Over 41,000 fans were present for only the eighth Supercross ever that was held last weekend at AT&T Park in San Francisco. The defending champions, Team San Manuel Yamaha, were down to single rider at round 4 of 17 for the AMA Supercross Championship. Josh Hill was left to ride the new reverse-slant cylinder 2010 YZ450F after teammate and defending Supercross champion James Stewart required surgery on a broken scaphoid in his right wrist.
Hill is the team’s best hopes to retain the Supercross crown, as Stewart will sit out as his trainers assess his recovery and fitness on a weekly basis. While Stewart was sidelined, Yamaha’s Josh Hill once again quietly captured his third podium race result in a row with a second place finish.
Kawasaki rider Ryan Villopoto won his first main event of the season. Rookie points-leader Ryan Dungey crashed on the open track and exposed an opening for the others to make a run for the checkered flag. Josh Hill had started vibrantly and kept a strong pace to push Villopoto all the way to the checkered flag.
Josh Hill Speaks…
‘Those guys were riding great, but with James out, any of us could’ve won tonight,’ said Hill who has taken 6th, 3rd, 2nd and 2nd in 2010 so far. ‘Villopoto was tough tonight and I did what I could to hold him behind me but I didn’t want to do anything dirty. This is my second second-place in a row, and that’s good. It’s not a win, but it’s good.’
The 20-year-old Josh Hill is currently second in the standings and 11 points adrift of Dungey.
The fifth round takes place next Saturday at the Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.
