Monster Energy-backed Jason Lawrence (Yamaha of Troy) has taken
an eight-point deficit with three Western Supercross Lites class rounds
to go and turned it into a six- point lead in his favor, placing 2nd this
past weekend at Houston’s Reliant Stadium – Round Seven of 2008
Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship.
Lawrence, who trailed Ryan Dungey by as much as 34 points after
Anaheim 2, has been all over Dungey in the past several races,
winning three in a row (before Houston) while Dungey has struggled.
“I think my A-game is being smart,” said Lawrence from the podium.
“Dungey can win it (the final WSX race) by a mile and I’ll still win the
title.”
Lawrence, who had the fastest practice time (47.516) and was nearly
a half second faster than Dungey in the main event as well (48.246
to 48.726), led the contest early then seceded the lead to the hard-
charging Monster Energy-backed rookie Austin Stroupe.
“Congratulations to Austin on his first win,” said Lawrence.
Lawrence and the rest of the WSX Lites racers will have to gut out a
two-plus month wait until the WSX resumes in Seattle (April 26th).
“Whatever,” said Lawrence when asked of the time off. “Doesn’t
effect me a bit. I’m just going to get out and start training for the
Outdoor Nationals.”
Next up for the Monster Energy Supercross Western Lites
Championship is the April 26th finals in Seattle.
monsterenergy.com - pics from tedescophoto.com
Jason Lawrence Places 2nd at Houston – Puts 6 Points On Dungey For WSX Title
Reed maintains podium record with 2nd position in Houston
San Manuel Yamaha rider Chad Reed saw his run of five
consecutive victories come to an end in Houston for the seventh
round of seventeen in the 2008 AMA Supercross series, a FIM
World Championship, but the Australian continued his 100%
podiumrecord with second position and guards a 32 point lead in
the competition.
The 42nd Supercross in Houston did not witness a fourth straight
sweep for Yamaha in both classes even though Jason Lawrence
did also climb the rostrum in second spot in the Lites West Coast
category to remain poised at the top of the standings with one
round to go.
In 1974 Pierre Karsmakers marked Yamaha’s first success in
Houston and the manufacturer has enjoyed thirteen more
triumphs since then, Reed himself contributing two of those.
In a so-far-dominant campaign the number ‘22’ was not able to
increase his season statistics at the Reliant Stadium. Kevin
Windham, who helped design the short layout, gained his first 25
points of the year after taking the lead on the first lap and
setting the pace at the front. Reed, who had started badly, pulled
through the pack to pass brand-mate Josh Hill and secure second
place at mid-race distance but could not close to Windham’s rear
wheel. Tim Ferry was third.
That’s a tough one to swallow. I gave it everything I’ve got.
Kevin rode a good race, and I want to congratulate him but this is
a disappointment,” said Reed, who took his third career runner-
up position at Houston and has never dropped out of the top
three at the event.
“It was just one of those nights,” added the 25 year old who has
totalled 31 victories and became the first racer to win all the
Californian rounds with his chequered flag last week in San Diego.
“Once I got into second, I couldn’t cut into Kevin’s lead. We’ve
had a good season, and it’s still good to be up on the podium.”
18 year old Hill was running as high as second before being
overtaken by Reed and Ferry. With Broc Hepler and Grant
Langston still absent with physical ailments (broken hand and
an eye problem respectively) the teenager produced a positive
showing for his second best result of the season so far.
In the Lites category Yamaha of Troy’s Jason Lawrence again
made the podium for the fourth meeting in succession. His
second position on the YZ250F behind Austin Stroupe and some
costly mistakes by title rival Ryan Dungey means that the 20
year old stretched his advantage in the championship by five
points, to six in total. The final round of the West coast series will
take place on 26th April in Seattle as the East coast championship
now cranks into life.
“I think that might be my main advantage, being smart –
something Dungey hasn’t been all year. That’s four races in a row
that he’s crashed out,” said Lawrence. “He’s handing me this title,
and I’ve got one more race to hold it together. I’m going to go to
that race and do exactly what I did right here. Dungey can win it
by a mile, but I’m going to get the title.”
The schedule refuses to ease for the riders and teams and they
continue onto Atlanta for round eight next weekend. yamaha-
racing.com - pics from tedescophoto.com
Boost Mobile/Yamaha of Troy's Jason Lawrence Extends Points Lead in Houston!
Jason Lawrence scored a second place finish in the
Supercross “Lites” Main Event at Reliant Stadium tonight,
to extend his lead in the overall Supercross “Lites/West”
Championship series points race to six points over
Championship rival, Ryan Dungey, of the Factory Suzuki
Team.
With just one round remaining, and eight weeks off until
that last event, Lawrence will use his time-off to further
refine his program in preparation for the Supercross
“Lites/West” season final on April 26, 2008 at the Seattle
Kingdome in Seattle, Washington. vitalmx.com
Justin Brayton AMA Interview -ozzy go-
Coming into 2008, MDK KTM’s Justin Brayton was my dark-
horse pick to capture his first AMA Supercross win in the
West Coast Lites division - and with his third place finish at
Anaheim 1, he reinforced that. Although #114 has yet to
back that podium spot up, he’s nonetheless right in the mix
with the anticipated favorites. In this stacked class, the
transplanted Iowan is currently sixth in points; only eleven
points out of third. I recently tracked down the 23-year old
via cell phone to get his perspective on his supercross
season, and what he has planned for his upcoming break.
interview on amamotocross.com - pics from
tedescophoto.com
Lawrence Steals Lites Class Points, Will Stage Defense in Houston Saturday Night
In a startling turn of events, the Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites
class’ championship has changed hands and was taken over by Yamaha of
Troy’s Jason Lawrence, of Carlsbad, Calif., last Saturday night at San Diego’s
Qualcomm Stadium. Lawrence captured his third consecutive AMA
Supercross Lites class win and removed Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan
Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., from the enviable number-one position. This
Saturday night for as low as $10, fans can watch this epic duel go down at
Houston’s Reliant Stadium. The AMA Supercross class race will air on CBS
Sports Sunday, February 17 at Noon, and the AMA Supercross Lites class
race will air on SPEED Friday, February 22 at Noon.
As Dungey, who had a 22-point lead earlier this season, proved last
weekend, the lead can change with one bad race. He left Anaheim 1 with a
three-point lead over Jason Lawrence. He went into Anaheim 2 nine points
ahead of Lawrence. Heading into San Francisco, he was 22 points ahead of
Broc Hepler. He led Dan Reardon by 19 points heading into Anaheim 3, and
at San Diego he left two points behind Lawrence.
“I was keeping tabs on where Ryan (Dungey) was during the main event,”
said Lawrence after last weekend’s race. “He crashed for the third weekend
in a row. He cracked under the pressure. We have two more races to go,
and I am up by two points. I am trying to win this championship. I can have
the target on my back for the rest of my life because I do ok under
pressure.”
In the AMA Supercross class, Team San Manuel’s Chad Reed, of Tampa, Fla.,
brings a solid, yet vulnerable 35-point lead in the championship points race
to Houston. Reed is a two-time AMA Supercross class winner at Houston.
Reed was challenged by Red Bull Honda’s Davi Millsaps, of Cairo, Ga., last
weekend in San Diego where the two traded positions throughout the AMA
Supercross class main event. full story on amamotocross.com
pic from racerxill.com
Jason Lawrence Fights Back From 34-Point Deficit to Lead
In winning the San Diego WSX Lites class race before 65,000
fans on his adopted home turf of Qualcomm Stadium – his third-
straight win of the Monster Energy Supercross season - Monster
Energy-backed Jason Lawrence (Yamaha of Troy) has erased a
34-point deficit to take the overall WSX points lead, 113-111,
over Ryan Dungey.
Round Six of Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World
Championship, got underway Saturday afternoon with Lawrence
laying down the law as he usually does in the practice sessions.
Topping points leader Dungey, the Monster/PC/Kawasaki racers
and Honda factory riders, Lawrence would open up even further
in the second practice session – topping Dungey by nearly a half
second.
“I like sending a message home in practice – something I’ve
been able to do pretty consistently here this year,” said
Lawrence.
Lawrence was set to do the same in his heat race (No. 2), but
instead got tangled with another rider at the start and came out
dead last after the first of six laps. The Carlsbad, Calif.,
transplant then began his march to qualifying position, picking
off rider after rider before he got up to around 10th place. There
Lawrence would get into an exciting battle with Justin Brayton
for a couple laps, before finally getting past Brayton when both
racers went for the same spot in a corner.
To make the heat race that much more exciting, having already
come from last to a transfer spot, Lawrence crashed – again –
on the last lap and just barely made it into the main, finishing
9th overall.
“That was probably the wildest heat race I’ve had all year,” said
Lawrence. “I just never gave up.”
Never giving up are some of Lawrence’s words that stand as a
solid lesson for up-and-coming racers. Remember, after Round
Three of Monster Energy Supercross Lawrence trailed Dungey
by 34 points. THIRTY FOUR points. In an abbreviated regional
Lites class supercross season that’s a seemingly insurmountable
points total to overcome. However, Lawrence’s gritty
determination – coupled with the fact he’s the fastest WSX Lites
class racer out there – full story on monsterenergy.com
Yamaha Race Report: San Diego Supercross
AMA Supercross Round 6 | February 9, 2008 | San Diego, CA
For the third consecutive weekend, Yamaha’s Chad Reed and Jason Lawrence
topped their respective Supercross and Supercross Lites classes, this time in San
Diego, CA. on Saturday night, Feb. 9. Reed’s victory, his fifth this year, means he
has won all five California rounds of the 2008 AMA Supercross Series. Even more
importantly, he now holds a big 35-point advantage over Kevin Windham in the
championship standings. Lawrence’s win is also his third of the season and vaults
him into the Lites points lead over Ryan Dungey.
Supercross... Reed was quickest in practice and finished second to Windham in
his heat race aboard an L&M Racing YZ450F. Davi Millsaps grabbed the holeshot
at the start of the 20-lap main event and Reed jetted past him a few corners
later. Millsaps then forged back into the lead, battling with Reed as the enormous
crowd of 64,251 cheered both riders. Reed reclaimed the lead on lap three and
held it for 10 laps before falling in a sandy section and giving Millsaps the edge.
He quickly remounted though, caught Millsaps on lap 17, and raced home for the
win as Millsaps faded to third behind Tim Ferry. “There’s just something about
this event!” Reed said afterwards. “I am pumped to get another win in San Diego
and to win all the California rounds – I don’t think anyone has ever done that
before.”
Supercross Lites... Although Lawrence finished only ninth in his Lites qualifying
race, in the final he blazed out of the gate to take the holeshot and lead all 15
laps aboard his Yamaha of Troy YZ250F. Fortunately for Lawrence, points leader
Dungey had a troublesome night and crashed repeatedly, finishing sixth and
giving Lawrence a slender two-point lead. “I was glad to see another sweep for
Chad and Jason and it was nice to have Jason take over the Lites points lead for
the first time in his career,” said Supercross team manager Jim Perry after the
event. “Now we’re moving on to Houston!”
In other Yamaha Factory Racing news, Broc Hepler, injured at Anaheim III on
Feb. 2, had a pin put in his thumb last week... full story on yamaha-motor.com
pic from tedescophoto.com
Reed Wins Fourth Consecutive Monster Energy Supercross Race of the Season in San Diego
Lawrence Moves Into Lites Class Points Lead
SAN DIEGO (February 9, 2008) – Team San Manuel’s Chad Reed,
of Tampa, Fla., won his fourth consecutive Monster Energy® AMA
Supercross, an FIM World Championship, race of the season at
Qualcomm Stadium before 64,251 fans.
Yamaha of Troy’s Jason Lawrence, of Carlsbad, Calif., won his
third consecutive Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites class
race and advanced into the championship points lead.
Red Bull Honda’s Davi Millsaps, of Cairo, Ga., jumped out to an
early lead as he won the $1,500 Progressive Holeshot Award.
Reed followed Millsaps through turn one in second place and
moved into the lead a few turns later. Millsaps struck back and
held the lead until lap three when Reed secured the number-one
position.
On lap 12, Reed crashed in turn one and Millsaps once again held
the number-one position. Reed remounted and chased down
Millsaps until lap 16 when he made the pass for the lead and rode
off to his fifth win of the season and his fifth win at Qualcomm
Stadium.
“I am so happy to get this win,” said Reed. “I knew I needed to
catch Davi after I fell. I have never won all of the races in
California, and with this win tonight, I accomplished a new goal. I
get to leave the west coast with a big points lead.”
Monster Energy® Kawasaki’s Tim Ferry, of Dade City, Fla.,
staged a late-race comeback and passed Millsaps on lap 13. It
was Ferry’s first second-place finish of the season. Millsaps
finished third.
Lawrence won his first $1,000 Progressive Holeshot Award,
leading Motorsport/Xtreme Kawasaki’s Tommy Hahn, of Alvord,
Texas, through turn one in the Western Regional AMA Supercross
Lites class main event.
Lawrence led all 15 laps of the main event en route to his first
win in San Diego. Hahn finished second and Team Solitaire’s
Robert Kiniry, of LaFayette, N.Y., finished a season- best third
place.
“I came into the first turn and had an open track in front of me,”
said Lawrence. “I am excited to take over the points lead
heading into Houston next weekend.
Coming into tonight’s race, Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan
Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., was the points leader, but a
series of crashes set him back. He finished sixth and is second
overall to Lawrence.
Australian Brett Metcalfe finished fourth to move into third in the
standings while Daniel Reardon had his worst night so far after
he crashed whilst running fourth and had to pull out with bike
problems on lap eleven. Reardon is a little sore and banged up
but will be back in action and looking to make up points next
week.
supercrossonline.com & fullnoise.com.au - pics from
supercross.com, motocross.com & monsterenergy.com
Monster Energy Supercross Champîonships Standings after San Diego the AMA stop #6
AMA Supercross class Standings top-20
1. Chad Reed (Yamaha) 147 points - 5 wins/6 top-3
2. Kevin Windham (Honda) 112 points - 3 top-3
3. Tim Ferry (Kawasaki) 99 points - 3 top-3
4. Davi Millsaps (Honda) 85 points – 3 top-3
5. Andrew Short (Honda) 85 points
6. Nathan Ramsey (Yamaha) 70 points
7. Mike Alessi (Suzuki) 69 points
8. Nick Wey (KTM) 65 points
9. Josh Hill (Yamaha) 64 points - 1 top-3
10. Ivan Tedesco (Honda) 53 points
11. David Vuillemin (Suzuki) 49 points
12. James Stewart (Kawasaki) 47 points - 1 win/2 top-3
13. Josh Summey (Yamaha) 39 points
14. Paul Carpenter (Honda) 44 points
15. Grant Langston (Yamaha) 38 points
16. Troy Adams (Honda) 36 points
16. Heath Voss (Honda) 36 points
18. Josh Hansen (Yamaha) 30 points
19. Eric Sorby (Honda) 30 points
20. Jacob Marsack (Honda) 22 points
AMA Supercross Lites West Standings top-20
1. Jason Lawrence (Yamaha) 113 points – 3 wins/4 top-3
2. Ryan Dungey (Suzuki) 111 points - 2 wins/3 top-3
3. Brett Metcalfe (Kawasaki) 96 points - 3 top-3
4. Tommy Hahn (Kawasaki) 92 points – 2 top-3
5. Austin Stroupe (Kawasaki) 88 points - 2 top-3
6. Justin Brayton (KTM) 85 points - 1 top-3
7. Dan Reardon (Honda) 80 points
8. Gavin Gracyk (Honda) 62 points
9. Broc Hepler (Yamaha) 59 points – 1 top-3
10. Bobby Kiniry (Honda) 57 points – 1 top-3
11. Wil Hahn (Yamaha) 56 points
12. Billy Laninovich (KTM) 54 points
13. Kyle Cunningham (Honda) 47 points
14. Chris Blose (Suzuki) 46 points
15. Michael Lapaglia (Suzuki) 37 points
16. Jake Weimer (Honda) 35 points - 1 win/1 top-3
17. Jeff Northrop (Honda) 34 points
18. Michael Willard (Honda) 28 points
18. Michael Blose (Suzuki) 26 points
20. Andrew McFarlane (Kawasaki) 17 points
pics from tedescophoto.com
San Diego AMA Supercross Lites class Results
Qualcomm Stadium - San Diego, CA - February 9, 2008
2008 Monster Energy Supercross Championships
AMA Supercross Lites West Round 6: San Diego
San Diego Supercross Lites class Main Event
1. Jason Lawrence (Yamaha)
2. Tommy Hahn (Kawasaki)
3. Bobby Kiniry (Honda)
4. Brett Metcalfe (Kawasaki)
5. Justin Brayton (KTM)
6. Ryan Dungey (Suzuki)
7. Austin Stroupe (Kawasaki)
8. Will Hahn (Yamaha)
9. Michael Lapaglia (Suzuki)
10. Billy Laninovich (KTM)
11. Chris Blose (Suzuki)
12. Gavin Gracyk (Honda)
13. Zack Osborne (Yamaha)
14. Jeff Northrop (Honda)
15. Michael Willard (Honda)
16. Justin Keeney (Honda)
17. Jake Weimer (Honda)
18. Michael Blose (KTM) 
19. Carlos Gonzales (KTM)
20. Tiger Lacey (Honda)
21. Dan Reardon (Honda)
22. Matt Lemoine (Yamaha)
FLP 00:50.454 Jason Lawrence
San Diego Supercross Lites Heat 1 top-10
1. Ryan Dungey (Suzuki)
2. Dan Reardon (Honda)
3. Michael Lapaglia (Suzuki)
4. Tiger Lacey (Honda)
5. Michael Willard (Honda)
6. Jeff Northrop (Honda)
7. Austin Stroupe (Kawasaki)
8. Michael Blose (KTM)
9. Carlos Gonzales (KTM)
10. Michael Horban (Yamaha) NQ
San Diego Supercross Lites Heat 2 top-10
1. Jake Weimer (Honda)
2. Tommy Hahn (Kawasaki)
3. Chris Blose (Suzuki)
4. Zack Osborne (Yamaha)
5. Wil Hahn (Yamaha)
6. Justin Brayton (KTM)
7. Gavin Gracyk (Honda)
8. Bobby Kiniry (Honda)
9. Jason Lawrence (Yamaha)
10. Matty Dowell (Yamaha) NQ
San Diego Supercross Lites LCQ top-10
1. Brett Metcalfe (Kawasaki) Q
2. Matt Lemoine (Yamaha) Q
3. Justin Keeney (Honda) Q
4. Billy Laninovich (KTM) Q
5. Kyle Cunningham (Honda)
6. Turbo Reif (Honda
7. Michael Horban (Yamaha)
8. Bradley Graham (KTM)
9. Casey Hinson (Suzuki)
10. Adam Chatfield (Suzuki)
pic from racerxill.com
San Diego Supercross practice timed/qualifying Results
AMA Supercross Lites West top-10
1. Jason Lawrence (Yamaha YZ250F) 00:50.191
2. Ryan Dungey (Suzuki RM-Z250) 00:50.458
3. Austin Stroupe (Kawasaki KX250F) 00:50.902
4. Justin Brayton (KTM 250SXF) 00:51.162
5. Jake Weimer (Honda CRF250R) 51.595
6. Brett Metcalfe (Kawasaki KX250F) 00:51.708
7. Kyle Cuningham (Honda CRF250R) 51.970
8. Bobby Kiniry (Honda CRF250R) 52.448
9. Justin Keeney (Honda CRF250R) 52.614
10. Dan Reardon (Honda CRF250R) 00:52.619
AMA Supercross class top-10
1. Chad Reed (Yamaha YZ450F) 00:50.508
2. Tim Ferry (Kawasaki KX450F) 00:50.536
3. Andrew Short (Honda CRF450R) 00:50.589
4. Josh Hill (Yamaha YZ450F) 00:50.686
5. Kevin Windham (Honda CRF450R) 00:51.159
6. David Vuillemin (Honda CRF450R) 00:51.625
7. Davi Millsaps (Honda CRF450R) 00:51.793
8. Nick Wey (KTM 450SXF) 00:52.582
9. Nathan Ramsey (Yamaha YZ450F) 00:52.631
10. Paul Carpenter (Honda CRF450R) 00:52.640
pic from tedescophoto.com
Lawrence Tightens Lites Class Points Race Heading into San Diego -ozzy go-
Yamaha of Troy’s Jason Lawrence, of Carlsbad, Calif., won his
second consecutive Western Regional AMA Supercross race of
the season. While Lawrence wrapped up his impressive win,
points leader Ryan Dungey’s commanding lead was cut short
after crashing in turn one. The Makita Suzuki rider came into the
evening with a 19-point lead, but left Anaheim just eight points
ahead of Lawrence. After fighting off Red Bull Honda’s Davi
Millsaps, Team San Manuel’s Chad Reed won his fourth Monster
Energy® AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, race last
Saturday night at Angel Stadium. This weekend Reed, of Tampa,
Fla., brings a 26-point lead into San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium.
Last weekend, at the third and final Monster Energy®
Supercross race in Anaheim, Calif., Team San Manuel’s Reed
won the AMA Supercross class main event, leading all 20 laps en
route to the 30th win of career.
“After last weekend, I set some goals for myself, and winning
this race was definitely one of them,” said Reed from the podium
at Angel Stadium. “I knew that if I got the holeshot, I would be
able to get this done. I had a lot in the tank after the race, so I
was really happy tonight.” full story on amamotocross.com
pic from monsterenergy.com
Jason Lawrence on Vital Buzz -ozzy go-
In the West Coast Lites, the point chase has tightened
considerably after Jason Lawrence took his second consecutive
win, cutting deeply into Ryan Dungey’s once-considerable lead.
With his usual humor, Jason explained about the last two weeks,
“They’ve been good. I think I’ve lead every single lap in the
mains and I’m stoked. I won the first three heat races and lost
the first three mains, and lost the next two heat races and won
the next two mains, so I’m gonna stick with that. You’re gonna
see me throw up my hands if you see me winning the heat races
from now on.”
So what has the difference been? “Ah, I don’t know. I think I got
the bad luck out of the way. I made two huge mistakes at both
the Anaheims, which were all my fault, and I lost both those
races. In Phoenix I though the track was horrible. I think I’m just
coming into my zone halfway through the season, and it’s good.
I’m going to finish it out strong.”
How big a difference has it been working with his trainer, Ryan
Hughes? “A lot. Can’t you tell? Last year at this point I was in
fourth.” full story on vitalmx.com
Jason Lawrence Wins Second-Straight SX Lites Class Main
Monster Energy-backed Jason Lawrence (Yamaha of Troy) continued to reign on
the Supercross Lites class, this past weekend living up to the billing of being the
fastest racer at Anaheim’s (Calif.) Angel Stadium in putting together a masterful
race – start to finish – and winning Round Five of the 2008 Monster Energy AMA
Supercross, an FIM World Championship.
Lawrence, who’s clocked some of the fastest lap times in the previous two Anaheim
installments, pulled the start he needed and took command of the race on the first
lap, then led the contest wire-to-wire for his second-straight Lites class victory.
“All eyes are on Jason Lawrence and he’s shining right now,” said Monster Energy
Supercross announcer Jim Holley.
With the winning effort Lawrence cut a massive slice out of Ryan Dungey’s overall
lead in the Lites class, closing the gap from 34 points after Anaheim 2 to a mere
eight points (96-88) heading into San Diego this weekend – Lawrence’s hometown
race.
“It’ll be nice to chill at home, play some Guitar Hero II, fall asleep on the couch
get up a half hour before I’ve gotta race,” said Lawrence of the San Diego round.
Kidding aside, Lawrence has been on it. His second career win came on a track
that no one can call a fluke due to mud or rain-shortened main event. His hard-
nosed trainer Ryan Hughes has him pointed in the right direction and Lawrence
shows no sign of letting up. After the San Diego round he’s got Houston (Feb. 16)
before the long break until the final Supercross Western Lites Region round in
Seattle (April 26).
“Three rounds to make up eight points. It’s gonna be tight,” said Lawrence.
Next up for Monster Energy Supercross is the San Diego round at Qualcomm
Stadium (Feb. 9). monsterenergy.com - pic from tedescophoto.com
Chad Reed’s Triple Play -ozzy go- alpinestarsinc.com
After leading all 20 laps of the main event on a super-technical
racetrack built upon the base paths of the Los Angels Angels of
Anaheim Major League Baseball franchise, Chad Reed managed
to complete a triple play of victories inside Angel Stadium (witty
stuff, huh?). The fifth round of the 2008 Monster Energy Drink
AMA Supercross, Reed, overlord of the San Manuel/Fusion
Energy/Yamaha outfit scored a convincing victory over Red Bull
Honda's Davi Millsaps and Monster Energy Kawasaki's Tim Ferry.
Flashing across the finish line with five seconds to spare over
Millsaps, Reed, having now won four of the first five 2008 SX
main events, now holds down a commanding 26 point lead over
Torco Racing Fuel Honda rider Kevin Windham (for you
mathematicians out there, that’s a full victory-plus-one point
lead) in the AMA Supercross Championship points chase.
“After last weekend, I set some goals for myself, and winning this
race was definitely one of them,” said Reed. “I knew that if I won
the holeshot then I’d be able to get the job done so we focused
on starts during our testing this week and it paid off. I rode at a
steady pace and still had a lot left in the tank after the race.
“There were two big positives from the weekend, not only did we
win but we’ve also learnt a massive amount about the Yamaha YZ
450F,” Reed went on. “This has been a really satisfying event.”
One rider who did his best to keep Reed honest in Orange
County, was, in fact, Windham. The Honda rider actually pulled
even with Reed in the early stages of the main, but eventually fell
victim to a front tire that was slowly going flat/ Windham did his
best to hold onto fourth overall. Fifth went to Honda's Andrew
Short took fifth and sixth to Makita Suzuki's Mike Alessi.
In the always highly dramatic West Region Lites classification,
Team Boost Mobile Yamaha of Troy rider Jason Lawrence won for
the second consecutive Saturday night, claiming the 15-lap main
over Monster Energy Pro Circuit riders Austin Stroupe and Brett
Metcalfe. For Lawrence, the win was especially satisfying as
series’ leader Ryan Dungey experienced a woeful race when after
a bad start, landed atop Wil Hahn while making a frenzied charge
through the pack. When all was said and done, Dungey would
only get back to unlucky 13th place. Lawrence’s victory,
combined with Dungey’s bad luck, now sees Lawrence only eight
points adrift of Dungey in the chase for the AMA West Region
Championship... full story on alpinestarsinc.com
pics from yamaha-motor.com & monsterenergy.com
Yamaha SX Race Report: Anaheim III -ozzy go-
2008 AMA Supercross Round 5 | February 2, 2008 | Anaheim, CA
For the first time in his career, L&M Racing’s Chad Reed has swept all three
Anaheim Supercross races in a single year, winning Anaheim III convincingly at
California’s Angel Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 2. He now leads the championship
by a comfortable 26-point margin over Kevin Windham. Meanwhile, Yamaha of
Troy’s Jason Lawrence claimed his second consecutive win in Supercross Lites,
and has closed to within eight points of Ryan Dungey in the class standings.
Supercross... Reed left no doubt about his command of the Supercross class
this year. He was fastest in practice, won his heat race over teammate Nathan
Ramsey, and grabbed the holeshot in the 20-lap main event. The first half of
the race was particularly exciting as Windham, along with Davi Millsaps and Tim
Ferry, battled right behind Reed. But as the laps stacked up the YZ450F rider
put his conditioning to work and built up a 4.6-second margin of victory. “In ‘04
I came so close to ‘three- peating,’” Reed said later. “After last weekend I set
some goals for myself and winning this third Anaheim was one of them.”
Supercross Lites... Lawrence turned in a near identical performance in the
Lites class. He was second fastest in practice and second in his heat race, then
got to the first corner of the 15-lap final second behind Austin Stroupe. But the
YZ250F rider jetted by Stroupe just a few corners into the race and led every
lap to earn his second career (and second consecutive) Lites victory. “It’s great
to get two wins,” he enthused afterwards. “But I hope we're going to be talking
five or six weeks in a row before the season’s over!”
While the evening was topnotch for Reed and Lawrence, others in the Yamaha
camp suffered. AMA Motocross champion Grant Langston withdrew during
practice as a fluid buildup in one eye blurred his vision, and Broc Hepler
crashed in practice and broke his thumb. “It was disappointing to have Grant
out for the night and I hope he'll be back shortly,” offered Yamaha Supercross
manager Jim Perry. “It was also a big blow to have Broc injured and hopefully
he’ll make a speedy recovery.” yamaha-motor.com
Second Supercross success for Yamaha -ozzy go-
The 47th AMA Supercross event to be staged at Anaheim in Los
Angeles was owned by Yamaha as Chad Reed and Jason
Lawrence won both the Supercross and West Coast Lites classes
on Saturday night. The third visit to the Angel Stadium this
season represented the fifth round of seventeen in the AMA
contest, a FIM World Championship.
Reed scooped his fourth victory from five this year on his San
Manuel YZ450F after leading the rest of the field from start to
finish. His achievement means that he becomes only the second
rider ever to remain unbeaten in all three Anaheim main events
in the same season. It was his sixth success in LA, the thirtieth
of his career and his statistics have now reached an impressive
78 podiums from 85 starts in the premier category. Crucially the
chequered flag also gives the Australian a 26 point lead in the
current championship standings.
“After last weekend I set some goals for myself and to win this
third Anaheim was one of them,” said Reed who has won the last
three events in a row. “I did a lot of starts this week and I want
to thank the team and also Andrew McFarlane; he is the holeshot
king and he came out to the test track to help me. I just put my
head down out there. I knew that if I got the holeshot this race
would be all mine, so I got the start and rode a smart race. I
made a few mistakes but the job was done.”
AMA Motocross Champion Grant Langston was unable to
compete after an eye problem affected his vision. Misfortune
also struck Broc Hepler who broke his thumb in practice.
Jason Lawrence’s win on the YZ250F was his second in a row
and the second of his career. Like Reed, the American pulled out
a distance over his pursuers and the Yamaha of Troy
representative headed Austin Stroupe and Brett Metcalfe
respectively on the rostrum.
He was swift to credit late friend Brett Klein who passed away
due to injuries sustained in a practice crash last August at Glen
Helen: “I always wear this Brett Klein chain when I ride and I did
not wear it last weekend in the heat race but I put it on for the
main event and I won. I thought maybe it was good luck. I did
not wear it here in the heat race but then put it on for the Main
and won again.” full story on yamaha-motor-europe.com
pics from tedescophoto.com
