The 2010 Monster Energy Supercross Season has been dominated by 2 pairs of riders: 1 pair shows up and wins every weekend, and the other pair does not. Of course we're talking first about the two riders who have been dominating the series this season, current points leader Ryan Dungey and hot on his heels, Ryan Villopoto. That other pair is defending champ James Stewart and former champ Chad Reed, and they've been out of contention since Round 3. The story that hasn't been told is about the dynamic happenings behind the front two -- the rider who will find that final spot on the series podium -- the Best of the Rest.

Analyzing the top candidates individually, it's plain to see that consistency is what's lacking in the war for the final podium spot.

Josh Hill
Currently 3rd, 177 points. Main event results: 6, 3, 2, 2, 2, 9, 6, 9, 6
Up until four weeks ago, the answer was clear: Josh Hill. In fact, up to that point, Hill was looking like one of the three favorites for the title, as he'd nailed four 2nd place finishes in a row and seemed to have excised the demons from his past. But then the mediocre results started to pile up and, as of Daytona two weeks ago, they'd become just as common as his stellar results were earlier in the season. There was no official explanation from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians/Yamaha team as to just exactly what was going on with Josh, but Hill has stated semi-publicly that he's struggling with some broken bones that may be affecting his breathing. In other words: broken ribs. If that's the case, he should be on the home stretch of recovery by now, yet his result and riding last weekend in Canada did not show evidence of that.

Davi Millsaps
Currently 4th, 152 points. Main event results: 9, 9, 8, 3, 1, 5, 5, 3, 5, 18
The perennial under-performer, Red Bull Honda Racing's Millsaps has made a career of being inconsistent with flashes of brilliance. He's won a main event again this year (Round 5 in San Diego), but he's also barely made the top 10 a few other times, and he crashed out last weekend in Toronto and scored only 2 points. He's struggled with a sore shoulder (or two) already this year, and before he crashed out of the main in Canada, he'd also gotten tweaked in practice earlier in the day. It's a safe bet that Davi's not at his best, so the prediction here will be that Hill will be able to hold off the #18 "Big Treat" of Davi Millsaps for the final podium spot.




Kevin Windham
Currently 5th, 147 points. Main event results: 3, 6, 5, 10, 3, 3, 14, 4, 5
The undisputed veteran and elder statesman in Supercross, Geico Powersports Honda's #14 Windham has been fairly consistent this season -- at least when compared to Hill and Millsaps. He's made the final podium step on three occasions, and hovered within the top 5 four other times. Unfortunately, KDub's also fallen as far back as 14th, which is unfortunate because if that poor result is thrown out, he'd be sitting ahead of Millsaps and may be motivated enough to make a run at Hill for the 3rd spot. Based on Windham's season thus far, it's difficult to predict how the rest of his season will go, although it's safe to say he should finish ahead of Millsaps enough times to more than make up for that 5 point deficit.



Justin Brayton
Currently 6th with 136. Main event results: 8, 8, 6, 6, 5, 6, 4, 6, 18, 9
By far the most consistent rider from 3rd to 7th in points, MuscleMilk/JGR/Toyota's Brayton has been improving every weekend. No doubt benefitting recently by an even more depleted field, Brayton has been remarkably good at finishing 'just behind' the front pack every weekend. By definition, he's been the 'Best of the Rest' on several occasions, but he needs to kick it up just a bit right now to take advantage of the ailing Hill and Millsaps and the non-existant Reed and Stewart. Unfortunately, Brayton's suffering a bit from an injury sustained at Daytona which left him walking off the track after just 6 laps. His result suffered in Canada, where he finished an uncharacteristic 9th, but he's sure to smell blood in the water while a couple of the riders in front of him are also having physical troubles. If Justin can take advantage of the situation, he could potentially move into 4th in points by season's end, which would be a huge accomplishment for him.

Ivan Tedesco
Currently 7th with 135. Main event results: 7, 4, 9, 7, 3, 10, 10, 4, 18, 4
Now just a single point behind Brayton in 7th is Vali Motorsports' #9, Ivan Tedesco. Ivan's had an up and down season too, with results ranging from 3rd to 18th, with a few 4ths thrown in to balance out other mid-pack finishes. There's no question that Tedesco occasionally shows the speed that's needed to hit the podium, but when Hill gets back up to pace it's not likely he'll be able to beat him. Ivan's battle at this point is to try and land within the top 5 for the season, but to do so he'll have to overcome the consistent Brayton and speedier Windham to do it.

Beyond these 5 players, the gap in points back to Nick Wey in 8th is too large for any hope of getting into the top 5 in points. Furthermore, after examining the pack behind the two Ryans out front, it becomes apparent that the real battle may not be for 3rd, but for 4th and 5th. The wildcard Trey Canard is also shaking things up a bit, taking another point away from each of these riders each time he finishes in front of them -- and he's done so in 3 of 4 attempts thus far. Of course, that will change when Trey gets back on the Lites bike for the final two rounds, but his spot in the top 3 will likely be filled by the return of Chad Reed.

The prediction here, then, goes with Josh Hill staying right where he's at and, while he may lose a few points here and there to Millsaps or Windham, and barring any injury that keeps him out for more than a weekend, he'll end up with that final podium spot for the series.

The Lites classes in both regions is equally interesting and we'll examine that next week after the East gets another round under its belt. This weekend's race at the new Cowboys Stadium near Dallas should be a good one, and will be televised on SPEED this Sunday, March 21, beginning at 5PM EDT.

One of the riders that is having a good (and quiet) season is Valli Yamaha's Ivan Tedesco who got knocked down to a full privateer for 2010 but making the most of it. After three rounds and one fourth place in Phoenix, Tedesco sits seventh in the points and ahead of some factory guys. The Yamaha rider and three-time member of America's MXDN team will be on the MotoworldRacing.com Moto Show with Paul Lindsey and Steve Matthes tonight at 6PM PST/9PM EST on pulpmx.com.

Listen in as Matthes and Lindsey get down and dirty in talking about everything that happened at Anaheim and there certainly is a ton to talk about this week with that great 450 main event. Have an opinion on what went down in Anaheim or want to ask Ivan Tedesco a question? Call in to (702) 586-7857

Special guest in-studio is Hart & Huntington team manager Kenny Watson who will keep us all entertained with Tedesco stories, an update on his teams 2010 season and much, much more.

What you'll want to do is visit pulpmx.com tonight at 6PM PST/9PM EST and click on the Motoworldracing.com Moto Show banner. That will take you to the live stream of the show and that's where you can also text-chat with other listeners or download the Ventrilo program, plug in your headset and you can voice-chat with others.

There will also be tons of giveaways tonight and throughout the season as we reward our loyal listeners with a discount on a purchase at Motoworldracing.com, Rockwell watches gift certificates, EKS(X) Brand Goggles and much more!

You can access the show archives on ITunes as well as the archive should be up the next day on pulpmx.com. Also check out sportstalknetwork.com for a re-airing of the show on Wednesdays.

Motoworldracing.com is one of the country's leading on-line retailers since 1999. You can trust the guys down there to outfit everything you need for your bike, ATV, UTV or body. Check them out at motoworldracing.com and stay tuned to the show for a special discount code for 10% off your order.

So be in front of your computer tonight at 6PST/9EST for an entirely new way to get your moto information. See you there!

There is no doubt that Ivan Tedesco is a casualty of the economic down-turn and was left without a Factory seat when all the dust settled even after finishing a solid third overall in the outdoors. Hotsauce is known for his perseverance and work ethic and will demonstrate those qualities once again in 2010 as he works his way back to the top. We will hear the latest on his plans and sponsors as Anaheim looms just a few weeks away.

JGR's Jeremy Albrecht is well-respected as a manager within the sport and for good reason. His team's impressive growth has them considered as one of the elite programs in the pits and consistent podium contenders in both series. He is always looking forward so we will see their plans and goals for the upcoming year and talk about the recent changes to the team.

You can't read a newspaper or watch the news without being reminded of how much things suck right now as the economy is scratching for every bit of traction and looking for even the smallest nugget of positive news to hang our hopes on. Our sport seemed to be immune at first last year, but the latest wave came through with a vengeance and we are left with the new reality to deal with. Jimmy Button has seen a lot in his years as a rider and agent and will help us break down the immediate effect and where we go from here.

Steve Matthes has cut quite a nice niche out for himself with his very popular Racer X pod casts and work onwww.Pulpmx.com. He is not afraid to grab an apple off the forbidden motocross story tree and write about it, and has a loyal following of fans because of his independent style. We wanted to get his take on the upcoming season and address the persistent rumor that he slept with Tiger Woods, too.

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