Chad Reed (22) leads James Stewart (7) in one of the two rivals' epic dirt battles. Each is a two-time Supercross Class champ with an eye on winning the 2012 championship.
The 2011 Supercross season proved quite the exciting ride. When the dust finally settled, it was Ryan Villopoto at the podium as the 2011 AMA Supercross Series Championship winner. So how will the 2012 season play out? E3 Spark Plugs has a few predictions.
One guess is that we’ll get quite the show from the ongoing rivalry between Australian native and two-time Supercross Class champion Chad Reed and James Stewart, also a two-time Supercross Class champion, as well as a former AMA Motocross champion and the first African American to win a major motorsports title. The two have treated fans to some of the sport’s toughest battles and neither has any plans to back down.
“James and I have a lot of respect for each other,” says Reed, who last year became an entrepreneur founding Two-Two MotorSports. “We both want to win and neither of us lets anything get in the way of that.”
No doubt Stewart shares that sentiment. But he’s also got his eye on knocking seven-time Supercross Class champ Jeremy McGrath from his title as the all-time winningest rider before moving on to four-wheel competition. McGrath currently boasts 72 supercross wins.
“My No. 1 focus is get to 73 wins, and after that, we can hit NASCAR full force,” Stewart, who makes his debut with the Joe Gibbs Racing MX Team next month, recently told USA Today. “We are definitely making steps to hopefully battling with Junior [Dale Earnhardt] and [Jimmie] Johnson. I am looking forward to it as another challenge in life. The cool part is maybe I have a chance to be great in two different sports.”
Of course, if Ryan Dungey has his say, neither Stewart nor Reed will see the champion’s podium come May 5. In just two Supercross Class competition seasons, Dungey earned respect as one of the fastest motorcycle riders on the planet and in 2010 became the second rookie in history to win the Monster Energy AMA Supercross. He came excruciatingly close to defending his title in 2011, letting it slip by a mere 10 points. This year, he joins the Red Bull KTM team.
We’re also expecting an exciting season show from Monster Energy / Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Broc Tickle, who makes his Supercross Class debut next month after an impressive five-year run in the Lites Class.
Got a prediction of your own? E3 Spark Plugs wants to hear it. Post your thoughts on our Facebook fan page. And remember to stock your bike with a set of E3 motorcycle spark plugs for a championship-worthy performance.
