2011 AMA Supercross Toronto Insider

Take a deep breath. Clear your vision. Let it sink in: Chad Reed is the new leader in the 2011 AMA Supercross Championship. I wouldn’t have expected it this late in the game, but the TwoTwo Motorsports rider has outdone the likes of Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto and San Manuel Yamaha’s James Stewart so far in the standings. It remains to be seen how long Reed will be able to maintain his balance up top, but if the last two rounds are any indicator of things to come - well, gird your loins folks, it’s gonna get rough.
 
How’d this happen? What sort of crazy lunar alignment took place to allow such insanity? Well, look no further than the last two rounds, especially Toronto. A crash by Stewart, a poor start by RV and most importantly the shocking collision of the two stars on Lap 3 all played in favor of Reed, who had a rather silent ride in second.
 
“That’s the positive from tonight,” said Reed. “I have to just carry on. Ryan (Dungey) rode a great race, he was faster in the whoops and turns. It took everything I had to pressure him into making a mistake.”
 
It’s unfair to say that Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey had it easy. The defending champ was riding with a passion unseen so far in 2011, carving through rutted corners and slippery sand sections to keep the field under his thumb and out of striking distance. In the end Dungey clenched his first win of the season rather late, but coupled with his consistent podium finishes he’s less than 10 points adrift of Reed.
 
“I felt really comfortable all day,” Dungey said. “I knew going into the main that a holeshot was 'gonna be key. I got a good start and ended up second and was able to work my RM-Z into the lead in the first lap. From there, I tried to put down the laps as best as I could - I tried to focus on my own race and not behind me. It was cool to be able to come around and get this first win. I'm very thankful. I couldn't have done it without the help and support of my whole Rockstar Makita Suzuki team and my family.”
 
One of the unique aspects of Toronto was the spread-out the track design. Unlike some of the previous circuits, which featured short starting straights, Toronto’s large stadium floor gave riders ample opportunity for passing during the 20-lap main. But compared with some of the previous rounds, where position-swapping happened left and right, Toronto maintained its top order for most of the event. The closest riders at the finish were Dungey and Reed, but the remaining field had spread itself out. The layout seemed to hurt Villopoto in particular, who was outside the top-15 halfway through the race after having to pull off the track to fix his bike. The large layout in addition to his poor start made passing opportunities less frequent, and ultimately Villopoto could only climb up to ninth at the checkers.

Other things that added to Toronto's difficulty was cold temps and poor soil conditions. The dirt was filled with rocky debris and some called it the worst conditions in the entire series so far. 
 
With a lot of attention focused on Reed and his rise in the standings, the two-time champ’s mistakes in the final laps have largely been looked over. Reed was nearly within striking distance of Dungey before a series of errors combined to give the advantage to Dungey. While the mistakes didn’t change the outcome of the standings, they did haunt Reed in the end as he reported being tired of runner-up results.
 
Stewart’s starts have become absolutely essential in the 2011 season and, at least for the past two rounds, they’ve severely hurt his chances to win another title. After dumping his bike in the first turn he was left in another mad dash to recover as may positions as possible when he collided with RV. This also is where Stewart has proven careless as he seems to throw caution out the door when recovering from a crash.
 
"I'm just making way too many mistakes,” said Stewart. “I'm making it hard on myself, but in the end I wanted to be smart and take what I could get this week, so I didn't push too hard to chase the guys up front. There are still five rounds left, and that's a lot of racing."
 
In the Lites class Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Dean Wilson secured his second win of the season in dominant fashion despite a mediocre start. In recent rounds the Scotsman has struggled elbowing his way to the front of the field out of the gate, and he’s admitted the need to continue working on his starts. His recent accomplishment puts him 16 points behind leader, Justin Barcia.
 
“The track was really tricky tonight,” Wilson said. “I didn’t get the greatest of starts but I kept pushing forward. It was all I could do. (This win) means a lot to me. We still have three races to go and I’m still far back in the points, but I’ll try my (best).”
 
With Barcia in the lead during the first few laps, Suzuki City’s Malcolm Stewart had a scary moment when he cased a triple hard. Stewart slammed into the face of the landing, and the force of the impact sent Stewart over the handlebars. The Asterisk medical crew immediately tended to him, and he was later seen able to walk off the track under his own power.