Happy St. Patrick's Day! Grab a green beer and check out What Really Happened in Minneapolis for Round 11 of this past weekend's Monster Energy Supercross Championship. Also, in case you missed out on the race report, go ahead and click through the links below and get caught up on everything else from this past weekend.
The series made an appearance in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paulfor the first time since 2004, and judging by the affection of the fans, it was a good move for everyone involved. The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, located deep in downtown Minneapolis, was constructed by the same firm responsible for the venerable (and now non-existent) Pontiac Silverdome-and the likenesses were uncanny. Basically a huge, 50,000-plus seat pressurized canister with a semi-flexible roof held up by air pressure, the fun of walking through doorways funneling 100 mph winds is something we never thought we'd feel again. Oh the joy of having your hat blown far, far away without a moment's notice that it's about to happen. Good times.
Deep inside the bowels of the dome, factory, privateer, and satellite teams alike setup shop in a unique over/under pit area that had average Joe's rubbing elbows with the superstars of the sport. Well, at least rubbing handlebars, as the top guys tended to duck into their motorcoaches out in the parking lot as soon as they left the track. Regardless, it made for an interesting pit experience for sure, although it was completely inaccessible to the non-credentialed fan who was likely looking forward to meeting his or her favorite riders while cruising the pits.
The Minneapolis track was back to the more typical design (see photo above), with fairly short lap times and predictable, relatively easy obstacles. The couple of exceptions to that were the 95-yard start straight and then, at the end of each lap, the return down the straight to a double step-on step-off section that was lead in and out by a slight dogleg-type turn. This led to great passing and photo ops all night, as riders could either clear the table and downside it going in and out, squeezing tight on the inside for the corner, or step on and off the table on both sides, railing the outside and maintaining speed. In fact, this is where the race was lost for Josh Grant, when he made a mistake exiting the section on the last lap and was passed by Villopoto for the win.
There were three "stories of the night" for Minny, really, and when looking at the results sheet it's easy to see what they were: 1) Josh Hill is the real deal, 2) Ryan Dungey is too, and 3) Josh Grant is back. To start the ball rolling, Josh Grant holeshot and lead the Lites main and, at times, appeared to be putting a gap on Ryan Villopoto in second. All season we've wondered what has been happening with Grant, since pre-season he was considered a likely threat for the title (at least much more so than his teammate and current points leader Trey Canard ever was). It turns out that up to this point in the season, Grant HAS had the speed all along, but was sorely lacking in the luck department. He's posted fast lap times at a couple of the rounds, but first turn crashes or other mid-race misfortunes have prevented him from getting up to where he needed to be to win races. And lets face it: with competition as fast as Canard and Villopoto, nobody is going to come from mid-pack to snag a win if those two are out front setting down the fast laps.
On the other hand, Ryan Dungey has won races this year-albeit in the Lites West class-and is the poster child for all things fine and dandy in Supercross. In fact for this weekend, he even added department store Target as a personal sponsor of his. Starting off the season as pretty much dominant by cleaning up at the first three rounds, he then appeared to choke somewhat, losing his points lead to Boost Mobile/Yamaha of Troy's Jason Lawrence and becoming the underdog for the title heading into Seattle in a couple of weeks. To ease the pain of that, he and Roger DeCoster decided to try the Supercross class. The result in Indianapolis was a holeshot, two laps lead, and a second place finish-in other words, the best result for Team Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki in the premier class for the entire season! Then there's Josh Hill. While consistency has certainly not been one of the Oregonian's strong points this season, his speed is rarely questioned. He podiumed at Anaheim II, and now he won going away at Minneapolis. Now, let's see where he takes this momentum (and his new energy drink sponsor that he wished for-Monster), because it certainly appears he has what it takes to hit the podium from here on out.
Following the Supercross Main event, Hill clearly was elated about his ride as he hugged and held onto his grandfather who was present for the win even though his father Monty wasn't able to make it. The fans seemed just as happy for him as they were for Dungey, the hometown favorite. Why? Because Hill is a nice kid and there's just no hiding it. We even overheard Ryan's Mom commenting afterwards, "I'm just as happy for Josh winning as I am for Ryan getting second! I'm just really happy right now!" As was Hill, who noted after the race, "This win is huge for me," Hill said. "I am so grateful for Yamaha putting their faith in me to put me on the 450 when I asked to be, and I am just so happy to be able to deliver this win for them. It's been an up-and-down season but to me, this win just about makes up for it!"
Unfortunately, that win came at the expense of Chad Reed, who's story for Minneapolis could take up this entire column alone. To summarize: It was his birthday, he was sick as a dog, and he crashed his brains out while chasing down Hill in the main event to end up seventh, giving up more valuable points to Kevin Windham in the points chase. Here's to a solid recovery for Reed in the off-weekend.
But enough about the riders that everyone talks about, what about those guys out there who, "coulda, woulda, shoulda"? The guys that either are riding great but nobody notices or the guys who SHOULD be, but aren't. Since we're already past the season midpoint, we figured we would try and do a bit of a roundup of the guys who don't get talked-up enough.
Travis Preston #11
Expectations were all over the board for this former Lites/125 class champion. Travis landed Stewart's vacated spot at Team Monster/Kawasaki and was predicted as podium material as often as he was predicted to be outside the top 10. At Minneapolis, he really seemed to be pulling it together by posting the fourth fastest lap time in qualifying, but unfortunately couldn't deliver a solid finish in the main. He's getting there, but by the time he arrives the season might already be over.
David Vuillemin #12
David Vuillemin was another rider who could've either floated or sank this season, but he's somehow managed to stay somewhere right in the middle despite a couple of nagging injuries that likely slowed his progress. These last two weekends, however, things have turned around a bit for the veteran Frenchie, with a fourth in the Daytona swamp and a hard-fought eighth at Minneapolis this past weekend. Still, solidly within the top 10 in points (with 115 and eighth place), "Le Cobra" isn't setting the world on fire, but he is certainly putting up a respectable showing in what is surely one of his final seasons on the tour.
Tyler Bowers #391
On the opposite end of the spectrum, 16-year-old Tyler Bowers has been making the quietest impact of the plethora of Lites rookies to hit the series this season. Highly touted as a big, strong, fast, hungry, and aggressive kid, "TyBo" has so far made a quietly confident showing in the East Lites series. Clearly over-powering (and overweight for) his YOT YZ250F, Bowers' flawless style is an absolute pleasure to watch, and has thus far served him well. Whether he's behind or ahead of expectations depends on who you ask, but eighth in points (after failing to qualify at Daytona by one spot) and three other finishes well within the top 10 makes him without a doubt a solid Supercross prospect by any estimation. Perhaps even more importantly, he's kept his nose clean and may be losing the reputation that followed him into the pro ranks-that of a bully who unnecessarily took people out to serve his own purposes. That aside, chances are good (very good) that once he gets the big leagues figured out he'll be a genuine threat for wins on a 450 in another year or two.
Tommy Hahn #32
It sure looks like Tommy Hahn just found out what the funk was that he's been stuck in for the last two seasons, and that funk is a 250F. From the first practice session in Minneapolis, Hahn rode his KX450F like he stole it, and like he truly had something to prove. After running with the top dogs in his heat, he continued in the main by staying just out of reach of a hard-charging Davi Millsaps for almost the entire duration of the main event. A fresh beginning? Maybe. Finally on a bike that actually suits his riding style? Definitely.
Phillip Nicoletti #178
Team Motosport Xtreme Kawasaki's other East Lites rider is Phil Nicoletti. Without a stellar amateur career to make a name for himself, coming into the pro ranks, Nicoletti starts his second pro year as a relative unknown. Landing a ride on a team like Motosport is definitely a start in the right direction, but Nicoletti's results haven't reflected what seems to be a rider with great potential. He absolutely owned his non-seeded Lites qualifying group in Minneapolis, looking like a pro amongst intermediates. Keep your eyes on the #178, there are good things to come from this young man.
Jake Moss #82
The #82 of Australian Jake Moss seems to always be up towards the front at some point every weekend. Always pushing the pace and clearly on the leader's pace, Moss has caused more looks into the program to ‘see who that #82 guy is' than any other rider this season. A good starter with great speed, what appears to be lacking is the Aussie's ability to keep it on two wheels for the duration of a race, but as it stands now - don't be surprised to see a new face from downunder show up on the podium before the season is up.
Ben Coisy #979
Team Red Bull Honda Racing's French import Ben Coisy is living up to expectations. It was no question that filling the shoes of former MX2 World Champion Ben Townley was a tall order for this mult-time French and European supercross champion, but Coisy has so far not been disappointing. The opposite of Townley in just about every way-quiet and unassuming, with virtually no hype around him whatsoever-"Benji's" results on the track have been impressive and despite a crash in Minneapolis that dropped him all the way back to 15th and to sixth in points, Coisy has likely made a home for himself in AMA Supercross racing for next year. Let's not forget-he's a 450 guy, not a Lites guy-so its easy to see him doing much better in the Supercross class.
Another rider that we spied at Minny that had a new setup was new WWR addition, #88 Joe Oehlhof, who was on a Yamaha for the first time this season. Leading up to this point, we'd heard a lot about Oehlhof doing this and that and to summarize, it went something like this: Press releases stating that he'd be on a Team CrossX Yamaha for Supercross and outdoors, to a press release from him personally stating that no, he would not be. Then we spot him in the results for the Dortmund, Germany, Supercross on a KX450F then, sure enough, he shows up at Anaheim II on a KX450F, then, he just disappears for a couple of rounds.
Then suddenly, here at Minneapolis, he shows up on a fairly tricked-out YZ450F and looks to be right back up to the speed that earned him that national #88. We had to ask: Joe, what the heck is going on with you this season? "Well that's a good question, because I don't really know myself," Oehlhof said. "It was looking like I would be on the CrossX Yamaha at one point, but they didn't come through with what I was expecting and I really wanted to race. Unfortunately I was hurt a bit at the beginning of the season, but decided to ride a KXF that I had at A2 anyhow and ended up getting hurt again. I took some time off and re-grouped, called Mike Guerra at Yamaha and he got me a couple of bikes and I rounded up some other old sponsors like EVS, Pro Circuit, Answer, and others and decided to come on out and give it a try for the rest of the year. So, you'll be seeing me on YZ450F's for the rest of this season." Good deal for Joe, easily one of the nicest and hardest working guys you'll find in the privateer pits.
With a weekend off for the first time this year, riders get a chance to either heal up or just chill out a bit before heading up to Toronto, Ontario, in two weeks. For Lites guys, this means another weekend off, as this international round is not a part of either regional series (for reasons unknown to us). Despite that fact, the entry list is growing with each passing day and attracting riders from the west as well as many Canadians that don't normally race Supercross in the U.S. This should make for an interesting Lites class alongside the already stellar Supercross class, which will possibly mark the return of riders such as Ivan Tedesco, Tim Ferry, Mike Alessi and Grant Langston. Only time will tell, but we hope you'll come back to Motocross.com to check out the race report and What Really Happened in Toronto on the Monday following the action! Have a good week.
Courtesy of MotoCross.com
