Some thoughts on the Supercross race at Dodger Stadium

Since it looks like most of the newspapers in Los Angeles weren't able to publish the results of the AMA Monster Energy Supercross race at Dodger Stadium on Saturday night, Ryan Villopoto won.
Here are some other observations, obvious or otherwise, from Round 3 of the AMA Supercross series.
James Bubba Stewart finished second. More to the point, he didn't win. He was taken out in the heat race and rallied from the back of the field to qualify for the main event. Stewart actually had the lead in the main, but Villopoto took advantage of a rare Stewart mistake and took the lead late in the race.
“It was really slippery out there,” said Villopoto. “The start of my race didn’t go as planned, but I was able to make up some time early on and things went my way.”
Reigning Supercross series champ Ryan Dungey was third and looked to struggle in the second half of the race. Repeating as champ is going to be a real challenge for him, it looks like.
Trey Canard has the most impressive races of the night. He crashed in the heat race. The front wheel on his bike hit awkwardly and Canard flipped head first off his bike. The bike then flipped in the air and ran over his back.
It looked horrific, but Canard recovered, raced his way into the main through the last chance qualifier and finished fourth in the main.
The high-finishing rider from California was Brett Metcalfe from Lake Elsinore. He was eighth.
At least a Californian won the first Supercross Lites race at Dodger Stadium. Cole Seeley, a graduate of Newbury Park High School who lives in Corona, won the Lites race, the first of his career.
“This week I worked hard on starts and it paid off,” said Seeley. “That makes a big difference in the way the race unfolds when you are out front. This is the first win of my career and it feels great.”
Rumor around Dodger Stadium was that the area around the pitcher's mound was not supposed to be tampered with. An orange pylon was placed on top of the mound and the area was sectioned off. But before the heat races started, someone moved the cone. Bulldozers, albeit small ones, rolled over and spread dirt around the mound.
This might be the first clue for when people start asking what happened to the Dodger pitching staff in 2011.

Villopoto wins AMA Supercorss race in Toronto, closes in on lead in standings

Ryan Villopoto won the Monster Energy AMA Supercross race in Toronto on Saturday night and inched closer to the lead in the Supercross standings.
Villopoto won his fifth race of the season and his fourth in the past five races. He won the race in Daytona, Fla., last week. He also won at Angel Stadium on Feb. 13 and in Indianapolis the following week.
With the win at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Villopoto trails Ryan Dungey, the leader in the Supercross standings, by 17 points after the 10th race of the 17-race AMA Supercross schedule.
“I really wouldn’t be in this position without all of my team and everyone involved,” said Villopoto. “The last couple weeks we’ve been on it and it’s what we need to do. (The racing is) close and it’s been tough. I need to make up ground and I got to make those passes quick. I (also) need to keep getting good starts.”
Dungey finished second in the Toronto race, followed by Trey Canard in third.
Josh Hill, a rider from Murietta, is third in the Supercross standings. He finished in sixth in the race in Toronto.
The AMA Supercross Series will be at the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday night.

Villopoto wins AMA Supercross race in Anaheim; Hill and Dungey tied for lead in standings

Ryan Villopoto won his second Monster Energy AMA Supercross race of the season. Josh Hill finished second for the fourth week in a row.
Round 6 of the AMA Supercross season at Angel Stadium on Saturday night ended with Hill and Ryan Dungey tied for first in the standings and Villopoto sitting in third, three points behind the leaders.
Villopoto led from start to finish and built a nearly six-second at one point in the race. His win pulled him well within striking distance of the lead in the AMA Supercross standings.
“It’s a good spot to be in going back East,” Villopoto said. “I can’t ask for anything more.”
Hill has five podium finishes in six races. His runner-up finish coupled with Dungey’s fourth-place finish, put the two riders tied for first in the AMA Supercross standings.
“I’m happy,” Hill said. “I’ve been on the box every week but one.”
After starting the season with three straight podium finishes, Dungey has not finished on the podium in his last three races.
Hill’s second-place finish at Angel Stadium might have been the most challenging.
“I didn’t ride good all day,” Hill said. “I’m happy with second. I’m just pumped to be up here.”
Kevin Windham finished third, followed by Dungey and Davi Millsaps in fifth.

Villopoto wins AMA Supercross race in San Francisco; Stewart has surgery

Ryan Villopoto won the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series race at AT&T Park in San Francisco on Saturday night. It was his first win of the season and the third of his career.
Ryan Dungey, the leader in the AMA Supercross Series standings, crashed on lap 10 and fell from first to fourth.
“I lost my foot and went sailing,” said Dungey. “It could have been a lot worse. I am glad I am not hurt.”
Villopoto won for the third time in his AMA Supercross career. He is in third place in the AMA Supercross standings, two points behind second-place Josh Hill and 13 points out of first.
“The track was tough and slippery,” said Villopoto. “It was hard to put in 20 perfect laps out there tonight. It wasn’t the start that I wanted, so I played catch-up. It is a long season with a lot of racing left.”
Hill had another strong race, finishing on the podium for the third race in a row. Hill was second at San Franisco, followed by Davi Millsaps in third. Both riders are from Murrieta.
James Stewart, the reigning AMA Supercross champion, did not race in San Francisco. He had surgery to repair a broken wrist last week. He broke his wrist in a crash during the races at Chase Field in Arizona two weeks ago. He raced at Angel Stadium the following week and finished third despite the broken wrist.
Dr. Arthur Ting, an orthopedic surgeon, performed the surgery on Stewart’s wrist on Friday.
“James is a true champion,” San Manuel Team Manager Larry Brooks said in a release. “The fact that he rode as competitively as he did making the podium at Anaheim 2 with a broken wrist (unknowingly) is testimony to that. He’s anxious to heal and get back on the race track as soon as possible.”
Stewart’s return to racing is unknown. He will be evaluated on a weekly basis, according to the team.
The next AMA Supercross race is Saturday at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.