2012 MXDN Preview

It’s nearly time folks!

On the 29/30 September in Belgium,  the motocross world will gather for the biggest race of the year, with the biggest crowd, and the best atmosphere in the World. This year’s  race will be an epic in the deep, whooped out and shifting sands of Lommel, where riders will be racing the track just as much as each other.

The Des Nations - it does not get any better (2007 Budds Creek)

As always the American team will be the favourites. Yes, it might be sand, but the no other country can boast three riders as strong.

The AMA 450 champ Ryan Dungey, probable 250 champ Blake Baggett, and 250 title contender Justin Barcia(who has already proven himself on the 450 last season in the AMA Nationals) are a formidable team. Team Rookie Barcia will not be a weak link either, he is currently having the best year of his career in the outdoors and Jeff Stanton, the multi time Des Nations winner, will be in his corner to guide the young American in his first appearance at the event.

Some people expect the Americans to struggle in sand, but De Coster is no fool, and he is bringing his riders over early to get a full week’s riding in the soft stuff, they will be adapted and ready to go come the Saturday the 29^th September.

Van Horebeek (left) and Everts (right) will want Belgium to win

So who can challenge them ? On paper the home country is their biggest challenger. Belgium have Clement Desalle in MX1, Ken De Dycker in MX3, and Jeremy Van Horebeek in MX2. Desalle is currently second in MX1 with De Dycker  fifth, while Jeremy Van Horebeek is third in MX2. All the guys are riding well, but do they believe they can win? If they do they have a very good chance. 

Team USA always believe they are the best, they barely know the names of some of the riders they are racing, in contrast the other countries usually just aim for a podium. Some of the US self confidence may be needed by the Belgians if they want to win the event and beat the American’s individually. Riding wise they can compete, but have they got the mental strength and confidence the American’s possess?

Herlings is incredible in sand, but is under big pressure

The next best team could well be Holland, they have according to Stefan Everts, ‘the fastest man on the planet in sand’ in Jeffrey Herlings, and the teenager, who will also become the 2012 MX2 World Champion, will be ready to lead Holland to at least a podium, he will be riding a 350 in the MX3 class. His teammates are also fast, especially in sand. Glen Coldenhoff will ride MX2 and Marc De Reuver will ride MX1. Coldenhoff was fast in Leirop and, with only four of the current top fifteen in the MX2 World Championship, racing the Nation’s in the MX2 class, Coldenhoff should be one to watch and will want to challenge Baggett.  The always friendly but crash happy Marc De Reuver just needs to have one more of his great sand riding days and Holland might even challenge for the win!

Anstie could surprise many and will want to beat Barcia

Team GB are also looking good, Jake Nicholls is in fourth in the World MX2 Championship and is always solid in the sand, Tommy Searle will move up to the 450, he doesn’t like the sand but he rides the 450 well, and will be ready for Lommel, while Max Anstie could be the ace up the sleeve of the Brits.

Anstie grew up in the sand, and will get a factory 450 for MX3 and will be super motivated to lead GB to a podium, and he is probably rubbing his hands together at the prospect of racing Justin Barcia at Lommel!  In the MX2 class in Lierop these three went third, fourth, and sixth overall, and the consistency of all three (and what should be a faster Anstie on a 450) GB should be there or thereabouts.

The dark horse team is Germany. These guys could challenge for the win and should be at least aiming for the podium. Ken Roczen is really good in sand, and despite being in MX2 should be at the front end of the field in both his races. Max Nagl lead Cairoli for a long time at Lierop and will be one of the riders capable of running with Dungey in MX1. That just leave Marcus Schiffer, the teams MX3 rider, needing one top ten result, he is quicker than a lot of people give him credit for, and given his top ten speed at Lierop in MX1, he could just get the results Germany need!

France are usually one of the favourites, but sand isn’t their best surface. Gautier Paulin goes in MX3, while Christophe Pourcel has been replaced by the solid if unspectacular Xavier Boog in MX1, Marvin Musquin will be MX2, he has won in the sand before, but that was before the Herlings’ era and Marvin hasn’t been riding in sand for two years, but he is a very technical rider and should do a good job.  A podium is probably the best France can hope for, despite being so close to victory last year.

Italy as usual have virtually no chance of the win, or even a podium, but they do have the soon to be six time World Champion, Antonio Cairoli. There is always a lot of pressure on Cairoli at the Nations as he is the one who has to get the wins to give Italy a chance of a good result.

Cairoli just wants two good races for once, he is awesome in the sand.

However, the Nations has routinely been Cairoli’s worst race of the season. He has had good motos, but never had two good races in one day. Last year he even broke his wrist in the first moto! Cairoli though is an amazing sand rider, and one of these years will finally put it together, get rid of the bad luck and show the Americans just what he can do. Maybe this will be the year.

These will be the six main teams to look out for, Australia have been hit by injuries, while their neighbours New Zealand will have the great Josh Coppins signing off his career on a factory Rinaldi Yamaha, but Ben Townely will be missing due to injuries.

Other good individual rides could come from Arnaud Tonus of Switzerland who rides the 450 for this race, or Jonathan Barragan from Spain, although both are not really sand specialists.  Another rider to watch could be Tim Gasjer, the 125 World and Europpean champion will be riding the 250f in MX2 for Slovenia, although his sand skills are an unknown, he is a fantastic rider and one to watch for the future.

Can Zach beat Blake?

Then we have Zach Osborne of Puerto Rico/ America, sand isn’t his best surface but he has got better, and you know he will want to beat compatriot Blake Baggett in MX2!

As always the weekend will be fascinating with the individual battles being just as interesting as the team race, as will the ever exciting format which sees the MX2 riders racing the 450s. With the sand being extra tough, the drama should be even more exciting.

But really, who can bet against the Americans?! They might not be the best individually in the sand, but you can bet both Barcia and Dungey are not afraid of Herlings and Cairoli one bit, all three riders will expect to win their class, so as a team, with their ability under pressure, they should be taking the trophy home.

Let’s just hope no one gets hurt prior to the race!

Bring it on!

The British GP - Looking back

The best of Lorretta Lynns youth style compeition combined with the best of World Championship motocross and everything else in between provided an exhilarating and classic four days of motocross that had never been seen before.

Perfection

Youthstream and Steve Dixon combined their passion and vision for motocross and at the first attempt it came off perfectly. Of course the beautiful weather helped, but with top level 65, 85 and 125 two stroke racing it was like going back to your youth as well as reliving the days of 125 GP racing.  You just can't beat the sound of a two stroke, combined with kids giving their all spurred on by nothing but passion and a will win, the heart of motocross was never more evident.

The young kids are so fast and so impressive and it gives the teams and the fans a glimpse into the future. Brian Hsu and Jorge Prada are already factory riders on 80s. Overall winner Pootjes was super impressive and surely will be into a factory team before long. In just a couple of years Holland could be a regular podium threat in the Motocross of Nations! As will Germany, a team potentially of Roczen, Nagl and the young kid Hsu could something special for German motocross.

A Happy Pootjes celebrates his 85cc Euro Championship

Brit Conrad Mewse was a revelation

Then we come to GB, Conrad Mewse beat all the aformentioned names and won the final moto going away. He may have won the first moto too,but a puncture while leading meant he had to settle for third on the podium. The we had James Dunn in splendid form in the 125 getting a win against the wqually impressive Tim Gasjer. Roger Magee, the team manager for James, was also quick to point out that James isn't just talented but he is also a nice kid and good to work with. With kids like Ben Watson also coming through the ranks it is an exciting time for British motocross, never mind the talent coming through in Europe.

Perhaps we are getting too far presuming success for GB in the future pro ranks as well as trying to predict the futre GP stars- but isn't that what this is all about? The teams are watching just like the fans are to spot the next big thing. They don't want to miss out, and the fans don't want to miss out on saying 'I was there when (insert name) was running at the front in 85 racing at the British GP, and now look at him."

That is what events like this are for, it is a peak into the future as well as the ability to enjoy the present stars of GP racing.

Tommy Searle is what every GB rider aspires to be, his performance was sensational, and it was the perfect inspiration for every rider there wants to eventually become. Winning your home race under that pressure against a rider of the quality of seventeen year old motocross sensation Jeffrey Herlings, was just magnificent.

The battle between Herlings and Searle was superb

It might have been Searle's  best performance of his life, it will certainly be his most memorable so far. Pointing to the crowd while leading on the first lap on race two summed up the atmosphere and Searle's adrenalin was pumping. ' I was feeling it', admitted Searle on twitter after seeing the picture, and that is what motocross is all about.  The coming together of the crowd willing the home rider on, and the home rider pointing at the crown to say ' this is awesome, thank you for you support, just watch me win this.'

Pointing to the fans on the first lap!

That one moment described the uniqueness and brilliance of motocross, the closeness and interaction of the fans and riders is something special and the British GP brings out the best in both.

Searle prepares for battle

But back to Searle, his riding was incredible. When Herlings passed Searle, the Brit was not shutting off for anyone, he was going to win that race no matter what! It was the British Bulldog spirit that fans could relate to and that Searle demonstrated that made him such a superstar that weekend. It was the same thing he did back in 2006 when he was just 16 and he re-passed Seb Pourcel on the alst lap to get his first ever podium. He has something that we tend to lack in the UK. The winner's mentality.

Searle just cannot be mentally beaten.No matter how much Roczen and Herlings beat him last year he came into the next round thinking he could win.After crashing while chasing Herlings in the Satirday qualifier and finishing sixth, Tommy confidently stated he was ready to win both motos, and that is exactly what he did. It was a champion's performance and provided the fan's with the ' I was there.' moment and sport generates once in a while.

Searle won another gold for GB in the Olympic year, and Matterly Basin was the Olympic stadium that provided the ultimate setting for such a memorable moment.

Tommy Searle we salute you!

                                                   

AMA motocross season talking points...

It has been quite an eventful season on the American motocross tour so far. Injuries, crashes, and blazing speed with exciting battles have encaptulated the 2012 season, and we are just past the half way point!

James Stewart came back to motocross with avengence winning the first four motos of the series and looking smoother than he has in a long time after switching to Suzuki. However, Ryan Dungey was on his tail in every moto, and was developing a brand new bike at the same time.

The series looked set to be a classic.

Then, in a flash, it was all over. Stewart got distracted in mid-air by a photographer crossing the track at round three, he chose a different rut than normal upon landing, and ended up in a heap at Lakewood.

He tried riding High Point but said his wrist, despite not being broken was too sore to continue, and from there missed the next few races to let it heal. He came back at Red bud but was not on the pace of Ryan Dungey anymore and quickly announced he would not be racing the next couple of nationals in a bid to let his wrist heal more and get back to the level he was.

It is the same old story for Stewart; fast, crashes, comes back, isn't winning, and takes more time off to get ready to win when he comes back, but you can't win championships like that.

Meanwhile in Stewart's absence, Ryan Dungey is destroying the opposition in a class that was already missing Trey Canard, Ryan Villopoto and Chad Reed before the season even started.

After Stewart got injured Dungey continued to make improvements with the bike and got even faster, and when Stewart came back he found the pace just too hot to handle. That is how fast Dungey is right now. Many people may put an asterisk to his impending title, but he is that good.

If it wasn't for bike problems last season he would have won the 2011 outdoor title he won more races that RV too.

Dungey is smart, fast, fit and doesn't take the risks his American counterparts did, and I have a feeling that if the photographer had ran across Dungey's path he would not have crashed in the ruts that caught Stewart out. Dungey has it all figured out, and seemingly has no weaknesses, he is the man right now.

The truth is however, that Dungey has no competition in the 450 class, if he wants competition he needs to ride the MX1 GPs, he could ride the last round of the GP season in Teuctchantal, Germany like his KTM teammate Ken Roczen is supposed to do. After all he will be coming over to race the MXDN just one week later anyway....

His other option would be to race the super competitive 250 US nationals. right now that is the premier class in the USA. The top five are setting a blistering pace, that may never have been seen before. Yes James Stewart and Ricky Carmichael were mindblowing fast, but they didn't have four ot five other guys running a similar pace. RV and Ben Townely were on that level two, but it was just the two of them... this season there are five capable of that speed, and usually four at any one time battling it out!

It has taken them three years to figure it out, but the American trio of Blake Baggett, Eli Tomac and Justin Barcia are on fire week in week out. The aggression is at another level and Blake Baggett is putting down lap times that quite simply just don't make sense! Right now he looks almost unbeatable on US soil at least.

His ride in the first moto at Millvile last weekend was astounding, he caught and passed Tomac, Roczen and Barcia who were in a frantic battle for first place. His pass on Barcia for the lead told you all you need to know about the mentality and confidence of the Pro - Circuit Kawasaki rider.

He is there to win every race, and whatever the pace the others set, he will go faster. He is very like an elbows up version of Ryan Villopoto.

But what of Ken Roczen? The talented German youngster has shown the pace to win races, in fact he has should have won a few, only to let them slip through his fingers, he wasn't off the podium in the first half of the season. But he is still only fourth in the series and losing touch with points leader Baggett.

It isn't easy for Roczen, he as the speed to be there, but the adjustment to living in  the US, adapting to US racing - a one day format of only 12 rounds with only two fifteen minute practice session to learn the track, are a lot to take on.

The tracks are more one dimensional and reward aggression and a pin it to win it mentality, suiting the American style to perfection. Roczen's hallmark is smoothness and picking good lines with throttle control and the same can be said of Musquin, this style was perfect for the World Championship but there isn't time for this in America, you just have to go from the start, and the Americans aren't scared of some aggressive riding either!


He has also mentioned  making improvements to his KTM, this was unheard of in the GPs, and you have to remember this is KTM's first full year in that class on their current bikes bearing in mind Musquin missed some rounds last season. With the limited time to test and the fact Roczen broke his arm at the start of the year, outdoor preparation has been limited. Whereas in the GPs Ken had all winter to prepare himself and his bike.

Roczen is also struggling with the heat, something which has nothing to do with bike skill but is just a matter of acclimatisation, even Eli Tomac took two years to adjust!

If you look at Ken Roczen and Blake Baggett at the MXDN where Ken beat Dungey and Baggett struggled with the track then got lapped by Roczen after numerous crashes, and now see the pace of Baggett, back in his home country and Roczen trying to stay with him, it shows just how much being comfortable in your own surroundings can help your performance.

Racing Americans of the calibre of Tomac, Baggett, and Barcia in their own country with two/three years experiance on the circuit cannot be underestimated. They have it dialled in right now. It is hard to go any faster than those guys are going, and for Roczen at 17/18 to go there and adapt to it all and be expected to win in one year perhaps just isn't realistic even if you are the World Champion.

Sebastian Tortelli told me that if he was to have his time over again, he would have went to the lites class in American first "to learn the ropes", he said it is just so different to racing the World Championship, and this was a guy that was leading the 250 nationals in his first year! Unfortunately for Roczen that class is more competitive than the 450 class this season!

This is the most difficult time in Roczen's career, injuries, living in a new country, learning supercross, and not winning have never happened to Ken before, but he is coping well giving the differences he is facing. He will figure out the missing piece, he isn't far away. Tracks like Washougal and Unadilla may suit hime better and maybe he will finally get the win he wants soon.

He has Roger DeCoster in his corner and maybe even more importantly Ryan Dungey. Dungey knows the route to success in America and the dedication it takes to get there. Just like he learnt from, Eric Geboers and Stefan Everts in the GPs, Roczen has the right people to learn from in the USA to get to where he wants to be.... as long as injuries, or the lifestyle in the US don't distract him.

Dallas preview, San Diego review!

The gloves are off!

Ryan Villopoto took his third win of the season in what was the best race of the year at round six in San Diego.

Villopoto is the perfect combination of Chad Reed and James Stewart so far this season. He races smart and makes good decisions like Reed, but he also has that raw speed and ability to pass you in a revolving door like Stewart.

Villopoto and  Reed battled hard through the back markers at the end of the race, Reed making the move as they sliced therr way through the slower traffic and it was only a very aggressive move by Villopoto, diving up the inside of Reed, that got him the win with a lap to go. Villopoto demanded the win, and he got it.

Reed, the fastest man in the whoops all night, has vowed to step up his own aggressiveness at Dallas to match Villopoto and doesn't want to lose the fight this week. Reed is just six points behind Villopoto and, at the moment, these two are started to seperate themselves from the rest of the field.

Ryan Dungey was a distant third, after struggling in the whoops section all night long, but he was finally back on the podium. However, you can bet KTM will be working hard to rectify the whoop problem for the remaining rounds to keep Dungey in with a shout in the championship.

The positive about Anahiem for Dungey was that he finally showed some aggression when he left Jake Weimar on the floor in a bid to stay with the leader at the beginning of the race. Dungey is only ten points back but will want to start reasserting himself by fighting for the win in the coming weeks.

While Dungey rode smart, James Stewart did not. Stewart crashed big time in the aforementioned whoops section while in third. He was trying to catch the leading duo of RV and Reed but it all went wrong in the whoops on lap seven and, with his leg stuck on the bike when he finally came to rest, Stewart was a lap down by the time he got going. He is now 38 points back in the series.

This puts Stewart in a must win situation that is even greater than the must win situation he was in before. When Stewart was in third he was looking at being nineteen points down if Villopoto won, he had to push hard and it bit him, now he absolutely has to go on the winning run he claimed he could a couple of rounds ago or this championship is over.

The problem is, as Steve Mathes eluded too, James still thinks he is the main man in the class, he won't accept the fact the other three are just as good as him now. That seems to be a mental block that isn't helping his cause, and in part could be the cause of a lot of his crashes.

Anahiem could just have lit the blue touch paper on the series, and the fans in Dallas could be the first to see the all out brawl that everyone has been waiting for.

Just as the West looked to be heading towards an obvious conlusion Eli Tomac blew it wide open again when he crashed hard in the whoops finishing a crushed twentieth place and handing the points lead to the victorious Dean Wilson.

Wilson went into the race just to have fun and he showed what he could do when he was relaxed, the battle between him and Tomac should go down to the wire now, but we have yet to see them go head to head this season.

Cole Seeley is only fifteen points back, and Marvin Musquin could easily have been in the points lead himself if it wasn't for two unlucky crashed this season, the latest coming on Saturday night when he was an innocent victim o an out of control Tomac early in the race. Give Marvin fifth place on those two nights and he would be right there with Wilson and Tomac.

Musquin will now race some 350 rounds as the Regional series heads east, which means a whole new championship to watch!

Barcia, Roczen, Baggett, Bogle, Stewart, Durham... just some of the heavy hitters who will be lining up to do battle at Dallas this weekend.

But the main battle that has everyone talking is Justin Barcia v Ken Roczen. Barcia does not like Roczen ever since they met at Lorretta Lynns years ago, and Roczen thinks Barcia's overly aggressive style is a waste of time and energy. The wild riding American defending supercross champion v the smart and calcutated German World Champion could be the highlight of the series.

Can Roczen take it to Barcia on his home turf?  Time will tell, but Roczen is coming off a recent broken wrist and he could take time to get up to speed.  Roczen won't back down if he is challenged by Barcia, he will give as good as he gets if Barcia tries to do his usual intimidatary take out tactics. Barcia you can be sure will not want the younger, and already more successful German beating him.

Check out the link to see what Ken has to say about the upcoming 2012 season, and coming back from a broken wrist.... Ken Roczen on racing East Coast Supercross

The guy who might just smoke them both is Blake Baggett. On raw speed Baggett can win any weekend, anywhere, but it his when he has a bad night that he has to minimise the damage, if he can do that he will be hard to beat.

Add in super fast rookie Justin Bogle and the raw talents of Durham and Stewart you can guarentee excitement and probably some take outs... with Justin Barcia almost certain to be involved somewhere along the line! This series will be explosive!

Oakland lookback, A2 preview...

It's on now!


The big four have all now won a race each in the opening four rounds. The two most consistent guys are predictably Dungey and Reed, and they both lead the points. Villopoto, the fastest guy in the class, hasn't seen the lead since A1, sits only two points back.

The big news is James Stewart, the most inconsistant of the main guys, finally took the win everyone has been expecting since A1. He passed early leader Reed on lap ten after holding off a vicious attack for the opening ten laps from Ryan Villopoto. Stewart should now have the confidence everyone else doesn't want him to have, but then again, do they really fear him like they did four or five years ago?

James might have given himself a confidence boost, as well as the team, but will the other guys confidence really take a knock? Villopoto caught him in his heat and was all over him in the main until he got tight trying (and failing ) to pass Chad Reed.

Right now everyone of those guys believe they can and will win the next race, and that is what makes Anahiem two just as exciting, if not more so, than A2. The first guy to win two in a row could get a big boost in momentum, and Stewart, via Ralph Shaheen has already stated he thinks that he can get on a wining run ala 2009 and reclaim this championship!

Those are pretty big boasts coming out of Stewart, especially as so far, he is the one most likely to faulter! Is this the kind of expectant over confidence that, when it doesn't materialise, James will panic and crash, or, is this the confidence that will take him to this title? These comments put James in the unique situation of the four guys, he doesn't know how to lose, and genuinely believes that nobody can touch him when he is riding well.

The other guys however, can accept defeat, it doesn't mean they like it, but they won't overextend themselves trying to win every race from here on out.  They have mentally accepted they will lose some and win some, and understand that it is maximising the points in races they lose as well as maximising the opportunities when they win.

That is why Reed, Dungey and RV are all within three points of each other despite all contending with bad starts throughout the year.

Exhibit A, this weekend was Ryan Dungey. The points leader had a terrible start despite winning his heat race, but he worked his way up to fourth position without any major moments and leaves tied for the points lead. Chad Reed did the same thing in Phoenix, and RV did it at rounds two and three. James on the other hand has crashed while trying to do it and ended up twelve points back.

So yes, James Stewart can win, in fact he is so talented, it is hard not for him to win some races every season. But the question remains, can he lose? When you tell the CBS commentator that you can get on a run of wins, when clearly not being the fastest guy (prior to his Oakland win) you set yourself a standard that is extremely hard to reach in a field with three other title contenders who are not one bit intimated or overawed by his blistering one lap speed. They broke him last year, and think they can break him again.

So, can James Stewart's predictions come true, or will recent history prove to be more accurate? The answers could start appearing this Saturday night.

RV will want to win this one bad, he clearly felt he let Oakland get away despite being so fast. Reed was not happy at getting second when he had the holeshot, and has publicly stated his desire to get more wins this season, Ryan Dungey won't want to be left out of the battle like he was last Saturday and lose his points lead. Combine all that motivation with Stewart's mindset that he can go on a run of wins and reclaim this championship, and you have a four majorly motivated title contenders this weekend.

Anahiem two could prove massive for the momentum of this series. I can't wait (to read all bout it on twitter).

LA lookback, Oakland preview...

It was quite a Saturday night in LA, but it wasn't all positive. Ryan Morais and Trey Canard's horror collison over the triple resulted in a red flag and a scary twenty minutes for everyone there. Both riders were knocked out, with Morais suffering a broken jaw and neck, and Canard broken vertabrae in his back. As bad as those injuries are it could have been even worse.

Get well soon to two of the nicest guys in the sport.

With two starts to the main even, it highlighted just how crucial a good start is in determining your race result... and the ensuring media judgments.

Chad Reed had one of the best rides of his career in the restart. He started fourth from the sixteenth gate pick and passed Ryan Dungey, then James Stewart before disposing of race leader Weimar and going on to a dominating and controlled victory. It was Honda's 200th win, and brough Chad to within four points of the championship lead. Reed is ready to contend for the this title. Yet it all could have been so much different...

In the first start Reed was buried deep in the pack, while Ryan Villopoto was out front and looking likely to storm to a second win of the season with only Ryan Dungey, running second, in a position to challenge. However, in the restart Villopoto found himself stuck on a tuff block after over jumping a triple on the first lap and he was way, way behind when he got going again. In supercross the start is everything, even more important that your speed, and in LA that was highlighted like never before. The results were literally turned upside down.

Villopoto put his head down and rode another incredible race, catching James Stewart for third and running the fastest lap of the race on the last lap, but coming up just half a second short of getting Stewart and getting on the podium. It was another scintilating performance by Villopoto and he will still be thinking he is the man to beat, despite losing the red plate.

Stewart finally got on the podium, but he wasn't that happy about it. Stewie started second but got passed by Reed who then went to the front. Stewart tried to go with the Australian, knocking Weimer down as he moved into second. With Dungey now on Stewarts tail and his arch rival out front, James crashed again, this time just a small tip over, but it was enough to take him out of the battle for the lead, and be forced to hold off a charging Ryan Villopoto in the dying laps.

James can look at this two way, he can look at it that he got caught by RV who lost far more time in his incident on the first lap than Stewart did in his crash, or he can take the positive that he managed to hold off RV in the final eight laps of the race and come out firing in Oakland.

Since the race, there has been some tragic news that has affected James and the entire JGR crew. Stewart's practice bike mechanic, Mark Adams, was killed when he was hit by a wayward driver while helping a stranded vehicle on the side of the road. Mark, twenty eight years old, was part of the original JGR crew and the loss will be widely felt amongst Stewart and the team. Condolences to Mark's friends and family.

With Millsaps coming off his best result of the year in sixth, he and Stewart could well put in a special performance this weekend for their friend.

The sole leader of the series right now is Ryan Dungey. Only three races into his KTM career, Dungey is continuing to make history, and heads into Oakland four points clear of Reed and Villopoto. Dungey is the only rider not to be off the podium and if he can keep this ruthless consistency punctuated by wins when they are there to be taken. Dungey will be there to end of this series.

The one remaining question about Dungey, and I suppose everyone else, is can they beat Ryan Villopoto straight up, until they do that, Villopoto will have the most momentum in this series, because he has been the fastest man on track each round, however we have yet to see him battle his title contenders, maybe this will be the week.

Jake Weimer is quickly becoming the fifth member of the big four. Weimer holshot and lead for a few laps before battling Reed hard, then Stewart took him down and ended his quest for a second consecutive podium went down the drain. His confidence has soared and he seems to believe he can run with anyone right now.

Brett Mettcalfe had a great ride for fifth and Josh Hansen rode well yet again for seventh. Josh is getting better and better, and he said he wants to start getting in the top five. If he gets the start he certainly has the talent.

In the lites class, Tomac didn't what he probably should have done in the first two rounds. He took the holeshot and cleared off. nobody is even close to his speed right now. Tomac is just riding fantastic, the best in his career, and he has the confidence and the aggression that is taking him to the next level. Somebody is going to have to get away with Tomac and prove to Eli and themselves that they can go toe to toe. Wilson is the man most likely to do it, he was second  in LA but a bad start meant he didn't see Tomac the whole main event.

Zach Osborne shocked the US industry ( but not the rest of the mx world) by getting third place and his first podium of the year. Osborne has, in three races, shown the Americans just how good he has been riding since he has been racing the World Championship, but it is only now that he is racing in America, do the Americans believe it. This will be Zach's last  race in supercross at Oakland as he prepares for his final year in the MX2 World Championship, he will want to go out on top in both cases.

Marvin Musquin had his best race in the USA, but ended up with nineteenth place and out of championship contention! Musquin went off the track in turn one and came from outside the top five to catch Wilson and Osborne, and looked a sure podium bet, until he landed in some soft dirt land of the triple, stopping the bike competely and spitting Musquin off violently. Musquin is finding his form though.

Cole Seeley also lost major ground in the series. The first round winner, and LA winner from last year, went down in the first corner and later crashed again en route to a devestating fifteent place. Seeley's question mark was never speed, but consistency, and it seems he still hasn't found the balance yet.

So unto this weekend in Oakland.With supposedly softer dirt in oakland, it may provide a different challenge. Villopoto of course, has to try and navigate his way through the first lap of the race for the first time since A1 if he wants to get the win. James Stewart tested all winter in soft dirt and maybe this will be the night the old Stewart with that explosive pace returns, at nineteen points down already, he has to do something.

Both Reed and Dingey (along with Villopoto) will be after their second win of the year, and the first person to get two wins in a row may get the decisive momentum, but I still think they will need to beat RV in a straight up race to shake Villopotos stanglehold on outright speed.

Phoenix look back, LA preview!

Where do you start after last week's race?

Dungey wins for KTM, Stewart fails to deliver again, and RV put in another incredible ride - this time from the back.

Lets start with Dungey. His win was HUGE. KTM have built a bike in a few months and won their second race on it! That is an incredible achievement from a team perspective, and also in Dungey's ability to adapt and test a brand new bike and bring it to the level it is at right now.

Last year on the Suzuki Dungey just won one race all year, this year he has won his first race by the second round, and has the points lead (albiet tied with RV.) Dungey has a dedication and focus like RC, and that was why DeCoster took him from the B class at 16 all those years ago. He has proven himself yet again to all the doubters, this time in the biggest way imaginable, going to an unproven bike that even Carmichael expressed doubts about, and won straight away.

At Phoenix he got the start (something he failed to do last season) and let the carnage behind him play out. Now he is back in the game and at the front, can he do it again in a head to head against Villopoto? - you can be sure that's how Dungey ideally wants to win it this week! It's all about head games right now.

Villopoto crashed with Millsaps on the first lap and put on what could turn out to be a championship winning ride. Eighteenth to third on a pretty hard track to pass on was incredible. RV is so confident, so fit, and so fast in his corners, that he is hard to stop. Even though he got third,  this race may do even more for his confidence than last week's win, he was that impressive. He doesn't wait to pass people and does what it takes to pass them right then and there. Which is why if anyone wants to beat him for this title, I believe they will have to start beating him in a head to head brawl very soon.

Chad Reed didn't have his best night, he looked great in his heat matching Stewart in aggression and speed until he lost the front wheel on lap four. From then Reed just didn't have the same pizzaz. In the main he sat behind guys lap after lap waiting for the right move, while Villopoto came from off the ground to catch pass Reed and the pass the same guys instantly that Reed was trying to pass clean and safe. You just can't wait for the right time to pass people when you are racing Ryan Villopoto. However, as usual Reed made the best of his situation and still garnered a top five, leaving him just seven points out of the lead. But it is clear Reed needs the starts to win this title.

For James Stewart it was a case of deja vu. Fast in his heat, bad start in the main, working his way up, then crashed. It has to be said Stewart until his crash was very fast but yet again he made a miscalcuation and ended up eighth. He is now seventeen points behind the two Ryans already, and there have only been two rounds. In his post race comment Stewart said he felt like he had the win at Phoenix, but, even looking at the best laps of the race, he was just fourth, three tenths off Villopoto and Dungey who turned almost identical lap times. Stewart cannot afford anymore races like this if he wants to win the title, and the pressure has just been turned up another notch. He almost has to win in LA, or at least beat the two Ryans to really be a contender for the title.

Jake Weimar was the other rider who had a faster best lap time that James Stewart in the main. That was beacause he rode awesome en route to second place! His first podium in the 450 class came straight after winning his heat race. This will be a huge confidence booster for Jake who had a terrible injury riddled 2011 season, he has proven he can run with Dungey and Canard in the 250f class but, this is effectively his first year in the supercross class, and he looks great. He has Aldon Baker as his trainer and RV as his riding partner, all the pieces of the puzzle are there and he is starting to show just what he is capable of.  Confidence is dangerous thing and Weimar just got a massive shot of it.

Trey Canard was happily back racing Supercross at Phoenix. He looked good and rode to a steady seventh place but the ever competitive Oklahoman is itiching to win races and be a front runnner. It won't be long until he is.

Other good rides came from Kevin Windham who just lost out on a podium with a lap to go, when Villopoto came blazing by. Josh Hansen was tenth again and so far is showing good heart and resolve in adjusting to the 450 class.

With rain predicted this weekend in LA, literally anything could happen. The pressure is starting to mount on those who haven't won, namely Chad Reed and especially James Stewart, the two Ryans know they can win and will both be desperate to be the first rider to win two mains this season to grab some momentum. In an ideal world Dungey will holeshot, Reed will be second, RV third and Stewart in fourth, giving him the chance to finally prove to everyone that he still has the stuff to win this title. If Trey Canard or Jake Weimar get away with them however they won't give in without a fight either!

Then again, if it rains, good old Windham could walk away with it!

In the 250f class the fastest rider in the class hasn't won a race and is fifth in points. Eli Tomac is fast but frustrated right now. The most important thing is supercross is not being the fastest but being one of the fastest and getting the holeshot.  Example A isTyla Rattray, Tyla has had two holeshots, been on the podium twice, and leads the points. If you swap their starts around, Tomac would probably have won both races and be easily leading the series.

Dean Wilson rebounded from his Anahiem disaster to take a comprehensive victory and put himself within two points of the lead in the series. Wilson rode how everyone knew he could and made it look pretty easy once he got around Rattray and Musquin.

Musquin though could become a threat to win very soon. With second place in Phoenix, Musquin has achieved a dream of being on the podium in US supercross, after such a bad year last season he is still looking for the confidence that took him to two World MX2 titles, but with that performance he will be getting ever closer to that, and that will be dangerous for the rest of the class.

With four points between the top five, anything can still happen and they will all justifiably believe they can win the title. LA may just be the indication of who really can now that the season is getting into the swing of things, but you can bet Tomac will be desperate to win!

Shame it's not on live...

A1 lookback, Phoenix Preview

The hype, the intrigue, the speculation, the unknown, all set A1 2012 up as one of the biggest races in years, and then the gate dropped.

Ryan Villopoto laid down the guantlet like never before at Anahiem. " The toughest field ever" was the pre-race cliche but Villopoto just didn't care.

On a one line track, Villopoto yet again delivered when he needed, getting the all important holeshot in the main, and checking out. He showed in his heat race however that he could also come through the field after a blistering ride through the pack in eight short laps to be on the back wheel of leaders, Reed and Alessi.

The odd track may have suited RV, his corner speed was fantastic, but he was also extra aggressive into the singles compared to the other riders. This week at Phoenix will be the first "regular" supercross, so will Villopoto be just as dominant or can the rest of the big five close the gap?

James Stewart did it again. He crashed. But this time it was different. On a new team, who could build the bike around him like no other, James was expected do what Villopoto did, and put a marker down for everyone else to aim at. He had the fastest lap in practice ( with dubious help of a rear dunlop tyre while contracted to Pirelli) and won his heat ( back on Pirellis front and rear) But, in the main, it just didn't happen. A bad start left Stewart riding around on his own in fourth until Dungey and Reed went down. This seemed to breath new life into the Floridian, but, as we have seen before, when he tried to ride that bit harder he went down.

Usually James crashes when in the lead, or at least on his way to the front, this time he was off the pace, and was only up with Reed and Dungey because they had crashed themselves. Stewart brushed his sixth place off and said he wasn't worried. In the aftermath and inquest into his poor performance, it was stated that a lack of practice on the hard pack of California, and the irregular track design could be the reason for the poor set up. With Phoenix going to be equally slick it will be interesting to see if Stewart is more comfortable this weekend.

JGR has invested a lot of time, money and effort into getting James unto their team. They expect results and by results that means victories and championships. Even though it was only the first race, it must be hugely disappointing for everyone involved, and the pressure on JS7 will only increase with every race he doesn't win.

Ryan Dungey made history at Anahiem. He became the first rider to ever give KTM a podium in the Supercross class in his first Supercross race for the brand....not a bad start! For all the changes and the doubters, it looked like not much had changed. Dungey was fast all night, and, despite a small fall in the main, was able to repass Stewart and almost got Reed at the end. Ryan hinted at changes that need to be made for Phoenix, so I would expect Dungey to be really shooting for the win this Saturday night now that they have the first race, and first podium out of the way. If he wins it will be a HUGE story, and he looks ready to challenge if last Saturday night was any indication. KTM are finally a major player in supercross.

Chad Reed did a Chad Reed. Struggled a bit in practice, didn't like the track, yet won his heat and hung on for second in the main event. "I'll take that." was his summation of the evening on a track he made public his dislike for. Reed tweeted yesterday that this week was the first time he put twenty laps together at the test track since his broken foot and thumb in the off season, making his result on Saturday with crash, on such a long track, even more impressive.

Best of the rest was Justin Brayton, the factory 450 Honda rider must have had his heart in his mouth as the sat on the line for the LCQ following a first turn crash ended his heat. He won the LCQ and rode strong in the main through the field, inheriting fourth when Stewart crashed. A good debut for Brayton, but he still needs to find the pace of the big four. Can he get a start in Phoenix and show them what he has?

The big news coming into the second round is the return of Trey Canard. Canard decided to sit out the opener and only rode supercross for the first time on Sunday since his broken collarbone. He says he feels good and you wouldn't bet against him running with the top guys straight away on Saturday...add another potential winner in the mix!

With so many good riders the question is who won't make the main event. At Anahiem it Austin Stroupe was the biggest casualty. Sixth in practice, Stroupe crashed in turn one in his heat and got a dreadful start in the LCQ and missed out. Speedwise though, he seems to have the stuff. Nick Wey also missed the main, as did poor Josh Hill. The Hart and Huntington rider only  made it to the first turn of his heat before getting taken down and suffering a broker tibia. He will be on the sidelines again for another six weeks, after spending a year and a half coming back from crippling injuries sustained in that infamous backflip, this was the worst case scenario for Hill.

It seems that after Anahiem some questions have been answerered but many more have been asked. Yes, RV is hauling, yes, Dungey is just as good on KTM,  and yes, Chad Reed is still solid. But the biggest questions are still there, will RV still be that much faster at Phoenix, will Stewart find his set up and his speed, how will Canard do at his first race back, Can Dungey get KTM's first win?

Phoenix may begin to answer these questions...let's just hope all the top guys all get out of the gate together!

West Coast "lites" Supercross Preview...

The lites Supercross series  or SX2 as it should be known doesn’t receive as much hype as it should in the lead up to A1, probably because the media are never quite sure who is racing where, and now, even with just a couple of days to go things have not been officially confirmed!

But it does appear that the Pro Circuit Kawasaki team will go with reigning outdoor champion Dean Wilson alongside Tyla Rattray who is looking forward to his second season of supercross. Scotsman Wilson should start of as one of if not the favourite. Carrying great confidence from his motocross championship, Wilson just needs to fix his starts in supercross in order to contend for the title. It arguably cost him the title against Barcia last season, as Wilson’s speed was never in question and you can bet he won’t want it to happen again.

Rattray, on the other hand, probably won’t come in expecting a championship. He had a couple of podiums last season but also a couple of crashes, expect Tyla to have less crashes and a touch more speed this time.

The main threat should come from the Geico Honda, and specifically Eli Tomac. The cool as cucumber Tomac almost won the West Coast title last season in his rookie year,  only losing out in the final lap of the season to Broc Tickle. Tomac suffered bad starts at the beginning of the season, but his speed and technique was always there, and, once he got the starts sorted, he started winning. Tomac showed remarkable poise during the pressure of the championship and will know what to do this time to ensure victory.

 It is hard to separate Wilson and Tomac right now, both undoubtedly the title favourites. Tomac will be taking momentum from his 2011 Supercross season while Wilson will be doing the same on the back of his outdoor season... which one will be most effective? .... only time will tell.

Geico Honda teammate Wil Hahn will not want to be counted out. Hahn came into last season super motivated and confident but he got hurt in practice and never raced a single supercross. The question is this, can Wil come into this season as fast with as much confidence as 2011 or will he doubt himself? If he can he could be a dark horse for the title if he gets good results early.

KTM had a double attack with Ken Roczen and Marvin Musquin but with Roczen getting hurt and now scheduled for the East coast, all the expectation lies with the former two time World MX2 Champion. Musquin has stated previously that he prefers Supercross to motocross, he is a very technically skilled rider with great line choices and could surprise a lot of people in the US who have not seen the best Marvin can ride yet. He raced a couple of US SX races in 2007 as a very young kid, so he won’t be overawed by the show and intense racing. If he gets a start he will be a threat to win races and maybe even the title.

TLD Honda also have a contender in Cole Seeley. Seeley showed last year that when he is on his can win, but he has yet to show consistency and prove that he can limit the damage in his bad races. According to David Pingree, Seeley is absolutely flying at the test track so no-one should be surprised if this guy is up front on a more regular basis.

Teammates Christian Craig and Travis Baker are also fast but their expectations probably aren’t quite as high as Seeley’s. Craig is still nursing a wrist injury and Baker will just want to break into the top five on a more regular basis.

DNA Shred Stick Valli Yamaha has switched Ryan Sipes to the West. Sipes, now twenty seven, is similar to the aforementioned Cole Seeley, in that he can win a race at any time but DNF or crash at any time as well. Sipes has the speed but is still looking to put a full championship series together.

The dark could be the little talked about Max Anstie. Out of sight out of mind, the talented Brit rode MX2 GPs last season and will do again in 2012 after signing for Gariboldi Honda, but this year he is also going to do the West Supercross series ala Ken Roczen last year. In 2010 Anstie almost beat champ Weimar to win his first SX and was really fast all year when he didn’t crash. If the GP team can get him a competitive bike together, Anstie could be a visitor to the podium.

Another returning to Supercross is Zach Osborne. Osborne hasn’t raced supercross since 2008 but he has a track at his house that he has rode every winter in between GP seasons. He is faster now than he was in 2008, as his British National title and top level performances in the GPs attest. He also has a very fast bike in the Bike-it Monster Yamaha team. Although only doing the first four races Zach could open a lot of eyes if gets the start and can adapt back to the intensity of supercross.

With a supposedly re-motivated Nico Izzi, the always fast Martin Davalos, the finally fit and focused Jason Anderson, plus Gareth Swanepole and more the West regional Supercross series will be one of the deepest ever.

With only fifteen laps and essentially a race lasting less that fifteen minutes the start will be absolutely critical in a field as deep as this. With the fifteen riders mentioned all capable of running close to the front on their day, the racing should be epic in 2012...let’s get it started!