superstars, he would pull away and snag his second win in three races to begin what would be his first SX Championship of his career.

2011 Atlanta - Oh man would a list not be complete without an all out battle between one of the sport's biggest rivalries. Could be nostalgia speaking here, but I think the only time I've seen two guys go as fast on a SX track as Reed and Stewart did here was at Orlando in 07. They got into the top two slots pretty quick and it was on. Both held the lead at times, both passed the other at times, and it came down to the final lap. I think this is the race that is the most vivid in our memories of the entire decade. While neither of them got the win, it was clear that the rivalry was back on the table and the 2011 season was going to be one for the ages.

2012 San Diego - The old dog vs the defending champion. Reed vs Villopoto. In what would be a bright spot in an otherwise pretty ho hum 2012 season that saw all the superstars decimated by injuries, Villopoto and Reed battled down to the wire, passing each other and swapping the lead in the final two laps.

2013 Saint Louis - The first time we truly got to see Villopoto vs Stewart. Barcia was in the mix as well as the three of them put on a show. The infamous penalty enforcement during the red flag is what everyone talked about at the end, and that's unfortunate as these two superstars put on a show. They passed each other back and forth a few times and eventually Villopoto would pull away for the win as he set his sights on catching Millsaps for the SX Championship.

2013 Minneapolis - Probably the single best SX battle of Dungey and Villopoto's friendly rivalry. Dungey had the home town crowd cheering him on as he would catch up to Villopoto. The final five laps were filled with numerous passes by each rider for the lead. Dungey would come out on top in what was a rather dominant season by Villopoto, despite playing catch up to Millsaps for a large majority of it.

2013 MEC Race 2 - I originally was going to exclude the MEC here, but with this one being one of the only times that Stewart and Villopoto went head to head and both pushed the absolute limits, I feel it would be a disservice to not list it. MEC has its share of controversies and dislikes from fans of course, but what these two brought to the table here was a must watch for anyone who calls themselves a fan.They pushed the limits, they rode over their heads a bit, and they treated us to an amazing race in which Stewart would hold off Villopoto for the win.

2014 Anaheim 2 - Truly one of those races where the stars of the 00s in Stewart and Reed show the young guys they've still got it. There was action all throughout this one. Reed reeled in the lead pack of Stewart and Roczen to pass them both in the final few laps for the win. Villopoto struggled as Reed was catching him and crashed. Dungey even showed a rare aggressive side and tried a pass on Villopoto that ended with them both on the turf. Eerily similar to their 2010 get together at the aforementioned St. Louis SX.

2014 Toronto - This race is kind of like the Falcons/Patriots Super Bowl for all you NFL fans. You can argue maybe the race itself wasn't absolutely amazing, but not including it on any list like this just wouldn't feel right. It was a true moment of, "I'm not as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was" by Stewart. He started around 15th and proceeded to make a field of the top 20 SX riders in the world look absolutely silly like he was riding at a local track. We didn't know it at the time, but this was the final time we would ever see Stewart at that level. And what a treat it was.

2017 Salt Lake City - Really the most impressive SX ride of Tomac's career. It was the race we all thought would lead to him seizing control of the entire SX Championship as he would come from way back to pass a leading Dungey, after which they would swap the lead a few times before Tomac would pull away for good. Both riders had the red plate and the victory here would give Tomac a 3 point lead with 2 rounds remaining. The most dominant ride in a string of races where Tomac looked completely unstoppable.

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Here is the spot I was going to mention some Honorable Mentions, but there's just way too many in the span of 10 years to do that. I'll leave that for you guys to discuss on what you would remove and which ones you'd add. Maybe throw in some underrated ones that we can look at and watch as we gear up for A1.