The second round of the EA/Pace/AMA/etc. Supercross series at Anaheim tonight was action-packed. In fact, it
was so full of action that some of it may not make it into other reports (like tonight’s other MD article) or
may not be fully explained. Certain people deserve props they may not get elsewhere, and that’s the reason for this article.
First, Jimmy Button. Jimmy was pushing hard in his heat and looked set for a good finish until he fell during an extremely
aggressive pass in a tricky step-up/step-down section. He returned with an amazing ride in the semi; after his semi ride I
expected a top three finish in the main. Unfortunately, Jimmy stalled his bike and lost several places while dicing with Mike LaRocco
(who finished third) and ended the race in seventh place. I’ll be looking for Jimmy on the podium next week at San Diego, especially
if the track at Qualcomm has another difficult whoop section.
Props also go to Danny Smith for hitting the quad cleanly every lap and making time on the rest of the 125 pack in an unconventional
and fairly spectacular way. His clean line through the step-up/step-down section just before the quad let him carry more speed than any
other 125 rider on that straight. He nearly won the 125 main despite a crash just five laps before the finish that let Tallon Vohland past.
The most amazing ride of the night came from last week’s 125 main winner David Pingree. Ping was near the front of the pack entering
the first corner but was taken out by an overeager Casey Lytle. Ping remounted behind everyone but Lytle, then charged through the pack
to a near-podium finish. If Ping continues to hold his current pace, he’ll be in for a long-overdue 125cc championship.
Anaheim Two was one of the best supercross tracks I’ve seen in years; technical and challenging for riders but still interesting for
the crowd. The track designers made excellent use of step-up/step-down combos and every section seemed to have at least two different
lines, which helped keep the passing frequent and dramatic. Some riders made up time in the huge whoop section; others used unconventional
lines in tight, technical track sections to make clean, no-contact passes. Overall the race was one of the best I’ve attended in several years;
I hope the rest of the series is just as exciting.
