Stewart scores first win of the season in Oakland
In front of 46,017 fans at O.co Coliseum, Toyota/Yamaha/JGRMX’s James Stewart won his first Supercross Class Main Event of the 2012 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, season. GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac, of Cortez, Calif., won his second consecutive Western Regional Supercross Lites Class race.
TwoTwo Motorsports/Bel-Rey/Honda’s Chad Reed opened the Supercross Class Main Event by winning the Nuclear Cowboyz® Holeshot with Supercross.com Honda’s Andrew Short, of Smithville, Texas, and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Josh Hansen, of Elbert, Colo., following in second and third, respectively.
Stewart, who won in Oakland last year, made quick work of Hansen, making the pass to secure third place on the end of the opening lap. Points leader Ryan Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., finished lap 1 in ninth place. On lap 2, Stewart moved around Short and set his sights on Reed. After stalking Reed relentlessly for several laps, Stewart passed him on lap nine and checked out. Stewart became the fourth different Supercross Class winner of the season. Reed finished second and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Villopoto finished third. Reed and Dungey are now tied for first place at 85 points apiece.
“I would like to dedicate this win to my mechanic, Mark ‘Tex’ Adams, who passed away this week,” said Stewart. “I got in a rhythm out there tonight and put together a great race. I had a tough couple of races this year, and tonight I got it done.”
Rockstar Energy Racing Suzuki’s Martin Davalos grabbed the Nuclear Cowboyz Holeshot with Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Dean Wilson, of Menifee, Calif., on his rear wheel as they headed out of turn 1. Tucked in behind the leaders, Tomac held down the number-three spot.
While chasing down Davalos, on lap 1, Wilson shot off the track, crashing and losing valuable positions as Tomac moved into second place. On lap 2, Davalos bobbled, which allowed Tomac to make a pass for the lead. Zach Osborne, of Chesterfield, S.C., pushed his Monster Energy Yamaha into second place on lap 6, but was passed by Rockstar Energy Racing’s Jason Anderson, of Edgewood, N.M., on lap 10. Anderson crashed one lap later, going the number-two spot to Osborne.
On lap 12, Osborne engaged on a hotly contested battle with Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin, of Murrieta, Calif. Musquin made a solid pass and held on for second place with Osborne in third for the second consecutive weekend.
Tomac extended his points lead to 15 before heading back to Angel Stadium next weekend.
“This is my best season ever,” said Tomac. “Our team worked really hard to give me a great bike, and I made the most of it. I now have a nice lead going into Anaheim.”
Racing resumes next Saturday at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif.
Supercross Class Results: Oakland
James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha
Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Honda
Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda
Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda
Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki
Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., Honda
Josh Hansen, Elbert, Colo., Kawasaki
Supercross Class Season Standings
Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Honda – 85
Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM – 85
Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki – 83
James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha – 73
Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki – 61
Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda – 58
Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda – 52
Josh Hansen, Elbert, Colo., Kawasaki – 47
Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki – 45
Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha – 42
Western Regional Supercross Lites Class Results: Oakland
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda
Marvin Musquin, Murrieta, Calif., KTM
Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Yamaha
Ryan Sipes, Ekron, Ky., Yamaha
Matt Moss, Sussex Inlet, NS
Travis Baker, Temecula, Calif., Honda
Nico Izzi, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha
Max Anstie, Hemet, Calif., Honda
Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., Suzuki
Dean Wilson, Menifee, Calif., Kawasaki
Western Regional Supercross Lites Class Season Standings
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda – 88
Dean Wilson, Menifee, Calif., Kawasaki – 73
Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Yamaha – 67
Marvin Musquin, Murrieta, Calif., KTM – 64
Tyla Rattray, Wildomar, Calif., Kawasaki – 60
Cole Seely, Murrieta, Calif., Honda – 57
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki – 53
Nico Izzi, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha – 46
Max Anstie, Hemet, Calif., Honda – 45
Ryan Sipes, Ekron, Ky., Yamaha – 43
– KTM Report
Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey put in another great showing in Round 4 of the AMA Supercross on Saturday night to finish in fourth place to maintain his top finishes and hold onto the red number plate. Factory teammate Marvin Musquin also excelled in the Lites class to be on the podium in second.
Dungey had a strong showing at Oakland in the early afternoon, earning second fastest lap time of the combined practice sessions. He topped his impressive practice time with his first heat win of the season in the opening SX class heat race to lead from holeshot to checkered flag for the top gate pick in the main event.
While he failed to get away cleanly in the main and rounded the first corner in 12th position he quickly began to pick off riders even though the lead pack was pulling away. By the halfway point he was top five and in lap 12 he slipped by Andrew Short into fourth. Dungey’s speed and stamina were impressive throughout the twenty lap main but the time he spent through the pack had allowed the top three to pull out of reach. He crossed the line in a strong fourth again underlining his consistency and continues to hold onto the coveted red plate as standings leader.
Ryan Dungey: “I’m bummed that I didn’t land on the podium tonight. But overall, it was still a great night. I earned my first heat race win of the season and I made some good passes in the main event to salvage some points. It was hard to make passes tonight so I am glad I was able to pass as many riders as I did. My team has been behind me 100% this season and I am glad we are still running up front in the points and I am looking forward to a podium finish at the next event.”
It was also a great night for Marvin Musquin who matched his best finish of the season with another second place. He was impressive during the qualifiers and heats but got a late jump at the gate of the main to be mid pack at the first corner. Eighth at the end of lap one, Marvin then claimed two more places by the half way mark before turning up the heat, moving into fifth and settling down in pursuit of the leaders. With three laps to go he advanced to second and carried it to the checkered flag for another great finish. Musquin now moves up three positions in the overall point standings and is now in fourth, just three points off of the third place position.
Marvin Musquin: “I am so excited with my result tonight. When my mechanic said I was tenth on the pit board the first lap, I was worried I would not be able to make the passes I needed. But I rode as hard as I could and made some smart passes and worked my way up. This helps me a lot in the point standings and I am looking forward to more success next week.”
JDR/JStar KTM rider Matt Moss of Australia also had an excellent night to finish fifth in the highly competitive Lites Class. Next round: Anaheim, CA – February 4, 2012
