Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
This weekends Anaheim 3 track layout looks both challenging for the riders and exciting for the fans.
After four temperamental rounds of the 2015 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series everyone now will focus their attention on the birth place of the sport for the final time this season. Anaheim 3 is always a bitter sweet round as the riders are both excited to arrive but also sad to say good-bye once again to Angel Stadium for yet another year. For some reason this race always seems to bring out the best in the riders and in the past has provided some unbelievable performances.
If we look back to one year ago, Anaheim 3 provided us with one of the most exciting rounds of 2014 as Chad Reed holeshotted the main event and lead all 20 laps enroute to his final win of the series. After winning twice in the first five rounds last year Reed had quite the momentum going as they headed south to San Diego for one last final West coast round. As you recall, Reed would crash out of San Diego and suffer injuries that put him out for the remained of the 2014 SX series. However, for one brief shinning moment on the floor of Angel Stadium 365 days ago, Reed proved once again to the Supercross world that you can never, I repeat never count him out. Will he be able to wave that magic wand again this weekend in Anaheim? Common sense may say no, however history and imagination tell us that anything is possible when it comes to the insidious Australian.
Few people expected Chad Reed to win Anaheim 3 last season, especially going wire to wire as he did. Will he be able to do it again in 2015 and get himself back into the points chase?
Last weekend at round three in Oakland we saw a few situations that caused everyone to maybe rethink how the 2015 series may now go. After being the dominant rider through the first few rounds Ken Roczen made a gargantuan mistake early in the main event that could’ve cost him the season. In the young German’s haste to get to the front of the pack, he completely misjudged his speed and came up about five feet short on one of the big triple jumps. It was painful to even watch on television so we’re definitely all relieved that he was okay. What the crash also did do was erase Roczen’s sizeable points lead in the 450 class and handed it to his former KTM teammate Ryan Dungey. Was this mistake from Roczen a sign of things to come as the pressure of battling for a SX title increases in the coming months? Or was it just a one time error he made while trying to pass one of series icons in Reed? I guess only time will tell us as we’ll see how he bounces back this weekend in Anaheim.
While Roczen was making mistakes and Reed was struggling a little with the pace of running up front, one of the previous weekends bad boys Trey Canard took home the Oakland win. It was Trey’s first win since 2011 and with all of the drama surrounding Trey, it was good to see him get the win. It was also good to see the fan favourite Reed hang on to grab third despite taking an unexpected detour off the track in the late stages of the main event. As far as the big picture is concerned, coming out of all of this was that super cool Ryan Dungey is now your 450 points leader heading into Anaheim 3. In my humble opinion, very few people outside of KTM and Dungey’s camp predicted that he would be leading the points after four rounds.
No man’s land! When you’re 30 feet in the air and you know you have no place to go except down, being young and flexible is definitely a good thing.
So as usual heading into this weekend we have many unanswered questions. Questions that only 20 laps of exciting SX racing can answer. Will Reed be able to once again dig into his cocoon of talent and give the fans another win to cheer about? Can Ken Roczen bounce back and prove that he is the rider to which all the other riders must measure themselves against. And finally, will Ryan Dungey continue to just be Ryan Dungey and quietly do what he does. I for one can’t wait to see how it all unfolds Saturday night inside the Cathedral on Katella. Here are the current 450 points standing and some cool Anaheim facts.
450 SX Points Standings
1. Ryan Dungey 82
2. Ken Roczen 77
3. Trey Canard 68
4. Eli Tomac 64
5. Jason Anderson 62
6. Justin Barcia 58
7. Cole Seely 45
8. Andrew Short 43
9. Davi Millsaps 43
10. Chad Reed 42
11. Blake Baggett 42
12. Broc Tickle 39
13. Jacob Weimer 36
14. Weston Peick 32
15. Brett Metcalfe 27
16. Dean Wilson 23
17. Mike Alessi 17
18. Kyle Chisholm 16
19. Justin Brayton 14
20. Vince Friese 7
After four very consistent rounds, Ryan Dungey heads into Anaheim 3 as the 450 class points leader. So far he’s done a masterful job of letting everyone else make the mistakes.
450SX Class: Anaheim Stats
The first 450SX Class race held in Anaheim was on December 4, 1976. Marty Smith won the race on a Honda.
This race marks the 66th time the gate will drop for a 450SX Class race in Anaheim.
From 2001-2010 and 2013-2014 Anaheim hosted three 450SX Class races. In 2011-2012 the venue played host to two races.
The 2015 450SX Class season will mark the 13th time Anaheim has hosted three races.
Anaheim holds the record for most 450SX Class races.
After the 2015 450SX Class season is completed Anaheim will have hosted 66 total 450SX Class races.
Anaheim has hosted a 450SX Class race in every season with the exception of: ’74, ’75 ’80, ’88, ’97, and ’98.
Ken Roczen has never finished off the podium in his five Anaheim 450SX Class starts. Roczen is going for his third Anaheim victory in just his second full 450SX Class season.
Kevin Windham gave Honda their last Anaheim 450SX Class victory in 2005. Honda has gone 26 straight 450SX Class races in Anaheim without a win.
Ryan Dungey gave KTM their first Anaheim 450SX Class victory at the third race in Anaheim in 2013.
Anaheim’s third race in 2013 was KTM’s first ever event sweep. Roczen won the 250SX Class and Dungey won the 450SX Class.
Can Chad Reed pass Jeremy McGrath to take sole possession of first on the Anaheim 450SX Class win list?
Suzuki has never swept Anaheim in a season where there were three Anaheim races. Roczen could become the first to do this.
Can Roczen rebound and sweep Anaheim, joining James Stewart and Reed as the only riders to win three races in Anaheim in the same season? The last two riders to sweep Anaheim were Reed in 2008 and Stewart in 2007.
Can Trey Canard earn another win? It would be the first time Honda has won back-to-back 450SX Class races since Windham won St. Louis and Seattle back-to-back in 2008.
Could we have a fourth different winner in five races?
Can Justin Barcia, Davi Millsaps, Cole Seely, or Blake Baggett get on the podium in Anaheim?
Husqvarna is still looking for their first win from Jason Anderson.
Before the 2015 Monster Energy AMA SX Series leaves Anaheim for another year, can Jason Anderson give Husqvarna their first ever Anaheim SX win?
450SX Class: Wins by Brand in Anaheim (Last Win)
Yamaha: 20 (2011)
Honda: 19 (2005)
Kawasaki: 14 (2014)
Suzuki: 10 (2015)
KTM: 2 (2014)
450SX Class: First Time Winners in Anaheim
1978, Gaylon Mosier
1979, Kent Howerton
1982, Donnie Hansen
1983, David Bailey
1984, Johnny O’Mara
1990, Damon Bradshaw
2003, Chad Reed
2009, Josh Grant
2014, Ken Roczen
450SX Class: Anaheim Wins by Rider
James Stewart: 8
Jeremy McGrath: 8
Chad Reed: 8
Ricky Carmicheal: 7
Ryan Villopoto: 5
Angel Stadium in all of her glory. This famous stadium is the perfect backdrop for round 5 of the 2015 Monster Energy AMA SX Series.
