MONSTER ENERGY AMA SUPERCROSS
By Gary Murray
The Cowboy Stadium was over run with high power cycles of steel on Saturday night as the Monster Energy AMA Supercross came into town. Thousands of sport fans were on hand to witness the series of races. The track was a series of twisting bumps and hard turns with jumps set up through the track.
The big question was if Vilopoto could win once again. The SX champion has been on a streak as of late, taking competition after competition. The #1 on his bike mimics the amount of wins he has been racking up in the last few weeks.
But before the main event of the evening, there were a series of races. First up were the Lite heats with the smaller size motorcycles. In the first heat was a four lap event with Roczen #70 coming in first with a best lap time of 48.335. Second was Baggett #12 with a best lap time of 49. 554 and Cunningham nipping at the heals with a 49.032 best lap.
The second Light heat was taken by Barcia #1 with a best lap time of 48.320. Right behind the leader was Dunham #35 and Stewart #37 with the best lap times of 48.992 and 49.346.
The SX heats were finally up with a series of 6 lap events. The stands were up and rooting for Vilopoto as he took the center stage. He destroyed the competition with another first place finish and a best lap time of 46.992. At a distant second was #21 Weimer at 48.634 and #25 Tickle with a 49. 544 best lap time.
The second SX heat of 6 laps was the closest race of the evening. The lead between the three riders traded back and forth with #7 Stewart overtaking both Reed #22 and Windham #14. Even though Reed had a best lap t time of 47. 378 with Stewart’s best of 47.649 and Windham’s best of 47.789.
Before the two big events of the night, there were two Last Chance qualifier runs of 4 laps each. In the Lite division the two winning riders that make the finals were Hackley #89 and Politelli #981 and in the SX division were Kiniry #81 and Peick #54. These four riders were placed in the last two big races.
The Lite Main Event was a fifteen lap juggernaut. By the time it ended Barcia #1 proved that he was number one. With a best lap time of 48.903 he bested both #35 Dunham (49.150) and #70 Roczen (49.149).
The final event of the night is the 20 lap SX Main Event. Many thought that the up-and-comer Reed had a shot to take down Vilopoto but halfway during the race Reed was clipped and flipped up and onto the track. It was the kind of wreck that pulls a collective gasp from every member of the audience. With his leg wrapped up and under his machine, Reed was not only out for the race but out for the year. It is reported that his AMA Supercross season is over.
But, the night belonged to Vilopoto. Before the night was over, #1 lapped some of his competition. His best lap time was 46.734. Far behind him was second place rider Dungey with a 58.027 and Weimer with a 48.220. Another successful night of racing ended with the stands on their feet cheering both the winners and the competitors.
