How strange was it for the people that live in the east to watch the St. Louis supercross on Saturday afternoon? I didn’t mind one bit and it’s about time! I want to see way more afternoon races on the schedule. Primetime on FOX network is pretty huge and I would like to know the official count of the television audience. The riders said the dirt in St. Louis was the best in the entire series. Lots of lines in the corners and no major deep ruts or kickers off the face of the jumps. The layout was pretty good too with tons of spots to pass. It was good to see James Stewart show up for the weekend but not cool that he crashed out and didn’t return. I will, however, give James the thumbs up for getting up off the dirt and restarting his Suzuki to finish the race. The fans did cheer for him as he completed the last lap in last place. You have to feel for the guy and all his bad luck. He is taking the time to fly in and try to race. You have to give him that.
Thanks to a few crashes, Malcolm Stewart has allowed the battle for the 250SX East title to really heat up as the riders head into Boston this weekend. Photo by Frank Hoppen
While we’re on the Stewart topic, what was going with Malcolm this past weekend? I don’t think I have ever seen a rider fall down that many times in one moto. Remember, the race is only 15 laps so for this track that equals about a 13 minute moto. Was Malcolm just not focusing? It looked like he was riding well but all of a sudden he would throw it away. Well, the good news is he is still leading the East Coast Supercross Series by one point over Aaron Plessinger. It’s a good thing for Malcolm that there are three rounds left; he may have a chance to reprieve himself. Finishing first in St. Louis on his Star Yamaha was outdoor Lites champ Jeremy Martin. I am really happy for the likable kid from Minnesota that he bounced back from probably one of the worst races he’s ever had. Jeremy went wire to wire and I don’t think he made one mistake all night! Teammate Aaron Plessinger looked solid again. Remember Aaron won in Indy the week before? Pretty cool that Plessinger is now only one point out from running the red plate. Third for the event was TLD’s Shane McElrath. A solid race for the KTM rider. I was a little surprised that Tyler Bowers struggled again in St. Louis. I’m not too sure what’s going on in that camp but something seems a bit off. Teammate Gannon Audette had another good weekend by finishing 5th for the day. I am betting Audette is on cloud nine these days after picking up the PC ride this late in the season. Another rider I was looking for but was a no show was Justin Hill. I feel Justin was the guy that would have the speed and set up to win this year’s series. I hope he is back soon. Martin Davalos had a weekend that I am sure he would like to forget. From battling for the win to finishing 15th for the day is not what the factory Husky rider had in mind. I would like to plug Josh Cartwright and Henry Miller for doing a great job of qualifying for the Lites east series.
Even with a healthy points lead in the 450SX class, Ryan Dungey just refuses to lose. Photo by Frank Hoppen
Another unreal 450 race yet again! I can’t believe Dungey is pushing this hard so late in the series with a massive points lead of 48 points. This just proves Ryan is a true champion and competitor. He didn’t have to hold off Ken Roczen for all 20 laps, but how cool was it? I actually hope these battles continue until the end of the series, and it’s also great for TV. The average viewer probably has no idea what’s going on anyways, but when you throw in a battle like that, you are going to watch. I am sure Ken is pissed, but on the other hand he probably feels good that he knows he can run with Dungey. If Ken gets a better start this coming weekend, watch out. Third for the night was Jason Anderson on his Rockstar Husky. Jason actually got a good start and rode really well knocking riders off the track. That pass on Brayton was a little dirty and I am sure there will be some payback down the road. Bogle with a 5th for the night was solid. Further down the list was Tomac, who started pretty well at the back and worked his way to 7th. He rode well but I don’t think it was all high-fives under the Kawasaki tent after the race. I honestly think Tomac is over the SX series. I bet he is focusing more on outdoors at this point. I feel he will be a major player at round one in Hangtown next month. I am impressed with Mike Alessi winning his heat race. We were all waiting for an emotional speech on the podium but no tears this time. Mike spoke like a true winner and thanked his sponsors and commented on how tricky the track was. I am looking forward to seeing Mike and his teammate Vince this summer. If these two riders can get their Monster Kawasaki’s dialed in early, these two guys will be up front fighting for a podium spot.
We think it can be assumed that Eli Tomac is counting the days until the outdoor series begins next month. Photo by Frank Hoppen
This coming weekend, the supercross is at Foxboro, Massachusetts. It’s an open stadium so let’s hope for some good weather. I noticed that there is already talk about “silly season 2017.” I don’t think there is much truth to the rumours right now, but who knows. The word on the street is Davi Millsaps is coming to Canada and will be on a KTM. I am surprised at the move, but heck if he comes up, it will make CMRC’s Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals even better. You might want to book your flights now to Round one at Kamloops on June 5th as there are seat sales on Air Canada. As of right now the 450 class is stacked with talent. Yamaha has Metcalfe and current 2016 MX1 Champion Matt Georke. Kawasaki has Alessi and Friese. Honda has 4-time MX1 champ Colton Facciotti. Factory KTM has two-time Lites champ Kaven Benoit and Millsaps. Then you have factory Husqvarna’sTyler Medaglia. Then there is Redemption’s Cade Clason and Dylan Schmoke. I am sure I am missing a few other guys but that is one solid line up. That’s it for this week. See you at the races