Stewart wins in Seattle
Sunday 17 April: Canard has gone and it's now a four way split with Villopoto on 293, Reed 287, Dungey 286 and Stewart 284.
A
strong Pacific Northwest audience of 52,683 fans showed their
dedication to the sport and braved cold temperatures as Monster Energy
AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, invaded Seattle’s Qwest Field
on Saturday. The 15th race of the season saw San Manuel
Yamaha’s James Stewart take his second straight
win with another strong outing as he fights his way back into the
Supercross class title fight.
As
the gates dropped on the Supercross class main event, Dodge/Hart &
Huntington Kawasaki’s Ivan Tedesco, grabbed the
Nuclear Cowboyz
Holeshot for the second week in-a-row with
Stewart and TwoTwo Motorsports/Bel-Ray Racing Honda’s Chad Reed in tow. Behind them, championship points leader Ryan
Villopoto went down in the first corner and was
forced to come from deep in the field aboard his Monster Energy
Kawasaki.
Reed
got by Tedesco quickly and looked to pull away, but tricky track
conditions as a result of a week of heavy rain caused a slight bobble
and allowed Stewart to take over the top spot, which he held for the
entire 20 laps.
"Tonight
was awesome,” said Stewart. "I had fun all day. I thought the track was
awesome, it was so tough. I was just trying to stay consistent because I
knew it was going crazy behind me. You can look out there and see how
rough it is, but my San Manuel Yamaha was working awesome. I’m looking
forward to Salt Lake City.”
Aside
from Stewart, every rider in contention for the title experienced an
instance of misfortune as both Reed and Rockstar/Makita Suzuki’s Ryan
Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., joined Villopoto with the distinction of
falling to the ground.
In
the end, veteran rider and defending Seattle winner Kevin Windham, of
Centreville, Miss., secured his best finish of the season in second
aboard his GEICO Honda while Reed fended off Villopoto for third. Dungey
brought home a fifth-place effort.
As
the championship enters the final two races of the 2011 Monster Energy
Supercross season, just nine points separate Villopoto, who sits atop
the standings, and Stewart, who occupies fourth. Reed sits in second,
six points behind, while Dungey is third, seven points out.
Supercross Class Results: Seattle
1. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha
2. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda
3. Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Honda
4. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
5. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki
6. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM
7. Kyle Regal, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
8. Davi Millsaps, Carlsbad, Calif., Yamaha
9. Tommy Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Yamaha
10. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM
Supercross Class Season Standings
1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki – 293
2. Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Honda – 287
3. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki – 286
4. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha – 284
5. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda – 255
6. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM – 196
7. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda – 187
8. Davi Millsaps, Carlsbad, Calif., Yamaha – 156
9. Justin Brayton, Cornelius, N.C, Yamaha – 141
10. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki – 134
Cole Seely Dominates En Route to Supercross Lites Victory
Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil Honda’s Cole
Seely raced to his second victory of the season with
a convincing effort in the return of the Supercross Lites Western
Regional Championship.
Seely was the first rider to the Nuclear Cowboyz Holeshot
in the 15-lap Supercross Lites main event and led wire-to-wire in a
race that was similar to his first-career win earlier in the season in
Los Angeles. After riding select Supercross class races during the
midseason Western Regional Supercross Lites break, his additional race
experience factored into his performance.
"It
feels great to come back and get win,” said Seely. "I’ve been
practicing my starts and my biked hooked up tonight and worked great. I
think the extra time on the big bikes really helped prepare me to come
back.”
Behind
him, there was considerable shuffling, particularly amongst the three
challengers in the championship. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki
teammates Josh Hansen and Broc Tickle both ran towards the front of the field, but in the end, GEICO
Honda’s Eli Tomac surpassed them both to take the
runner-up spot. Tickle secured the final step on the podium and took
over the points lead in the process. After starting third, Hansen fell
to sixth and now sits two points from Tickle in the standings while
Tomac sits seven points out in third.
Western Regional Supercross Lites Class Results: Seattle
1. Cole Seely, Corona, Calif., Honda
2. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda
3. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki
4. Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha
5. Tyla Rattray, Wildomar, Calif., Kawasaki
6. Josh Hansen, Elbert, Colo., Kawasaki
7. Ryan Morais, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki
8. Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., Suzuki
9. Travis Baker, Temecula, Calif., Honda
10. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki
Western Regional Supercross Lites Class Season Standings
1. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki – 145
2. Josh Hansen, Elbert, Colo., Kawasaki – 143
3. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda – 138
4. Cole Seely, Corona, Calif., Honda – 113
5. Ryan Morais, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki – 110
6. Tyla Rattray, Wildomar, Calif., Kawasaki – 96
7. Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha – 89
8. Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM – 83
9. Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., Suzuki – 82
10. Jimmy Decotis, Peabody, Mass., Honda – 67
After
a week off, the 2011 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season continues
from Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday, April 30.