Rookie Barcia Soars to First-Ever Monster Energy Supercross Win in Phoenix
Tomac Opens 250SX Class With Back-to-Back Victories
PHOENIX (January 12, 2013) – Honda/Muscle Milk’s Justin Barcia, of Ochlocknee, Ga., captured the first 450SX Class win of his career tonight at Chase Field in front of 50,109 fans. GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac, of Cortez, Colo., won his second consecutive Western Regional 250SX Class Main Event and now has a six-point lead in the season point standings.
Barcia, who is in his rookie season, picked up the Nuclear Cowboyz® Holeshot Award in the 450SX Class Main Event as last week’s winner, Davi Millsaps, of Murrieta, Calif., and TwoTwo Motorsports Honda’s Chad Reed, of Australia, trailed in second and third, respectively. On Lap 1, two-time defending Monster Energy Supercross Champion Ryan Villopoto, of Poulsbo, Wash., spun out and dropped from fourth to eighth place.
Honda/Muscle Milk’s Trey Canard, of Shawnee, Okla., passed Reed for third place on Lap 11 and then passed Millsaps for second place on Lap 14. Villopoto rebounded and moved into fourth place aboard his Monster Energy Kawasaki on Lap 13, and then passed Millsaps’ Rockstar Energy Racing machine on Lap 15 for third place. Canard and Villopoto engaged in a battle for second place for several laps until Canard crashed on the last lap, allowing Villopoto, Millsaps and Reed to re-pass him. Villopoto finished second and Millsaps finished third, keeping the 450SX Class lead in the season point standings.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am right now,” said Barcia, who became the 56th different winner in 450SX Class history. “I didn’t think this win would come so soon. I kept it smooth out there, but the track was super slick. It was a great night for me.”
Lucas Oil/Troy Lee Designs/Honda’s Jessy Nelson, of Paso Robles, Calif., earned the Nuclear Cowboyz® Holeshot Award in the 250SX Class Main Event, leading Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Martin Davalos, of Ecuador, and GEICO Honda’s Zach Osborne, of Chesterfield, S.C., who followed in second and third, respectively, through the first turn. On the opening lap, Davalos, who suffered a frightening crash in his Heat Race earlier in the evening, moved into the lead.
After a fifth-place start, Tomac made his way to second place and passed Davalos on Lap 7 en route to his ninth 250SX Class race win with a 10.193 second margin of victory. Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen, of Germany, passed Davalos on the last lap to secure the runner-up spot. Davalos held on for a season-best third place.
“I am totally stoked,” said Tomac. “I am now two-for-two this season, and to get a win here in Phoenix is huge because I have a lot of family and friends here. I haven’t had a lot of great races here in the past, so picking up the win is awesome.”
Monster Energy Supercross will continue next Saturday night, January 19, at Angels Stadium in Anaheim, Calif.
450SX Class Results
1. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda
2. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Honda
3. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki
4. Chad Reed, Australia, Honda
5. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda
6. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki
7. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki
8. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
9. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda
10. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha
450SX Class Points
1. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki – 45
2. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda – 39
3. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda – 38
4. Chad Reed, Australia, Honda – 36
5. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM – 33
6. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki – 31
7. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Honda – 27
8. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda – 27
9. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki – 27
10. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha – 21
Western Regional 250SX Class Results
1. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda
2. Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM
3. Martin Davalos, Ecuador, Kawasaki
4. Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda
5. Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda
6. Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda
7. Ryan Sipes, Ekron, Ky., Suzuki
8. Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha
9. Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Honda
10. Christian Craig, Wildomar, Calif., Honda
Western Regional 250SX Class Points
1. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda – 50
2. Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM – 44
3. Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda – 38
4. Ryan Sipes, Ekron, Ky., Suzuki – 29
5. Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda – 29
6. Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha – 23
7. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki – 22
8. Max Anstie, England, Suzuki – 22
9. Martin Davalos, Ecuador, Kawasaki – 21
10. Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Honda – 20
Supercross LIVE!® is back in 2013 with a three-hour mid-raceday program from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. local time. Hosts, Jim Holley, a former World Supercross Champion, and Kevin Barnett, a former member of the U.S. Men’s Olympic Volleyball Team and professional broadcaster, will provide in-depth analysis of the afternoon’s practice and qualifying sessions as the riders and teams prepare for the night racing, in addition to interviews and behind-the-scenes coverage. As the only place to follow live practice and qualifying coverage from Monster Energy Supercross, Supercross LIVE! provides fans with an inside perspective before the gate drops on the night’s qualifying and Main Events. Additionally, there will be video snippets made available throughout the race day that can be viewed on www.SupercrossOnline.com, the official website of Monster Energy Supercross, or the YouTube Channel www.YouTube.com/SupercrossLive. To access the live streaming broadcasts, go to www.SupercrossOnline.com/SupercrossLive or subscribe to the Supercross LIVE! streaming channel at http://new.LiveStream.com/Supercrosslive.
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.
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, AMSOIL Arenacross, Nuclear Cowboyz®, and IHRA® Nitro Jam®. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a division of Feld Entertainment, the world’s largest producer of live family entertainment. For more information on Feld Entertainment, visit www.feldentertainment.com.
###