Things Get Topsy-Turvy in Southwick

Courtesy of Alli Sports

As the saying goes, there’s a reason why they run the races. Both classes proved that today at Southwick, round 11 of the 12-round Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship.

Coming into the event, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Christophe Pourcel led the 250cc class by a full 13 points over Rockstar/Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey, and Dungey needed help to win the title, because even if he won every moto from Southwick on to the end of the year, Pourcel would only have to finish second each time to secure the championship.

However, ask and ye shall receive. At Southwick, things went pear-shaped on Pourcel something fierce.

In moto one, Pourcel got a horrible start on the wet, sandy, rutted circuit and moved slowly forward until he sat fifth, while Dungey sat second. The points gap between the positions was six points, and if things stayed that way, the two would’ve gone into moto two only seven points apart.

However, with less than two laps to go, Pourcel’s bike gave up the ghost. He ended the moto with a DNF and no points scored. Dungey did all he could do in second, but he had to settle for the spot, as rookie sensation Justin Barcia, from the GEICO Powersports Honda team, took his first-ever moto victory after passing Dungey around the halfway point.

Barcia’s teammates Blake Wharton and Brett Metcalfe were third and fourth, and Pourcel’s teammates Austin Stroupe and Tyla Rattray were fifth and sixth.

Moto two was all Tyla Rattray out front, though. He got the holeshot and led every lap. However, Pourcel was the last one up in a first-turn pileup and rejoined the race in last while his title rival Dungey rounded lap one in 14th. Barcia was 17th. Metcalfe was second.

As Barcia chased Dungey through the pack, Pourcel worked his way forward, but his advance stalled at 10th place, and then he lost that spot to teammate Jake Weimer, who fell early in the race and took a long time starting his bike. Weimer eventually caught up to ninth.

Barcia worked on Dungey until they sat third and fourth at about the halfway point, and then Barcia took over the third position with two laps to go, solidifying his first-ever AMA National victory. Rattray won the moto over Metcalfe. Dungey was fourth, Ryan Sipes fifth, Tommy Searle sixth.

Pourcel finished well off the pace in 11th and leaves Southwick with a 17-point deficit to make up at the final next weekend at Steel City. It’s a daunting task, to be sure, but at the same time, Dungey made up 30 points in one day at Southwick, so anything’s possible.

In the 450cc class, it was all Rockstar/Makita Suzuki’s Chad Reed in moto one. He got the holeshot and led every lap, running away with a wire-to-wire victory over fellow Aussies Jake Moss (Monster Energy Kawasaki) and Michael Byrne. Rookie Kyle Regal was fourth in the first moto, in yet another strong ride, and local boy Robby Marshall was fifth, just in front of Valli Yamaha’s Matt Goerke, Honda Red Bull Racing’s Andrew Short, Jagermeister KTM’s Justin Brayton, Canidae/Motosport Kawasaki’s Tommy Hahn, local legend John Dowd and Floridian Ricky Renner (riding a 2007 Honda CRF450R practice bike).

In the second moto, Short got the holeshot but was quickly passed by Reed, then by Goerke for second, then by Dowd for third, Byrne for fourth, Hahn and Tedesco for fifth and sixth, etc. Reed led until just after the finish line on lap 9 of 16, when he cross-rutted and went down hard on the downside of the finish-line jump, handing the lead to Goerke.

Goerke led the rest of the race and, in his third race as a replacement rider at Team Yamaha, won his first-ever AMA National overall. He had never been on the podium at a national previous to this one.

Byrne finished second overall with a 3-3 and Dowd was a very popular third with a 10-2.

However, the championship was decided last week, so even if Reed sits out the finale as he recovers from his bruises and bumps, the championship is over.

Matt Goerke