from ... Ryan Villopoto
Tuesday 03 May: Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Villopoto captures a season-high sixth win in Salt Lake City.
Copy and photos courtesy of Ashley Little for Kawasaki Motorcycles USA.
Ryan Villopoto earned his sixth win of the
season after an impressive ride aboard his Kawasaki KX™450F during the
penultimate round of the Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM Championship
at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. The win extended his
points lead to nine going into the final round in Las Vegas. Making his
supercross class debut, Jake Weimer finished with a solid seventh-place
result. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Broc Tickle also
maintained his points lead in the AMA Supercross Lites, Western Region
with a podium finish heading into the final race. Teammate Tyla Rattray
finished just outside the top-five in sixth, while Josh Hansen overcame
an early-race crash to come back for 13th. |
Entering the night with a
six-point lead in the championships standings, a win wasn’t necessary
for Villopoto to maintain the points lead. Improving with each lap
around the track, he qualified second during timed practice and went on
to finish third in his heat. His start in the main put him in fourth
after the first lap and he was quickly making up time on the riders in
front of him. He passed for second on the seventh lap, and took over the
lead on the eighth, never looking back as he went on to win a
season-high sixth win.
"I knew that I didn’t have to win for the
championship, but I really wanted to give myself a better cushion going
into Las Vegas,” said Villopoto. "Considering the weather we saw over
the two days in Salt Lake City, the track turned out great. It is nice
to head into the last round with a little bit of a gap. If the
opportunity presents itself, I want to go after the win, but I know what
I have to do (for the championship).” |
Making his first
appearance in the supercross class, Weimer showed he was ready to make
his presence known on the Kawasaki KX450F. The day started slow for the
reigning AMA Supercross Lites, Western Region champion, but he started
to shine once the gate dropped. He earned fourth in his heat race and
went on to finish seventh in the main event.
"It was definitely
good to be back,” said Weimer. "I was a little hesitant at the start of
the day and not sure why I was holding back. I got more comfortable as
the day went on. I know I’m only racing supercross for two races, but it
was good to get some racing under my belt before we move on to
outdoors." |
Tickle continued his
consistent streak with his sixth podium finish of the year. His
consistency has helped him retain his two-point lead over second place
as the series winds down to the final round in Las Vegas. Still pushing
to get back to 100 percent after a collarbone injury just over a month
ago, Tickle rode through the pain of arm pump to finish third.
"I
haven’t really felt like myself out there because I’ve been dealing
with a little arm pump the past two races,” said Tickle. "I know it
takes time to come back and I have really tried to not make it an
excuse. I am looking to feel the way I felt when I won in Oakland. This
week I’m going to try and have fun when I go out and ride. Hopefully
that will bring me back to where I was at the beginning of the series.” |
Hansen’s season has been
filled with ups and downs. He holds a season-high three wins with an
additional podium, while also riding through the pain of a broken hand.
In Salt Lake City he grabbed a second-place start in the main event, but
a crash on the second lap pushed him back to over a half-lap down on
the field. Despite pain in his hand, he pushed to make it back to 13th.
"I
can’t even describe how disappointed I am with myself,” said Hansen. "I
made a mistake that ended up costing me the championship. It’s really
hard to watch it slip away again, but I can say I learned a lot tonight.
I try to learn from all my mistakes and I just hope I can redeem myself
with one more win in Las Vegas.” |
As his first supercross
season winds down, Rattray has continually shown he can make the
difficult transition from motocross to supercross. He has only finished
outside sixth position once and has stood on the podium twice. The
former MX2 World Champion has his sights on the upcoming motocross
series, but not before tacking up another good finish in Salt Lake as he
finished sixth.
"I am really looking forward to the outdoors and
I wanted to get through the final races safe and healthy,” said
Rattray. "It’s been a fun season learning the supercross series and
having to adapt to a completely different type of racing. While I’ve had
fun, it’s definitely getting me excited to start a new series.” |
The weather for the main
events in Salt Lake City was clear, but the day before and hours leading
into practice saw snow falling to the ground. The cold weather didn’t
deter Villopoto, who came from hot weather in Florida.
"I left
Florida and it was nice and sunny, but it’s what we have to deal with,”
said Villopoto. "When we race outdoors, it is usually the other way
around where it’s nice and then we go into hot, humid weather. This is a
little different seeing snow everywhere as we woke up this morning, but
it all turned out great.” |
The race at Sam Boyd
Stadium in Las Vegas will be run a little different for the Lites
riders. The night show will start with two 15-lap races for the
respective lites final round. Tickle will be defending his two-point
lead in the West, while Wilson will be hoping to cap off an up and down
season with a win for the East. Villopoto will be looking to capture his
first supercross class championship as he enters the round with a
nine-point lead. |
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