Monster Energy AMA Supercross Round 3 – Results and Coverage
Spoiler Alert: 2014 AMA Supercross results from Angel Stadium, Anaheim II, listed below
The Monster Energy AMA Supercross PR staff couldn’t have scripted a better race for the Supercross series’ 40th anniversary celebration at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.
In front of all 22 past Supercross champions, Discount Tire Racing’s Chad Reed bested longtime rival James Stewart (on a Yoshimura Suzuki) in an epic battle for the ages in front of a roaring near-capacity crowd assembled for Round 3 of the series. At the end of the night, only five points separate the top five riders in the series.
Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey shot out of the gate with a decisive holeshot, pulling away from the pack to a quick comfortable lead. By Lap 3, the top five seemed settled, with Dungey followed by Stewart, Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto (last week’s winner and series leader going in), and Reed, in that order.
Leading for six laps with a growing gap, Dungey was in a position to win until he made an error exiting the whoops that left him in the dirt. Stewart, who started the night with a strong win in his Heat, was the beneficiary of Dungey’s error, taking over the lead. Dungey remounted in 6th, just ahead of Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Justin Barcia.
Stewart rode consistently, looking every bit like the race was now his, while Roczen and Villopoto battled behind him. On Lap 10, Villopoto took control of 2nd place and set off for the leading Stewart.
Villopoto caught Stewart by Lap 14, and was looking for a place to put on a pass for the lead. Villopoto made his move just after the finish line and on the first turn of Lap 15. He put a wheel under Stewart and took the lead for a moment. However, Villopoto lost the front end and, with the help of a well-place foot by Stewart, Villopoto went down, dropping him to 5th place, ahead of a recovering Dungey. Again, Stewart appeared to have the race well in hand.
Once Villopoto went down, Reed came to life, blowing past Roczen in one lap, then set his sights on Stewart. In an exciting pass on lap 17, Reed seemingly effortlessly charged past Stewart in the rollers and subsequent 180-degree corner. Stewart, was unable to respond. Although he lead more than half the race, Stewart never got close enough to take a shot at Reed. Stewart was not challenged by 3rd place Roczen, who leaves Anaheim having retaken the series points lead.
Lurking behind was Phoenix’ runner-up and A2 Heat winner JGRMX’s Justin Brayton, who finished one spot off the podium. Villopoto remained in 5th after his crash until the final corner. There, Villopoto and Dungey came together when Villopoto bobbled and Dungey made a last ditch effort to pass, taking both down. However, Villopoto was able to get his bike up first and finished in 5th, one spot ahead of Dungey.
Barcia who finished 5th in both of the two opening rounds, never challenged for a top 5 position, then went down on Lap 13, finishing a disappointing 11th, on position ahead of GEICO Honda’s Wil Hahn. Motosport.com’s Weston Peick finished a distant 7th, with RCH’s Josh Hill, BTO Sports’ Andrew Short, and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer rounding out the top 10.
Eli Tomac, Trey Canard, and Davi Millsaps remain sidelined with injuries.
Photography by Don Williams
Monster Energy AMA Supercross Results – Round 3 – Anaheim
1. Chad Reed – Kawasaki KX450F
2. James Stewart – Suzuki RM-Z450
3. Ken Roczen – KTM 450 SX-F
4. Justin Brayton – Yamaha YZ450F
5. Ryan Villopoto – Kawasaki KX450F
6. Ryan Dungey – KTM 450 SX-F
7. Weston Peick – Suzuki RM-Z450
8. Josh Hill – Suzuki RM-Z450
9. Andrew Short – KTM 450 SX-F
10. Jake Weimer – Kawasaki KX450F
11. Justin Barcia – Honda CRF450R
12. Wil Hahn – Honda CRF450R
13. Ivan Tedesco – KTM 450 SX-F
14. Josh Grant – Yamaha YZ450F
15. Nick Wey- Kawasaki KX450F
16. Matthew Goerke – KTM 450 SX-F
17. Vince Friese – Honda CR450R
18. Mike Alessi – Suzuki RM-Z450
19. Matt Moss – Suzuki RM-Z450
20. Chris Blose – Honda CRF450R
21. Kyle Partridge – Honda CRF450R
22. Jimmy Albertson – Honda CRF450R
Monster Energy AMA Supercross Points Standings after 3 of 17 Rounds
1. Ken Roczen – 60 points
2. Ryan Villopoto – 59 points
3. Chad Reed – 57 points
4. Ryan Dungey – 57 points
5. Justin Brayton – 55 points
6. James Stewart – 44 points
7. Justin Barcia – 42 points
8. Andrew Short – 38 points
9. Wil Hahn – 30 points
10. Broc Tickle – 26 points
