MONSTER ENERGY AMA SUPERCROSS SERIES
VOL. 51 ISSUE 5 FEBRUARY 4, 2014 P55
the fact that he was going to have
to push the envelope more than
he wanted to in order to pass the
two riders ahead of him, Villopoto
went into championship-strategy
mode, choosing points over
glory. He did not want to risk a
costly crash on the unpredictable
track and was content with third-
place points. And who's to argue
his decision? The veteran racer
has played the conservative card
before and has three Supercross
Championship rings to show for
it.
"This was the kind of race I
didn't want to push," the Mon-
ster Energy Kawasaki Team rider
said. "The first couple of laps
I was just too timid, mainly the
first lap – guys were able to stick
it in on me and get around me.
For me, this is the type of track I
struggle on the most; you can do
more damage to yourself by end-
ing up on the ground by trying
to push too hard. I kept it close
up until around lap 15 – I mean,
this is probably the worst track
I've ever seen. Not only was the
track slippery, in the main line,
there were these holes and like
chunks of dirt falling out of the
track, so your tires were hitting
them and either getting kicked
right or kicked left, pulled this
DEAN WILSON:
"I NEVER GAVE UP"
For Dean Wilson, his A3 win
came as a big relief, not only for
him but for his Monster Energy/Pro
Circuit/Kawasaki Team as well. The
strain of not winning for so long was
evident when he broke down in tears
while being interviewed on television
following his long-awaited victory.
"It's been a long time coming
and I've worked a really long time
to get it, so it's a relief to finally get
it done," Wilson told Cycle News.
"This win really means a lot to me; it
was an emotional one for sure."
"I just came fourth off the start
and got into second behind Seely,"
he said of the race. "I kind of just
stalked him for a while, I think I was
gaining on him a little and then he
just washed the front and I got the
lead. After that, I led the last three
laps and it was good not to have
that pressure on me. It was awe-
some to finally get it done."
Of his bad luck this year, Wilson
chalked it up as just a part of racing.
"It's been tough, but I just
pushed through it and I never gave
up," said Wilson. "We made up
some good points tonight, and now
that I've got this win out of the way I
think I'll just get better and hopefully
I'll get some more."
Shan Moore
James Stewart (7) and
Ryan Dungey (5) did not
have a good night.
