— Villopoto wins in St. Louis / Barcia dominates Lites
Villopoto Extends Monster Energy Supercross with Win in St. Louis
Barcia Wins Third Consecutive Supercross Lites Class Race
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto, of Poulsbo, Wash., won his fifth Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, race at Edward Jones Dome before a record-breaking 59,742 fans. GEICO Honda’s Justin Barcia, of Ochlocknee, Ga., won his third consecutive Eastern Regional Supercross Lites Class Main Event and extended his points lead to 18 points.
JGRMX/Toyota/Yamaha’s Davi Millsaps, of Murrieta, Calif., won the Nuclear Cowboyz® Holeshot Award with Villopoto and Muscle Milk Honda’s Justin Brayton, of Murrieta, Calif., in tow. JGRMX/Toyota/Yamaha’s James Stewart started near the back of the pack and crashed on the opening lap. Villopoto, who has never won in St. Louis, quickly moved into second place. On Lap 2, Villopoto gained the lead after passing Millsaps and began opening a sizeable lead.
Brayton passed Millsaps on Lap 8 for second place, and on the same lap Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., passed Millsaps for third place. On Lap 13, Dungey took over second place, moving Brayton back to third. On his charge back from near last place, Stewart passed Millsaps for fifth place. Dungey made a late-race run at Villopoto but was unable to challenge for the lead.
“The track was tough tonight,” said Villopoto. “I tried to ride smart and consistent, paying attention to where (Ryan) Dungey was at. I was able to hold on for another win and my first-ever in St. Louis”
Dungey earned his seventh podium finish of the year with a second place. Brayton finished a season-best third place.
“It was tough to make passes out there,” said Dungey. “I am happy with second tonight even though I wasn’t able to get to the lead. This track is one of a kind, and I had a blast riding on it.”
Barcia made a statement when the gates dropped for the Eastern Regional Supercross Lites Class Main Event as he captured his second consecutive Nuclear Cowboyz Holeshot Award. Behind him, Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen, of Murrieta, Calif., and GEICO Honda’s Justin Bogle, of Cushing, Okla., followed in second and third, respectively.
While Barcia extended his lead, Bogle stalked Roczen for several laps, and on the last lap while setting up his move, he suffered a crash. As a result, he lost third place to Rockstar Energy Racing Suzuki’s Blake Wharton, of Beaumont, Texas, and fourth place to Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Darryn Durham, of Butler, Pa., where they would finish. Bogle was forced to settle for fifth, and Roczen finished a season-best second place.
“It was great to get the holeshot and check out tonight,” said Barcia. “The dirt here in St. Louis is amazing. I am not changing anything as we head to the next race; if I keep doing this, I should win the championship.”
Tonight’s win for Barcia marked his third consecutive inside the Edward Jones Dome, and he now is the all-time winningest Supercross Lites Class rider in St. Louis.
Supercross Class Results: St. Louis
1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
2. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
3. Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., Honda
4. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda
5. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha
6. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
7. Jake Weimer, Wildomar, Idaho, Kawasaki
8. Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki
9. Marvin Musquin, Murrieta, Calif., KTM
10. Nicholas Wey, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki
Supercross Class Season Standings
1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki – 205
2. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM – 192
3. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha – 152
4. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Honda – 128
5. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda – 123
6. Jake Weimer, Wildomar, Idaho, Kawasaki – 120
7. Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., Honda – 116
8. Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki – 113
9. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha – 109
10. Mike Alessi, Hilliard, Fla., Suzuki – 98
Eastern Regional Supercross Lites Class Results: St. Louis
1. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda
2. Ken Roczen, Murrieta, Calif., KTM
3. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Honda
4. Darryn Durham, Butler, Pa, Kawasaki
5. Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Honda
6. Jake Canada, Sun City, Fla., Honda
7. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., KTM
8. Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha
9. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki
10. Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Honda
Eastern Regional Supercross Lites Class Season Standings
1. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda – 75
2. Ken Roczen, Murrieta, Calif., KTM – 57
3. Darryn Durham, Butler, Pa, Kawasaki – 56
4. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Honda – 56
5. Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Honda – 43
6. Jake Canada, Sun City, Fla., Honda – 41
7. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki – 40
8. Hunter Hewitt, Pilot Point, Texas, Suzuki – 31
9. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., KTM – 29
10. Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha – 28
– KTM Report
Red Bull KTM rider Ryan Dungey and Ken Roczen had a good night out in St. Louis at the AMA SX and SX Lites East on Saturday night when they both finished on the podium in second place. Marvin Musquinrounded off a good night for KTM finishing ninth in his debut ride in the SX class on the 350 SX-F.
Both Dungey and Musquin turned impressive qualifying times in the afternoon practice sessions. Dungey registered second fastest time while Musquin was sixth which put them both in the first heat. They both pulled off decent starts and easily transferred to the main event after finishing third and sixth respectively.
Dungey then had a horrible start off the gate in the main but some critical moves down the start straight put him back in the top five by the second corner. Musquin was not as lucky and started the race back in sixteenth place. It was immediately clear that Dungey was choosing some hot lines and his lap times were matching those of the leader, Villopoto. He shot past Windham in the first two laps then six laps later had reeled in Davi Millsaps to move into third before setting down to hunt down Justin Brayton and be right behind Villopoto, who by then had a commanding six second lead. Over the final five laps, Dungey reduced the deficit to just two seconds but had to settle for second.
“It feels really great to finish strong tonight,” remarked Dungey. “I wish I could have had a better start but I am very satisfied with my performance and I’m glad that I can keep my Red Bull KTM Team in the championship hunt.”
Musquin went on to earn an impressive ninth place result after charging through the pack from his poor start. “The 350 is an amazing bike,” remarked Musquin. “I feel very comfortable on the bike and am so happy I was able to get a top ten finish. I will race the next two races in the Supercross class and hope to improve my results.”
With nine rounds complete, Dungey remains second in the championship point standings only 13 points behind Villopoto.
Roczen keeps his title chances alive
Meanwhile, KTM’s talented young German rider Ken Roczen also kept his chances alive for the East Coast Lites titles with his strong second place, his second podium and best result for the season after returning from pre-season injury in only his third ride.
In the main event Roczen broke his streak of bad starts to be second at the first corner and stuck there the entire race while holding off holding off heavy pressure and advances from Justin Bogle.
“I struggled the whole week with a cold and I felt like I was riding tight but I still managed to get my best finish of the season and I’m really happy for that. I’m really looking forward to next weekend in Daytona when my dad, sister and little niece all come over to join me at the race,” stated Roczen after the event.
Ryan and Ken resume their fight for the titles next week – March 10, 2012 at the Daytona Supercross where Marvin will have his second ride on the 350 SX-F.