Reed Still on Top, Rattray takes 250 class at Budds CreekReed Races to Third Win in Four Rounds at Budds Creek Tyla Rattray Takes Second 250 Class Victory of the Season MECHANICSVILLE, Md. (June 18, 2011) - Thousands of fans packed into Budds Creek MX Park on Saturday to watch the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship host its fifth round of the 2011 season. TwoTwo Motorsports/Bel-Ray Racing's Chad Reed, of Australia, grabbed his third overall victory of season at the MotoTees Budds Creek National. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Tyla Rattray, of South Africa, won his second race of the year in the 250 Class. Monster Energy Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto, of Poulsbo, Wash., grabbed the opening 450 Class moto win, fending off Rockstar/Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., in the late stages. Reed, who grabbed the holeshot, finished third. As the gates dropped for Moto 2, Red Bull KTM's Mike Alessi, of Victorville, Calif., moved into the early lead, only to have Reed take over the top spot on Lap 3. From there, Reed pushed to extend his advantage over the field. Dungey made his way past Alessi just a short time later and began his pursuit of the lead. Villopoto followed suit, moving into third, and tightening up the points to determine the overall results for the day. Reed and Dungey followed one another, just bike lengths apart, throughout the moto and gradually pulled away from the field. With just one point separating the two riders in the day's standings, whoever captured the moto win would also take home the overall victory. As they encountered lapped riders, strategy played into Reed's favor, helping him open up a lead on Dungey to take the checkered flag and secure his series-leading third overall win. "I was bummed after the first moto," said Reed. "I just didn't have the pace. The Ryan's showed me what's up. I came out in the second and gave it all I had. I'm pumped. We made some changes to the bike and it paid off. I'm excited to come out and win that second moto. These guys are on their game this season and it hasn't been easy." Villopoto's duplicate 1-3 moto scores tied him in points with Reed on the day, but by virtue of the second-moto tiebreaker, he landed in the runner-up spot. "I felt good today," said Villopoto. "I just needed to pick some better lines in that second moto. It was a good day overall. There's still a lot of racing left this season." Relying on his impressive 2-2 results, Dungey rounded out the podium in third. "It was a good day, I just couldn't make it happen," said Dungey. "I felt like I needed to make a move (on Reed), but it never happened. I had to come from behind a couple times. It's what racing is all about. It's a man's sport and it's challenging. We'll just keep moving forward." Reed maintains his lead in the championship standings, 15 points ahead of Villopoto. The first moto of the 250 Class featured a dominant performance from Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Dean Wilson, of Scotland. The defending race winner at Budds Creek looked to be in position to go back-to-back, but Rattray outran his teammate and the rest of the field to lead every lap of Moto 2 and finish with 2-1 scores. As a result, the current points leader became the first rider this season in the 250 Class to lead the championship standings over consecutive weeks. "I think it's important in a championship to be up front," said Rattray. "It's important to be on podium as much as you can, and that's what I've done so far. I just want to get big points at each round and stay consistent. Having such strong competitors makes you dig deeper, and I just want it really bad." The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team also maintained its current streak of winning every moto and overall so far this season. Wilson (1-3) finished second overall, while GEICO Honda's Justin Barcia, of Ochlocknee, Ga., finished third (6-2). The Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship continues next weekend with Round 5 of the 2011 season. Thunder Valley MX Park, in Lakewood, Colo., will host the Toyota Trucks Thunder Valley National on Saturday, June 18, beginning at 3 p.m. EST. Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship MotoTees Budds Creek National Budds Creek MX Park - Mechanicsville, Md. June 18, 2011 Round 5 of 12 450 Class (Moto Finish)
450 Class Championship Standings
250 Class (Moto Finish)
250 Class Championship Standings
Channels: Moto 2012 RM Lineup is HereFirst Look: 2012 Suzuki RM-Z MX Lineup New, Slightly Improved, Still Yellow! June 17, 2011 By Chris Denison/Dirt Rider Magazine Photography by Courtesy Of Suzuki Suzuki may not have grabbed a Dirt Rider shootout in 2011, but the company's record on the track speaks for itself. The latest offerings from the yellow giant are four machines that have proven race potential:  These class-leading motocross bikes reflect development through a long history of Suzuki's motocross racing teams that have won numerous championships and produced countless wins in Outdoor Motocross, Supercross, GNCC off-road and World MX1 series.  The 2012 RM-Z450 and RM-Z250 boast many class-leading features including fully-adjustable Showa inverted front suspension, Suzuki Fuel Injection, and powerful four-stroke liquid-cooled four-valve engines that produce balanced, effective power with strong mid-range torque and responsive acceleration for impressive performance on the track. A slim, lightweight twin-spar aluminum chassis and swingarm give the RM-Z450 and RM-Z250 superb high-speed traction and unrivaled handling over tough tracks. The 2012 RM-Z450 and RM-Z250 have been updated with new styling and advances to make them the most lightweight, powerful and potent motocross machines available.  Channels: Moto Cantrell's Crazy WhipIn a bid to get into the X Games each year You Tube videos go wild with the latest and greatest tricks with all sorts of people (sometimes with garden gloves) going big on dirt bikes. The latest is not going for the crazy half gainer triple Lindy (Back to School Reference, Google it!) Destin Cantrell is going old school wanting to just be in the whip contest with a - wait for it! WHIP. Well maybe not a standard whip, watch this vid and wait until the last trick before you end up playing it back a few times and - yes a WTF, and How the H#**, You Got to Be S@&%ing me starts to come out. ENJOY - we did. Video by: Joseph Ray, www.jrayfilms.com Channels: Moto Moto Concepts Fires PourcelPourcel Unemployed! According to the Moto Concepts Facebook page and Twitter, Mike Genova, team owner made comments on Pulp MX  that rider Christophe Pourcel will not longer be riding for the team. Last week there was a bunch of rumors floating around that Pourcel was not happy with the bike, the team asked him to come to California to test suspension, he said no, and went home to Florida and did not return phone calls. The team tried to send him a practice bike but not sure what happened there. Then last weekend the team prepped his bike, yet CP was a no show.The saga continues with Pourcel. Is Pourcel the new J-Law? Was the bike that bad or is Pourcel that much of perfectionist/baby that he has to have everything past perfect or he will not ride? Having a bike that a rider can race safe at pro/national speeds is important but to make your team look bad is another issue. For a rider that has so many demands and thinks he is worth so much money he should act different to his fans and the industry. So what is next for Pourcel? And will anyone in America ever give him a chance aboard their team again? The guy is very fast but is it worth the drama? Teams have been putting up with the Alessi squad for years because Mike has so much talent, will this hold water for Pourcel in the U.S.? Stay tuned! Channels: Moto Villopoto Takes Hightpoint NationalMT. MORRIS, Pa. (June 11, 2011) - A massive crowd lined the hillsides surrounding High Point Raceway on Saturday, as the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship hosted its third round of the 2011 season. The Rockstar Energy High Point National marked the first East Coast stop of the summer and after two challenging motos, Monster Energy Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto, of Poulsbo, Wash., took his first win of the season. In the 250 Class, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Blake Baggett, of Grand Terrace, Calif., captured his second win in three races, sweeping both motos. Coming into the weekend, Villopoto had garnered back-to-back third-place results through the first two rounds. He started the day off at High Point with a dominating performance in the opening moto, finishing in the top spot for the first time in 2011, over eight seconds ahead of Rockstar/Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn. Just prior to the start of Moto 2, a rain shower moved through the area, leaving a muddy track for the riders to compete on. Red Bull KTM's Mike Alessi, of Victorville, Calif., grabbed the early lead, only to crash and hand the position to TwoTwo Motorsports/Bel-Ray Racing's Chad Reed, of Australia. From there, Reed, the current championship points leader and winner of the previous two rounds, maintained the position to collect his fourth moto win of 2011. Villopoto followed in second to secure the overall, while Dungey's third-place finish in the moto landed him in the runner-up spot for the day. Reed (5-1) rounded out the overall podium in third. "It's nice to get my first win in a long time," said Villopoto, who's only previous victory in the class came in his 450 division debut in 2009. "I didn't feel good at Hangtown, but I felt good at Texas - I just didn't have it. We had a weekend off and the team did a lot of testing. Now, I can ride my bike the way I need to ride it. I showed that in the first moto, but obviously the second moto was a little different with the mud. I just tried to get a good start and ride decent. The track got better, but it also got slippery. We had to be cautious the whole moto. Now, we'll go to Budds Creek, and I'm happy to be where we're at (in the championship)." Villopoto gained six points on Reed in the 450 Class standings, and now sits 15 points out of the lead. After an impressive performance to open the 250 Class season with a win at Hangtown, Baggett showed even more dominance at High Point. The second-year rider completed the first lap of Moto 1 in ninth, and worked his way through the field for the remainder of the 30-minute race. On Lap 13, he took over the lead from Eleven 10 Mods Honda's Darryn Durham, of Butler, Pa., and carried it through to the finish. In Moto 2, Baggett capitalized on a good start to grab the top spot early. On Lap 6, he crashed, handing the lead to his teammate Tyla Rattray, of South Africa, and dropping to third. Despite his misfortune, Baggett refused to settle, fighting his way back into the lead with just three laps remaining to finish the day with perfect 1-1 moto scores. "In the first moto I had my work cut out for me," said Baggett. "I waited until halfway and put on a late charge. In the second moto, it was muddy, and I had a brain fade and just went down. After that, I just went for it. I didn't know what Tyla (Rattray) had done in the first moto, so I just knew that a 1-1 would win. We actually had a battle there for a while, but I ended up getting around him. I'm looking forward to next weekend." Rattray (3-2) followed in second, for his third straight podium finish of the season, while GEICO Honda's Eli Tomac, of Cortez, Colo., finished third (6-3). By virtue of his finish, Rattray now moves into the 250 Class points lead, two points ahead of his teammate, Dean Wilson, of Scotland. The Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship continues next weekend with Round 4 of the 2011 season. Budds Creek MX Park, in Mechanicsville, Md., will host the MotoTees Budds Creek National on Saturday, June 18, beginning at 1 p.m. EST. Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship Rockstar Energy High Point National High Point Raceway - Mt. Morris, Pa. June 11, 2011 Round 3 of 12 450 Class (Moto Finish) 1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki (1-2) 2. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki (2-3) 3. Chad Reed, Australia, Honda (5-1) 4. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM (4-4) 5. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha (3-9) 6. Kevin Windham, Baton Rouge, La., Honda (6-5) 7. Tommy Hahn, Great Bend, Kan., Yamaha (10-7) 8. Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Suzuki (8-10) 9. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki (7-11) 10. Nick Wey, Dewitt, Mich., Yamaha (14-8) 450 Class Championship Standings 1. Chad Reed, Australia, Honda - 138 2. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki - 123 3. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki - 111 4. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha - 104 5. Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Suzuki - 88 6. Kevin Windham, Baton Rouge, La., Honda - 76 7. Ricky Dietrich, Snohomish, Wash., Yamaha - 72 8. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki - 68 9. Tommy Hahn, Great Bend, Kan., Yamaha - 65 10. Christian Craig, El Cajon, Calif., Honda - 59 250 Class (Moto Finish) 1. Blake Baggett, Redlands, Calif., Kawasaki (1-1) 2. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki (3-2) 3. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda (6-3) 4. Dean Wilson, Scotland, Kawasaki (2-8) 5. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki (10-4) 6. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda (8-7) 7. Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda (11-5) 8. Kyle Cunningham, Irving, Texas, Yamaha (5-11) 9. Darryn Durham, Butler, Pa., Honda (4-14) 10. Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Honda (13-6) 250 Class Championship Standings 1. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki - 127 2. Dean Wilson, Scotland, Kawasaki - 125 3. Blake Baggett, Redlands, Calif., Kawasaki - 116 4. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda - 104 5. Kyle Cunningham, Irving, Texas, Yamaha - 90 6. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda - 79 7. Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda - 68 8. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki - 67 9. Gareth Swanepoel, South Africa, Yamaha - 61 10. Martin Davalos, Ecuador, Suzuki - 53 Channels: Moto |
