Monster Energy SX Round #2 Chase Field PHX, AZ.
Justin Brayton- Set a top 5 qualifying time during the afternoon timed practices, showing speed and aggression on another tough course. In Justin’s night qualifier he got a great start and passed up into second spot, pressuring eventual heat race winner (and ONE Graphics rider Jake Weimer) for the lead a few times but settled into 2nd spot with a direct transfer to the night’s main event. In the main Justin tangled with other riders off the gate and got a less than optimal start but began working his way through traffic. On his way through the pack he tangled with another rider and was run off the track, increasing the difficulty of running with the leaders for the night. Justin go restarted and began his push again this time just to catch back up to the bulk of the pack. A bit more bad luck had him on the ground again, ruining any chance of a top 10 finish. He finished in 14th on the night and sits 8th in points 20 points behind the leaders. Great effort Justin!
Rockstar Suzuki Team- After setting 4th and 5th best times in qualifying Jason Anderson and Martin Davalos were confident going into the night program. Jason finished 3rd in his qualifier and rode to a strong 7th in the main and now sits in 6th place in the Western Region points race. Martin Davalos was leading his heat race but pushed the front end in a tight corner going down and ultimately had to go to the LCQ to get to the main event. He won the LCQ to get into the main but another mechanical issue forced another DNF. These guys are giving it their all but need a couple breaks to get on the podium.
Monster Kawasaki- Jake Weimer had a great night winning his heat race and riding a strong second in the main. Ryan Villopoto will be hard to beat all season. While his 3rd place finish does not sound impressive, the way he got it was. He started near last and got to 3rd in 20 laps. It was amazing to watch him catch and pass some of the top riders. He and Jake looked great on those ONE Graphics equipped machines.
GEICO Powersports Honda- Kevin Windham rode steady and solid all day long and held down 3rd ion the main event all the way to the white flag but could not hold off the hard charging Ryan Villopoto for a podium spot. The lites team was a man down with Will Hahn suffering a practice injury this week, but Eli Tomac held the flag high and rallied for a 4th place finish in the main.
Yoshimura Suzuki- Brett Metcalf rode to a solid 9th place finish on his ONE Graphics equipped RMZ-450.
Privateers- Billy Laninovich rode smart and smooth to a 12th place finish, Bruce Rutherford made his first main of the season and finished 13th. Tommy Han once again made the main and rode well but bad luck put him at the back of the pack, this time crashing and getting a bit banged up. Hope he is up and ready for the LA SX this weekend.
SX Results
1. R. Dungey
2. J. Weimer Graphics
3. R. Villopoto Graphics
4. K. Windham Graphics
5. C. Reed
6. A. Short
7. T. Canard
8. J. Stewart
9. B. Metcalfe Graphics
10. J. Hansen
11. I. Tedesco
12. K. Chisholm
13. D. Millsaps
14. J. Brayton Gear Helmet
15. C. Blose
16. M. Alessi
17. K. Partridge
18. T. Hahn Graphics
19. N. Wey
20. J. Albertson
Lites Results
1. D. Wilson
2. M. Musquin
3. T. Rattray
4. E. Tomac Graphics
5. C. Seely
6. Z. Osborne
7. J. Anderson Gear Helmet Graphics Tag Sunline
8. N. Izzi
9. M. Anstie
10. T. Baker
11. M. Leib
12. B. Laninovich Gear Helmet Graphics
13. B. Rutherford Gear Helmet
14. V. Friese
15. T. Maier
16. S. Champion
17. G. Swanepoel
18. J. Ramos
19. A. Chatfield
20. M. Davalos Gear Helmet Graphics Tag Sunline
Next week- SX invades Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles!
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