Cycle News

ROUND 3/JUNE 1, 2013 MUDDY CREEK RACEWAY/BLOUNTVILLE, TENNESSEE MOTOCROSS LUCAS OIL AMA PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP 143 points to 133. James Stewart obviously had a difficult time with the conditions at Muddy Creek and could do no better than 17th in morning qualifying. The Yoshimura Suzuki rider was in the top five in both motos, but struggled with the ruts and just didn't seem to have the speed to go head-to-head with the top three. Stewart spent much of the first moto battling with Belgian Suzuki rider Clement DeSalle, and in the end he finally prevailed, although he finished the moto some 14 seconds DISSECTING THE TRACK P64 Justin Barcia led both motos and gave Villopoto and Dungey a fight in both motos. behind Dungey, who had passed Stewart earlier in the race. In the second moto, Stewart battled early on with Dungey for second, but then he soon started dropping back, getting passed first by Mike Alessi, and then Trey Canard and finally by Villopoto. Canard came from behind to finish third in the second moto, and may have been a podium finisher had he not gone down The new Mark Barnett-designed track was the main topic of conversation among the racers before and after the race, with most giving it a thumbs up, but saying it needs some changes before another national is held there. The track has been a favorite in the southeast among amateur racers since the '70s, but for the national, Barnett was contracted to come in and make changes. Many of the top guys were getting their first look at the Tennessee facility and most thought it was too narrow and too tight, with Ryan Villopoto being the most vocal. "Track was tough, and next year I would definitely like to see some changes," said Villopoto. "I would like to see a bigger track, just a little longer straights. It was tough for the 450s to really open up. It seemed like every time you came out of a turn you were all of a sudden into the next turn or on top of the next obstacle. It was just a little tight, and hopefully they take what the riders suggest and put it to good use." Ryan Dungey thought the track was okay, but was thrown off by the dirt. "The one thing that caught me off guard was the dirt, just to see how loamy it was in the first practice, but then you get down to the hard-pack underneath," said Dungey. "And then the ruts just get deeper and deeper, and you're running on the inside, then you switch to outside and then you're back inside. That was tough and also it was very harsh and rough. It was tighter, which makes it tough, because like with Supercross you're always working the bike and you never get that straightway break." Justin Barcia added a positive spin to all the negative. "I liked the track, but Mark Barnett builds my tracks at home and I like how he builds them," said Barcia. "It was definitely tight, for sure, and I think they can work on that. But I liked the big jumps and the offcambers. The dirt wasn't ideal, it's like it's soft on top but then you got that hard, choppy stuff underneath. But this is a cool place and I thought they did a great job."

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