Round 3 of AMA Supercross at Dodger Stadium this Saturday.

Courtesy of Denny Hartwig for Feld Motor Sports®, Inc.

The process of converting the legendary baseball stadium into a Monster Energy Supercross track is well underway for the third stop of the 2011 schedule.

Media day is Thursday from Noon - 2:00pm inside the stadium club at Dodger Stadium, featuring the Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki, TwoTwo Motorsports, American Honda and the JGR Yamaha teams. Riders will be available for interviews and will ride the track for the media.

"This marks a historic time not only for Monster Energy Supercross, but Dodger Stadium as well,” said Todd Jendro, Senior Director of two-wheel operations, Feld Motor Sports. "This venue has a historic past and will now welcome 150 of the best riders on the planet. We feel that given the iconic image of Dodger Baseball and Dodger Stadium that it is the perfect fit to host an event of this caliber.”

San Manuel Yamaha's James Stewart claimed his first win last weekend and heads into Dodger Stadium two points behind leader Ryan Villopoto. Photo Credit: Hoppenworld.com

Never before in the 48-year history of Dodger Stadium has an event of such a unique nature and logistic complexity been held at Chavez Ravine. Known for being the home of one of the most prominent Major League Baseball franchises of all time, 550 truckloads of dirt will sit on the Dodger Stadium floor for the first time ever, signifying a new era for the venue.

"I'm very excited for this,” said Michael Young, chief revenue officer for the Los Angeles Dodgers. "I'm excited to expose this venue to millions of supercross fans across the world that have never had the opportunity to come to Dodger Stadium and hopefully convert them into baseball fans. This is an amazing sport and the growth of supercross is staggering, particularly in a time when many sports are shrinking.”

Last weekend at Phoenix's Chase Field, San Manuel Yamaha's James Stewart earned his first Supercross class main event win of the year, leading from wire-to-wire. Week one winner, Ryan Villopoto, finished second and Supercross class rookie and American Honda rider Trey Canard, of Shawnee, Okla., finished third.

"I really wanted to pull that holeshot,” said Stewart. "This track was tough tonight but I haven't won in over a year so I really wanted this one. I was even a little nervous out there but I want to thank everyone on my team for giving me such an awesome bike. This feels great.”

On Lap 9, Villopoto, who was mere bike lengths behind Stewart, fell but was able to remount in seconds and carry it to the finish.

"That section has been tough all night,” said Villopoto. "(All the riders) were pushing the limit on it and it got me. I was pushing James (Stewart) and waiting for a mistake, but I ended up being the one (to make one). I still was able to do what I came here to do and leave with some valuable points. Now it's on to Dodger Stadium.”

Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Josh Hansen extended his winning streak to two last weekend and sits atop the points standing with a six point lead heading into Dodger Stadium this Saturday for the third race of the championship. Photo Credit: Hoppenworld.com

In the Supercross Lites class, it was another strong night for Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki. Broc Tickle, of Holly, Mich., raced to the holeshot with Rockstar Energy Suzuki's Ryan Morais, of Murrieta, Calif., and his teammate Hansen, of Elbert, Colo., in tow. Tickle led for seven laps, but made a costly mistake by tipping the bike over in a turn. Hansen, who had moved into second at the time, took advantage of it and never looked back. Tickle remounted in third, but battled back for his second runner-up effort of the season with Morais rounding out the podium in third.

"I'm really stoked,” exclaimed Hansen. "I didn't get the start I needed to, but I tried my best to be patient and it worked out for me. I want to thank everyone on my team for helping me out and giving me a good bike and all these fans (in Phoenix) for coming out tonight.”

Supercross Class Results: Phoenix
1. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha
2. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
3. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda
4. Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Honda
5. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki
6. Justin Brayton, Cornelius, N.C, Yamaha
7. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM
8. Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki
9. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Yamaha
10. Kyle Regal, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha

Supercross Class Season Standings
1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki – 47
2. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha – 45
3. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda – 38
4. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki – 38
5. Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Honda – 34
6. Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki – 26
7. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM – 25
8. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Yamaha – 22
9. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki – 21
10. Justin Brayton, Cornelius, N.C, Yamaha – 20

Supercross Lites Class Western Regional Results: Phoenix
1. Josh Hansen, Elbert, Colo., Kawasaki
2. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki
3. Ryan Morais, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki
4. Cole Seely, Corona, Calif., Honda
5. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda
6. Tyla Rattray, Wildomar, Calif., Kawasaki
7. Jimmy Decotis, Peabody, Mass., Honda
8. Travis Baker, Temecula, Calif., Honda
9. Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., Suzuki
10. Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha

Supercross Lites Class Western Regional Season Standings
1. Josh Hansen, Elbert, Colo., Kawasaki – 50
2. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki – 44
3. Ryan Morais, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki – 35
4. Tyla Rattray, Wildomar, Calif., Kawasaki – 35
5. Cole Seely, Corona, Calif., Honda – 34
6. Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., Suzuki – 30
7. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda – 27
8. Travis Baker, Temecula, Calif., Honda – 26
9. Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha – 19
10. Ben Evans, Garden City, Idaho, Kawasaki – 18
11. Nick Paluzzi, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha – 18