Yeah, I was at Glen Helen for the final round of the AMA Outdoor National Motocross Championships, and it was a great day of racing. I will report on the 450F class later, because Sunday's biggest deal by far was the suspenseful 250F (ahem, the AMA Motocross Lites) class, and the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki team had the hottest hand of all. With Ivan Tedesco enjoying the comfort of a 35 point lead over KTM's Mike Alessi in the championship standings, it looked like a sure bet that Mitch Payton would be adding yet another number 1 plate to his team's transporter. It only took half a lap of the first moto for that “sure bet” to disappear.
Tedesco was hit by Team Makita Suzuk's Broc Hepler in the back section whoops. Tedesco went over the bars and his chain derailed. He was able to put it back on, but it put him about a minute behind the next-to-last rider. Ivan put on a charge, but was unable to finish in the points. Meanwhile, Alessi finished second to Grant Langston in what looked like a replay of their titanic duel at Hangtown, but Langston was assessed a 5 second penalty for cutting the track, so Alessi got credit for the win... and 25 points. Tedesco's points lead was cut to ten. The stage was set for the second moto, the last race of the year.
At the start of moto 2, Tedesco's teammate Ryan Villapoto got the holeshot, followed by Jeff Alessi, of all people. Close behind was Tedesco, Mike Alessi and Andrew Short. Chaos again ensued on the first lap. Here's how Ivan described it at the post-race press conference: “I was in third, I believe. And going down that mud straightaway, that's what I call it, I don't know what they call it, that long straightaway into a right-hander, I was kind of in the middle, I think he went inside and starting clicking gears and never shut off and just aimed for me. Took us both down; I'm pretty sore from that. When I was trying to get up he was actually standing on top of my bike, you know, trying to keep me from getting my bike up. Trying to push me down and stuff. You know, it took every ounce of everything to try not to just hit that kid, uppercut his helmet. But I knew I didn't want to get disqualified or anything, I knew the points, so I had to hold back. Finally Walker came over and kind of helped me out. I got my bike up, got going and just kind of... not rode around but my bike was pretty beat up and I was beat up so I just cruised into twelfth and pulled off the championship.”
Meanwhile up front, young Villapoto looked as if he was going to take his first National moto win, until his teammate Langston passed him for the win and the overall. Villapoto, in only his third National, took second and second overall... his first podium finish. A remarkable performance for the 17-year-old.
I went to the Monster/Pro Circuit pits after the press conference just to get a feel for the vibe there. I was expecting a jubilant celebration, but instead it was a quiet, almost reverential atmosphere. I watched Team Suzuki chief Roger DeCoster come over to congratulate Pro Circuit owner/manager Mitch Payton, and it made me think about how far Payton and his company have come. I was wondering how Payton felt about getting kudos from a legend like DeCoster. I wonder if Mitch Payton realizes that he has become a legend in his own right. The side doors of the Monster/Pro Circuit transporter were open, and on those doors are a series of championship number plates for all of the many championships the team has won. This year, 2005, Mitch's team has absolutely dominated 250F (er, AMA Motocross/Supercross Lites) racing, winning every title available. And when you think about how many weekend warriors use Pro Circuit pipes and equipment, you understand the tremendous contribution this company has made to the sport of motocross in America.
While I was hanging out, pretty much by myself... no one really knows me in the pits... Ivan emerged from the transporter with a beer in his hand. He raised a toast to Mitch and they shared some words. I wasn't close enough to hear, and it was a private affair anyway. Then Mitch reached up and hugged Ivan. They talked some more and Mitch hugged him again. Call me a softy, but I was nearly moved to tears. These guys worked long and hard for this title; they earned it and now they'll go their separate ways, Tedesco to Team Suzuki while Payton will tackle another year of proving that his company is the best hop-up company in the sport, and that his team is the winningest non-factory team ever.
(For a full race report, check out what Steve Bruhn posted over at Racer X Online.)
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