HOUSTON (March 31, 2012) – Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto, of Poulsbo, Wash., clinched his second Supercross Class Championship tonight at the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, at Reliant Stadium in front of 48,962 fans. Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen, of Murrieta, Calif., captured his first Western Regional Supercross Lites Class win of the season.
JGRMX/Toyota/Yamaha’s Davi Millsaps, of Murrieta, Calif., opened the Supercross Class with the Nuclear Cowboyz® Holeshot Award but was quickly passed by Villopoto. Star/Valli/Yamaha’s Bobby Kiniry, of Holland Patent, N.Y., secured the number-three spot on the opening lap but was passed by Motoconcepts Suzuki’s Mike Alessi, of Hilliard, Fla., on Lap 2.
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer, of Rupert, Idaho, passed Alessi on Lap 3 and held this position to lock in his second third-place finish of the season. Millsaps picked up his second runner-up finish of the season.
“It’s huge,” said Villopoto. “There is a lot of hard work that went into this, and I am only one piece of the pie; the whole Monster Energy Kawasaki team has worked very hard all year to help me make this happen.”
Millsaps moved into third place in Supercross Class point standings.
“I want to congratulate Ryan (Villopoto) on his championship; he rode great all year,” said Millsaps. “It was slippery out there all day, so you had to choose your lines wisely. I am excited to be back up on the podium.”
In the Eastern Regional Supercross Lites Class Main Event, GIECO Honda’s Justin Barcia, of Ochlocknee, Ga., won the Nuclear Cowboyz Holeshot Award with Roczen and Rockstar Energy Racing’s Blake Wharton, of Pilot Point, Texas, following in second and third, respectively. Roczen passed Barcia on the opening lap, and one lap later, Barcia re-passed him to take over the lead.
On Lap 7, Blake Baggett, of Grand Terrace, Calif., moved around Wharton to take over third place. On his way to what was expected to be his sixth win of the season, Barcia collided with another rider on the final lap of the race and crashed. He re-entered the race and finished second. This allowed Roczen to move into the lead and ride to the second victory of his career.
“This is so awesome,” said Roczen. “This is not how I want to win a race. Justin (rode a great race and was really fast tonight, so it is unfortunate that he crashed. I am super happy to be back on top of the box.”
Barcia still leads the championship points race by 32 points over Wharton.
“I don’t know what I can say,” said Barcia. “There is nothing I could do about the crash. I will fight through this and be back in New Orleans.”
CBS will broadcast the Supercross class race at 12:00pm EST tomorrow, April 1, 2012.
Supercross Class Results: Houston
- Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
- Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
- Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki
- Mike Alessi, Hillard, Fla., Suzuki
- Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., Honda
- Robert Kiniry, Holland Patent, NY, Yamaha
- Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki
- Nico Izzi, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha
- Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Kawasaki
- Josh Grant, Corona, Calif., Kawasaki
Supercross Class Season Standings
- Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki – 296
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM – 192
- Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha – 191
- Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., Honda – 181
- James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha – 178
- Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki – 170
- Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda – 166
- Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki – 154
- Mike Alessi, Hilliard, Fla., Suzuki – 154
- Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Honda – 128
Eastern Regional Supercross Lites Class Results: Houston
- Ken Roczen, Murrieta, Calif., KTM
- Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda
- Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki
- Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Suzuki
- Phillip Nicoletti, Cochecton, NY, Honda
- Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Honda
- Jake Canada, Sun City, Calif., Honda
- Darryn Durham, Butler, Pa, Kawasaki
- Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Honda
- Matthew Lemoine, Collinsville, Texas, Kawasaki
Eastern Regional Supercross Lites Class Season Standings
- Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda – 167
- Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Suzuki – 135
- Ken Roczen, Murrieta, Calif., KTM – 127
- Darryn Durham, Butler, Pa., Kawasaki – 118
- Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki – 106
- Jake Canada, Sun City, Calif., Honda – 104
- Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Honda – 87
- Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Honda – 65
- Matthew Lemoine, Collinsville, Texas, Kawasaki – 57
- Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., KTM – 55
Racing returns to action on Saturday, April 14 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.
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.
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, 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.