2010 AMA Motocross

[dt]

As the Supercross Series winds down, it’s time to look ahead at the 2010 AMA Motocross Series. Yeah! Supercross is awesome, but whatever the word is for ten-times-awesome is what Motocross is. Supercross and Motocross are very different. As an overview, yes, we’re basically looking at mostly the same guys, the same bikes, teams, sponsors, and the same two classes (250 2smokers to 450 4stroke and 125 2smokers to 250 4 stroke). However, the tracks are faster, longer, and meaner! Each of the tracks is up to two miles and, by design, mostly the natural off-road terrain of the location. That is, Moto tracks are built into the natural topography, where the Supercross track is sculpted in an indoor or stadium setting. That results in many more obstacles for the racers, longer motos and its how motocross derives its placement as the second highest endurance sport (after soccer, whatever that is).

Here are the 2009 AMA Motorcross Results:

450 Class-
1. Chad Reed (Suzuki)
2. Andrew Short (Honda)
3. Ivan Tedesco (Yamaha)

250 Lites-
1. Ryan Dungey (Suzuki)
2. Christophe Pourcel (Kawasaki)
3. Brett Metcalf (Honda)

2010 Schedule

May 22 Hangtown Motocross Classic @ Sacramento, CA*
June 5 Freestone Raceway @ Wortham, TX*
June 12 High Point Raceway @ Mt. Morris, PA
June 19 Budds Creek Motocross @ Mechanicsville, MD
June 26 Thunder Valley Motocross @ Lakewood, CO*
July 3 RedBud @ Buchanan, MI*
July 17 Spring Creek Motocross @ Millville, MN*
July 24 Washougal MX Park @ Washougal, WA
Aug. 15 Unadilla @ New Berlin, NY
Aug 28 Moto-X 338 @ Southwick, MA*
Sept 4 Steel City Raceway @ Delmont, PA*
Sept 11 Pala Raceway, Pala CA*,**

*..WMX Event
**..Replaced Glen Helen (San Bernardino).

A few photos from the 2009 Season:

Glen Helen...We're going to miss that...


Cody Cooper at Highpoint


More Glen Helen


Hangtown


ME Girls (the one in the back there is Miss Supercross 2010)


Hey, who dat? Didn’t quite get the recognition he’s getting in SX Lites this year.


Highpoint Raceway. See why they call it that?


That’s what you call getting roosted. Jason Lawrence.


AMA’s new “no-jump” flag starting in 2009. They used it last night at the finish in Houston…blasphemy!




Ryan Dungey in the Lites class


WTF in Millsville!



Hey, did you know that the AMA has Woman’s Motocross Class, too? Yup, the AMA launched the class in 2009 and its champion was 20yo Ashley Fiolek of St. Augustine, who races for the Honda Red Bull Team. Tough young girl…she ran and won the last race with a broken collar bone and she’s been totally deaf her entire life. Check this out. Yeah! You go girl!

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_UarCpHV0M" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_UarCpHV0M</a>



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[dcameras]

dt,
Thanks for the overview of the upcoming AMA Motocross series. I wish I had been able to go to either the Atlanta or Jacksonville Supercross this year especially since they don't have a Motocross race close by. Maybe they can fill that last race with a location in Ga. or Fl.

[dt]

They won’t have an event in Florida because it’s flat and there’s too much sand. Georgia on the other hand has a lot of possibilities. Not likely though. They walked from a California site and it’s more likely they’ll replace it with a California site. 

[dcameras]

That's what I figured but one can hope for the near impossible. 

[dt]

You got me thinking of the geographical dispersion of these races and the Southeast is completely ignored. Not only that, they're all a long, long way from the Southeast should we want to make the trek to one. So I sent the AMA an email yesterday (to the general member services mail box  ) complaining about inequity in their pro-mx site selection process. I think I heard a little laughter coming from Ohio shortly thereafter, but I’ll share the response if I get one.

[dcameras]

   you the man!!!

[dt]

The AMA picked Pala Raceway, in California, for the September 11 event. 

...plus they didn't respond to my email. 

[dt]

2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Television Schedule:

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/751/6837/Motorcycle-Article/SPEED-and-NBC-Sports-to-Broadcast-MX-Championship.aspx

Looks like NBC is following CBS' lead with the SX by airing a few of the races.
 

[dt]

Just a quick reminder to those that follow MX that the 2010 season kicks off tomorrow at Hangtown in Rancho Cordova, California. The event is televised on SPEED Channel on Sunday at 6:00PM (Lites at 5:00PM). Set your DVRs.

If you followed the SX, bear in mind that the MX format is different; no heats, no LCQ, no Main. In MX, all 40 qualifying racers in each class (Premier and Lites) race two motos. Each moto lasts thirty minutes, plus two laps. The scores from each moto are combined to determine the overall winner. Similar to the SX, points awarded for each moto start at twenty-five for first place, twenty-two for second, twenty for third, and so on. No points for placing 21-40. If combining both moto points under this system results in a tie, the rider who finishes higher in the second moto gets the win. At the end of the season, the rider with the most points is the Champion. Enjoy!



Chad Reed won the 2009 Championship on a Suzuki and then signed on to the Monster Energy Kawasaki Team for 2010

[dt]

Mike Alessi road his newly introduced KTM Fuel-Injected 350cc SX-F to a win in the second moto. I’m sayin’…not sure why we don’t see more KTMs when they’re technically superior to these Jap bikes, say nothing of able to win a moto at 100cc lighter. Yet, Alessi’s fourth in the first moto wasn’t enough to give him the win over reigning champ Chad Reed who went 1-3 for the day.

450 Results (First Moto-Second Moto):
1. Chad Reed, Kawasaki (1-3)
2. Mike Alessi, KTM (4-1)
3. Davi Millsaps, Honda (3-2)
4. Brett Metcalfe, Honda (5-4)
5. Josh Grant, Yamaha (2-10)

Eli who? Another rookie, comes out of nowhere and wins the first AMA Pro event he enters. Sweet!

Lites Results:
1. Eli Tomac, Honda (3-1)
2. Christophe Pourcel, Kawasaki (1-3)
3. Trey Canard, Honda (7-2)
4. Jake Weimer, Kawasaki (4-8)
5. Justin Barcia, Honda (5-7)

WMX wasn't telecast, but they started their year at Hangtown like the rest. Last year Jessica Patterson (Tallahassee) and Ashley Fiolek (St. Augustine) were back and forth all season. Looks like ditto in 2010. Fiolek has the No. 1 plate.

WMX Results:
1. Jessica Patterson, Yamaha (1-1)
2. Ashley Fiolek, Honda (3-2)
3. Tarah Gieger, Honda (2-6)
4. Mariana Balbi, Yamaha (9-3)
5. Alexah Pearson, Yamaha (5-5)

Chad Reed


Mike Alessi


Brett Metcalf (moved up to 450s for the MX)


Justin Barcia


Jessica Patterson


_________________________________

[dcameras]

dt
Thanks for the update on all three. I had a chance to watch the lites but that was all. I need to get a DVR so I can watch some of this stuff at a later time.

[dt]

I had a chance to watch the lites but that was all.

Ah, then you saw the brief interview of that arrogant bastard Pourcel who announced that “everyone knows he was real 2009 Champion” to which Emig politely ripped him a new ass from the announcer’s booth.  

Otherwise, the highlight of the 450s was Reed fighting from an awful 12th place start (maybe further back) to a 3rd place finish in moto2 to win the event by 2 points.

[dt]

AMA Motocross is back this weekend after the Memorial Day weekend gap that resulted from the AMA/Glen Helen fall out. The three classes are at Freestone Raceway in Wortham, Texas and, while not live, we’re getting same day coverage out of SPEED Channel this weekend. Sweet!

Premier 450s will be on SPEED tomorrow at 9:00PM (Lites at Midnight). Set your DVRs!

Just a quick note, the Memorial Day Weekend was not devoid of motocross action. The FIM Motocross USGP was at Glen Helen. FIM (International Motorcycling Federation; based in Geneva) is kind of the International AMA; they organize all of the international racing events in all types of formats. Lots of countries are represented. Anyway, one of the sixteen motocross races was at Glen Helen and our boy Mike Alessi took second last week on his 350 KTM. The AMA guys are good, but the FIM is the best from all around the world. That was impressive. Watch Alessi this year. 

[dt]

Ryan Dungey



After a crappy showing in Hangtown, SX Champion Ryan Dungey was back in a big way winning both motos in Freestone…easily. Mike Alessi, second in round one and second in the USGP last weekend, was very fast, but crashed in both motos. In the second moto, he was leading the pack and Ryan by about five seconds and boom. Not much else…good racing.

450 Results:
1. Ryan Dungey, Suzuki (1-1)
2. Chad Reed, Kawasaki (2-3)
3. Kyle Regal, Honda (6-2)
4. Brett Metcalfe, Honda, (7-4)
5. Josh Grant, Yamaha (5-10)

Christophe Pourcel


Lots of craziness in the Lites. Canadian Dean Wilson was cruising in the second moto for what would have been his first overall win at 3-1, but decided to basically slow down to a crawl a hundred feet before the finish line and let both South African Tyla Rattray and Brock Tickle by for a 3-3 and third overall. He babbled incoherently about it on the podium and I still don’t know why he did that. Eli Tomac, who won overall last week went 2-11. With about three laps left in the second moto Eli was wearing his goggles on his arm; obvious equipment failure. Smart move to drop back like that. There’s always another day to race…providing you’ve got your eyes. Wondering where Justin Barcia is? Tenth place today with 10-8; 8th overall.

Lites Results:
1. Christophe Pourcel, Kawasaki (1-5)
2. Tyla Rattray, Kawasaki, (6-1) << 2008 FIM Champion from South Africa.
3. Dean Wilson, Kawasaki, (3-3)
4. Broc Tickle, Yamaha, (8-2)
5. Trey Canard, Honda (4-7)

Ashely Fiolek


WMX Results:
1. Jessica Patterson, Yamaha, (1-1)
2. Ashley Fiolek, Honda (2-2)
3. Tarah Geiger, Honda (3-3)
4. Vicki Golden, Yamaha (4-4)
5. Sara Price, Kawasaki (5-5)

Note the moto places in the WMX. Don’t see that too often.

[dt]

I found a youtube vid that shows highlights of the Lites Moto 1 and then the last couple minutes of Moto 2. This video shows Dean Wilson (No. 108) who was leading Moto 2 and then for some bizarre reason he first lets Tyla Rattray by and then Brock Tickle. Then it goes into a podium interview of Christophe Pourcel who Wilson literally handed the overall win to. Too bad I couldn’t find his interview, but I’ll keep looking.

Someone tell me wtf that was? He's a friggin factory rider for crying out loud...oh wait, he's Christophe's teammate on the Monster Kawasaki Factory Team. Hmmmmmm.


<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xUaz6YRx68" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xUaz6YRx68</a>

[mrbones]

How lame. From first to third. He looked distraught at the finish.

[dt]

I actually think he was just exhausted and not thinking straight. It’s his rookie year and he’s pooped out before in SX, and it was an extremely hot day; every one of them was beat. I think you can see in the video that he’d exhausted his energy by the last couple laps and lost track whether he’d lapped Tyla or not. Here’s a shot on VitalMX this morning of Dean with ME-K owner, Mitch Payton, right after the race that seems pretty telling.

[dt]

Our first live AMA MX broadcast is tomorrow on NBC at 3:00 PM; 450 class only. High Point Raceway in Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania is one of the premier tracks on the circuit. Watch or tape this one. Lites on SPEED Sunday at 6:00PM.

[dt]

Ryan Dungey has now won the last four Motos, and moved ahead of Chad Reed in total points. Reed had a bad day; 13th in the first and a DNF in the second (front brake failure). As I said, High Point was a great track to watch the racers navigate. Rained a little, too. Oh, and the NBC coverage was pretty decent all in all.

450 High Point Overall Results:
1. Ryan Dungey, Suzuki, (1-1)
2. Andrew Short, Honda, (3-2)
3. Brett Metcalfe, Honda, (6-3)
4. Ben Townley, Honda, (4-6)
5. Mike Alessi, KTM, (7-5)

Brett Metcalfe is really looking good having just come up from Lites to the 450 class. He seems to have been in the game every week so far.


Josh Grant took second in the first moto, but had some mechanical problems in the second that seemed to work out around mid-point. Although a lap down, he kept challenging Mike Alessi which made for some excitement.


Alessi’s 350cc KTM continues to hold its own. Mike seems to be having problems in the ruts.


Lites on Speed at 6 today. I already peeked at the results. 

[dt]

Ooops…forgot to post up last week’s Lites results at High Point.

Justin Barcia rocked the first Moto, and then really did poorly in the second for 1-21…ouch! Didn’t see the first because they only televise the second Moto and highlights last week were pretty poor. I don’t know if he cracked up or what in the second. Both Christophe and new teammate Tyla Rattay went at it pretty good in the second Moto, with Christophe taking the Moto and Tyla taking the day.

1. Tyla Rattray (Kawasaki) 2-2
2. Christophe Pourcel (Kawasaki) 4-1
3. Blake Wharton (Honda) 8-3
4. Blake Baggett (Suzuki) 3-9
5. Dean Wilson (Kawasaki) 5-6

WMX was off last weekend.

Onward…

AMA MX is at Budd’s Creek in Mechanicsville, Maryland tomorrow. Same day coverage on SPEED starting at 9PM (Lites at 8PM).

[dcameras]

Justin Barcia rocked the first Moto, and then really did poorly in the second for 1-21…ouch! ..... I don’t know if he cracked up or what in the second.

I didn't get to see it Sunday but I was told him and another rider got together and it damaged his header (I think that is what his neighbor my co-worker said).

It was good to hear he won the first moto though. 

[dt]

It looks like SPEED releases video of the races about mid-week following the races. They're on YouTube and SPEED's website.

It's still early in the season for Justin, and he's now shown he can win. Bumping with 40 riders, compared to 20 in SX, has caused a lot of busted bikes so far this year.

[dcameras]

I didn't let anything get in my way of watching the 250 race tonight.  Justin didn't win but got second overall with a 3rd in the 1st moto and a 2nd in the 2nd moto. 

I'll let dt post the rest of the results and pics.

[dcameras]

One other quick note. I noticed something about http://www.allisports.com/motocross having live webcast of the races. That might be something to check out on the next race. I haven't had a chance to look at the website too much yet but what I saw was good.

[dt]

After the first four rounds, it’s becoming clear that the 250 Class is where all the excitement is this year. Great stuff! 

One other quick note. I noticed something about http://www.allisports.com/motocross having live webcast of the races. That might be something to check out on the next race. I haven't had a chance to look at the website too much yet but what I saw was good.

I saw that too, and don't recall seeing it before. Hey, live webcasts would be awesome particularly when they broadcast a whole day later. Looks like its free.