MDK KTM Anaheim II Race Report
January 21, 2008 10:07am
Anaheim, CA – “Welcome to 1986!” hollered Supercross announcer Terry Boyd to kick off the third round of the AMA Supercross FIM World Championship at the Angels Stadium.
|
As the evening began, MDK KTM Lites rider Billy Laninovich and MDK KTM support rider Drew Gooselaar lined up for Heat #1. Both riders had a decent jump from the gate. Gooselaar rounded turn one in fourth while Laninovich was two spots back in 6th. Laninovich quickly moved into 5th and held that position through the finish. Gooselaar qualified for his first main event by finishing 7th in the heat.
|
MDK KTM Factory rider Nick Wey got a mid-pack start in the Supercross class Heat #1. He was twelfth around the first turn and began picking off riders. By the end of the first lap he had moved into 10th and was only one position short of qualifying. He made the pass into 9th on lap 3 and held that position to transfer into the main.
|
MDK KTM Lites Team Manager, Danny Paladino commented, “Both boys had a rough start tonight but were able to catch up to the lead pack rather quickly. It’s unfortunate that Justin crashed but he was able to finish in the top ten which will help him in the points. Billy is getting stronger every weekend and I know with more work on his starts he will be a front runner.”
The Supercross main event had a wild start. Wey got a good jump but lost momentum when he had to maneuver around the #8 bike of Grant Langston and the #29 bike of Andrew Short, both of whom had crashed in the first turn. Halfway through the 1st lap Wey was in 15th desperately trying to gain ground on the riders ahead. By the end of the second lap he had moved into 11th place. He rode strong and stayed close to the pack right on the tail end of the group. Around the halfway point Langston and Short had moved up behind him. Wey held off Langston for a couple laps until Langston got a flat and had to slow down. Wey held off Short a bit longer until Short eventually passed. At this point, Wey kicked it up a gear to move closer to the group ahead. Wey wasn’t able to move into the top ten but he was able to stay close to the top ten in the points chase. Wey now sits 12th overall in points, just one point shy of the 10th and 11th place positions.
|
Supercross Lites Results:
1. R. Dungey
2. B. Hepler
3. A. Stroupe
4. D. Reardon
5. B. Metcalfe
6. R. Kiniry
7. B. Laninovich – KTM
8. G. Grayck
9. J. Brayton – KTM
10. T. Hahn
Supercross Results:
1. C. Reed
2. J. Hill
3. K. Windam
4. M. Alessi
5. I. Tedesco
6. T. Ferry
7. N. Ramsey
8. J. Hansen
9. A. Short
10. J. Summey
11. D. Vuillemin
12. N. Wey – KTM