LOS ANGELES (January 22 2011) – Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto, of Poulsbo, Wash., scored his second win of the season tonight at the inaugural Monster
Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, at Dodger Stadium in front of 41, 107 fans. Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil Honda’s Cole Seeley, of Corona, Calif., won the first Western Regional Supercross Lites class race of his career, leading wire-to-wire.
Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki’s Brett Metcalfe, of Lake Elsinore, Calif., started the Supercross class main event by winning the holeshot with his teammate and defending Supercross class champion Ryan Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., in tow. TwoTwo Motorsports’ Chad Reed, of Tampa, Fla., suffered a crash on Lap 1 and started last. By the end of lap one, San Manuel Yamaha’s James Stewart, of Haines City, Fla., moved into third place.
While leading, Metcalfe crashed, handing the lead to Dungey before Stewart moved around him on Lap 4. American Honda’s Trey Canard, of Shawnee, Okla., worked his way into third place and two laps later passed Dungey for second. On Lap 11 Stewart crashed, giving the lead to Villopoto and allowing Dungey to secure second. Despite the crash, Stewart only lost a few positions and moved into second place on Lap 16 where he would finish. Dungey finished third.
“It was really slippery out there tonight,” said Villopoto. “The start of my race didn’t go as planned, but I was able to make up some time early on and things went my way.”
Seeley opened the Western Regional Supercross Lites class main event with the holeshot. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Josh Hansen, of Elbert, Colo., who won the first two races of the season, quickly moved into second place. Near the halfway point of lap one, Hansen stalled his bike and reentered the race in last place.
Red Bull/KTM’s Ken Roczen, of Germany, and GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac, of Cortez, Colo., battled for second before Roczen crashed, taking out several riders, including Rockstar Energy Suzuki’s Martin Davalos, of Cairo, Ga., who won his heat race earlier in the night. On Lap 13 and 14, Tomac and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Broc Tickle, of Holly, Mich., traded places, giving the runner-up spot to Tomac. Rockstar Energy Suzuki’s Ryan Morais, of Murrieta, Calif., moved into third place, passing Tickle on Lap 14. Tomac finished second and Morais finished third.
“This week I worked hard on starts and it paid off tonight,” said Seeley. “That makes a big difference in the way the race unfolds when you are out front. This is the first win of my career and it feels great.”
Supercross Class Results: Los Angeles
1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
2. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha
3. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki
4. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda
5. Justin Brayton, Cornelius, N.C, Yamaha
6. Kevin Windham, Centerville, Miss., Honda
7. Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Honda
8. Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki
9. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM
10. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Yamaha
Supercross Class Season Standings
1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki – 72
2. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha – 67
3. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki – 58
4. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda – 56
5. Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Honda – 48
6. Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki – 39
7. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM – 37
8. Justin Brayton, Cornelius, N.C, Yamaha – 36
9. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Yamaha – 33
10. Kevin Windham, Centerville, Miss., Honda – 32
Supercross Lites Class Western Regional Results: Los Angeles
1. Cole Seeley, Corona, Calif., Honda
2. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda
3. Ryan Morais, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki
4. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki
5. Josh Hansen, Elbert, Colo., Kawasaki
6. Ken Roczen, Mattstedt, Germany, KTM
7. Ryan Marmont, Woonona, Australia,
8. Jimmy Decotis, Peabody, Mass., Honda
9. Nick Pauluzzi, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha
10. Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha
Supercross Lites Class Western Regional Season Standings
1. Josh Hansen, Elbert, Colo., Kawasaki – 66
2. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki – 62
3. Cole Seely, Corona, Calif., Honda – 59
4. Ryan Morais, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki – 55
5. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda – 49
6. Tyla Rattray, Wildomar, Calif., Kawasaki – 42
7. Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., Suzuki – 40
8. Travis Baker, Temecula, Calif., Honda – 35
9. Ken Roczen, Mattstedt, Germany, KTM – 31
10. Nick Pauluzzi, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha – 30
Tonight’s Supercross class race will air on CBS Sports tomorrow at Noon and the Supercross Lites class race will also air tomorrow on SPEED at 6:00 p.m. EST. The 2011 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season continues next weekend in Oakland, Calif., at the Oak-Alameda Stadium.
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. To follow Monster Energy Supercross on Facebook and Twitter, log on to http://www.facebook.com/supercrosslive and http://twitter.com/supercrosslive.
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.