The gate at AT&T Park in San Francisco Saturday looked bleak for fans of the top two AMA Supercross riders. It was known that Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Chad Reed would not be racing, but fans were shocked to see Reed’s biggest rival not racing also, defending SX champion James Stewart.
Reed, of Tampa, Fla., is out with a broken hand for the next few weeks, and it was reported Friday that Stewart will also be out for a few weeks. The San Manuel Yamaha rider of Haines City, Fla., broke a bone in his left wrist and underwent successful surgery on Thursday.
Both riders were involved in “the crash heard ‘round the world” during round 2 in Phoenix. With these two rivals out, the race for the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship is now wide open for just about any rider.
And in the hunt for the championship after winning in San Fran is Ryan Villopoto of Poulsbo, Wash. The win was Villopoto’s third of his career, but it didn’t come easy.
“The track was tough and slippery,” the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider said. “It was hard to put in 20 perfect laps out there tonight. It wasn’t the start that I wanted, so I played catch-up. It is a long season with a lot of racing left.”
The action at AT&T Park began with the rookie Ryan Dungey of Belle Plaine, Minn., launching his Rockstar Makita Suzuki early, getting the SPIKE Holeshot Award. Villopoto followed Dungey out of the gate with Honda Red Bull Racing rider Davi Millsaps of Tallahassee, Fla., in third.
Millsaps quickly grabbed second from Villopoto during the first lap, but crashed during lap 4, giving Villopoto the position. Dungey remained in the lead until lap 10, when he went down, giving the lead to Villopoto. Dungey dropped to fourth, remaining in the position to the finish.
"After practice, I felt good," Dungey said. "I think we made some good changes to the bike. I felt confident in the heat race, but I had a little tip over, so I tried to regroup. I came out and got a great holeshot in the Main and then I caught my foot and threw it away. I salvaged it for fourth, which is not too bad. I'm thankful that I'm all right and healthy."
Stewart’s teammate Josh Hill of Yoncalla, Ore., finished in second, with Millsaps taking third. Although Dungey finished fourth, his first-place finishes at Phoenix and Anaheim II keeps him 11 points ahead of Hill in the championship, and 13 ahead of Villopoto.
For complete Supercross results and standings, click here.
Supercross Lites West
In the AMA Supercross Lites division, GEICO Powersports Honda rider Trey Canard of Shawnee, Okla., took his first win, leading every lap. The winner of the first three rounds, points leader Jake Weimer of Rupert, Idaho, rode his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawaski to a second-place finish. Finishing third was Weimer’s teammate Josh Hansen of Elbert, Colo.
“I had a rough start to this season, and I am finally starting to come around,” said Canard. “This was great night for me and my team.”
