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SX: Big Easy Win For Villopoto
Ryan Villopoto didn't take it easy on his rivals in New Orleands despite having already locked up the 2012 Monster Energy Supercross crown.
Monster Energy Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto (Photo: Jake Klingensmith)
PROGRAMMING NOTE: The New Orleans round of the Monster Energy Supercross Lites Championship will air on SPEED Sunday, April 15 at 11:00am ET. #SXonSPEED
A crowd of 33,392 filled the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Saturday night, as Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, hosted its 14th race of the 2012 season in a return to New Orleans. One race after capturing back-to-back Supercross Class Championships, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto, of Poulsbo, Wash., won his ninth win of the season with a convincing effort.
Villopoto was the first rider out of the gate in the 20-lap Supercross Class Main Event, grabbing the Nuclear Cowboyz® Holeshot Award with Foremost Insurance/Motosport.com Kawasaki’s Nick Wey, of Dewitt, Mich., and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer, of Rupert, Idaho, close behind. It didn’t take long for Villopoto to open a gap on the field, ultimately taking a wire-to-wire win.
“The track was tough, so the bike was a big key,” said Villopoto, who is in the midst of a four-race winning streak. “The track was breaking down and it had a lot of ruts, so it was easy to get caught off guard. You had to stay on toes and try to log consistent laps. I’m looking forward to returning home next week (in Seattle).”
All eyes were on the battle for the remaining spots on the podium, as both Jeff Ward Racing Kawasaki’s Josh Grant, of Corona, Calif., and MotoConcepts Suzuki’s Mike Alessi, of Hilliard, Fla., were both in search of their first top-three efforts of the season. Grant set a strong pace in second after a good start, keeping a consistent gap over third. Alessi, however, wasn’t as fortunate, making contact with a lapped rider while running third on Lap 16, falling to the ground. That allowed Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Justin Brayton, of Murrieta, Calif., to grab the final spot on the podium.
Grant’s runner-up effort was his best finish since winning the opening race of the 2009 Monster Energy Supercross season and also signified the inaugural podium finish for the first-year Jeff Ward Racing team.
A crowd of 33,392 filled the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Saturday night, as Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, hosted its 14th race of the 2012 season in a return to New Orleans. One race after capturing back-to-back Supercross Class Championships, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto, of Poulsbo, Wash., won his ninth win of the season with a convincing effort.
Villopoto was the first rider out of the gate in the 20-lap Supercross Class Main Event, grabbing the Nuclear Cowboyz® Holeshot Award with Foremost Insurance/Motosport.com Kawasaki’s Nick Wey, of Dewitt, Mich., and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer, of Rupert, Idaho, close behind. It didn’t take long for Villopoto to open a gap on the field, ultimately taking a wire-to-wire win.
“The track was tough, so the bike was a big key,” said Villopoto, who is in the midst of a four-race winning streak. “The track was breaking down and it had a lot of ruts, so it was easy to get caught off guard. You had to stay on toes and try to log consistent laps. I’m looking forward to returning home next week (in Seattle).”
All eyes were on the battle for the remaining spots on the podium, as both Jeff Ward Racing Kawasaki’s Josh Grant, of Corona, Calif., and MotoConcepts Suzuki’s Mike Alessi, of Hilliard, Fla., were both in search of their first top-three efforts of the season. Grant set a strong pace in second after a good start, keeping a consistent gap over third. Alessi, however, wasn’t as fortunate, making contact with a lapped rider while running third on Lap 16, falling to the ground. That allowed Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Justin Brayton, of Murrieta, Calif., to grab the final spot on the podium.
Grant’s runner-up effort was his best finish since winning the opening race of the 2009 Monster Energy Supercross season and also signified the inaugural podium finish for the first-year Jeff Ward Racing team.
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