Just four rounds remain in the 2010 AMA Supercross Series, and the pressure is on for the two top dogs in the premier class. With Ryan Dungey’s fifth place finish last weekend the gap between him and Ryan Villopoto has shrunk to 12 points. Can RV finish out the year with a quartet of wins, he already has seven, or will Dungey bounce back from his frustrating night in Houston?

East Coast Lites

The East Coast Lites Championship was inexpertly decided last week after Austin Stroupe crashed out of the remaining two races witha practice spill. Christophe Pourcel needed to finish fourth in order to win his second Number-1 plate. Instead he went out and put on a schooling for the rest of the Lites riders. One thing Pourcel is missing on his stellar Lites career is one of those big holeshot checks. St. Louis and Vegas are his last two chances to walk into his local bank with a clown-sized check, Happy Gilmore style. If not he will have to wait until next year and continue to sneak off with Villopoto’s while he is doing post race interviews. Even though the now two-time champ has the title on lockdown, don’t expect to see him cruise around in Saint Louie. The fast Frenchman will still be gunning for another first-place finish.

With Stroupe out, the GEICO Powersports duo of Justin Barcia and Brett Metcalfe are poised to move into the second and third spots in the points. If they can finish better than seventh place they will knock the injured Suzuki rider out of his runner-up slot.

Pro Circuit’s rookie, Dean Wilson, put on an impressive performance last weekend before wadding it up in the whoops trying to pass Blake Baggett. The rookie was not happy with himself, and he is looking for some redemption in the Gateway to the West. If he can get another one of his great starts, perhaps Saturday will be his night.




Supercross

Last weekend we saw a glimmer of the Josh Hill from earlier in the season. The lone San Manuel racer mixed it up with Dungey and Tedesco before fading back to 10th place. As his ribs heal and his fitness improves, Hill could make it back to the podium. Only 14 points separate him and Davi Millsaps for third in the championship, so he really does need to get up there to protect his position in the points.  Hill needs to finish out he season strong in order to grab a decent contract for next year. 

Chad Reed’s return to the series has definitely added some drama to the points race. The Kawasaki racer took an additional two points from Dungey last weekend, putting the championship within reach for his teammate. If Reedy can position himself between RV and Dungey for the next few rounds, a Kawasaki championship is a good possibility. But what happens if the Deuce-Deuce gets out front on the start? Will he let Villopoto by or go for the win? We will have to wait and see if team tactics come into play.

Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey is on his own with no teammate to run interference. Rockstar Suzuki rider Jake Moss is out there, but his speed isn’t quite on the level to make a difference yet. The Number-5 racer’s finishing position in the season lands squarely on his shoulders. Will his fifth  last weekend ignite the fire to win, or was it the beginning of the slide into second? Knowing what a competitor Dungey is, expect to see him fight with RV tooth and nail all the way to the finale in Las Vegas.

The plan for Villopoto is simple, to win. Even a single second-place finish could spell the end for the Monster Energy pilot’s hopes his first Supercross Championship. Although his teammate is one of the best and expected to be near the front, there is no guarantee that Reed will run interference. If Baby Reed decides to show soon, RV ‘s safety net will be gone. It’s up to former 2007 Lites Champ to put himself out front for the last four races. If he can accomplish that, the 2010 AMA Supercross Series will be talked about for a long time. Either way, fans will be on the edges of their seats in the stands and at home until the last lap is turned May 8, in Las Vegas.