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Monster Energy Kawasaki
Monster Energy Kawasaki Sees a Win-Win Situation at Glen Helen
 Monster Energy Kawasaki’s James Stewart showed the motocross world he is fully recovered from his knee injury. Stewart swept the season opening motocross event at Glen Helen Raceway near San Bernardino, Calif. leaving no doubt he is ready for the 2008 outdoor season. His team-mate Timmy Ferry finished fourth overall. In the motocross Lites class, it was Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Austin Stroupe who claimed his first overall win. Ryan Villopoto won the second moto to finish runner-up overall. Brett Metcalfe finished fifth overall and Branden Jesseman was 14th.
Good to Be Back
After undergoing knee surgery in late January, Stewart returned to the racetrack for the first time at Glen Helen. Since the surgery Stewart had targeted the start of the motocross season for his return and worked hard with his trainer to reach that goal. Though he has only been riding for four weeks, he showed little rust claiming the holeshot in the second moto and winning by at least six seconds in each moto.
“It feels good,” said Stewart. “I had a solid weekend from the time I got here. It is good to be back in front of the fans and working with the team. It was a great experience and fun today. I felt awesome in both motos and that is a great feeling. After my surgery, I wasn’t sure I would be back for this race. Then when I started riding I was thinking it would be best to just go out and concentrate on having fun. But to come out here and win was unexpected.”
Your First Time
Surprise was the first emotion Stroupe felt when he won his first overall motocross race. Not surprised that he could win, but rather surprised because it is hard to figure out points and ride a moto at the same time. In the first moto, the 17-year-old Stroupe got a good start and moved his way up to third. Just before the two-lap board was displayed, Stroupe got by his team-mate Metcalfe for second and finished less than a second behind the winner. In the second moto, Stroupe jumped out to the lead, pacing the field for five laps before he went down. He quickly recovered and rejoined in fourth. Not knowing how many points he needed for the win, Stroupe rode to try and make the podium, passing his team-mate Metcalfe once again to get third and enough points for the victory.
“It feels great to get the win,” said Stroupe. “I was excited to be running at the front with those guys and I thought I had a chance for the win. I was trying to add the points in my head after I went down, but really it didn’t matter. I just wanted to get the best finish I could. When I was leading, I think Ryan (Villopoto) was a little faster than me so I was pushing it and the front wheel washed out. Once I got up I knew I had to get as good of a finish as I could.”
Coming Back
Villopoto, the two-time motocross Lites champion, had to fight back in the first moto as a rider went down in front of him on the first lap, leaving him no place to go. “RV” finished the first lap in tenth and slowly worked his way up to fifth by the checkered flag. In the second moto Villopoto avoided the trouble and took the lead on lap six, never looking back and winning by more than six seconds. The five-one finish gave Villopoto enough points for second overall.
“The first moto started off pretty slow,” said Villopoto. “So I tried to make something happen, but it just wasn’t possible. We went to the second moto and got a better start. I was pressuring Austin, waiting for a mistake and he never made one. Then I went to put a push in to pass him and he actually went down right there. We got good points today and the goal is still to get the championship.”
Almost
Ferry rode consistently throughout the weekend and got good starts in both of the motos. In the first, he came out of the gate third and stayed there until late in the race. In the second moto, Ferry started fifth and moved up to fourth. With two laps to go, he was challenging for the last podium spot when he went down trying to make the pass.
“I rode really consistent,” said Ferry. “We got a good start to the season and I wanted to get on the podium. Late in the second moto I tried a new line to get around Davi (Millsaps) and a lapper. I guess I rode a little over my head and the back end hopped out and I went down. I kept the bike running so I was able to get going quickly and still got a four-four result. I know I had the endurance to get by and get into third, but it just didn’t happen.”
Top Five
Metcalfe rode two strong races on Sunday never running lower than fourth in either moto. During the first, he was constantly hounded by Stroupe as they gained on the leader finishing on the podium. While in the second moto, he settled into a nice rhythm to earn the 3-4 finish.
Preparation
During the off-season Stewart hired trainer Aldon Baker and all of the hard work they have put has begun to pay off.
“We worked on a lot of stuff,” said Stewart. “It actually started even before the surgery. The hard work we were doing in the off-season helped me to recover more quickly. Then when I started riding I just concentrated on riding. We knew it was going to be tough, getting back for this race, but we were able to get it done. I’m in the best shape of my life and it showed this weekend.”
Familiar Face
Though he’s not riding for the Monster Energy Kawasaki team during the outdoor season, Travis Preston made a surprise appearance at the race. “TP” lives just north of the track and after one of the mechanics sent him a photo of a fan wearing a Preston jersey, Travis decided to come out and see the team and enjoy some racing.
No Time to Celebrate
Even though Stroupe earned his first win at Glen Helen he won’t spend much time celebrating. With Hangtown scheduled for next weekend Stroupe will be back on the bike getting ready to earn his second win.
Track Changes
Glen Helen Raceway has always had the reputation of being one of the more difficult tracks on the motocross schedule. This year was a little different as unseasonably cool weather and midweek rains tamed the track conditions.
“Normally it is hot and the last race of the season,” said Villopoto. “That means everyone is beat down and tired. This year it was cool out and the track was in good shape.”
Team Suzuki
ALESSI 2ND IN GLEN HELEN OPENER
Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing's Mike Alessi started the AMA Motocross season strongly by capturing second place overall at this weekend's season-opening round at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California.
Team mate Michael Byrne also had a good weekend, thanks to a sixth-place overall result, while David Vuillemin struggled to 17th overall.
In the Motocross Lites class, Ryan Dungey had a fine weekend after taking fourth place overall. Nico Izzi, meanwhile, had a good first moto, finishing eighth, but had some issues in the second moto and wound up with 13th overall.
Mike Alessi:
"The season-opener at Glen Helen couldn't have gone any better. I have been working very hard during my time off after breaking my collarbone in Supercross and it showed. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 was working great. I love the bike and it lets me ride to the best of my ability and I
think I proved that this weekend by finishing 46 seconds in front of third place in the second moto."
Michael Byrne:
"My weekend went well. I had some great starts which definitely made life a lot easier. It felt really good to be back out there racing again. I was definitely nervous about my knee and how I was going to go, since this was my first race back after being injured, but once the gate dropped, I was OK and I forgot about it. Now I'm just looking forward to next weekend at Hangtown and the rest of the series."
David Vuillemin:
"Glen Helen was a difficult weekend for me. I had a few issues that I hope will be resolved for Hangtown. I am also dealing with a torn meniscus that I will have surgery on after the High Point National. It has been bothering me since the San Francisco Supercross and I can't put it off any longer, especially with all the ruts on a motocross track."
Ryan Dungey:
"It was a good weekend overall. I'm pretty happy with how I rode and the Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z250 was running great. I feel like my endurance is good and I'm just working at getting better and improving over the season."
Nico Izzi:
"The first moto was pretty good and I got eighth. And then the second moto was also going good and I had four laps to go and then I had some problems with the bike and couldn't finish the race. But overall I was happy with my endurance and my fitness. I was pretty pumped, really, because I was waiting for myself to get tired and it never happened."
Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing will race next at Hangtown in Rancho Cordova, California on May 31 - June 1st.
KTM Racing
US Motocross Series
MDK KTM Factory rider Nick Wey earned 9th overall at the first round of the AMA Motocross Series at Glen Helen Raceway.
Wey started well when he came around the first turn in 8th at the start of moto one. Unfortunately, he made a couple mistakes that allowed two riders to slip by, moving him back to 10th. He held that position for the remainder of the moto.
As the gate dropped for moto two, Wey had a decent jump and was within the top ten but got blocked by another rider on the second turn that forced him back into 17th. By the end of lap one he had begun his charge and worked his way into 15th. He quickly moved into 13th at the end of lap three and into 12th on lap four. His march forward didn't stop there. On lap seven, he passed Steve Boniface for 11th and by the end of the moto he had moved into 10th. His 10-10 score for the afternoon scored him 9th overall for the first round.
US Motocross Lites Series
The Lites class provided a lot of entertainment to the Glen Helen Motocross fans as they witnessed many battles ensue throughout the entire pack.
In the first moto, MDK KTM Lites rider Ryan Sipes came around the first turn in 2nd, while his team-mates Matt Goerke and Justin Brayton were involved in a large first turn pile-up. Brayton recovered in 29th but Goerke had difficulty starting his bike which caused him to start ¾ of a lap down. Around the halfway point Sipes was still up front battling for a top five position when his bike suffered an electronic issue which kept him from finishing the race. Meanwhile, Brayton and Goerke were busy trying to pass on the fast one-lined track. At the end of the race, Brayton had moved from 29th to finish 17th while Goerke worked his way into 28th.
In moto two, Sipes was the first KTM in view, coming around the second turn in 11th, Brayton and Goerke were slightly farther back in 19th and 20th. Sipes quickly moved into 8th and held that position until the fifth lap when he crashed, losing six positions. He remounted near his team-mates who helped push him to get back up front. By the end of the race, Goerke had advanced the furthest finishing 13th, then Brayton in 15th and Sipes in 17th. With both moto scores combined Brayton was able to earn 16th overall, Goerke finished 18th and Sipes finished 23rd.
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