What’s in Store For Us At Round Six in San Diego

As I sit here to write this story about this weekend’s San Diego Supercross, I just finished tobogganing with my family. As we were sliding down the frozen hill in the cold, I couldn’t help but think about what a contrast this activity was to what I was doing last weekend in sunny Anaheim, California.

I guess we all live in a world full of contrasts, night and day, work and play, and like my situation, warm days and bitter cold. As the 2015 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series heads to San Diego this weekend for round six, more than one rider is having to deal with the burden of contrasts. In just five rounds, riders like Ryan Dungey, Ken Roczen, Trey Canard and Chad Reed have had their fair share of ups and downs, so many in fact that it’s hard to believe the series is just a month old. Let’s take a more detailed look at each rider I just mentioned.

Ryan Dungey:

After five rounds Ryan Dungey is your Supercross class points leader; few people, including myself, didn’t expect this. However, in 2015, we’ve seen a different version of Dungey than in years past. While he’s always been one of the fittest riders in the paddock, in 2015 he looks better conditioned than ever. This new level of fitness has to be contributed to the work he did during the off-season with Aldon Baker. Everyone knows Baker’s list of top riders that he’s transformed into race winning machines. Carmichael, Villopoto and Roczen have all credited him with guiding them to their championships. The thing that is different with Dungey is that he was already very fit, so while there was no transformation needed, all Baker had to do was tweak Dungey’s program.

Whatever he did, Dungey not only looks fitter than ever, but he looks more confident than ever too. What Baker’s program seems to have done is allow Ryan to sit on the starting line and feel like he can beat anyone on the track. When you factor this in, Dungey’s intelligent riding and his all-new 2015 KTM450SX-F, I think you’re witnessing the best Ryan Dungey we’ve ever seen, and it’s sure a contrast to how he was at rounds one and two of the series. We could definitely see him get on a roll and win a few more races in the coming weeks.

Ken Roczen:

As the third round of the 2015 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series wrapped up at Angel Stadium a few weeks ago, Ken Roczen stood on top of the podium and everything seemed right. He was by far the best rider in the first few rounds and many felt (including me) that he was on the verge of turning the 2015 series into his own championship winning reality show. However, things in this sport can change quickly; with just one mistake in Oakland, the air seems to have been let out of Ken Roczen. Of course, in the dog eat dog world of professional motocross when one rider struggles, his competition sees the opportunity to pounce. This is certainly what we’ve seen in the last two weeks as all of the other top riders seem to have increased the level of their riding.

We’ve also heard in recent weeks that Roczen has pulled back a little from Aldon Baker’s watchful eye and has gone back to working with his Dad. Is this a good thing? I guess time will tell, however the timing of it seems to be odd as you can’t argue with Roczen’s success under Baker’s wing. While I’m quite sure that Ken Roczen will win again very soon, I also think, though, that he’s opened the door for his rivals to make a run at the 2015 championship and that could come back to haunt the 20-year-old German.

Trey Canard:

No rider exemplifies the word ‘contrast’ more than Trey Canard. While his speed at any given time is unbelievable, so is his habitual tendency to take one step forward and then two steps back. After coasting through the first few rounds, we saw that speed at Anaheim 2 when he charged through the pack with ease in the first few laps of the main event. Just as we thought he was going to the front, he lost concentration (that’s putting it mildly) and jumped on the back of Chad Reed, which took both of them out.

Then a week later in Oakland, Canard rode away to victory and we once again got duped into believing that he might’ve turned the corner. Well, fast forward to the main event this past Saturday night at Anaheim 3 while trying to keep the leaders in sight, Canard made a small error and washed his front end out in a corner. While he did remount and finish fifth, Canard also let the world and his competitors know that he still can be counted on to make some very untimely, unforced errors. The next few weekends will be very important for Trey as they will determine whether 2015 is going to be a great year or just another year of inconsistency.

Chad Reed:

From the first race of the year in Anaheim a month ago to the final race of the year at Anaheim last weekend, Chad’s riding has changed night and day. After struggling through the first few rounds, Chad is starting to find his confidence and rhythm, and if he can get out of California in one piece we might just see him make a run at this title. While his all-out speed is still a little off that of the current 2015 main event winners, it may just change soon as the series moves east.

After being at Anaheim and watching Reed ride, I do believe that if he had started better he definitely could’ve been on the podium. As the rider on the track with the most experience, Reed knows that this series really doesn’t begin until after Daytona on March 7th. Up until then, you just have to keep yourself healthy and in the points. Another thing I’ve noticed about Reed this season so far is that for the first time in years he hasn’t been staying in California through the month of January, but instead opting to fly in and out and practice back in Florida. This can’t be easy on him physically as it takes a lot out of you to travel across the country every Friday and Sunday, however with a wife and three kids at home this is what he’s chosen to do. Once the series heads east next week and Reed’s travel time decreases, we may see a different and certainly more energized 22.

So that’s it for riders that have so far seen their 2015 season be a definite contrast. Everyone else has seemed to hover on a level of consistency, whether good or bad. As the series heads to one of the most beautiful cities in the USA this weekend, the mindset of every rider will be a combination of looking for success, but also trying to survive so they can head east in one piece. This may provide a rider with the opportunity to get their first win of 2015 as the points leader may be in ‘safe‘ mode. I guess we’ll all find out on Saturday night at Petco Field in San Diego.