James Stewart and Blake Baggett win at Hangtown
Sunday 20 May: James Stewart wins in his return to Motocross at the opening round of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship from Hangtown. Baggett captures his second straight Hangtown win in the 250 Class.
A
massive crowd watched the FMF Hangtown Motocross Classic on Saturday
afternoon for the opening round of the 2012 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross
Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. After three seasons away
from the Nationals, Team Yoshimura Suzuki’s James Stewart made a memorable return to action, sweeping the day’s motos
en route to the 450 Class win.
Stewart
grabbed the holeshot in the day’s opening moto, but was forced to
battle with Team Chaparral Honda’s Andrew Short, of Smithville, Texas,
for the lead early. Despite the challenge, Stewart assumed the top spot
prior to the completion of the opening lap and never looked back.
In
Moto 2, Stewart secured another strong start, following MotoConcepts
Suzuki’s Mike Alessi, of Victorville, Calif., out of the gate. Stewart
engaged in a battle with both Alessi and Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey, of
Belle Plaine, Minn., for the first couple laps, but made an impressive
move to pass both riders and take over the lead. Dungey paced Stewart
throughout the moto, but lapped traffic ultimately separated the two,
allowing Stewart to pull away.
"(Today)
went better than I thought,” said Stewart. "I thought I’d come and
struggle a bit, which I did a little. This (season) is one of those
things where you continue to build and we got a good start on it. I’m
just here to enjoy it. I didn’t come to be the fastest; I came to learn
the motorcycle. Everything is new. We’ve got a long way to go. I’ve been
away for a while, but I don’t realize how much I miss it till I’m
gone.”
Stewart
made headlines coming into the season by signing with Yoshimura Suzuki
just two weeks ago, committing to compete in Lucas Oil Motocross. In his
last full-time season of Nationals competition back in 2008, Stewart
claimed the premier class championship by becoming the second rider in
history to compile a perfect season, winning all 24 motos to join Ricky
Carmichael.
450 Class (Moto Finish)
1. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki (1-1)
2. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM (3-2)
3. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki (7-3)
4. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda (5-4)
5. Brett Metcalfe, Mannum, Australia, Suzuki (4-5)
6. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki (6-7)
7. Davi Millsaps, Cairo, Ga., Yamaha (2-14)
8. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki (10-6)
9. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki (9-8)
10. Nico Izzi, Rochester, Mich., Yamaha (11-10)
450 Class Championship Standings
1. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki, 50
2. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 42
3. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki, 34
4. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 34
5. Brett Metcalfe, Mannum, Australia, Suzuki, 34
6. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki, 29
7. Davi Millsaps, Cairo, Ga., Yamaha, 29
8. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki, 26
9. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki, 25
10. Nico Izzi, Rochester, Mich., Yamaha, 21
250 Class:
Monster Energy/Pro
Circuit/Kawasaki’s Blake Baggett, of Grand Terrace, Calif., raced to his
second straight overall victory at Hangtown, winning both motos.
The
250 Class was set to be a showcase of the rising stars of the sport
with one of the most talented and accomplished fields in history.
Baggett took advantage of the opportunity, posting a pair of impressive
rides in the motos.
In
Moto 1, Baggett placed himself into fifth on the opening lap and
proceeded to gradually work his way forward. Out front, Red Bull KTM’s
Ken Roczen, of Germany, and GEICO Honda’s Justin Barcia, of Monroe,
N.Y., provided a compelling battle for the fans, pacing one another and
trading positions throughout the moto. As they battled, Baggett closed
the gap and made a last-lap pass on Roczen for the moto win.
In
Moto 2, Baggett position himself behind early leader Barcia and set
himself up for a definitive pass to seal the win. After a few laps, he
worked past Barcia and pulled away for the remainder of the moto for
another Hangtown victory.
"I
couldn’t expect anything else,” said Baggett. "(Sweeping the motos) is
beyond what I came in expecting to do. I just wanted to be on the box.
Every weekend I don’t want to ask for too much. I want to be in the
points one way or the other with two rounds to go. I couldn’t even tell
you what was going on in the first moto. I honestly was just bouncing
around. I knew in the second moto if I stayed on (Barcia’s) rear wheel I
could make a pass. The opportunity came and I took advantage of it.”
250 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki (1-1)
2. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda (3-2)
3. Ken Roczen, Apolda, Germany, KTM (2-3)
4. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki (6-5)
5. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda (4-10)
6. Martin Davalos, Quito, Ecuador, Suzuki (14-4)
7. Kyle Cunningham, Fort Worth, Texas, Yamaha (9-8)
8. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki (8-9)
9. Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM (5-14)
10. Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda (7-13)
250 Class Championship Standings
1. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki, 50
2. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda, 42
3. Ken Roczen, Apolda, Germany, KTM, 42
4. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki, 31
5. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 29
6. Martin Davalos, Quito, Ecuador, Suzuki, 25
7. Kyle Cunningham, Fort Worth, Texas, Yamaha, 25
8. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki, 25
9. Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM, 23
10. Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 22
Women’s Motocross Championship:
Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing,
Rockstar Energy Racing Suzuki’s Jessica Patterson, of Tallahassee, Fla.,
relied on consistency to take the overall win, grabbing a pair of
runner-up finishes to outlast Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Ashley Fiolek, of
St. Augustine, Fla., in second (1-5) and Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil
Honda’s Tarah Gieger, of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, in third (3-3).
The
2012 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship continues next week, with
round two from Freestone Raceway in Wortham, Texas and the Freestone
National on Saturday, May 26.
WMX Class (Moto Finish)
1. Jessica Patterson, Tallahassee, Fla., Suzuki (2-2)
2. Ashley Fiolek, St. Augustine, Fla., Honda (1-5)
3. Tarah Gieger, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico., Honda (3-3)
4. Meghan Rutledge, New South Wales, Australia, Kawasaki (8-1)
5. Sayaka Kaneshiro, Osaka, Japan, Honda (5-4)
6. Kasie Creson, Vallejo, Calif., Honda (6-6)
7. Mariana Balbi, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Honda (7-8)
8. Sara Pettersson, Sweden, KTM (11-9)
9. Lindsey Palmer, Conifer, Colo., Kawasaki (10-11)
10. Hailey Larson, Green Brae, Calif., Honda (9-13)
WMX Class Standings
1. Jessica Patterson, Tallahassee, Fla., Suzuki, 44
2. Ashley Fiolek, St. Augustine, Fla., Honda, 41
3. Tarah Gieger, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico., Honda, 40
4. Meghan Rutledge, New South Wales, Australia, Kawasaki, 38
5. Sayaka Kaneshiro, Osaka, Japan, Honda, 34
6. Kasie Creson, Vallejo, Calif., Honda, 30
7. Mariana Balbi, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Honda, 27
8. Sara Pettersson, Sweden, KTM, 22
9. Lindsey Palmer, Conifer, Colo., Kawasaki, 21
10. Hailey Larson, Green Brae, Calif., Honda, 20
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