MECHANICSVILLE, Md. (June 18, 2011) – Thousands of fans packed into Budds Creek MX Park on Saturday to watch the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship host its fifth round of the 2011 season. TwoTwo Motorsports/Bel-Ray Racing’s Chad Reed, of Australia, grabbed his third overall victory of season at the MotoTees Budds Creek National. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Tyla Rattray, of South Africa, won his second race of the year in the 250 Class.
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto, of Poulsbo, Wash., grabbed the opening 450 Class moto win, fending off Rockstar/Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., in the late stages. Reed, who grabbed the holeshot, finished third.
As the gates dropped for Moto 2, Red Bull KTM’s Mike Alessi, of Victorville, Calif., moved into the early lead, only to have Reed take over the top spot on Lap 3. From there, Reed pushed to extend his advantage over the field. Dungey made his way past Alessi just a short time later and began his pursuit of the lead. Villopoto followed suit, moving into third, and tightening up the points to determine the overall results for the day.
Reed and Dungey followed one another, just bike lengths apart, throughout the moto and gradually pulled away from the field. With just one point separating the two riders in the day’s standings, whoever captured the moto win would also take home the overall victory. As they encountered lapped riders, strategy played into Reed’s favor, helping him open up a lead on Dungey to take the checkered flag and secure his series-leading third overall win.
“I was bummed after the first moto,” said Reed. “I just didn’t have the pace. The Ryan’s showed me what’s up. I came out in the second and gave it all I had. I’m pumped. We made some changes to the bike and it paid off. I’m excited to come out and win that second moto. These guys are on their game this season and it hasn’t been easy.”
Villopoto’s duplicate 1-3 moto scores tied him in points with Reed on the day, but by virtue of the second-moto tiebreaker, he landed in the runner-up spot.
“I felt good today,” said Villopoto. “I just needed to pick some better lines in that second moto. It was a good day overall. There’s still a lot of racing left this season.”
Relying on his impressive 2-2 results, Dungey rounded out the podium in third.
“It was a good day, I just couldn’t make it happen,” said Dungey. “I felt like I needed to make a move (on Reed), but it never happened. I had to come from behind a couple times. It’s what racing is all about. It’s a man’s sport and it’s challenging. We’ll just keep moving forward.”
Reed maintains his lead in the championship standings, 15 points ahead of Villopoto.
The first moto of the 250 Class featured a dominant performance from Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Dean Wilson, of Scotland. The defending race winner at Budds Creek looked to be in position to go back-to-back, but Rattray outran his teammate and the rest of the field to lead every lap of Moto 2 and finish with 2-1 scores. As a result, the current points leader became the first rider this season in the 250 Class to lead the championship standings over consecutive weeks.
“I think it’s important in a championship to be up front,” said Rattray. “It’s important to be on podium as much as you can, and that’s what I’ve done so far. I just want to get big points at each round and stay consistent. Having such strong competitors makes you dig deeper, and I just want it really bad.”
The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team also maintained its current streak of winning every moto and overall so far this season.
Wilson (1-3) finished second overall, while GEICO Honda’s Justin Barcia, of Ochlocknee, Ga., finished third (6-2).
The Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship continues next weekend with Round 5 of the 2011 season. Thunder Valley MX Park, in Lakewood, Colo., will host the Toyota Trucks Thunder Valley National on Saturday, June 18, beginning at 3 p.m. EST.
Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship
MotoTees Budds Creek National
Budds Creek MX Park – Mechanicsville, Md.
June 18, 2011
Round 5 of 12
450 Class (Moto Finish)
- Chad Reed, Australia, Honda (3-1)
- Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki (1-3)
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki (2-2)
- Kevin Windham, Baton Rouge, La., Honda (4-4)
- Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM (5-5)
- Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Suzuki (6-6)
- Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha (7-9)
- Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki (10-7)
- Andrew Short, Colorado Springs, Colo., KTM (9-8)
- Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Honda (8-10)
450 Class Championship Standings
- Chad Reed, Australia, Honda – 183
- Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki – 168
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki – 155
- Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha – 130
- Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Suzuki – 118
- Kevin Windham, Baton Rouge, La., Honda – 112
- Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki – 93
- Ricky Dietrich, Snohomish, Wash., Yamaha – 92
- Christian Craig, El Cajon, Calif., Honda – 76
- Andrew Short, Colorado Springs, Colo., KTM – 75
250 Class (Moto Finish)
- Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki (2-1)
- Dean Wilson, Scotland, Kawasaki (1-3)
- Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda (6-2)
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda (5-5)
- Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki (3-9)
- Gareth Swanepoel, South Africa, Yamaha (9-4)
- Blake Baggett, Redlands, Calif., Kawasaki (7-7)
- Kyle Cunningham, Irving, Texas, Yamaha (4-15)
- Martin Davalos, Ecuador, Suzuki (10-10)
- Nico Izzi, Rochester, N.Y., Honda (8-13)
250 Class Championship Standings
- Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki – 174
- Dean Wilson, Scotland, Kawasaki – 170
- Blake Baggett, Redlands, Calif., Kawasaki – 144
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda – 136
- Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda – 116
- Kyle Cunningham, Irving, Texas, Yamaha – 114
- Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki – 99
- Gareth Swanepoel, South Africa, Yamaha – 91
- Martin Davalos, Ecuador, Suzuki – 75
- Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda – 72
For more information on the 2011 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, please log on to www.allisports.com/motocross.
