Rattray three points off Supercross lead

After earlier leading the AMA Supercross series, SA's Tyla Rattray has dropped to three points behind the champion ship leader.

A week is a long time in professional sports. Anything can happen and, as the saying goes, it usually does. Motocross, a sport that demands uncompromising man-machine interaction, is not immune to this. On the contrary, it's tough and physical, treacherous to boot, and generates squirts of adrenalin by the gallon. The potential for disaster looms ever large, and the margin between the ecstasy of winning and the agony of losing is wafer-thin.

A week ago, Tyla Rattray took possession of the red number plate of the AMA Lites Supercross series. This designated him as the current leader of the championship, marking him as one of the very few riders in the world ever to have held a red plate in world championship motocross, AMA motocross and AMA supercross. Pleased as he was, he remained with his feet firmly rooted in reality. The championship is not decided in January. A lot of fumes still need to be pumped through the exhausts before the championship is over.

Coming into the third round of the series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, the South African knew he had a huge target on his back. The racing is competitive throughout, but it's the man in the lead that everyone is gunning for, that everyone wants to dethrone. He is never one to shirk his duties or shy away from a challenge, though, and he made the trip to the stadium ready for all comers. Some intermittent - and sometimes heavy - rain had brought the covers onto the track, and in order to maintain the track in as good condition as possible, the organisers dispensed with two of the training sessions, leaving a single pre-qualifying session. Tyla is never going to go down in history is the world's greatest exponent of the single qualifying lap, and he was pretty satisfied that his seventh time overall had given him enough view time of the track to stand him in good stead for when the real business took place.

A less-than-perfect start in the qualifying race got the championship leader's evening going on his Monster Kawasaki. Even though his lap times were still not the most quasar-like of the field, he has oodles of race craft and recovered well to finish fifth, for a comfortable transfer into the main event. The fans, undaunted by the early rain, had again arrived in numbers and there was a proper cacophony of appreciation as the class took to the field for the main race.

Rattray's lightning starts of the previous event were packed away somewhere in his kit bag, but he got away in a top-five position nonetheless. He latched onto teammate Dean Wilson, and the two Kawasakis made their inevitable progress to the front. A serious battle was brewing on Rattray's rear flank however, as former double world champion Marvin Musquin set up his artillery. Musquin found a hole to squeeze through, and Rattray was momentarily demoted to sixth spot, but he disposed of Martin Davalos in turn and reclaimed fifth.

As the race progressed, Rattray was getting into a good race rhythm. He actually set his fastest race lap on the tenth lap as he was homing in on Musquin again. The Frenchman made things easy for him by succumbing to the effects of gravity, and the Kawasaki moved into fourth spot. Meanwhile, Eli Tomac had typed in a winning address and emailed himself off into the distance at the front, and Wilson finessed his way into second spot. Rattray had the sights set on Zack Osborne in third spot, and made serious inroads into Osborne's lead, but time ran out, and he had to contend himself with fourth.

As predicted before the first wheels were turned in anger, the 2012 season has turned into a good old-fashioned humdinger. In three rounds, the series has seen three different leaders, and with fourth place on the evening, Rattray had to bid his red plate adieu for the moment. He is still very much in the running though, lying in third position, just 3 points adrift of series leader Tomac, and two shy of teammate Wilson.

"I knew that this was going to be a tough run," said Rattray after the race. "I need to be consistent throughout the season and get the best possible result on a race-by-race basis. There are a good few riders who can win on any given night, and the championship points can get mixed up quite a bit with one bad result. I'm looking forward to fighting for the top spot again at the next round."
 

Motocross: AMA Supercross Series | Good Night For Ryan Dungey

Red Bull/KTM Factory rider Ryan Dungey picked up his third podium in three rounds with an impressive second place in the third round of the of the AMA Supercross Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles...

Dungey, who retains the red plate as points leader, had a decent gate pick for the main event and got off to a flying start despite the race being red flagged shortly after starter's orders when Trey Canard and Ryan Morais crashed.

He then got away well in the restart, was fourth at the first corner and sat there for the first seven laps in a four-way battle with Jake Weimer, James Stewart and Chad Reed. He was able to move up to third after Weimer went down and then fought for second place with Stewart, who also crashed and handed Dungey his second place.

He is the only rider to have been on the podium in in all three races so far this season and is now 4 points clear of Villopoto and Reed who are tied for second.

“It feels great to hold the red number plate as we head into the fourth round," said Ryan. "It’s still early in the series, but it is definitely off to a good start for the Red Bull/KTM Team. I can’t thank everybody on the team enough. They have put in so many hours and we have made so much progress on the new 450. The bike is running amazing.”

Copyright: KTM Images

Although his night did not turn out as he expected, Red Bull/KTM Factory rider Marvin Musquin still put in an impressive performance in the SX Lites category and was the third fastest in practice and third in his heat.

He settled in well in the main event, quickly moving up from his seventh spot at the first corner. He had his sights on the lead group and looked in the running for another podium. With three laps to go, Musquin was within a bike length of the two riders battling out for second place when he landed too far to the outside of a triple. It planted his front wheel in a mud hole, brought his bike to a halt and pitched him over the handlebars. Marvin was uninjured but winded and was unable to complete the main event. Despite his DNF he was listed at nineteenth place in the results.

“I had trouble breathing after the crash so I could not return to my bike,” he said after the race. Medical staff said he would be sore and bruised but would be able to ride next weekend.

Overall Results Supercross
1, Chad Reed
2, Ryan Dungey – KTM
3, James Stewart
4, Ryan Villopoto
5, Brett Metcalfe

Overall Point Standings SX Class
1, Ryan Dungey – 67
2, Chad Reed – 63
3, Ryan Villopoto – 63
4, Jake Weimer – 48
5, James Stewart – 48

Overall Results Supercross Lites
1, Eli Tomac
2, Dean Wilson
3, Zach Osborne
4, Tyla Rattray
5, Jason Anderson

Overall Point Standings SX Lites
1, Eli Tomac – 63
2, Dean Wilson – 62
3, Tyla Rattray – 60
4, Cole Seely – 47
5, Zach Osborne – 47