The 2014 Monster Energy AMA Supercross series is three rounds old, including Anaheim 1, Phoenix and Anaheim 2. We have three different winners, including rookie Ken Roczen (KTM) at Anaheim 1, defending champ Ryan Villopoto (Kawasaki) at Phoenix, and veteran Chad Reed (Kawasaki) at Anaheim 2. Five riders are within five points of the series lead, including Roczen, Villopoto, Reed, past champion Ryan Dungey (KTM) and Justin Brayton (Yamaha).
Let’s not forget two-time champ James Stewart (Suzuki) who nearly won Anaheim 2 before a charging Reed passed him with two laps remaining. Stewart had a crash-fest at Anaheim 1, so he sits 16 points back of the lead.
Rookie Roczen (pictured above) has to be the big surprise, as he came out of the gate in Round 1 to mix it up with three-time champ Villopoto without flinching. Nevertheless, I can’t remember seeing so many riders line up for a 450 main event with a ligitimate chance at the win. Even Justin Brayton, who beat Villopoto straight-up in a heat race at Anaheim 2.
Two-time champ Reed loves his new Kawasaki, and was the fastest, if also the oldest, rider on the track at Anaheim 2. His confidence will be sky high for the Oakland round this weekend. We don’t cover the series race-by-race (although you will see reports from each round in our Industry Press Release section), but we will periodically report on this exciting year in supercross.
Racing is racing!!! It’s all good. Especially two wheel racing where the riders hang it all out. MotoGP, Grand National, Isle of Man, Baja, SuperMoto,or Super Cross the risk to reward factor at this level is what really defines these men and sometimes women. Has FELD MOTORSPORTS turned this into a 3 ring circus, yes but the racing is pure and this season the field is deep I can’t wait for Saturday nights. No matter your motorcycle passion you gotta love it!!
can we go back to talking about Harley’s now?
I’m seeing it live this weekend in Oakland. Can’t wait.
I’ve watched every race, since the McGrath days. It’s a good, deep field this year. TiVo and fast forward thru the fluff is the hot ticket for sure!
As far a coverage goes, something that has kind of bugged me over the years is nothing is really made of which equipment is inferior or superior. Other than the occasional reference to the KTM steel frame, it all seems to be about the rider and that’s all that matters. I’d like to know what tire each guy is on (and is this equal throughout the field?) Maybe I just need to find this information somewhere else, but for me it would make the broadcast a little more interesting.
I’ve had the same complaint with road racing as it’s become even more rider focused than in years past. I’ve never cared to know about what each rider eats for breakfast, what cell phone they have, or what their wife looks like. I don’t care about their personal lives. That’s all just fluff to me. I want to see and learn about what makes the equipment tick. Some of that is hidden away from prying eyes for sure but I remember getting looks behind closed doors into manufacturer’s “Skunk Workx” and thought I was in heaven. Like being in a candy store. To me that’s fascinating, not some piece of personal information that well, should remain personal.
Just to throw out the opinion of a semi-fan: Super cross racing is enjoyable and interesting. I can’t say thins year is better or worse because the ones I’ve seen have all been pretty good. I’ll never be a major fan (I’m just not into dirt bikes) but the actual race is worth while. My frustration is the presentation, 3 hours with mostly filler and commentators who need lessons in basic english. Add that Ralph Sheheen doesn’t seem to be terribly bright (the other two are bright, they just seem to have missed a few classes while they were training to be/ being champions) and I see lots of room for improvement.
Botton line, the TV package is probably great if you are a serious fan, as a causal fan I wouldn’t bother if I didn’t have a DVR to let me cut through the filler to the race. Really, I can live the rest of my life happily and never see another kid/ dog dressed up in motocross gear or an another under feed woman in skimpy clothes and high heeled boots trying to run on a rough dirt track. I think the TV presentation is turning off a lot of non hard core fans who might watch a better show.
Goose
The beginning of the end (with the quality of the”production”) is when the pretty girl replaced the guy with headphones on the 30 second board. Yea she is attractive, but at that moment I am all about the racing. I love pretty girl’s, but they sick them anywhere they will fit. What’s next hospice? Yea kind of a rude comment, but I wonder how far it will go.
Come on Chad, from a fellow older Aussie 🙂
It’s been good so far. Glad to see everybody stay in it. Wish Millsaps was around. Now if we can just get someone to put MX on the air and in the media. I was disappointed that Motorcycle Daily never mentioned ANY of the nationals. SX is OK, MX is where my heart lies. NASCAR/SX style crowds can’t appreciate outdoor racing, their Bud Light is warm before they get back to their chair.
Absolutely! I thought SX was awesome until I went to RedBud for the first time. The difference in speed is alarming!
With the way it’s been in the past few or more years, alright, forever, I’ll take a few good close races. It will settle down as injuries ares sure to start happening. We don’t need another Villopoto runaway. That would be boring. A slow Villopoto championship would be ok. Let the best rider win but give us some close racing. And with the beauty of a DVR you can skip all the fanfare and just watch the racing. Go Reed (and Dungey, and Villopoto, and Stewart, and Roczen, and Barcia, and Brayton).
Its unobtainable entertainment…just like everything else
will read comments on here ocasionally but cant hardly stand em as they remind me of watching a soap opera tis boring
I don’t know if I’d stick the “most competitive ever” moniker on just yet. In the 80s you had Hannah, Bailey, O’Mara, Ward, Lechien, Johnson and Glover going at it tooth and nail. Youtube Anaheim 1986 for the classic Bailey/Johnson show down.
Wow…pretty cynical bunch.
This has been the best racing on the planet for years now and this promises to be the best season yet.
I agree that the tracks are pretty extreme and the promoter has turned the pre-show festivities into something akin to WWF but these kids are amazingly talented riders and the very best conditioned athletes on the planet….period!
You’re right…but it comes to the big “so what?” moment. This is so far beyond what normal people can do. I’m an average rider street/dirt and usually identify with all types of motorsport, however, this is really turning into a “spectacle” that you can see once and just imagine the rest. I don’t/can’t identify with it. Custom semis and custom busses? Crews numbering in the dozens? “Prop guys” who put them in new googles and slap “energy drinks” in their hands? Puh-leeze.
I identify with outdoor MX better.
Just like the commenter who posted the youtube link. Theyve been saying this since ’90 at least.
I agree. I’m a C endure rider. To me, I have more of a connection to the Lucas Oil Outdoor series because of the trail like tracks and similar skill set.
But once I got past the fact that these guys are 100X better than me no matter where they ride, I enjoy SX more and more these days. It’s not so much the competition of the race for me as it is just watching a single person and studying their technique lap after lap. To me, the finishing order is second to that.
Last week, watching Reed’s focus and determination, slowly working towards the front is what got me going.
I lost interest when they started screening the soil, and storing it for the future.
Reminds me of NASCAR and their “car of the future”. I can’t be bothered anymore with some ginned-up WWF contest with 4 wheels.
I’ve read that for many Supercross seasons over the years:
This promises to be the bestest season everrrr!
I’m skeptical.
I expect Reed, for example, to finish on and off the podium.
Stewart to crash and hand the win to somebody else real soon.
Dungey to get a lot of 3rds.
Ask again after the final round.
Youtube “1990 Atlanta 250 Supercross”.
Re. “Youtube “1990 Atlanta 250 Supercross”. ”
That was an all-time great. Watching it now, it’s amazing how slow the 250cc motorcycles were. Everything appears to happen in slow motion.
To pile onto what “sl” says, I find the current state of Supercross to be silly. It’s magic that anyone makes it to the end. Reminds me of of the magic of Chris Angel, what he does is amazing, but I hate magic!
It’s no different from any other major motorcycle racing championship. All the favorites are taking risks to race up front. The winner is often the guy with the best combination of speed and safety. Ryan Dungey’s championship years are the best example of this.
I lost my love of supercross/motocross years ago. The tracks got too intense, then carmichael made everyone ride over their head. Carmichael left, but no one slowed down. Just a few years ago anyone with a chance of taking the championship was out with a season ending injury. Then villopoto clinches, and is out for the rest of sx and mx after crashing the next week. Just have no interest watching these guy take such risks.
I do think my moneys on Villopoto to slowly gap the field. Has been cool, though, to see the variety of winners. Rare these days, except for my favorite racing series, World Superbike, to see a different winner in three straight rounds.