Monster Energy Supercross: Final round in Las Vegas

Following a season of high drama, heartbreaking injuries, and a historic run to the championship, the 2012 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, season is set to come to an exciting conclusion on Saturday night as a capacity crowd inside Las Vegas’ Sam Boyd Stadium will welcome the world’s best riders into action for one final time.

Last weekend, Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey returned to the top step of the podium inside Salt Lake City’s Rice-Eccles Stadium, capturing his third victory of the year just two weeks after returning to competition from a broken collar bone. The 2010 Monster Energy Supercross Champion had to dig deep for the win, overcoming an early fall in an incident with Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer to fight his way back from a multiple-second deficit and climb from third to first over the final five laps of the main event.

Dungey’s triumph came at the expense of Toyota/Yamaha/JGRMX’s Davi Millsaps, who took control of the Supercross Class nearly the entire evening. Following an impressive heat race win, Millsaps took the holeshot in the main event and pulled away from the field. It looked as though the Yamaha rider, who has moved from 11th to second in the championship over the second half of the season, was in line for his first victory since 2010, but a couple bobbles allowed Dungey to close the gap and make the winning pass on Lap 18. While the runner-up finish was a hard finish to swallow for Millsaps, he enters Las Vegas as the hottest rider in Monster Energy Supercross.

While the championship has already been decided in the Supercross Class, Millsaps and Dungey are giving the fans something to be excited about. The Salt Lake City race was one of the best of the season and bodes well for the thousands who will be in attendance on Saturday night. Moreover, both Weimer and Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Justin Brayton are in search of their inaugural victories in the class and after amassing the best championship performances of their respective careers, each rider has just one more opportunity to cap off their campaigns with a win.

In the Supercross Class standings, only 12 points separate Millsaps in second to Dungey in fourth, with Brayton serving as the middle man. Bragging rights are on the line heading into Vegas and all three of these riders have their own reasons to take the final checkered flag of the season.

Four months and 16 weeks of grueling competition have come down to this. Not a single seat inside Sam Boyd Stadium will be empty on Saturday night as the world’s most elite riders bring the 2012 Monster Energy Supercross season to a close.

Season Standings

1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 323
2. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha, 244
3. Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Honda, 237
4. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 232
5. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki, 211
6. Mike Alessi, Hilliard, Fla., Suzuki, 192
7. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha, 178
8. Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki, 174
9. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda, 166
10.Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki, 161