Yamaha SX Report
With the injured James Stewart still out of SX action, San Manuel L&M Yamaha’s Josh Hill maintained his 100% record of top ten finishes by taking 6th position at the Rogers Centre in Toronto for the tenth round of seventeen in the AMA Supercross / FIM Supercross World Championship.
The 20 year old is now just one of two riders to have appeared in the top ten of every single round during an eventful campaign to-date. The highest YZ450F runner in Canada was Valli Motorsports Ivan Tedesco, who shook off the effects of a finger injury to collect 4th place. But still no podium for the dazzling new 2010 reverse slant-cylinder YZ450F.
42,083 spectators crowded the venue and the dry dirt the formulated the layout with a lap-time of roughly a minute meant that the course was slick and hard in places. Hill showed moments of pace but could not penetrate the top five of the pack and was the last rider not to be lapped.
Ahead of him was Tedesco, bravely battling the terrain and sections with his injured right hand. The veteran circulated for most of the distance in fifth spot but was promoted after Davi Millsaps crashed ahead of him.
Ivan Tedesco Speaks… on taking 4th
"It just goes to show that if I can get a start, I can run with those guys up front. Once I get those figured out consistently then I should be up there every week," he said. Regarding his index finger he commented: "It definitely isn’t comfortable, but it’s not impossible to ride with, so I just need to keep my head on what I’m doing; that’s the hard part when you’re dealing with pain like this."
Josh Hill Speaks… on taking 6th
"It’s actually at times when you’re beat up and you can’t seem to do anything right that you’re the most thankful for the support you have," said Hill alluding to the ongoing effects of his crash two rounds ago in Atlanta. "My San Manuel Yamaha team is amazing, and they support me when things are good, and when they’re not. Things will get better soon, I just have to heal up a little bit," he added.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Justin Brayton was 9th and the third YZ450F-rider in the top ten.
Grant Langston did not compete after a heavy crash at the beginning of the previous round in Daytona forced the former AMA Motocross Champion to undergo knee surgery. Reigning champion James Stewart is still recovering from the right wrist he broke in January and a date for his competitive return has not yet been confirmed.
Hill is currently 3rd in the championship standings and keeps in touch for the title with a deficit of 37 points to leader Ryan Dungey. Brayton is 6th and Tedesco 7th.
Round eleven sees the series return to the USA and head south to Texas and the Cowboys Stadium in Dallas. James Stewart may be getting well enough to make his return. Currently Stewart sits 15th in the 2010 Supercross Championship points with 51.
