With little noise coming out of the motocross world this week we decided to take a look at the list of riders we feel is on the hot seat heading into 2012. Sure, everyone is at risk of losing their ride providing a poor season, but some are skating on much thinner ice this winter than others. Read on as we break down each team give out top picks for who's on the Motosport Hot Seat and who's safe and sound for 2013.
(Note that we will be breaking this series into four parts, with the final blog dropping before A1.)
Monster Energy Kawasaki
Ryan Villopoto - Safe and Sound
Jake Weimer - After missing his debut 450 supercross season with a broken arm and not exactly lighting it up in the outdoor series, Weimer could find himself on a satellite team if he doesn't prove to be a consistent top five contender in 2012.
Red Bull KTM
Ryan Dungey - Safe and Sound
Ken Roczen - Safe and Sound
Marvin Musquin - He's safe, but not that safe. He needs to stay healthy and show why he is a two time World Champion.
Toyota / Yamaha / JGRMX
James Stewart - Safe and Sound
Davi Millsaps - He's most likely safe as the team's second rider, but he'll need to stay healthy if he wants to guarantee it.
Hart & Huntington / Dodge
Ivan Tedesco - IT needs a healthy year on the bike. He'll most likely keep his H&H status, as long as he can prove reliable.
Josh Hill - Safe and Sound (H&H will most likely give him a year of recovery before posting him on the Hot Seat.)
Kyle Partridge - Not much will be expected out of Partridge, but he needs to be a staple in the main events this year, no doubt.
Josh Hansen - Safe and Sound (He's the most marketable rider on the team, which means he'll be solid for 2013 regardless of results.)
Wardy Racing
Kyle Chisholm - Safe and Sound (KC is a solid threat for the top 10 both indoors and out and considering this is a start-up team with limited funding, we think he's safe for 2012.)
Josh Grant - JG is always on the hot seat. He desperately needs to put in 17 rounds of SX without getting injured or he might be calling it quits sooner than he may have planned.
