AURORA, Ill.(March 27, 2015) – Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, makes its annual visit to the heart of the country tomorrow night with the 13th race of 2015 from St. Louis’ Edward Jones Dome. After three consecutive wins, Red Bull KTM rider and 450SX Class leader Ryan Dungey had his streak come to an end in Detroit as GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac raced to his second victory of the season.
The recent trend of attrition unfortunately continued in Detroit as Team Honda HRC’s Trey Canard, who is second in the championship, suffered a broken arm in a crash during the semi and is officially out for the remainder of the season. That leaves the title fight between Dungey and Tomac, who sit 77 points apart with five races remaining.
450SX Class
Red Bull KTM
#5 Ryan Dungey
Current Championship Position: 1st
Detroit Start: 1st
Detroit Finish: 2nd (-1)
2015 Average Finish: 1.9
Dungey’s win streak may have come to an end, but he still enjoys a podium streak that now sits at 11 races. He has one win in St. Louis, which came during his championship-winning season in 2010.
“Of course the goal is to win each race that we can,” said Dungey. “But sometimes it’s important to remember to ride a safe race and maintain the points lead as we near the end of the series. We still have quite a few rounds remaining, and it’s important to finish each on the podium.”
Team Honda HRC
#41 Trey Canard
Current Championship Position: 2nd (-67 behind leader)
Detroit Start: DNS
Detroit Finish: DNS
2015 Average Finish: 4.3 (11 races)
Canard was involved in a crash with Jake Weimer in the Semi. The crash caused both riders to break an arm. Canard underwent surgery to repair the break and will miss the remainder of Monster Energy Supercross.
“It’s really a bummer to have my series end this way, especially because I’d been having my best season yet until this point,” said Canard. “It was a bad crash, but it could’ve been worse, and I hope [Jake] Weimer is okay. I’m disappointed for the team because they’ve been working so hard for me all year; even though the championship was probably out of reach, we got a couple wins, and I think we could’ve finished second in points. Injuries are never fun, but there’s nothing to do now but get this taken care of and try to be healthy for the outdoor series. I appreciate all the support from my fans, and I look forward to seeing everyone as soon as possible.”
#14 Cole Seely
Current Championship Position: 4th (-91 behind leader)
Detroit Start: 4th
Detroit Finish: 3rd (+1)
2015 Average Finish: 6.8
Seely has back-to-back podium results to his credit for the first time in his career.
“Last weekend was really good,” said Seely. “Unfortunately, my teammate Trey got hurt, which sucks, but that was the third weekend in a row that I’ve just been feeling really good. We’re fine-tuning the machine and everyone on the team is doing everything they can to get me an awesome setup. I’m really starting to feel like I’m a threat in this class, which is great for my rookie season. I just want to keep the momentum going and hopefully get a win by the end of supercross.”
GEICO Honda
#3 Eli Tomac
Current Championship Position: 3rd (-77 behind leader)
Detroit Start: 3rd
Detroit Finish: 1st (+2)
2015 Average Finish: 6.6
The win was Tomac’s first since Phoenix, the second race of the season. He has three top-two finishes over the last four races.
“To finally put all those 20 laps together and click those fast laps off is refreshing,” said Tomac. “When you win in Phoenix and then you’re sitting there asking yourself at home, ‘What am I not doing that I did before Phoenix?’ – it’s a long time coming after 10 rounds. There are times when you get tired and beat down and you have to stop and maybe not ride that one day. It’s still a little bit of a learning curve for me. It is my second year, but this is my first year that I’ve been able to actually compete at every race and go through all the rounds and all the stadiums. I’m shooting for another win here.”
Discount Tire Racing/TwoTwo Motorsports
#22 Chad Reed
Current Championship Position: 5th (-101 behind leader)
Detroit Start: 5th
Detroit Finish: 4th (+1)
2015 Average Finish: 7.7
Reed narrowly missed his first podium since winning at the first race in Atlanta and heads to a venue where he’s won four times, the last coming in 2009.
RCH Soaring Eagle/ Jimmy John’s Suzuki Factory Racing
#94 Ken Roczen
Current Championship Position: 6th (-115 behind leader)
Detroit Start: DNS
Detroit Finish: DNS
2015 Average Finish: 5.9 (nine races)
Roczen still hopes to return to competition in Houston on April 11.
#20 Broc Tickle
Current Championship Position: 10th (-137 behind leader)
Detroit Start: 18th
Detroit Finish: 7th (+11)
2015 Average Finish: 9.1 (11 races)
Tickle has seven straight top-10 finishes. Dungey is the only other rider that can claim that distinction.
“As a team, we’re going to go back to the basics this week and work on starts,” said Tickle. “Bottom line is that I need to put together better starts to get better results. When I have a bad start, I get into a place where everyone runs in the same position all night long and that puts me in a bind. I need to get out front when the gate drops and see what we can do from there.”
Yoshimura Suzuki
#4 Blake Baggett
Current Championship Position: 7th (-117 behind leader)
Detroit Start: 11th
Detroit Finish: 8th (+3)
2015 Average Finish: 8.4
Baggett bounced back from his worst finish of the season in Indy with a return to the top-10. He has nine top-10 results in the last 10 races.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory racing
#21 Jason Anderson
Current Championship Position: 8th (-126 behind leader)
Detroit Start: 8th
Detroit Finish: 21st (-13)
2015 Average Finish: 9.3
Anderson endured through his toughest night of the season, crashing out of the top-10 and finishing a season-worst 21st. After starting the season with 10 straight top-10 finishes, he’s finished outside the top-10 for consecutive weeks.
“After my toughest weekend of the year in Indy, I really wanted to rebound last weekend,” said Anderson. “My practices we’re just average, but I felt really good when it was time to race. I qualified directly out of my Heat Race and felt like I was riding well. In the Main I got a decent start and made my way into the top 5. I thought I had at least a fourth in me, but then I went down hard in a rhythm section and I’m pretty beat up.”
BTO Sports KTM
#29 Andrew Short
Current Championship Position: 9th (-135 behind leader)
Detroit Start: 7th
Detroit Finish: 9th (-2)
2015 Average Finish: 9.8
Short has five top-10 finishes over the last seven races.
“Highlights of Detroit were my starts,” said Short. “I had a great start in the Heat and the Main Event. Unfortunately in the Main I made a poor move in turn two and got shuffled back to seventh right away. I struggled with my speed and endurance a bit, and I have some areas that need improvement. We are looking ahead and ready for St. Louis this weekend.”
Eastern Regional 250SX Class
Red Bull KTM
#25 Marvin Musquin
Current Championship Position: 1st
Detroit Start: 6th
Detroit Finish: 2nd (+4)
2015 Average Finish: 1.3
Musquin battled back from his worst start of the season to finish second. He’s finished in the top two at every race this season.
“I felt pretty good [in Detroit],” said Musquin. “I knew that I could maintain my points lead by remaining in second place, so I rode a consistent race to finish on the podium.”
GEICO Honda
#1 Justin Bogle
Current Championship Position: 2nd (-13 behind leader)
Detroit Start: 1st
Detroit Finish: 1st (+/-0)
2015 Average Finish: 2.2
Bogle’s first win of the season caps off what has been a very consistent title defense, with podium finishes at every race this season.
“I’ve been confident the whole time,” said Bogle. “I know I can win. Obviously, I have a No. 1 on my bike for a reason. It’s all good; we’ll try to keep this momentum rolling. It’s going to be difficult, no matter how you slice it, so I’m going to keep working.”
#80 RJ Hampshire
Current Championship Position: 5th (-60 behind leader)
Detroit Start: 4th
Detroit Finish: 11th (-7)
2015 Average Finish: 7.3
Hampshire was running up front when he was involved in a crash with Martin Davalos that dropped him outside the top-10. He is the top-performing rookie in the 250SX Class this season.
“I’m stoked with the bike, stoked with the team and I’m happy with how I’m riding and the progress I’m making,” said Hampshire. “My confidence is really high now. I’ve got great teammates in Justin [Bogle] and Jordon [Smith]. Watching Justin win, that was good for him, but I want to be up there with him. I’ll get back to work this week, come back to St. Louis before the break and try to put my bike back up on the podium.”
Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha
#6 Jeremy Martin
Current Championship Position: 3rd (-41 behind leader)
Detroit Start: 8th
Detroit Finish: 4th (+4)
2015 Average Finish: 2.8 (five races)
Martin rebounded from his DNQ in Indy to finish just off the podium in Detroit.
“My weekend in Detroit was fun. The track was really good, and I had a good qualifying time,” said Martin. “I went out there for the night show, and I got off to a rough start. I was able to work my way through the pack in the Heat Race and the Main, and come out with a solid fourth in the Main Event. I had a good battle with my teammate, Anthony Rodriguez, for a little bit. Looking forward to next weekend in St. Louis and improving on my starts.”
#62 Anthony Rodriquez
Current Championship Position: 7th (-76 behind leader)
Detroit Start: 3rd
Detroit Finish: 5th (-2)
2015 Average Finish: 9.7
Rodriguez earned the best finish of his supercross career in fifth.
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki
#37 Joey Savatgy
Current Championship Position: 4th (-51 behind leader)
Detroit Start: 2nd
Detroit Finish: 3rd (-1)
2015 Average Finish: 6.5
Savatgy earned his second career podium finish, tying his season and career-best result of third.
“I felt strong all day and was able to stay that way through the Main Event,” said Savatgy. “The bike is amazing, and I’ve got my starts to where they should have been all season. I tried to latch on to the leaders early, but I was pushing a little too hard and made a couple mistakes. I got it back together for the last five laps and got into a rhythm. [A DNF in Indy] took the wind out of our sails for the championship, but we’ll continue to battle for race wins and start preparing for outdoors.”
Riverside Harley Davidson/Trail Jesters/SOB MX
#49 James Decotis
Current Championship Position: 6th (-75 behind leader)
Detroit Start: 15th
Detroit Finish: 9th (+6)
2015 Average Finish: 9.5
MotoSport.com/GPI/Honda
#55 Kyle Peters
Current Championship Position: 8th (-79 behind leader)
Detroit Start: 12th
Detroit Finish: 13th (-1)
2015 Average Finish: 10.2
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
#47 Martin Davalos
Current Championship Position: 9th (-81 behind leader)
Detroit Start: 22nd
Detroit Finish: 22nd (+/-0)
2015 Average Finish: 11.0
Davalos recently learned he is battling through the Epstein Barr virus, hindering his endurance. The 22nd-place finish is his worst since the opening race in Anaheim during the 2013 season. He will not be racing in St. Louis in hopes of recovering from the illness.
“It’s been a really rough season so far,” said Davalos. “I’m just happy I found out what is going on with me so I can work on it and make a plan on race day. My practices were solid all day. In the Main Event I was up around fifth and working on moving forward. I clipped the landing of a triple, and it shot me up into the berm. I hit another guy, and it caused me to pin it and I flew over the berm onto the concrete. I’m feeling pretty sore from the crash, but hopefully I will be okay for St. Louis.”
Smartop Motoconcepts
#45 Vince Friese
Current Championship Position: 10th (-86 behind leader)
Detroit Start: DNS
Detroit Finish: DNS
2015 Average Finish: 9.4 (five races)
Friese sat out Detroit with a cracked collarbone and other injuries suffered in Indianapolis the week prior. He will also miss St. Louis.
Tickets are available at the Edward Jones Dome Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, charge by phone 800-745-3000, or online at www.supercrosslive.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Practice and qualifying begin at 12:30 p.m. and the Main Event starts at 6:30 p.m. Club Seats are $55 Adult/Child; Gold Circle $40 Adult/Child; 400 Lower Level Loge $30 Adult/$10 Child; Upper View Sides $20 Adult/$10 Child; Treadhead $10 Adult/Child. Restrictions, exclusions and additional charges may apply. Fans can also get in to the Pits for FREE from 12:30-6 p.m. Race Day when they recycle a MONSTER Energy Can at the stadium’s Pit entrance (valid only with event ticket).
Headlining the 2015 Monster Energy Supercross television package will be the first-ever live FOX network broadcast from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Saturday, April 25 at 3pm E.T. FOX Sports 1 will broadcast 12 races live and FOX Sports 2 will broadcast 3 races live. Each race will include a next-day re-air on FOX Sports 1. In addition, the authenticated FOX Sports Go app will live-stream each race.
As a precursor to the live television, don’t forget to catch all of the pre-race coverage with Supercross Race Day Live presented by AMSOIL, which will stream on www.SupercrossLive.comfrom 12:50 – 4:30 p.m. local race time each Saturday during the season. Practice, qualifying, behind the scenes features and key rider interviews will all be highlighted on the Supercross Race Day Live webcast.
For more information on the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, please log on to www.SupercrossLive.com, the official website of Monster Energy Supercross.
