Alessi Rides to Second Overall at Southwick

Jagermeister/KTM rider Mike Alessi landed his KTM 350 SX-F on the podium at the 10th round of the series at Moto-X 338 to take 2nd overall.

The Jagermeister/KTM rider started his season off well with a moto win at Hangtown and a podium finish at the next round but has struggled to find his rhythm at the following rounds until today. The KTM rider looked strong in practice turning lap times within the top five overall fastest times.

He started around 8th place at the beginning of moto one and was able to charge up to 6th by the end of the first lap. He moved up to 5th on the second lap and remained there for the first half of the race. Around the 7th lap he was able to move past Kyle Regal for 4th position where he remained until the final lap. On the last lap, the current leader Brett Metcalfe ran out of gas and Alessi was able to capitalize on his misfortune and move into podium position. Alessi finished the moto in 3rd place.

"I feel like a big weight has been lifted off my shoulders. After many weeks of struggling to find my speed - I have finally landed back on the podium. I am bummed for Metcalfe, but really excited for my team to get back on the box," commented Alessi.

In the second moto, Alessi started around 4th position and held his spot the majority of the race. At one point near the end of the moto, Alessi moved into 3rd when Kevin Windham made a mistake. Unfortunately, a lap later, Matt Goerke was able to make a pass on Alessi and he dropped back to 4th. Alessi eventually finished in 4th position. Combined his 3-4 moto results equaled an impressive 2nd place finish.

Phil Nicoletti remained on the FMF/KTM team for the second weekend in a row filling in for the injured Tommy Searle in the 250 class. Nicoletti had decent practice times and was riding quite aggressive, giving the FMF/KTM Team something to be excited about.

In the first moto, Nicoletti had a terrible start falling in the first turn. In the first lap he made a tremendous charge through the pack and was able to climb up to 25th. Unfortunately, he fell shortly after and once again had to climb through the pack. At the moto end, he was able to make his way up to 16th place.

"Needless to say, I am not happy with my overall position. I was feeling really strong on this track and am bummed I made so many mistakes. Two crashes in a moto is not going to help my results. I hope to fare better in the next moto and put my bike where it belongs," remarked Nicoletti.

Nicoletti started around 10th in the second moto and quickly passed up to 8th. He battled with a few riders and bounced back and forth between 8th and 10th place for the next few laps.

Nicoletti seemed like he might finish near the top ten until he stalled his bike with three laps to go. He couldn't get his bike restarted quickly enough and lost many positions. He eventually finished the moto in 31st position. His 16-31 moto scores earned 20th overall.

In the Women's class, Jagermeister/KTM rider Sarah Whitmore had an up and down day. She started the first moto in a good position and was sitting around 6th the majority of the moto. Unfortunately she stalled her bike with only a few laps to go and eventually finished 11th. In the second moto she had a much better start and was able to ride a mistake-free race to finish 4th overall. Her combined moto scores earned her 7th overall for the day.

Chad Reed and Thor Part Ways

After a nine-year relationship that resulted in five American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) titles across the supercross and motocross disciplines, Thor MX and veteran Australian rider Chad Reed are parting ways.

Since coming to the U.S. in 2002, Reed has been a member of the Thor MX and Parts Unlimited family, contributing tremendously to the brand's longstanding presence at the top of the motocross apparel industry. His racing résumé has solidified his standing as one of the most prolific riders in the history of the sport and has allowed Reed to become the most successful international competitor of all time.

Thor MX and Parts Unlimited would like to thank Reed for his years as part of the Thor MX family and wish him the best of luck with his new family and all future endeavors.

Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey Wins the 2010 AMA Motocross Championship

Ryan Dungey clinched the AMA Pro Motocross title at Southwick, making it the second title of his phenomenal rookie year in the 450 class.

• Dungey wrapped up the championship with two races left in the series, thanks to the massive points lead Dungey built by his monumental winning streak of nine overall races in a row.
• Dungey has been on a Suzuki throughout his amateur and pro career, and has now won four titles in two years aboard Suzuki dirt bikes: 2009 AMA Supercross Western Regional Lites Championship, 2009 AMA 250 Motocross Championship, 2010 AMA Supercross Championship, and now the 2010 AMA Pro Motocross Championship.
• Dungey has been named as the captain for the U.S. team competing in the Motocross of Nations in September. He won his event last year, securing the win for Team USA in 2009.

History has been made. Ryan Dungey is the 2010 AMA Pro Motocross Champion, securing his second title of the year this weekend at Southwick MX in Massachusetts. The 20-year-old rookie has gained enough points in the series with his complete domination of the 450 motocross class to take home the trophy with two races still left on the schedule. Dungey claimed the 2010 AMA Supercross title in May, making him the youngest rookie racer ever to do so, and now has added the Pro Motocross championship to his list of accomplishments, making him the only rookie ever to clinch both titles. Dungey has been unstoppable on his Suzuki fuel-injected RM-Z450 and has taken home the win in the past nine races in a row and won 16 out of 20 motos

“What Ryan has done, no one has ever done before including McGrath, Stewart, Carmichael,” Team Manager Roger DeCoster said. “No one has ever won both the Supercross and a National Championship back to back as a rookie. It's pretty impressive. Sometimes, because Ryan is such a subdued nice guy, you don’t really realize what a big thing that he has done. I expect more and more perfection, but you look back and see that he is doing things that no one has ever done before – it's pretty impressive.”

Dungey went into Southwick focused on racing his best race, like always. He lined up at the gate determined to give his best performance on the sandy, technical track in Massachusetts, and at the start of moto 1, Dungey started near the front of the pack. He moved into second place and stayed there most of the race. During the last lap, Dungey was battling for the lead when the opportunity to move up presented itself. Dungey and his RM-Z450 took the lead with less than a lap to go and took the win.

With the championship in view, Dungey lined up for moto 2 focused on finishing strong again. Dungey moved into the lead early in the race and by the time the checkered flag flew, he was more than 24 seconds ahead of second place. Dungey clinched the title by ending the day 151 points ahead of second place with only two races left on the schedule.

“This feels great,” Dungey said after the race. “It’s a lot of hard work and a lot of long weeks in the off season to prepare for this, but its all the better when you pull it off and win the championship. It's not all me, everyone on the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team put in 110 percent into everything they do and that’s all I could ever ask. We work well together and enjoy working together at the same time. It makes it fun.”

“The Suzuki family is ecstatic to add this championship to our trophy case,” Rod Lopusnak, Suzuki’s National Sales Manager for the Motorcycle Division, said. “Looking back at the last year, it is hard to find one word other than ‘Champion’ to express what Ryan, the RM-Z450, and Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki have accomplished in their rookie season!” 

“Congratulations to Ryan Dungey for his awesome, record-breaking rookie season!” Yoshimura R&D of America Vice President Don Sakakura said. “Ryan's courage, superior skills, and diligent conditioning were instrumental in his dominating motocross season, accomplishments which Ryan will surely cherish for a lifetime. His Suzuki RM-Z450 performed flawlessly all season long, and we must offer sincere appreciation to the Suzuki engineering team abroad, as well Roger DeCoster and his team of race technicians.”

“It's been a perfect season; probably a season we will remember for the rest of our lives,” DeCoster said. “It's never happened before – a rookie has never won back to back championships. Ryan has done it.”

Dungey has made history winning a total of four national titles in the past two years. Ryan won two titles in 2009, the AMA Supercross Western Regional Lites and the 250 Motocross championships, both on the RM-Z250, as well as being the hero of Team USA at the Motocross of Nations in Italy. Now with the 2010 Supercross and the Motocross title in his possession, Dungey was named the captain of Team USA and hopes to keep the Motocross of Nations championship in the U.S.

The next AMA Pro Motocross race takes place at Steel City in Delmont, PA, on September 4th. Dungey, despite having clinched the title, will be focused on battling for the lead there.

                                       

Ryan Dungey battled during the entire first moto and took over the lead on the final lap to the take the win.
Dungey took the lead in the second moto and then put more than 24 seconds between him and the rest of the pack, taking the win again.

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS STORM MADRID - MADDISON, TORRES, JONES!

Since the victory over Holland in the final of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the entire country of Spain has been in permanent party mode, and with the fourth stop of the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour 2010 coming to Madrid's Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas on July 22 and 23, the celebrations are set to continue. Among the favorites for the win at the traditional two-day event in the most beautiful bullfighting ring on the planet will be not only overall leader Andrè Villa and local hero and fans' favorite Dany Torres, but also the international stars such as Levi Sherwood from New Zealand and Australia's Robbie Maddison.

MADRID (ESP) - The fact that the locals in Madrid know how to have a good time will come as no surprise to the Red Bull X-Fighters, for whom the Spanish capital has become somewhat of a second home as it plays host to the highlight event of the most prestigious FMX tour in the world year after year. On July 22 and 23, the finest freestyle motocross riders on the planet will return once again to the legendary Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas to show why FMX and Madrid simply belong together.
The points situation in the overall standings going into this year's event is just as close as it was in 2009, with the three stops in Mexico City, Giza and Moscow producing three different winners. Thanks to consistent performances, reigning Red Bull X-Fighters Champion Nate Adams has managed to reduce the gap to standings leader Andrè Villa, winner of the first event of the season in Mexico City, to just 20 points, while his win on Moscow's legendary Red Square just a few weeks ago means that Levi "Rubber Kid" Sherwood is right back in the fight for the title with 175 points. Hot on his heels are Robbie Maddison and Adam Jones, who impressed at the second stop of the season in Egypt to take the win under the gaze of the Great Sphinx of Giza. The situation is so tight that a win could see any one of the riders in the top five assume the overall lead after the event in Spain.

BTO Sports Best Whip Contest Report

We are now more than half way through our first ever "BTO Sports Best Whip Photo Contest” on Facebook. This has been a huge success so far for everybody. We have gained almost 5,000 new BTO Sports Fans on Facebook in less than 3 weeks. That is awesome for us, and great for the fans too! Anybody who is a fan of BTO Sports on Facebook is in a great position to find out about cool contests and free giveaways like this one!
We have received over 200 submissions into the contest so far, and some of these pictures are just ridiculous (good). Who knew we had this many fans that know how to ride so good?! We sure didn’t, but we do now, and we are stoked to have fans that shred.
Now, one issue which we have heard a lot of debate over is whether or not a “scrub” should be eligible in a “whip” picture contest. Our final ruling is this: If the person in the picture is anything other than dead sailor/straight up and down, and getting the least bit sideways at all in any way, then his/her picture is eligible for the whip contest. So, whips, scrubs, 360’s, whatever you have a picture of that has you sideways is in fact eligible for our whip contest. It is up to the BTO Sports fans to vote and decide which one is the most liked! Hopefully all of that is clear now. So, with that being said, please read more to move onto our photo recap of our current top 5 contestants.

Currently in 5th place is Shannon Hewetson, with 82 likes so far:

4th place so far is Haki Waller, with 84 likes:

And here is our current 3rd place photo of Mads Midtmoen with 92 likes:

Currently in 2nd place is Hayden Clark, gettin’ FLAT with 131 likes!

And last, but certainly not least is the photo that is currently sitting in 1st place. Of course it is accompanied by the most controversial comment strain as well. I think the debate has been settled though at this point, and hard feelings are a thing of the past. Here is another one of Haki Waller, who just so happens to be putting on a clinic for Bubba himself to relearn the “Bubba scrub.” This is just un-natural, and awesome! Haki Waller – 272 likes:

Even though we have already received even more photos than we originally anticipated, all we can say is please keep them coming! We love to see everybody get involved with the contest and show the world their best whip pics. Just because 1st place is leading by over 100 likes (wow), that does not mean that it is too late to win some free motocross gear. All you need is a pic that people like. You get your friends to become BTO Sports fans and start liking your pic, and you will be astonished to see how your picture’s popularity can spread like wildfire!

FRIDAY FEATURE: Monster Energy Kawasaki Flat Tracker Bryan Smith

This week's Friday Feature focuses on the Monster Energy Kawasaki Flat Track Twins rider Bryan Smith. His success with two wins in the twins class helped contribute to Kawasaki's first Manufacturer of the Year trophy.

Check out this fun video on Bryan.
http://www.kawasaki.com/Racing_news/Article.aspx?id=1473

Rockstar Suzuki Amateur Motocross Team - Champions of Tomorrow

From the November, 2010 issue of Motorcyclist

By Team Suzuki Press Office

Photography by Team Suzuki Press Office

The Rockstar Suzuki Amateur Motocross team has been a proving ground for tomorrow's Motocross and Supercross stars, and the 2011 roster certainly reinforces that tradition. Rockstar Suzuki has announced the 18-rider team that will be competing aboard a fleet of championship-winning Suzuki dirt bikes, including the 2011 Suzuki fuel-injected RM-Z250.

The team will feature a mixture of new and returning young racers who will compete in a number of classes in the 2011 Amateur series. Two new names that have been added to the Rockstar Suzuki Amateur roster are Jordan Bailey from Orlando, Florida, who will be riding an RM85 in the 9-11 class, and Jennifer Burton, who hails from Gonzales, California and will be riding the RM-Z250 in the Women's class.

There are eight returning riders to the 2011 Rockstar Suzuki Amateur team: In the 85cc 9-11 class, Sean Cantrell, from Newbury Park, California, will power his RM85 to the front of the pack alongside Michael Mosiman from Sebastopol, California. The 85cc 12-14 class will be packed with talent, with four Rockstar Suzuki riders battling for titles, including Tristan Miller (Alpine, California), Alexander Frye (Huntingtown, Maryland), Rookie White (Winchester, California) and Jordon Smith (Belmont, North Carolina). Competing aboard the Suzuki RM-Z250, Steven Gretchen, from McMechen, West Virginia, will be racing in the 250B class alongside teammate Joey Savatgy from Cairo, Georgia.

"With the longtime partners we have in Rockstar Energy Drink and our entire list of leading industry sponsors, American Suzuki Motor Corporation is again going to field a very competitive amateur motocross team in 2011," said Suzuki's Motocross Support Specialist, Brian Noah. "I am very much looking forward to the gate dropping at the Mini O's next week, where our team of riders will be showcasing the new RM and RM-Z models. We're quite proud in that each and every rider on the team is a great representative for Suzuki and I hope to continue working with each of them through their entire racing careers."

Loretta Lynn's Amateur National Motocross Championship Rockstar Makita Suzuki Race Report

The 2010 Amateur National Motocross Championships were held this past week at Loretta Lynn's Ranch in Hurricane Mills, TN. In the eyes of most if not all, including your's truly, this race is the pinnacle of amateur motocross. To even be allowed to compete at the Ranch, you must first qualify at an area qualifier, then follow that up by qualifying through a regional championship race. If you are one of the talented few to actually make it, you better bring your A game.

The 3 moto format requires podium level consistency and there is never a shortage of sweltering heat and humidity to overcome in the long motos. This, the 29th annual visit to whiskey country, was the hottest anyone has seen in quite some time. I heard rumors in the pits of temps soaring over the 110 degree mark, and the constant, unending sweat droplets pouring from my person did not make me think otherwise. In fact there were several cases of heat stroke throughout the week as riders gave it their all, striving for their respective class titles.

I was very excited to attend this, one of my favorite races of the year, but also delighted to see all of my amateur kids as it had been a few months. With the talent on our Xtreme Rockstar Suzuki and Rockstar Makita Suzuki amateur elite teams, I knew it would be a good week. The two teams as a whole were able to achieve a stellar 14 moto wins, 35 moto podiums, and 59 moto top tens. They followed that up with 5 overall titles, 12 podiums and 18 top tens by week's end.

This also marks the graduation of top Rockstar Suzuki A Class riders to enter the pro ranks and continue their careers in the big time of Outdoor Nationals and Supercross. We will see Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Austin Howell this coming weekend at Unadilla and the debut of Xtreme Rockstar Suzuki's Ian Trettel hopefully as soon as Southwick, the following race.

Xtreme Rockstar Suzuki Rider Ian Trettel finished out his amateur career with a title in 250 A followed by a solid 2nd overall in 250 A Pro Sport. Trettel, a long time Suzuki phenom will now move on and start his Pro career most likely in Southwick, Massachusetts. The break out rider of the week had to be Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Gannon Audette. Gannon, a B class champion In 2009 came out swinging in the A classes in 2010. Audette dominated the 450 A Pro Sport class via (1-1-1) Finishes. He also finished 2nd overall behind Trettel in 250 A. Gannon finished no worse than 2nd in any moto he Contested.

Also graduating to the Pro class is Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Austin Howell. Austin will be making his Pro debut Immediately, at Unadilla this coming weekend in New York. I have no question that he is ready for the long Pro Motos after seeing him come off of the track not even fatigued slightly during the hottest motos of the day. Howell locked up 2nd overall in 450 A after winning the final moto by some 20 seconds.

Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Joey Savatgy was able to collect a title in Schoolboy 2 with consistent (1-3-2) moto scores. Joey found the grit to recover from a hard crash in Schoolboy 1 and charge through for the win. In the final moto for the Championship, Savatgy had a malfunction that caused his header pipe to break off. Riding smart as directed by his dad Joe via pit board, he was able to cruise home and clinch the overall championship.

In the 85 12-14 Modified Class, Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Steven Gretchen overcame varying conditions to become The victor. The first moto was blazing hot, the second moto was red flagged and cancelled for the day after severe lightning and rain. The second moto reconvened the following morning and was the muddiest of the week. After Negotiating the tough conditions and finishing 2nd in the third and final moto, Steven was crowned champ.

Also claiming a title for the Rockstar Makita Suzuki squad was Jace Owen. Jace was able to win the final two motos of the Supermini 2 class to lock down a title of his own. Had it not been for motor problems while leading during a muddy Supermini 1 moto, Owen may very well have gone home with 2 titles under his belt. Jordon Smith just missed out on titles in both his classes, but two 2nd overall finishes at LL is very impressive. He was able to pick up the pair of 2nd’s in the 85 12-14 Stock and Mod classes.

85 9-11 Mod rider Rookie White put in one of the best performances I saw all week in his final moto. Rookie Came from outside the top 15 to overtake the leader and pull away to a huge lead. In doing so, White was able to finish on the box with a 2nd overall.

Unfortunately Xtreme Rockstar Suzuki’s Jeremy Martin had a bad first moto in Schoolboy 2 as he turned things around drastically to win both moto 2 and 3. With his comeback performance, he claimed the 3rd and final spot on the podium.

10 Things That Have Changed in the Motocross World

The checkered flag may have fallen on the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Motocross Championships back in September, but the sport itself has been working overtime. Lots of off-season trades and acquisitions have made for the most interesting “silly season” we've ever seen! And with the opening round of the 2011 AMA Supercross tour less than two months away, there are still more changes to come.

1. The New KTM: Most silly season stories hinge on the riders, but KTM made the biggest splash for 2011 by hiring Team Manager Roger DeCoster away from Rockstar/Makita Suzuki. DeCoster helped build Suzuki’s motocross brand in the 1970s with five world championships as a rider, transitioned into a management role with Honda and created the powerhouse team of the 1980s, then returned to Suzuki in 1995 and landed championships with riders like Travis Pastrana, Greg Albertyn, Ricky Carmichael and Chad Reed. Perhaps his greatest accomplishment as manager was his latest: grooming little-known amateur Ryan Dungey into the 2010 AMA Motocross and Supercross Champion. In other words, wherever “The Man” goes, championships follow. KTM has spent decades trying to get to the next level in U.S. racing. Is this the edge they need?

2. The New Team Honda: Full house cleaning at Team Honda, Andrew Short and Davi Millsaps are out and Trey Canard and Josh Grant are in. The Canard signing was easy, as he landed on the podium consistently in 450 guest rides with the team last year, and won the AMA 250 Motocross Championship. Canard has also been on Honda’s 250 bikes since 2007. Grant’s signing was a bit of a surprise, but keep in mind he was raised on Hondas since his minicycle days, and he, like Canard, raced for the GEICO Powersports 250 Lites team. After two years on Yamahas, Grant is back on red. Honda rightfully sees a lot of potential for wins and titles in these two, but then again, they thought the same of Short and Millsaps five years ago.

Marvin Musquin will be racing in the United States for Supercross in 2011. He raced here last year, but only 1 race. Look for Marvin come January. (Photo by Racer X Illustrated::Simon Cudby)

3. Short and Millsaps Move: Short is now at Red Bull KTM with DeCoster, which means he’ll probably race the new KTM 350SX against 450s in supercross — but expect him to switch to a 450 outdoors, since the 350 experiment did not go well for Mike Alessi this summer. Millsaps is making a major lifestyle change by joining the Muscle Milk/Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing team. He switched to Yamahas, and he moved to North Carolina to follow the JGR team concept. This could be just the change the talented-but-inconsistent Millsaps needs.

4. Age Change: The old rule is new again, and the young riders are eligible, again. The pro license age minimum is back at 16, reversing the plan to raise the age to 17 in 2010 and 18 in 2011. This may have an immediate impact, as the rejuvenated KTM squad has signed Germany’s 16-year-old das wunderkind Ken Roczen, and may dispatch him to a few U.S. races in a tryout for full-time work here in 2012. And the next generation of U.S. amateur kids can now focus on turning pro sooner.

Ben Townley will be taking his talents back to Europe for 2011 competing in the GP series. (Photo by Racer X Illustrated::Simon Cudby)

5. BT (and others) to Europe: Ben Townley made a superb return to racing this summer, shrugging off two wasted years of injuries by grabbing podium finishes on a 450, and giving Ryan Dungey fits at times. Townley’s renaissance also included a moto win at the U.S.G.P. in California, where he beat FIM MX2 GP Champion Tony Cairolli straight-up in moto two. He also won a moto at the Motocross of Nations in September. That left European teams clamoring over him, while his U.S. marketability still lags since Ben doesn’t want to race supercross. In the end, the European offers were too much to pass up, so he returns to the continent where he claimed the 2004 MX2 Championship. Meanwhile, Englishmen Tommy Searle and Max Anstie are headed back to Europe, too, mainly because their spotty results over the last two years here left them without options. Who knows? You could see all three back in the U.S. in 2012.

6. Reverse Imports: Townley, Searle and Anstie may be leaving, but the U.S. scene gets a major star in Frenchman Marvin Musquin, the 2009 and 2010 MX2 GP Champ. As part of that DeCoster-managed Red Bull KTM squad, Musquin could deliver the 2011 AMA 250 Motocross title. And with Roczen in the wings for 2012, the orange team is looking for an orange crush on the comp. 

Last season Chad Reed was on a Kawasaki, for 2011 he's shifting gears and starting a new venture into the race team realm. You can count on seeing Chad in Supercross racing Honda's. (Photo by Racer X Illustrated::Simon Cudby)

7. Reed Goes it Alone: You know you’ve had a bad year when, 12 months after winning the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, you can’t find work.  Such was the case or Chad Reed, who left his 2010 sponsors Kawasaki, Monster Energy and Thor, and spent the fall trying out different bikes and gear and talking to new teams. But deals could not be struck, leaving Reed to build his own squad under the TwoTwo Motorsports moniker. So we know Reed will be racing. But how well will this new venture work?

8. Metty to Suzuki: Meanwhile another Australian veteran has a ride. Brett Metcalfe’s strong 2010 AMA 450 MX performance (he finished second in the series to Ryan Dungey) garnered him a two-year contract with Rockstar/Makita Suzuki as Dungey’s teammate. Metty seemed like a natural fit on the 450, but Suzuki will have to fill the void left by DeCoster (they’ve tabbed long-time off-road team manager Mike Webb for the job). Nearly anyone who has ridden a RM-Z450 over the last few years has liked it, so Metty is pumped on his prospects.

9. Pourcel Goes Alone: Christophe Pourcel was a coveted free agent after winning back-to-back Supercross Lites titles and only narrowly missing the AMA 250MX Title the last two years. He expected top dollar from teams, and no one had the budget to match his wishes. Pourcel and his agent haven’t budged, and now there are rumors that he may sit the season out and try to command more in 2012. He may also be looking to build his own team with a French influence. Who better to try that strategy than the crafty Frenchman? 

10. Dungey Gets Better: So many changes, but one thing stays the same: AMA Supercross and Motocross Champion Ryan Dungey will keep cranking out the practice laps, the training sessions and the motivation to win more, more and more. While many teams and riders have stepped up for the new year, they’ll all have to go through a champion who dedicates himself to getting better every single day. There's no doubt primary rivals like Jame Stewart, Ryan Villopoto and Kevin Windham are all doing likewise, but Dungey is the one with the most on the line: defending his championships in both supercross and motocross!

Las Vegas SX - Privateer Challenge Race Report

The first annual Hart and Huntington Las Vegas Privateer Challenge was held today at Boulder City Motocross’ pristine supercross track. With 42 riders and a $10,000 purse, Hart and Huntington set the stage for an event that gave back to the privateers of our sport. In order to enter, though, all riders had to be a privateer that weren’t able to collect a salary for the year. After four heat races and three semi races, Sean Borkenhagen came out swinging on his Mid Cities Kawasaki. After losing a $1000 in the Dash For Cash against Kyle Partridge, Borky was able to lead from almost start to finish in the 15-lap main, and came out on top with $3000.

Qualifying

When the gates dropped for the first race of the day it was Lance Vincent who led the other 11 riders into the first turn. Sean Borkenhagen quickly made his way around the HHR Honda rider, but that wasn’t the last of him. As the laps counted down, Borky started to take some heat from Vincent, but Lance flew off the track and straight into a fence. After that, it was smooth sailing for Borkenhagen. Chris Gosselaar and Jason Potter filled the other top three postions. In the second heat, Tony Gallo rocketed off the line and grabbed a commanding holeshot. Gallo went on to lead the entire race, but the real action was happening behind him. After having a bad start, Gray Davenport worked himself all the way into the number two spot by the end of the race, and he was able to bump Coby Adair into third. Adam Conway grabbed the holeshot in the third heat race, but he was quickly passed by Topher Ingalls and Kyle Partridge. Topher was looking pretty comfortable in first, but Partridge had other plans. The Las Vegas native felt right at home at the Boulder City track, and took the lead away from Ingalls. Austin Haught took the number three spot. As for Conway, he ended up with a DNF. Hunter Hewitt took the win in the last heat race of the day. Hewitt had a bad start but ended up working his way up to first, and he claimed some casualties along the way. The Suzuki rider commented, “I unfortunately hit some people, and they went down. That sucks, but then again, that’s racing. Once I got into second, I put my head down and I started to work on getting the pass. After I got around Tanner Reidman I got too comfortable, and he stayed on my rear wheel. I ended up winning, and I get to compete in the Dash For Cash, and I get to go straight to the main.”

Semi

By the time the semi qualifiers started roll around, so did the clouds and the high winds. With only two riders transferring into the main from each semi qualifying race, things started to heat up between riders. In the first semi, Austin Haught and Gared Steinke grabbed the two transferring spots. After suffering from arm pump in his heat race, Lance Vincent came back out and took the win in his semi. Jason Potter took the last transfer. The best racing of the day happened in the third semi. Tanner Reidman was able to grab the holeshot, and it looked like he was going to walk away with the win, but he stalled his bike in a corner. Behind him, though, was an intense battle that was filled with brake checking and corner stuffing. Travis Bannister moved into first after Reidman’s mishap, but Topher Ingalls was all over him after that. Corner after corner, the two exchanged positions numerous times. On the final lap, Ingalls went on to make his move on Bannister before a triple, but the move cost him big time. After coming up short on the landing, Topher hit the ground hard, and he ended up with a DNF.