Press Release

Jagermeister/KTM Motocross Race Report – Thunder Valley





Lakewood,
CO
– Round 5 of the Lucas Oil AMA Motocross National Championship
Series kicked off at Thunder Valley Raceway early Saturday morning.
In addition to the typical motocross crowd, approximately 150 KTM
fans were trackside as part of the KTM/FMF MX Fan Experience Program
to cheer on Jagermeister/KTM rider Mike Alessi in his quest for the
450 Motocross Championship Title.



Alessi
had a good start to his day turning fast lap times in both practice
sessions to qualify 5th
fastest heading to the main event. In moto one, Alessi had an
untypical bad start and was mid-pack around the first turn. He passed
by a few riders and was sitting in 8th
after the first few turns but bobbled and allowed them to pass back
by. At the end of the first lap he sat in 9th
position.



On lap
three, Alessi made a mistake that dropped him to 12th
place. He quickly caught back up and passed as high up as 9th
before he crashed around the halfway point of the moto. His crash
pushed him back to 12th
where he would finish the race. “I am definitely disappointed in my
first moto result. I was riding really tight and struggled in a few
sections. It is not the result I was aiming for and I will be making
some changes heading to the second moto,” remarked Alessi after the
first race.



The
second moto was a definite improvement for Alessi. He finished the
first lap in 7th
where he remained for the first four laps as the tail end of a
four-rider train for 3rd
position. On lap five, 4th
place rider Kyle Regal fell and handed a position to Alessi to move
him into 6th
position. The next lap, 5th
place runner Tommy Hahn encountered a problem and dropped back
allowing Alessi to pass by and start to gain ground on the top four.
The remainder of the moto Alessi kept 4th
place runner Brett Metcalfe in his sights. He closed the gap a few
times but wasn’t able to make the pass and settled for 5th
position. “I was much happier with my second moto result today but
it definitely still wasn’t where I want to be. I am really looking
forward to the next round at Red Bud. I have always liked that track
and feel very confident on that track. I hope to turn things around
next weekend.”



FMF/KTM
250 Motocross rider Tommy Searle did not race Thunder Valley as he is
at home recovering from a shoulder injury. It is undetermined at this
time when he will return. Although Searle did not race the event, two
KTM privateer riders made the main. Killy Rusk aboard a KTM 250 SX-F
with KTM Factory Services motor work finished an impressive 13th
overall with 15-14 moto scores while fellow KTM rider Tevin Tapia
finished 23rd
overall for the day.






Jagermeister/KTM
Women’s Pro rider Sarah Whitmore had her best showing of the
season. She had great starts in both motos battling for a podium
position for the first half of moto one, to eventually finish 6th.
The second Women’s Pro moto started right as the rain did and the
female riders toughed it out in the muddy conditions. Whitmore got a
3rd
place start and battled
with Sara Price for the majority of the moto eventually getting by
after Price stalled in a corner. Whitmore held 3rd
place for a lap before Vicki Golden snuck in and took over the
position dropping Whitmore to 4th.
Whitmore’s 6-4 moto scores earned her 5th
overall for the day. “I was so close to a podium today and felt the
best I have all season. My results today have really helped my
confidence. I am excited for the next round in Red Bud, it is my
hometown race and I would love to be on the podium in front of my
family and friends,” remarked Whitmore.




Overall
Results 450 Moto –




  1. Ryan
    Dungey (2-1)




  2. Ben
    Townley (6-2)




  3. Brett
    Metcalfe (4-4)




  4. Josh
    Grant (1-10)




  5. Andrew
    Short (8-3)




  6. Kyle
    Regal (9-6)




  7. Kyle
    Chisholm (7-8)




  8. Mike
    Alessi (12-5)




  9. Chad
    Reed (10-7)




  10. Justin
    Brayton (13-9)






Overall
Results Women’s Moto –




  1. Jessica
    Patterson (1-1)




  2. Ashley
    Fiolek (5,2)




  3. Sara
    Price (2-6)




  4. Jacqueline
    Strong (3-5)




  5. Sarah
    Whitmore (6-4)




  6. Vicki
    Golden (9-3)




  7. Tarah
    Geiger (4-7)




  8. Alexah
    Pearson (8,8)




  9. Mariana
    Balbi (7-13)




  10. Erica
    Cook (12-9)






0 comments

The Latest