Stewart and Villopoto Pace Millville Saturday Practice

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Points Leaders Stewart and Villopoto Lead the Way in Saturday Practice
at Honda Spring Creek Pro National from Millville

MILLVILLE, Minn. (August 16, 2008) – As they seek to clinch their respective class championships this weekend, series points leaders James Stewart, of Monster Energy Kawasaki, and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto set the pace on Saturday for practice and qualifying at the Honda Spring Creek Pro National Presented by Scott USA.

James Stewart - Credit Brendan Lutes, Transworld MX.

Stewart easily paced both of the day’s practice sessions, ultimately establishing a three second advantage over second place and serving as the only rider to break the 2:10.000 barrier. His time of 2:07.018 came in the final session of the day, while Factory Yamaha’s Josh Hill put in a season best Saturday effort in second at 2:10.139.


“I’m just going to ride tomorrow like it’s any other race,” said Stewart. “If I do that the championship will take care of itself. I’m sure I’ll be thinking about the championship more when I wake up tomorrow, but it’s not like I’m going to hang it out. The track is rough, probably the roughest we have ridden during practice this year. I hope it stays like that and it will be a good day.”


Red Bull Honda’s Andrew Short rounded out the top three with a time of 2:11.078.

Ryan Villopoto - Credit Brendan Lutes, Transworld MX.

In the AMA Motocross Lites class, Villopoto overcame rival Ryan Dungey, of Rockstar/Makita Suzuki, in the second session to post the quickest lap of the day at 2:10.541. He also grabbed the top spot in each session.


“The track is rough and there are a lot of different lines,” said Villopoto. “It’s going to be a good race tomorrow because everyone will be able to pass and be aggressive on the track. I’m not thinking about the championship. If it happens that will be good, but I just want another couple of moto wins.”


Dungey, a Minnesota native, sits just behind Villopoto with a lap of 2:10.962, setting the stage for another exciting battle between the class’ top competitors.


Geico Powersports Honda’s Josh Grant set the third fastest lap at 2:11.796.

Ryan Dungey - Credit Brendan Lutes, Transworld MX.

Sunday’s main event action for the Honda Spring Creek Pro National Presented by Scott USA kicks off at 1 p.m. ET. Live audio coverage of the event can be heard on live.motocross.com. SPEED will televise the action for the AMA Motocross class on August 23 at 10 p.m. ET and the AMA Motocross Lites class on August 26 at 2 p.m. ET.


Motocross Class Saturday Practice

1. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki, 2:07.018

2. Josh Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Yamaha, 2:10.139

3. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 2:11.078

4. Tim Ferry, Largo, Fla., Kawasaki, 2:11.173

5. Nick Wey, Dewitt, Mich., KTM, 2:13.903

6. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Fla., KTM, 2:14.110

7. Broc Hepler, Kittanning, Pa., Yamaha, 2:14.296

8. Michael Byrne, Newnan, Ga., Suzuki, 2:14.528

9. Ivan Tedesco, Tallahassee, Fla., Honda, 2:14.934

10. Charles Summey, Huntersville, N.C., Yamaha, 2:15.107

Motocross Lites Saturday Practice

1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 2:10.541

2. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 2:10.962

3. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Honda, 2:11.796

4. Nico Izzi, Saint Clair, Mich., Suzuki, 2:13.723

5. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Kawasaki, 2:13.920

6. Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Kawasaki, 2:14.110

7. Kyle Cunningham, Fort Worth, Texas, Honda, 2:14.416

8. Thomas Hahn, Alvord, Texas, Kawasaki, 2:14.433

9. Jake Moss, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha, 2:15.154

10. Matt Lemoine, Pilot Point, Texas, Yamaha, 2:15.240

For more information on the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship, presented by FMF, log on to www.amamotocross.com for live timing and scoring at @theWireLIVE!. Racer X Illustrated will host a new and improved webcast on www.motocross.com, with live racing action hosted by Jason Weigandt. The Racer X Motocross Show on Motocross.com has also been added on Saturday night of each race weekend, featuring practice footage and interviews taken earlier in the day.

About the National Promoters Group (NPG)

The National Promoters Group (NPG) comprises 12 individual promoters of the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship Presented by FMF which sanctions outdoor motocross events throughout the United States, and remains the Nation's premier outdoor motocross championship series. NPG's mission is to raise awareness of motocross racing through the production of professional championship racing events nationwide.

About AMA Pro Racing
AMA Racing is the competition arm of the American Motorcyclist Association and is the leading sanctioning body for motorcycle sport in the United States. Its professional properties include the Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series, the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship presented by FMF, the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited, the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship, the AMA Supermoto Championship and the AMA Pro ATV Championship. In amateur and pro-am competition, AMA Racing sanctions over 4000 events in 24 different disciplines and supports over 110 thousand active members. For more information about professional racing, visit www.amaproracing.com.