Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship: Southwick
Monday 13 August: Moto-X 338 National - Southwick Mass - Round 9 of 12. Dungey makes a pit-stop to secure his seventh straight Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Victory of the season in Southwick. Baggett returns to top of 250 Class podium with fourth win.
450 Class: The
Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing,
made its annual stop in New England on Saturday, hosting the ninth round
of the season from Moto-X 338. Red Bull KTM's Ryan Dungey, of Belle
Plaine, Minn., continued his dominance in the 450 Class, capturing his
seventh consecutive win, but needed a pit stop in order to do so.
MotoConcepts Suzuki's Mike Alessi, of Victorville, Calif., grabbed the
holeshot in the opening 450 Class moto, while Dungey quickly worked his
way forward from a third-place start. The points leader paced his main
championship rival for five laps before making a pass for the lead and
pulling away for the moto win.
In
Moto 2, Dungey once again found himself slotted behind Alessi, who
captured the holeshot. This time, Dungey wasted no time taking over the
top spot, crossing the line at the front of the field at the conclusion
of the opening lap. After opening up a multi-second lead, Dungey tipped
over on Lap 6, losing the lead to Alessi.
Just
two laps later, Dungey passed Alessi again and eventually extended his
advantage to over 10 seconds. Over the course of those laps, Dungey's
KTM team became aware that fuel had spilled from his gas tank in the
earlier fall and for fear of running empty, determined Dungey would need
to pull into the mechanic's area to replenish the tank.
On
Lap 13, Dungey pulled off the track to receive fuel, holding a
13-second advantage. After a quick exchange, he was back running, but
had fallen to second behind Monster Energy Kawasaki's Tyla Rattray, of
South Africa, who passed Alessi just one lap prior. Dungey stayed close
to Rattray for the final four laps, but was unable to pass him for the
moto win. Nevertheless, by virtue of his 1-2 finish, Dungey claimed the
overall win.
"I
got a little bit of a lead and felt like I was in a groove," explained
Dungey. "Coming to the finish, my rear stepped to the right, hooked the
jump, and made me cross rut. I tried to save it, but it took me right
down. When I fell, I think I kicked the gas cap off. I got back into the
lead, but I kept worrying if I had enough left.
"The
TV footage allowed our guys to see what happened, which helped them
decide to bring me in, which worked out because I wouldn't have made
another lap. I tried to catch (Tyla Rattray), but he's a great sand
rider. I'm bummed I made a mistake, but given the situation, things
couldn't have worked out better."
Alessi's
2-3 finishes landed him second overall, while Monster Energy/Pro
Circuit/Kawasaki's Broc Tickle finished third (6-4) for his second
career podium result.
Dungey's
lead in the 450 Class standings now sits at 85 points over Alessi,
giving him the potential to capture the title at the next round.
450 Class (Moto Finish)
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM (1-2)
- Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki (2-3)
- Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki (6-4)
- Davi Millsaps, Cairo, Ga., Yamaha (7-6)
- Tyla Rattray, Durban, South Africa, Kawasaki (20-1)
- Mike Brown, Johnson City, Tenn., KTM (9-7)
- Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki (8-8)
- Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda (5-11)
- Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Kawasaki (11-9)
- Tommy Hahn, Great Bend, Kan., Honda (3-35)
450 Class Championship Standings
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 430
- Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki, 345
- Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki, 290
- Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 273
- Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki, 253
- Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki, 195
- Justin Brayton, Ft. Dodge, Iowa, Honda, 185
- Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Kawasaki, 159
- James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki, 151
- Brett Metcalfe, Mannum, Australia, Suzuki, 142
250 Class: Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Blake Baggett, of
Grand Terrace, Calif., raced to his fourth victory of the summer,
extending his lead in the championship.
In
the 250 Class, GEICO Honda's Zach Bell, of Cairo, Ga., turned heads in
his professional debut by grabbing the opening moto holeshot and pulling
away for an early lead. The 17-year-old rider paced the field for five
laps before yielding to his teammate Eli Tomac, of Cortez, Colo., on Lap
6. Bell crashed moments later, while Tomac never looked back, winning
by over 12 seconds.
In
Moto 2, Red Bull KTM's Ken Roczen, of Germany, made quick work of early
leader, and Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil Honda rider, Jessy Nelson, of
Paso Robles, Calif., and asserted himself out front. Behind him, Baggett
positioned himself into second and began his pursuit of the lead,
setting the stage for a moto-long battle between the familiar foes.
After
leading for nearly the entire moto, Roczen came under fire from Baggett
on Lap 15, with the Kawasaki rider making a tough pass, only to be
passed again by Roczen just a few turns later. Then Tomac, who had
fallen earlier in the race, caught the lead duo and made a quick pass on
Baggett, only to crash in the next turn and fall back to third. On the
following lap, Baggett made another move on Roczen, making the pass
stick and carrying it through to the finish, tying Tomac in points for
the day, but securing the second-moto tiebreaker (3-1).
"I
got a good start in the second moto and rode the best I could," said
Baggett. "I made a mistake early, but I dug as deep as I could and made
it happen. Ken and I went after each other, but we kept it clean. I
really enjoyed racing with him."
Tomac finished second (1-3), while Roczen rounded out the podium in third (4-2).
Baggett's lead in the championship now sits at 24 points over GEICO Honda's Justin Barcia, of Monroe, N.Y.
250 Class (Moto Finish)
- Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki (3-1)
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda (1-3)
- Ken Roczen, Apolda, Germany, KTM (4-2)
- Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM (2-5)
- Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda (7-4)
- Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., KTM (6-7)
- Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Honda (8-6)
- Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda (5-11)
- Travis Baker, Temecula, Calif., Honda (10-10)
- Ryan Sipes, Vine Grove, Ky., Yamaha (12-12)
250 Class Championship Standings
- Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki, 400
- Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda, 376
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 368
- Ken Roczen, Apolda, Germany, KTM, 345
- Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM, 294
- Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 230
- Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Suzuki, 197
- Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M, Suzuki, 181
- Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda, 170
- Travis Baker, Temecula, Calif., Honda, 156
The
Women's Motocross Championship: It's tyhe penultimate round. Reigning champion Ashley Fiolek, of St. Augustine, Fla.,
captured her third consecutive victory (1-1) aboard her Team Honda
Muscle Milk machine, setting the stage for a dramatic final round battle
for the championship. Rockstar Energy Racing Suzuki's Jessica
Patterson, of Tallahassee, Fla., finished second (2-2), while Munn
Racing KTM's Sara Pettersson, of Sweden, finished third (4-4).
Currently,
only 10 points separate the top three riders in the standings, with
Patterson holding a five-point lead over Fiolek. Troy Lee Designs/Lucas
Oil Honda's Tarah Gieger, of Puerto Rico, sits an additional five points
behind in third.
The
2012 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship travels to New Berlin, N.Y.,
next weekend for the 10th round of the season. The Red Bull Unadilla
National commences next Saturday, August 18, beginning at 1 p.m.
Eastern.
WMX Class (Moto Finish)
- Ashley Fiolek, St. Augustine, Fla., Honda (1-1)
- Jessica Patterson, Tallahassee, Fla., Suzuki (2-2)
- Sara Pettersson, Sweden, KTM (4-4)
- Tarah Gieger, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico., Honda (3-5)
- Mariana Balbi, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Honda (7-3)
- Sade Allender, Sanford, Maine, Honda (6-6)
- Jacqueline Strong, Sedona, Ariz., KTM (5-7)
- Sarah Whitmore, Cheboygan, Mich., KTM (8-8)
- Christina Older, Harner, S.C., KTM (10-9)
- Alexah Pearson, Sacramento, Calif., KTM (9-11)
WMX Class Standings
- Jessica Patterson, Tallahassee, Fla., Suzuki, 280
- Ashley Fiolek, St. Augustine, Fla., Honda, 275
- Tarah Gieger, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico., Honda, 270
- Mariana Balbi, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Honda, 227
- Sara Pettersson, Sweden, KTM, 209
- Jacqueline Strong, Sedona, Ariz., KTM, 206
- Kasie Creson, Vallejo, Calif., Honda, 174
- Alexah Pearson, Sacramento, Calif., KTM, 149
- Sade Allender, Sanford, Maine, Honda, 148
- Sayaka Kaneshiro, Osaka, Japan, Honda, 137
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