The KTM Factory riders had a spill of bad luck at the 7th round of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship Series at the Spring Creek Motocross Park over the weekend.

Jagermeister/KTM rider Mike Alessi had decent practice times making for a good gate pick heading into moto one. He had a good jump off the start but crashed when a rider in front of him went down in the first turn. He recovered near the end of the pack and came across the first lap in 33rd position. From there he set out to pass as many riders as he could. After five laps he had worked up to 20th and by the final lap he climbed to 15th.

The second moto was much smoother for Alessi. He had a top ten start and came around 8th the first lap. He passed Kyle Chisholm for 7th on the second lap and then passed Ryan Sipes for 6th place by the fourth lap. He lost a position to Josh Grant on the fifth lap but got the position back after Tommy Hahn crashed a few laps later. Around the tenth lap, Alessi accidentally stalled his motorcycle and lost four positions. He completed that lap in 10th. On lap fifteen he again passed Chisholm for 9th and inherited 8th place on the final lap when Josh Grant crashed. His 15-8 moto scores earned him 11th overall for the day.



FMF/KTM rider Tommy Searle made his return at Millville after sitting out the last two rounds with a nagging shoulder injury. Searle started decent in the first moto and was battling inside the top ten off the start. "I felt pretty good on the bike but my endurance isn't quite back since my time off so I faded a little bit at the end," remarked Searle about his first moto where he eventually finished 11th.

Searle earned a mid-pack start in the second moto and checked in at 13th after the first lap. He slowly climbed through the pack as the race progressed and was able to pass up to 9th place before settling in a pace. His 11-9 results earned 9th overall for the day.

Next Race: Washougal Motocross - July 24, 2010

Overall Results 450 Class -

1. Ryan Dungey (1-1)
2. Andrew Short (3-3)
3. Kyle Regal (8-2)
4. Kevin Windham (5-4)
5. Ben Townley (4-5)
6. Josh Grant (2-10)
7. Ryan Sipes (9-7)
8. Kyle Chisholm (7-9)
9. Brett Metcalfe (16-6)
10. Nick Wey (11-11)
11. Mike Alessi (15-8)
12. Kyle Cunningham (10-13)
13. Justin Brayton (14-12)
14. Thomas Hahn (6-28)
15. Steven Clarke (12-19)

Overall Results 250 Class -

1. Trey Canard (2-1)
2. Dean Wilson (6-2)
3. Tyla Rattray (4-4)
4. Jake Weimer (3-5)
5. Christophe Pourcel (1-10)
6. Blake Wharton (5-7)
7. Broc Tickle (7-6)
8. Justin Barcia (16-3)
9. Tommy Searle (11-9)
10. Alex Martin (8-15)
11. Eli Tomac (13-11)
12. Travis Baker (9-16)
13. Martin Davalos (15-12)
14. Darryn Durham (39-8)
15. Nico Izzi (10-38)

Overall Results Women's Class -

1. Jessica Patterson (1-2)
2. Ashley Fiolek (3-1)
3. Tarah Geiger (2-4)
4. Vicki Golden (4-3)
5. Sarah Whitmore (9-5)
6. Mariana Balbi (8-6)
7. Sara Price (7-7)
8. Jacqueline Strong (6-8)
9. Penni Cyrus (10-10)
10. Erica Cook (11-12)

As the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship reaches the halfway point of the summer, MX Sports Pro Racing is pleased to provide our stakeholders with an update on what has become the world's most prestigious and competitive motocross championship.

The 2010 tour marks the second year that the series has been under the management of MX Sports Pro Racing and the second year for many historical improvements, including Saturday races, live television broadcasts, live internet streaming, and more. All of these changes have been in conjunction with our commercial partners at Alli Sports.

By all accounts, these moves-and many other smaller ones-have succeeded in growing the series' reach. Virtually every single numerical category of measure is up, from event attendance to online viewership, television ratings, rider participation, ticket sales (both VIP and GA), and more.

Through six rounds of competition, seven different riders have stood atop the overall podium across the 450 and 250 classes: Rockstar Energy/Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey (five wins in the 450 Class), Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Christophe Pourcel (two wins in the 250 Class), Pourcel's teammates Tyla Rattray and Dean Wilson (one win apiece in the 250 Class), GEICO Powersports Honda's Eli Tomac and Trey Canard (each with one 250 Class win), and Monster Energy Kawasaki's Chad Reed (one 450 Class win).

At 20 years of age, Ryan Dungey is looking to become the first rider in AMA Pro Racing history to win both the AMA Supercross and AMA Motocross titles as a rookie. With a 64-point advantage halfway through the 2010 season, he is in prime position to do so.



At 21 years of age, Christophe Pourcel, the 2007 MX2 World Motocross title holder, appears poised to become an AMA Motocross Champion, holding a comfortable 33-point lead over the field.

While those riders the way in their respective divisions, a crop of hungry up-and-comers have made their presence felt in the 250 Class. Serving as the proving ground for all new motocross professionals to make their mark, the 250 Class is proving to be as competitive as it was meant to be, boasting five different overall winners (and six different moto winners) through the first six rounds. While Pourcel and teammate Tyla Rattray (24) serve as two of the senior members of the class based on age, fellow rookie race winners Eli Tomac (17) and Dean Wilson (18) carry the torch for the opposite end of the spectrum and are a sign of the bright future of the sport.



The MotorcycleUSA.com WMX Class delivers as well, and we have a fierce rivalry between Ashley Fiolek and Jessica Patterson brewing. The DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing Yamaha-backed Patterson got off to a strong start, winning three in a row, but Honda Red Bull Racing's Fiolek is coming off her first win of the season at RedBud and should be ready to go for the second half of the season.

Additionally, the success of the new generation of riders has created more mass appeal for American motocross, generating new avenues for sponsorship and mainstream exposure, as well as a much broader and younger fan base.

Several new world-class sponsors and partners-including Rockstar Energy Drink, Rocky Mountain MC, GoPro, and Jakks Pacific-are a welcome addition to our existing long-term partnerships, selling and marketing products globally.

This season has also boasted a new look for the series. Listening to feedback from fans and working closely with sponsors, MX Sports Pro Racing was able to readjust the onsite signage, opening up the tracks for better spectator viewing and television broadcasts, which now look sharper than ever.

The growth the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship has seen in just one season can be directly attributed to the rise of the young riders and the new era of the sport, and that's evident in the numbers.



Series Statistics - Television:
The 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship is again being broadcast both nationwide and internationally via NBC Sports, SPEED, ESPN Brazil, Rush HD, Fuel TV, and more. Live broadcasts are a staple of the television package, and fans worldwide have the opportunity to view the entire race in real time from the comfort of their own homes.

American motocross is truly an international sport, and with so many great competitors and athletes from around the globe, fans from those same locations can enjoy watching on Saturdays.

Internationally, our series has reached an astounding 450 million homes across 80 countries and on 4 continents!

Our combined domestic U.S. television viewership is strong as well:
Hangtown: 629,000
Freestone: 284,000
High Point: 753,000
Budds Creek: 361,000
Thunder Valley: 367,000
RedBud: 663,000
Total U.S. television viewers to date: 1,995,000

MX Sports Pro Racing and Alli Sports will continue to focus and develop the content distribution to the global platform and we expect to be able to continue the momentum throughout the 2010 season and into 2011.

Series Statistics - On Site:
Despite the tough economy, our onsite live attendance has been up at every event over 2009. Fans have enjoyed increased VIP viewing platforms and better sight lines throughout the tracks. For 2010, as an added attraction for our fans, many tracks now allow open pits. Open pits allows our fans the opportunity to get up close and personal with their favorite riders and teams and to see the spectacular and colorful spectacle that is the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship.

2010 Attendance to date:
Hangtown: 20,500
Freestone: 17,300
High Point: 18,600
Budds Creek: 18,740
Thunder Valley: 18,350
RedBud: 22,380

One of our biggest draws for non-attending fans is our live and freeshowing of the first motos on AlliSports.com. These viewership numbersshow that AMA Motocross has a dedicated worldwide fan base that tunesin each Saturday.

In addition, the amateur racing programs, which take place bothbefore and after the Saturday races, have seen significant jumps inattendance. Thus far, more than 3,500 family-oriented amateur ridershave competed on the same weekend and on the same tracks as the top proriders. Most of these participants will camp and spend the entireweekend at the track, while bringing various friends and family alongas well.

Series Statistics - Internet:

One of our biggest draws for non-attending fans is our live and free showing of the first motos on AlliSports.com. These viewership numbers show that AMA Motocross has a dedicated worldwide fan base that tunes in each Saturday.

Motocross on AlliSports.com to date represents over 238,000 total streams and an average of 40,000 visits to the site each race day in order to view the live stream. Site traffic is up substantially as well, with users spending nearly 34 minutes on the site per visit.

MX Sports Pro Racing, in conjunction with Racer X Illustrated and AlliSports.com, also produces a series of weekly recap videos, which are designed to summarize the action and keep fans updated on the major happenings at each event. Hosted by Jason Weigandt and produced by Racer X's Matt Francis, these videos have proven to be very popular.

Also, the online viewership numbers do not reflect the series-related video content being produced by other media partners like Transworld Motocross, Vurb Moto, Vital MX, Cycle News, Racer X, and more.

In an effort to keep in touch with the younger fan base and the new trends of communication, our series social media initiatives (primarily on Twitter and Facebook) are deep, with more than 106,000 followers.

Fans have also noticed that our partners at Alli Sports have successfully launched AlliSports.com version 2.0, which includes a new e-commerce platform and revamped pages. The home website for the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship features a new video player and an engaging Facebook chat application.

Additionally, the Lucas Oil Motocross Championship continues to gain national notoriety and recognition within the pages of the country's most renowned newspapers. The world's most prestigious motocross championship is a regular sight within the pages of the USA Today, including some incredibly written feature articles by Nate Ryan and James Sullivan. The Associated Press has also given the series considerable press by composing some feature articles of its own in addition to weekly race recaps that are posted on the wire and picked up by newspapers throughout the U.S.

The Athletes

Regardless of technology and our own development work, the series would not exist without our superstar riders.

"This year has been awesome all around," said Ryan Dungey, the reigning AMA Supercross Champion who was recently nominated for an ESPY award by ESPN. "It's good to see our sport is doing so well and continues to bring in new fans and new riders. MX Sports has done a great job in making this series a world-class championship.

"The move up into the 450 Class has been an incredible experience to race guys like Chad Reed, Andrew Short, and Ben Townley and more," added the Rockstar/Makita Suzuki rider. "I'm learning why they're the best in the world, and they're definitely making me put in the work during the week in preparation for the races. Also, the tracks have been extremely rough and challenging, with multiple lines, and have made strategy a major part of each moto. That makes for great racing for the fans who have blown me away this season with their support and enthusiasm for what we do."

"Even with the ups and down and the disappointment I've faced, it's still been really enjoyable," 450 champ Reed said of his motocross season to date. "It's been awesome being out there. Once upon a time I used to dread going to race outdoor motocross, but now it's totally different. I love the new format. We come in on Friday, we're racing on Saturdays, home on Sunday. We get in and get the job done. I'm loving it out there."

"So far the AMA Motocross Nationals have been really good for me," said Christophe Pourcel, current leader in the 250 class and the only two-race winner to date in this highly competitive division. "The tracks are well-prepared and the fans are really excited to see the race. The second half of the season should be interesting, too, with some of my favorite tracks like Unadilla still to come."

Lucas Oil/Troy Lee Designs Honda's Ben Townley almost won the first 450 moto at RedBud and had this to say about the series to date: "I've really enjoyed the start to the outdoors. Obviously, for me, I was excited to be back racing anyway [following a long absence due to injury], but I was curious to see the new structure of the series and how it had all fallen into place since I had been away. The profile of the series has definitely been lifted a lot-from track presentation to TV and internet coverage, it has made huge gains. The TV package alone is huge for motocross, and I am stoked to see it on major channels here in America. Track presentation has also grown. I think that it's so important for the fans on the day and also for the TV coverage. The new bannered drop-offs and overhead arches add huge amounts to the track.

"Another thing that has been an improvement is working with MX Sports and being able to communicate with them, because it's not like dealing with a brick wall," added Townley. "And as far as the track goes, they have had really good ears to listen, and I have to say that it's helped with the tracks so far this season."

"The series this year has been great so far," said Honda Red Bull Racing's Andrew Short. "I can't remember a year where the tracks have all been so well-prepared and fun to race on. With the competition so deep this year, there has been great racing for the fans in the entire field during every moto. I've been working on my early speed and starts, and it has been really paying off for me. I have a great team supporting me, and my Honda is working great. I'm really looking forward to the second half of the season. There's still a lot of great racing to come this year for the fans."

"We are six races into a 12-race championship, and I feel like I'm completely rejuvenated," said Trey Canard after his RedBud win. "I'm really thankful for my first win and excited about the way things are going with the series in general. The tracks have been rougher than ever, yet everything is run smoothly, and the fans have been as enthusiastic as ever. It's been a great summer."

"The series is going great and these new tracks for the WMX have been awesome," said WMX Class points leader Jessica Patterson. "I was so happy to finally get the opportunity to race at RedBud, and the fans were just awesome there. We all appreciate having an awesome track with the best fans, as well as all the hard work to keep the Women's racing moving forward."

Top Five Lap Leaders in 2010

Christophe Pourcel: 87 (250 Class)

Ryan Dungey: 77 (450 Class)

Andrew Short: 39 (450 Class)

Eli Tomac: 35 (250 Class)

Dean Wilson: 33 (250 Class)

2010 Holeshot Winners

Andrew Short: 5 (450 Class)

Christophe Pourcel: 4 (250 Class)

Eli Tomac: 3 (250 Class)

Trey Canard: 2 (250 Class)

Wil Hahn: 2 (250 Class)

Brett Metcalfe: 2 (450 Class)

Ryan Dungey: 1 (450 Class)

Chad Reed: 1 (450 Class)

Mike Alessi: 1 (450 Class)

Intriguing 2010 Statistics

-Of the seven overall winners in 2010, five have been first-time winners in their respective classes

-Eli Tomac is the first rider in history to win his professional debut

-Despite missing an entire moto, Andrew Short is tied for fourth in the 450 standings and boasts the most holeshots in the series

-Short's five holeshots came consecutively over the course of three races

-Tyla Rattray boasts a moto win and overall victory in the 250 Class but has led only one lap all season

-Four international riders have captured an overall victory in 2010:

Chad Reed (Australia)

Christophe Pourcel (France)

Tyla Rattray (South Africa)

Dean Wilson (Scotland)

-Pourcel, Wilson, and Rattray also hold the top three spots in the 250 Class standings and are all teammates at Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki

-Points leaders Dungey and Pourcel are also the only riders to capture more than one win and one overall victory in 2010 through the first six rounds

MX Sports Pro Racing is continuously striving to grow the sport's fan base while presenting an exciting and safe racing platform that showcases the world-class sport of motocross, and with six races to go in the 2010 championship, the competition itself keeps improving. The legendary Kevin Windham is set to return at the next round at Millville, Minnesota's Spring Creek on July 17, and fans can also look forward to live NBC Sports television coverage for Unadilla, the 30th Anniversary "retro" race at Washougal, the new Southern California stop at Pala Raceway in San Diego County, and highly regarded tracks Southwick and Steel City. American motocross is on the right track.

The 2010 running of Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship is shaping up to be one of the strongest ever. None of it would be possible without the support of our many fans, sponsors, riders, and other stakeholders. MX Sports Pro Racing would like to thank all of our stakeholders, supporters, and fans for their participation in the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship.

Antonio Cairoli in the MX1 class and Marvin Musquin in the MX2 took victory at this successful USA Grand Prix comeback to Glen Helen Raceway, hosting the hottest Grand Prix of the year so far with high temperatures all over the weekend.

Cairoli, who won heat one despite a broken gear lever, topped the podium from home rider Mike Alessi and Clement Desalle. The Italian continues to lead the MX1 Championship.

MX2 series leader Musquin dominated both heats to top the MX2 podium ahead of home rider Zach Osborne and Steven Frossard.

In the Veterans' World Cup Doug Dubach took the overall win with Darryl King in second and series leader Mats Nilsson in third.

MX1
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX1's Cairoli took an incredible victory of this USA Grand Prix by winning moto one and taking third in moto two. What the fans will remember is surely the Italian's performance in heat one, when he was leading until he broke the gear lever of his KTM 350 SX-F. Alessi took the chance to move past and get the lead but a gusty Cairoli made it back to first and took victory despite his bike being stuck in third gear.

Jgermeister Factory KTM's Alessi, also onboard the KTM 350, was second overall. After taking second in moto one, the American battled it out with Cairoli for third but eventually dropped down to fourth after the two passed each other several times.

Desalle of Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1 made his comeback to the podium courtesy of third overall. The Belgian was fifth in moto one but made up for that in moto two where he took a solid second place behind winner Townley - in moto one the New Zealander crashed twice and pulled out.

Kawasaki Racing's Boog was fourth overall as he put together a sixth and a fifth place finish in the moto's. Other Rockstar Teka Suzuki World MX1 rider Ramon completed the top five.

After a third place in moto one, Nagl crashed in moto two and did not score points. The runner up in the Championship has now a gap of 41 points from leader Cairoli.

Philippaerts struggled with the track to take only a 15th place overall and drop down to fourth in the Championship while Desalle is now in third.

MX1 Race 1 top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 40:08.080; ; 2. Mike Alessi (USA, KTM), +0:00.668; 3. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:08.433; 4. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Yamaha), +0:17.447; 5. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:30.090; 6. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:36.188; 7. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), +0:40.895; 8. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Honda), +0:48.051; 9. Grant Langston (RSA, Yamaha), +0:56.959; 10. Kyle Chisolm (USA, Yamaha), +0:58.316;

MX1 Race 2 top ten: 1. Ben Townley (NZL, Honda), 40:44.289; ; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:07.997; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:09.528; 4. Mike Alessi (USA, KTM), +0:11.313; 5. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:25.269; 6. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), +0:28.412; 7. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Honda), +0:34.088; 8. Anthony Boissiere (FRA, TM), +0:36.597; 9. Joshua Coppins (NZL, Aprilia), +0:42.774; 10. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Yamaha), +0:56.451;

MX1 Overall top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 45 points; 2. Mike Alessi (USA, KTM), 40 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 38 p.; 4. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 31 p.; 5. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), 29 p.; 6. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Yamaha), 29 p.; 7. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Honda), 27 p.; 8. Ben Townley (NZL, Honda), 25 p.; 9. Kyle Chisolm (USA, Yamaha), 20 p.; 10. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 20 p.;

MX1 Championship top ten: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 259 points; 2. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 218 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), 196 p.; 4. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 184 p.; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, Yamaha), 174 p.; 6. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), 173 p.; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), 167 p.; 8. Tanel Leok (EST, Honda), 135 p.; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 115 p.; 10. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Honda), 111 p.;

MX1 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 287 points; 2. Suzuki, 242 p.; 3. Yamaha, 225 p.; 4. Honda, 192 p.; 5. Kawasaki, 183 p.; 6. Aprilia, 90 p.; 7. TM, 75 p.; 8. CCM, 11 p.; 9. Husqvarna, 4 p

Photos available here from Jeff Kardas

MX2
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX2's Musquin was his solid self in the United States where he took two moto wins and the overall. The French took two good starts and led the races from the opening lap already, opening up an initial gap then racing on his own until the chequered flag.

Taking his first podium of the season was home rider Osborne of Bike It Cosworth Yamaha UK. The American could not go catch Musquin for first as he had to get rid of Simpson in both heats. The duo fought tooth and nail in heat one, with Osborne taking fourth eventually, and in heat two when Osborne took his best heat result of the season courtesy of a second place.

Kawasaki CLS' Frossard made it to third on the podium despite a tough qualifying heat yesterday, when he crashed and injured his right thumb. The French raced a superb heat one, taking an eventual second after Kullas broke the bike and pulled out. In moto two he was fourth. Frossard is now third in the Championship which is a confidence booster ahead of his home GP next weekend.

Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2's Roczen was a bitter fourth overall. The German recovered to third in heat one after he was involved in a tangle but went down in the final moto due to another tangle - eventually he was fifth.

Other Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MX2 man Simpson rounded off the top five while team mate Herlings was 14th overall after crashing in both heats.

Despite taking third in yesterday's qualifying, Anstie struggled and crashed on race day. He finished 17th.

MX2 Race 1 top ten: 1. Marvin Musquin (FRA, KTM), 40:13.981; ; 2. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:03.707; 3. Ken Roczen (GER, Suzuki), +0:09.005; 4. Zach Osborne (USA, Yamaha), +0:39.125; 5. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:40.533; 6. Travis Baker (USA, Yamaha), +0:44.942; 7. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Suzuki), +0:50.547; 8. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:55.858; 9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +1:04.309; 10. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +1:20.608;

MX2 Race 2 top ten: 1. Marvin Musquin (FRA, KTM), 23:53.935; ; 2. Zach Osborne (USA, Yamaha), +0:12.420; 3. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:16.677; 4. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:18.739; 5. Ken Roczen (GER, Suzuki), +0:34.302; 6. Dennis Verbruggen (BEL, KTM), +0:35.856; 7. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), +0:36.968; 8. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:38.909; 9. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:46.465; 10. Harri Kullas (FIN, Yamaha), +0:53.474;

MX2 Overall top ten: 1. Marvin Musquin (FRA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Zach Osborne (USA, Yamaha), 40 p.; 3. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), 40 p.; 4. Ken Roczen (GER, Suzuki), 36 p.; 5. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 32 p.; 6. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 29 p.; 7. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 25 p.; 8. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Suzuki), 24 p.; 9. Dennis Verbruggen (BEL, KTM), 22 p.; 10. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), 22 p.;

MX2 Championship top ten: 1. Marvin Musquin (FRA, KTM), 268 points; 2. Ken Roczen (GER, Suzuki), 228 p.; 3. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kawasaki), 205 p.; 4. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 197 p.; 5. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 170 p.; 6. Zach Osborne (USA, Yamaha), 163 p.; 7. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 157 p.; 8. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Suzuki), 154 p.; 9. Joel Roelants (BEL, KTM), 134 p.; 10. Jake Nicholls (GBR, KTM), 129 p.;

MX2 Manufacturers: 1. KTM, 295 points; 2. Suzuki, 235 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 211 p.; 4. Yamaha, 201 p.; 5. Honda, 57 p.; 6. TM, 10 p.;

Photos available here from Jeff Kardas

VETERANS
Home rider Dubach was the first one to break Nilsson's dominance of this 2010 FIM Veterans' World Cup as he went on to take victory in both heats at Glen Helen Raceway. Dubach topped the podium from former GP winner Darryl King of New Zealand, who went two-two in the heats. Nilsson was third overall to maintain the series lead. Nicoll and Davis completed the top five.

Jagermeister/KTM rider Mike Alessi reinforced that the KTM 350 SX-F is a bike that can run with the 450cc machines after earning 4-1 moto scores for 2nd overall at the opening round of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship at the Hangtown Classic.

The week started for Alessi at the Hangtown press conference at the State Capitol building on Thursday morning. Alessi was repeatedly questioned by competitors and media for his choice in racing a 350 SX-F machine - 100cc less than the competition. Alessi answered the skeptics during the second moto on Saturday afternoon when he pulled the holeshot on his new machine and led every lap of the race - earning the bikes first U.S. win.

Alessi's second moto win coupled with his 4th place finish in moto one after a great battle with Josh Grant and Davi Millsaps earned the KTM rider 2nd overall for the day. Alessi now sits 2nd in points, just two points behind leader Chad Reed.

In the Motocross Lites class FMF/KTM rider, Tommy Searle, was ready to prove that he had been putting in the hard work to put himself in contention for a top three finish since his injury at the beginning of the West Supercross Lites season earlier this year. He qualified with the 9th fastest practice time - running times in the same second as six of the guys qualifying ahead of him.

At the start of the first moto, Searle was running 3rd as they came around the first lap. Christophe Pourcel had the early lead followed by Trey Canard, then Searle and Eli Tomac. The top four remained close throughout the whole moto rarely changing position until the halfway mark.

It was shortly after the halfway point that Pourcel crashed, handing the lead to Tomac who had just moved around Searle. Shortly after, Tomac made a mistake giving the lead to Searle who sprinted forward. Pourcel quickly caught Tomac and moved around him for 2nd. He had his sights set on Searle and soon the two competitors were side by side on the final lap. Pourcel tried to go to the outside in a corner and Searle retaliated with a block pass that sent both riders to the far outside of the track as they headed down hill. Pourcel nearly ran off the track, but saved it at the last second to squeeze by Searle and earn the win. Searle finished right behind him in 2nd to put himself in good contention for the overall.

Moto two, was not as kind to Searle. He started around 6th place and remained close to the top five riders until his shifter got lodged and made him miss some shifts early in the race pushing him to the back of the top ten. He fixed the problem but soon after suffered a crash, falling on his injured shoulder. He remounted and tried to ride a few laps before the pain caused him to DNF as he was having trouble holding on to the bike. "I have been training really hard for this series and this is a huge disappointment. I will play it safe as to not injure my shoulder anymore and hope that I can be recovered to race in time for the next round," remarked Searle.

Searle was credited with 31st overall for the moto. His combined moto scores of 2-31 earned him 9th overall for the day. Searle will return home for further evaluation and will make an announcement later in the week as to if he will race the Glen Helen GP this coming weekend.

EVS is proud to announce that one of motocross' top riders is now a premiere part of the EVS Team. Mike Alessi, who currently races for team Jgermeister/KTM Factory Racing, will exclusively be wearing the EVS WEB knee brace. Alessi has continuously placed himself as a front-runner in his respective classes and is known for battling it out for the holeshots. He finished 13th overall in the 2009 Outdoor Nationals, but hurt his knee right before the 4th round. He went 2-3 for 2nd overall at Glen Helen, 1-1 for the first place finish at Hangtown and 1-1 at Freestone for another overall win.

In the 2009 Supercross series, Mike finished inside the Top 10 with a 9th place finish.

According to Tommy Hofmaster, Athlete Marketing Manager for EVS Sports, "Adding Mike Alessi to the team this year is really exciting. To see Mike's motivation and the amount of heart he puts into racing makes it a great fit. The EVS family is very excited to work with him in order to help him achieve his goals."

Mike states, "The braces are awesome. The fit and the wear characteristics are great. As you know, I do a lot of riding. The braces are holding up great. They are very comfortable and I appreciate all of the support EVS has provided already. I am looking forward to a great season."

"We couldn't be more excited about the new partnership with Mike Alessi & EVS Sports for 2010 & 2011. We (EVS) are very fortunate in our continued growth with such athletes as Mike. He is certainly right at home with the best products available for his safety. We look forward to watching his season progress," said Todd Lentz, Director of Sales & Marketing for EVS Sports.

EVS would like to wish Mike good luck as he travels to Europe at the end of January 2010 to compete in Spain, Italy and France. His European racing will definitely be a great asset as he prepares for the 2010 Outdoor Nationals. Best of luck to Mike and his crew on their journey!