SX: This Week In Supercross

SX: This Week In Supercross - Indianapolis

Notes and quotes from the paddock heading into Saturday's Supercross shootout in Indianapolis.

Media Release | Posted March 15, 2013 Aurora, IL

(Photo: Suzuki Racing)

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Round 11 of the Monster Energy Supercross Championship from Indianapolis, IN will air LIVE on SPEED on Saturday, March 16th at 8:30pm ET.

Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Ryan Villopoto’s 450SX Class-leading fifth win of the 2013 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, also signified a big night in the point standings for the reigning back-to-back title holder. As the season makes its return to the Midwest and Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium tomorrow night, Villopoto brings in a slim two-point lead over Rockstar Energy Racing’s Davi Millsaps to the 11th race of the championship. Broadcast coverage of the 450SX Class and 250SX Class will air live on SPEED, tomorrow night, March 16, beginning at 7:30 p.m. SupercrossLIVE!® will stream three hours of practice and qualifying at www.SupercrossOnline.com beginning at 2 p.m. ET.

Villopoto was dominant last weekend in Daytona Beach, Fla., grabbing the early lead in the Main Event and overcoming an early mistake that dropped him to third to reclaim the top spot on Lap 3 and pull away for the win. Over the last four weeks of competition, Villopoto has claimed three wins and a runner-up effort. Additionally, he’s moved from third to first in the 450SX Class standings, making up a 24-point deficit along the way. Tomorrow, Villopoto returns to arguably his most dominant venue at Indy, where he has stood atop the podium for three consecutive seasons.

“We’re in the best position we’ve been all season,” said Villopoto. “I didn’t expect to be in the points lead this early after how far back we were, but we’ve been consistent and made it back to the top. The dirt is usually pretty good in Indy, but it depends on how the weather has been up there. I’m excited to have the red [number] plate back.”

Fellow Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Jake Weimer is still working his way back from injury. While each week is a progressive step towards getting to the level he was at early in the season, Weimer is still in search of better results. Following a 13th-place effort in Daytona, Weimer is eager to bounce back in Indy.

“Indy should be a good weekend,” said Weimer. “The past few weeks haven’t gone my way, but we had fun this week so it should be good. I showed I had the speed to battle up front at the beginning of the season and I feel like that is back.”

Millsaps had controlled the 450SX Class standings since capturing the win at the opening race of the season in Anaheim. Through the first eight races of the championship, Millsaps captured two victories and finished off the podium just once, in fourth. However, in back-to-back weeks he’s had season-worst results of sixth and 10th in St. Louis and Daytona, respectively. Despite losing control of the championship, Millsaps still boasts the best average finish of any rider in the class this season and will look to bounce back inside a venue he finished third in one year ago.

"Well, Daytona was the worst race of the season so far, so I got that out of my way,” said Millsaps. “Now it's time to climb my way back up to the top. It's Supercross, and it's going to happen. Other guys had bad races and now I just got rid of mine."

Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey captured his first podium finish in two races at Daytona, putting forth one of his most impressive efforts of the season. Dungey overcame a mid-pack start in the Main Event to eventually battle his way into third place and then catch second place just a few laps later. By virtue of his first runner-up finish of the season, Dungey minimized the points he lost to Villopoto and enters Indy 14 points out of the lead in third. Dungey shares the same finishing average as Villopoto through this point in the season.

After several weeks of tough outings, Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Trey Canard showed the speed he had earlier in the season in Daytona. The Honda rider battled in the front portion of the field for most of the Main Event and ultimately settled for a solid sixth-place result, one of his best finishes of the past six races. He now sits in a tie for fourth in the championship heading into Indy.

“It has been a rough couple of weeks for me,” stated Canard. “I gave all my effort [in Daytona], but I know that I have some things I need to work on. I’m happy to be healthy and moving onto the next race.”

Fellow Team Honda Muscle Milk rider Justin Barcia was in the thick of the battle for the lead early in the Daytona Main Event, his first as a 450SX Class rider. After being passed by Villopoto, Barcia settled into second place but ultimately gave up the position to Dungey. Nevertheless, given the difficult conditions riders are faced with at Daytona, Barcia performed well in his big bike debut and is looking forward to Indy, where he can continue to close the gap on fourth in the championship.

“I am happy with how Daytona went and love being up on the podium,” stated Barcia. “I want to win, but both Ryan’s were riding really good so I was happy just to be up [on the podium] with them. The track was brutal and felt like an outdoor race for me. I rode the best I could and had a lot of fun.”

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