The second annual Freestone MX National could be called the real start of the Nationals, as temperatures are hovering just below 100 degrees and the humidity is something else. It's going to be a true test of fitness tomorrow.
Today, though, it was all about laptimes (and wide-angle lenses), not endurance, as the top riders tried to put in their fastest to qualify them for tomorrow's program. Most of the guys we're about to talk about, though, were already seeded for tomorrow.
LITESSurprise, surprise, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki's
Ryan Villopoto was the fastest of the Lites riders. His fastest lap was a 2:02.835, which was just over a second faster than anyone in his class, and woud put him fourth in the 450cc class.
Rockstar/Makita Suzuki's
Ryan Dungey was second in the Lites class with a 2:03.992.
Brett Metcalfe (pictured) is trying desperately to get out from under the thumb of his teammate
Austin Stroupe, and was third fastest with a 2:04.390.
Geico Powersports Honda's
Trey Canard was fourth fastest with a 2:05.097.
Austin Stroupe was fifth fastest with a 2:05.395.
Boost Mobile/Yamaha of Troy's
Jason Lawrence struggled with mechanical issues today and didn't get many laps in, but he was already seeded for tomorrow.
Ryan Sipes,
Kyle Cunningham,
Jake Weimer, Andrew McFarlane and Phil Nicolletti rounded out the top 10 in Lites times.
450ccMonster Energy Kawasaki's
James Stewart was fastest by a longshot in the 450cc practices. He put in a fastest of 1:59.074, and was the only guy to break the two-minute barrier. Nearly everyone put in faster laps in the first session, and Stewart was no exception, but Stewart's fastest time in the second practice was only about a half-second slower than his fastest from the first session, whereas everyone else's times seemed to drop off by somewhere in the neighborhood of two to three seconds.
Honda Red Bull Racing's
Andrew Short was second fastest in 450cc practice with a 2:01.893.
Short's teammate
Davi Millsaps was third fastest with a 2:02.166.
Surprisingly, privateer Suzuki pilot Cody Cooper was the top Suzuki rider in practice with a 2:02.641.
Just behind him came Rockstar/Makita Suzuki's
Mike Alessi, with a 2:02.791.
Timmy Ferry,
Ivan Tedesco, Sean Hamblin,
Michael Byrne and
Josh Summey rounded out the top 10 in 450cc times.