Villopoto wins Monster Energy Supercross at Anaheim 1Villopoto, the defending class champion, opened the Supercross Class main event with the Nuclear Cowboyz® Holeshot with Dodge/Sycuan Casino/Hart and Huntington/Bel-Ray Racing’s Ivan Tedesco, of Marietta, Calif., and TwoTwo Motorsports/Bel-Ray/Honda’s Chad Reed, of Dade City, Fla., following in second and third, respectively. Red Bull/KTM’s Ryan Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., shot past Tedesco on the second lap as Toyota/Yamaha/JGRMX’s James Stewart, of Haines City, Fla., made up for a mid-pack start to secure fourth place. While riding in third place, Dungey crashed and gave Stewart third place, but on lap 11, Dungey swung back around Stewart. Stewart once again found his way around Dungey on lap 14 before crashing on the following lap. Villopoto cruised to his second consecutive Anaheim opener win with a 12.2-second victory. Reed finished second and Dungey finished third. "Villopoto made us look silly out here tonight,” said Reed. "I am just happy to get second place tonight in this field of riders.” "It was a phenomenal night for me,” said Villopoto. "I didn’t have the heat race I wanted, so I didn’t have a great gate pick. Once I was out front I wanted to lay down fast laps and make no mistakes. I did make one small one, but overall, it was a great race for me.” Supercross Class Results: Anaheim Race 1
Supercross Class Season Standings
14 January Chase Field Phoenix 21 January Dodger Stadium Los Angeles 28 January Overstock.com Stadium Oakland 04 February Angel Stadium Anaheim, Calif. 11 February Qualcomm Stadium San Diego 18 February Cowboys Stadium Arlington, Texas 25 February Georgia Dome Atlanta 03 March Edward Jones Dome St. Louis 10 March Daytona Int’l Speedway Daytona, Fla. 17 March Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis 24 March Rogers Centre Toronto, ON 31 March Reliant Stadium Houston 14 April Louisiana Superdome New Orleans 21 April Qwest Field Seattle 28 April Rice-Eccles Stadium Salt Lake City 05 May Sam Boyd Stadium Las Vegas
Western Regional Supercross Lites Troy Less Designs/Lucas Oil/Honda’s Cole Seely dominated the opening race of the Western Regional Supercross Lites Class race en route to victory. As the gates dropped on the Western Regional Supercross Lites Class, Motoconcepts Suzuki’s Vince Friese, Cape Girardeau, Mo., won the Nuclear Cowboyz Holeshot but was quickly passed by Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Tyla Rattray, of Wildomar, Calif. The following lap Dean Wilson, of Menifee, Calif., pushed his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki past Rattray. Seely secured the lead on lap 2 and rode to the third win of his career and sits as the class’ points leader. On the last lap, GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac, of Cortez, Colo., passed Wilson, who subsequently crashed, losing several positions before returning to racing. "I couldn’t think of a better way to start the season,” said Seely. "To get a win here tonight in front of my family and friends is huge. I learned last year that consistency is key, and I hope to be on the podium at every race.” Western Regional Supercross Lites Class Results: Anaheim Race 1
Western Regional Supercross Lites Class Season Standings
Verbatim: Chad Reed - TwoTwo Motorsports: "This track was totally different to what we have tested on in the lead up to the start of the season,” Reed explained. "It really only had one line so was very hard to pass on. I struggled a little bit through practice but the guys made some aggressive changes to the bike before the heat race which really helped me. My starts were good and I was happy to get second tonight in this field of riders. I had a small tip over in the race, I was looking for new lines and lost the front.” Ryan Dungey - Red Bull/KTM Factory Team: "My bike ran flawlessly tonight. I would have definitely liked to pass Chad and take second tonight, but I am happy to earn KTM its first podium. I can’t thank the team enough for all they have done for me in the development of this new bike.” Roger DeCoster - Red Bull/KTM Factory Team Manager: "The entire team is excited for the podium finish but we also know that second place was within our reach tonight. We were happy with Ryan’s performance but we know we have some areas that need work and we will begin to correct them immediately. We hope to continue this success into next week and improve our position on the podium.” Jeremy Albrecht - JGR/Toyota Yamaha Team Manager: "James showed a lot of patience out there tonight. He didn’t get the best of starts, but he did a really good job of being patient and catching the leaders without taking too many risks. But the track was changing a lot throughout the night and he just got caught out over there and landed in the Tuff Blox. He was missing a radiator shroud when he got up, and the front end was kind of tweaked, but he still made the most of it. Championships are won on your bad days, and this wasn’t a good day, but he still salvaged sixth place. That’s pretty good.” Photos: Courtesy of Monster Energy:
CORONA, Calif., (January 7th, 2012)
 Angel Stadium played host for the first round of the Monster Energy Supercross in Anaheim, California. The stadium was sold out, the racing was intense, and the fans were pumped to get the 2012 season started.  Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider, Tyla Rattray, had an impressive showing on Saturday. Rattray's ultra-smooth ride earned him a solid 2nd place in the Lites main.  Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto -- 2011 Monster Energy Supercross Champion, 2011 Monster Energy Cup Champion, and 2011 AMA Outdoor National Champion -- was clearly ready for battle. He opened the 2012 Monster Energy Supercross season with a victory in the Supercross class. He looked fast, rode well, and dominated Anaheim 1.  Rattray was happy to be on the podium for the opening round of Monster Energy Supercross at Anaheim. "It feels good to get this first round out of my system. I'm glad I finished on the podium and am excited to keep the momentum going for the rest of the West rounds. Thanks to Monster Energy for everything they do for me and the rest of the team. I'm feeling the vibe!"  Villopoto with his first-place trophy and Nuclear Cowboyz Holeshot award. Everyone knows he's fast, but he really displayed his talent at Anaheim 1. Finishing 12 seconds ahead of the 2nd place rider in the Supercross class, he proved that he is truly a force to be reckoned with, and will be a title contender for the 2012 Monster Energy Supercross season. |