AMA Supercross: Trey Canard clinches third victory of season in Arlington
The 13th round of Monster Energy American Motorcyclist Association Supercross wrapped up on 2
April at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The showdown was epic as the riders displayed exceptional skills to compete on a challenging track while remaining consistent and cautious. As the dust settled, Factory Honda’s Trey Canard stood victorious,
earning his third victory of the season.
Finishing behind him was Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto. Team Rockster Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey finished in third place to round out the podium. Sam Manuel Yamaha’s James Stewart failed to make it to the podium after finishing in fourth place,
while TwoTwo Motorsports’ Chad Reed finished eighth.
The battle of Arlington took place in front of 51,509 fans that filled the air with cheers and encouragements for their favourite riders. The atmosphere was simply electrifying as some of the world’s most exciting riders mounted their bikes with just one
thought in their minds: victory. The crowd backed their favourite riders, as the 20-lap race on the dirt track took place.
As the sound of the starting gun echoed through the field, Red Bull KTM’s Mike Alessi took off with a perfect start, grabbing the hole-shot. However his joy was short-lived as Canard managed to snatch the lead from him half-way through the first lap. Reed,
Stewart, Dungey and Villopoto followed suit and asserted themselves into the leading five. The battle between the five title contenders in the championship was very much on in Arlington.
By lap three, Canard was leading the pack with a decent lead. Stewart decided to do something about his third position and made a successful effort to grab the second place from Reed. However, Reed managed to win back his former place in the very next lap.
Dungey and Villopoto seemed satisfied with their fourth and fifth position respectively, patiently waiting for an opportunity to present itself.
The eighth lap turned out to be quite eventful. Though Canard kept on increasing his lead, Reed and Stewart founded themselves becoming victims of an unfortunate incident. Stewart had once again decided to show some aggression and attempted to over-take
Reed. However he lost control of his bike over a bump and went straight into Reed, causing both to fall off the track.
Dungey and Villopoto finally got the opportunity that they had been patiently waiting for and took the vacant second and third position. Stewart, who is earning himself quite a reputation for getting involved in collisions and crashes this season, quickly
remounted his bike to get back in fifth position. Reed however took a little while longer to recover and found himself in eighth place.
Contact with a slower rider caused Dungey to fall down in the 11th lap, allowing Villopoto to edge past him. However, Dungey quickly recovered and did not slip below third position. Now Canard was in front with a comfortable lead, Villopoto in
second, Dungey in third and Stewart in fourth.
Canard kept his riding consistent, going through his laps with real caution. This sensible riding allowed him to retain his lead till the end and eventually led him to his third victory of the season.
“I’m so grateful,” said Canard. “So many people from home are here. This is such an awesome day and I’m just so thankful. I knew I needed another good start and it happened again.”
Villopoto’s second-place finish returned him back to the top position in the championship standings.
“Tonight was crazy,” said Villopoto. “I got an ok start. There was a little problem with my bike, but nothing major. I just kept plugging away and things worked in my favour. The track was really tough for 20 laps, so sometimes you just got to sit back and
let things happen.”
Dungey finished in third place, while Stewart and Reed finished in fourth and eighth place respectively.
The result of Arlington’s race put Villopoto back in the lead in the championship title race with 255 points. Reed now sits in second place with 249 points, just one point ahead of Dungey. Canard moved up to fourth place with his latest victory, as he now
has 239 points. Stewart is fifth with 234 points. There are still four more races left that will provide an ample opportunity for the riders to improve their standings. The next race will bring the riders to Edward Jones Dome in St Louis, Missouri, on 9
April.
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