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| Photo: monsterenergycup.com |
The Monster Energy Cup is the ultimate in entertainment
because you almost have to toss all the usual stats out the window. Reviewing the list of riders it’s hard for me
to go against conventional wisdom.
Villopoto is clearly the favorite but winning all 3 races is no easy
task. A lot has to go right for that to
happen and I think everything just fell into place for Villopoto in 2011. Last year was the complete opposite and it
seemed like everything went wrong. It’s
a brave new world in SX this season and it will be very difficult and dare I
say impossible to repeat that success with this current lineup.
James Stewart has never challenged for the Cup and he’s
on the list this year. He had a rough SX
season this past year but he’s had some time to get healthy and clear his mind
a bit. More seat time on the new bike
will also help him compete and this track is ideally suited for a rider of his
style.
Justin Barcia was Villopoto’s closest competition last
year and even though Villopoto didn’t compete in the 3rd main I think Barcia
would have given him some problems. Eli
Tomac was a big surprise. I think we all
felt he’d have a good showing but to take the top spot in the last race was a
statement hard to ignore. I also can’t
wait to see the other Honda riders like Seely and Nelson, they were exciting to watch last season.
Ryan Dungey was another big story last year with all his
bike problems. Assuming he’ll not have
that to deal with this year I believe he’ll have a legitimate shot Saturday. Kenny Roczen and Marvin Musquin
are like the KTM accelerators in this SX fire – we know they’ll light things up
and if you don’t take care of them early they’ll rage.
Dean Wilson makes his way back from injury at this year’s
Monster Energy Cup. We all remember the
dominance but his competition has been competing all summer and that seat time
will be hard to overcome but I expect Dean to make a statement. His fellow Kawasaki rider Jake Weimer has
been off and on this year. I thought he
had a decent showing last year at this race but he was nowhere close to
competing for any prize.
It’s been tough to form an opinion and even harder to
make a call on a winner. With this field
of riders I believe The Monster Million is safe again this year. As for the overall, I believe it will go to
the smartest rider. Consistency and
speed, smart decisions and an ability to avoid collisions will be the key. It pains me to say that the start will be
critical to a successful race. It will
also be a rider with factory support, of course.
So who do I think will take the overall? Ryan Dungey!
He was competitive in every main last year despite his bike
problems. He showed unbelievable
patience and intellect to make the right decisions. He showed poise in the face of adversity and
had everything gone right I believe he would be the reigning champ this
year. I realize Villopoto wasn’t at his
best and James Stewart will prove a formidable opponent but Dungey is so close
to breaking through and I think the Monster Energy Cup will be a defining
moment.
I'm picking Villopoto second and James Stewart third. It was hard leaving Barcia out of the top 3 but I think James is hungry and what an event to show off his true form. Barcia and Tomac will round out the top 5 and Roczen won't be far behind. My long shot this year is Josh Grant. Josh was on a roll last season and he'll be one who could knock someone out of the top 5.
I guess only time will tell and that time is coming
up. Have a great time and thanks for
checking in.
The Roost'r
1. Ryan Dungey
2. Ryan Villopoto
3. James Stewart
4. Justin Barcia
5. Eli Tomac
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