Rockstar Energy Racing's global Motocross Manager James Hanson reflects on the 2013 AMA Supercross season and the performances of his Rockstar Energy Suzuki team riders in the US and on the international MX GP circuits. Wow and I mean Wow! What an amazing Supercross Season! First of I'd like to congratulate the entire Rockstar Energy Racing Team. Everyone did their part to make what was the best season ever. I have been going to races representing Rockstar Energy Drink for a long time now. We have won championships in the past, quite a few actually, but no season compares to this one. We did not win a title in Supercross this year, but it was much more special. Maybe it was because it was our first attempt at creating a 250 and 450 program on our own. Maybe it was the turn around our riders made when many had counted them out as being contenders, not just this year, but forever. Maybe it was the magic I felt every time the gate dropped. Maybe it was all of those things. I in fact had the same chills and goose bumps so many times that I have right now while I write this. Seventeen races in 18 weeks sounds and can be gruelling at times, but that was not the case. I was so excited for racing each and every week that SX flew by so fast; I can't believe it's over.However, I harbour that enthusiasm and much more heading into Hangtown this weekend. The motocross discipline is by far my favourite of the two. Being out in the woods is much more relaxing to me than the bustling city. Thirty minutes + 2 laps on rougher tracks in the heat and humidity is what really defines this sport for me. While outdoors has not yet started, I already have some very exciting news regarding the 450 class. Ryan Sipes will be moving up a class to fill in for Davi Millsaps who will sit out the MX season to have his leg repaired, and Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1 riders Clement Desalle and Kevin Strijbos will be coming over to the US for the Colorado and Tennessee Nationals! Davi Millsaps: How could I not start with Davi? On paper the overall results say the same thing they did last year. Davi Millsaps: 2nd place. Although there is not a Supercross fan out there that didn't see the difference in Millsaps. In the beginning there were the doubters. In fact in the middle there were still doubters, but at the end, they were silenced. Those who doubted have now become fans, and those fans now believe. They believe Davi can win it all next year and so do I. There is no question that he will be missed by everyone outdoors, but the truth is, he made the right decision. It's not just his knee causing him problems. His femur never healed right either. A human femur usually goes from the hip to the knee at an 8 degree angle. Davi's was at 20 degrees. So every time he rode, or even took a step, it was causing further damage to his knee. If there was any question of his commitment, I challenge anyone to endure that pain for as long as he did. In a of couple years he would have had to have a full knee replacement. So while his absence will be evident, we can all be happy that this will extend his career and make him even stronger. We will be seeing Millsaps at the top for a long time. Blake Wharton: Blake had a very similar SX in 2013 to his 2012 campaign - third overall with one win. However things could have been very different. Wharton was less than half a lap from what then would have been his first win of the season. As he was entering the whoops for the last time, he altered his line choice to avoid lappers. Consequently he went down. It was one of those moments where you go from feeling on top of the world to falling into the cellar in less than five seconds. I couldn't believe it happened. Blake was able to remount and muster only a fifth. Then a protest was filed about where Wharton re-entered the track. In one of the many controversial calls of the season he was docked another four positions. I feel that Blake got back onto the track in the safest way possible to himself, other riders and the track crew, but that was not the ruling. I have said it before and I'll say it again, I am not an official. My opinion is simply that; an opinion. That however was the turning point in Blake's season. Had none of that happened, things could have been much different. The points would have been very tight and would have come down to a three man battle in Las Vegas instead of two. But hey, in racing "stuff" happens. Jason Anderson: I don't think Jason's overall finish in SX really shows the strides he made this year. It's no secret that after Anderson's first ever season that he was not looking good for the future. Then in his second season he made some progress but was still not living up to what was expected. This year he still barely tapped his full potential but the progress is now growing exponentially. He now needs to focus on his consistency and patience and he will no doubt in my mind be fighting for a SX title in 2014. He showed all of those things this year in Salt Lake City. Not only did he pass some of his top competitors and move into the lead early, but he held it to the finish. In fact as he pulled out a seven-second lead, he made no mistakes. It appeared as if he had been there before, with a sure victory in his grasp; like he belonged there. Well he certainly does belong up front. For me, after everything he has been through and the things I've seen being there with him, this was the best moment of my MX career, if you will. I've never been so excited for someone. I may have even been overheard comparing it to my sixth Christmas when I got the first Nintendo I wanted so badly. Or when I got A's tickets for my 11th birthday and got to see my favourite team win. This was a real life, amazing moment and I'm so fortunate to have been able to be there and see it take place. I have been to every professional race of Jason's career and I don't plan on missing one anytime soon. But let's not get ahead of ourselves......MX is coming and Anderson is even more confident on that style of track. Ryan Sipes: Unfortunately due to a very scary pile-up, Ryan's SX season was cut short. He broke a hand that has given him trouble in the past. He had it surgically repaired and hoped to be back by San Diego. The surgery did not work out and he was forced to have another. Sipes was finally able to return for the last three rounds, but was really just riding himself back into race shape. He had some good moments and will certainly be glad he was able to get out there. Ryan was given the nod to ride the 450 for the entire outdoor season which is something he was already really wanting to do. He loves the big bike and his style is very suited to the increase in power. Nico Izzi: Nico suffered from a knee injury very shortly after getting on his new bike and joining the team. Much to his chagrin was not able to line up for even one Supercross. There was a slight possibility that Nico could return for the last couple rounds, but that just didn't add up in the big picture. We all know that Izzi feels he has something to prove and I don't disagree with that point. The kid is hungry and it is showing. It made more sense to let him really focus on outdoors and kind of get a head start on everybody. Now he can come into Hangtown 100% confident and 100% healthy and put his best foot forward. I for one cannot wait to see the #30 on the gate and come out of nowhere to land on the podium. It may take a couple races as it has been a while since he has raced, but I look at that as the next special moment in the sport. Moving onto the GP season, it is still very early. It has been a bit up and down so far, with some highs and some lows but that's normal and somewhat insignificant in a season so young. There are a lot more races upcoming and a lot more points to be gathered. I am grateful that I can watch every race online, and I do just that, every moto, every lap. It really allows me to stay in touch and see first-hand....well sort of, everything that is going on overseas. Even more exciting is that Clement Desalle and Kevin Strijbos are coming over here! They will join Rockstar Energy Racing and Ryan Sipes under the 450 semi for Thunder Valley and a new track to all of us, Muddy Creek in Bristol, TN. It's always great when Eric Geboers and the whole crew can make it over here to catch up in person instead of just over email and telephone. It truly shows that we are all one big team, and it's awesome to see it all come together. I'm very eager for those two races in particular. To see everyone again and have that many riders on the track vying for podiums is great! Clement Desalle: I think Clement has been a bit frustrated this season. It seems on multiple occasions he has been the fastest rider on the track but some of the courses have been difficult to pass on. He certainly has been up front consistently, but I know he wants nothing more than to win. The GP in Agueda was no different. He was clearly faster but ended up third. I'm just glad after a very hard crash late in the second moto that he is not injured. I am pretty sure he will win again very soon and the MX1 points chase will tighten considerably. If history repeats itself, the title will once again come down to Clement and Antonio Cairoli, although Gautier Paulin has proven to be a spoiler as well. I'm glad I will be able to watch it all unfold. I have seen Desalle race in the US a few times, including at Unadilla a couple years ago when he battled then Rockstar rider Ryan Dungey for the overall win as they both landed on the podium. I'm confident this trip to the US will produce more of the same. Kevin Strijbos: Kevin seems to be putting things together coming very close to an overall podium on a few occasions. One of his best races came when he battled his team-mate Desalle for nearly every lap of both motos in Sevlievo for the GP of Bulgaria where he bested him with a second in the first moto. It was very cool to watch! Kevin is a veteran who has won before and I believe can win again. I'm still waiting for both MX1 guys to podium together! It will be exciting to meet him and see him race in person for the first time. Max Anstie: I remember Max being over here for several years as an amateur and racing Supercross. This year for the first time he came over for the West Coast 250 series as a Rockstar Athlete. He did pretty well and it was good to get to know him a little better. Anstie appears to have all the tools needed to podium in any GP. He just needs to add a good start and he will be there for sure. Watching him come through the pack in Bulgaria was very impressive! Just a case of putting it all together and it will come soon. Julien Lieber: A youngster in the MX2 class Lieber was putting in some very good results. Unfortunately a knee injury has him out of the line-up for now. Jeremy Seewer: The EMX250 class is only one race into their season where Jeremy finished third. Definitely a good start, but you could tell he was not satisfied. His goal is to not only win races, but win a championship. It's inspiring to see that kind of fire in a young rider and coincidentally that is a trait you find in champions.