Monster Energy AMA Supercross – Seattle 2014 | Winners & Losers
With just two rounds to go in the 2014 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season, it’s no surprise to see the Ryans and James Stewart on the podium again. They’re the fast three riders in the field, and they are still injury-free and mostly healthy. Let’s see how things shaped up at the Monster Energy Supercross round at Century Link Field in Seattle.
Winners
Ryan Villopoto. Monster Energy Kawasaki. Maybe Ryan Villopoto is just throwing a bone to the Monster Energy Supercross crowd, but this is the second race in a row that he hasn’t qualified straight from a Heat. For a moment, his two closest competitors got to believe that they still had a chance, and the rest of us believed we might still see an exciting race. It was all just a tease. Holeshot in the main; 12-second lead at the end; it’s all but tied up with a bow. Win.
James Stewart. Yoshimura Suzuki. If not for two bad results this season—one of them decidedly not his fault—Stewart and his RM-Z450 would be giving Villopoto a real run for his money. Stewart has matched Villopoto in wins, but is still trailing by almost two races, and is the closest challenger to the soon-to-be four-peat. Frustrating, for sure, but at least we’re seeing a truly competitive Stewart this year, and he moves into 2nd in the standings. Win.
Eli Tomac. GEICO Honda. Riding a strong race, Eli Tomac spent 14 laps behind Dungey, at times looking like he might reel him in. “We were kind of yo-yoing each other back and forth, but I could never really catch him,” Tomac said. “He rode a strong 20 laps and never made a mistake, so I could never quite get to that third place.” Good to see Tomac finding his form, even if he’s still off the podium. Win.
Losers
Ryan Dungey. Red Bull KTM. If this were baseball, Ryan Dungey’s podium percentage would be outstanding. Actually, even in Supercross, 9 podiums in 15 races is impressive, and just one shy of Villopoto’s 10 for 15. The problem is, Dungey’s 450 SX-F has only been on the top step once this season. “I am not happy with the way I rode and I made quite a few mistakes tonight,” admitted Dungey. He went into Seattle 2nd in the standings, and leaves in 3rd. Lose.
Justin Barcia. Muscle Milk Honda. After putting together a string of three supercross podium finishes in a row, it was disappointing to see Justin Barcia slip back to a 5th place finish on Saturday. “I’m not thrilled on how tonight ended up for sure,” Barcia said. Home races have a way of motivating riders, though, so we’re happy to hear his enthusiasm for the upcoming East Rutherford round: “I want to win there bad,” he says. “It would be incredibly special since it is a home race for me. I know I can win, we just need to put all the pieces together.” Lose.
Ken Roczen. Red Bull KTM. In the latter half of the season, Ken Roczen seems to have lost some momentum and has been struggling to stay consistent in the Monster Energy Supercross Season. “I just didn’t ride very well,” said Roczen. “I am really lucky that I managed to save myself from crashing in those whoops.” While Roczen is in a very respectable 4th overall in his rookie year, Saturday’s ride wasn’t up to his potential. “I battled with Shorty and Canard for quite a bit, but I just didn’t have my A game on tonight.” Factory riders are supposed to bring their A game every week to Monster Energy Supercross. Lose.
Photography by Simon Cudby and Jake Klingensmith
