Round 10 - AMA/FIM Supercross Series 2012 - Daytona

Besides the layout of the Ricky Carmichael-designed track at Daytona International Speedway, there was another element presenting a challenge to the AMA Supercross field - mud.

The entire circuit was a mud-hole due to rain showers throughout Saturday at Daytona before the start of Round 10 in the 2012 AMA Supercross Championship. These conditions also caused the scheduled 20-lap main event to be shortened to 16.

Joe Gibbs Racing Yamaha's James Stewart, who secured his second win of 2012 AMA SX. Stewart cut some impressive lap times in the horrid conditions, taking the win by 7.572 seconds over his teammate Davi Millsaps. Taking the final podium position was GEICO Honda's Kevin Windham.

Millsaps took the holeshot, followed by Stewart and current series' leader, Ryan Villopoto. Villopoto got out of the gate okay but fell, restarting in last place.

On the third lap, Stewart passed Millsaps for the lead and began opening a gap. Behind Millsaps were Windham and Red Bull KTM's Marvin Musquin. The top four remained this way to the end of the shortened race. Villopoto fought his way back to take fifth.

With his win, Stewart gained some points on Red Bull KTM's Ryan Dungey who is currently out hurt due to shoulder surgery.

Stewart is now in third with 177 points, 15 points behind Dungey.

James Stewart - JGRMX Yamaha: "It means a lot. I felt good all day. I was fastest in practice. Once I got in front, I was just trying to survive."

With his fifth-place finish, Villopoto added a few more points and now leads the 2012 AMA Supercross Championship with 221 points after 10 of 17 rounds.

Ryan Villopoto - Monster Energy Kawasaki: "That finish is a lot better than what it could have been."

In the shortened 12-lap AMA Supercross Eastern Lites race, GEICO Honda's Justin Barcia stayed unbeaten in 2012 by holding off Monster Energy Kawasaki's Blake Baggett by a margin of 2.537 seconds. Taking the final podium position was Baggett's teammate, Darryn Durham.

Barcia led from the start but received a challenge for the lead from Baggett in the final laps.

Justin Barcia - GEICO Honda: "That was the most demanding race of my career. It was so gnarly out there. I needed a good start and I got it and just powered through from there. The biggest thanks to my trainer for pushing me to be in shape because it was just brutal conditions. Tonight was all about survival."

Barcia now has a perfect 100 points, 24 ahead of Durham.

The 2012 AMA Supercross Championship will head to Indianapolis next weekend for Round 11 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Fourth place for Musquin and Roczen in difficult Daytona races

Red Bull KTM duo Marvin Musquin and Ken Roczen rode to two solid fourth places on Saturday night in the Daytona SX and SX Lites East competitions in near impossible conditions on a rain soaked track where many riders failed to finish.

It was an impressive performance for the team’s two European riders and particularly for Musquin in only his second competitive ride in the big class on the KTM 350 SX-F. Marvin has been contesting the West Coast Lites this season and despite the difficult track conditions, his fourth was a big step up from his creditable ninth last weekend in St. Louis. He delivered a thrilling performance for the Florida race fans.

Heavy rainfall throughout the day had flooded the course causing mechanical issues and multiple crashes for many riders. Musquin already proved he had the technical skill and physical strength to handle the extreme conditions in order to keep out of trouble when he placed third in the heat race to win a great gate pick for the main event. Worsening track conditions caused the AMA officials to reduce the amount of laps in the main event from 15 to 12 laps.

Musquin came around the first lap in fourth in the main and was closing in on third placed Kevin Windham half way through the race when a small spill cost him the time he had gained. He recovered without losing a position and held on to fourth right through to the flag. His ride and the solid finish of teammate Roczen were important boosts for the team after an announcement on Friday that Ryan Dungey was out with a broken collarbone.

Marvin Musquin: "The conditions were tough but it was so fun. I am really disappointed my teammate, Ryan Dungey, couldn’t be here and I tried to do well for him tonight. It would have been nice to be on the podium but I am really happy to get this close. I want to thank my team and my mechanic for helping to prepare my bike for a race this challenging.”

Dungey remains in second in the series point standings despite not racing the Daytona Supercross. He is now at home healing up from a surgery to plate his collarbone. He plans to return to racing when he is 100% fit, currently estimated to be within the next 4-6 weeks. 

Another strong performance from Roczen
Ken Roczen had earlier put together a solid run under the worse conditions seen this season to finish fourth in the East Coast Lites round. He also did well in the heat despite a crash in the opening lap to finish fourth and easily transfer to the main event. He rounded the first corner of the main in fifth and immediately began to pressure Alex Martin. By the second lap he had moved around Martin and began working on Blake Wharton. Another strong lap saw him triple past Wharton to move into podium position. He remained in third until near the end of the race when he made a small mistake cost him the podium. Many riders failed to finish because of the muddy conditions.

Ken Roczen: "Tonight was the hardest race I have ridden. Everything was wet and slippery. It was so hard to hold on to the grips. It was even hard to not slip off my seat. It was definitely a challenge and I am happy to finish safely.” 

Monster Energy Race Report:

Photo: Simon Cudby


Photo: Simon Cudby
 

Monster Energy's Supercross riders rolled into Daytona Beach on Saturday night, as the Daytona Supercross by Honda invaded the Daytona International Speedway. The grueling conditions and mud-filled track were the night’s big stars, and the entire moto industry did everything they could to prepare for the mudfest that was about to commence. 
 

Photo: Simon Cudby


Photo: Simon Cudby

 

Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto, the current points leader of the Monster Energy Supercross Championship Series, spent the majority of his night fighting the conditions of the track. He suffered from an early-race stumble in the Main, which sent him to the very back of the pack. He quickly remounted, however, and his determination, strength, and skill were brought out in full force, as he charged from dead last to fifth in the span of a shortened 16-lap race. His Monster Energy Kawasaki trolled through some vicious mud bogs and nasty ruts and, despite a finish off the podium, he still holds on to the points lead in the series. 

Photo: Simon Cudby
 

Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Broc Tickle piloted his machine back into top-ten territory in the Supercross Main in Daytona. He rode all the way up to fifth place after a mid-pack start, but moved back a few spots as the track’s conditions proved to get worse as the night wore on. Tickle toughed it out, and definitely earned his commendable top-ten finish.
 

Photo: Simon Cudby


Photo: Simon Cudby


Photo: Simon Cudby
 

Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Blake Baggett completely bounced back from a few off-weekends. After an intense week of working on his starts, he launched himself to an excellent start in his Supercross Lites East heat race, which set him up for a great gate pick in the Main. Again, he jumped off to a great start, and was super fast the entire race. He was quickly catching the leader, and had some killer line choices locked down that propelled him to a mere few second gap from the lead. The treacherous track conditions were against him, though, and he suffered from a slight bobble that sent him back a few more seconds. He quickly fought back and, once again, was within a few seconds of the lead. The shortened 12-lap race proved to be too short for Baggett, however, and he couldn’t quite make the pass in time for the checkered flag. He put on a valiant effort, though, and his confidence should be back in full-force after his redeeming ride in Daytona.
 

Darryn Durham is barely recognizable in the Daytona mud.
Photo: Simon Cudby


Photo: Simon Cudby
 

Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Darryn Durham earned the second podium of his career in Daytona on Saturday night. He did an excellent job of braving the elements and, after getting a mid-pack start, he rode strong and charged all the way up to third. Always one to have fun, he had a great time in the mud and was happy to get back on the box after finishing just off the podium the past two weeks. His solid ride bumps him up to second overall in the Monster Energy Supercross Lites East Championship Series.

 

The Monster Energy crew heads to the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for the next round of Monster Energy Supercross. Monster Energy Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto holds stays in the points lead in the Supercross Class, with 221 points, while teammate, Jake Weimer, is in fifth overall with 134 points. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Blake Baggett is in fifth overall in the Supercross Lites East Region, with 62 points, while teammate Darryn Durham moves up to second overall, with 76 points. Broc Tickle stayes in 13th overall in the Supercross Class, with 82 points.

Supercross Lites East Coast Results - Daytona
1. Justin Barcia
2. Blake Baggett
3. Darryn Durham

Supercross Lites East Coast Series Points
1. Justin Barcia - 100 points
2. Darryn Durham - 76 points
3. Ken Roczen - 75 points
...
5. Blake Baggett - 62 points

Supercross Results - Daytona
1. James Stewart
2. Davi Millsaps
3. Kevin Windham
...
5. Ryan Villopoto
...
7. Jake Weimer
8. Broc Tickle

Supercross Series Points
1. Ryan Villopoto - 221 points
2. Ryan Dungey - 192 points
3. James Stewart - 177 points
...
5. Jake Weimer - 134 points
13. Broc Tickle - 82 points