Round 1 is in the books and the racers had a weekend off to get their program sorted out. There were a few who took the opportunity to race the USGP at Glen Helen for the longer motos and extra seat time in a race environment. Now the pack heads to the heat and humidity of Wortham, Texas at Freestone County Raceway.
450 Class
A-Riders
Sure Thing
Mike Alessi isn't necessarily the most liked rider in the 450 class, but he's definitely one of the fastest.
Alessi raced against Europe’s finest at the USGP and looked very strong with a second overall. He picked up a moto win at Hangtown and proved he has the overall speed to run up front. Freestone is flat, which means the 350 shouldn’t be at any disadvantage without having to match 450 power on long uphills. Last year saw Mikey go 1-1 at Texas, and he’s definitely capable of a repeat.
Chad Reed – Speedy Reedy won the overall in Northern California. Reed looks like he’s riding with no pressure and is focused on having fun and kicking butt. A moto victory at the opener indicates winning speed and we all know that Reed is one of the most consistent riders on the circuit.
Maybe
Dungey, what happened at Hangtown?
Wow, Mr. Reliable totally let us down last weekend. Stalling his bike and flubbing a start really screwed up his weekend at Hangtown. Dungey took the week off and you can be sure he’s been stewing over that eighth-place finish. He knows it’s a long series, but Dungey isn’t the type of guy to wait, he’ll try to get back up front ASAP.
Andrew Short – Honda’s factory rider scored a top-five in Moto 2 of the last round, but he also dropped a 15th in Moto 1. Shorty has a ranch in Texas, so expect him to feel comfortable with the conditions. He just needs to get a good start and build up a little confidence to get a fire lit under his rear tire.
Scratch
Ryan Villopoto – RV is still injured, don’t pick him to win. I heard on Twitter that he went to a pool party, though. That would probably be more fun this weekend anyway, too hot…
James Stewart – The other obligatory A rider is still waiting to get released from the doctor. No word yet, but he says it’s coming. Keep your fingers crossed.
B-Riders
Sure Thing
BT101 is back in racing form. The Kiwi is definitely a threat for moto wins at this point.
BT101 is up to speed, make no mistake about it. He was running up front at the USGP before crashing, and then beat the living hell out of everyone in the second moto – ugly style. Even his 6-7-6 at the AMA opener didn’t reflect his true velocity. Townley admittedly questions his fitness, but even if he gets winded, this guy is tough and he’ll soldier through.
Josh Grant – Grant was a strong top-five in the opener and if he hates anything in motocross it’s watching Mike Alessi do better than him. A burly Yamaha underneath him and the motivation of a man on the brink of big-time success should be enough to power him to the front, despite the triple digit temps.
Brett Metcalfe – This guy proved that he’s ready to take on the big class with a fourth overall last outing. Metcalfe has always been fit and determination is his middle name. He’ll wear some guys down just because he’s a stallion.
Maybe
Davi Millsaps – He was awesome at Hangtown with a 3-2 for third overall. Then why not a sure thing? He needs more than one good showing to convince us he’s on a roll.
It isn't even fair, really, but MIllsaps is volatile. Wait and see on this one.
Cunningham is still getting used to the 450 class. He’s going to have a break-out race at some point this season, might as well be in front of his hometown fans.
Scratch
Ivan Tedesco – Hot Sauce is cold – hurt, actually.
Justin Brayton – He’s trying to come back from getting banged up preseason. He’s still not confirmed for Texas.
Jason Lawrence – Don’t expect to see the familiar 338 out there, though he does have some great memories of Freestone.
250
A-Riders
Sure Thing
Christophe Pourcel has unconventional training due to an old injury, but he has unconventional wisdom and patience to match.
America’s fastest Frenchman tied for the overall win but lost to rookie sensation, Eli Tomac, in the tiebreaker. Pourcel proved in the opening moto that he can run down any early leaders. Because of his back injury several years ago, Pourcel is unable to train like most riders. However, his cool demeanor will hold up under the Texas heat. If nothing else, Pourcel will use his masterful strategy to overcome any physical shortcomings. The guy’s program just doesn’t melt down, unless it’s his high-strung KX250F.
Trey Canard – Turbo Trey had to deal with a big entrance by Justin Barcia last year and now it’s even worse with Tomac running amok. Canard is no slouch, even though he’s the old man in the crew. Freestone is as close to home as it gets for the Oklahoma rider and the guy was really, really fast at Hangtown. There’s no doubt that Canard will be tough this weekend. It’s time to stand up to those whipper-snappers.
Maybe
Justin Barcia – Barcia was the lowest finishing GEICO Honda rider at Hangtown – and he got fifth! It’s all about minimizing errors and if he can do that then Texas should be a good round for the likable Honda rider.
Jake Weimer – The West Coast Lites champion just wasn’t very impressive in the 2010 outdoor debut. Going 4-8 is okay and most of his competitors would be thrilled with fourth overall, but Weimer is better than that.
This is one strong South African.
The South African has the weight of Mitch Payton’s championship-producing team on his shoulders. Fortunately, he also has Mitch’s scalding-fast motorcycles to carry it around. Hopefully he finds his outdoor legs this weekend and starts to run up with his teammate, Pourcel.
Scratch
Austin Stroupe – Stroupe was unable to compete at Hangtown due to a crash.
B-Riders
Sure Thing
Eli Tomac – Boy, we picked it last week, but we never would have guessed that Tomac would kill the 250 field the way he did. This young gun is going to tear through the entire season if he stays healthy, and considering he doesn’t look to be riding the ragged edge, it’s possible that he might. One of the reasons this GEICO Powersports Honda rider is so strong is his fitness. Eli spent the off-season racing two-hour WORCS races. He might be the best prepared for the nastiness of Texas, because he can go flat-out for a long time.
Dean Wilson – He progressed through the SX season and the Monster Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider will do the same outdoors. Wilson almost got on the box with a fourth in Moto 2 at Hangtown. It’s only a matter of time before he finally lands on the podium.
Broc Tickle – The Tickle has his Yamaha YZ250F working well and seventh overall at Round 1 is nothing to scoff at. If he can get some better starts this weekend, Tickle could really shake things up.
Can Wil Hahn (49) lead the insanely strong 250s in Texas?
The 250-mounted Hahn brother had the speed in Supercross, but he needs to demonstrate it this weekend. A poor first moto didn’t help his first race, but Hahn is still one of the safer bets in this ridiculously stacked field.
Tommy Searle – Holding down the fort for KTM, Searle just watched his European counterparts come over and wax everyone at the USGP. He will be hungry to prove to the bosses that the American program is just as strong. Searle nearly won a moto at Hangtown, let’s see if it was a fluke.
Scratch
It’s only been one week and the 250 class is more competitive than it has been in recent memory. Don’t shut anyone out entirely.
