After finishing off the podium in both races at Thunder Valley on Colorado, South Africa's Tyla Rattray dropped out of the lead of the AMA championship.
"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown." Shakespeare could not in his time have foreseen the drama that is top level motocross, but one of his dramatis personae, King Henry IV, knew the heavy burden that comes with being the one at the top. And so, like most of his famous phrases, this holds as true today as it did during the time when the bard plied his trade.
In motocross terms it means that if you are the leading man, the target on your back is supersized. Everyone knows what to aim for, and everyone is after that which you have in hand - the championship lead. Coming into round five of the AMA motocross series, Tyla Rattray had all the weight of the world upon him. As championship leader, he knew that there is no higher rung to the ladder and the slightest slip would cause him to slither down the standings.
The South African's race day didn't start off in the most salubrious fashion, and he managed only the 13th-fastest time in practice. Normally a less-than-stellar qualifying performance is not a major impediment to him dishing up yet another sterling performance, but on this occasion he got hung up at the start of race 1, which left him in a mid-pack position with heaps of work to do. Meanwhile, main championship rivals (and teammates) Dean Wilson and Blake Baggett were smelling the sweet air that one finds only at or near the front of the race.
Rattray made linear progress through the field, then spent a few laps hunting down yet another teammate, Brock Tickle. With five laps to go, he made it past Tickle, moving into sixth spot. There was a sizeable gap in front of him, the bookend of which came in the form of fellow South African Gareth Swanepoel. Rattray has experience of many battles with his former teammate, and he was relentless in closing the gap. With the race rapidly winding down, he passed Swanepoel and moved into fifth spot, his final position for the race.
A much better start lobbed Rattray just into the top 10 in race 2, but, by his own admission, his riding was not off the top shelf in this race. He still made his way forward, but the rocket-propelled bulldozer charge somehow didn't quite materialise, and again he crossed the line in fifth position when the flag man did his final duty for the day.
With five, five and five in race 1, race 2 and the overall respectively, Rattray sounded like a Hollywood detective. What was a bit less Hollywood-like, though, was the fact that Wilson had scooped enough points to retake the championship lead, leaving his Monster Kawasaki teammate trailing by eight points.
"It wasn't my best day out," admitted Rattray after the race. "It is a very tough series, and there are a lot of fast riders, especially my teammates. Dean is always strong and I must focus on the next races and go all out to regain the championship lead."
Results from Thunder Valley
Overall
1. Blake Baggett
2. Dean Wilson
3. Eli Tomac
4. Darryn Durham
5. Tyla Rattray
6. Ryan Sipes
7. Malcolm Stewart
8. Travis Baker
9. Justin Barcia
10. Alex Martin
14. Gareth Swanepoel
Points Standings
1. Dean Wilson
2. Tyla Rattray
3. Blake Baggett
4. Eli Tomac
5. Justin Barcia
6. Kyle Cunningham
7. Broc Tickle
8. Gareth Swanepoel
9. Darryn Durham
10. Cole Seely