Team Suzuki
DUNGEY INCREASES SUPERCROSS LEAD

Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey increased his lead in the AMA Supercross Championship by winning Saturday night's third round at Anaheim in California - his second victory in three races.

RM-Z250-mounted Dungey now leads the West Coast series by 23 points from former Suzuki rider Broc Hepler (Yamaha).

He said: "I was just trying to be consistent. The track was really choppy and I made a couple of mistakes, but I just tried to not make the same mistake twice. We are just doing our program and trying to be as consistent as we can be."

In the Supercross class, Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Mike Alessi captured his second consecutive holeshot of the season in the 20-lap main event. Alessi charged hard on his Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 and brought home a fourth-place finish. This is Alessi's best result of the season so far and he moved into third place in the series.

Team-mate David Vuillemin won the Last Chance Qualifier and then had a bit of bad luck in the main when he stalled his bike. Even so, his 11th-place finish improved his overall standings in the championship points race.

Ryan Dungey:
"The first couple of practices were decent today. The whole team and I were working on getting the bike better for the heat and we definitely got it set up the right way. We won the heat race, taking the lead on the last lap, and it was great to get that win but the main is what counts. In the main, I got a good start and was in second for about five laps. Then I got in first… It was tough, though, I was struggling a little, but I dug deep and worked through it. The RM-Z250 worked great and the whole Rockstar Makita Suzuki team did a great job."

Mike Alessi:
"It was a good race, partly because I've been trying to improve a little every weekend. Two sixths and now a fourth - I'm just gradually getting better every week. In the heat race I got a good start and was riding well and had a good flow and came in second. In the main, I got a killer jump and a big holeshot. Then I was in second for a few laps and then third, but I could tell the rider behind me was catching me. I tried to fight back but I couldn't get him. I started to push it a little toward the end and made a little mistake. So I thought, I'm riding good here in fourth, nobody's behind me so I put it on cruise control and kept being consistent. The RM-Z450 is running great and my mechanic and everybody on the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team are doing a great job, as always."

David Vuillemin:
"Practice was OK today, though I had a tough time getting used to the retro track. I was not happy with the heat race as I didn't ride very well. I was following other guys and had to go to the Last Chance Qualifier where I got a good start and won the race. For the main, I was all the way on the outside of the gate, but I got a decent start. I got up into ninth and then stalled the bike - my mistake - and a few guys passed me and I ended up 11th. Actually, the bike started easily on the second kick. I have to say that we've made a lot of progress in our testing and the RM-Z450 was really good tonight."


Kawasaki Racing
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s James Stewart Second Fastest in Anaheim practice

Monster Energy Kawasaki rider James Stewart was second fastest in practice for tonight’s race at Angel Stadium. On a course layout based on the 1986 Anaheim, Calif. track, Stewart was still able to stay near the top of the speed charts with a lap at 50.777 seconds. Stewart’s team-mate Timmy Ferry was seventh fastest with a lap at 51.550 seconds.

In the AMA Western Regional Supercross Lites class, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki riders Austin Stroupe and Brett Metcalfe were fourth and sixth respectively. Stroupe set a fast lap at 51.584 seconds, while Metcalfe was able to post a best time of 52.475 seconds.

But then...
Monster Energy Kawasaki Rider James Stewart Misses Anaheim 2

Monster Energy Kawasaki rider James Stewart will miss tonight’s third round of the Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM Championship after suffering an injury to his left knee during pre-season training.

“It was a tough decision to make,” said Stewart. “For me it was really difficult because as you could see during the first two races, I wasn’t racing at 100 percent. I’m going to go in for a MRI and then we will make a decision on the future. I’m just sorry for my fans, I know it is disappointing for them.”

A decision on Stewart’s health will be made after he consults with doctors this week.

“James’ is a tremendous guy and he has always been a great rider for our team,” said Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Manager Mike Fisher. “This was a very difficult decision but we feel it is the correct one. Once we know the full extent of the injury we will plan for the rest of the season.”

Stewart entered the third round of the championship tied for the points lead with one victory and a second-place finish.



Team KTM Racing Report
Photos: S. Giberson

US Supercross Lites
As the evening began, MDK KTM Lites rider Billy Laninovich and MDK KTM support rider Drew Gosselaar lined up for Heat #1.
Both riders had a decent jump from the gate. Gosselaar rounded turn one in fourth while Laninovich (pictured right) was two spots back in 6th. Laninovich quickly moved into 5th and held that position through the finish. Gosselaar qualified for his first main event by finishing 7th in the heat.
 
MDK KTM Lites rider Justin Brayton got ready for Heat #2. He was second around the first turn and then passed for the lead for a brief second before the hard charging #338 bike of Jason Lawrence made the pass for first. Brayton stayed close and rode in second looking to repeat his Anaheim 1 heat race. Unfortunately, he accidentally stalled his bike on lap 4 losing only three positions. He got the bike started on the second kick and began closing back in on the 3rd and 4th place riders. He passed for 4th on lap 5 and moved into 3rd on the last lap, qualifying into the main.
 
At 9:16pm the Lites gate dropped with Laninovich and Brayton both getting pushed out around the first turn sending them to the back of the pack. Laninovich had moved up to 9th and Brayton to 12th by the end of the first lap. Brayton soon passed two riders to move up behind his team-mate. The two MDK KTM Lites riders rode together for a couple laps before Brayton moved around Laninovich taking over 9th place. Brayton soon began battling with the #45 bike of Bob Kiniry for the second half of the race; getting past him with four laps to go. Brayton was now in 7th closing in on 6th when a last lap crash laid him down. He remounted and was able to salvage a top ten finish with a ninth place overall. His team-mate, Laninovich, finished 7th.
 
MDK KTM Lites Team Manager, Danny Paladino commented, "Both boys had a rough start tonight but were able to catch up to the lead pack rather quickly. It's unfortunate that Justin crashed but he was able to stay in the top ten which will help him in the points. Billy is getting stronger every weekend and I know once we work on his starts he will be a front runner."

MDK KTM Factory rider Nick Wey (pictured right) got a mid-pack start in the Supercross class Heat #1.
He was twelfth around the first turn and began picking off riders. By the end of the first lap he had moved into 10th and was only one position short of qualifying. He made the pass into 9th on lap 3 and held that position to transfer into the main.
 
The Supercross main event had a wild start. Wey got a good jump but lost momentum when he had to manoeuvre around the #8 bike of Grant Langston and the #29 bike of Andrew Short, both of whom had crashed in the first turn. Halfway through the 1st lap Wey was in 15th desperately trying to gain ground on the riders ahead. By the end of the second lap he had moved into 11th place. He rode strong and stayed close to the pack right on the tail end of the group. Around the halfway point Langston and Short had moved up behind him. Wey held off Langston for a couple laps until Langston got a flat and had to slow down. Wey and Short continued to battle up through the 12th lap. At this point, Wey kicked it up a gear and pulled the Honda rider. Wey wasn't able to move into the top ten but was able to put a gap on Short finishing twelfth for the night.