Monster Energy Supercross - Seattle Report
Sunday 21 April: Rookie Barcia wins his second career Main Event and Roczen claims his third Western Regional 250SX Class Championship victory.
53,862 attended Seattle’s CenturyLink Field. Image: Monster Energy
450SX Class Championship
Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, returned to the West Coast for the 15th
race of the season on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 53,862
inside Seattle’s CenturyLink Field. Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Justin
Barcia posted a wire-to-wire performance to win his second career 450SX
Class Main Event.
Barcia raced to the Nuclear Cowboyz Holeshot
Award to begin the 450SX Class Main Event, with MotoConcepts Racing’s
Mike Alessi and Slaton Racing Honda’s Vince Friese in tow. Villopoto
positioned himself in the top five, while a first-turn pileup claimed
both Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey and TwoTwo Motorsports Honda’s Chad
Reed.
Chad Reed raced in his second event
after having minor surgery at the end of March and was on pace for a
good result in the main event. Unfortunately, he was caught up in a
first-turn wreck and was forced to retire early from the race. Image: Monster Energy
Villopoto
wasted little time in moving forward and was in second place by Lap 2,
just a few tenths behind Barcia. Rockstar Energy Racing’s Davi Millsaps
followed Villopoto into third place.
Both
Barcia and Villopoto slowly pulled away from Millsaps as the race
progressed, setting the stage for a battle to the finish. The Seattle
crowd cheered on Villopoto, their hometown rider, but as the duo
encountered lapped riders, Barcia’s lead began to increase.
Barcia
led all 20 laps of the Main Event, mirroring the performance from his
inaugural 450SX Class victory at the second race of the season in
Phoenix.
"I
tell you what, that holeshot is so key,” said Barcia. "We made some
great changes today on the bike. It was a tough track with so many
lines, but there was one main line that was so much better than any
other. I’ve been waiting for this since Phoenix.”
Villopoto’s runner-up finish extended his podium streak to nine races, during which he has finished either first or second.
"I
didn’t get the start I wanted, so to come out the way I did and salvage
that was awesome,” said Villopoto. "I rode 20 solid laps but Justin
[Barcia] was on it. I just really couldn’t do anything with him. The way
it turned out tonight was pretty good for what we were up against [at
the start].”
Millsaps finished third for his 10th
podium finish of the season, and moved into second in the championship
standings. Dungey overcame the incident on the opening lap to finish
fourth after starting in 18th position.
Villopoto
holds a 25-point lead over Millsaps in the 450SX Class standings and
can clinch his third straight Monster Energy Supercross title if he
maintains that advantage following next weekend’s 16th race of the season.
450SX Class Results: Seattle
- Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda
- Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
- Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
- Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki
- Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki
- Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki
- Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Yamaha
- Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM
- Phillip Nicoletti, Bethel, N.Y., Yamaha
450SX Class Season Standings
- Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 321
- Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki, 296
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 295
- Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda, 245
- Chad Reed, Australia, Honda, 213
- Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda, 202
- Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM, 189
- James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki, 174
- Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Yamaha, 162
- Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki, 155

Ryan Villopoto still leads by 25 points. Image: Monster Energy
250SX
Class Western Regional
Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen captured his third 250SX
Class victory in four races in the Western Regional Championship’s
return to competition.
In
the first Western Regional 250SX Class Championship Main Event since
the sixth race of the season in February, GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac
grabbed the Nuclear Cowboyz Holeshot
Award and quickly pulled away from the field. Behind him, Rockstar
Energy Racing’s Ryan Sipes and Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil Honda’s
Christian Craig assumed second and third, respectively. Roczen
positioned himself in fourth, but moved into a podium spot prior to the
conclusion of the opening lap.
With
his championship rival behind him, Tomac opened a multiple-second
margin as Roczen methodically moved past Craig into second on Lap 2. For
several laps, the pair maintained their distance from one another until
Tomac came up short on a jump on Lap 9 and was thrown off his
motorcycle. Roczen assumed the lead, but Tomac was able to remount in
second.
Roczen
pulled away for the remainder of the 15-lap Main Event to extend his
lead in the point standings. He has finished first or second in each of
the seven Western Regional 250SX Class Championship races this season.
"It’s
good to bounce back from a bad Heat Race with good start,” said Roczen,
who crashed twice in his Heat Race. "I just put my head down and rode
smart. The track was really technical out there, with a lot of ruts. It
feels good to get a win after such a long break; it’s tough to get in a
groove after so much time off, but I’m so happy I was able to walk away
with this one.”
Despite
his misfortune, Tomac still finished second, but faces a significant
deficit in the championship with only two races remaining.
"The
track was getting tough in the Main Event,” said Tomac, who still has
the most wins in the class with four. "I got a good start and started
pulling away, but then I made a big mistake. It’s kind of a bummer, but
that’s racing. I was lucky enough to be able to get up in second and
still finish on the podium.”
GEICO Honda’s Zach Osborne secured his first podium finish of the season in third.
Roczen carries a 20-point advantage over Tomac into next weekend’s eighth race of Ken Roczen. KTM image the Western Regional 250SX Class Championship.
Western Regional 250SX Class Results: Seattle
- Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda
- Zach Osborne, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Honda
- Cole Seely, Murrieta, Calif., Honda
- Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki
- Austin Politelli, Menifee, Calif., Honda
- Ryan Sipes, Ekron, Ky., Suzuki
- Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., KTM
- Martin Davalos, Ecuador, Kawasaki
- Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki
Western Regional 250SX Class Points
- Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM, 163
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 143
- Cole Seely, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 113
- Zach Osborne, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Honda, 102
- Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki, 99
- Martin Davalos, Ecuador, Kawasaki, 94
- Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha, 86
- Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., KTM, 75
- Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki, 74
- Austin Politelli, Menifee, Calif., Honda, 72
Rattray put together his best result
of the season with a fifth-place finish in Seattle. After a solid heat
race, he was able to get a decent start and finish strong. Image: Monster Energy
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