Villopoto Brings Monster Energy Supercross Points Lead After a Drama-Filled First Six Races to Cowboys Stadium

Eastern Regional Supercross Lites Championship Season Opener

AURORA, Ill. (February
13, 2012) – Defending Supercross Class Champion Ryan Villopoto, of
Poulsbo, Wash., brings a six-point lead into this Saturday’s Monster
Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, at Arlington’s Cowboys
Stadium.

Press
day will take place at the South Club Room inside Cowboys Stadium
Thursday, February 16 from Noon-2:00, featuring L&Mc Racing Honda
and Smithville, Texas native Andrew Short / GEICO Honda / Rockstar
Energy Racing Suzuki / Pro Circuit Kawasaki / Texas-based Privateer
Journey Racing

Saturday
will serve as the opening race of the Eastern Regional Supercross Lites
Class Championship and will be headlined by GEICO Honda’s Justin
Barcia, who is the defending Eastern Regional Supercross Lites Class
Champion.

Honda’s
best efforts, however, will be met with equal talent by the Monster
Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team’s Blake Bagget and Darryn Durham.
During his second season in the Lites Class, Baggett scored two wins and
finished on the podium in nearly every race.

Aside from the two powerhouses of Honda and Kawasaki, several additional threats exist throughout the rest of the paddock. Red Bull
KTM’s Ken Roczen is ready to make his 2012 campaign after breaking his
arm while practicing for the opening race of the Western Regional
Supercross Lites Class Championship in Anaheim. The crash forced Roczen
to focus his attention on the Eastern Regional Supercross Lites Class
Championship. Also, GEICO Honda’s Justin Bogle, a rookie in the class,
is one of the highly anticipated riders to vie for the title.

Last
weekend in San Diego, before 58,782 fans, Villopoto, who now has three
wins on the season, won a hard-fought battle with Chad Reed that
escalated on Lap 18, when Reed stole the lead from Villopoto. On the
same lap, however, Villopoto’s prowess reined supreme and re-passed Reed
before the finish line.

"You
really had to be smooth every lap," said Villopoto. "San Diego's dirt
is really slippery and made it tough to be consistent for the full
20-lap main event. I've never won San Diego in the Supercross Class. It
was great to get my first win here and end Chad’s (Reed) win streak at
Qualcomm Stadium. Hopefully I can start a streak my own as we head to
Cowboys Stadium next week." 

A
dramatic turn of events unfolded in the Western Regional Supercross
Lites Class Championship when, GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac, who came into
San Diego with a comfortable 22-point lead over Monster Energy/Pro
Circuit/Kawasaki’s Dean Wilson, suffered a major crash that forced him
to withdraw from the Main Event, losing valuable points. As a result,
eventual winner Wilson erased the 22-point deficit and moved into the
championship points lead by two over Tomac as this regional championship
takes a break until April 21 in Seattle.

"We've
made (the championship chase) interesting, which is something we didn't
want to do, but we've got plenty of time to recover and rest now so
that's what we'll do," Tomac said. "We'll reload and get ready for the
last three races. I'm not going to change anything I've been doing
because it's been a great season so far. We just had some unfortunate
luck tonight."

Tomac
struggled in his heat race earlier in the night when he collided with
another rider. He went on to finish eight and this transfer position
gave him an unfavorable gate pick for the main.

"I
feel like I got run over by a truck," Tomac said. "I missed the front
wheel in the first part of the whoops and it did the huck-and-buck on
me. I went down and the bike came down on top of me. I tried to get up
and continue but the bike wouldn't start.”

"It's
a bummer because I could see the two guys in front of me and the race
still had a long way to go so it could have been good there at the end.
It just wasn't meant to be."

Why Tomac fought the track, Wilson was out front with a commanding advantage after passing Nuclear Cowboyz®
Holeshot winner and Vince Friese, who rides for the Troy Lee
Designs/Lucas Oil/Honda team, and leading wire to wire. Wilson now has
two wins on the season.

“I’m
absolutely ecstatic with the win,” said Wilson. “I knew I needed to run
consistent laps out there and get through the whoops as fast as I could
all night long. Eli [Tomac] is a tough competitor, so it’s a bit of a
surprise to be in the points lead, but I’m going to work my butt off
during the break to try and stay there.”

At
last year’s Monster Energy Supercross race at Cowboys Stadium, Muscle
Milk Honda’s Trey Canard, who is sidelined due to an injury suffered
earlier this season, captured his third Supercross Class win of the
season. In the Supercross Lites Class, Wilson earned his third
Supercross Lites Class victory.

Monster
Energy Supercross has a storied history in the Dallas-Fort Worth area
with the first-ever supercross race held in Dallas on March 1, 1975.
From 1983-2008, Texas Stadium hosted 26 consecutive Monster Energy
Supercross races and is regarded as one of the sport’s most historical
cities having hosted.

In
2008, Reed became the first rider in history to earn four wins in
Dallas. Former Supercross Class champion Ricky Johnson is second on the
all-time win list in Dallas with three. Supercross Lites Class racing
began in Dallas on May 4, 1985 where Suzuki rider Bobby Moore won.
Villopoto, Grant Langston and Jeremy McGrath are the only rides to win
Dallas twice in the Lites Class.

SPEED will broadcast the Supercross Class race LIVE at 10:30pm EST on February 18, 2012.

Tickets are available at the Cowboys Stadium Box Office, all Ticketmaster Outlets, charge by phone at (800) 745-3000, www.supercrossonline.com, or online at www.ticketmaster.com.
Practice and qualifying begin at 12:30 p.m. and the main event starts
at 7:00 p.m. Club Level tickets are $55 Adult / $27.50 Child; Price
Level 2 $50 Adults / $25 Child; Price Level 3 $45 Adults / $22.50 Child;
Price Level 4 $40 Adult / $20 Child. Fans can also get into the Pits
for FREE from 12:30-6 p.m. Race Day when they recycle a MONSTER Energy
Can at the stadium Pit Entrance (valid only with event ticket).

Supercross Class Results: San Diego

1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
2. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Honda
3. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
4. Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki
5. Joshua Hansen, Elbert, Colo., Kawasaki
6. Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., Honda
7. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
8. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Kawasaki
9. Mike Alessi, Hilliard, Fla., Suzuki
10. Nick Wey, DeWitt, Mich., Kawasaki

Supercross Class Season Standings

1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki – 133
2. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Honda – 127
3. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM – 123
4. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha – 101
5. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda – 78
6. Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki – 75
7. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki – 72
8. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha – 70
9. Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., Honda – 68
10. Josh Hansen, Elbert, Colo., Kawasaki – 64

Western Regional Supercross Lites Class Results: San Diego

1. Dean Wilson, Menifee, Calif., Kawasaki
2. Cole Seely, Murrieta, Calif., Honda
3. Matt Moss, Sussex Inlet, AUS, KTM
4. Gareth Swanepoel, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
5. Nico Izzi, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha
6. Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Honda
7. Billy Laninovich, Riverside, Calif., Honda
8. Travis Baker, Temecula, Calif., Honda
9. Vince Friese, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Honda
10. Nike Paluzzi, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki

Western Regional Supercross Lites Class Season Standings

1. Dean Wilson, Menifee, Calif., Kawasaki – 116
2. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda – 114
3. Cole Seely, Murrieta, Calif., Honda – 101
4. Marvin Musquin, Murrieta, Calif., KTM – 89
5. Nico Izzi, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha – 78 
6. Matt Moss, Sussex Inlet, NS, KTM - 73
7. Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Yamaha – 67
8. Travis Baker, Temecula, Calif., Honda - 63
9. Tyla Rattray, Wildomar, Calif., Kawasaki – 60
10. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki – 58

Past Supercross Class Winners in Dallas

Supercross Class

April 2, 2011:                             Trey Canard

March 20, 2010:                         Ryan Dungey
April 5, 2008:                             Chad Reed

March 31, 2007:                         James Stewart

March 22, 2006:                         Chad Reed

April 2, 2005:                             James Stewart

April 17, 2004:                           Chad Reed

April 12, 2003:                           Chad Reed

April 20, 2002:                           Ricky Carmichael

April 21, 2001:                           Ricky Carmichael

April 08, 2000:                           Kevin Windham

February 27, 1999:                     Kevin Windham

April 25, 1998:                           Ezra Lusk

April 26, 1997:                           Jeff Emig

March 23, 1996:                         Jeremy McGrath

April 29, 1995:                           Doug Henry

April 23, 1994:                           Mike LaRocco

March 28, 1993:                         Jeremy McGrath

May 30, 1992:                           Damon Bradshaw

April 27, 1991:                           Damon Bradshaw

April 07, 1990:                           Jean-Michel Bayle

April 01, 1989:                           Jeff Ward

April 16, 1988:                           Rick Johnson

April 04, 1987:                           Rick Johnson

April 26, 1986:                           David Bailey

May 04, 1985:                           Rick Johnson

April 14, 1984:                           Johnny O’ Mara

April 16, 1983:                           Mike Bell

March 26, 1977:                         Bob Hannah

March 19, 1976:                         Jim Ellis

February 28, 1975:                     Jim Ellis

March 01, 1975(b):                     Steve Stackable

Supercross Lites Class

April 2, 2011:                             Dean Wilson

March 20, 2010:                         Blake Bagget
April 5, 2008:                             Ryan Villopoto

March 31, 2007:                         Ben Townley

March 22, 2006:                         Ryan Villopoto

April 2, 2005:                             Grant Langston

April 17, 2004:                           Ivan Tedesco

April 12, 2003:                           James Stewart Jr.

April 20, 2002:                           Travis Preston

April 21, 2001:                           Grant Langston

April 08, 2000:                           Greg Schnell

February 27, 1999:                     Nathan Ramsey

April 25, 1998:                           John Dowd

April 26, 1997:                           Kevin Windham

March 23, 1996:                         Mickael Pichon

April 29, 1995:                           Damon Huffman

April 23, 1994:                           Jimmy Button

March 28, 1993:                         Doug Henry

May 30, 1992:                           Jeremy McGrath

April 27, 1991:                           Jeremy McGrath

April 07, 1990:                           Denny Stephenson

April 01, 1989:                           Mike LaRocco

April 16, 1988:                           Ty Davis

April 04, 1987:                           Kyle Lewis

April 26, 1986:                           Keith Turpin

May 04, 1985:                           Bobby Moore

Tune into the enhanced exclusive weekly video content from Supercross LIVE! during the entire 2012 season on SupercrossOnline.com, the Official Website of Monster Energy Supercross.

Weekly Supercross LIVE! Video Content Schedule

The Official Supercross LIVE! Pre-Show              Race Days at 11 AM Local Race Time
Behind the Scenes with Supercross LIVE!           All Day on Race Days
2 Minutes on the Track                                       Race Days at 3:30 & 5:30 PM Local Race Time
And on the Podium Tonight                                 Following Each Round’s Main Events
The Official Supercross LIVE! Post-Show            Saturday Nights at Each Round
Toyota Tailgate Talk                                          Wednesdays at 5 PM ET
After The Checkered Flag                                   Thursdays at 5PM ET

For more information on the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, please log on to www.SupercrossOnline.com, the official website of Monster Energy Supercross. 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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