Ryan Villopoto, Eli Tomac sweep the Built Ford Tough Unadilla National
Sunday 11 August: New York's legendary Unadilla MX hosts Round 10 of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross
From Jen Kenyon for MX Sports
The 2013 Lucas Oil
Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, descended upon
central New York's historic Unadilla MX
on Saturday
for the annual Built Ford Tough Unadilla National. New Berlin's scenic
property hosted the tenth round of the 13-race championship, marking the
series' final stop on the East coast before heading west for the last
two rounds of competition.
Monster Energy
Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto took another step toward capturing the 450
Class Championship after sweeping both motos at Unadilla. It was a
flawless day for Villopoto, beginning with his impressive performance in
the morning's timed qualifying session where he laid down the fastest
lap time in the 450 Class.
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Ryan Villopoto (2) secured both holeshots en route to a 1-1 sweep in the 450 Class
Courtesy: Simon Cudby
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From
there, Villopoto captured the Motorcycle Superstore Holeshot in Moto 1
of the 450 Class to grab an early lead over Red Bull KTM's Ryan Dungey.
Dungey was accompanied in the early laps by BTO Sports.com/KTM's Andrew
Short and N-FAB/TiLube Yamaha's Bobby Kiniry. Kiniry soon ran into
issues that forced the New York native to pull off in Moto 1, while
Short eventually dropped outside the top five.
Team Honda Muscle Milk's
Justin Barcia and Trey Canard joined Yoshimura Suzuki's James Stewart
in moving through the pack early on as the trio quickly caught up to
Dungey in the second place position. Canard encountered a mechanical
issue that removed him from the battle, allowing his teammate Barcia to
move into fourth. Stewart pressured Dungey for the second place position
in Moto 1 but the reigning 450 Class Champion held strong to finish 20
seconds behind Villopoto.
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Justin Barcia (51) put forth an impressive ride in front of his native New York fans
Courtesy: Simon Cudby
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Villopoto's success continued in Moto 2, where he grabbed his second
consecutive Motorcycle Superstore Holeshot to gain an early lead on the
field. Barcia also put himself in a favorable position off the start as
he matched Villopoto's early pace while running second. Monster Energy
Kawasaki's Jake Weimer got through the first turn just in time to clear
himself of the carnage that set Canard, Mike Alessi, Stewart and several
others considerably behind on the opening lap.
Dungey began the second
moto mid-pack but quickly worked his way up to the third place battle
between Toyota/JGR/Yamaha's Josh Grant and Weimer. Weimer and Dungey
made their way around Grant before engaging in a battle of their own.
Heading into the final lap of Moto 2, Dungey applied the pressure to
Weimer and despite a hard charge by Dungey in the final corners; Weimer
came away with third place in the moto.
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450 Class podium: (left) Justin Barcia, Ryan Villopoto, (right) Justin Barcia
Courtesy: Simon Cudby
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Villopoto's 1-1 score put the 450 Class points leader atop the podium
for the sixth time this season for a total of 14 moto wins through the
first ten rounds. New York native Justin Barcia produced a 4-2 moto
score to capture second overall in his home state, while Dungey rounded
out the podium with 2-4 finishes.
"The highlight of the
day was definitely getting two holeshots and to be able to get two clean
starts out front," Villopoto said. "I really enjoyed the track. It has a
lot of line choices and it's honestly becoming one of my favorite
tracks because you can go fast and take completely different lines than
other people."
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Eli Tomac (17) has been on a roll in the 250 Class, leaving New York with the red plate
Courtesy: Simon Cudby
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In the 250 Class, GEICO Honda's Eli Tomac put forth a flawless
performance in New York to capture his fifth overall win of the season.
Tomac wasn't able to secure a good start in Moto 1 but his GEICO Honda
teammate Wil Hahn captured the Motorcycle Superstore Holeshot and the
early lead over MYPLASH/Metal Mulisha/Star Racing/Yamaha's Jeremy
Martin. Martin then moved into the lead, leaving Hahn to battle with Red
Bull KTM's Ken Roczen in the second place position. Tomac proved to be
unstoppable as he took over the lead and claimed the Moto 1 victory.
Jeremy Martin maintained second and GEICO Honda's Zach Osborne claimed a
last minute third place finish.
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Eli Tomac (17) and Ken Roczen (94) produced an exciting battle for the Moto 2 win
Courtesy: Simon Cudby
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In Moto 2, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Martin Davalos captured
his first Motorcycle Superstore Holeshot of the season but it was Red
Bull KTM's Roczen who commanded the early lead. Jeremy Martin, GEICO
Honda's Justin Bogle and Davalos rode close in tow behind Roczen, while
Tomac was forced to come from behind once again in Moto 2. However,
Tomac quickly set his sights on the front as he challenged Roczen for
the lead. After a hard fought battle in the final laps of Moto 2, Tomac
emerged victorious to carry a 1-1 sweep at Unadilla.
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250 Class podium: (left) Jeremy Martin, Eli Tomac, (right) Ken Roczen
Courtesy: Simon Cudby
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Jeremy Martin held strong for third place in Moto 2, securing a
career-best finish of second overall. Roczen bounced back from a fifth
place finish in Moto 1, where a second place Moto 2 finish earned the
previous points leader third overall for the day. With two rounds
remaining, Tomac leads Roczen by 39 points in the 250 Class
Championship.
Round 11 of the Lucas
Oil Pro Motocross Championship heads to Toole, Utah for the Built Ford
Tough Utah National on Saturday, August 24.
For tickets and
additional information, please visit AlliSports.com/motocross and LIKE
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Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship news.
Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship
Built Ford Tough Unadilla National
Unadilla Valley Motorsports - New Berlin, N.Y. Round 10 of 12
450 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki (1-1)
2. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda (4-2)
3. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM (2-4)
4. Jake Weimer, Twin Falls, Idaho, Kawasaki (9-3)
5. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha (5-5)
6. Andrew Short, Colorado Springs, Colo., KTM (6-7)
7. Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Kawasaki (10-6)
8. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki (8-8)
9. Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Yamaha (7-13)
10. Phil Nicoletti, Cohocton, N.Y., Yamaha (13-9)
450 Class Championship Standings
1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 463
2. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 419
3. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda, 347
4. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki, 289
5. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda, 263
6. Andrew Short, Colorado Springs, Colo., KTM, 220
7. Jake Weimer, Twin Falls, Idaho, Kawasaki, 216
8. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki, 209
9. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha, 208
10. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki, 204
250 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda (1-1)
2. Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha (2-3)
3. Ken Roczen, Apolda, Germany, KTM (5-2)
4. Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Honda (3-6)
5. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki (4-5)
6. Justin Bogle, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki (10-4)
7. Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda (6-8)
8. Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM (8-9)
9. Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda (9-10)
10. Martin Davalos, Ecuador, Kawasaki (13-7)
250 Class Championship Standings
1. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 455
2. Ken Roczen, Apolda, Germany, KTM, 416
3. Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM, 359
4. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki, 329
5. Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Honda, 296
6. Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha, 249
7. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki, 248
8. Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Honda, 238
9. Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha, 204
10. Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda, 192