Monster Energy Supercross Results: Anaheim II
Sunday 20 January: Reigning Monster Energy Champion Ryan Villopoto claims first win of 2013 Season in Anaheim and Eli Tomac stays perfect in Western Regional 250SX Class.
The 2013 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World
Championship, made its return visit to Anaheim on Saturday night,
US time, hosting its 59th race inside Angel Stadium in front of a crowd of 37,789 fans.
450SX Class
After a 16th-place
finish to start the season and a runner-up effort a week ago, Monster
Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto, of Poulsbo, Wash., emerged victorious
for the first time this season.
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer, of Rupert, Idaho, earned the Nuclear Cowboyz®
Holeshot Award to start the 20-lap 450SX Class Main Event, with Team
Honda Muscle Milk teammates Justin Barcia, of Ochlocknee, Ga., and Trey
Canard, of Shawnee, Okla., in tow. Villopoto came out of the first
corner in sixth but quickly began to make his move forward.
After
slipping past Barcia, Canard passed Weimer for the lead on the first
lap and opened a small gap. Barcia asserted himself in second, but came
up short off a triple, ultimately failing to finish the race. The
misfortune allowed Rockstar Energy Racing’s Davi Millsaps, of Murrieta,
Calif., and Villopoto to take over second and third, respectively. On
Lap 4, Villopoto made the pass on Millsaps, the current championship
points leader, for second and set his sights on Canard.
After
quickly erasing his deficit, Villopoto positioned himself to make a
pass for the lead and made an aggressive move on Canard on Lap 5 just
before the finish line. Once out front, Villopoto logged fast,
consistent laps to open up a healthy lead and win by nearly seven
seconds.
"The
season didn’t start like we wanted it to,” said Villopoto, who ended a
five-race winless streak – tying for the longest he’s had since
capturing his first career win during the 2009 season. "I had a decent
race in Phoenix and the team made good changes to the bike this week.
We’ve finally got the ball going in the right direction and are digging
ourselves out of the hole. Once I got into the lead, I was just trying
to click of the laps and keep it consistent. The track was really
slippery tonight, but I still tried to keep the pace up.”
Canard
held on for his second runner-up finish this season, while Millsaps and
TwoTwo Motorsports Honda’s Chad Reed, of Australia, engaged in a
captivating battle for third. A tip-over by Millsaps ultimately handed
Reed his first podium result of the season, but Millsaps still maintains
possession of the points lead after finishing fourth.
Millsaps
holds a three-point lead over Canard in the 450SX Class standings, with
Reed an additional four points back in third. Villopoto’s win helped
move him into fourth, 11 points from the lead.
450SX Class Results: Anaheim
1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
2. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda
3. Chad Reed, Australia, Honda
4. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki
5. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki
6. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
7. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda
8. Justin Brayton, Cornelius, N.C., Yamaha
9. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Fla., KTM
10. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha
450SX Class Points
1. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki – 63
2. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda – 60
3. Chad Reed, Australia, Honda – 56
4. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki – 52
5. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM – 48
6. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki – 47
7. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda – 41
8. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda – 40
9. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki – 36
10. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha – 32
Western Regional 250SX Class
In the Western Regional 250SX Class,
GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac, of Cortez, Colo., raced to his third
consecutive victory to remain undefeated to start the season.
As
the gate dropped on the Western Regional 250SX Class Main Event, Troy
Lee Designs/Lucas Oil Honda’s Cole Seely, of Newbury Park, Calif.,
grabbed the Nuclear Cowboyz Holeshot Award just ahead of Red Bull KTM’s
Ken Roczen, of Germany. Behind the duo, Valli Motorsports Yamaha’s
Travis Baker, of Temecula, Calif., and Tomac battled for the third spot.
Seely
set a strong pace to start the 15-lap Main Event, but Roczen and Tomac
stayed within striking distance, allowing the trio to open up a
significant gap over the field. On Lap 8, Roczen attempted to make a
pass on Seely for the lead, but it allowed Tomac to take over the
position and set his sights on the top spot. Just two laps later after
closing to within a fender, Tomac made an impressive outside pass on
Seely to move into the lead and carried it through to the finish for his
10th career win.
"I
definitely started off slower [today],” commented Tomac, who has been
under the weather. "I was good in one practice and struggled in the
other, so it definitely made the race matter that much for the [win]. It
was a great battle out there. The track was tough, so I had to keep my
feet tight and the bike under control. From now on I just need to keep
it on the podium.”
Roczen made a late pass to finish second, while Seely rounded out on the podium in third.
Tomac’s
lead now stands at nine points over Roczen, who has finished second in
all three races this season. Seely has possession of third, 17 points
out of the lead.
Monster Energy Supercross will continue next Saturday night, January 26, at O.co Coliseum in Oakland, Calif.
Western Regional 250SX Class Results: Anaheim
1. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda
2. Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM
3. Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda
4. Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda
5. Jake Canada, Sun City, Calif., Honda
6. Christian Craig, Wildomar, Calif., Honda
7. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki
8. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki
9. Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha
10. Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda
Western Regional 250SX Class Points
1. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda – 75
2. Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM – 66
3. Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda – 58
4. Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda – 47
5. Christian Craig, Wildomar, Calif., Honda – 35
6. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki – 35
7. Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha – 35
8. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki – 32
9. Ryan Sipes, Ekron, Ky., Suzuki – 31
10. Martin Davalos, Ecuador, Kawasaki – 30