Thumpa Report: '09 Anaheim 1 / Phoenix

To the stadium of the Angels they came...
 

 
The 2009 Supercross season is upon us, and fans despondent over the end of the live audio webcast received a special treat with the TV broadcast of the opener in Anaheim.
 

 
It's A-live!
 
I must admit I approached the kickoff of the '09 with season with little interest after largely ignoring the '08 outdoor Nationals as I followed AMA Superbike and MotoGP. With Bubba marching to an RC-esque undefeated outdoor campaign I found it hard to remain interested, facing the worst scenario for all race fans -  

 
...predictable outcomes.
 
And heading into the SX season, if Stewart fans had any say in the matter, we were in store for more of the same.
 

 
But for those who thought A1 would be somewhat lacking in suspense...
 

 
...James Stewart's competition would soon prove otherwise.
 

 
With the season-opening drop of the gate, the field quickly rounded into expected form with Stewart and Reed leading the way. Stewart would build a small lead early, but to the surprise of many Reed quickly reeled in Stewart to overtake the lead. I wouldn't necessarily say that Reed began to pull away, but Stewie wasn't exactly right on his heels either...
 

 
Stewart soon regrouped and began to pull up on Reed and was eventually able to retake the lead, yet Reed did not shy away from the challenge. As Reed consistently showed tighter lines around the turns, he quickly attacked again - then...
 

 
In the blink of an eye stunned fans rose to their feet as both top contenders lay prone in the dirt. As an unrelenting Josh Grant seized the lead, seconds seemed like minutes as fans anxiously waited to see who would arise first...
 

 
Albeit on a battered bike, Reed was able to remount his charge - now trailing established contender Andrew Short as well. For a dazed Stewart, merely trying to clear himself from the traffic - at the expense of charging veteran and perennial fan favorite Kevin Windham - things quickly went from bad to worse.
 

 
For a dejected Stewart, the night was done. While a compromised Chad Reed could mount no serious charge against Short, Josh Grant - with a seemingly insurmountable lead out front - added even more intrigue to one of the most memorable season openers. With a few laps remaining, Josh decided to give some added exposure to a SX advertiser.
 

 
Sucking a tuff block cover into his rear wheel, Grant nearly crashed as his rear wheel locked up over a jump almost immediately after the debacle. His rear wheel smoking, Grant provided a breathtaking end to his first SX victory and the first for Joe Gibbs Racing. Stewart's DNF left him with a 19th place finish and an 18 point deficit to rival Chad Reed with his podium finish.
 
The drama didn't end at the checkers, however. Reed's foray into Stewart's rear wheel came courtesy of a noticeable "pause" entering the whoops. Motoboard prognosticators were quick to jump to their computers with their game faces on display.
 

 
For the newly mounted blue rider, many fans felt Stewart was at no fault of his own but was the victim of intervention by otherworldly entities...
 

 
Still others felt that, upon leaving his longtime union with Fox, Stewart apparently should have chosen a different new gear sponsor...
 


Either way, after the opening round of the 2009 SX season in Anaheim, it's game on. Many thought the chief question would not be, "Who's going to win the title in '09?" - rather, "Would he complete the first undefeated season in SX to match his outdoor feat?" So for those who thought the rest of the class would be schooled by James Stewart, the answer is now apparent:
 

 
Josh Grant has served notice that he is a force to be reckoned with in the premier class. And for Chad Reed and his 18 point head start...
 

 
...it's good to be in the driver's seat!
 
After the wild and crazy events at Angel Stadium, Phoenix would surely be anticlimactic. More drama, however, centered around the return of the live webcast. After a one week absence - tempered by live TV coverage - the webcast returned for a nominal fee. Overjoyed diehard fans were again able to bask in the excitement of the Weege and Holley live SX broadcast for less than the cost of a happy meal. Surprisingly, not all were enthralled at the prospect of dishing out their spare change for 3 hours of some of the best entertainment a Saturday night can offer. Perhaps eager to display their inferiority complex to the commercialized powerhouse that is the NASCAR fanbase, SX motoboard fans exercised their fingers and tickled their keyboards to carve out their niche in the marketplace as their own unique demographic.
 

 
At round 2 in Phoenix, Josh Grant showed that A1 was no fluke as he commandeered the holeshot ahead of James Stewart and Chad Reed. As Stewart quickly snatched the lead from Grant, Reed soon followed. Throughout the race Reed kept Stewart in check, keeping the gap under 2 seconds as Stewart appeared to struggle in the whoops all night long. In the waning moments Reed made a spirited charge but came up just short at the finish. Grant further established himself as a true contender with a solid podium finish.
 
Stewart fans rushed to complain that the blue bike was clearly the reason that Reed was able to match James' pace. Likewise, Reed fans were quick to point out that it was the same bike that carried Chad to 2 SX titles - not to mention that it was the same bike that Josh Grant rode to victory at A1 and a podium finish at Phoenix.
 

 
It doesn't seem that long ago when fans were wondering where Chad Reed would spend '09. With his departure from L&M racing and talk of a venture into car racing - as James Stewart was coming off an undefeated outdoor season - it appeared that the '09 SX title was Stewart's to lose. Apparently, Team Suzuki thought otherwise.
 

 
Looks like we're in for one of the most exciting SX seasons afterall.

Written by :

Craig Fury

 

Comments (2)

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More succinct than Webcast & Free, welcome back
written by Wemac, January 17, 2009

Glad to see yah back and providing us fans with a very informative insight....

wemac

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Extended coverage......
written by Wemac, January 17, 2009

http://www.motonews.com/index....79&catid=4

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