1. Brett Metcalfe Could Be The Guy: With Ryan Dungey steamrolling through the summer and superstars Ryan Villopoto, Chad Reed, and James Stewart sitting on the sidelines, the search is on for someone who can really challenge for wins. We may have found him in Brett Metcalfe, who has been riding well all summer but took a major step at Southwick. For nearly a decade, the book on Metcalfe has been that he works and tries hard but just can’t seem to deliver a win. Well, scratch that, because he had a victory on special delivery from the moment he took the start. Dungey was pressuring him, but Metty never faltered and was only a few turns from victory when ... he ran out of gas! Terrible, horrible heartbreak. But now Metty—and everyone else—knows he can win.
Brett Metcalfe
2. Dungey Is Champ: Forget the bench-racing about Stewart, Reed, and Villopoto not being out there: Ryan Dungey is the new Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Champion in the 450 Class, and he did it in crazy-dominant fashion. He’s won nine overalls in a row, and while on occasion he’s faced some first-moto comp, no one has brought it to him in a second moto all season. He’s dominant, he’s the champion, and he deserves all the respect that comes with that. Watch the guy muscle that 450 around on a rough sand track in the second moto without ever faltering. Impressive.
3. Tyla Rattray Is Focused: His fiancée gave birth to their first child on Saturday morning but Styla came to Southwick anyway—not only to race, but to win. Before the race, he joked that he would go fast in the second moto because he needed to get done and head to the airport. Maybe that’s what it takes!
Tyla Rattray
4. South Africans Like Sand: A decade ago, Grant Langston made headlines by saying he would win the Southwick National before he had ever even seen the track in person. GL was coming to the U.S. after winning a 125 GP title, and he knew he could go fast on a sand track. A shoulder injury cost him that year, but Grant indeed delivered some amazing rides at that track. The tradition continues today. Tyla Rattray won only one moto last year, at this track—and this year he carried 2-2 scores for the overall win. Score another for RSA. Add in Star Racing Yamaha guest rider Gareth Swanepoel, who was in the top ten in both 250 motos, and South Africa was putting the South in Southwick.
5. Andrew Short Has Had Better Days ... And Few Worse: First, Shorty’s bike breaks in the first practice, so he doesn’t get a lap time on the board. He rode hard in the second practice, but the track was so much rougher—and slower—that he had no chance of matching the fast qualifying times everyone else had logged in the first session. He ended up forth-ninth fastest, and only even made the race based on his top-ten ranking in points (he’s second right now). But Shorty had to take the fortieth gate pick, leading to a bad start. Then Ben Townley took him out and he ran out of gas at the end of the race. He also went down off the start in moto two. Time to move on!
6. Jessica Patterson Is Okay: JP$ had dominated the early WMX races, but Ashley Fiolek was making gains at Red Bud and Millville. Then Patterson crashed really hard at the X Games, and many wondered if she would be able to recover and hold onto her points lead. Uh, not to worry. She came from a first-turn crash to second in the first Southwick moto, then blew everyone away in moto two. Two races to go, and the championship looks likely for the Florida veteran.
7. The 250 Title is Up For Grabs: The math shows that Trey Canard has a chance at a come-from-behind 250 title drive, but the riding shows it’s really wide open. Points leader Christophe Pourcel crashed early in moto one and could only get back to seventh, then Canard crashed in moto two and took a ninth. These boys have left plenty of points on the table this year, and with their teammates like Rattray, Dean Wilson, Justin Barcia, and Blake Wharton still right in the mix, anything can happen at these last two races. Expect the unexpected!
8. Pourcel Can Be Beaten: At midseason, Christophe Pourcel held a solid points lead and looked to be riding safe, but at the previous race at Unadilla he crashed out of the first moto and lost a pile of points. He came back with a dramatic, hard-fought win in moto two, proving that when he wants to win, he will. Or maybe not. He had a huge opportunity to score another win in moto two but couldn’t hang with Barcia or Rattray.
9. Suzuki’s RM-Z450 Is a Good Bike: Last year the yellow 450 scored the championship with Chad Reed; this year the #1 plate stays within the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team via Dungey. The last time the same bike and team won back-to-back titles with two different riders? Team Kawasaki, way back in 1993 and 1994, with Mike Kiedrowski and Mike LaRocco.
Ryan Dungey
10. Dungey’s Coming Around: The pressure has been heavy on Ryan Dungey for two years now, as he’s been in championship dog fights even since the 2009 tour began. He wrapped the SX crown early this year, but thoughts were already on this motocross tour, as well as all the media work that comes with a championship. The stress was noticeable, in Dungey’s interviews and demeanor. But now that this MX crown is wrapped, he’s finally checked off all of the accomplishments, and you could see the massive weight lifted off of his shoulders. Expect a looser Dungey over the next two rounds. And then expect the focus to be back next year!
