Eastern Regional Supercross Lites Class Season Kicks off this Saturday in Houston
AURORA,
Ill (February 8, 2011) – The 2011 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM
World Championship, heads east this weekend as it visits Houston’s
Reliant Stadium for the sixth race of the season. Last weekend in
Anaheim, San Manuel Yamaha’s James Stewart led the field from start to
finish, registering his third Supercross class victory of the season.
The Western Regional Supercross Lites class will take a short one-week
break as Pro Circuit/Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Josh Hansen controls the
points lead in the division after a well-deserved win, marking the
third of the season.
Media
day will be held Thursday, February 10 from Noon – 2:00 p.m. in the
Reliant Stadium Press Box at Reliant Stadium. Riders in attendance will
be available for interviews and will ride the track for the media.
Stewart
opened the main event last weekend in Anaheim by capturing his second
holeshot of the season. Stewart held a consistent four second lead
through all 20 laps over second place finisher and Monster Energy
Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto to dial in his 40th Supercross class career
victory.
San Manuel Yamaha’s James Stewart earned his 40th career Supercross class victory last weekend in Anaheim for the second annual pink-themed “Breast Cancer Awareness” race.
Photo Credit: Hoppenworld.com
“Tonight
was great,” said Stewart. “I had a great heat race and the Yamaha
pulled a great start. The track was tough and I think the skills really
came into play. I just rode 20 good laps, I’m feeling comfortable on
the motorcycle and the good part about it is we haven’t changed
anything on it since Anaheim 1. The bike was just fantastic tonight.”
TwoTwo
Motorsports’ Chad Reed trailed Villopoto throughout the race to earn a
third place finish. Reed’s second consecutive podium finish last
weekend advanced him from fifth to third in the championship point
standings. Supercross class rookie and American Honda’s Trey Canard
locked in in his fourth top-five finish last weekend, which keeps him
in a comfortable fourth place position, three points behind Reed.
“It
was nice to get out in front seeing where guys are strong and where I
need to work,” said Reed. “Weeks prior to this, I felt I didn’t have
the rhythm nor the comfort to push it to that level. I feel I gained a
lot [of comfort] racing tonight and feel we as a team gained some
necessary improvement. Everything at this level helps, and we took a
leap forward with knowing where I need to be stronger.”
A
third place finish last weekend has moved TwoTwo Motorsports’ Chad Reed
up to third in the standings. Reed sits 27 points behind Supercross
class leader James Stewart.
Photo Credit: Hoppenworld.com
Defending
2010 supercross champion and Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey
started the race mid-pack, but was forced to pull off the track late on
lap seven as a result of a derailed bike chain. With a DNF, Dungey lost
his third place spot to Reed and now sits in fifth place with 79
points, 38 behind leader Stewart.
As
the Western Regional Supercross Lites class takes a week off, Hansen
still sits in front with a well deserved eight point lead over his Pro
Circuit/Monster Energy/Kawasaki teammate Broc Tickle. Tickle sat one
point behind Hansen heading into Anaheim, but a fourth place finish
hindered his ability to gain control of the lead.
“It
was one of the roughest races for me yet,” said Hansen. “I stuck it out
and did what I had to do, and I’m really thankful to be able to ride
tonight. I really felt good and I want to stay consistent and do
everything I can to win. Tomac and Roczen are good riders, they pushed
hard, and these are those kids you can’t count out. They are the next
generation of the sport.”
With
a win last weekend in Anaheim, Pro Circuit/Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s
Josh Hansen extended his points lead to eight over second place Broc
Tickle.
Photo Credit: Hoppenworld.com
As
the Western Regional Lites class takes the weekend off, the Eastern
Regional Lites class is ready to amplify the season hype with a fresh
group of young riders set to stage a run at the title. Stewart’s
younger brother, Malcolm, makes his Supercross Lites class debut this
weekend, riding for Team Suzuki City. James Stewart finished his rookie
season in the Western Regional Lites class runner-up for the title,
winning three of eight races and posting two additional podium
finishes. Time will tell if his younger brother is able to follow in
his tracks.
Last
year in front of 44,624 fans from Houston’s Reliant Stadium, Monster
Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto, of Poulsbo, Wash., won his seventh
Supercross class race of the year. Monster Energy/Pro
Circuit/Kawasaki’s Christophe Pourcel, of Groveland, Fla., captured his
fifth win of the Supercross Lites Eastern Regional Championship season
and claimed his second consecutive title in the process.
Since
1974 Houston has been on the Supercross class schedule. From 1974-2002
the Houston Astrodome served as host to the race before the race was
moved to Reliant Stadium in 2003. The first Supercross class race in
Houston was on March 15, 1974 where Jim Pomeroy earned the win. In the
Supercross Lites competition, Eddie Warren won the first race held in
Houston on April 20, 1985. Jeremy McGrath, the all-time winningest
supercross rider, shares the all-time win record along with Mark
Barnett with five.
CBS
will broadcast the AMA Supercross class race at 12:00 p.m. EST/9:00
a.m. PST and SPEED will broadcast the AMA Supercross Lites class race
at 4:00 p.m. EST/1:00 p.m. PST. SPEED will also rebroadcast the AMA
Supercross class race on February 18, 2011 at 3:00 a.m. EST/ 12:00 a.m.
PST.
Supercross Class Results: Anaheim 2
1. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha
2. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
3. Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Honda
4. Justin Brayton, Cornelius, N.C, Yamaha
5. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda
6. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM
7. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki
8. Kevin Windham, Centerville, Miss., Honda
9. Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki
10. Davi Millsaps, Carlsbad, Calif., Yamaha
Supercross Class Season Standings
1. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha – 117
2. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki – 112
3. Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Honda – 90
4. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda – 87
5. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki – 79
6. Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki – 67
7. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM – 64
8. Kevin Windham, Centerville, Miss., Honda – 59
9. Justin Brayton, Cornelius, N.C, Yamaha – 57
10. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki – 48
Supercross Lites Class Western Regional Results: Anaheim 2
1. Josh Hansen, Elbert, Colo., Kawasaki
2. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda
3. Ken Roczen, Mattstedt, Germany, KTM
4. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki
5. Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha
6. Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., Suzuki
7. Ryan Morais, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki
8. Bruce Rutherford, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki
9. Ryan Marmont, Woonona, Australia, KTM
10. Jimmy DeCotis, Peabody, Mass., Honda
Supercross Lites Class Western Regional Season Standings
1. Josh Hansen, Elbert, Colo., Kawasaki – 113
2. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki – 105
3. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda – 91
4. Ryan Morais, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki – 84
5. Cole Seely, Corona, Calif., Honda – 70
6. Ken Roczen, Mattstedt, Germany, KTM – 69
7. Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., Suzuki – 60
8. Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha – 60
9. Tyla Rattray, Wildomar, Calif., Kawasaki – 58
10. Jimmy DeCotis, Peabody, Mass., Honda – 51
Tickets are available at the Reliant Stadium Box Office, SupercrossOnline.com, all Ticketmaster retail locations, charge by phone at (800) 745-3000, or online at www.ticketmaster.com.
Practice and qualifying begins at 12:30 p.m., and the main event begins
at 7:00 p.m. Club Level tickets are available for $40 Adult/Child; Gold
Circle $30 Adult/Child; Mid-Level $20 Adult/Child; Treadhead $10
Adult/Child. Fans can also get into the Pits for FREE from 12:30 – 6 PM
Race Day when they recycle a MONSTER Energy Can at the stadium Pit
Entrance (valid only with event ticket).
For more information on the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, please log on to www.SupercrossOnline.com. For all media requests, please contact Denny Hartwig dhartwig@feldinc.com or 630-566-6305. To follow Monster Energy Supercross on Facebook and Twitter, log on to http://www.facebook.com/supercrosslive and http://twitter.com/supercrosslive.
Feld Motor Sports®,
Inc. is the world leader in specialized arena and stadium-based motor
sports entertainment. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. productions include
Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam®, Monster Energy Supercross, AMA Arenacross Series, Nuclear Cowboyz℠, and IHRA® Nitro Jam®.
Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a division of Feld Entertainment, the
world’s largest producer of live family entertainment. For more
information on Feld Entertainment, visit www.feldentertainment.com.
2/8/2011 11:01am
0 comments
To post, please join, log in or connect to Vital using your Facebook profile Login with Facebook.