East Rutherford Supercross - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

It's crazy to think that the Supercross season is already almost over, as it feels like just yesterday everyone was getting hyped up in ocscottie's annual pre-season countdown thread. But round 16 of 17 in the books, guess what happened? The 450 Supercross title was wrapped up a round early once again! Exciting! Ok, maybe it's not particularly the most exciting thing, since he actually could have done it a week earlier. But Dungey completely dominated the season, and deserved to wrap it up a week early. Maybe that's why they're considering a change in the championship format for next year...

The actual winner of the 450 class in East Rutherford was Ken Roczen, who appears to have really found his groove late in the season. I just wish Ken had ridden like this from the beginning of the season. In the 250 class, Malcolm Stewart walked away with the main event win and extended his points lead to 14 heading into the final round. There's no doubt it'll be interesting to see how the combined 250 East/West main event plays out next week.

Now, let's get into the best and the worst of East Rutherford.

​450:

The Good: Ryan Dungey | 4th Place

What is there to say about Ryan at this point? He's been phenomenal, and completely dominated this year's championship. Sure, Ken Roczen has gone on a streak these last few rounds; but with the huge points lead that he'd amassed, Ryan didn't need to force the issue. He just cruised it on home for his second consecutive 450 Supercross title. Now it's time to see what he can do outdoors...and who can step up.

The Good Bonus: Ken Roczen | 1st Place

Ken has finally put all of the pieces together and has gone on a nice win streak. The problem is that it came just too late, as Dungey was way out front by the time Ken finally got the bike working how he wanted. The good news, though, is that he can carry all of this momentum straight into Hangtown, where he'll hopefully be free of the injuries that plagued him at the start of the previous National series. It's going to be a great season of nationals.

The Bad: Josh Grant | 16th Place

Josh has actually had a quiet but solid season since being added to the Monster Energy Kawasaki squad. He's grabbed some top ten results, and some semi wins. He's also had a few rounds where he has struggled in the main event, and this was one of those rounds. Granted (no pun intended), he may have crashed, but if he did I missed it. Another point is that Josh came straight off of the couch into racing this year, so to be making mains and grabbing top fifteens most of the rounds is pretty impressive. Still, with as much natural talent as Josh has, I expect him to be in the top twelve barring a crash. So let's hope he puts it back up front in Las Vegas.

The Ugly: Trey Canard's Practice Crash

This one was ugly, and I was shocked that all he sustained was a bruised buttocks. Not only that, but he then went back out and qualified third! Trey is a solider who can handle anything thrown at him at this point. I just hope he gets a start in the Las Vegas main event so he can end the 2016 Supercross season on a good note. You can check out the crash for yourself here.

250:

The Good: Malcolm Stewart | 1st Place

How about those dance moves?! I'd be dancing, too, if I was on the verge of winning my first ever Supercross title. Malcolm came into the weekend with a small five-point lead over Aaron Plessinger, but he came out of the weekend with a 14-point lead with only one round left. That's a great cushion to have, and I fully expect for him to secure the East championship in Las Vegas. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw some serious team tactics come into play with the main event being a combined race between the East/West regions.

The Bad: Aaron Plessinger | 5th Place

I honestly thought Aaron was going to run down Malcolm Stewart and take home the 250 East title when he was within one point a few rounds ago. But that didn't happen, as Aaron's starts have been horrendous these last few rounds. He's started around tenth each race and has struggled to move forward. And in the end, that will be the reason why the close battle for the championship we were all hoping for never came to fruition. It's a shame, because I was really hoping to see an intense Malcolm/Aaron battle in Las Vegas.

The Ugly: Tyler Bowers | 6th Place

For most riders a sixth place would be a major accomplishment, but Tyler Bowers is definitely not looking for a sixth place. I have written about Tyler and his struggles a few times this season, and I firmly believed he would pick up the pieces and at least grab a podium by the end of the season. Unfortunately, he hasn't even gotten close to a podium. He got a good start in the East Rutherford main event, and then faded back to sixth. I'm not sure if he's still struggling with Epstein–Barr, or if he is just struggling with his fitness, but at this point I'd guess Mitch Payton probably won't re-sign him to the Pro Circuit Kawasaki team. Let's hope he brings out the Tyler Bowers of 2013 for the final race of the year in Las Vegas.