The Rider Files

July 4, 2010

Lorenzo on a Roll in MotoGP

Filed under: Road Racing — admin @ 8:28 pm

(News Release)

Jorge Lorenzo became the first Yamaha rider to win three successive premier class races from pole position since Eddie Lawson did so in 1986 when he took his fifth win of the 2010 campaign at the Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya on Sunday. The Spanish rider is now 52 points clear at the top as he continued his phenomenal run of form in taking his second win on home soil this season.

Dani Pedrosa (Respol Honda) made one of his rapid starts and led into Turn 1 as he shot through from row two, but then ran wide coming out and had dropped down to ninth by the end of lap one as he lost the advantage. It was an error Pedrosa managed to recover in the early laps however and before too long he was up to third.

Aleix Espargaró (Pramac Racing) had a run-off as he pushed hard to move up the order and Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) started a fight for the lead with Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha) on lap three when he overtook to move into first, but it was a lead Lorenzo regained on the next lap as the battle lines were drawn.

When chasing in third place Casey Stoner (Ducati Team) ran off track shortly after and dropped to fifth as Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) and Pedrosa came through, and Espargaró suffered disappointment in his home race when he crashed out on lap six.

Lap 14 proved to be an eventful one as first Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini) crashed out when in sixth as he chased his best premier class finish to date. Then, in a decisive moment for the race, Dovizioso also went down as he pushed himself when chasing Lorenzo at the front, rejoining the race in 15th place shortly after.

With that, Lorenzo was clear by just over 5.5s with less than half the race to go, and Stoner and Pedrosa began duelling for second place with De Puniet further back in fourth. Lorenzo’s lead proved to be too much and he crossed the line 4.754s clear to take his fifth win of the season. Pedrosa won the scrap for second by just two-tenths of a second from Stoner, as the podium of the previous round at Assen was repeated.

Fourth place and his best result of the campaign so far went to De Puniet after yet another impressive ride on the satellite RC212V of the LCR Honda team, and in fifth with a superb ride was rookie Álvaro Bautista as he produced a magnificent effort on his Rizla Suzuki GSV-R.

Ben Spies (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) continued his progress with sixth place on another new circuit, and Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki), Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team), Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team) – on his return from a dislocated shoulder – and Héctor Barberá (Páginas Amarillas Aspar) all finished inside the top ten, with Dovizioso eventually finishing 14th.

Lorenzo now has 165 points with Pedrosa on 113 in second. Dovizioso remains third and is on 91, with Hayden, De Puniet and Stoner all leapfrogging the absent Valentino Rossi to fill positions four to six

Dungey Makes it Five in a Row

Filed under: Motocross-Supercross — admin @ 1:00 am

(News Release)

Dungey Makes it Five in a Row at RedBud
Canard Breaks Through with Inaugural 250 Class Win

BUCHANAN, Mich. (July 3, 2010) – The 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship reached the halfway point on Saturday with the Rockstar Energy RedBud National, round six of the 12-race season. The Independence Day tradition from Southern Michigan played host to thousands of the most enthusiastic fans in the country who watched Rockstar/Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., race to his fifth consecutive victory in the 450 Class. GEICO Powersports Honda’s Trey Canard, of Shawnee, Okla., captured his first career victory in the 250 Class.

Dungey’s run to the win wasn’t without its challenges. Despite going 1-1 in the motos for the third time this season, the premier class rookie was forced to battle through several challenges from his rivals. However, in the end, he proved resilient and came out on top at the conclusion of both motos. His pair of triumphs gives him eight wins over the last 10 motos and a significant lead in the championship standings.

“I think the championship is what we’re going for overall in the end,” said Dungey. “There’s still a lot of racing left. I just need to be on top of my game every single moto. Today was really competitive. Chad (Reed) and Ben (Townley) were right there so I had to really dig deep. The fans are great out here. They’re what it’s all about at RedBud. They just make everything really enjoyable.”

After a rough outing one week ago, reigning champion and Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Chad Reed, of Australia, rebounded to take second overall (2-2) while Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil Honda’s Ben Townley, of New Zealand, finished third (4-3) for his second straight podium finish.

Dungey now holds a 64-point advantage heading into the second off-week of the season, leading the most laps in the class at 77 and holding the best average finish of 2.4.

Just one week after Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Christophe Pourcel, of France, became the first multiple overall winner in the 250 Class, Canard became the fifth different rider to stand atop the podium in 2010. Additionally, he became the fourth first-time winner in the smaller displacement thanks to a solid fourth place effort in Moto 1 that he followed up with his first career moto win in Moto 2.

“(This win) has been 3 years (coming),” said Canard. “To be here and win is amazing, especially at RedBud in front of these fans. It’s just awesome. I didn’t want to have to make a hard pass on Dean (Wilson) for the win, but I really wanted it. These (motocross races) haven’t been easy for me in the past. I wanted to get it done and I wanted to get it done today.”

250 Class rookie and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Dean Wilson, of Scotland, grabbed the runner-up spot (3-2) with his teammate Pourcel, winner of the first moto, rounding out the podium in third (1-5).

Pourcel’s advantage over Wilson in the championship standings sits at 33 points. The Frenchman also leads the class in laps led with 87 and average finish at 2.5.

The MotorcycleUSA.com Women’s Motocross Championship competed in its inaugural event from the legendary RedBud facility with the Rockwell Watches National, round four of eight. After a tough start to the season, Honda Red Bull Racing’s Ashley Fiolek, of St. Augustine, Fla., swept the day’s motos to capture her first win of 2010. WMX Class points leader Jessica Patteron, of Tallahassee, Fla., finished second (2-2) for DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing Yamaha while Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil Honda’s Tarah Gieger, of Winter Garden, Fla., finished third (3-3). All three overall podium finishers received customized Rockwell watches. To check out the entire lineup of Rockwell Watches, log onto www.RockwellTime.com.

After a weekend off, the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship returns to action with the Rockstar Energy Spring Creek National from Spring Creek Motocross Park in Millville, Minn., on July 17.

Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship
Rockstar Energy RedBud National
RedBud – Buchanan, Mich.
July 3, 2010
Round 6 of 12

450 Class (Moto Finish)
Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki (1-1)
Chad Reed, Australia, Kawasaki (2-2)
Ben Townley, New Zealand, Honda (4-3)
Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda (3-5)
Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Honda (5-4)
Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha (6-6)
Kyle Regal, Kemp, Texas, Honda (7-7)
Ryan Sipes, Flaherty, Texas, Yamaha (8-8)
Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM (10-9)
Nick Wey, Dewitt, Mich., Kawasaki (9-12)

450 Class Championship Standings
Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 268
Chad Reed, Australia, Kawasaki, 204
Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Honda, 201
Ben Townley, New Zealand, Honda, 189
Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 189
Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha, 182
Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM, 177
Kyle Regal, Kemp, Texas, Honda, 122
Ryan Sipes, Flaherty, Texas, Yamaha, 114
Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Yamaha, 108

250 Class (Moto Finish)
Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda (4-1)
Dean Wilson, Scotland, Kawasaki (3-2)
Christophe Pourcel, France, Kawasaki (1-5)
Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda (5-3)
Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Honda (6-4)
Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki (2-11)
Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Yamaha (7-6)
Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki (11-7)
Martin Davalos, Ecuador, Yamaha (10-8)
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda (12-9)

250 Class Championship Standings
Christophe Pourcel, France, Kawasaki, 260
Dean Wilson, Scotland, Kawasaki, 227
Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki, 212
Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda, 205
Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Yamaha, 180
Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda, 176
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 156
Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Honda, 145
Martin Davalos, Ecuador, Yamaha, 132
Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki, 129

WMX Class (Moto Finish)
Ashley Fiolek, St. Augustine, Fla., Honda (1-1)
Jessica Patterson, Tallahassee, Fla., Yamaha (2-2)
Tarah Gieger, Winter Gardens, Fla., Honda (3-3)
Sara Price, Canyon Lake, Calif., Kawasaki (7-4)
Mariana Balbi, Brazil, Yamaha (5-5)
Sarah Whitmore, Cheboygan, Mich., KTM (6-6)
Tatum Sik, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha (9-7)
Alexah Pearson, Rocklin, Calif., Yamaha (8-8)
Vicki Golden, El Cajon, Calif., Yamaha (4-15)
Erica Cook, Natalia, Texas, Yamaha (10-9)

WMX Class Championship Standings (After 4 of 8 Rounds)
Jessica Patterson, Tallahassee, Fla., Yamaha, 194
Ashley Fiolek, St. Augustine, Fla., Honda, 174
Tarah Gieger, Winter Gardens, Fla., Honda, 149
Vicki Golden, El Cajon, Calif., Yamaha, 121
Sara Price, Canyon Lake, Calif., Kawasaki, 120
Mariana Balbi, Brazil, Yamaha, 110
Sarah Whitmore, Cheboygan, Mich., KTM, 102
Alexah Pearson, Rocklin, Calif., Yamaha, 96
Tatum Sik, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha, 94
Erica Cook, Natalia, Texas, Yamaha, 84

For tickets and fan and racing information on the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, log on to www.allisports.com.

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