This Week in Monster Energy Supercross: Salt Lake Cit

AURORA, Ill. (April 30, 2010) – Last weekend,
premier AMA Supercross class rookie and Rockstar/Makita Suzuki rider Ryan
Dungey needed just a sixth place finish or better to become the 2010 Monster
Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, title holder. While the task
appeared easy enough, the Seattle track presented riders with arguably the most
challenging, technical layout the sport has ever seen.

In the end, the Minnesota-born rider did his
best to keep the bike on two wheels and managed to bring home a fourth-place
effort, more than enough to wrap up the championship. As the series heads to
its penultimate round this weekend in Salt Lake City, Dungey enters as only the
second rookie ever to be crowned AMA Supercross champion alongside the legend
Jeremy McGrath. With two races to go, the pressure is off Dungey and the
opportunity opens up for a long list of hungry riders to try and break through
and grab a victory of their own before the season wraps up in Las Vegas.

With the title wrapped up, the
Rockstar/Makita Suzuki team is keeping it simple this weekend in Salt Lake City
and through the rest of the season. The goal on Saturday night is a win as
always, but there is much more value in getting out of what could be another
tricky track safe and healthy.

Ryan Dungey is the
second rider to win an AMA Supercross class championship during a rookie
season.  He shares the spotlight with Jeremy McGrath.

Photo credit:
Hoppenworld.com

“It’s
been an amazing season, and it's amazing after 15 rounds to be the
champion,” said Dungey. “It was a lot of hard work and effort put
in by everybody on the Rockstar/Makita Suzuki team. As a little kid, I would
dream and see it on T0V and watch races and say, ‘One day, I want to be
that guy’. It’s a dream come true, and all the hard work has paid
off. The whole team, everyone gives it 110 percent and when we’re all on
the same page this is what can happen.”

“I
have to thank the man above for making all this happen,” he continued.
“This is what I hoped for, and every race I lined up and said,
‘Hey, I’m here and I’m going to be as ready as I can
be,’ I tried to be there every single weekend. Times got tough, but we
kept pushing along, and we were able to stay consistent, stay up there, and
win. There are two races left, and we’ll go out there and stick to the
race plan and finish up strong. Then we’ll carry that momentum into the
outdoors.”

“I
like winning championships…a lot,” boasted Team Manager Roger
Decoster. “It’s addicting.  It was a great season, and
we’re thankful and happy and we proved that the equipment is good and
Suzuki has a good base bike to work with and the race team did a good job
setting it up. This week we have to be careful not to take things too
lightly, because when you’re not focused you can make mistakes and hurt
yourself. We have to go into the last two races with focus, but not the same
pressure as if you have to win. It’s a nice feeling.”

While the end of the season has been tough,
the Monster Energy Kawasaki team continues to press on with Chad Reed and Nick
Wey.  Wey is eager to make it on the podium before season’s end.
Over the last two weeks, he has put together a pair of strong outings and looks
to maintain that momentum at Rice Eccles Stadium.

“There are just two races left and I
think I can get some good finishes,” said Wey. “Coming back to the
Monster Energy Kawasaki team is awesome and I want to get back up front and
ride two consistent races.”

Wil Hahn sits 19
points out of the lead with 136 to Jake Weimer’s 155.  Weimer needs
to finish 15^th or better to win the Western Regional title.

Photo credit: Brian
Robinette

Seattle also proved to be a great, albeit challenging
night for Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer. The current
AMA Supercross Lites Western Regional points leader had one of the most
troublesome evenings of his career, but still rebounded to finish third and
achieve an almost insurmountable advantage in the standings heading into the
Western Regional finale on Saturday. With a 19 point lead, Weimer needs to
finish 15^th or better to give the Monster Energy/Pro
Circuit/Kawasaki squad a sweep of the 2010 AMA Supercross Lites titles as well
as capture his inaugural AMA championship.

“I still want to win this
weekend,” said Weimer. “If I get a good start, I’m going to
push hard and go for the win, but I’m also going to be smart. My job is
to win the championship, not the race. I’m not going to go out and ride
over my head; I’m just going to do what I have to.”

Weimer’s teammate Josh Hansen is
looking for his first podium of the year. Hansen was poised for a trip to the
box last weekend in Seattle before going down on the difficult track.

“I have the speed to win races,”
said Hansen. “I’ve shown that throughout the year. I just have two
races left to get on the podium and I want to win them both.”

To say GEICO Powersports
Honda’s Kevin Windham was impressive in the challenging Seattle conditions
would be an understatement. The veteran rider’s years of experience and
his knack for working through tough tracks was on full display. After grabbing
the holeshot, he simply continued to ride away from his competition for the
entire 20 lap main event. It was a long-awaited victory for Windham and also
put him in prime position to take over the runner-up position in the standings
over the final two races.

A fourth
place finish or better for Kevin Windham will move him into second place. 
Ryan Villopoto currently sits in second place with 266 points

Photo
Credit: Hoppenworld.com

“My last win came in
Seattle back in 2008 so to come back and win on the same track in 2010 is just
awesome,” said Windham. “As I get older, things like this are much
harder to come by. It’s been a really good season for the GEICO
Powersports Honda team and myself, and I want to carry this winning momentum
into the Salt Lake City Supercross round this weekend.”

Honda Red Bull Racing, like the
rest of the AMA Supercross class field, battled the conditions in Seattle and
despite a couple bouts of misfortune, Davi Millsaps showed an impressive
determination and skill for navigating his way through the terrain. Teammate
Andrew Short continues to regain his race form since returning from injury and
should be a strong podium contender for the rest of the season. For Millsaps,
he hopes to finish the season strong a move onto the championship podium.

“There’s a total of
50 points up for grabs at the next two rounds so I want to be up there
challenging for the win at both Salt Lake City and Las Vegas Supercross
events,” said Millsaps. “My goal is to finish on the overall
championship podium so I’m all about earning as many points as possible
at the final two races.” 

GEICO Powersports Honda’s
AMA Supercross Lites Western Regional riders Trey Canard and Blake Wharton were
unfortunately on opposite ends of the standings in Seattle. While both riders
found themselves at the front of the field after the holeshot, misfortune
struck Canard on several occasions, relegating him to 11^th place
after the 15-lap main event. Wharton did his best to maintain control of the
bike and brought home a solid fourth place effort. By virtue of his worst
finish of the season, Canard dipped down to third in the standings, but still
has a chance to steal the Western Regional title.

“Crashing last weekend and finishing in
11th place was definitely a bitter pill to swallow but I’ve swallowed it
and have move on,” said Canard. “My plan is to just give it
everything I have at the final round this weekend in Salt Lake City. I want to
walk away knowing I did my best and rode to my full potential. I deserve that
and the whole of the GEICO Powersports Honda team deserves a good result for
all the hard work they’ve put in this season.”  

Tickets are available in advance at the Rice
Eccles Stadium Box Office, charge by phone at 801-581-UTIX or online at www.utahtickets.com. Gold Circle seats are $40 Adult/Child; Mid Level seats are
$25 Adult / $10 Child; Treadhead Seats are $10 Adult/Child; Practice
and qualifying begin at 12:30 and racing begins at 7:00 p.m.  All
tickets are subject to $2.50 facility fee and convenience & handling
charges.  Fans can also get into the Pits for FREE from 12:30 – 5:30
p.m. when they recycle a MONSTER Energy Can at the stadium Pit Entrance (valid
only with event ticket). 

The AMA Supercross class will air on CBS
Sunday, May 2 at 12:00 p.m. EST. The Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites
class will air on SPEED Sunday, May 2 at 6:00 p.m. EST.

Listen live to Monster Energy Supercross from
Salt Lake City and the Las Vegas Finals for only $10.99. That's only $5.50 per
race. Plus, listen live
to the Las Vegas Pre-Race Press Conference for free.

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.

About Feld Motor Sports

Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is the
world leader in specialized arena and stadium-based motor sports entertainment.
Feld Motor Sports, Inc. productions include Advance Auto Parts Monster
Jam®, Monster Energy® Supercross, AMA Arenacross Series, Freestyle
Motocross, and IHRA® Nitro Jam®. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a division
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