Quick thoughts on Hangtown

(I posted a version of this over at Motodrive; this version has more filling!)

1) RC beat the shit outta those guys. He pulled a Lance-Armstrong-in-the-Alps move on them and made them feel PAIN. I imagine there's a lot of despair in the hearts of some championship hopefuls...

2) Fonseca's brainfart turned 250 moto 1 into the "same old, same old". RC had the holeshot, but up there with him was Windham, Reed and Stewart. It was looking real good until Fonzie flipped out in the worst possible place imaginable. It was ugly. You could feel the disappointment in the crowd as the pileup unfolded.

3) Stewart's first lap charge was amazing. We were standing there wondering "how the heck did he get to 16th that fast?" James had a great first moto. Second moto, well... still trying to figure out what's up.

4) The 250F class was unbelievable. First moto, Hepler puts the beat down on the boys like he was channeling James Stewart. Josh Grant looked good for a while, but faded (disappointing); Alessi looked troubled and then faded (or so I thought); Mike Brown surprised the hell out of me; Langston looked strong and Ryno looked inspired.

5) The other KTM 250's were popping and sounded off-song.

6) Mike Alessi totally surprised everyone in moto 2, as did Langston. And that last turn craziness electrified the crowd all over the valley. It was incredible... and incredibly disappointing for this confirmed Alessi fan.

7) Langston REALLY wrecked his left ankle when he slammed into Alessi. Not a wise move on his part, especially if it keeps him off the bike next week at High Point. Langston had the overall wrapped up; the only reason to go for broke for the win was the three additional championship points that came with it. Being that he won a championship with less than that as a buffer, I can understand why he'd want every single point. But still... we'll see how his ankle turns out.

8) Travis Preston looked pretty damn strong running in the top 5. None of the other 250 "hopefuls" made up any ground on him. In the first moto, though, Chad Reed caught him and taught him a lesson: "You will NOT finish in front of me!" Travis didn't have anything for Reed.

9) David Vuillemin also looked good. The top 5 racers totally outclassed the rest of the 250/450 field.

10) Mike Brown and Josh Grant made those Honda 250F's look fast, but I still don't know about whether they'll win a National this year. If so, look for Brown to be the man to do it.

11) No one is giving Ivan Tedesco much credit for running up front for much of the second 250F moto. He's not expected to be an outdoor threat, but there he was. Don't know where he was in the first moto, though.

12) Hepler looks to be the man to beat in the 250F class, despite his second moto crash. His speed and style in the first moto was unbelievable, and he rode with a lot of confidence. He's going to be very difficult to beat at his home track next weekend in Pennsylvania.

13) Matt Walker rode to 4th in the second moto, but he was unimpressive, IMHO. Mitch must have gave him a good talking to after his dismal first moto.

14) Broc Sellards: 20 - 13. Never seemed to be on the gas. What's going on here?

15) Juss Lansoo is an up-and-comer to watch out for. His fifth overall was well-deserved, as he beat the likes of Ferry and Fonseca.

16) Finally, John Dowd! Junkyard was looking really good in the first moto, even holding off Stewart for a short while. He definitely benefitted from the Fonseca fracas, 'cause his second moto start put him back in the pack where he's expected to run.