Podiums and a Championship in New Orleans

Torrance, CA: It was an exciting
weekend for Honda at round 14 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross
Championship, an FIM World Championship series. Fans filled the
Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans to see Honda Red Riders make
their way to the podium, with Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Justin
Brayton and GEICO Honda’s Justin Bogle each placing third. GEICO
Honda’s Justin Barcia wrapped up the Supercross Lites East
Championship with a fourth-place finish. New Orleans also marked the
return of L&Mc Racing’s Andrew Short aboard his factory-spec
CRF450R.

The Race

Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Justin
Brayton had an impressive night, rounding out the podium with a
third-place finish. After getting a midpack start, Brayton put in a
hard charge making his way through the field all the way up to third.
“Today definitely wasn’t my best day, but I am very thankful to
be up on the podium again,” said Brayton. Wil Hahn finished a
respectable ninth place after getting tangled in the first turn.

GEICO Honda had a sensational night
with Bogle making his second podium appearance of the season and
Barcia wrapping up the Lites East Championship. “I am so happy to
be back up on the podium,” said Bogle. “It’s been a roller
coaster season for me, so it feels great to head into Vegas on a
positive note. The track was pretty difficult and it definitely kept
you on your toes but I felt comfortable and my bike was running
great.”

After posting the second-quickest lap
time in practice and winning his heat race, Barcia grabbed a
second-place start in the main. He rode a consistent 15 laps to take
the title. “Winning this second championship is truly mind-blowing
and I am so excited,” said Barcia. “It was a tough race tonight,
I couldn’t get in a good flow and everybody was riding really well.
I wanted to just stay consistent and finish in a good enough position
to win the championship, which is exactly what I was able to do. This
season took a lot of hard work and dedication but it all paid off.”

L&Mc Racing’s Andrew Short had a
noteworthy first race back, finishing in fifth place aboard his
CRF450R.

The Focus: Engine Shipping

With 17 rounds in the AMA Supercross
series, and most of the races spread far apart, it’s crucial to get
the team the proper equipment needed each week. In order to do this,
the team uses special injection-molded hard plastic cases to ship
engines from race to race. The inside of the case is filled with
custom-cut foam that is contoured to fit the CRF450R engine, with
enough padding to protect it during shipping. The shipping boxes are
similar to those used by the military for weapons and supplies, or by
production companies for carrying cameras or lights.

With only a week between races, engines
are pulled Sunday after the race, shipped to the Honda race shop in
Torrance, CA, to be rebuilt and prepared then overnighted out to the
next round. Each race bike has three engines in rotation at all
times, one in the bike, one spare in the truck and one at the shop
being built. During Supercross season each engine gets two races
under its belt before being rotated through the process, depending on
the conditions. For outdoor motocross, the engines are rotated every
week due to the extreme conditions and heat they endure.

Supercross Main Event

1. Ryan Villopoto

2. Josh Grant

3. Justin Brayton (Honda)

4. Brett Metcalfe

5. Andrew Short (Honda)

6. Davi Millsaps

7. Weston Peick

8. Kyle Chisholm

9. Wil Hahn (Honda)

10.Broc Tickle

Supercross Championship Points (after
14 of 17 rounds)

1. Ryan Villopoto 321

2. Davi Millsaps 206

3. Justin Brayton 201

4. Ryan Dungey 192

5. James Stewart 178

6. Brett Metcalfe 172

7. Jake Weimer 171

8. Kevin Windham 166

9. Mike Alessi 162

10. Broc Tickle 133

Supercross Lites East Main Event

1. Darryn Durham

2. Blake Baggett

3. Justin Bogle (Honda)

4. Justin Barcia (Honda)

5. Ken Roczen

6. Kyle Cunningham

7. Jake Canada

8. Tyler Bowers

9. Austin Politelli

10. Phillip Nicoletti

Supercross Lites East Points (after 8
of 9 rounds)

1. Justin Barcia 185

2. Darryn Durham 143

3. Ken Roczen 143

4. Blake Wharton 142

5. Blake Baggett 128

6. Jake Canada 118

7. Justin Bogle 107

8. Kyle Cunningham 70

9. Alex Martin 67

10. Mathew Lemoine 66