Gettin’ Dirty in San Diego: 2010 AMA Supercross – Round 5
Round 5 of the AMA Supercross series from San Diego had the one thing we here at GetDirtyMX like. Mud! And lots of it too! On and off rain plagued Round 5 of the Supercross series, but none the less the race went on. Riders slipping and sliding made for an even tighter race in the SX Point Standings.
In the Lites Heat #1, known of his success in the mud, Phil Nicoletti got off to another great start and led the entire heat until Wil Hahn passed him in the final lap to take the win.
Heat # 2 was again business as usual for Jake Weimer. Weimer got off to a great start and coasted to the podium.
In the Lites main it was Trey Canard taking the holeshot and the early lead, but shortly after he crashed almost going over the bars giving Weimer the lead. It was not an easy one for Weimer in the muddy conditions though. Weimer slipped up landing a jump and almost went down, but was able to maintain his composure and the lead. Max Anstie was in a bit of trouble himself. After Anstie rode Blake Wharton right off the track he had a costly slip up of his own in the last lap falling out of the top 3. With all of the mishaps Weimer managed to stay in front for the win, followed by Cole Seely and Wil Hahn.
In the 1st Heat of the SX we were glad to see Dan Reardon back after his nasty crash in A1. Reardon looked good out there and took 4th in the Heat race. It was the determined Josh Hill who would take the win, followed by Ivan Tedesco and Wil Hahn.
In Heat # 2 Kevin Windham got off to a great start and led the way up until Ryan Dungey passed him with 2 laps to go. Dungey went on to win it followed by Windham and Andrew Short. Ryan Villopoto got off to a bad start but was able to finish 5th.
Rain had started to fall again just when the SX Main was about to start which made for an interesting start and finish to the race. Nick Wey took the holeshot and led the way (no pun intended). Dungey and Villopoto both went down in the first turn and it was Wey, Davi Millsaps and Andrew Short topping out the top 3. Millsaps passed Wey in the 3rd lap and went on to win it. Andrew Short went down hard canning a triple with 3 laps to go. Short tweeted on Twitter this morning that his knee required some stitches and his ankle was a bit banged up too. It was Josh Hill again taking 2nd place for the 3rd straight race and Ivan Tedesco finished 3rd. Villopoto managed to come back and finish 4th as did Dungey who finished 6th as they both tried to salvage some points.
Now those names may not be the top finishers you are accustomed to hearing, but that is what has made this season even more interesting. Dungeys lead in the Point Standings is now down to a mere 4 points over Josh Hill and only 10 over Ryan Villopoto. Who’s to say when and if Stewart and Reed will be back, but if it’s anytime soon the battle for the championship will surely become even tighter. Will see how everything pans out next weekend as the series goes back to Anaheim on Feb 13th. Check back this week for our preview of Anaheim III. Until then go out, ride hard, be safe, and “Get Dirty”!
