The fans got a dose of SX action as Stewart claimed the win with Reed and Ferry joining him on the podium. Stewart’s win didn’t come easy; he had to burn through the pack to take the lead. This is his 6th win this year giving him a pretty substantial points lead. Ferry is proving to be a force to be reckoned with. Windham got a taste of that in Houston but did manage to make a strong race. Villopoto and Lawrence had a nice battle, with Villlopoto claiming victory. He and Lawrence had a dramatic battle and both have goals of winning a championship, but Villopoto got the better taking #1 again.
During Houston, there were some of the usual crashes. Even Stewart took a spill earlier in the day in practice. His bike took a beating, but he was ok and strong for the races. Nick Wey crashed during his heat injuring his thumb, unable to make the main. These guy’s are claiming faster and faster lap times and the tracks seem to be getting more technical and unfortunately this can bring some pretty gnarly crashes that can cause injuries. But thankfully, Doc Bodnar and his mobile medical staff from Asterisk are on hand to provide the best care, ever. During the race you will see them located right on the track sidelines, always ready to assist when needed. Asterisk is comprised of qualified doctors that have a passion, respect and knowledge of the sport. And love what they do.
Asterisk stared small and has grown to meet the demands of SX emergency medical care. They have a full, staffed medical team and a new rig with all the amenities. Doc Bodnar is the main man who takes care of the riders on the track. He also declares if a rider is hurt or has such a bad injury that the race would need to be red flagged. We have already seen 3 red flags during the races this year for the ‘07 season. A lot of injuries take place on the race track unfortunately, but with the Asterisks medical team there it provides safety and urgent care to the riders.
Not only do Doc and his mobile medical team take care of medical needs, they give back to the sport by awarding the Asterisk Mobile Medical Card in the amount of $250 to the rider that missed the qualifying spot in the Lites class. So that means that this rider missed the main by one place, so as consolation, they are given the medical card to help out with expenses from getting to the races. Sometimes riders are not all that jazzed on the podium after knowing that they missed the main by one position, but when they receive this card you know they totally appreciate it. Thanks Doc for recognizing these riders for their racing efforts and making this a tradition with SX.
The Asterisk Mobile Medical Center can be found in the pits. It’s an impressive center where medical service for the SX and MX are provided free of charge. This service in not completely funded so to assist with the costs to operate which includes staffing, medical supplies and travel costs. Asterisk has created a fundraiser, the Supercross Superpass. The SX Superpass is a VIP package full of very cool prizes including; SX tickets, pit passes, track walk and tons of swag. The SX Superpass is up for bid on eBay. The highest bidder reaps the rewards. Plus all the proceeds go to help fund a most important part of SX, the Asterisk Medical team. This is a win win deal! For more details go to http://asterisksuperpass.com/
We head back to the west, San Diego. This is our last stop in Southern California and the West Coast Lites will have a break until Seattle. Stewart may be on a winning streak and yes he did win San Diego last year, but who knows anything can happen. Also, Villopoto shows no sign of letting off. Lawrence, however, is gaining his strength and speed each week. Wonder what being off for a few weeks will add to the competition for the Lites when they head back to Seattle and make it to the East/West Shootout at the Vegas finals. Also after San Diego we get to see a new bunch of talent in the East Lites class.
See you at the races!
Brittney George
Miss Supercross
missupercross@yahoo.com
