GEICO Honda Endurocross' Aaron fifth at X Games

LOS
ANGELES (July 31) – In an X Games debut that started so promising ended
in frustration for GEICO Honda Endurocross rider Geoff Aaron.

Opening
the night grabbing the No. 1 qualifier spot and winning his heat, Aaron
made a tactical error in the main event which led to his bike stalling
while leading and ultimately a fifth place overall finish in the race,
which served as the season opener for the 2011 GEICO AMA Endurocross
Series.

"I
would have loved to have medaled here," Aaron said. "It's a big, big
event. But for my first ride on the Honda to be fastest in qualifying
and win my heat, I can't complain."

The
track at STAPLES Center was brutal, especially at the start – a steep
downhill launch out of a slick gate that led directly into a hard
right-hand turn and the first obstacle on the course. However, that
wasn't what tripped Aaron up in the main event.

The
final corner after the water section and the huge hill is what bit
Aaron, who had been leading for a few laps. The bikes were still wet as
they hit this boulder and log obstacle, so traction, already tricky,
became nearly nonexistent as the laps ticked away.

"It
was a little bit of a gamble taking that inside line," Aaron said. "I
thought that I could stick it. It caught me off guard a little bit. I
had just enough of a skid to twist me and catch the front wheel in a
hole.

"Then I had to restart the thing. That kind of took it out of me and then I started making some mistakes after that."

Aaron
was the only GEICO Honda rider to make the main event in the uniquely
formatted race, which consisted of three heat races and two Last Chance
Qualifiers that each advanced the two top finishers to the main event.

Kyle
Redmond was hung up in the treacherous start in the first heat and
finished ninth. He improved a little in the LCQ with a finish of sixth
place.

"It
was different and it made it more difficult to make the main," Redmond
said. "You mess up once, and you're out. There were a few really good
guys who didn't make it in.

"I got some stuff figured out from this race, so I'm looking forward to the rest of the season."

Ryan
Rodgers stayed out of serious trouble in his heat and finished fourth.
He encountered a little trouble in his LCQ and finished fifth.

"I
was too close to the gate, anticipating it, and got stuck," Rodgers
said. "You are trying to time it so perfectly because it is so slick up
there. It worked out a little bit better because I wasn't down in that
mess with everybody.

"If
you aren’t on the ground on this track, you are a winner. No mistakes
is the best you can do and I limited them the best I could. I'm happy
with my ride and that's all I can ask for."

Up next for GEICO Honda's riders is the August 13 Endurocross event at Comcast Arena in Everett, Wash.