Press Release

Honda Starts the 2012 Season Strong


Torrance, CA: The 2012 season of the
Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship series
kicked off this past weekend at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California,
to a sold-out crowd of 45,050 race fans.



Anaheim marked the debut of Team Honda
Muscle Milk, with Justin Brayton finishing fourth in the Supercross
class on his CRF450R while teammate Trey Canard sat the event out
recovering from a recent injury. Other Honda Red Riders also started
the new season strong, including Chad Reed of TwoTwo Motorsports
finishing in second, while Troy Lee Designs/ Lucas Oil/ Honda’s
Cole Seely took the Supercross Lites win on his CRF250R, followed by
GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac rounding out the podium in third.



After going down hard in the first
corner of his heat race Brayton was forced to race the Last Chance
Qualifier, where he finished first, allowing him to transfer to the
main. Brayton spent most of the race in eighth, but surged with five
laps to go, passing fellow Honda rider Andrew Short plus Ivan Tedesco
and James Stewart to take fourth. “I found my groove on the track
after a few practices and bike adjustments, and was pretty confident
going into the night show,” said Brayton. “I had second gate pick
in heat one, where I lined up right inside Villopoto. We got a pretty
good start but something happened, sending his back tire into my
front, causing me to high side and crash. After getting a good start
and winning the LCQ, I boosted my confidence back up going into the
main. I got a decent start in the main and was able to pick it up
about halfway through, where I made my way to fourth.”



Reed put in a solid ride aboard his
CRF450, starting with a win in his heat race and a second-place
finish in the main. Going into the first turn Reed was in third place
but he quickly passed Tedesco for second, which is where he stayed
throughout the rest of the race. Fellow Honda riders Andrew Short and
Kevin Windham also finished in the top ten with seventh- and
eighth-place finishes.



Lites rider Cole Seely had an
impressive start to the season with a first-place podium finish.
“It’s great to come out on top at a race that gets so much hype,”
said Seely. “This year my main focus is consistency and training.
As long as I stay consistent each week I think I can win the
championship.”



GEICO Honda rider Eli Tomac had a
disappointing heat race but was able to come back and win the LCQ to
move into the main, where he placed third on the podium. His teammate
Will Hahn finished a respectable eighth place, while Travis Baker
with Troy Lee Designs/ Lucas Oil/ Honda finished tenth.



Supercross Class Overall Results


1. R. Villopoto


2. C. Reed (Honda)


3. R. Dungey


4. J. Brayton (Honda)


5. J. Weimer


6. J. Stewart


7. A. Short (Honda)


8. K. Windham (Honda)


9. M. Alessi


10. J. Hansen





Supercross Class Championship Points


1. R. Villopoto 25


2. C. Reed 22


3. R. Dungey 20


4. J. Brayton 18


5. J. Weimer 16


6. J. Stewart 15


7. A. Short 14


8. K. Windham 13


9. M. Alessi 12


10. J. Hansen 11





Lites Class Overall Results


1. C. Seely (Honda)


2. T. Rattray


3. E. Tomac (Honda)


4. M. Musquin


5. R. Sipes


6. D. Wilson


7. J. Anderson


8. W. Hahn (Honda)


9. Z. Osborne


10. T. Baker (Honda)





Lites Class Championship Points


1. C. Seely 25


2. T. Rattray 22


3. E. Tomac 20


4. M. Musquin 18


5. R. Sipes 16


6. D. Wilson 15


7. J. Anderson 14


8. W. Hahn 13


9. Z. Osborne 12


10. T. Baker 11






About Honda


American Honda Motor Co., Inc. is the
sole distributor of Honda motorcycles, scooters, ATVs and MUVs in the
U.S. American Honda’s Motorcycle Division conducts the sales,
marketing, and operational activities for these products through
authorized Honda dealers. For more information on Honda products, go
to www.powersports.honda.com.



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