Supercross Rewind 450 Main Event Toronto 2014

Stewart separate himself from Ricky Carmichael here tonight. Both of them tied second on the all time win list with 48 wins. Can Stewart get number 49 tonight? He's got Dungy to his right. Gherke to his left, certainly capable. He is fast here today. Everybody's still chasing McGrath with 72. We go down for progressive pre-race support to Jenny. Justin Barsha has been working very hard to establish a bond between he and his bike. The Honda team visited him at his home and made a few bike changes, and those changes have all been paying off for Barsha tonight. He had to deal with a little bit of a rain last weekend, so he focused on cross training, which included a lot of biking, running and weightlifting. But Barsha has another birthday coming up. So if he has the same luck as Vogel, he could also be walking away with some birthday success. And that would be his first win of the season. Well, your journey starts here. 2014 450 rookies brought to you by Discount Tire. Here's how they are in the points. You see them side by side. Roxan on the 94, Han on the 23. Ken's fourth in points, Will 10th. Both of them having pretty good seasons. Roxan, if they can take advantage of what's going on with Filippotto here tonight, might put himself right back in the thick of this championship fight. You got that right, guys. And the whole shot's so important. We've had 11 races this year. Eight riders have gotten whole shots. Alessi, Dungy and Filippotto are the only three riders to have two. Tonight, Filippotto needs another one of those whole shots to just make this night a little bit easier. What we saw at a 250 east points leader, Adam Cianciarulo, is something visually I'll never forget tonight. Watching him get that shoulder pop back in and then back on the bike. Incredible. What will we see out of 450 points leader Ryan Filippotto here tonight? He's made it to the main. Most of us early today didn't think he would do so. Here we are ready for the gate dropping Toronto. Filippotto right in the thick of the top group as they go across the whole shot line. Barsha's there with Gerke. Gerke's the early leader. Filippotto's battling for third. That's Roxan out front by Barsha. I'm sorry, had the numbers wrong. Braden with a great start there. And how about Ryan Filippotto out of the semi fourth place start? Let's see if he can battle the whole 20 laps. So we talked about Roxan trying to capitalize on Filippotto. He goes for the lead. Here comes Wilson in there with Dungy. We watch Filippotto running right up near the front of this pack. I can't believe he's there. And guys, James Stewart buried way back in the pack. Kevin had to be out of the top 15, at least there going around the first turn. He was in the very back of the pack, Jeff. I mean, what a what a horrible start for him in this position. I really thought that tonight would be a night when he would capitalize, go past Ricky Carmichael and claim second as the sole owner there. That second position behind Jeremy McGrath on all time wins. But he's going to have to dig himself out of a deep hole right now. And Dungy and Stewart are two riders that really needed to capitalize on what's going on with Filippotto, and they're struggling. Roxan up front. What a great run for him, the rider that won the season opener in Anaheim, one of the biggest races of the year. It looks like you look down back through the pack, it looks like Stewart's made his way inside of the top ten. He's been fast and fluid all day long, but all of the heavy hitters are up front. Such an important night here for Ryan Dungy. Set second in points, was 30 points down coming into this event and just such a great opportunity with the problems that Filippotto has had for him to capitalize on that, to pick up those valuable points towards the championship and make a run here at the end of the season to try to get his second Monster Energy Supercross title. Look at Weston Pike right up in the thick of things here in the main event on that number 40 chasing down Dungy as Barsha goes after Roxan. Here he goes. Justin Barsha on the Muscle Milk Honda fighting it out with the Red Bull KTM of Roxan. I tell you, Kevin, if one of those riders could pull the trigger on the right lane before the finish in that rhythm section and go 3-3, that would be an awesome spot to pass. Here he goes again. Barsha this time completing the pass. Remember, he got a 250 win the first of his career here in Toronto. Can he get a 450 victory tonight? But Barsha's been off in that rhythm lane a little bit. Every lap, he was able to manage to stay on top of the Honda there. Imagine this. Yellow flags heading into the whoops section. We'll see, like Tedesco. Yeah, it did look like Ivan Tedesco, the rock star back rider down. It was his 100th career start, too, for Ivan Tedesco. Tough way to make it to the century mark. Well, there are a lot of people that feel that Justin Barsha was due here tonight. Right, that things have starting to have been getting better for the muscle milk Honda rider that, you know, finishes are there. He won the heat race here tonight, got a little bit lucky in those situations, put himself in a good position. But there is still so much racing here to go in Toronto. Let's go back and see what happened to Ivan Tedesco with our Toyota replay. Well, the whoops section. Look on the right of your screen. Oh, his foot is off. Wow. What a ride. Tedesco goes on that rock star energy racing KTM. Well, he has had some big ones this year. We call that a flying W. Boy, those feet get above the head. It's never going to turn out good. I hope it's all right on that one. That was that, like you mentioned earlier, it's not the fall that hurts. It's that sudden stop, right? Yep. He's had some tough, tough hits this year. 15 laps left to go here as Barsha leads. And look at Brighton just in front of Dungy. They're fighting over third position. James Stewart's moved his way up to six now already with just an absolutely horrible start around the first turn. He could be a factor in this win yet here tonight. Dungy has got to get points here tonight on Villapota. Well, you're exactly right, Ralph. I mean, this is the opportunity here for Dungy with Villapoto fading back. Now there's James Stewart. Yeah, Brian's in what, eighth now, Jeff? Made his way past Weston Pike, I believe. But here comes Villapoto. There he is. I want to. We have lost timing in scoring and it looks like Villapoto is back at about eighth or ninth. 14 laps to go here at Villapoto. You can tell this is not his usual type of ride. He has been challenged all day long and a champion like he is. He's going to battle the whole way. And, you know, with a huge points lead, he has to be very smart. And that has been the difference this year to me is that Villapoto. I mean, until now, he has had no race outside of the top five and it's only been one fifth place. Everything else has been a fourth or better. Kevin, I got to believe a top ten here tonight would be almost as good as a win considering where he was early this afternoon. Villapoto is going to have the toughest remaining laps here with 13 to go as they're getting close to the finish line as he'll ever have. But even with with that, he's still 23 points ahead of Ryan Dungy right now. So, look, you minimize those mistakes, learn, live to fight another day. His ride right now is so respectable that it's championship worthy. Some of the most colorful riding gear we've seen all year. Justin Barsha out front and leading here. But Roxen trying to make a run through that rhythm lane. Wow. You could really see that that rhythm how he started out just wasn't very good. It didn't have the best option, the best rhythm. It's like Roxen was able to tighten up a little bit. This has been the part that has been so tough on everybody. Now, whoops section. Met a Bermuda triangle here in Toronto. A lot of riders have gone in there and not come out the back side. Barsha puts another one in with Roxen on his tail. Guys, I've been keeping an eye on where Barsha is at compared to James Stewart. Stewart moving up through the field. Oh, Roxen with a bit of a misstep there. As you take a look at this progressive pass of the race. It's like Ryan Dungy here going past Justin Brayton through the rhythm section right there. Best riders in the world of Monster Energy Supercross being challenged all night long by this track. One rider that seems to have it all dialed in is the number seven here. This is our SX Moe look of James Stewart going underneath of Justin Brayton over the triple. Stewart's the fastest rider on the track right now. He is absolutely flying. That's the only way to get a good shot of James Stewart right now is through the SX Moe, because he appears to be the fastest guy on the track. Jeff, you're absolutely right. Unfortunately, that bad start has hindered him as he charges towards the front, Barsha closing in on Ronnie Stewart. And just when it looks like Roxen is closed in and is ready to set after Barsha, he loses ground and Barsha has got himself a pretty good gap right now. Closing in on the halfway point. Next time over the finish line, jump will have 10 laps remaining. Picking his way through that whoop section. You didn't like it, Kevin? Well, I wouldn't like it if I was Barsha or any one of these riders having to go through that section. We've seen so many accidents that actually look really good for Barsha to go through the whoops. But I tell you, it is wearing on these riders have to come through the mechanics area and face them. Now, 10 more times for Barsha. 10 to go. Now it looks like Roxen gaining ground again. Who's coming behind them? Right here. Look at Stewart. Watch this. James is up to four. Watch this section, guys. Remember in the heat race, the last lap. Watch what James did. Triple over. Triple again. Quad over the tabletop. Triple again. And I believe I just caught a peek of him going triple triple through the split section before the finish line. Kevin, remember, nobody's done that all day long. That is impressive. Yes, this is why he is one of the greatest supercross riders ever. And he's closing on Dungy, Jeff. He identifies for third. Here he comes. He's right there with the Red Bull KTM rider. Yoshimura Suzuki's James Stewart coming after Dungy. Three championships between the two of them. Now watch what he does here on this outside. Let's see if there's any... Oh, there's a... Oh, he can't take his normal line. But watch how he wheelies through this with so much speed. There he goes! It's approval as Stewart now will set sail after Roxen. Oh, he got slowed up there. He's got a partnership with nine or so laps to go. He's got to worry because there's Roxen. Here's Stewart. And James is on a charge. Oh guys, he is absolutely demolishing this track. It has been so difficult for so many riders. And James Stewart, the Yoshimura Suzuki rider, is putting on a clinic here tonight. He has reeled in the top two riders. They are right... There's Roxen just in front of him. And if he can keep in his lines and if lap riders do not take the choices away from him, he will absolutely fly by the leaders. Let's take a look at our top five. Barshu with the lead. Struggling through this rhythm section. This is where Stewart is eating everybody up with that incredible run through here of triples and quads. And look, he's right on Roxen. This is your top three. Barshu, Roxen, and Stewart coming after second place. Stewart needs to be patient through the whoops. No mistakes. Got him! James Stewart on one of the best rides of this season. Now, can he catch Barshu? Absolutely amazing. Look at this. Nobody's done that all night. Stewart pulls the trigger on it in the main event. Could tonight be the night that James Stewart gets win number 49 and takes second place all to himself in the all-time win list? And guys, he is all over Justin Barsha. Guys, see how much momentum he carries through there? He could almost quad that section there also. We are looking at one of the greatest performances of all time right now for this comeback. I don't know where he was exactly off the start, but he got so pinched going into turn number one. Wow, Barsha pulled up a lot of the triple face there going over these ruts. You're getting deep. But Stewart has found a way to redefine this whole race course. Watch him in the whoops. Not his best pass, but still. No, but his best section is probably Barsha's worst, and that's that long rhythm section. Well, and also, I mean, look at the time he gains right here. But also, after the finish line turn, watch when he goes over the little wall. He wheelies in through those rollers and goes triple, double with so much momentum. Watch this right here. He upshifts to third. See how he catches Barsha right there? He wheel taps off of that. Amazing. And he's going to eat him alive right here. Watch, here he comes. Whoa. Both riders making huge mistakes. But he's still closing. He's still closing. He's right there with him. And this Toronto crowd loving the action with Monster Energy Supercross. James has to switch up his line through the whoops. Back to the middle. Only nine laps will be remaining here. Five laps. Make it five. Again, we've lost our timing and scoring. So Stewart leads. Barsha runs in second. Roxen runs in third. Guys, these type of rides like this, they don't happen often. You are watching one of the most skilled riders in the history of Supercross race what you would call his own race. He's in his own world right now, in the zone. Look at this right here. Quad over the table. Look at the gap, Jeff. I mean, just pulled it out so far in that one section. And Villopono is running back at about seven. Here he is. What an effort by the three-time and reigning champion to not let the points be as diminished as they could have been if he didn't even ride today. He is going to be absolutely exhausted when this is over. What an effort. We talked about the things that will make James Stewart, when he retires, considered one of the all-time greats. Ryan Villopono showing that he belongs in that conversation as well. I've got to believe. Again, running in seventh. Battling with West and Pike. This is for sixth. He might pick up more points. Well, and remember at the start of the race, he was third or fourth on the first lap. Fell back and now has found a way at the end of the race to find more energy to dig deep into that reserves or fuel that he has. Look at the line through the rhythm section there. Takes so much energy. Part of a champion right now. Now he's in sixth. Even more points towards that fourth championship. Four in a row. Only Jeremy McGrath has done that. Three laps remaining. James Stewart putting on one of his great rides. This is one of those things, Kevin, when you think back about James Stewart, that he was so well known for. Falling down in the first corner after a bad start and working his way through the field. It's been a while since we've seen that type of Stewart-esque performance. We've seen it here today. This is it. This is Stewart in his prime. Go ahead, Jeff. No, go ahead, Kevin. It's just amazing to see it. To not bring it every weekend, but now just to see those flashes. I think he's on a run right now. This thing's going to really tighten up coming down to Vegas. Here's Dungy running in third. Ryan really needed more points here tonight. Well, it was Stewart who sets third in points. That's putting on the impressive ride. Going back behind him is Justin Brayton on the 10, running in fourth. He has said all along this season, I belong in the top five competing with these guys. He was there early in the season, about the middle portion of the season, struggled a little bit, back inside the top five here tonight. It was a good run for the Joe Gibbs racing team. I really wish our timing and scoring had our lap times up, because this track has deteriorated. And out front, Stewart with just such a huge lead. Marsha, well, actually, Marsha holding it pretty steady right there. But Roxton, he had his opportunity. Now he's baited back to fifth, as you can see right here. KTM team, they have to be a little frustrated with the way that this main event has played out. With Villopoto having problems today, Stewart having a horrible start. Here's James Stewart on his way with an incredible performance. Back-to-back wins. Detroit, and now here in Toronto. Kevin, would you agree it's been a while since we've seen a rider dominate the field like James Stewart has done here tonight? I mean, it was amazing. But there are two people on this track right now having championship rides. It's the number seven of James Stewart and the number one of Villopoto. Both these guys are riding so well that they deserve a championship from their rides tonight. Like you said, Jeff, the KTM guy's a little bit off right now. San Diego, Dallas, Detroit, and now Toronto. James Stewart, career win number 49. And he comes with an impressive ride. He is now second all by himself on the all-time win list. And Ryan Villopoto with the heart of a champion. Earlier today, most people didn't even think he would make it into the show. And instead, Villopoto proves everybody wrong. And he will ride to a sixth-place finish. Wow. What a night. Hey, guys, collectively, has this not been one of the most exciting, drama-filled nights of Monster Energy Supercross that we have ever experienced? I can't think of a race that has had more excitement than this. I have sweaty palms the whole race. I'm nervous. I feel like I'm out there with the guys. Well, it began early this afternoon with the stories of crashes, riders going to the hospital. Will they run? Will they not run? Will they make it? Look at that. And here they are. That was Stewart. Stewart-esque performance. Like I said earlier, we've seen this, Jeff, out of him in the past, where he would have a bad start or get caught up in a crash on the opening lap, be dead last, work his way through the field. Remember, as we take a look here at the all-time wins list right here, the point I'm trying to make is it's how Stewart rides the track on a night like tonight, where when he pulls the trigger on rhythm sections, takes risk, which to him probably seemed pretty easy, that not many riders would ever take. That's why, to me, when, you know, aside from the number of championships or the number of wins, to me, he might be the most skilled Supercross rider in the history of the sport. In my opinion. It comes with a lot of ups and downs at times, OK? There's been a lot of wins, a lot of crashes. But nights like tonight, as he gets a hug from his brother Malcolm, you see why I feel that way, that type of ride. It's almost impossible to even debate. I mean, we've seen him do things like this, you know, periodically. And it's amazing to watch. His dad, big James Aaron, so's our Jenny Taft. Ready to jump in, Jenny. We like to get him right after a huge win. Now, back-to-back wins for you, James. You had some unbelievable passes after not the best start. Take me through those passes on all three of those guys. I passed so many people. I don't really remember where I got. But the last time I did something like that, it was Anaheim 1. And I was going through next to Ken through the woods. So I'm like, please don't swap out. But just got to get a team up, a lot of credit. We had a little issue in the heat race. And we got my bike dialed in. And we came out and got it done. That race was tough. A lot of energy out there. But got to thank the whole team. Yoshimura Suzuki, Red Bull, 7 Gear, Oakley, everybody. And I'm so happy. That's to break Ricky's record and to do it like that. You know, he's such a legend. And man, that says a lot. You told me you wanted to break records. You did it tonight. Is that championship back on your mind? Nope. Try to win. You know, Ryan, unfortunately, got to give that guy credit, man. He's got a lot of heart coming out here from straight from the hospital. I've done that a few times. So he fought. He did what he could do. I don't know what place he got. And all I can do is try to win and go from there. Thanks for your time, James. Guys? Well, it's back to the couch now, right? That's the way that training regimen we've been kidding with him about. Actually, it's probably back to the golf course. James telling me earlier today, you know, playing golf has done a lot for him in his mental preparation, believe it or not. And it's paying off. Well, don't go anywhere. Fox Sports Live picks it up right after the break. We'll be right back with more from Toronto's James Stewart Huggs team manager, Mike Webb.