This Week in Monster Energy Supercross: Phoenix‏

AURORA, Ill. (January 14, 2010) – The gate will drop on the 14^th
Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, race from
Phoenix on Saturday night when points leader and Monster Energy
Kawasaki rider Ryan Villopoto leads the elite field of Supercross class
racers into Chase Field. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Josh
Hansen carries the Supercross Lites class points lead after a dominant
performance last weekend.

Villopoto heads to Phoenix coming off his 10^th-career
win in the Supercross class. After all the rehabilitation and training
he went through healing up and getting ready for Anaheim 1, the win was
very special.

“Winning
definitely feels good,” said Villopoto. “Anaheim 1 is usually the race
where everyone sizes each other up and since I haven’t raced in so
long, it was nice to see that I still had it. Coming off an injury as
big as mine, it goes through your head whether or not you’ll be the
same as you were. This win has already given me the confidence I need
to know I can still race with the top guys.”

Monster
Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Hansen rode his championship momentum
into the first round and grabbed the first Supercross Lites class
victory of the 2011 season.

Monster
Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Josh Hansen has his sights set on earning
his second Supercross Lites Class victory of the season heading into
Phoenix this weekend.

Photo Credit: Chris Weedon

“It's
really great to start the season off on top," said Hansen. "There are a
lot of guys going fast out there and you can't really count any one of
those guys out. I knew I had put in the work before hand and had the
confidence to win. This season is going to be tough, but I’m ready to
work for my first Supercross Lites championship."

At
the season opener last weekend in Anaheim, Kawasaki led every lap of
the main events in both the Supercross and Supercross Lites classes
while also leading every lap of competition on Saturday evening for
Supercross Lites. Last year, Kawasaki swept four races during the
17-race season by taking the checkered flag in each class.

Defending
Supercross class champion Ryan Dungey finished second last weekend and
looks forward to Phoenix where he earned the first Supercross class win
of his career in 2010.

“Anaheim
1 was a good start and we’ll take from what we’ve learned and keep
moving forward, said Dungey. “I like Phoenix and I’m really looking
forward to it. It’s always a hard-pack track and the last few years it
has been really good to me. They always do a good job there and it’s a
fun setup. Phoenix is a great race and it’s really technical so we’ll
try to do our best to prepare for it and show up ready.”

Team
San Manuel Yamaha’s James Stewart is putting last year’s Phoenix race
behind him and is looking to extend his podium streak to two.

Photo Credit: Chris Weedon

Team
San Manuel Yamaha’s James Stewart has been busy in California this
week, working towards getting a better start in Arizona.  The two-time
Supercross class champion has put last year’s race in Phoenix behind
him and was visibly happy with his podium finish in Anaheim,
considering all he had to do to get back to racing. 

“My goal was to get back on the box in Anaheim and we accomplished that,” said Stewart.

Rumor
has it that if Stewart picks up a win this weekend he will break out a
much-anticipated celebratory dance. Stewart’s teammate, Kyle Regal, has
a similar goal this weekend, “to get a better start and finish.”

The
16-year-old German sensation Ken Roczen, who rides for the Red Bull KTM
Factory Racing Team, turned heads at the opening race of the Supercross
Lites championship after setting the fastest lap time during practice.
However, an injury from the final practice session had him feeling
quite tired heading into the main event.

“My
afternoon crash left me with a bruised thigh and arm and gave me a big
headache,” said Roczen. “I didn’t feel 100% heading into the main event
but the pain was not bad once the gate dropped. It was my first
supercross, and I rode a little tight but overall I am happy to finish
and be safe for the next race. I am looking forward to improving my
overall finish at Phoenix.

Roczen’s Supercross class teammate Andrew Short started his season with a 10^th-place finish in his debut for the team after finishing fifth overall in the 2010 Monster Energy Supercross championship.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Andrew Short is ready to rebound from last weekend’s 10^th place finish heading into Phoenix this Saturday for the second race of the season.

Photo Credit: Chris Weedon

“I had an off day,” said Short. “There’s not much else to say. Overall, my 10^th-place
finish isn’t the worst start to the season but it’s not where I want to
be and it’s definitely not where I know I can be. I have a great team
behind me that has helped me get my bike perfectly dialed in and there
are no excuses. I plan to turn things around at round 2.”

Known
for his great starting skills, Mike Alessi began last weekend’s main
event near the front of the pack but faded as the race progressed,
eventually finishing in 14^th place aboard his Red Bull KTM machine.

“I
have been struggling to get my fitness program back in gear since
returning from racing overseas,” said Alessi. “They run much shorter
races over there, and I have been training for shorter sprints. Now,
that we are back to 20-lap mains I have (a lot of) work to do. I was
happy with my start at Anaheim but need to get my fitness up to improve
on my overall result and try to break into the top 10.”

In
his first race for Rockstar/Makita Suzuki, Supercross class rookie
Brett Metcalfe finished eighth in the main event after transferring out
of his heat race in third place.

Australian
native Brett Metcalfe made his official Supercross Class debut for
Rockstar/Makita Suzuki last weekend in Anaheim and now looks to charge
through the ranks and earn a podium spot at Phoenix’s Chase Field race
this weekend.

Photo Credit: Chris Weedon

“We
had a pretty good first day at Anaheim 1,” said Metcalfe. “We’ve
learned a lot and now I’m looking forward to going to Phoenix. I think
Phoenix is going be good. We’ve got a great foundation now that’s good
to build off of and I think going into Phoenix, we have a little
momentum. I’m feeling better on the bike. I think that track will suit
me and our setup a little better. So I’m looking forward to going there
and improving on what we did at A1.”

Despite
a crash during the week before Anaheim 1, Rockstar Energy Suzuki’s Ryan
Morais finished sixth overall in the Supercross Lites class and looks
forward to improving his results this weekend.

“I’m
pretty happy with my A1 results, considering coming into last week I
barely even rode,” said Morais. “I had a pretty good crash last Tuesday
and dealt with some stuff and didn’t really even ride. I’m real excited
to go to Phoenix. I will be able to put in 100-percent effort. I’ll be
ready to rock and roll.”

Martin Davalos made his Rockstar Energy Suzuki debut at Anaheim 1, finishing fourth overall in the Supercross Lites class.

“I’m
definitely looking forward to next week in Phoenix,” said Davalos. “I’m
going to work on a few things this week. I need to get better starts,
so I’ll be working a lot on my starts and some other things and I will
definitely be ready. I’m looking forward to it."

Preseason
Supercross Lites class title favorite Wil Hahn, who rides for the GEICO
Honda team, suffered a compression fracture of his T5 vertebra and is
expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks. Hahn will be replaced
by privateer Jimmy DeCotis.

“I
haven't stopped smiling. It's really, really exciting,” said DeCotis.
“I was nervous on the ride out but once I got on this GEICO Honda it
felt great. I'm kind of glad about getting thrown right into a race
because I just like to ride and when you're waiting and waiting for the
season to start the anticipation is just too much sometimes. Now I
don't have time to worry; I just need to go out there and race."

In
his first full season in the Supercross class, American Honda Racing’s
Trey Canard proved he could run up front with the big boys, earning
fourth place after setting the second fastest lap time in practice.

“I
was really happy with fourth overall last weekend,” said Canard. “I
know that I need to get better starts as I’ve shown I have the speed to
race up front. But having to fight my way through the pack at Anaheim
cost me valuable time. I need to get better starts in order to put
myself in a position to contend a podium spot each week.”

American Honda Racing’s Josh Grant, who won Anaheim 1 in 2009, finished ninth at the season opener this year.

“My goal for the first race of the season was to finish in the top 10
and I achieved that last week,” said Grant. “I’m really happy to get
the first race of the season out of the way and I now know where I need
to be in terms of fitness and race pace.”

As
a new member to the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team, Broc
Tickle had a nice debut with a runner-up effort in Anaheim in the
Supercross Lites class.

Monster
Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Broc Tickle debut with his new team
proved he is a perfect fit for the squad, locking in a second place
finish during the season opener in Anaheim.

Photo Credit: Hoppenworld.com

“It
has been a great experience so far being on such an amazing team,” said
Tickle. “I’ve never felt so comfortable on a team and I think that has
really helped with my confidence on the track. I really think my
biggest competition will be my teammates. They are all great riders. If
I stay focused, I know I can be in the mix for the championship.”

Although
his night ended well earning a podium finish in his first-ever
supercross race, Tyla Rattray had a tough start to the day with a hard
crash he endured in practice. While he looks to enter Phoenix fully
healthy, he also hopes to continue his results and stay off the ground.

“I
think the race went really well for my first time out there,” said
Rattray. “The class has some really fast guys, but if I stay off the
ground I know I can keep improving. Each venue is new to me and I’m
really looking forward to the track in Phoenix.”

Traxxas
and Kawasaki have teamed up to offer a very unique giveaway at the
Monster Energy Supercross Pit Party. At every single supercross race
this year, Traxxas will be giving away a Kawasaki KX™450F to one lucky
winner who visits and signs up for the raffle at their huge display in
the pits. A winner was already awarded at the first race in Anaheim and
there are still 16 more to go.

SPEED will broadcast both the Supercross and Supercross Lites classes live this Saturday night at 9:30 p.m. EST/6:30 p.m. PST.

Tickets are available at the Chase Field Box Office, all Ticketmaster retail locations, charge by phone at (800) 745-3000, SupercrossOnline.com, 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 $65 Adult/Child; Gold Circle $42
Adult/Child; Mid-Level $30 Adults / $10 Child; SuperValue $22 Adult /
$10 Child; Treadhead $10. 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.

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