Moto Wrap for March 13, 2012
— By Darren Smart
— AMA Supercross – Daytona – Round 10
— From the AMA SX Pits:
– Dungey OUT!!
Just 24 hours out from Daytona we all got this press release from KTM: KTM Motorsports is saddened to report that Red Bull/KTM Factory rider Ryan Dungey will sit out the Daytona Supercross after undergoing surgery this week to repair a broken collarbone.
Dungey, who currently sits second in the series point standings and has collected two Supercross class wins this season, suffered what was initially diagnosed to be a cracked collarbone when he slid out in a turn and landed on his shoulder while practicing at his training facility in Florida prior to the St. Louis Supercross.
Following the crash, Dungey felt sore but was determined to continue vying for his second Supercross title and KTMs first-ever US Supercross Championship. In a heroic effort, he managed to finish runner-up at the St. Louis Supercross. Further evaluation by Dungey’s doctor this week found his collarbone to be broken. Dungey chose to undergo surgery on Tuesday afternoon to plate the collarbone in hopes of a healthy return to racing as quickly as possible.
“This is hard for everyone on the team,” remarked Red Bull/KTM Team Manager Roger DeCoster. “Ryan has done an amazing job adapting to a completely new bike this year. Through the process he has won two Supercross races and has finished on the podium at seven of nine races. He was well in the thick of the championship hunt at the midway point in the series.”
– Monster Energy Backs Ricky Carmichael’s Amateur Supercross
Ricky Carmichael’s Amateur Supercross event has received a boost with the backing from Monster Energy, in fact, Carmichael’s deal with Monster goes back to his racing days. “Monster Energy has really supported my racing career over the years and I couldn’t be more excited to have them on board for my amateur supercross at Daytona as well,” said Ricky Carmichael. “They have such a huge presence in supercross already and to bring the same level of excitement to the amateur program is really a cool thing for these up-and-coming racers.”
Monster Energy’s partnership with the Ricky Carmichael-endorsed event includes a significant presence by Monster all weekend long, beginning Saturday night with a unique viewing area for amateur racers and their families to enjoy the Daytona Supercross.
– TwoTwo Motorsports Continues To Grow
While talking sponsorship, the day before Daytona Chad Reed announced that Discount Tire Company, the largest independent tire retailer in the US will be part of the TwoTwo Motorsports programs for the 2012 and 2013 racing seasons.
“We are proud to be partnering with Chad Reed as we make our entrance into Supercross,” a DTC spokesman stated. “Championships earned in NASCAR and Formula D racing are examples of the culture of winning we’ve created and we hope to continue that success with Chad.”
“We are very excited about the new partnership with Discount Tire Company, they are a huge brand,” said Reed. “Discount Tire Company has a major presence in NASCAR and I am excited to be introducing them to the world of Supercross and Motocross.
– RV Wants Another Million
It was officially reported during the week that Ryan Villopoto will contest the 2012 Monster Energy Cup and he obviously hopes to repeat last year’s performance.
“I’m really excited to head back to Vegas in October for the Monster Energy Cup,” said Ryan Villopoto. “There is so little time in between each race, it’s tough to recover for all three Main Events. It also becomes demanding for the team to get to the gate ready for three races on a track that requires different set-ups; it’s a full team effort. The track had some cool features last year that made it exciting, so I hope that they have more surprises in store come October.”
– Daytona Supercross Class Report.
Heat 1 – In pouring rain Kevin Windham pulled the holeshot and walked away with the race – Ricky Carmichael commented how easy Kevin was making the tough conditions look and has him picked for the main event win IF he pulls another holeshot…..
Heat 1 Results – Top 9 go directly to main – Windham, Millsaps, Regal, Brayton, Weimer, Metcalfe, Wey, Peick, and Kiniry.
Heat 2 – James Stewart grabbed an early lead from Mike Alessi and Ryan Villopoto – RV moved by Alessi for second and stayed a safe distance behind JS7 for the rest of the race – KTM’s only factory 450 ride Marvin Musqin rode to a solid 3rd place.
Heat 2 Results – Top 9 go directly to main – Stewart, Villopoto, Musquin, Goerke, Alessi, Sipes, Tickle, Chisholm, and Clark round out the transfer spots.
LCQ – Cole Seely with holeshot and GONE!!!!!!!! Gavin Faith is a mud specialist and rode easily to the final transfer spot.
LCQ Results – Top 2 go directly to main – Seeley, Faith
20 Lap Main Event (Reduced to 16 laps due to conditions) – The mud bath starts with Millsaps grabbing the holeshot – this could be Davi’s night – VILLOPOTO GOES DOWN!!!!! Stewart in second….
Running Order: Millsaps, Stewart, Windham, Musquin, and Metcalfe top five – Stewart takes the lead after a Milsaps bobble – now…can Bubba stay up-right?? RV back in 15th, Metcalfe back in 9th after small crash……
Windham is fastest on track…….Musqin riding great in 4th………Running Order on lap 7 – Stewart, Millsaps, Windham, Musquin, Weimer, Goerke, Tickle, Alessi, Metcalfe, Villopoto.
This would have been a great race for Dungey to win…just a thought……JS7 10 seconds out front and looking good…remember, he has crashed looking good before so it’s not over yet….Matt Goerk is by Broc Tickle for 4th – his best finish if he stays there……….
After a heap of close calls and a small crash LCQ winner Cole Seeley has lost interest……last lap and Villopoto is up to 5th…great ride…what else would you expect from RV??
Stewart takes the checkered flags for his second win of the year with Millsaps, Windham, Musquin, Villopoto, Alessi, Weimer, Tickle, Goerke, and Metcalfe rounding out the top ten….now I start feeling sorry for the mechanics and team gofers….cleaning and packing up in the mud sucks!!
“It means a lot, there was water everywhere, it was hard to hang on but it was fun” said Stewart through a mud encrusted face. “I felt good all day, I was fastest in practice, once I got in front the laps were so long, I was just trying to survive.”
Windham was VERY happy to be back on the podium…. “I’ve always raced well in the mud and that was certainly the case again tonight,” said Windham after the race. “I’m really happy to give our guys a podium finish. We’ve been close several times and it feels good to punch one through.
“The course was really rutted and there just weren’t any areas where you could get aggressive and try to make a pass. If you got out of the one line everyone was riding you were most likely going to go down. I had to stay patient and hope for a chance to maybe get to second or even challenge for the lead but it didn’t happen. I’m still pleased and I’m hoping this opens the door to more podium finishes in the weeks to come.”
Main Event Results – 1. J. Stewart. 2. D. Millsaps. 3. K. Windham. 4. M. Musquin. 5. R. Villopoto. 6. M. Alessi. 7. J. Weimer. 8. B. Tickle. 9. M. Goerke. 10. B. Metcalfe. 11. N. Wey. 12. K. Chisholm. 13. K. Regal. 14. G. Faith. 15. J. Sipes. 16. J. Brayton. 17. C. Seely. 18. R. Clark. 19. W. Peick. 20. R. Kiniry
450 POINTS STANDINGS (After 10 of 17 races) – 1. Ryan Villopoto – 221. 2. Ryan Dungey – 192. 3. James Stewart – 177. 4. Kevin Windham – 143. 5. Jake Weimer – 134. 6. Davi Millsaps – 131. 7. Chad Reed – 128. 8. Brett Metcalfe – 124. 9. Justin Brayton – 121. 10. Mike Alessi – 113. 11. Kyle Chisholm – 91. 12. Josh Hansen – 87. 13. Broc Tickle – 82. 14. Nick Wey – 76. 15. Andrew Short – 59.
Daytona Lites Report
Heat 1 – Untimed practice was held in great conditions and the Daytona track was looking fantastic but by the time the opening race of the night come around the skies had opened up and the track was dodgy at best.
The early running order is Blake Baggett, Jake Canada, Jeff Gibson, PJ Larsen and Daryn Durham….. Gibson moved back to sixth after a small mistake…the position remained reasably stagnant for the remaining laps.
Heat 1 Results – Top 9 go directly to main – Baggett, Canada, Martin, Larsen, Durham, Gibson, Thompson, Weeck, Peters.
Heat 2 – Justin Barcia grabbed an early lead ahead of Blake Wharton while pre-race favorite Ken Roczen is stuck back in 11th. Barcia wins another race well ahead of Wharton in second followed by Phil Nicoletti, Roczen (great ride), Bogle, Bowers, Starling, Smith, and Sewell.
Heat 2 Results – Top 9 go directly to main – Barcia, Wharton, Nicoletti, Roczen, Bogle, Bowers, Starling, Smith, Sewell.
LCQ – Kyle Cunningham paddles his way to a win over Malcolm Stewart.
LCQ Results – Top 2 go directly to main – Cunningham, Stewart.
15 Lap Main Event (changed to 12 Laps due to conditions) – Championship leader Justin Barcia splashed his way to another holeshot ahead of Blake Baggett and Blake Wharton. Ken Roczen is just outside the top five – the former World MX Champ has to be favorite right now…..
Roczen blasts by Jake Canada and Wharton and slots in behind Baggett – the KTM rider wants a chop at Barcia…..Barcia’s team mate Justin Bogle is bogged…stuck for the rest of the race while Baggett’s team mate Daryn Durham has gone from 9th to 4th in no time….
Roczen has lost his rhythm and Durham is on his tail…..Durham makes the pass, GREAT gutsy ride so far….Roczen may have tossed his goggles…lap times way off.
Baggett pulls out the best lap time of the race….can’t understand that BUT HE IS NOW JUST 3 SECONDS DOWN ON Barcia – not sure if he missed some of the track???
Durham backs it down to tie up his third while Baggett is riding the wheels off the Pro-Circuit KX – he wants Barcia…….lapped riders EVERYWHERE……..Barcia rides smart for his fourth straight win for the season ahead of Baggett, Durham and Roczen…..JDR KTM riders Malcolm Stewart is 8th and PJ Larsen is 16th.
“That was the most demanding race of my career,” Barcia said. “It was so gnarly out there. I needed a good start and I got it and just powered through from there. The biggest thanks to my trainer for pushing me to be in shape because it was just brutal conditions. Tonight was all about survival.”
“This season has been mind-blowing. You would never expect a start like this, winning four in a row. This GEICO Honda team is unbelievable and my bike has been perfect all year. I needed it tonight because Baggett was on it. You could hear the crowd going nuts every time he got close. They’re so close to you on the front stretch and you hear the roar and it pushes you. This was, no doubt, the best race win of my career.”
Main Event Results – 1. J. Barcia. 2. B. Baggett. 3. D. Durham. 4. K. Roczen. 5. B. Wharton. 6. J. Canada. 7. K. Cunningham. 8. M. Stewart. 9. C. Thompson. 10. T. Weeck. 11. L. Smith. 12. S. Sewell. 13. A. Martin. 14. T. Bowers. 15. J. Starling. 16. P. Larsen. 17. K. Peters. 18. J. Bogle. 19. J. Gibson. 20. P. Nicoletti
250 EAST POINTS STANDINGS (After 4 of 8 races) – 1. Justin Barcia – 100. 2. Darryn Durham – 76. 3. 70 Ken Roczen – 75. 4. Blake Wharton – 72. 5. Blake Baggett – 62. 6. Jake Canada – 56. 7. Justin Bogle – 46. 8. Malcolm Stewart – 42. 9. Kyle Cunningham – 42. 10. Cole Thompson – 32. 11. Hunter Hewitt – 31. 12. P Larsen – 31.
– Australasian News
– Monster Money Keeps Coming:
I am not sure how long we can ride this wave of energy drink money but this week Monster Energy committed to the title sponsorship of the 2012 Australian MX Nationals.
Williams Event Management managing director, Kevin Williams, welcomed Monster Energy at the MX Nationals launch held in Melbourne last week.
“We are very excited to welcome Monster Energy onboard and are very encouraged by the growth in participation for 2012. Collectively we will give away 30,000 free kid’s tickets during the series and also create further opportunities for fans to win tickets, as well as money can’t buy experiences via promotions.
Monster Energy Australasian manager, Adrian Hunter, outlined the importance of the American energy drink giant in Australian motocross, further cementing its status as an international brand, as well as a true supporter of the sport on a global basis.
“For Monster Energy, motocross is where we really established ourselves as a brand,” Hunter explained. “The Monster Energy heritage has really come from moto, so for us it is really important to work with Kevin and take the sport to the next level in Australia.
– Euro News
– First 2012 MXGP Just Weeks Away…..
We are less than a month away from the opening round of the 2012 World Motocross Championships at Valkenswaard in the Netherlands on the 9th of April and it can’t come soon enough….for riders, teams and fans…..
Australia’s lone hope Dean Ferris is still recovering from an elbow injury but is expected to make the opening race on his ICE Racing KX450F. “Luckily it’s not a serious break and I should be back on the bike soon to get my speed back before the first GP in Valkenswaard.”
Bobryshev and Roelant Win Dutch MX Round 2
Honda Factory star Evgeny Bobryshev and Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Joel Roelants have won the second round of the Dutch Motocross Championship with victory in the MX1 and MX2 classes respectively.
Results MX2:
Dutch Championship MX2 – Halle – Race 1: 1. Roelants 2. Van Horebeek 3. Coldenhoff 4. Nicholls 5. Eggens 6. Herlings 7. Van Doninck 8. Bastemeijer 9. Heibye 10. Kras
Dutch Championship MX2 – Halle- Race 2: 1.Herlings 2.Roelants 3.Coldenhoff 4.Nicholls 5.Eggens 6.Larsen 7.Kras 8. DeWaal 9 Van Doninck 10 Ratsep DNF Searle en DNF Vanhorebeek
Results MX1:
Dutch Championship MX1 – Halle Race 1: 1.Bobryshev 2.De Dijcker 3.Goncalve 4.Brakke 5.Van Daele 6.Verhoeven 7 Martens 8 Oldekamp 9 Steinbergs 10 Priem DNF Markus Schiffer
Dutch Championship MX1 – Halle Race 2: 1.Bobryshev 2.De Dijcker 3.Goncalve 4.Schiffer 5.Martens 6.Brakke 7.Oldeokamp 8.Van Daele 9 Verhoeven 10 Justs
Results from Round 3 of Italian MX Champs – Castiglione del Lago
MX1 – 1. Tony Cairoli, Italy, KTM. 2. David Philippaerts, Italy, Yamaha. 3. Steven Frossard, France, Yamaha. 4. Davide Guarneri, Italy, KTM. 5. Anthony Boissiere, France, TM. 6. Matteo Bonni, Italy, KTM
Elite Final – 1. Steven Frossard. 2. David Philippaerts. 3. Tony Cairoli. 4. Davide Guarneri. 5. Anthony Boissiere.
Results from Round 1 of 2012 MAXXIS ACU BRITISH MX Champs
FatCat Motoparc, Armthorpe, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. Sunday 11th March 2012
MX1 Results – 1. Kevin Strijbos (KTM) 1-1-1 – 75 pts. 2. Gert Krestinov (Honda) 3-3-4 – 8 pts. 3. Mattis Karro (KTM) 8-2-2 – 57 pts. 4. Shaun Simpson (Yamaha) 2-4-5 – 56 pts. 5. Martin Barr (Kawasaki) 7-5-3 – 50 pts. 6. Jason Dougan (Honda) 4-8-6 – 45 pts. 7. Stephen Sword (Suzuki) 6-6-8 – 43 pts. 8. Jamie Law (KTM) 9-10-9 – 35 pts. 9. Nathan Parker (KTM) 13-7-10 – 32 pts. 10. Dorren Coutts (Honda) 12-12-7 – 32 pts
MX2 Results – 1. Zach Osborne (Yamaha) 2-1-2 – 69 pts. 2. Mel Pocock (Yamaha) 5-2-3 – 58 pts. 3. Graeme Irwin (Yamaha) 4-3-8 – 51 pts. 4. Arnaud Tonus (Yamaha) 1-dnf-1 – 50 pts. 5. Neville Bradshaw (Honda) 6-4-6 – 49 pts. 6. Steven Lenoir (Yamaha) 11-6-5 – 41 pts. 7. Jordan Booker (Honda) 9-5-9 – 42 pts. 8. Elliott Banks-Browne (KTM) 3-30-4 – 38 pts. 9. Stuart Edmonds (Suzuki) 7-10-10 – 36 pts. 10. Bryan MacKenzie (KTM) 14-13-7 – 29 pts.