Kawasaki/Racer X Race Report
AMA Supercross Lites
It was the race everyone was talking about. There was a championship on the line tonight in Detroit, MI, and it came down to the wire. It was a fitting end to a very exciting season for the Eastern Regional Lites class, and when the dust settled in Ford Field, it was a Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider taking home his first AMA championship.
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When the gate dropped, Yamaha of Troy’s Ryan Morais got the best start of his entire season as he came out second behind Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey, who collected the Progressive Direct Holeshot. Ben Townley was around fifth, and the third championship contender, Darcy Lange, got a terrible start and was around 18th, pretty much eliminating himself from championship contention.
With Dungey out front, Morais stayed close for the first lap, and after a very strong showing in his qualifier, Morais was in a great position to win his first pro championship. But then something shocking happened, which was the defining moment of the season. Morais stalled his YZ250F. He restarted as quickly as possible, and rejoined the race just outside the top 10. The championship was now Townley’s to lose.
But he wasn’t going to lose it. While Morais tried to mount his comeback, the New Zealander battled with SoBe No Fear/Samsung Mobile Honda’s Billy Laninovich before slipping into second place. Team Honda’s Tommy Hahn followed Townley past Laninovich and into a podium position.
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AMA Supercross Lites Results
1. Ryan Dungey (Suz)
2. Ben Townley (Kaw)
3. Tommy Hahn (Hon)
4. Billy Laninovich (Hon)
5. Ryan Morais (Yam)
AMA Supercross
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With five laps to go Reed was on Ferry’s rear fender and made the pass with a line he used the entire main event passing the other riders. Ferry stayed close, but was unable to retaliate and would finish third. It was also an excellent race for SoBe No Fear/Samsung Mobile Honda’s Kevin Windham, who followed Reed’s Yamaha through the pack. Windam was unable to get around Ferry, and finished fourth. Team Honda’s Andrew Short put in another solid performance, finishing fifth.
AMA Supercross Results
1. James Stewart (Kaw)
2. Chad Reed (Yam)
3. Tim Ferry (Kaw)
4. Kevin Windham (Hon)
5. Andrew Short (Hon)