Jason Weigandt
Welcome to our weekly web-exclusive column, Transmoto USA Insider Presented By Fly Racing. Penned each week by our man on the ground, Transmoto's US Correspondent, Jason Weigandt, USA Insider presents the story-behind-the-stories of the AMA supercross and motocross scene.
The ranks are quickly thinning. It was billed as the deepest field in recent Monster Energy AMA Supercross memory, and that field is still pretty deep at the top, proven as James Stewart became the fourth different race winner in four races. The "four in four" has only happened one other time in the nearly 40-year history of AMA Supercross, and that was way back in 1976.
But the depth of field was based on two elements — the fast four pack up front, and a "best of the rest" that was so strong that just qualifying for a 20-man main event would not be easy. But those ranks have begun to shrink. Last weekend's Los Angeles supercross was a gnarly one, with Trey Canard and Ryan Morais coming together hard and ending up out of the series with broken backs (luckily, they will recover). Expect both the Muscle Milk Honda and Rockstar Energy Valli Star Yamaha teams to find fill ins for those spots soon — my bet would be on one of Honda's top Lites riders, Eli Tomac or Cole Seely, since the East Lites tour begins after just two more races, and those boys will be on break, anyway. Tomac is leading the West points, so it's a bit of a risk to put him on the big bike. However, the GEICO Honda team that Tomac rides for is always in a bit of a bind when the big bosses at Honda call. You don't want to say no to the boss, right? I don't think they will say no if Tomac gets the call, and seeing as Trey Canard and Justin Barcia took their careers to the next level once they got on those bikes in guest rides, I think it's likely.
Meanwhile in L.A, Josh Grant went down with a shoulder injury, leaving a spot for Cody Mackie on the Jeff Ward Racing/DNA Energy Kawasaki. I'm serious, just about no one knew who Mackie was at Anaheim 1, but he made a quick impression, got the spot, and quickly delivered by making the 20-man main event in Oakland. Good on ya' mate!
Such injuries are a stark reminder that anything can happen at any time in supercross, and it appears all four title contenders are riding with that in mind. The Oakland track over the weekend featured soft dirt that led to holes, ruts and chop unlike the previous races. Although James Stewart won the race, it appeared like he rode safe and just ended up in the number one spot — it was a good ride but not a dominant statement in the old Bubba fashion. Similarly, I think Chad Reed and Ryan Villopoto could have maybe found a little more if they absolutely had to, but this is only round four of the series. The best news about all of that? We still don't know who really is the fastest of the fast heading into round five this weekend!
