Race Report: Indianapolis
bayodome
- March 01 2009
- 46,932 views
- 66 comments
Words by Michael Antonovich
Photos by Michael Sierens and Bayo Olukotun
With the Monster Energy/FIM/AMA Supercross Series’ annual stop in Indianapolis, tonight was set to be great racing in the brand new Lucas Oil Stadium. In a place built for the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, walking inside you soon see the racing influence is very evident. Two Top Fuel dragsters, an exploded engine diagram, and various other race cars make you forget this is Peyton Manning’s winter home. This week’s Mike Larocco-designed track was one of the most technical of the season, and it required a smooth flow every lap to maintain position. With a short start straightaway into a jump that seems like it was lifted out of MX Vs. ATV Unleashed, multiple rhythm sections, and a few obstacles that are rarely seen such as an off chamber jump, a tight chicane, and a basic yet still very difficult tabletop as the finish, the riders were on their toes all night. The tight confines of the stadium were evident in the layout, but that only made for closer racing in the Lucas Oil Stadium.
Lites Practice
The Lites class was the first to set the pace for the day, and many needed all the track time they could get to find the lines around the floor. After a few get offs and collisions, namely Martin Davalos landing on Jacob Saylor after the dragon back and Darryn Durham pulling off after hitting his nose, getting off the track unscathed was necessary for getting locked in to a heat race. The top 5 riders all posted sub 52 second lap times, with Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Nico Izzi, Star Racing’s Matt Lemoine, Monster Energy Pro Circuit rider Austin Stroupe, Muscle Milk KTM’s Martin Davalos, and Monster Energy Pro Circuit rider Christophe Pourcel setting the pace for the small bore bikes.
Supercross Practice
It seemed all eyes were on the 450 bikes as they took to the track for practice, and it was for good reason. They proved to be the premiere class, using a few different lines and sheer power to move around the track at a blitzkrieg place. Even still, many of the top riders found in difficult to settle in. Geico Powersports Factory Connection Honda’s Kevin Windham and Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider Mike Alessi timed below the top 12 spots, and Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Ryan Villopoto was low in the top 10 until the end of the second practice session. Practice seemed like it was the a sign of things to come in the next few years with three of the top five spots belonging to guys who had been child prodigies. Team Yamaha’s Josh Hill, Factory Honda Red Bull rider Davi Millsaps, and Monster Energy/AM PM/ Troy Racing Jason Lawrence showed they were ones to watch when the gates dropped. Millsaps even had the quick time for a few laps, until San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Yamaha pilot James Stewart knocked him down a peg by just over half a second. Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s defending champion Chad Reed clocked in forth quick, and Josh Hill found himself in third when timed qualifying came to a close. At it wouldn’t be a Jason Lawrence day without a bit of on track tomfoolery; he had some contact with Team Yamaha’s Broc Hepler and then did a fist pump ala Jeff Ward at the wall after bobbling in the whoops. All this built the anticipation for the night’s races, and it surely lived up to it.
Photos by Michael Sierens
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March 1st, 2009 at 3:26 am
Hey Bio Good work. Congrates !!!! Dan The Moto Meat Guy . Take Care.
March 1st, 2009 at 3:36 am
nice. The championship is alive!!!
March 1st, 2009 at 3:55 am
j-law was sick but when holley interviewed before the race he said feeling great and looked absolutely fine…funny..this report is great…thanks for the amazing pics….
March 1st, 2009 at 7:55 am
What happened with Blake Wharton ? Look at Mike Alessi,thats a real racer,he just keeps on trying to win !
March 1st, 2009 at 9:10 am
hands down the best supercross race all year long.
The lights race was pretty good to but I would have liked them to not red flag the race. Izzi kind of got the shaft.
March 1st, 2009 at 9:56 am
transworld, i think you should post all of the riders who qualified in the heats, instead of just the top 5, and put the points standings at the end of each report like you used to.
March 1st, 2009 at 10:49 am
HAHHA what a poon. looks like chris and swap better get down there to make sure he is feeling ok or they wont have anything to do this week! lol
March 1st, 2009 at 11:10 am
I got into there pits with a Disani water bottle wraper lol since i seen people going in with blue bands on or a blue #9 sticker on there ticket….NOW THATS CREATIVE!
March 1st, 2009 at 11:16 am
I tip my helmet for Chad Reed , Mike Alisse and Team rockstar / makita Suzuki well deserved!
March 1st, 2009 at 11:19 am
i agree, it was nice when u guys posted all of the qualifing positions in the heats.
March 1st, 2009 at 11:49 am
Hey guess what?
I can roll right over to racer-x with better coverage and faster pictures!
“C’est la vie” Transworld M’Fers!
March 1st, 2009 at 11:52 am
Swap: “I wish I could quit you J-law..”
J: “You just keep coming back”
haha, true story.
March 1st, 2009 at 11:53 am
Congrats to Reed. Good luck with the rest of the season. Hopefully it’s not like every previous race
March 1st, 2009 at 1:15 pm
Why do you guys complain about what transworld does with THEIR website? If you dont like it just go to another one, you idiots
March 1st, 2009 at 2:42 pm
You know, I’m glad to see reed beat bubba, finally… I’m a reed fan, always have been. But, this race was fixed. There is no reason why james didn’t win, oh he was able to catch back up to chad like what… 3 or 4 times?!? Its to keep the excitement going. its too bad it has to get like this.
March 1st, 2009 at 2:50 pm
levi kilbager is a full blown privateer and he got 6th in the lites main. he is fast i hope he gets a ride for the rest of the season because i dont think he will be able to make it down to daytona.
March 1st, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Wow JG,i agree with you!!But really it was funny to watch Stewart go down 2times and still get 2nd and almost take the win also!I was there and it was unreal to watch JS-7 ride.The nxt few rnds Reed will be racing with his team mate for 2nd i say this be cause every time JS-7 has a bad race he comes back and goes on a streak!!!!He was pissed at 2nd place and Reed was just happy to get a win and i was happy for him but nxt wk is Daytona,its out doors and we all know what happened outdoors!!Reed got a start,so what he still got walked down,a win is a win but this one was a gift.JS-7 is pissed!How about J-law,and he is on a Yamaha i can see it now J-Law and Alessi and Reed at war,where the hell is Don King!Some body please tell me who the hell is jim holley,he is fake as hell did he ever win any thing?
March 1st, 2009 at 4:22 pm
GREAT track Dirt Wurx and LaRocco! See what happens when you slow the guys down and make them work for it? GREAT racing, GREAT wrecks, and GREAT night in the new stadium. I was there all day watching practice and it was killer!
March 1st, 2009 at 4:25 pm
OMG the TV cast on SPEED is AWFUL !!! Emig and Ralph are TERRIBLE! I was there at the race all day and night and these guys do a HORRIBLE job of trying to translate the excitement. They set a new attendance record and these clowns can’t even make it 1/4 as exciting as the real thing! You’re KILLING the sport!
March 1st, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Notice something new on all of the podium interviews this week.SWEAT!!!Nice to see the guys work a little. Great job on track design Mike.
March 1st, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Go F%#K yourself…
March 1st, 2009 at 5:57 pm
bull thats not how it is…what it is is that bubba cant handle the pressure reed has gone from last place starts to 2nd many times…if reed can keep gettin good starts he’ll win
March 1st, 2009 at 6:05 pm
Any body see the confidence in JS-7 face in the interview on speed? The last Bobble by JS-7 was the tuff block caught his Front brake lever when he was going tight in the turn to the finnish line jump!Yeah nice track design ML.The 1st turn was a joke,other then that it was a great track!
March 1st, 2009 at 6:09 pm
yea bs, that race was not fixed. Reed said he knew Stewarts weakness, he was able to apply the pressure and extort that weakness in stewart.
March 1st, 2009 at 6:17 pm
jg,please dont cheapen the sport by calling “rigged!” be happy it was an exciting race and it just wasnt in the cards for stewart tonight. afterall he has been known for throwing many races away.
March 1st, 2009 at 6:38 pm
I have never heard of him, but I always like to see privateers to well. Nice work man.
March 1st, 2009 at 6:51 pm
damnn broo thats so true hahaha
March 1st, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Ralph[from speed channel]was asked a str8 up question,can Reed beat Stewart in a str8 up race!He skated the question i guess not to piss off the powers that B,he came up with all these other theroies!The correct answer is NO!JS-7 went down 2times and still walked Reed down i guess that just proves who the media would like to see win!Problem is JS-7 doesn’t need to get a hole shot to win!!
March 1st, 2009 at 6:53 pm
congratulations to chad reed! im going to daytona supercross next week hopefully hell do just as good as he did in indy! and hopefully it wont rain again like last year!
March 1st, 2009 at 6:59 pm
You are a f-ing idiot! They did a great job and made the race awesome! Jarret of course its different on TV than being there live with a few beers in you or even straight up, but I was pumped on there work tonight. Quite your bitching! Your KILLING the sport!
You should try focusing on positive things about the race if you want supercross to be even more successful like how great Mike Locroco’s track layout was which made for great racing and give some credit to the dirt works folks for putting it to life. You will never be successful in your own life with your screwed up attitude putting people down like this. And if you think there awful then go to school an be a broadcaster for SX. You may find most and this job to be harder than it appears. Good Luck pal!
March 1st, 2009 at 7:41 pm
Rigged are you kidding stewart cannot handle pressure look at all the years he battled with carmichael same type of results, when hes out front he is untouchable but as soon as someone applies the pressure he rides over his head and crashes.
March 1st, 2009 at 7:51 pm
I was at daytona last year best race ever! cant wait to go next week!
March 1st, 2009 at 8:02 pm
im goin to and st lious…. its gonna be the shit
March 1st, 2009 at 8:33 pm
what happened to Windham? they never said exactly what problems he had
March 1st, 2009 at 8:45 pm
I think mike alessi is on steriods no joke if you dont belive me look at his face on the poduim and then look at photo of him of the beging of the year.. he face is way stocker…
March 1st, 2009 at 8:47 pm
sorry i mean thicker looking face.
March 1st, 2009 at 9:06 pm
I don’t consider Bubba clipping his break lever on a tuff block that was pushed out “pressure”.
If Reed was trying to pass and Bubba crashed, maybe……But that was the ONE place on the track that he didn’t have to worry about being passed!!! Would consider giving up over 6 seconds in 2 laps while leading, cracking under pressure???
March 1st, 2009 at 10:13 pm
Can someone pleeeease tell me who the number 890 is on page 1 picture 3 riding the crf250r. please.
March 1st, 2009 at 10:30 pm
Souljah, did you look at the coverage of this race on racerX. They have a total of 16 pics and barly cover any details. the lites class coverage is a couple sentances, WEAK. TWMX kicks RacerX’s ass in all aspects of online motocross/supercross coverage. TWMX 4 LIFE!!!!
March 1st, 2009 at 10:33 pm
props to levi kilbarger. the kid deserves a ride. way to show em how us ohio boys ride levi. keep it up.
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:27 am
He looked fast and he’s having to do it on his own, and people are talking about him,maybe he’ll get some help.
March 2nd, 2009 at 1:25 am
Chad rode great ,but still got walked down twice and would have lost if JS7 didng go over board hats off to both riders.
March 2nd, 2009 at 4:25 am
sick race same old story reed is as consistant as they come and bubba is the fastest man on a dirt bike it all comes down to bubba if he doesnt crash he will win but if he does chad will take the title because he is the more consistant rider weather u r a bubba fan or a reed fan u cant deniy that chad is the most consistand rider in mx and consistancy wins titles
March 2nd, 2009 at 5:07 am
I’ve been watchin this series from over the pond (UK) for many years and have been a fan of Reed for just as long. After the first few rounds of Reed getting poor starts but still podiuming, I knew it would just be a matter of time before he got his starts dialled and get a win. Well done Chad!
March 2nd, 2009 at 6:45 am
As a true JS-7 fan, i was disappointed at first when i new he came 2nd. But i agree that CR does deserve a win, so my hat goes of to him. I know JS will bounce back as he always does. We are all human and can’t always be perfect. JS crashed twice and still showed the world some crazy speed on a tough track. JS you’re still the man!! All the way from the UK.
March 2nd, 2009 at 6:55 am
Speed needs to have a true after race report. There is so much action during a race that we only get to see just a small part of it. There are so many talented guys that we didn’t really even get to hear about during the whole race! They did do a good job covering what they did, the race was very exciting. Reed was super fast and in control, Stewart was even faster but maybe pushing too hard. Those two lapped up to like 7th position, amazing!
March 2nd, 2009 at 8:10 am
YOU can TYPE words WITH the SHIFT button ON. GOOD job.
hahaha.
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:27 am
GREAT PICS MIKE.. LOVE THE RACES
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:54 am
pic 33 should be a wallpaper
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:55 am
bubba was waaayy faster than reed, you guys can talk all you want about how bubba cracks under pressure and about how if reed can get a good start he will make him crack, well hasn’t reed been getting starts just behind stewart for the past few weeks? and hasn’t bubba ran away with it by at least 10 seconds? you guys keep talking but bubba is so much faster than reed that there is no comparison. oh yeah and ralph sheheen should be fired, he’s pathetic.
March 2nd, 2009 at 11:35 am
So much for just enjoying a solid track and a solid couple of races. So many of u guys are in love with bubba its kinda weird. Seriouslly tho, how can all of you fit on the JS7 band wagon ?
Whats killing the sport, is this man on man love for one individual and not the brotherhood. Reed steps up, grabs a start & gets a win, and all of u are still focus’d on JS. Alessi snipes his first podium, and u all still refference events that happen to bubba. Larocco’s track is by far the best this season, and u all still reach around to events regarding JS7. Record attendance last night, and still, JS7 is the focus. Points are tied, bringing the most exciting race since RC REED & JS battles from 05, and still u all focus on one man.
awkward silence aside, record attendances and viewings are at a all time high. Points is dead even going into next week. Emig still has mastered his speech impediment. Plenty of lites riders moved up to try the premier class. So many topics to get sidtracked, yet bubba is still the main topic of conversation.
weird
March 2nd, 2009 at 11:37 am
NICE RACING FOR SUCH A CRAPPY TRACK! PLEASE DONT LET LAROCCO NEAR THE PENCILS!
March 2nd, 2009 at 11:56 am
later jackass have fub over there with the lame pics and stuff they have over everyone knows TWMX is the shit
March 2nd, 2009 at 3:35 pm
FINALLY!!! An epic race. I’m a stewart fan but at least things eem to have kinda of crazy keeps it entertaing.
March 2nd, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Yeah no dout about it that was a good race!! We got to see js at his full potential catching up 2 reed twice, he has nothing but a little bit of consistency. Its too bad j-law didnt ride i was really looking forward to his 450 daybue, he was looking soo fast in that vidoe you guys put up, that sick jump into the woops ohh man i gotta give him props!!
March 2nd, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Is there really such a thing as a GREAT wreck? Have you ever raced before? There’s nothing great about crashing. Still, you sound like one of the core Indy fans. You and the other 61,582 fans were awesome and kept the energy level high.
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:08 pm
Good job, Talk crap to your readers. I am impressed.
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:45 pm
Reed had some good luck, he is not even half the rider Stewart is.
Lets be honest, Reed always lived from the bad luck of Carmichael and Stewart, that’s a fact.
March 3rd, 2009 at 8:59 am
Yeah Levi will be down in Daytona for sure.
March 3rd, 2009 at 1:08 pm
yes finally reed!!!
March 5th, 2009 at 7:51 am
Can’t handle the pressure, thats why he went undefeated in outdoors no wayyy
March 19th, 2009 at 7:36 am
Anybody know any canadien racers???
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September 22nd, 2009 at 11:36 pm
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September 23rd, 2009 at 5:51 pm
Hello. Great job. I did not expect this on a Wednesday. This is a great story. Thanks!
September 25th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
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