Lake Elsinore - Race Report
Monday 10 September: Baggett and Fiolek emerge as Champions at Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship finale from Lake Elsinore. Dungey closes out season with 10 straight wins. Copy and images courtesy of Brandon Short for MX Sports Pro Racing.
The 2012 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship,
sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, came to an exciting conclusion on Saturday
with its return to Southern California. After 12 weekends of
competition spanning all over the country, the inaugural round from Lake
Elsinore Motorsports Park served as a fitting season finale, crowing a
pair of National Champions at day's end.
While
Red Bull KTM's Ryan Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., closed out the
season with his 10th consecutive victory in the 450 Class, Monster
Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Blake Baggett, of Grand Terrace, Calif.,
took center stage by winning his fifth 250 Class race of the season and
securing his first career professional title. In the Women's Motocross
Championship, Team Honda Muscle Milk's Ashley Fiolek, of St. Augustine,
Fla., overcame a five-point deficit coming into the weekend to claim her
fourth title in five years.
450 Class:
Dungey dominated yet again on Saturday.
(Courtesy Simon Cudby)
With a track that had never been raced on prior to Saturday, there was
an even playing field for the riders as the gate dropped on the first
450 Class moto. As the competitors rounded the first turn, MotoConcepts
Suzuki's Mike Alessi, of Victorville, Calif., grabbed the holeshot and
proceeded to open up an early lead. Dungey slotted himself in third, but
made quick work of Monster Energy Kawasaki's Tyla Rattray, of South
Africa, to set his sights on the lead.
Dungey
chipped away at Alessi's advantage lap-by-lap, and began to pressure
the Suzuki rider halfway through the moto. On Lap 6, Dungey made his
move and took over the lead, quickly pulling away to a comfortable
margin and winning the moto by over 14 seconds.
In
Moto 2, Alessi once again put himself out front with the holeshot,
while Dungey found himself in a battle with Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil
Honda's Christian Craig, of El Cajon, Calif., for several laps.
Eventually, Dungey moved into second, putting he and Alessi in virtually
the same situation as the previous moto. On Lap 7, Dungey made his move
again, but this time Alessi's defense of the position resulted in a
pass back for the lead, only to surrender the spot for good just moments
later.
Dungey's
victory came on the heels of his eighth moto sweep of the season. He
also equaled his win total from 2010, when he captured his first 450
Class title as a rookie. In just 36 career starts in the premier
division, Dungey has captured 24 wins, leaving him three shy of second
all time in the 450 Class.
"It
feels great," said Dungey. "I've said it a lot, but (the team) had a
lot to figure out. I felt like we made improvements at the middle of the
season and to keep winning since round three is awesome to finish off
on a strong note like this. I've had a lot of fun his season. All the
success we've had is because of the effort of everyone at KTM."
Alessi
capped off his impressive 2012 season with his ninth podium finish of
the summer in second (2-2), while Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's
Broc Tickle, of Holly, Mich., finished third (3-3).
450 Class (Moto Finish)
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM (1-1)
- Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki (2-2)
- Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki (3-3)
- Tyla Rattray, Durban, South Africa, Kawasaki (4-4)
- Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki (5-9)
- Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Honda (12-5)
- Christian Craig, El Cajon, Calif., Honda (7-10)
- Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda (8-13)
- Ben LaMay, Wasilla, Alaska, Yamaha (10-12)
- Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Suzuki (13-11)
450 Class Championship Standings
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 580
- Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki, 453
- Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki, 355
- Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 354
- Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki, 349
- Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki, 277
- Justin Brayton, Ft. Dodge, Iowa, Honda, 247
- Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Kawasaki, 211
- Davi Millsaps, Cairo, Ga., Yamaha, 176
- Tyla Rattray, Durban, South Africa, Kawasaki, 172
250 Class:
Baggett's big day was also a historic one for Pro Circuit.
(Courtesy Simon Cudby)
Following
a summer full of parity, four riders entered Lake Elsinore with a
chance to claim the 250 Class title. GEICO Honda's Justin Barcia, of
Monroe, N.Y., was one of those contenders, and he looked to make a
statement by leading the early portion of the opening moto. However,
Baggett wouldn't be denied, putting the pressure on his rivals by racing
to the front of the field and taking a convincing win.
In
Moto 2, Barcia once again put himself in position to win following a
strong start, while Baggett needed to work his way forward from a
mid-pack start. Once in the lead, Barcia quickly opened a multi-second
gap over the field, which he would carry through to the finish. As he
pulled away, Baggett went to work, clawing his way from 11th place to
second in a matter of six laps. A quick fall forced Baggett to drop a
couple spots, but he made up the lost ground and asserted himself in
second place for the remainder of the moto, needing just a runner-up
effort to secure the overall victory and the title.
In
the end Baggett, who mathematically needed to finish in 13th or better
in the final moto, walked away with the championship, the 10th for his
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team. The win was also Pro Circuit's
100th Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship victory.
"I
came out swinging today," said Baggett. "I knew I would either go to
the front, or it would all go down the drain. The first moto was crazy
battling with Justin (Barcia) and Eli (Tomac). In the second moto, I got
a horrible start and I don't even know, I couldn't even see. I just
needed to get to the front and finish as good as I could, so I did. I
really wanted to make a push at the end just to show that I was still
giving it all I had."
Barcia
finished second (3-1), while Red Bull KTM's Marvin Musquin, of France,
grabbed the final spot on the podium in third (4-3). GEICO Honda's Eli
Tomac, of Cortez, Colo., who entered the afternoon only 14 points behind
Baggett, experienced misfortune in the final moto to finish seventh
overall (2-14).
250 Class (Moto Finish)
- Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki (1-2)
- Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda (3-1)
- Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM (4-3)
- Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda (5-4)
- Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., KTM (7-6)
- Ken Roczen, Apolda, Germany, KTM (6-7)
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda (2-14)
- Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Suzuki (8-8)
- Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha (10-10)
- Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda (9-13)
250 Class Championship Standings
- Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki, 519
- Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda, 499
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 487
- Ken Roczen, Apolda, Germany, KTM, 456
- Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM, 406
- Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 316
- Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Suzuki, 265
- Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M, Suzuki, 238
- Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda, 225
- Travis Baker, Temecula, Calif., Honda, 193
Women's Motocross Championship:
Fiolek (1) overcame a five-point deficit to win her fourth championship.
(Courtesy Simon Cudby)
The
final round of the eight-race Women's Motocross Championship saw only
10 points separating the top three riders in the standings. However, it
was a relative unknown who stole the spotlight as Italian rider Chiara
Fontanesi dominated in a guest appearance aboard her Yamaha/Monster
Energy machine. Fontanesi, the recently-crowned Women's World Motocross
Champion, swept the day's motos, while Fiolek capitalized on a
consistent finishes. In the end, Fiolek surpassed Rockstar Energy Racing
Suzuki's Jessica Patterson, of Tallahassee, Fla., in the points to
successfully defend her title, despite missing a round of competition
earlier in the season due to injury. MotoConcepts Honda's Mariana Balbi,
of Brazil, finished second overall (3-2), while Fiolek finished third
(2-3).
Fontanesi's American debut couldn't have been more impressive.
(Courtesy Simon Cudby)
WMX Class (Moto Finish)
- Chiara Fontanesi, Parma, Italy, Yamaha (1-1)
- Mariana Balbi, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Honda (3-2)
- Ashley Fiolek, St. Augustine, Fla., Honda (2-3)
- Tarah Gieger, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico., Honda (5-5)
- Taylor Higgins, Mesquite, Texas, Honda (8-4)
- Jacqueline Strong, Sedona, Ariz., KTM (6-6)
- Alexah Pearson, Sacramento, Calif., KTM (9-7)
- Lindsey Palmer, Conifer, Colo., Kawasaki (12-8)
- Sade Allender, Sanford, Maine, Honda (11-9)
- Hailey Larson, Mill Valley, Calif., Honda (10-10)
WMX Class Standings
- Ashley Fiolek, St. Augustine, Fla., Honda, 317
- Tarah Gieger, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico., Honda, 302
- Jessica Patterson, Tallahassee, Fla., Suzuki, 298
- Mariana Balbi, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Honda, 269
- Jacqueline Strong, Sedona, Ariz., KTM, 236
- Sara Pettersson, Sweden, KTM, 223
- Alexah Pearson, Sacramento, Calif., KTM, 175
- Kasie Creson, Vallejo, Calif., Honda, 174
- Sade Allender, Sanford, Maine, Honda, 170
- Amanda Brown, Baltimore, Md., Honda, 142
|