McThoughts: Las Vegas Supercross – 450 Class
By Jeff McConkey
What a 450 season! We had the most stacked class ever and the racing was great. Yes, Ryan Dungey was very dominant early on, but it was still fun to watch. Ken Roczen started to catch fire around Santa Clara. It’s a shame he couldn’t find a setting earlier on in the season, because he really could have taken a run at Dungey and his #1 plate. All in all, it was a great season. Let’s take a look at the results and my thoughts.
450 Class
1st Ryan Dungey: His worst finish was a 4th. He was so good at times people got bored watching him win. Hard work pays off. Congrats, Ryan Dungey, you, my friend, are the MAN!
2nd Jason Anderson: ‘La Flama Blanca’ had a great sophomore season. He had 2 wins, 7 podiums, 14 top 5’s and 17 top 10’s. He will win this thing at least once. Called it.
3rd Eli Tomac: I thought Eli was going to be in full outdoor mode by now. He had a great ride and I thought he was going to catch Anderson. Eli finished 4th in points with 1 win and 5 podiums. Not bad, but not Eli Tomac.
#3 Eli Tomac.
4th Chad Reed: Who would have thought Chad Reed was going to have a blast on a muddy SX track and battle Blake Baggett tooth and nail right up until the checkered flag? Not me, but it was good to see. The wily veteran finished the season 5th in points.
5th Blake Baggett: Baggett had a good ride going, and a great battle with Reed. I really thought Baggett was going to outlast Reed, but like usual, I was wrong. Blake has never set the world on fire in SX, but look out now that we are going outdoors.
#4 Blake Baggett.
6th Broc Tickle: You had to know that Broc would excel in these conditions. He had a rough season missing some races with a busted wrist, but he still finished 19th o/a, only racing 7 rounds.
7th Justin Brayton: Solid main event for Justin and even better season. I was really impressed by Brayton all season. I had thought his better days were behind him. He’s not going to win, but he will run with anyone in the top 5. He finished 8th for the series.
#10 Justin Brayton.
8th Trey Canard: I’m happy to see Trey Canard survive SX, but what the heck did he do with his crazy speed and the ‘wow’ factor? Trey ended the season in 9th.
9th Cole Seely: Cole missed 3 rounds and still managed to end the season in 6th. He didn’t win a race, but he still had a very good 2016. You can’t argue with HRC Honda for bringing him back.
#14 Cole Seely.
10th Justin Barcia: I, honestly, don’t even know what to say about Justin. I expected the old BAM BAM to be wreaking havoc all season long. Yes, he was hurt, but he didn’t even show any flashes.
Biggest Stud: I’m going to give Ken Roczen my stud. He was just so much fun to watch the last few rounds.
#94 Ken Roczen.
Biggest Dud: I’m just sad that the season has come and gone.
Biggest Surprise: Trey Canard and Justin Barcia surprised me this season. They just weren’t themselves.
Thanks for reading, and we’ll take this outdoors next time!
