Kawasaki Racing
Monster Energy Kawasaki rider James Stewart took the win and a share of the points lead during the second round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM Championship with an impressive victory at Chase Field.

After a clean start, Stewart ran a smooth race, leading all 20 laps of the main event to put his Kawasaki KX450F on the top step of the podium for the first time this season. His team-mate Timmy Ferry didn’t fare as well, a rider knocked one of the safety blocks on the track in front of him, leaving Ferry with no place to go. The veteran recovered to finish 10th.

The Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites race was an action filled event with the top five riders trading positions throughout the feature. One of the riders involved in the thrilling duel was Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Brett Metcalfe who finished on the podium in third.

Stewart’s wire-to-wire victory was his 25th career supercross win and though he was challenged early, he was able to pull out to a comfortable lead later in the race. The win comes on the heels of Stewart running a tactical race in the season opener after being hit from behind in the first corner.

“I had a good start and we made it past where we did last weekend so that was a plus,” said Stewart. “I was definitely pumped going into that first corner and I knew I didn’t want to tip over. I knew Chad (Reed) was going to make a charge, that’s what he does and I just let the race come to me. I think he almost made a pass on me, but I wasn’t too worried, it is a long race and a long season and we have to be smart about it. I rode as hard as the track would let me. Every race, every lap it gets tougher and tougher, but I’m not worried about my endurance. I feel good, I’m super stoked. I’m happy for everybody at Monster Energy Kawasaki, this is our first win for Kawasaki in a while and for me it is satisfying. It’s good to get a solid race under our belt and also a win, it definitely feels good.”

The layout of the Chase Field track allowed the riders to choose one of two whoops sections on every lap. The outside line started with three small jumps followed by the whoops section while the inside line was just the opposite. It began with a whoops section and closed with three jumps. During the first practice, the riders experimented with each line but in the second session, nearly all of the riders stayed to the inside. Stewart’s fast lap during both practices came by using the inside line and during the race he continued to use the preferred line until he ran into lapped traffic.

“With the little berm on the inside line it was definitely getting rough going into it,” said Stewart. “The toughest part was when you get to lappers. The outside was obviously slower and I have to thank Mikey (Williamson) for the timely signal, because I went to the outside to get around them and he may have got past me if I went to the outside again.”

For Ferry, the race was more difficult as he got caught at the wrong place at the wrong time on the opening lap. He was running fourth when he hit a track block thrown out in front of him, but the veteran recovered well to finish 10th.

“I think if I could have just moved over two feet or predicted the future, I would have known what to do,” said Ferry. “I had a good start and was running near the front when a guy in front of me hit a block and kicked it out on the track. I didn’t have anywhere to go and I just went down. There wasn’t much I could do about it.”

Though he faced adversity during the race, Ferry made the most of it and battled his way through the field.

“I had the fourth fastest time during the race and considering I was passing guys, I’m happy with that,” said Ferry. “I actually felt like I rode better this weekend than I did at Anaheim. For the most part I rode a good race and just had some bad things happen. We’ll move on the next week and keep riding well.”

In the AMA Supercross Lites class, Metcalfe rebounded from a tough season opener to put his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki KX250F on the podium. Metcalfe rode a steady race never losing contact with the leaders and battled in some pretty tight situations to finish third.

“I am glad we were in the battle this week,” said Metcalfe. “Unlike last week, I kept it together, made the triples and kept it on two wheels. We have six races to go and it helps a lot to get up on the podium. I know everything is there and I’ve got to put it together and I was able to do that. I’ve got that feeling in me. Now I just need to maintain it for the rest of the year.”

Metcalfe’s team-mate Austin Stroupe opened fast at Phoenix, finishing the first practice session with the second fastest time. Unfortunately he couldn’t keep the speed as he failed to qualify for the main event.

“I had a great start in the heat race but I went over the top of the berm,” said Stroupe. “Then I had a problem in the rhythm section which pretty much ended that race for me. In the last chance qualifier I got a decent start but I was on the outside and I got bumped and I just couldn’t make it back up. I’m going to refocus and continue working hard to eliminate mistakes.”

The Motosport Xtreme Kawasaki team came into the Phoenix event on the strength of two top-10 finishes. In Phoenix, Tommy Hahn finished 14th and Andrew McFarlane 21st and the team looks to regain its momentum again at Angel Stadium next week.

Next week, the Monster Energy Kawasaki team will be back at Angel Stadium for retro night. The layout will mimic the track used for what some consider the greatest supercross race of all time, the 1986 Anaheim event. Looking ahead to it, Stewart thinks the retro track will be entertaining for the fans.

“I think it is going to be pretty cool,” said the defending series champion Stewart. “It’s going to be a change for us with the track going old school. (Series track designer) Dirt Wurx and everyone knows what they’re doing and hopefully they won’t put the two foot table tops that look like a wall out there.”



Team Suzuki
DUNGEY SECOND AT PHOENIX

Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey finished a close second in an exciting Lites Final at Saturday night's second round of the AMA/ FI M Supercross Championship at Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona.

The RM-Z250-mounted teenager started the 15-lap race in second place behind race winner Jake Weimer but moved into the lead on lap two followed by Broc Hepler and Bret Metcalf.

But with four laps remaining, Weimer worked his way back into the lead, dropping Dungey to second. Dungey (pictured right) held tight and was all over Weimer when the duo crossed the finish line.

With this finish, 18-year-old Dungey continues to lead the Lites class championship points chase.

In the Supercross class, Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Mike Alessi got a great start on his Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450, taking the holeshot in the main. Unfortunately, shortly after, the 19-year-old rider hit a Tuffblock and rode several laps with a banner attached to his bike. In spite of this, Alessi continued to charge hard in the 20-lap main event and brought home a sixth-place finish.

Team-mate David Vuillemin struggled a bit in the Supercross main but still managed to capture as many points as possible.

Ryan Dungey:
"I was happy with practice today, I was about a half-second faster than everybody else. I felt good in the races, too, though I had a hard time putting the track together. It got really slick, but I did my best to try and make it work. I made a couple of mistakes, and I think those kept me from winning. But I'm going to work on that and try to not make those mistakes again. The race itself was a great show and it was good to give the fans such an exciting race. It was a dogfight, we were back and forth and everybody was going at it. Overall, it was good to walk away with the points lead. Now, we'll just take it one race at a time and come back stronger next week."

Mike Alessi:
"The day started out pretty good -- the Suzuki RM-Z450 was working great, the Bridgestone tires were hooking up, I felt good and had a good flow. I was pretty happy with the first practice but in the second practice, I hit a hay bale and did a big endo, taking a handlebar to the thigh. It hurt pretty bad so then I just tried to survive the rest of the session. I had a good heat race, finishing fourth, but the main was awesome. I got the holeshot, and ended up running third for a few laps. Then, I hit that same Tuffblock I hit in practice and gave up a lot of spots. I ended up in seventh, made it into sixth and was just inching up on fifth, but couldn't do it in time. Now, I'm just looking for a top-five finish next week or maybe a podium."

David Vuillemin:
"This weekend's race was OK. I felt strong in practice and the heat race wasn't too bad, though we still have a few issues that we need to work on. I'm not really happy with my performance because I know that I can do better than this. So we just need to work on some of these areas and do better next weekend."



Team KTM Racing
Photos: S. Giberson

US Supercross Series
Round two of the AMA Supercross FIM Championship held at Chase Field in Phoenix, AZ brought a nearly sold out crowd and perfect temperatures.

MDK KTM Factory rider, Nick Wey (pictured right), was in Heat #2 of the Supercross class. He got a good jump but was pushed out causing him to come around the first turn in last position. He charged his way up trying to pass where he could on the fast track. By the eighth and final lap he had moved into 10th just one spot shy of qualifying. Forced to go to the last chance, Wey, nailed the holeshot and lead the race from start to finish earning a spot in the main.
 
In the Supercross class main, Wey had a poor gate pick and had to choose an outside line. As the riders took off he was pushed way out and replayed the last place start he had earlier in his Heat. He rode hard and stayed strong trying to move up on the pack. By lap four he had passed a few riders and was riding in 16th. The track was fast and each rider was giving it his all. Wey spent the majority of the moto battling with Davi Millsaps as they continued to pass back and forth. At the end of the race, Wey had closed in on the pack ahead of him but was not able to move past. He ended in 16th for the night.

US Supercross Lites West Series
It wasn't just the attendance and temperature that was better than the muddy and cold opener at Anaheim, the racing was too.

MDK KTM Lites riders, Justin Brayton and Billy Laninovich, were eager for the day to start. Brayton wanted to show the audience that he could manoeuvre his KTM to the front once again and Laninovich wanted to show the crowd that he too was a front runner after a spill of bad luck left him out of the main event the week prior.
 
Both riders suited up for Heat #2. As the gate dropped Laninovich jumped out into the top three while Brayton (pictured right) wasn't as fortunate and ended up mid-pack around turn one. Laninovich was able to hang on to third when the checkers flew earning himself a good gate spot for the main event. Brayton charged hard and worked his way through the pack passing for the last qualifying position on the final lap.
 
Soon the lights got brighter and the crowd screamed as the Lites main event was about to get underway. Brayton and Laninovich took their spots on the grid and waited in anticipation of the gate drop. Joining them on the gate was All American KTM rider Brad Graham on the #240 250SX-F lining up for his first main event of the year. When the gate dropped, Brayton got a great jump and came around the first turn in 5th while his team-mate wasn't too far behind in 10th. The crowd stood on their feet the first ten laps as the top ten riders remained within milliseconds of each other. The front running order changed repeatedly from lap to lap as Lites riders diced back and forth. By lap ten Brayton was hanging on to 6th while his team-mate was in 10th. The lead pack continued to speed around the track remaining close each lap. With only a couple laps to go Brayton made a mistake when he tipped over in the rhythm section after the first turn letting one rider go past him. He regained composure and was able to catch back up to sixth when the checkered flag dropped. His team-mate Laninovich finished 10th.
 
"I'm glad to see Justin (Brayton) running up front again. His speed is there. The top ten riders are so close. Justin was closing in on the pack all night and I know next weekend he will be up front again," stated MDK KTM Lites Team Manager Danny Paladino. Also content with Laninovich's performance, Paladino continued, "Billy made a big improvement from last week's race to tonight's performance constantly showing his speed as he stayed with the lead pack. The whole MDK KTM crew is great, every member of the team is giving his all and it shows."