If Round 5 of the 2014 Monster Energy Supercross season mimics the previous four races then Ryan Villopoto can expect to be left off the podium and Ken Roczen and Chad Reed will not win.
Oh, and MotoSport-sponsored rider Jason Anderson will win his fourth 250SX class win of the season on a last lap pass.
Villopoto, the three-time defending champ, might have two wins and thus increasing his odds of a 4-peat, but he's come up short so far in Anaheim, Roczen won A1 and got back on the podium for A2 when Reed won. So maybe A3 marks James Stewart's first win of the season or when Ryan Dungey finally takes center stage.
Whoever wins it won't be easy as this year is widely believed to hold the most talented number of riders in the history of the race. In 2013, no riders repeated at Anaheim.
Jimmy Albertson
MotoSport Crossland Racing rider Jimmy Albertson found success in Oakland where he finished 18th - his best showing of the season. His first three races were marred by mechanical problems and a crash. The biggest obstacle he faces seems to be all mental.
"At the end of the night after a 20-lap main and be mentally strong for it, it felt like I was just cruising around and riding. I wasn't hitting good lines and not having a good race," Albertson said.
Albertson's brother and mechanic Gregg Albertson said Oakland wasn't different from previous races, they just don't see in Jimmy on race night what they see during the week in practice. Albertson took fifth in the semis and his crew said when Jimmy is dialed in he's just as fast as everyone else on the track.
Weston Peick
MotoSport-sponsored rider Weston Peick did not fare well in Oakland as his race ended early after experiencing an issue with the front brake rotor. He finished last in Oakland after a strong seventh-place at A2.
Ivan Tedesco
Davi Millsaps continues to rest his ailing knee but Ivan Tedesco is riding very consistently with three Top 15 finishes. He's placed as high as 12th, twice, and landing in the Top 10 is a real possibility for the veteran who rides on the MotoSport-sponsored Rockstar Energy Racing KTM team.
Nick Wey
MotoSport-sponsored rider Nick Wey who rides with Team Mafia Moto Crew Kawasaki has three Top 15 finishes for the season and last time out at Anaheim the veteran nearly edged out Ryan Dungey for the holeshot.
Jason Anderson
Anderson is the biggest surprise of the season, not because he's winning but how he's winning. Anderson also rides on the Rockstar Energy Racing KTM team and his ability to sneak past the competition at the last minute or should it be said, last lap, is almost historic. Three races and three last lap passes for the win though in Oakland he had some help thanks to a bit of bad luck by leader Dean Wilson whose machine conked out.
Anderson's three wins gives him a solid lead in the points standings with 93 - six over the second-place Cole Seely, who fell victim to Anderson's last lap eloquence in the first two races of the season.
Doors open for Supercross Round 5 at 12:30 p.m. (PST) and opening ceremonies start at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Angel Stadium. Buy tickets online or at the Angel Stadium Box Office, 2000 Gene Autry Way in Anaheim, CA. Live coverage of Supercross Round 5 begins at 7:00 p.m. (PST) Saturday on FOX Sports 1. Check out the animated track map:
2014 Monster Energy Supercross Season Standings
450SX Class Season Standings
- Ryan Villopoto (84)
- Chad Reed (77)
- Ken Roczen (75)
- Ryan Dungey (75)
- Justin Brayton (71)
- James Stewart (66)
- Justin Barcia (56)
- Andrew Short (49)
- Wil Hahn (43)
- Jake Weimer (37)
250SX Class Season Standings
- Jason Anderson (93) - MotoSport-sponsored
- Cole Seely (87)
- Dean Wilson (72)
- Zach Osborne (69)
- Cooper Webb (65)
- Justin Hill (64)
- Malcolm Stewart (54)
- Jessy Nelson (49)
- Shane McElrath (42)
- Dean Ferris (42)
McDade and Browning Battle for Milwaukee
The competition in AMSOIL Arenacross series continues to get more intense as the last four rounds featured four different overall winners. Michael McDade, who rides for the Motosport.com/MJM Express/Spinechillers Racing Kawasaki team, is in the thick of things at just two points out from leader Zach Ames. McDade won the overall in in Baltimore.
Teammate Willy Browning ran a close third-place in the points standings until last week when overall winner Jacob Hayes smashed into him in the first Heat and Browning thought his ankle broke. He's been nursing it all week and Browning is hopeful he'll be ready to ride this weekend.
After this weekend, the AMSOIL Arenacross series heads west for a string of dates to start the Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class. Racing starts at 7 p.m. tonight at U.S. Cellular Arena. Buy tickets online or at the U.S. Cellular Arena Box Office, 500 W. Kilbourn Ave. Milwaukee, WI.
Photo by Shiftone Photography
Arenacross Class Points
- Zach Ames (151)
- Michael McDade (149) - MotoSport-sponsored
- Tyler Bowers (145)
- Jacob Hayes (138)
- Willy Browning (121)- MotoSport-sponsored
- Colt Nichols (91)
- Cory Green (90)
- Kelly Smith (86)
- Robby Marshall (85)
- Travis Sewell (83)
MotoSport AX Tour Penultimate Round
The MotoSport.com AX Tour has one round left before the finals next week. The stage is set this weekend in Cookeville, TN and Johhny Moore looks to run away with the crown in all classes - AX Pro Lites, AX Pro and the coveted Clash for Cash. Moore benefited from sweeps two weekends in a row and nearly pulled off a third last month. Also, Cole Thompson who led the AX Pro and the Clash events for most of the season, moved on to race in the Supercross 250SX East series for the MotoSport.com sponsored Rockstar Energy KTM Racing team.
