Minneapolis, Minnesota may be one of the most underrated sports hubs in America. One of the “twin cities” along with St. Paul, the area is home to a team in the big four leagues of American sports and has a history of two wheel action as well. Between two stadiums, Minneapolis has protected racers from the elements in a pair of iconic and state of the art domes.
Venues
The original host of Supercross in Minneapolis was the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. The Metrodome was home to both the Minnesota Vikings and Twins as one of several multi-purpose stadiums at the time. It hosted its first Supercross race in 1994 and held the race until 2013, when the legendary building was torn down.
After a two year wait, the Metrodome’s successor opened prior to the 2016 NFL season. US Bank Stadium is a pristine, state of the art venue, costing over $1 billion to create. The stadium hosted its first Supercross during the 2017 season and is known for its translucent panels and roof, which gives fans a chance to view downtown Minneapolis while taking in racing action. Along with Supercross, US Bank Stadium has hosted prestigious events such as the Super Bowl, the NCAA Basketball Final Four, and the summer X Games in 2019.
Iconic Moments
While Minneapolis has been on and off the schedule in recent years, the event has produced legendary moments such as a pair of top racers battling down to the wire, and a first time winner who stole everyone’s thunder.
1994-Moving Up
While the first ever Minneapolis Supercross was another win for Jeremy McGrath, the Honda phenom had to work hard to score his eighth win of the season. Jeff Matiasevich grabbed the holeshot but it was Mike Craig in the early lead aboard his factory Yamaha. McGrath started in the top five, fighting his way past Doug Henry and Matiasevich to secure second. Craig held the top spot for the majority of the race before McGrath charged forward near the end, capitalizing on a mistake. The win extended his points lead to 53 points over Mike Kiedrowski.
In the 125 class, Suzuki’s Damon Huffman won the second East/West Showdown after a battle with teammate Ezra Lusk, with the riders finishing 1-2 for the yellow brand.
2008-A New Winner
As the Chad Reed/Kevin Windham championship battle heated up, a pair of rookies stole the show at the Metrodome in 2008. 250 West competitor Ryan Dungey ran select 450SX rounds on the east coast, including his home race. Dungey started the race out front, with Yamaha rookie Josh Hill just behind him. Hill took the lead early on in the main event, holding the top spot for the rest of the way to score his first (and only) Supercross victory. Dungey would hold off Windham for second after battling Reed. The 2004 champion closed on Hill at one point, but went down hard, knocking him back to seventh by the end of the race.
2013-Battle of the Ryans
After a five year hiatus, Supercross returned to Minneapolis with a fantastic main event duel. 2-time defending champion Ryan Villopoto took the early lead after passing Mike Alessi and built a two second gap over Ryan Dungey. However, the hometown hero put his head down and began making up time. Dungey caught Villopoto and took the lead, beginning a series of trades for the top spot. The decisive move came at the end of the whoops, with Dungey putting his KTM in the top spot for good. The crowd roared as the Belle Plaine native took the victory, standing on the top step of the podium just an hour away from where he grew up.
This interactive table details the all-time leaders at Minneapolis. Who has the most starts, wins, podiums and points. Filter by class. On mobile, slide left to access more columns. To see all years of data, become a member of the We Went Fast Garage and help us continue (and expand) these unique views of the sport’s history.
This interactive table details the Minneapolis winners history. Who won in what year and what round was this venue. Filter by class. On mobile, slide left to access more columns. To see all years of data, become a member of the We Went Fast Garage and help us continue (and expand) these unique views of the sport’s history.
