By Mat WellumsonIndianapolis was far from the 80 degree weather we saw for this round during the 2012 season, giving it a completely different feel than that of my first year attending this race. While there was some sun in the morning, clouds and high winds soon moved in making the outdoor pit area somewhat miserable for many of the colder blooded attendees. Inside, the stadium offered up relief in the form of much warmer temperatures to defrost both the riders and their bikes (some of which had troubles starting due to the cold temps).
If you haven’t had a chance to watch this last round of Supercross, I can honestly say that the following photo report is only a small sample of what took place at Lucas Oil Stadium last weekend. If you have a favourite rider in the series, there was likely something taking place that either upset or excited you every round this year, and I doubt Indianapolis will quickly be forgotten by anyone.
Said by many to be their favourite venue in the Supercross series, Lucas Oil Stadium is easily one of the largest I have ever been to myself. As you will see later in the report, these empty seats didn’t remain that way long, with this round being like many others earlier in the season, almost completely sold out.
Due to there not being an indoor pit area this year, access to the stadium for riders and teams was restricted until the morning track walk. This made for unusually high traffic heading into the stadium, causing people to queue up for quite a while as they walked passed security checks. I have to say, I had to practice some block passing skills to get in this far to get a couple shots.
Just like in the amateur ranks, Riders Meetings also take place for these Pro riders. Along with the morning chapel service, it is one of the most important parts of the day for many of those involved in this sport.
Almost everywhere you look, there are always constant reminders that this sport is all about family. Here we see Ryan Dungey and his older brother Jade during the riders meeting. Jade Dungey is also one of the members of the Red Bull KTM Team as one of their chief mechanics. (Trivia note, if you watch the KTM version of the Harlem Shake Video it is Jade that you see kissing the stand-up poster of his brother Ryan)
Despite not making the night show, talking to Nicky Beatty in the stands later, he revealed that he is in high spirits heading into the next round in Toronto. It is clear that his attitude, fitness, and skill level are all getting him closer to making the night show an eventual reality. Really wishing him the best during the next rounds of Supercross!
Like every track this season, Indy also had a sand section to add a bit of dynamic to the overall track layout. In this case, the sand came just after a wall-jump, which created quite a few moments like the one seen here. Marvin Musquin wasn’t the only rider to get a face full of roost at this spot however I am sure he wasn’t thrilled to be on the receiving end.
Ryan Dungey had an uncharacteristic spot of trouble at the very same wall-jump, causing this interesting shot of him grinding sideways at the lip.
Dungey made all attempts to correct his rough launch by trying to throw the bike sideways while briefly in the air over the sand section.
Ultimately, the sand claimed its next victim, though fortunately Ryan came out with only a minor crack to his helmet and no other damage.
Cole Thompson was on the charge during Lites Heat #1 race, especially with the #77 of Jeremy Martin in hot pursuit during much of the race. Cole was using his speed and strategy to fend off his rival by both working his lines and staying as low as possible on jumps to stay on the power to keep his prime podium spot. It was great to see some highly competitive yet clean racing between these two.
Jeremy Martin made the move on Cole just after the sand section, switching down to a lower line and giving him the faster outside lane for the next turn. Cole didn’t let down and continued to charge behind Martin to gain back his 3rd place spot.
Still within the 1st lap, Dean Wilson had a hard kick out off the off-camber corner. He ended up slamming down onto the track hard and taking heavy injury. Thankfully all other riders were able to avoid hitting him. Blake Wharton is seen here seat hopping the jump to clear Wilson, with Will Hahn safely over him as well. I hope Wilson is able to recover from his injury quickly. He was clearly in a lot of pain when he rode by us standing trackside!
When you slow down the videos or take still images of these starts, it is amazing how few crashes we actually see during the beginning of these races. With elbows, bars and sometimes wheels touching going into the first corner, it clearly sets our sport apart from those of other styles of motorsport.
Villopoto had a clean ride in Heat #1, despite having a coolant leak that could have potentially changed things for him. He is seen here doing a fine whip after taking the checkered flag.
Matt Goerke #62 is taking to his KTM quite well this year, beating out Chad Reed and Broc Tickle for a spot in the Top 5 in Heat #1 at Indianapolis.
This shot gives you a good idea how big the gap was between 1st place and 6th place by the end of Heat #2. Chad Reed wasn’t slow by any measure, however it just goes to show you how fast these riders can go when they have a clean track, as was the case for James Stewart.
Blake Wharton was leading a strong charge in the 250 Main in what everyone thought would be his 2nd year in a row to win the Indianapolis Supercross. He had a solid ride until an unfortunate mishap occurred on the final lap.
After a strong lead throughout the race and into the last lap, Wharton found himself in this spot. While he did get his bike going again to return to the race, he finished 9th overall.
After a run-in with a tough block at the start, Marvin Musquin charged from nearly last place through the pack to take an impressive win after Blake Wharton’s crash in the final lap. Consistent speed and great passes made it happen for Marvin, which caused everyone to take notice of the young Red Bull KTM rider!
Within reach of a podium finish for most of the race, Privateer A J Catanzaro impressed many with his consistent riding throughout the race for a finish of 4th overall. It is always awesome to see the privateer riders take on the factory bikes!
On the podium was another privateer that took many of the factory teams by surprise. Kyle Peters was able to hold off points leader Will Hahn for a 2nd overall behind Musquin.
Ryan Villopoto, the current points leader, moments before the gate drops on a very important race for him.
After a great start and the beginnings of a strong lead over Villopoto, Millsaps and Dungey, a minor mistake caused Stewart to both stumble and stall his bike within the off-camber turn after the whoops.
Being unable to get his bike going in time, Stewart’s lead slipped away as Villopoto, Millsaps, and Dungey pass him on the off-camber turn. Villopoto was now where he needed to be for all important championship points.
After a calculated pass on Millsaps, Ryan Dungey was working hard to put pressure on Ryan Villopoto. With both Ryans quickly catching lapped traffic, it now came down to whichever rider could work through it better to take the checkers.
Indianapolis saw some intense racing in the 450 main event. Ultimately Ryan Dungey ran into some difficulties with lapped traffic that Villopoto was able to avoid. Now with more, all important championship points, Villopoto sits more securely in 1st while Ryan Dungey continues to climb his way closer to Millsaps’ 2nd place championship points standing.
Sometimes knowing a rider is a good thing, but I have to learn how to take my queues a little quicker next time. With a quick wink from Ryan Dungey, I was too late to react to what happened next as Champagne was soon spraying onto Marvin Musquin who was standing directly next to me when the spirits started flying. Not long after, Ryan Villopoto got involved also spraying the young Red Bull KTM rider down as well. Gotta love Supercross hazing rituals!
Gauldy and the rest of the MXP staff have been gearing up for what will likely make for another unprecedented night of racing in Toronto this weekend! I highly suggest following up @MXPMagazine on Twitter to keep up with contests, and all of the events leading into this weekend’s race action! I can’t wait to see how both the Lites and Supercross Championships further progress during the Canadian stop for Monster Energy Supercross.
Matt Wellumson