+6
Ryan Villopoto makes it 2-for-2 in Anaheim this season, becoming the first rider to win two rounds in 2012.
James Stewart passed Chad Reed roughly one-third of the way through Saturday night's AMA Monster Energy Supercross race in Oakland, Calif., picking up the first win of the season with his new Joe Gibbs Racing team.
Stewart, who had struggled in the first two rounds of 2012 before rebounding with a podium finish last week, cruised to a 2.35-second victory over Reed.
Ryan Villopoto was third, with Ryan Dungey and Andrew Short rounding out the top five.
Stewart's victory means there have been four different winners in the first four weeks of the season. The circuit returns to Anaheim – where Villopoto won the season opener – next week.
Reed and Dungey share the series points lead, according to Supercross.com, with Villopoto just two points behind. Stewart is fourth in the standings, 12 points back.
Several riders wore tributes to Ryan Morais and Trey Canard, who were both injured in a crash on the opening lap of last week's round at Dodger Stadium.
Canard, who suffered a broken back, was still hospitalized as of Saturday but is walking with the help of a walker (according to a tweet from his brother, Aaron). Morais was released from the hospital on Thursday and will continue to recover from his multiple injuries at home, according to his wife's Twitter feed.
Here are Saturday night's AMA Supercross results:
AMA Supercross riders Trey Canard and Ryan Morais have a long road ahead of them in recovering from injuries sustained on the opening lap of Saturday night's race at Dodger Stadium.
Canard has a broken back and will require surgery on Thursday, according to a tweet from his brother, Aaron.
@airdawg41: Text from momma c-Robotic surgery on Thursday. 4 small incisions, then screws holding two rods. Can get up the next day
Aaron Canard previously tweeted doctors were concerned about "small pressure on the (spinal) cord" that needed to be relieved.
The prognosis is a bit better for Morais. His wife, Hannah, tweeted he has a broken neck, ribs and a punctured lung, but he will not require surgery on the neck injury.
Morais also has a broken jaw that will be wired shut for eight weeks, his wife tweeted, and he will also wear a C-collar to heal the broken neck.
The accident happened when Canard got a piece of a sign caught in his wheel on the first lap of the race. He apparently didn't realize the sign was stuck, and when he attempted to jump, he couldn't get any air (you can see the video of the awful crash here).
Morais had nowhere to go and landed right on top of him, badly injuring both riders.
To keep tabs on their recovery, make sure to follow @airdawg41 for updates on Canard and @hannah_morais for updates on Morais.
Chad Reed won his first round of the 2012 AMA Monster Energy Supercross season on Saturday night, taking the Dodger Stadium main event by 2.9 seconds over Ryan Dungey.
James Stewart was a season-high third, edging Ryan Villopoto by .61 seconds.
Unfortunately, the race was marred by an opening-lap crash that injured riders Trey Canard and Ryan Morais, according to the Los Angeles Times:
Their injuries were not immediately known, but safety workers placed them on back boards and the series said the riders were transported to Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center.
Morais' wife, Hannah, tweeted an update on her husband's condition overnight and said he has a broken neck in addition to a broken jaw and concussion.
@hannah_morais: Update: mo is hanging in there... Neck has three fractures but docs says no surgery needed on neck right now! Getting MRI to make sure.
The news apparently isn't as good for Canard, who had missed the season opener while recovering from a broken collarbone and just returned last week at Phoenix with a seventh-place finish.
Aaron Canard, Trey's brother, posted in an online forum that his brother sustained a fracture of the T10-12 vertebrae and required surgery last night. No further updates were available.
Here are the AMA Supercross results from Saturday night:
So far, the 2012 AMA Monster Energy Supercross season has been good for dudes named Ryan. For that matter, so have the previous two seasons.
After defending series champion Ryan Villopoto opened his title defense with a win in Anaheim last week, Ryan Dungey captured Saturday night's main event at Chase Field in Phoenix.
Dungey moved to a new team this year (KTM) after winning the 2010 championship with Suzuki, and Saturday's victory was the first Supercross win for the organization. The Ryans – Dungey and Villopoto – are now tied atop the Supercross point standings after two rounds.
Jake Weimer – who finished fifth last week – earned a surprising runner-up finish while Villopoto was third. Villopoto's run was impressive, as he started in the back and came through the field.
Kevin Windham and Chad Reed rounded out the top five. James Stewart was eighth, marking his second consecutive disappointing result since joining Joe Gibbs Racing's SX team.
Trey Canard made his return to the circuit after a broken collarbone (he missed last week's opener) and finished eighth.
The series moves to Dodger Stadium next Saturday night.
Here are the full results from Saturday night's Supercross race in Phoenix:
Defending AMA Monster Energy Supercross champion Ryan Villopoto got off to a fast start and never looked back in winning the first round of the 2012 season in Anaheim on Saturday night.
Villopoto, who also won last year's season opener, pulled away to a 12.2-second victory as his championship rivals battled behind him.
"This race doesn't mean everything, but I was just glad to get out of the gate clean in that race," the Kawasaki rider told Speed's broadcast. "I got through the first turn safe, and then I just tried to put in smooth, clean laps and just pull away."
The real fight for most of the race was for second and third place. Chad Reed crashed while running second and opened the door for Ryan Dungey and James Stewart, but Reed ultimately kept his composure for a runner-up result.
"I'm so happy to get out of here with a second," he said. "I was fighting myself all day today to try and get motivation to come out here and ride this track."
The same couldn't be said for Stewart, who was riding in his first race with Joe Gibbs Racing.
With five laps to go, Stewart was battling with Dungey for third place but made a tremendous mistake and misjudged his landing. Stewart crashed into the barrier and damaged his bike, letting Dungey and several other competitors get by.
Dungey was third, followed by Justin Brayton – who made the main event via the last chance qualifier – and Jake Weimer.
Stewart ended up finishing sixth when he could have had a podium result.
"The track was just tough," Stewart said. "I'm not really that frustrated. ... We've got 16 more races. I know a lot of things can happen."
Villopoto leads the Monster Energy Supercross standings by three points over Reed and five over Dungey.
Here are the full AMA Supercross results from Saturday night's main event in Anaheim:
Ryan Villopoto may have won last year's AMA Monster Energy Supercross title, but many eyes tonight will be on James Stewart.
"Bubba" has a new ride this season atop a Joe Gibbs Racing Yamaha, and everyone is curious to see how Stewart will fare.
But that's just one of the storylines leading into the Supercross opener in Anaheim, Calif., where the 17-race schedule gets underway this evening.
Among other questions entering the 2012 Supercross season:
– Can Villopoto defend his title? With Reed and Stewart at full strength, it doesn't appear he would be the favorite after winning by four points last season.
– Will Reed take his Honda to the front right away? With increased factory support at TwoTwo Motorsports, Reed figures to have a bike to contend for the championship.
– How will Ryan Dungey do with his new team (KTM)? The third-year rider landed at KTM this season after winning the 2010 championship with Suzuki.
– Will Trey Canard race? His status for the opener remains unclear after a broken collarbone.
AMA Monster Energy Supercross Anaheim No. 1 Info:
TV: Speed, 10 p.m. EST
Last year: Ryan Villopoto opened his eventual championship season by winning Anaheim 1.
Live timing/scoring link: AMA scoring
Supercross Results From Anaheim 2: Spoilers From Saturday Night
Defending AMA Monster Energy Supercross champ Ryan Villopoto made it 2-for-2 in Anaheim this season, picking up his second win of the year in a dominating ride on Saturday night.
Villopoto beat James Stewart – last week's winner – by 4.8 seconds and became the first rider to win two events in 2012.
All of the top Supercross stars finished in the top four. After Stewart, it was Chad Reed with the podium finish and Ryan Dungey placing fourth.
The race will be broadcast on CBS later today.
Villopoto now takes over sole possession of the points lead – three points over Reed and five ahead of Dungey.
Here are the AMA Supercross results from Saturday night's round in Anaheim:
Feb 05 8:20a by Jeff Gluck - 0 comments