How many more different riders can we get on the podium?
How many more different riders can we get on the podium?
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Tickle is the newest 450 rider to taste some podium pie. |
Photos: James Lissimore
The 2017 Monster Energy Supercross season is shaping up to be the year of the podium. In just nine rounds of racing this year we’ve had ten different riders in the 450 class grace the podium.
It’s kind of out of the ordinary to see this many riders on the steps so soon. In fact I thought it would be kind of cool to look back the past ten supercross seasons and see how many riders made it onto the box each year.
2017 – 10 Riders (Through 9 rounds)
Ken Roczen
Ryan Dungey
Eli Tomac
Marvin Musquin
Cole Seely
Jason Anderson
Chad Reed
Blake Baggett
Cooper Webb
Broc Tickle
2016 – 7 Riders
Ryan Dungey
Ken Roczen
Jason Anderson
Eli Tomac
Chad Reed
Cole Seely
Marvin Musquin
2015 – 9 Riders
Ryan Dungey
Eli Tomac
Cole Seely
Chad Reed
Trey Canard
Jason Anderson
Weston Peick
Ken Roczen
Blake Baggett
2014 – 10 Riders
Ryan Villopoto
Ryan Dungey
Ken Roczen
Justin Barcia
James Stewart
Justin Brayton
Josh Hill
Eli Tomac
Chad Reed
Cole Seely
2013 – 7
Ryan Villopoto
Davi Millsaps
Ryan Dungey
Justin Barcia
Chad Reed
Trey Canard
James Stewart
2012 – 10 Riders
Ryan Villopoto
Davi Millsaps
Ryan Dungey
Justin Brayton
Jake Weimer
James Stewart
Kevin Windham
Chad Reed
Andrew Short
Ken Roczen
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The underrated BB4 made his second 450SX podium in Atlanta. |
2011 – 5 Riders
Ryan Villopoto
Chad Reed
Ryan Dungey
James Stewart
Trey Canard
2010 – 12 Riders
Ryan Dungey
Kevin Windham
Davi Millsaps
Ryan Villopoto
Justin Brayton
Josh Hill
Tommy Hahn
Ivan Tedesco
Andrew Short
Trey Canard
Chad Reed
James Stewart
2009 – 11 Riders
James Stewart
Chad Reed
Andrew Short
Josh Grant
Kevin Windham
Ryan Villopoto
Davi Millsaps
Mike Alessi
Josh Hill
Broc Hepler
Jason Lawrence
2008 – 9 Riders
Chad Reed
Kevin Windham
Andrew Short
Davi Millsaps
Josh Hill
Tim Ferry
James Stewart
Ryan Dungey
Jake Marsack
*Fun Fact: Marsack had two podiums in 2008 and they were both mud races.
2007 – 7 Riders
James Stewart
Chad Reed
Tim Ferry
Kevin Windham
Ricky Carmichael
Nick Wey
Davi Millsaps
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Webb got on the box before he got injured…we’ll see more for him in the future. |
The question is how many more guys will we see get on the podium this year? We’ve got eight rounds yet to run and plenty of capable riders looking to get one. I have to be honest that I didn’t see Tickle getting third last weekend in Toronto. It’s not that I don’t think that Tickle is not fast enough. It’s just that he never has gotten a 450SX podium and I didn’t see one coming in 2017.
Baggett’s third in Atlanta was arguably not as surprising as Tickle’s considering he’s climbed the podium in his 450 career already. However, I really thought that Millsaps would be the one to give the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM team its first premier class one.
Who is left that I think will get on the box before the season ends? Well, I have three that really stand out to me with Justin Bogle, Dean Wilson, and Millsaps. I’m surprised Millsaps doesn’t already have one this year considering he’s been riding very well. Bogle is going to only get better and I think with the final rounds he can get into his groove after taking a few rounds off early in the season due to injury. Wilson is proving that with each round he is getting better and is coming off of an eighth heading into Daytona.
Who is your pick to land on the podium? Have we seen everyone who is going to get one, or is there more to give? Daytona is the roughest race of the season and something crazy usually happens, so will that shake some things up? In a few weeks we’ll go back in the archives a bit more to see what season holds the record of most riders on the podium in a season. For now we just need three more riders to break 2010s record of 12 riders. Can we do it?
Only 31 different riders have graced a 450SX podium over the last decade. It may seem like a lot, but that is a ton of racing that only a small selct few have seen the top of this sport. Also, what do riders like Alessi, Webb, Lawrence, Tickle, Hepler, T. Hahn, and Weimer all have in common? Jake Marsack has more 450SX podiums than they do…not a rip on anyone, but underdogs are cool.
Thanks for taking the time to read my column. If you’d like to chat about this or anything else you can send me an email to either troybendgen@gmail.com or troy@pulpmx.com. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram @troybendgen.
