Ryan Villopoto was back on form at High Point. He was fastest qualifier right out of the box.
And then he grabbed the lead soon after the start of moto one, and went off and won it. He finished second in moto two for the overall win.
Chad Reed fought through pain in moto one to finish fifth, but won moto two in the mud and muck, without goggles.
They’re dirty girls…
Reed’s pain in the first moto came from a rock kicked up by Jake Weimer hitting him in a formerly injured clavicle, making his left arm go partially numb.
Of course, taking off his roost deflector after the parade lap probably didn’t help matters…
Ryan Dungey waves for the AMA to hold the start while his mechanic Mike Gosselaar tries to rip off some duct tape I assume to hold his helmet visor in place. The visor ended up standing up on his helmet for most of the moto.
Blake Baggett celebrates the win in moto one, coming from behind, high-fiving his mechanic, Shawn Irwin.
Baggett then pulled away in moto two, but just after this shot was taken…
…he ended up on his head, making his helmet visor go funky, too.
Baggett got up in second, funny visor and all, and chased teammate and training partner Tyla Rattray down for the moto win. He ended up 1-1 on the day.
Baggett was sporting a nice fat lip on the podium from his crash while leading moto two.
Tyla Rattray scored second overall but, more importantly, took over the series points leader from teammate Dean Wilson.
Rattray is among the bigger guys in the 250cc class, but he still snatched the holeshot in moto two.
Dean Wilson was all set to do damage in the second moto, taking the early lead, only to fall and force himself to come from behind again. He lost the points lead, but he’s still very much in the hunt.
Eli Tomac grabbed third overall on the day.
Here, Tomac (19) works his way by teammate Justin Barcia in the first moto. Barcia had a tough day at High Point.
Ryan Sipes was running second in the first 250cc moto until just a few laps to go, when he went down hard. He dropped out for the day.
Ryan Dungey had a consistent 2-3 day for second overall.
Most didn’t expect him back already, but Mike Alessi showed up anyway. He finished third in the first moto but was docked a spot for jumping the start and was credited with fourth place. Then he led moto two for a while before crashing and handing the lead to Reed.
Davi Millsaps (18) is having a bit of a standout year in the 450 class outdoors. It continued at High Point with a credited third place in the first moto.
Millsaps struggled a bit with a bad start and tough line choices in the second moto, but is still in the thick of it.
Darryn Durham grabbed the holeshot to start the first 250 moto, but it seemed nerves got the best of him late in the race, as he faded from first to fourth in the final four laps.
PJ Larsen returned to action at High Point, but his wrist is reportedly not quite up to full racing shape just yet.
Brett Metcalfe has shown the speed and consistency most had hoped of him coming into the season so far this year.
Despite the crazy conditions in the second moto, Metcalfe was strong all day, even if his results didn’t quite live up to his high standards.
Justin Barcia’s cool opposite whip over the big double at the bottom of the hill. He’s traveling in the direction he’s looking.
Broc Tickle went 10-4 for an astonishing fifth overall. His results are picking up race by race.
Hello, Rockstar Girl…
While a 10-4 was good for fifth in the 250 class, Kevin Windham’s 6-5 was only good for sixth overall. It’s still up in the air whether or not he’ll be at Budds Creek, but he likes that track, so speculation says he’ll be there.