The O.co Coliseum Monster Energy track was tough on Saturday night for 2015 Oakland Supercross, leaving more riders on the Downside than Upside this week. This resulted in the third different winner of the short season, and a new points leader. Let’s see where the shuffle left us after round four of 17.
2015 AMA Supercross Upside – 450SX
Trey Canard – Team Honda: It’s been four long years since Canard was on the top step of the podium, and it was especially satisfying to get there after last week’s dust-up with Chad Reed and disappointing result. With a mid-pack start, Canard steadily moved his CRF450R through the pack into second behind Chad Reed by Lap 5, and passed Reed without incident one lap later. This moves Canard into third in overall points.
“I’m just so happy with how tonight went, I don’t even know what to say,” Canard said. “I didn’t think I would be on the podium after the first few laps; it was chaotic out there. It’s been a long haul to get here on top of the podium, but it feels so great.”
Ryan Dungey – Red Bull KTM: While we might have been expecting a win from Dungey in Oakland, he did the next best thing – he took a second behind Canard, and walked away with the points lead in the series. Of course, he still wants a win, but his well-honed approach is paying off.
“I wish I could have taken the win tonight,” Dungey said, “but I am happy that my consistent results have paid off and we are in the top spot heading to the next round.” Zero wins, but he’s at the top of the leader board by four points.
Chad Reed – Discount Tire/TwoTwo Motorsports: Reed came out swinging, clearly fired up after last week’s black flag incident at A2 and a week’s worth of replay and rehash in the blogosphere. Reed got off the gate in fourth and rode his Kawasaki KX450F with an intensity we haven’t seen this season, and riders appeared to be giving him a wider berth. He led the race for several laps before being chased down by Canard.
“I’m bummed because I really do feel like I had a win in me tonight,” Reed said, “but I made a couple mistakes and jumped off the track. We’ve put what happened last week behind us and will move forward with a new motivation.”
Five Guys: There were five riders scoring Monster Energy AMA Supercross points for the first time in 2015 at Oakland – Phil Nicoletti (14th), Vince Friese (16th), Fredrik Noren (17th), Killian Rusk (19th) and Martin Davalos (20th). Good to see you all in the standings!
2015 Oakland AMA Supercross Downside – 450SX
Ken Roczen – RCH/Soaring Eagle/Jimmy Johns Suzuki: In an uncharacteristically impatient move, Roczen attempted to triple after having just passed Reed, and had what initially looked like a season-ending crash. “I just totally brain farted. I’m so mad at myself,” Roczen said. “I tried to triple and came up short. I hit my face and my goggles on my handlebar so I had to stop and just check myself for a minute.”
Truly, I think we all thought he’d broken a wrist as he crouched in the dirt in obvious pain. Roczen remounted his RM-Z450 and rode to a 15th place finish, salvaging six points on the night, but losing the points lead to Dungey.
Dean Wilson – Red Bull KTM: No, seriously, is Wilson really out for the season? Struggling with arm pump early in the series, it was a relief to see Wilson break into the Top Ten at A2, indicating that perhaps things were turning around. Missing another Supercross and National season is a devastating blow.
“Yesterday was one of the toughest days I have had in my career. Just a normal Thursday training in the middle of my Moto when I made a mistake at the KTM test track,” Wilson said. “I am so gutted and disappointed to say that I have torn my ACL and MCL and will be getting surgery next week.”
Andrew Short – BTOSports.com KTM: Despite last week’s crash that left Short walking away from A2 bruised and sore, with just one point for the night, the Smithville, Texas rider jumped off the gate quickly and grabbed the SupercrossLive.com Holeshot Award. After leading the three opening laps, Short starting slipping slowly backward, eventually taking his 450 SX-F Factory Edition to an 8th place finish. It’s not a terrible result, but a shame after his early race speed.
Josh Hill – Valli Motorsports Yamaha: Another bad luck weekend for Hill as he fails to qualify for the Main event. His qualifying time on Saturday had him just inside the top 15, but you need to get off the gate much faster than that in the Heat, Semi, or LCQ. Hill didn’t get better than a Top 10 start in three attempts.
Broc Tickle – RCH/Soaring Eagle/Jimmy Johns Suzuki: A total disappointment after last week’s 5th place finish, Tickle came up short on the same set of triples as Roczen, and jammed his back, leading to his retirement for the night after less than a lap.
“I’m super-bummed on the way the night ended up,” said Tickle. “I had an awesome second practice qualifier and a great heat. I was hoping to tough it out and salvage as many points as I could, but my body was telling me something different.”
Justin Brayton – BTOSports.com KTM: We saw Brayton crash out in his Heat at A2, but it wasn’t initially clear what his injuries were. His team is now reporting a Grade 3 AC separation to his shoulder and three fractures to his T-5, 6 and 7 vertebras. The timeline for his return to the SX series is aimed to be around the mid-point of the season. While Brayton hadn’t been tearing it up in the first two rounds, we hate to see him miss races, yet again, due to injury.
2015 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Results – Round 4 – Oakland
1. Trey Canard – Honda CRF450R
2. Ryan Dungey – KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition
3. Chad Reed – Kawasaki KX450F
4. Eli Tomac – Honda CRF450R
5. Cole Seely – Honda CRF450R
6. Justin Barcia – Yamaha YZ450F
7. Davi Millsaps – Kawasaki KX450F
8. Andrew Short – KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition
9. Blake Baggett – Suzuki RM-Z450
10. Jason Anderson – Husqvarna FC450
11. Jake Weimer – Kawasaki KX450F
12. Brett Metcalfe – Suzuki RM-Z450
13. Kyle Chisholm – Kawasaki KX450F
14. Phil Nicoletti – Yamaha YZ450F – Honda CRF450R
15. Ken Roczen – Suzuki RM-Z450
16. Vince Friese – Honda CRF450R
17. Fredrik Noren – Honda CRF450R
18. Kyle Patridge – Honda CRF450R
19. Killian Rusk – Yamaha YZ450F
20. Martin Davalos – Husqvarna FC450
21. Josh Grant – Kawasaki KX450F
22. Broc Tickle – Suzuki RM-Z450
2015 Monster Energy AMA Standings After 5 Rounds
1. Ryan Dungey, 82 points
2. Ken Roczen, 78
3. Trey Canard, 68
4. Eli Tomac, 64
5. Jason Anderson, 62
6. Justin Barcia, 58
7. Cole Seely, 45
8. Davi Millsaps, 44
9. Andrew Short, 44
10. Chad Reed, 42
11. Blake Baggett – 40
12. Broc Tickle – 39
13. Jake Weimer – 36
14. Weston Peick – 32
15. Brett Mecalfe – 27
