JDR/J-Star/KTM rider Tye Simmonds showed splashes of brilliance at the tenth round of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship Series held in Southwick, MA as he turned fast lap times throughout his moto but succumbed to bike troubles in moto one and a mistake in moto two that ruined his chance of a decent overall finish for the evening.

Simmonds suffered from a poor start at the beginning of moto one but quickly turned the throttle to begin his climb through the pack. He rounded the first lap in 21^st and had moved to 18^th by lap six. Bad luck struck on the ninth lap when he suffered a mechanical problem and had to withdraw from the race. His team quickly went to work to repair the bike and had it ready to go for the second moto.

In moto two, Simmonds had a worse start than the first moto because of his horrible gate pick. He started 27^th and had passed four riders by the end of lap two. He climbed to 19^th by the end of lap three and continued his charge. By the halfway point he had put together a train of consistent laps moving his KTM into 12^th place. He made a few mistakes in the remaining laps that dropped him back to 15^th where he finished the moto.

“I was very disappointed to not finish the first moto but I was happy with my second moto result. I have never raced Southwick before, and it is definitely more demanding on the bike and on the rider than I had imagined. I felt good the second moto and was hoping to move closer to the top ten but I made some mistakes at the end and slipped back. Overall, I am glad that we fixed the bike issue and I was able to get in one decent moto,” stated Simmonds.

Missing from action at Southwick was JDR/J-Star/KTM 250 Motocross rider PJ Larsen. The Australian Champion announced last week that he had suffered a neck injury prior to Unadilla that will keep him from competing at the remaining rounds. Larsen has been recovering at his home in California and his looking forward to making his return in the 2012 Supercross Series.

h in moto two that ick, MA as he turned fast lap times throughout his moto but succumbed to bike troubles in moto one and a cr

Next Event: Steel City – Delmont, PA – September 3, 2011

Overall Results 450 Class –

1)    Brett Metcalfe

2)    Ryan Villopoto

3)    Ryan Dungey

4)    Justin Brayton

5)    Mike Alessi – KTM

6)    Jake Weimer

7)    Justin Barcia

8)    John Dowd

9)    Les Smith

10) Kyle Chisholm

11) Colton Facciotti

12) Shane Sewell

13) Nick Wey

14) Robert Marshall – KTM

15) Michael Byrne

16) Kyle Keylon

17) Ben LaMay

18) Kyle Regal

19) Travis Sewell

20) Tye Simmonds – KTM

Championship Point Standings 450 Class –

1)    Ryan Villopoto – 431

2)    Ryan Dungey – 423

3)    Chad Reed – 366

4)    Brett Metcalfe – 304

5)    Mike Alessi – 243

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