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.