Villopoto Passes Eight Riders to Claim First Win of 2014 Monster Energy Supercross Season in Phoenix
Anderson Uses Last-Lap Pass for Second-Straight 250SX Class Victory
In front of 49,834 fans inside Chase Field, reigning three-time 450SX Class Champion Ryan Villopoto won his first Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, race of the season aboard his Monster Energy Kawasaki. For the second consecutive week, Rockstar Energy Racing’s Jason Anderson used a last-lap pass to post back-to-back victories in the Western Regional 250SX Class Championship.
Yoshimura Suzuki’s Matt Moss grabbed the Nuclear Cowboyz® Holeshot Award to start the 20-lap 450SX Class Main Event, with Toyota/Yamaha/N-Fab/JGRMX’s Justin Brayton and Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey in tow. Villopoto started in ninth, behind the likes of Yoshimura Suzuki’s James Stewart, Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Justin Barcia, and Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen.
Photo Credit: Michael Bartovsky
Brayton took over the lead after the second corner, bringing Dungey and Barcia with him. Barcia surged towards the front, passing Dungey for second and then setting his sights on the lead, pushing Moss back to fifth where he remained for a couple of laps. Barcia briefly passed Brayton, but the Yamaha rider countered back, which allowed Dungey to reclaim second from Barcia. A six-rider battle ensued with Brayton, Dungey, Roczen, Barcia, Villopoto, and Stewart all within just a few seconds of one another.
On Lap 7, Barcia and Roczen made contact while battling for third, sending Roczen to the ground. Villopoto pressured Barcia shortly thereafter and made the pass for third. As Dungey looked to make a move on Brayton, Villopoto closed in and made the pass for second on Lap 11. On Lap 13, Villopoto passed Brayton and fended off a late charge to win in Phoenix for the first time in the 450SX Class.
“Justin was riding a hell of a race,” said Villopoto. “I have to give it to him, he made it tough. I didn’t get the start I wanted because the (starting) gate was slippery, but I just needed to be patient. The Phoenix (track) gets really slick so I had to take my time and make sure my passes stuck.”
Brayton’s runner-up effort tied his career-best finish, which came in Toronto in 2012.
“This feels so good,” Brayton exclaimed. “The new Yamaha is unbelievable. We did our homework this year. It’s been a lot of hard work, but being up [on the podium] pays off. I was trying to pay attention to what was going on behind me but still look ahead. I did all I could to stay up front, but Ryan (Villopoto) got by me.”
Dungey finished third, giving him back-to-back podium results.
“That was a good opportunity to get a win,” said Dungey. “I kept making mistakes. I couldn’t get through the whoops, but all in all it was a good ride. The track was super slippery and it caught us off guard but we still put in on the box.”
With his win, the 35th of his career, Villopoto moves into the 450SX Class points lead. He holds a one-point advantage over Dungey.
MyPlash/Metal Mulisha/Star Racing Yamaha’s Cooper Webb raced to the Nuclear Cowboyz Holeshot Award to start the Western Regional 250SX Class Main Event. Webb held onto the lead for most of the opening lap until Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil Honda’s Cole Seely moved into the lead by passing both Webb and Anderson, who started in second. Webb went down moments later and lost several positions.
Photo Credit: Michael Bartovsky
Seely and Anderson opened a comfortable lead on the field, with Seely extending his advantage over Anderson for most of the 15-lap Main Event. As the leaders approached lappers in the late stages, Anderson reduced his deficit to mere bike lengths. On the final lap, Seely made a slight mistake, which allowed Anderson to challenge for the lead, making the pass with about a half lap remaining.
“I was out for redemption tonight,” said Anderson, who failed to qualify for the Main Event in Phoenix the year prior. “I got a good start on my KTM, like I have been all season. I don’t plan on those last-lap passes, but it was there and I needed to take it. My goal is to keep control of the red number plate (signifying the points leader) so I’ll do whatever it takes to do that. I really want it.”
Photo Credit: Michael Bartovsky
“I’m bummed,” said Seely. “I’ve been battling stomach issues all week, so was struggling with that. I felt (my stomach) tighten up late in the race and I just made a mistake and Jason got me again.”
GEICO Honda’s Zach Osborne and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Dean Wilson battled for the third position for the bulk of the Main Event, with Osborne eventually getting the edge to grab his second podium finish of the year.
With Anderson, Seely, and Osborne on the podium, it duplicated the finishing order from last week’s opening race. Anderson’s lead in the championship sits at six points.
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Monster Energy Supercross returns to Anaheim, Calif., and Angel Stadium for the third race of the 2014 season. The race will be the 40th Anniversary Celebration of the championship.
AMA SX 2014 – 450cc – Round Two – Phoenix – Results
| 1. | Ryan Villopoto (KAW) |
| 2. | Justin Brayton (YAM) |
| 3. | Ryan Dungey (KTM) |
| 4. | James Stewart (SUZ) |
| 5. | Justin Barcia (HON) |
| 6. | Ken Roczen (KTM) |
| 7. | Andrew Short (KTM) |
| 8. | Broc Tickle (SUZ) |
| 9. | Chad Reed (KAW) |
| 10. | William Hahn (HON) |
| 11. | Matt Moss (SUZ) |
| 12. | Ivan Tedesco (KTM) |
| 13. | Nicholas Wey (KAW) |
| 14. | Vince Friese (HON) |
| 15. | Matthew Goerke (KTM) |
| 16. | Kyle Chisholm (YAM) |
| 17. | Mike Alessi (SUZ) |
| 18. | Jacob Weimer (KAW) |
| 19. | Kyle Partridge (HON) |
| 20. | Nicholas Schmidt (HON) |
| 21. | Weston Peick (SUZ) |
| 22. | Chris Blose (HON) |
AMA SX 2014 – 250cc West – Round Two – Phoenix – Results
| 1. | Jason Anderson (KTM) |
| 2. | Cole Seely (HON) |
| 3. | Zach Osborne (HON) |
| 4. | Dean Wilson (KAW) |
| 5. | Malcolm Stewart (HON) |
| 6. | Cooper Webb (YAM) |
| 7. | Dean Ferris (KTM) |
| 8. | Justin Hill (KAW) |
| 9. | Jessy Nelson (HON) |
| 10. | Cole Martinez (KAW) |
| 11. | Scott Champion (YAM) |
| 12. | Shane Mcelrath (HON) |
| 13. | Austin Burns (HON) |
| 14. | Darryn Durham (KAW) |
| 15. | Chris Plouffe (HON) |
| 16. | Colton Aeck (HON) |
| 17. | Dakota Tedder (KAW) |
| 18. | Aaron Siminoe (KAW) |
| 19. | Ruben Alanis (KTM) |
| 20. | Killian Auberson (KTM) |
| 21. | Conner Elliott (HON) |
| 22. | Jake Canada (HON) |
450SX Class Series Points
| 1. | Ryan Villopoto (KAW) , 43 |
| 2. | Ryan Dungey (KTM) , 42 |
| 3. | Ken Roczen (KTM) , 40 |
| 4. | Justin Brayton (YAM) , 37 |
| 5. | Chad Reed (KAW) , 32 |
| 6. | Justin Barcia (HON) , 32 |
| 7. | Andrew Short (KTM) , 26 |
| 8. | Broc Tickle (SUZ) , 26 |
| 9. | James Stewart (SUZ) , 22 |
| 10. | William Hahn (HON) , 21 |
| 11. | Matt Moss (SUZ) , 18 |
| 12. | Jacob Weimer (KAW) , 14 |
| 13. | Joshua Grant (YAM) , 14 |
| 14. | Mike Alessi (SUZ) , 13 |
| 15. | Ivan Tedesco (KTM) , 10 |
| 16. | Kyle Partridge (HON) , 8 |
| 17. | Nicholas Schmidt (HON) , 8 |
| 18. | Nicholas Wey (KAW) , 8 |
| 19. | Matthew Goerke (KTM) , 7 |
| 20. | Vince Friese (HON) , 7 |
250SX West Series Points
| 1. | Jason Anderson (KTM) , 50 |
| 2. | Cole Seely (HON) , 44 |
| 3. | Zach Osborne (HON) , 40 |
| 4. | Dean Wilson (KAW) , 36 |
| 5. | Cooper Webb (YAM) , 31 |
| 6. | Malcolm Stewart (HON) , 29 |
| 7. | Justin Hill (KAW) , 28 |
| 8. | Jessy Nelson (HON) , 24 |
| 9. | Darryn Durham (KAW) , 21 |
| 10. | Dean Ferris (KTM) , 21 |
| 11. | Shane Mcelrath (HON) , 14 |
| 12. | Cole Martinez (KAW) , 12 |
| 13. | Dakota Tedder (KAW) , 12 |
| 14. | Scott Champion (YAM) , 12 |
| 15. | Austin Politelli (YAM) , 11 |
| 16. | Jake Canada (HON) , 10 |
| 17. | Michael Leib (HON) , 10 |
| 18. | Austin Burns (HON) , 8 |
| 19. | Chris Plouffe (HON) , 6 |
| 20. | Zachary Bell (HON) , 6 |
KTM Junior Supercross Challenge
Bryson Buller, Farmington, Mich., KTM
Talon Hansen, South Weber, Utah, KTM
Harley Jefferies, Rosburg, Wash., KTM
Ayden Beckage, Jermyn, Pa., KTM
Wyatt Storey, Cataldo, Idaho, KTM
Logan Ellis, Pickerington, Ohio, KTM
Chase Cannizzaro, Sparks, Nev., KTM
Corinthia Crawford, Firestone, Colo., KTM
Braeden Turner, Colorado Springs, Colo., KTM
Reese Monty, Vista, Calif., KTM
Tyler Nelson, Pickerington, Ohio, KTM
Michael Baker, Scottsdale, Ariz., KTM
Cody McManus, Pickerington, Ohio, KTM
Jaxon Chisholm, Pickerington, Ohio, KTM
Cooper Ivie, Whittier, Calif., KTM
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KTM Report
Red Bull KTM Factory rider Ryan Dungey picked up a podium third in the 450-class Round 2 of the Monster Energy Supercross at Phoenix on Saturday night after a hard fought battle where he led for most of the race.
Teammate Ken Roczen of Germany was sixth, following up on a win in the opening round and American Andrew Short, now back on a KTM was seventh. Dungey and Roczen are 2-3 in the points after two rounds.
In the 250 class (West Coast) Jason Anderson, riding the Rockstar KTM picked up his second win to leave Phoenix with a perfect scorecard while Red Bull KTM’s rookie rider Dean Ferris of Australia was a creditable seventh in only his second SX ride.
Dungey was on the gas all day turning quick times in his afternoon practices for a top gate pick for his heat race. He nailed the holeshot in his heat and went on to lead every lap for another top qualifying spot for the main event.
He then got away well in the main and was third at the first corner before quickly advancing to second place, close behind Jayson Brayton, before the first lap was out.
Meanwhile Roczen, who transferred into the main event from a semi-race win after missing qualifying from his heat by one position, was hard on Dungey’s rear wheel with Justin Barcia close behind.
The three swapped positions back and forth for a lap before Barcia cut across Roczen’s line and clipped his front wheel. Roczen crashed, dropped five places but recovered to finish in sixth when the flag dropped.
Meanwhile, Dungey had put pressure on Brayton while Villopoto moved up behind. The three were all almost side with five laps to go when Villopoto made a block pass on Dungey. Villopoto then moved around Brayton for the lead and the trio remained close for the rest of the race finishing in that order
“I really wanted the win tonight,” commented Dungey. “I felt great all day today and was really confident in my riding. I just couldn’t make the pass when I needed to tonight but I am glad to remain consistent and finish on the podium.”
SX 250 Class West Coast – While it was another win for Jason Ferris in the 250 class, Red Bull KTM’s Dean Ferris did well to finish in seventh in only his second SX. The Australian felt ill all well and did not have a lot of time on the practice track between Anaheim and the Phoenix Supercross races.
Ferris earned the final qualifying spot in his heat race after getting a decent start and hanging on to finish ninth. He was in the middle of the pack at the start of the main and was sitting at tenth at the end of the first lap. He rode a consistent race to advance three places at the end of the 15-lap race.
“I am very happy to earn a top ten finish tonight,” commented Ferris. “I’m new to Supercross so each week, during practice and racing I am learning a lot and making improvements. I am glad to get a better finish for my team this weekend and hope I can continue to work toward a top five result.”
