AMA Toyota Motocross Championship: Unadilla 1





James Stewart 2008 AMA Motocross Championship: Unadilla

Click the following link for a 35-photo gallery of AMA National motocross race action from Unadilla.


You can also click the following link for a 23-photo gallery from Saturday's pre-race action in the pits, as well as timed qualifying.


Don't forget, if you're a Vital MX member, you can comment on any of the photos in the gallery. Not a member? Join now! It's fast and free.



While the results at the top of each of the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship classes may have looked familiar, there was plenty happening in each class to keep everyone on their toes.


Some of that related to the weather, where each class had a dry moto and one wet race. The MX2 class even had a complete restart to their second moto, after it was red-flagged at the nine-minute mark due to severe lightning in the area.


James Stewart (Monster Energy Kawasaki) continued his complete dominance in the MX1 class, taking two more moto wins. While the first moto (in dry conditions) looked routine, the second moto wasn’t nearly as easy. Suzuki City’s Cody Cooper kept James on his toes, staying relatively close, and actually cutting into Stewart’s lead at several points during the moto. James also had a crash, spinning out on the face of a jump. Fortunately, he was able to remount without losing the lead.


James had struggled at Unadilla over the last few years, and has had more than his share of big crashes there. Afterwards he commented, “Like I said on the podium, this track’s always been tough for me, especially these last three years. That’s the first motos I’ve finished here since ’04.” He also mentioned, “Even until I crossed the checkered flag, I just never knew if it was going to come up and get me.”


One thing that James has for sure is a substantial points lead, which is now at 120 points.


Maybe the biggest surprises in the MX1 class were the second and third place finishers, the Aussie and Kiwi riders, Michael Byrne and Cody Cooper. Each of them had a second-place finish in a moto, and during the second moto’s wet and muddy conditions, Cody Cooper wasn’t just maintaining his position within ten seconds of James Stewart, he was actually making time on Stewart. In the end, Byrne’s 2-3 edged out Cooper’s 5-2, but it was an excellent showing for the international riders.



As we mentioned earlier, the MX2 riders had a “bonus” moto. In that one, and in the “real” second moto, Ryan Dungey (Rockstar Makita Suzuki) spent some time out front and in the lead ahead of Ryan Villopoto (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki). Following the day’s racing, Villopoto commented, “When the red flag came out, I was bummed. I’d just gone into the lead, the lap before that, and I was trying to make a break for it.”


Dungey’s 2-2 was good for second overall, and at this point, he appears to be the heir apparent to the top of the MX2 class standings in 2009. For now, it belongs to Villopoto, who has won 15 straight motos, and amassed a 109-point lead.


Brett Metcalfe was third overall for the day, and scored his second-straight podium appearance with a sixth and a fourth in the motos.


Villopoto also added, “Definitely this weekend was one of the toughest. With the rain that came in, you kind of didn’t know what to expect.”


For much more from the weekend, be sure to check out the photo galleries (see the links above).


MX1
1. James Stewart (Kawasaki) 1-1

2. Michael Byrne (Suzuki) 2-3

3. Cody Cooper (Suzuki) 5-2

4. Timmy Ferry (Kawasaki) 3-6

5. Antonio Balbi (Honda) 8-4

6. Sean Hamblin (Yamaha) 7-7

7. Andrew Short (Honda) 4-14

8. Matt Boni (Honda) 14-5

9. Jimmy Albertson (Honda) 12-10

10. Nick Wey (KTM) 10-12

11. Josh Hill (Yamaha) 6-24

12. Jack Carpenter (Honda) 23-8

13. Jacob Morrison (Kawasaki) 22-9

14. Justin Sipes (Suzuki) 17-13

15. Chris Blose (Honda) 9-37

16. Jake Marsack (Honda) 39-11

17. Charles Summey (Yamaha) 11-38

18. Jeff Alessi (Honda) 13-39

19. Chad Charbonneau (Honda) 24-15

20. Michael Willard (Yamaha) 15-25

21. Billy Ainsworth (Kawasaki) 26-16

22. Paul Carpenter (Honda) 16-34

23. Dustin Gills (Suzuki) 38-17

24. Ricky Renner (Kawasaki) 21-18

25. Kyle Tobin (Honda) 18-28

26. Dustin Kendall (Honda) 32-19

27. John Dowd (Suzuki) 19-33

28. Ryan Clark (Honda) 25-20

29. Jay Weller (Suzuki) 29-21

30. Barry Carsten (Suzuki) 30-22

31. Adam Blessing (Honda) 31-23

32. Kyle Partridge (Honda) 24-26

33. Kristofer Miller (Honda) 36-27

34. Tony Boughten (Yamaha) 37-29

35. Randall Everett (Yamaha) 33-30

36. Augie Lieber (Honda) 40-32

37. Tyler Bright (Honda) 35-35

38. Carter Gurnee (Honda) 28-36

39. Ashlee Woskob (Honda) 27-40


MX2
1. Ryan Villopoto (Kawasaki) 1-1

2. Ryan Dungey (Suzuki) 2-2

3. Brett Metcalfe (Kawasaki) 6-4

4. Nico Izzi (Suzuki) 8-5

5. Josh Grant (Honda) 3-12

6. Matt Goerke (KTM) 7-9

7. Jake Moss (Yamaha) 10-8

8. Trey Canard (Honda) 5-13

9. Ryan Sipes (KTM) 13-6

10. Martin Davalos (KTM) 39-3

11. Tommy Hahn (Kawasaki) 15-7

12. Kyle Cunningham (Honda) 4-19

13. Kyle Chisholm (Kawasaki) 14-10

14. Matt Lemoine (Yamaha) 11-14

15. Andrew McFarlane (Kawasaki) 18-11

16. Jake Weimer (Honda) 9-25

17. Justin Brayton (KTM) 17-15

18. Robert Kiniry (Honda) 12-28

19. Mike Brown (Yamaha) 19-16

20. Phil Nicoletti (Kawasaki) 16-35

21. Wil Hahn (Yamaha) 21-17

22. Ryan Morais (Yamaha) 22-18

23. Sean Borkenhagen (Honda) 23-20

24. Broc Tickle (Yamaha) 20-30

25. Willy Browning (Suzuki) 38-21

26. Kyle Gills (Suzuki) 29-22

27. Shane Sewell (Suzuki) 40-23

28. Brett Wagner (Yamaha) 34-24

29. Michael Pugrab (Kawasaki) 26-26

30. Roy Holt (Kawasaki) 31-27

31. Doug Leavitt (Suzuki) 33-29

32. Ben Ritter (Suzuki) 24-31

33. Adam Miller (KTM) 27-32

34. Ryan Smith (Honda) 35-33

35. Clayton Miller (Honda) 32-34

36. Levi Kilbarger (Honda) 28-36

37. Sean Hackley (Kawasaki) 36-37

38. Justin Workman (Honda) 25-38

39. Ozzy Barbaree (Suzuki) 37-39

40. Ryan Newton (Kawasaki) 30-40

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