SX Racing Report
Kevin Windham may be the oldest rider on the Monster Energy AMA Supercross tour, but the 32-year-old from Centerville, Miss., proved last weekend he’s still one of the best motorcycle riders on the planet.
Windham put together one of the best races of his 16-year career Saturday in Seattle, leading the main event in the sport’s premier 450cc class from the start of qualifying until the end of the main event. On a track that many found hard to handle, Windham made it look easy, riding away from the chase pack for a 20-second victory.
Kevin Windham says: "It wasn’t surprising for the team because we felt like we’ve been closing in on a win for the last several races," Windham said. "But at my age these wins start to seem very elusive. I’ve certainly learned to cherish them more because you never know when it will happen again."
This Saturday, the wildly popular pro will once again reach for the brass ring as he leads a three-man GEICO Powersports Honda contingent into Rice-Eccles Stadium in Utah, the penultimate stop on the 2010 Supercross series.
With the championship clinched and second-place rider Ryan Villopoto out for the year, Windham has become the odds-on favorite to secure second place in the final world rankings.
"If you look at my history I’ve typically been a rider that excels in the second half of the season," said Windham, who moved up to third with his Seattle victory. "That’s probably because I’ve been out here long enough to have learned how to avoid trouble early on."
"It’s great to win and get that monkey off our backs because it had been two years, but a big part of me thinks we should have more than one win at this point. If not for a few minor things here or there and some not-so-great starts by me, we’d have two or three more trophies for sure."
Prior to his win in Seattle, Windham recorded back-to-back runner-up results in Houston and St. Louis.
"I really love Salt Lake and Vegas is always a great place to end the season," he said. "These are two of my favorite races coming up so there’s no reason we can’t continue this streak and finish really strong. We’re not going to change much because the bikes have been perfect. We just need to do our thing and let it happen."
Battling for the last time on the Supercross Lites West series will be GEICO Powersports riders Trey Canard and Blake Wharton. Third and fifth, respectively, in the current standings, both Canard and Wharton are looking to close out strong on their 250cc mounts.
Canard has found the podium in nine of 13 starts this season, both in Supercross Lites and Supercross, where he filled in for injured factory rider Andrew Short.