MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI
Monster Energy Kawasaki Kicks Off the Supercross Season on the Podium

Explosions and fireworks marked the start of the 2012 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season Saturday night in front of a sold out Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto started the new season right where he left in 2011, on top of the podium. The intensity was high from the gate drop of the first heat race when another rider collided with Villopoto on the start, forcing him off track. But as a proven champion, he went on to make a statement in the main event by leading from start to finish.

His team-mate Jake Weimer also started the season off strong, riding through the pack to finish fifth, while Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Broc Tickle made his supercross class debut with a 12th place finish.

In the supercross lites class, Tyla Rattray rode a consistent main event to start off the season with a second place finish. Team-mate Dean Wilson hounded Rattray all night but was one of the many victims of the tricky track design and fell on the final lap, dropping back three spots to finish sixth.

No Fluke
The 2012 supercross class is one of the most highly competitive fields the sport has ever seen. Saturday night, Villopoto made it seem almost effortless as he led every lap of the 20-lap main event building a lead as high as 20 seconds over the competition.

“I’m really happy with tonight,” said Villopoto. “We’re right where we need to be with my KX450F and fitness, and we will just keep pushing into next week.”

“The track was pretty tough and awkward,” said Villopoto. “There are a lot of rounds left, so we will just keep doing what were doing and stay consistent.”

Strong and Consistent
The supercross lites West class year after year includes a long list of fast riders and Rattray is determined to be on the top of that list. Rattray got his Kawasaki KX250F out of the gate clean and nearly grabbed the first holeshot of the season. He quickly made the pass into the lead and tried to settle into a rhythm.

“I’m glad to get the first race out of the way and shake the cobwebs out,” said Rattray. “We are very happy with the work we have done to the bike and there’s still a lot of racing left.”

Rattray would fall back to second by the halfway point and was heavily pressured by team-mate Wilson. With his fast pace and consistent line choice, Rattray would start the season off strong with a second place finish at the chequered flag.

A Fresh Start
After spending the majority of the 2011 Supercross season sidelined with injury, Weimer could not wait to start his first full season on the 2012 Kawasaki KX450F. When the gate dropped for the main event, Weimer was pinched off into the first turn and found himself in the middle of the 20-rider pack. Knowing that he was physically prepared and feeling stronger than his competition, Weimer battled forward, lap-by-lap picking off riders on his way to a fifth place finish.

“Overall not a bad day,” said Weimer. “I would have liked to have done better in the main, but I rode decent and it’s a good place to build on for the rest of the season.”

As Weimer looks to establish his place on the podium, he has no doubt in himself or his equipment stating that “the bike will only continue to improve as we get on some more traditional supercross tracks.”

The Rookie
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Broc Tickle made the jump up to the supercross class for 2012 and became the first rider to pilot a Kawasaki KX450F for the dominant team. Tickle qualified strong throughout the day and finished a respectable 12th place in his supercross class debut.

“I know I have the speed to do it,” said Tickle. “I just need to put the whole puzzle together. My Kawasaki is good, the team and I are working hard, and we will keep plugging away as the season continues.”

Rolling out the Green Carpet
The Supercross season’s first race at Anaheim is always eagerly anticipated by the industry and fans alike. Following Villopoto’s championship year in 2011, the buzz was even greater around the Monster Energy Kawasaki pit throughout the day. The excitement of the night program started with amazing opening ceremonies that featured Villopoto introduced to the crowd onto a green carpet and being paraded around the stadium floor in his newest toy, a customised 2012 Kawasaki Teryx4®.

Off and Running
Round 2 of the 2012 Monster Energy AMA Supercross series takes place January 14 at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. Villopoto will be looking to grab his second win of the season, while his team-mate Weimer and the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team will all be looking to join in the on the celebration with podium finishes of their own.

ROCKSTAR ENERGY RACING TEAMS CELEBRATE SPIRITED SEASON-OPENING SUPERCROSS RACES AT ANAHEIM
Rockstar’s Jason Anderson & Ryan Sipes capture top-10 finishes in Supercross Lites
ANAHEIM, CA (January 9, 2012) – This past weekend saw the Rockstar Energy Racing teams put in some truly impressive performances at the season-opening round of the 2012 AMA/FIM Supercross Championship Series at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA, on Saturday night. Both the Rockstar Energy Racing and Star Valli Yamaha teams walked away from the exciting event with top-10 Supercross Lites finishes under their respective belts.

For Rockstar Energy Racing, the night was bittersweet in Supercross Lites. Although rider Martin Davalos celebrated an impressive win in his heat race, he experienced some issues during the main event and dropped out of the fray. Rockstar Energy Racing team-mate Jason Anderson, however, celebrated a very consistent evening, finishing seventh in his heat race and seventh in the 15-lap Supercross Lites main event. 

“This was the first race of the season, so nerves were a little high,” said Anderson. “But I had some good practice sessions. Then my heat race had a bunch of pile-ups, but I ended up doing pretty good and I made it to the main. The gate-drop at the start of the main was a little delayed and I struggled with that, but I came back and got seventh, so it was a decent night overall.”

Star Valli Yamaha celebrated a well-earned fifth-place finish in the Supercross Lites main event, thanks to rider Ryan Sipes. Said Sipes of his performance, “I started the day out great in practice but in my heat race, I went down. I got up last and had to go to the LCQ but, thankfully, I made it through. In the main, I couldn’t find my rhythm so we’ll take the points from fifth place tonight and come back next week at Phoenix and try to win it. I got my first-ever podium there, so I’m looking forward to that race.”

Meanwhile, Star Valli Yamaha team-mate Nico Izzi had a strong showing in his heat race with a third-place finish and came in 12th in the Supercross Lites main, while Gareth Swanepoel struggled in his heat races and didn’t race the main event. In the Supercross class, Star Valli Yamaha’s Ryan Morais put in a valiant effort, finishing fifth in his heat race and 15th in the main, while team-mate Austin Stroupe suffered a get-off in his heat race and didn’t make the main.

Also racing for Rockstar Energy in the premier Supercross class was Brett Metcalfe, who brought home an impressive sixth-place finish in his heat race and then followed that up with a solid 11th-place result in the main event. Rockstar counterpart Nick Wey struggled in his heat races and did not race in the main event.

KTM RACING

Dungey Earns Podium Third in 2012 US Supercross Opener
Red Bull/KTM Factory Team rider Ryan Dungey started his first season with the KTM factory team in style when he finished on the podium in third place at the season’s opener at Anaheim 1 in California. It was KTM’s first podium in the elite SX class in the USA and follows on from those in the SX Lites category in 2011, earned by KTM’s young German rider Ken Roczen, who was out of the opening  (SX Lites) round in 2012 through injury. Dungey looked impressive from the start of the first practice session on his newly released KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition race machine. He qualified third fastest from practice and was placed second in the second heat after nearly nailing the holeshot.

He earned another good start on his KTM in the main event and rounded the first corner in fifth, slipped past Mike Alessi for fourth in the first turns and by the third lap had moved into third behind Ryan Villopoto and Chad Reed who were ahead by five seconds.

Dungey spent the first half of the race closing the gap on Reed, turning lap times nearly a full second faster. On the ninth lap the KTM rider made a mistake, tucked the front end and crashed. He quickly recovered but lost his position to Stewart. On lap twelve, Stewart made a slight mistake allowing Dungey back into third. Both he and Stewart closed in on Reed and the final four laps were a battle for second place. Then when Stewart crashed in Lap 16, Reed and Dungey pulled away and Reed finally stole second in front of Dungey by a bike length.

Dungey’s podium finish also marked the first podium for the new KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition. “My bike ran flawlessly tonight,” he said. “I would have definitely liked to pass Chad (Reed) and take second tonight, but I am happy to earn KTM its first podium. I can’t thank the team enough for all they have done for me in the development of this new bike.”

Red Bull/KTM Factory Team Manager Roger De Coster: “The entire team is excited for the podium finish but we also know that second place was within our reach tonight. We were happy with Ryan’s performance but we know we have some areas that need work and we will begin to correct them immediately. We hope to continue this success into next week and improve our position on the podium.”

Musquin Earns 4th in US Supercross Lites Debut
Red Bull/KTM Factory Team rider Marvin Musquin put in an impressive debut in the opening round of the AMA West Supercross Lites Series in Anaheim, California registering an impressive fourth place. The great start to the 2012 season was some compensation for the fact that he was unable to ride in the SX Lites last year because of injury.

Musquin turned heads during the morning practice sessions when he clocked the fastest lap time in the second practice and ended sixth fastest at the end of the final session. His qualifying time placed him in the second heat of the night. He then went on to finish third in the heat to easily qualify for the main event.

Unfortunately, the 30-second board girl turned the board early during the Supercross Lites main event, causing many riders to engage their clutch for double the normal time and badly affecting their start. Despite this, Musquin still managed to pull a near mid-pack start around 11th place, then slipped past a number of rider to be in seventh by the third lap.  He picked off Ryan Sipes on the lap six and when Wil Hahn crashed on the next lap he moved to fifth. Musquin settled into this spot but was able to move into fourth when Dean Wilson crashed on the final lap.

Marvin Musquin: “I am very happy tonight. I finally raced in my first Supercross event and I am happy with 4th overall. I was lucky some of the riders made mistakes tonight but overall I felt really good and my bike was great.”

Also contesting the Lites division on the KTM 250 SX-F were Australian riders Matt Moss, reigning Australian Motocross and SuperX Champion and team-mate Ryan Marmont, riding for the JDR/ J-Star/KTM Team. They both contested heat two. Marmont nailed the holeshot and they finished finished fifth and ninth to qualify for the main event. Marmont only arrived in the US six days ago to fill in for team-mate PJ Larsen, who is injured. He was unsure of his physical condition after only having screws removed from his ankle several weeks ago.

Both riders had their starts in the main affected by the 30-second board issue and were near last at the first corner. Despite this, Moss pulled back to eleventh at the flag while Marmont finished in seventeenth.

JDR/J-Star/KTM Team Manager Nate Ramsey: “Matt had an excellent debut tonight almost breaking into the top ten. For his first Supercross race we are satisfied with this result and know areas we can work with him to improve for the future. Although Marmont struggled in the main event, we were very excited he qualified and represented our team. He has only been able to ride the bike twice and we are happy with his progress. He will continue to improve each race as he gets more time on the bike.”

Next Event: Phoenix, AZ – January 14, 2012

TYLA RATTRAY
RATTRAY OPENS 2012 SUPERCROSS ACCOUNT WITH SECOND AT ANAHEIM

It was sweltering, and the combination of heat and humidity that Kwazulu-Natal in high summer is infamous for, was hanging over everyone like a tangible curtain. A group of cyclists pulled up after a long, hard ride. The pain of their exertions over the last few hours was carved on their faces as they panted for breath. The lead man, a competitive cyclist, cast an admiring glance at Tyla Rattray a short distance away. “He's incredible,” he said with unconcealed wonderment. “He's so determined, and never gives up.” The group had just covered the between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, a goodly distance, and definitely not the flattest piece of terrain known to mankind. Even though he was in the company of several professional and semi-professional cyclists, Tyla gritted it out and kept with the group.

This little narrative so accurately typecasts the man. Whenever he is faced with a challenge that he considers worthy of his efforts, Tyla Rattray takes to it with gusto. When obstacles appear along the way, he regroups, changes strategy, works harder or does whatever is necessary to get over, around or through them and further along the path of achieving his goals. If that holds true for his leisure activities, how much the more for his passion/profession, racing dirt bikes at unfathomable speeds across hazardous terrain. A top-level racer he may be, but compared to most of his opposition, his supercross experience is a bit thin. Through a combination of circumstances, it is only at the beginning of the 2011 AMA supercross season that he first got the opportunity to take on the world's best exponents of the genre on their home soil. A year down the line, he is now that more experienced. The 2011 season had delivered up a few punches and uppercuts of disappointment, injury and experience, but like a Rocky of old, he repaired to the gym, worked on his weaknesses, honed his strengths, and as the 2012 season rolled along, he declared himself ready for battle.

There are a few motocross and supercross events that are eternal classics. The AMA supercross opener at Anaheim is one of them. Weeks before, fans were already counting the days on social networking sites expectant, and in the last few says leading up to the event, #Anaheim1 was actually officially trending on Twitter as fans tweeted their delight at the fact that their racing cravings could yet again be sated. The 2012 season was mooted as one of the most competitive ever, and, as expected, every perch in the Angel Stadium was filled for an officially-announced attendance of 45,050. Tyla familiarised himself and his Monster Energy Pro-Circuit Kawasaki with the track during the afternoon as he breezed through the preliminary qualifying sessions, and got himself ready for the evening's action.

An expectant buzz went round the capacity crowd as the bikes wheeled out for the first action of 2012. Tyla had the afterburners of his machine well lit up, and stormed to a holeshot in the semi-final. A short distance into the race, he came to within inches of suffering an abrupt end to his season. Wil Hahn, eager to make a pass, dabbled in a bit of over-enthusiastic jumping and landed on the Kawasaki rider. Fortunately for both, it was just a glancing blow which the South African's steely constitution is well-equipped to withstand. Despite the setback, Tyla got the throttle twisted the right way again and crossed the line in second position after a great qualifying run. Back in the pits, he fully realised just how close to disaster he had come. His race jersey was caked in blood, and how it would have ended up with the bikes' respective positions differing by just a few centimetres, does not bear thinking about.

Be that as it may, Tyla is made of stern stuff, and a bike imprint or two wasn't going to keep him from the start line. Another great start had the South African handily placed as the grand finale got underway. Within a few corners, he saw his opportunity and struck, surging into the lead. He was riding with practised ease, displaying no nerves, no unfamiliarity with the conditions, nary a bobble. A few laps in, however, his bike went into an accidental neutral, and Cole Seely, who had been lurking with intent for a while, got by. Recovering from the lost momentum. Tyla gave chase again. He not only had to focus on closing the gap to the leader, but also fight a rearguard defence where team-mate Dean Wilson had set up camp. The pitched battle was later joined by Eli Tomac, and the four-way dice for the lead had two Kawasakis squeezed between two Hondas, creating the world's fastest avocado- and tomato salad. At one stage the riders were close enough to each other for a group cuddle, and the crowd roared its collective approval.

In the end Seely grabbed his opportunity with both hands and rode to the win, whilst Tyla cruised to an eventual comfortable second place. This marked his best-ever supercross result, and a near-perfect way to start off the season.

The South African had seemingly hardly raised a sweat during all of th exertions, and calmly and in his deadpan manner commented on his race during the post-race interview. “ I am obviously happy about this result,” he said. “A win would have been great, but I'm happy to start the season off with a handful of points. My starts were good, and then it's easier to find a rhythm. I've worked very hard during the off season and I'm fit and ready to fight for top honours.”

YAMAHA RACING
Stewart gets 2012 campaign underway with 6th at Anaheim

The 2012 AMA Supercross series was launched in front of a capacity 45,000 crowd at the Anaheim stadium in Los Angeles last weekend and Joe Gibbs Racing’ James Stewart took his YZ450F to sixth position in the opening main event of seventeen on the U.S. calendar.

The former Champion endured a dramatic first evening of the season. He had marked the fastest lap-time in the second qualifier but was undone at the beginning of the 20 lap sprint when a poor start left him deep in the pack. Behind runaway leader and winner Ryan Villopoto Stewart worked up to third position and then enjoyed a tight battle with 2010 champion Ryan Dungey.

The Floridian made a small mistake on the approach to a table-top jump and hit the hay bales at the side of the track, causing a crash and some light damage to his motorcycle. He was hit in the stomach by his handlebar but had no other problems. By the time he could rectify his radiator plastic shroud and regain his composure he had lost several places and needed to push again to reach sixth.

“James showed a lot of patience out there tonight,” said JGR/Toyota Yamaha team manager Jeremy Albrecht. “He didn’t get the best of starts, but he did a really good job of being patient and catching the leaders without taking too many risks. But the track was changing a lot throughout the night and he just got caught out over there and landed in the Tuff Blox. He was missing a radiator shroud when he got up, and the front end was kind of tweaked, but he still made the most of it. Championships are won on your bad days, and this wasn’t a good day, but he still salvaged sixth place. That’s pretty good.”

Ryan Morais and Davi Millsaps filled 15th and 16th places under the Anaheim lights. Ryan Sipes (5th spot) and Monster Energy Yamaha’s Zach Osborne – completing several West Coast events as warm-up for the FIM MX2 World Championship – (9th) posted finishes on the YZ250F in the Lites division.

TEAM SUZUKI
METCALFE JUST MISSES ANAHEIM TOP 10

Yoshimura Suzuki's Brett Metcalfe just missed out on a top-10 finish in the opening round of the AMA/ FIM Supercross Championship at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Saturday night.

The 27-year-old Californian, who missed most of last season's series due to injury, put in a solid performance aboard the 2012 RM-Z450, finishing sixth in his heat race.

Rockstar Energy Racing's Martin Davalos celebrated an impressive win in his heat race, but experienced some issues during the 250cc Lites Main Event and dropped out of the fray. But team mate Jason Anderson, after finishing seventh in his heat race, raced to seventh overall in the 15 lapper.

"This was the first race of the season, so nerves were a little high," said Anderson. "But I had some good practice sessions. Then my heat race had a bunch of pile-ups, but I ended up doing pretty good and I made it to the Main. The gate-drop at the start of the Main was a little delayed and I struggled with that, but I came back and got seventh, so it was a decent night overall."