It’s time for the West Coast Lites riders to finish off what they started over 15 weeks ago. The young guns of the 2010 Supercross Series have a championship to flesh out after the long break, during which their East Coast contemporaries duked it out inside covered stadiums protected from the elements. No roofs protect the sculpted jumps and whoops during the western rounds, leaving open the possibility of the dreaded mud race. Unfortunately, the weather for Round 15 is leaning towards precipitation in the notriously soggy Pacific Northwest. Will the left coast crew have another sloppy mess on their hands? I, for one, am hoping for a light Seattle drizzle in the morning followed by a dry afternoon and evening for a super tacky racing surface.
Pro Circuit's Jake Weimer leads Honda's Trey Canard by 14 points with two races left in the West Coast Lites Series.
With the Supercross Championship locked up, the points drama turns to the battle between Jake Weimer and Trey Canard. A gap of 14 points separates the Pro Circuit racer from Honda’s wonder boy, Canard. The two front-runners took different approaches to the 10 weeks off from racing competition. Canard decided to fill in for Andrew Short, racing six rounds on a Red Bull CRF450R. Weimer took the time off to train and most likely do a little bit of outdoors testing. Which plan will pay dividends when the gate drops Saturday night? My money is on the guy on the red bike. After dicing it up and schooling most of the big dogs of the sport, Canard has got to be carrying some serious confidence into Seattle, even if his humble ways won’t let him admit it. He will need to win and hope that Wil Hahn, Josh Hansen, Broc Tickle, and Blake Wharton wedge themselves between him and Weimer. Then again, Wiemer has won more main events this year in the West Coast Lites division than anybody, and I’m sure he intends to keep it that way.
Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey locked up the 2010 AMA Supercross Championship last weekend, although not officially. Mathematically, Dungey’s 36-point lead over Kawasaki’s injured and out Ryan Villopoto is not enough yet to put the Number-1 plate in his hands. That will most likely occur Saturday night as long as the rookie champ finishes sixth or better to give him a 51-point lead over RV. Even if the Rockstar racer sits out the last three rounds he will get the title; he would just have to wait until Vegas. So the question is, will Dungey cruise through the rest of the season like Christophe Pourcel did last weekend in St. Louis?
K-Dub is still in search of his first win of 2010. Could Seattle be it for the GEICO Powersports rider?
Dungey’s comfortable lead could set up the opportunity for some first-time winners this season. GEICO Powersports Honda’s Kevin Windham is hungry for a win. The 17-year veteran of the sport has finished in the second slot in the last two races. Grabbing the holeshot and getting out in front of Dungey could bag the Mississippi native his first victory of the 2010 season. He just needs to push hard enough to make the Number-5 rider think twice about saving his body for the outdoors. If the night turns into a mud-fest, K-dub’s chances increase dramatically.
Just two points ahead of Windham in third place is Yamaha’s Josh Hill. Hill was on fire during the first part of the season, but injuries have put him off his game. The lone San Manuel rider needs to dig deep and resurrect his performances from earlier this year, or he will be knocked down a couple of notches by red riders Davi Millsaps and Windham. His late-season performance has been forgettable, and without the outdoor season to stay fresh in the minds of sponsors, his earning potential for next year could be in jeopardy. A few stellar rides during these last three races could be enough to get people talking about the likeable Yamaha rider once again.
Another rider that is on the cusp of grabbing a SX main event is JGR’s Justin Brayton. The hard-working racer from Iowa has been setting some serious fast laps during practice, but has run into trouble or bad starts week after week. A holeshot might be all Brayton needs right now to finish on the podium.
Nick Wey finished fourth last weekend for his best of the season. Perhaps we will see him fill in for Ryan Villopoto this weekend?
And what about Chad Reed and the Monster Energy camp? Reed’s wife Ellie is expecting any minute now, and if Baby Reed is born on Saturday that means no Two-Two. With RV out for the season, will the Kawasaki Factory transporter just sit idle or will Nick Wey be called back to service for a second time? Last weekend Wey actually finished ahead of Reed, so maybe they should ask him to come back anyway to fill in for RV?
Although the big championship is wrapped up, there are plenty of reasons for fans to get excited. The battle for the West Coast Lites crown is still up for grabs, and expect the racers to fight tooth and nail, rain or shine. Stay tuned for all the action from Seattle on Saturday from MotoUSA!
