Ryan Villopoto's patience is playing a key role in his ability to add points on the board over James Stewart.
Round 9 of the 2011
Monster Energy AMA Supercross series in Daytona laid true to the claim that there’s no shortage of miracles in racing. Down and out of luck, San Manuel
Yamaha’s
James Stewart recovered from a mammoth face plant to the dirt to finish inside the top-10. It was one of Stewart’s worst results so far this season but, in a way, it was also one of his best performances. Riding his heart out to make up lost ground, Stewart stole cheers from the crowd which should have gone to Monster Energy Kawasaki’s
Ryan Villopoto. However great Stewart’s display was, the fact still remains that the ’09 champ is now 23 points behind RV as the series slams into the Midwest from Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium.
“I’ll never quit,” Stewart said. “It’s not about how hard you go down, it’s about how hard you fight when you get up. I am a little sore now but fine and I have to say a big thank you to the fans; they gave me a standing ovation at the end of the race.”
Chad Reed (above) and Ryan Dungey (below) have been consistently finishing in the top-five this season.
Over the last two rounds Villopoto has created a comfortable cushion in the championship standings. In the process of maintaining quick lap times over his rivals, it appears RV’s biggest asset has been his consistency and ability to stay within his own limits. Daytona saw the
Kawasaki rider willing to hang behind Stewart and let pressure do the work for him. This strategy has proven valuable over the last few contests and it’s aiding Villopoto in the quest for his first SX title.
“No matter what happened, I wanted to be consistent and not make mistakes,” Villopoto said. “James was riding fast right away, so I just had to wait to see if he would make a mistake.”
RV also added: “It's really good to gain a lot of points, but I'm not going to relax. I know that if I keep working at it, I will only be putting myself in a better position as the championship goes down to Las Vegas. I want to keep going after wins so I won't be slacking off at all because of the 23 points."
Not only is Stewart in danger of letting Villopoto slip through his grasp, but he now faces a threat from TwoTwo Motorsports rival,
Chad Reed. Only one point behind Stewart, Reed sealed his third podium finish in a row at Daytona and is quickly gaining momentum in the series.
Rockstar Makita
Suzuki’s
Ryan Dungey also saw improvement in the standings after earning his fourth consecutive podium finish in Daytona. Despite having to go to the LCQ to make it into the main, the defending champ jumped up to fourth in the series and resides seven points adrift of Reed coming into Indianapolis.
“I'm really looking forward to Indy,” said Dungey. “The new Lucas Oil Stadium is really cool and the fans there are great. It'll be good to get back indoors."
James Stewart: “It’s not about how hard you go down, it’s about how hard you fight when you get up."
As a result of Reed and Dungey’s consistency so far in the series both have managed to keep the title within reach with over half the season already in the books.
In addition to Stewart’s misfortune,
Honda’s
Trey Canard also took a pounding at Daytona. Following a decent start in the main, Canard crossed paths with Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s
Brett Metcalfe and went down. After making up lost time and advancing through the ranks, Ice-Trey suffered another fall which put him toward the back of the pack. He finished 13th in the end – a far cry from his usual top-five results.
One rider who benefited from his motocross experience in Daytona was
Red Bull KTM’s
Andrew Short. With the help of a great start out of the gate and consistent laps aboard the 350 SX-F, Short had one of his best results so far this season after taking the checkers in fourth.
In the Lites class a third winner was crowned in Daytona as Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s
Blake Baggett led a wire-to-wire victory over Geico Powersports Honda’s
Justin Barcia and Yamaha’s Ryan Sipes. Moving up to second
After working on his starts Kawasaki's Blake Baggett secured his first win of 2011 and is optimistic about Indy.
in the championship, Baggett is now just four points behind Barcia with Kawasaki teammate, Dean Wilson, only five points further back.
"I won't be happy until I have the points lead, so we just need to keep plugging away at it,” said Baggett. “I know I am capable of being there every weekend. I think I have my starts figured out and it can only get better from here."
Meanwhile, Sipes made good use of his start in third to generate consistent laps and finish on the podium.
Things in Daytona could have been entirely different if Wilson had landed a decent start. Instead, the Scotsman found himself running near the back of the field and fighting his way up front for the majority of the race. He came home in eighth for his worst finish of the season so far.
