Press Release

Short’s Windfall Sets the Stage as Monster Energy Supercross Heads to Salt Lake City

Millsaps/Brayton Points Race Continues This Saturday Night

AURORA, Ill. (April
24, 2012) – Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship
returns to Salt Lake City’s Rice-Eccles Stadium this Saturday night as
JGRMX/Toyota/Yamaha’s Davi Millsaps and Muscle Milk Honda’s Justin
Brayton showcase their hotly contested points in the Supercross Class.

Before
52,731 fans at Seattle’s CenturyLink Field last Saturday night,
L&MC Racing Honda’s Andrew Short, of Smithville, Texas, reached a
milestone in capturing the first Supercross Class win of his career. En
route, Short, who led all 20 laps in the Main Event, held off the
ultra-competitive field of Supercross Class racers, besting Monster
Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto, who crashed in the race’s early
stages, and withdrew from the Main Event under his own will.

Once he secured the Nuclear CowboyzRegistered trademark symbolHoleshot Award, Short raced to the checkered flags.

“It
doesn’t feel real,” exclaimed Short, who missed seven races earlier
this season to injury. “My team has been through some challenges, but we
stuck together. There are so many people who have helped me in 11 years
of doing this. I’m getting old. I didn’t believe (I could win)
too much until the end and I think that’s been one of my problems in the
past. All I wanted to do was be out here and to win is unreal.”

Behind
Short, Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Justin Brayton, of Murrieta, Calif.,
and Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen, of Murrieta, Calif., made up the two and
three spots, respectively. Out front, Short and Roczen jockeyed for
positions but it was Short that showed his prowess and rode off to
victory. However, the runner-up position for Roczen, an Eastern Regional
Supercross Lites Class rider, was the best Supercross Class finish of
his career and his first Supercross Class race of the season. Monster
Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer, of Rupert, Idaho, rounded out the podium
in third.

In
the Western Regional Supercross Lites Class competition, Star/Valli
Yamaha’s Ryan Sipes, of Ekron, Ky., grabbed his first win of the season.

As
the gate dropped on the Western Regional Supercross Lites Class Main
Event, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Dean Wilson, of Menifee,
Calif., edged out both Sipes and GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac, of Cortez,
Colo., to grab the Nuclear CowboyzRegistered trademark symbol Holeshot Award, only to have Sipes assert himself in the lead shortly thereafter.

As
Sipes opened a margin over the field, Wilson and Tomac went head to
head in a heated battle for the runner-up spot. The class’ two top
contenders for the championship traded the position a few times, before
coming together on Lap 8, causing Wilson to fall to the ground.

Tomac
looked to close in on Sipes, but was ultimately caught by Red Bull
KTM’s Marvin Musquin, of Murrieta, Calif., on the final lap. Sipes led
all 15 laps of the main event, bouncing back from an injury he suffered
earlier in the season.

“I
worked really hard to come back here and didn’t think I’d be able to,”
said Sipes, who has won just two points-paying races in his career. “I
tried not to push. I tried to conserve and flow. I didn’t go fast, but I
didn’t go slow either. The first five races (this season) were so
tough. I felt good, but I was pushing too hard. It just feels so good to
come back from (my) injury like this.”

Musquin
held on for second, while Tomac finished third, taking over the points
lead from Wilson, who recovered to finish seventh following his crash.

“I
wasn’t happy with my heat race, but it was go time in the main event,”
said Tomac, who holds a four-point lead in the championship standings.
“Dean (Wilson) put some block passes on me and I said, ‘let’s play.’ I
got into him there, but I guess that’s racing. I was rusty in practice
but I gave it my all tonight. When we made contact, my clutch was bent,
so I was riding in third gear. I’m looking forward to Salt Lake City
because it’s like a home race for me.”

During
the 2011 Monster Energy Supercross stop in Salt Lake City, Ryan
Villopoto of Poulsbo, Wash., took home his sixth and final victory of
the season. GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac left with his second Western
Regional Supercross Lites Class victory of 2011.

Supercross Class Results: Seattle

  1. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda
  2. Ken Roczen, Murrieta, Calif., KTM
  3. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki
  4. Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., Honda
  5. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
  6. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
  7. Mike Alessi, Hilliard, Fla., Suzuki
  8. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki
  9. Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Yamaha
  10. Nick Wey, Dewitt, Mich., Kawasaki

 

Supercross Class Season Standings

  1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 323
  2. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha, 222
  3. Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 219
  4. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 207
  5. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki, 191
  6. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha, 178
  7. Mike Alessi, Hilliard, Fla., Suzuki, 176
  8. Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki, 173
  9. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda, 166
  10. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki, 146

 

Western Regional Supercross Lites Class Results: Seattle

  1. Ryan Sipes, Ekron, Ky., Yamaha
  2. Marvin Musquin, Murrieta, Calif., KTM
  3. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda
  4. Cole Seely, Murrieta, Calif., Honda
  5. Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda
  6. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki,
  7. Dean Wilson, Menifee, Calif., Kawasaki
  8. Billy Laninovich, Riverside, Calif., Honda
  9. Travis Baker, Temecula, Calif., Honda
  10. Vince Friese, Cape Girardeau, Mo., Honda

 

Western Regional Supercross Lites Class Season Standings

  1. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 134
  2. Dean Wilson, Menifee, Calif., Kawasaki, 130
  3. Cole Seely, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 119
  4. Marvin Musquin, Murrieta, Calif., KTM, 111
  5. Ryan Sipes, Ekron, Ky., Yamaha, 78
  6. Nico Izzi, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha, 78
  7. Matt Moss, Murrieta, Calif., KTM, 77
  8. Travis Baker, Temecula, Calif., Honda, 75
  9. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki, 73
  10. Billy Laninovich, Riverside, Calif., Honda, 70

 

The
first supercross race held at Rice-Eccles Stadium took place in 2011
where 42,135 packed the home of the 2002 Olympic Opening and Closing
Ceremonies to watch Ricky Carmichael race to victory. Carmichael and
Windham hold the all-time Supercross Class win record in Salt Lake City
with two each. Steward holds the all-time Supercross Lites Class win
record at Salt Lake City with two.

CBS will broadcast the Supercross Class race at 12:00pm EST on Sunday April 29, 2012.

Tickets are available at the Rice-Eccles Stadium Box Office, all Ticketmaster Outlets, charge by phone at (800) 745-3000, www.supercrossonline.com, or online at www.ticketmaster.com.
Practice and qualifying begin at 12:30 p.m. and the main event starts
at 7:00 p.m. Gold Circle tickets are $40 Adult/Child; Mid-Level $25
Adult/Child; Treadhead $10 Adult/Child. Fans can also get into the Pits
for FREE from 12:30-6 p.m. Race Day when they recycle a MONSTER Energy
Can at the stadium’s Pit Entrance (valid only with event ticket).

Past Winners in Salt Lake City

 

Supercross Class

April 30, 2011:                           Ryan Villopoto

May 1, 2010:                             Kevin Windham

April 25, 2009:                           James Stewart

April 24, 2004:                           Kevin Windham

April 26, 2003:                           Chad Reed

April 27, 2002:                           Ricky Carmichael

April 28, 2001:                           Ricky Carmichael

 

Supercross Lites Class

 

April 30, 2011:                           Eli Tomac

May 1, 2010:                             Joshua Hansen

April 25, 2009:                           Trey Canard

April 24, 2004:                           Ivan Tedesco

April 26, 2003:                           James Stewart

April 27, 2002:                           James Stewart

April 28, 2001:                           Ernesto Fonseca

 

Tune into the enhanced exclusive weekly video content from Supercross LIVE! during the entire 2012 season on SupercrossOnline.com, the Official Website of Monster Energy Supercross.

Weekly Supercross LIVE! Video Content Schedule

The Official Supercross LIVE! Pre-Show              Race Days at 11 AM Local Race Time
Behind the Scenes with Supercross LIVE!           All Day on Race Days
2 Minutes on the Track                                       Race Days at 3:30 & 5:30 PM Local Race Time
And on the Podium Tonight                                 Following Each Round’s Main Events
The Official Supercross LIVE! Post-Show            Saturday Nights at Each Round
Toyota Tailgate Talk                                          Wednesdays at 5 PM ET
After The Checkered Flag                                   Thursdays at 5PM ET

For more information on the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, please log on to www.SupercrossOnline.com, the official website of Monster Energy Supercross. 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.

About Feld Motor SportsRegistered trademark symbol

Feld Motor SportsRegistered trademark symbol,
Inc. is the world leader in specialized arena and stadium-based motor
sports entertainment.  Feld Motor Sports, Inc. productions include
Advance Auto Parts Monster JamRegistered trademark symbol, Monster Energy Supercross, AMA Arenacross Series, Nuclear CowboyzRegistered trademark symbol, and IHRARegistered trademark symbol Nitro JamRegistered trademark symbol
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.

 

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