2014 Monster Energy Supercross Season Preview
Villopoto In Search of 4th Consecutive Championship
AURORA, Ill.
(December 30, 2013) – The highly anticipated 2014 Monster Energy AMA
Supercross, an FIM World Championship, will commence this Saturday at
Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., as three-time 450SX Class Championship
Ryan Villopoto will stage his title defense
against the deepest field of riders the sport has ever seen. Live
coverage will begin at 10:00 p.m. ET of FOX Sports 1.
While
the championship takes place over the course of 17 races, the season
opener has proved to be a key ingredient in making
a championship run. In 39 seasons, the eventual champion has finished
inside the top five at the season opener 34 times. Last season, Monster
Energy Kawasaki’s Villopoto staged the sport’s third-greatest comeback
when he started the season in 16th
place before rebounding to win his third consecutive championship.
Villopoto
lines up for a shot at his fourth straight 450SX Class title Saturday
night in Anaheim with history at stake. Only
Jeremy McGrath, the sport’s all-time winningest rider, has won four
consecutive titles. Conversely, only McGrath and Ricky Carmichael have
won more than three titles, meaning Villopoto could place himself in
elite company with another repeat performance this
year. Villopoto currently has 34 career 450SX Class wins with an
average finish of 3.6, which is the pinnacle of consistency and the
cornerstone of his championships. And while McGrath’s record of 72 race
wins was once deemed unbreakable, Villopoto is making
an impressive run at the mark, currently sitting fifth on the all-time
wins list.
“I’m
not here to break records,” said Villopoto in an interview. “My goals
are to win and be as successful as I can while I’m on top of
my game. If I were to break [McGrath’s] record, that would be a great
accomplishment, but it is not a goal of mine.”
2014 Monster Energy Supercross Trailer
Standing
in his way are proven champions, racers on the rise, and a pair of fast
rookies: James Stewart, Chad Reed, Ryan Dungey,
Justin Barcia, Eli Tomac, and Ken Roczen. Stewart and Reed have each
won two championships and currently stand ahead of Villopoto on the
all-time wins list. Dungey has one championship to his credit and has
been Villopoto’s biggest rival during his three-year
title run. Barcia scored two wins last year and has 250SX Class title
triumphs on his résumé, as do both Tomac and Roczen.
Stewart
sits third on the all-time wins list behind McGrath and Carmichael with
45 victories. In recent years he has fallen
off the blistering pace he set during the first five seasons of his
career, when he won 36 Main Events with an average of 9.5 wins per
season. During the past four years, Stewart has won just nine races,
averaging 2.5 wins per season. However, there’s no reason
to count out the Yoshimura Suzuki rider, who is widely considered to be
one of the best riders in history and will always be a threat to win
every time he lines up on the gate. He proved that he still has the
speed to win at the Monster Energy Cup in October,
winning two of the three Main Events and the overall trophy.
Reed
sits fourth on the all-time win list behind his longtime rival at 41,
but went winless after a full season of competition
for the first time in his career last year. Rider and owner of TwoTwo
Motorsports, Reed has changed manufacturers, moving from Honda to
Kawasaki, in hopes of a fresh start as he enters his 12th season of 450SX Class competition. He holds the record
for the most podium finishes in history with 121 in 162 starts.
Dungey,
who became the second 450SX Class rookie to ever win a title in 2010,
closed out the 2013 season in third place with
an average finish of 3.3 and two wins, one of them at the final race
inside the Minneapolis Metrodome in front of his hometown crowd in
Minnesota. A winner of 13 Main Events, Dungey has not finished a season
outside of the top three in the standings in four
years of 450SX Class action.
Last
year signified Barcia’s rookie season in the premier division and he
emerged with two victories, the first being at the
second race of the season in Phoenix followed by a similarly dominant
effort in Seattle later in the year. Barcia joined Sebastien Tortelli
and Damon Bradshaw as the only riders to win a Main Event within the
first two races of their 450SX Class careers.
On how to beat Villopoto, Barcia said, “Consistency
is the key. He is very consistent each weekend so to be in the hunt for the championship, I need to do the same.”
Tomac
has emerged as one of the sport’s rising stars the past couple seasons,
capturing the 250SX Class Western Regional crown in 2012
and coming just a couple points short of defending that title last
season. He is arguably the leader of the rookie group making their
premier class debut this season and past experience through select races
in the 450SX Class should work in his favor. In 2012,
Tomac turned heads with a podium effort at the Monster Energy Cup,
proving he has the speed to compete with the world’s best.
Roczen
has progressed alongside Tomac in the 250SX Class, with the duo
establishing a captivating rivalry last season in their battle for
the Western Regional title that Roczen ultimately came out on top of.
The German native has also performed well in select 450SX Class Main
Events, finishing second in Seattle in 2012 while also compiling many
laps led. He, like his fellow rookie, knows what
it takes to run up front in the premier class and could be an early
contender once the season begins.
During the off-season Roczen implemented a major change to his training program by moving to Florida to prepare for his 2014
season alongside Villopoto and his trainer Aldon Baker.
“We’re
friends, and I could say if I don’t win he’d be the guy that I’d want
to see win,” said Villopoto. “It’s his first year moving up
to the [450SX Class] so obviously it’s going to be a learning year for
him and it’s a lot more racing than he’s used to.”
Two
riders who will not line up on the gate this Saturday night are Davi
Millsaps and Trey Canard. Millsaps, last season’s 450SX Class
runner up, suffered a knee injury while training aboard his Rockstar
Energy Racing KTM, while Canard broke his arm in preparations for the
upcoming season with Team Honda Muscle Milk. Both riders will be out of
action indefinitely, but are expected to return
early in the season.
Angel
Stadium has played host to 60 450SX Class and 52 Western Regional 250SX
Class races. Monster Energy Supercross has sold out Angel
Stadium 27 times since the 1999 season when it began hosting multiple
races in the championship.
The first race held in Anaheim was on December 4, 1976, and Mart Smith won on a Honda. This weekend will mark the 61st time
the gate will drop for a 450SX Class race in Anaheim and the 24th
time the city has played host to the season opener. James Stewart,
Ricky Carmichael and Jeremy McGrath are tied on the all-time 450SX Class
win list at Anaheim with 8 victories. Ivan
Tedesco holds the 250SX Class all-time win record in Anaheim with 5
victories. Angel Stadium is the only stop on the tour that will host
three races – January 4, January 18 and February 1.
Tickets are available at the Angel Stadium Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, charge by phone (800) 745-3000, or online at
www.SupercrossOnline.com or
www.ticketmaster.com. Practice and qualifying begin at 12:30 p.m.
and the Main Event starts at 7:00 p.m. Supervalue seats start at $20.
Fans can also get in to the Pits for FREE from 12:30-6 p.m. Race Day
when they recycle a MONSTER Energy Can at the stadium’s
pit entrance (valid only with event ticket).
For
the first-time ever, the entire Monster Energy Supercross season will
air live on FOX Sports. FOX Sports 1 will air 13 races live and
FOX Sports 2 will air four races live, in addition to every race
re-airing on FOX Sports 2. The live Monster Energy Supercross
programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2 also includes live coverage
on the authenticated FOX Sports Go app.
2013 450SX Class Results: Anaheim Race 1
- Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki
- Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
- Chad Reed, Australia, Honda
- Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki
- Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda
- Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda
- James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki
- Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Yamaha
- Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda
2013 Western Regional 250SX Class Results: Anaheim Race 1
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda
- Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM
- Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda
- Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M ., Suzuki
- Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., KTM
- Ryan Sipes, Ekron, Kent., Suzuki
- Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda
- Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki
- Man Anstie, England, Suzuki
- Michael Leib, Mission Viejo, Calif., Honda
Past Winners in Anaheim
450SX Class
February 2, 2013 Ryan Dungey
January 19, 2013 Ryan Villopoto
January 5, 2013 Davi Millsaps
February 4, 2012 Ryan Villopoto
January 7, 2012 Ryan Villopoto
February 5, 2011 James Stewart
January 8, 2011 Ryan Villopoto
February 13, 2010 Ryan Villopoto
January 23, 2010 Ryan Dungey
January 9, 2010 James Stewart
February 7, 2009 James Stewart
January 17, 2009 James Stewart
January 3, 2009 Josh Grant
February 2, 2008 Chad Reed
January 19, 2008 Chad Reed
January 5, 2008 Chad Reed
February 3, 2007 James Stewart
January 20, 2007 James Stewart
January 6, 2007 James Stewart
February 4, 2006 Ricky Carmichael
January 21, 2006 Ricky Carmichael
January 7, 2006 James Stewart
February 5, 2005 Ricky Carmichael
January 22, 2005 Ricky Carmichael
January 8, 2005 Kevin Windham
January 31, 2004 Kevin Windham
January 17, 2004 Chad Reed
January 3, 2004 Chad Reed
February 1, 2003 Ricky Carmichael
January 18, 2003 Ricky Carmichael
January 4, 2003 Chad Reed
February 2, 2002 Ricky Carmichael
January 18, 2002 Mike LaRocco
January 5, 2002 David Vuillemin
February 3, 2001 Ricky Carmichael
January 20, 2001 Jeremy McGrath
January 6, 2001 Jeremy McGrath
January 15, 2000 Jeremy McGrath
January 8, 2000 Jeremy McGrath
February 6, 1999 Ezra Lusk
January 9, 1999 Ezra Lusk
January 27, 1996 Jeremy McGrath
January 28, 1995 Jeremy McGrath
January 29, 1994 Jeremy McGrath
January 23, 1993 Jeremy McGrath
January 25, 1992 Damon Bradshaw
January 26, 1991 Jeff Stanton
January 27, 1990 Damon Bradshaw
January 28, 1989 Rick Johnson
January 31, 1987 Jeff Ward
January 18, 1986 David Bailey
February 2, 1985 Broc Glover
January 28, 1984 Johnny O’Mara
January 29, 1983 David Bailey
January 30, 1982 Donnie Hansen
January 31, 1981 Kent Howerton
November 17, 1979 Kent Howerton
November 11, 1978 Gaylon Mosier
November 12, 1977 Bob Hannah
December 4, 1976 Marty Smith
250SX Class
February 2, 2013 Ken Roczen
January 19, 2013 Eli Tomac
January 5, 2013 Eli Tomac
February 4, 2012 Eli Tomac
January 7, 2012 Cole Seely
February 5, 2011 Josh Hansen
January 8, 2011 Josh Hansen
February 13, 2010 Trey Canard
January 23, 2010 Jake Weimer
January 9, 2010 Jake Weimer
February 7, 2009 Jake Weimer
January 17, 2009 Ryan Dungey
January 3, 2009 Jake Weimer
February 2, 2008 Jason Lawrence
January 19, 2008 Ryan Dungey
January 5, 2008 Ryan Dungey
February 3, 2007 Ryan Villopoto
January 20, 2007 Ryan Villopoto
January 6, 2007 Ryan Villopoto
February 4, 2006 Grant Langston
January 21, 2006 Grant Langston
January 7, 2006 Andrew Short
February 5, 2005 Ivan Tedesco
January 22, 2005 Ivan Tedesco
January 8, 2005 Nathan Ramsey
January 31, 2004 Ivan Tedesco
January 17, 2004 Ivan Tedesco
January 3, 2004 Ivan Tedesco
February 1, 2003 James Stewart
January 18, 2003 James Stewart
January 4, 2003 Travis Preston
February 2, 2002 Broc Sellards
January 19, 2002 David Pingree
January 5, 2002 Travis Preston
February 3, 2001 Ernesto Fonseca
January 20, 2001 Ernesto Fonseca
January 6, 2001 Ernesto Fonseca
January 15, 2000 Tallon Vohland
January 8, 2000 David Pingree
February 6, 1999 Nathan Ramsey
January 9, 1999 Casey Johnson
January 27, 1996 Kevin Windham
January 28, 1995 Damon Huffman
January 29, 1994 Damon Huffman
January 9, 1993 Damon Huffman
January 25, 1992 Jeremy McGrath
January 26, 1991 Jeremy McGrath
January 27, 1990 Michael Craig
January 28, 1989 Jeff Matiasevich
January 31, 1987 Jeff Matiasevich
January 18, 1986 Tyson Vohland
February 2, 1985 Mike Healy
About Feld Motor Sports®
Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is the world leader in specialized arena and stadium-based motor sports entertainment. Feld Motor
Sports productions include Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam®, Monster Energy Supercross, AMSOIL Arenacross and Nuclear Cowboyz®. Feld Motor Sports is a division of Feld Entertainment, the world’s largest producer of live family entertainment.
For more information on Feld Entertainment, visit
www.feldentertainment.com.
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