2012 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship to hit San Diego for Round 5 - Preview
The 2012 Monster Energy American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Supercross series, an International Motorcyclist Federation (FIM) World Championship, is headed to San Diego, California for the sixth round on Saturday, February 11.
The most exciting motocross athletes will be gathering at the Qualcomm Stadium on Saturday night to continue their campaign for the championship title. With the series still very much in its initial stages, all the riders will be stretching themselves to
the limit to get a strong footing.
The defending AMA Supercross champion Ryan Villopoto will be arriving in San Diego to cement his place on top in the current standings. The Monster Energy/Kawasaki-rider had been outstanding in the previous edition of the series and got an ideal start this
year, clinching first place in Round 1 of Anaheim. He failed to perform consistently in the subsequent rounds and gradually begin to move down in the rankings, but rose back to top after winning Round 5 last weekend, also taking place in Anaheim. The confidence
from winning the previous race will definitely give the Washington-based Villopoto the much-needed confidence prior to the race in San Diego on Saturday.
TwoTwo Motorsports/Honda’s Chad Reed is the favourite for the upcoming race, courtesy of his record six wins of the 29 times San Diego has played host to a Supercross race. Qualcomm Stadium manages to bring out the best in Reed, making him pretty much invincible.
The Florida-based rider is sitting just one place below current leader Villopoto on the points table with just 3 points separating both. Reed had an opportunity to grasp the lead after getting off to a perfect start in the last race, but lost his place to
the Monster Energy/Kawasaki-rider after the first lap and later got pushed to third place. While he still finished on the podium, the disappointment of missing out on first place is bound to make him push himself harder in San Diego.
Red Bull/KTM’s Ryan Dungey is also hot in the race for the championship title, currently sitting on third place in the standings. The Minnesota-based rider had gotten off to a solid start in the latest season, securing his place on the box in the first-three
races, which also included a first-place finish. However, the last two races did not find him in the best of form even though he finished in fourth place. The significant time difference between the third and fourth-place finisher was somewhat alarming for
Dungey and his fans. Consistency is one of the key factors that eventually determine the eventual winner of the season.
One more rider who will be hoping to make a solid impact in Qualcomm Stadium on Saturday is the two-time champion James Stewart. Riding for Joe Gibbs Racing/ Yamaha this year, the Florida-based rider is rounding out the top-four on the season standings at
the moment. Similar to the previous season, the opening races of 2012 found Stewart missing out on the podium due to crashes. However, he managed to stay on his bike throughout the main event during Round 4 of the Championship to collect his first victory
of the season and followed it up with a runner-up finish in Anaheim last week. Heading to San Diego, he will be looking to cut down the thirteen-point deficit that separates him from Championship leader Villopoto.
It is only fair to say that the actual battle for the Championship title is going to stay between the current top-four riders. The fans of motocross are surely in for an adrenaline-pumping ride as the 2012 AMA Supercross Championship gradually unfolds.
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