MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (June 1, 2011) – Just one week after French transplant Marvin Musquin grabbed the first Ricky Carmichael Hard Charger Award of the 2011 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, another foreign-born rider claimed the honor this past weekend at Freestone. Rockstar Energy Suzuki’s Martin Davalos didn’t let misfortune get in the way of his performance, and honored the legendary Carmichael with an inspired ride.
In the opening 250 Class moto of the Rockstar Energy Freestone National from Wortham, Texas, Davalos found himself on the ground. The Ecuadorian native remounted and crossed the line in 38th after the opening lap. From there, Davalos was determined to work his way through the field, despite high temperatures, strong winds and a rough track.
At the conclusion of 16 laps, Davalos had worked his way up into an incredible 10th-place finish, passing 28 riders along the way. It set the tone to a promising day for the Rockstar Energy Suzuki rider, who backed up his Moto 1 effort with a seventh-place finish in the final moto for sixth overall. Davalos’ drive to succeed at all costs is the epitome of what the RC Hard Charger Award represents.
Despite his hard luck in the early stages of the race, Davalos was able to secure a season-best effort at Freestone. He now sits eighth in the 250 Class standings, 46 points out of the lead heading into the third round of the season next weekend at High Point Raceway.
Davalos will be presented with the Ricky Carmichael Hard Charger Award at Saturday’s pre-race riders meeting prior to the Rockstar Energy High Point National, providing well-deserved recognition for his efforts in front of his peers.
