Kenny Is Back! Roczen Rides Again!

Clearly there is no crowned champion after Saturday night!  Eli is looking like the rider we saw winning outdoor nationals a couple years ago.  But, before we get ahead of ourselves let's not forget this is a 17 race series (Dungey, SX reporters, podcasts, and fans reminded me of this last week).  As dominant as Eli has shown the past two weeks, year after year Dungey seems to find the speed when it matters most.  Other than 2016, Dungey is typically a slow starter and finds his groove as the series heads east.  However, Eli rode amazing in Oakland while Dungey struggled with the treacherous conditions.  Had this been the last round of the series with the title hanging in the balance, I bet we would have seen a more aggressive Dungey.  Eli looks flat out amazing on certain days, unfortunately watching him charge through the pack or win by massive margins doesn't matter when it comes to point standings.  Eli only gained 3 points in Oakland.  Anyone beating a guy who finishes 2nd or 3rd on his bad days in a series is impressive.  Eli still has a tough road ahead but so did Carmichael in 2001 when he dethroned McGrath.  Time will tell, remember no crown here, no crown!
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As the series hits the East Coast swing Ryan Dungey normally hits his stride by clicking off wins and asserting his dominance.  This year is proving different.  Musquin and Tomac are stronger and can sense a vulnerability in Dungey we have not seen before.  Are we witnessing Father Time catch up with Dungey?  Is he injured?  Did the Roczen injury mess with his head?  These are all factors I hear fans discussing.  I have a friend who is close to the riders at the Bakery who told me Dungey is suffering from an Epstein Barr/Mononucleosis type of illness.  While I am not 100% sure about what's going on with Dungey, clearly something is off.  Riders who are overworked and under fed (Aldon’s program) is news we have heard before, most recently Ken Roczen was extremely critical of the program.
Assuming this is Dungey’s issue, Musquin has to know what is going on.  Training alongside your competition with an “iron sharpens iron” philosophy is how the riders in the Bakery train.  This can be a huge benefit to the riders, until they are attempting to hide a weakness from their main competitor.  While Musquin was riding high with confidence after his win in Dallas, maybe he had inside knowledge about Dungey struggling late in the races and that is why he charged hard late in the race.  I can't ever remember watching Dungey get repeatedly caught and passed at the end of races.  With 9 races, and two riders within 24 points of Dungey, the championship is wide open.  While 3rd place isn't a bad finish, Tomac gained 5 points and Musquin gained 2, it’s getting interesting.
Loved seeing the 250 East guys.  Every rider wanted to come out swinging and establish themselves as “the guy.”  Confidence is important in Supercross, probably the most important thing a rider can have as the first race establishes the pecking order.  Joey Savatgy did what most experts predicted.  While his performance didn't overwhelm the competition, a win is still a win.  Jordan Smith may have found what had been missing the last few years.  In the past we’ve seen flashes of speed followed by spectacular crashes.  He rode solid in the Main event providing him the confidence needed to make him a consistent podium guy and maybe get his first career win this year.  Zach Osborne is desperately trying to get his first win and it shows, he is not content with a podium finish.  He will win or crash trying.  Round Two in Atlanta will be make or break for both Alex Martin and Christian Craig.  Martin’s night ended in the first turn with a vicious crash, hopefully he will be alright for Atlanta.  Craig had a bad start and got caught up in first round mayhem earning him a 12th place finish.  He will need a podium in Atlanta to get back in this championship.
We are seeing the attrition of Supercross taking a toll on the field.  Last night we lost both Cooper Webb and Justin Bogle, not sure how bad their injuries are but both walked off and Bogle said via Instagram that he will be racing in Atlanta.  Webb’s injury looked severe, when somebody grabs their arm and immediately walks away from the track, not even removing their goggles, I get worried.  These guys are gladiators and being dramatic about injuries is not something they do, this isn't Soccer or Basketball.  Hopefully his injury isn't serious, we’ll find out in Atlanta.



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Round 8 Atlanta: Dungey’s Revenge!
The past week was full of message boards and journalists (myself included) asking, “What's wrong with Dungey?”  He came to Atlanta ready to silence his critics.  I stand by my analysis that he is battling an illness, but clearly he is getting better.  Dungey did look fatigued towards the end of the race as opposed to Eli Tomac who remained fresh.  With that said, Dungey got it done and this is what defines him as a Champion!  He can seemingly raise his level when needed while taking what's given on other days.  Marvin and Eli have to be frustrated, both guys were faster than Dungey all day, including the Main event but bad starts caused both guys to struggle.  
The Atlanta track wasn't ideal for passing and the sand section was downright silly.  Why put beach sand on the backside of a wall jump?  I like the sand sections when built in turns.  Wall jumps without sand cause guys to get blasted with dirt, again putting sand there was ridiculous.  Another part of the track I didn't like was the dog leg before the triple.  Maybe they had to build it that way to fit the stadium, but in any form of racing a dog leg creates single file racing unless it is followed by a double apex 180 degree turn.  
In the 250 race, Zach Osborne finally reached the top step of the podium!  Osborne took the long road to the top.  For those who don't know his story, here is the short version.  Osborne was highly touted coming out of the Amateur ranks signing with Factory KTM.  This didn't work out and he ended up earning the dubious nick name “snack pack,” the name given to him from outdoor national commentator at the time David Pingree.  After losing his ride at KTM the only option to continue his career was to take a ride in Europe.  Osborne fought hard and earned himself a ride with Geico Honda but after a couple years of not reaching his potential they let him go.  Zach then signed with the Rockstar Husky team.  While last year was filled with disappointments, this year is proving different.  Almost 10 years after becoming a Pro he earned his first SX win.  Osborne took the hard road showing through dedication his old nickname, “snack pack” was lifetimes ago.  I put him as the East title favorite, but this coming week will be telling.  Is this going to make him want to win every race, or is this just the monkey off his back?  I am predicting the competition is in trouble.
Alex Martin and Jordan Smith seemed a lock for 2nd and 3rd in the 250 main until Martin cleaned out his teammate.  Smith missed the on/off jump and was out of the normal rhythm, still Martin shouldn't have jumped in there and cleaned him out.  It makes senses if they were battling for a win, but when both TLD KTM riders are in podium spots with little or no chance to catch Osborne, it becomes a stupid move.  Team manager Tyler Keefe has to be pulling his hair out.
Although Dungey’s performance was great, it's a 17 race series!  Tomac and Musquin can't allow Dungey any more breathing room.  Let's be real though, if Dungey is up more than 30 points after Daytona this is likely over.  





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More drama in Toronto surrounding FIM Competition Director John Gallagher!  Multiple people witnessed the untelevised incident of Brock Tickle slapping Justin Barcia on the back of the helmet after the heat race.  This appeared similar to what Jason Anderson did to Vince Friese at A2.  John Gallagher stated in his past TV interview in relation to discipline, “it's been very consistent in Supercross, as long as I have been involved.  If it becomes physical on the race track, like a couple years ago [Reed Black Flag] or off the race in track, in the pits, immediately that's a disqualification for the evening.”  It appears Mr. Gallagher needs more consistency himself, especially when TV cameras don’t catch the action.  Does he only disqualify riders if he gets an interview, like when he black flagged Chad Reed and disqualified Anderson?  Like I said before, John Gallagher is not a guy who should have the authoritative control he does.  His ego changed both Reed and Anderson's seasons potentially costing them money, sponsors and future opportunities.  Come on guys!  This is Supercross racing at the highest level and I don't think Reed, Anderson or Tickle deserved disqualifying.  Gallagher based the Anderson and Reed decisions on emotion and ego.  I bet if the Tickle and Barcia incident was caught on TV and Gallagher got his TV time there would have been a disqualification.
Now to the actual Toronto Supercross results; and then there were two.  The 2017 champion has narrowed down to Eli Tomac or Ryan Dungey.  Eli did his part by winning the race, and Dungey overcame a bad start to finish second.  Dungey’s creativity with his line choice after the finish line proved his tenacity.  Dungey found a line that allowed him to square up the straight away and miss the exposed concrete.  He made almost every pass here.  The only rider who picked up on the same line was Brock Tickle (who should have been disqualified by Gallagher’s past standards) who held on for a strong third place and the first podium of his career.  Marvin Musquin barely finished the race placing 13th as he was battling a serious illness.  Unfortunately, his 13Th place finish seriously hurts any championship hopes he might have had.  
Early in the Main event it looked like Eli would take a nice chunk out of Dungey's championship lead, but in the history of Supercross I have never seen a rider better than Dungey at managing bad nights, injuries and illness.  Dungey’s bad nights end in 2nd or 3rd place finishes.  The only rider in Supercross history that could compare to him is Jeff Stanton, but Dungey has had more longevity and speed than the six time National and Supercross Champion.
In the 250 class Zach Osborne has established himself as the fastest guy week in and week out.  With Joey Savatgy going down late in the Main Event Osborne has a 12 point lead in the series.  Zach has mentioned he is moving to the 450 class next year, but I think that's only if he wins the Championship.  Clearly he has planned on winning this for a while, as fans we are just finding out now.  Let’s see how he handles Daytona.  




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