Freestone MX National Race Report

June 7, 2009, 8:28am

Suzuki continues to lead the charge in the 2009 Lucas Oil/AMA Pro Motocross Championships, as the red plates came and left on the Rockstar/Makita Suzukis of Ryan Dungey (250) and Mike Alessi (800) while their closest challengers continue to struggle with illness.

450

This is Mike Alessi's lead after one lap in the first 450cc moto. Actually, technically, that's not even all of it, as second isn't yet in view. Not surprisingly, Alessi went 1-1.
Andrew Short was second overall with a 2-3.
Although ill, Reed had his strongest overall showing of the year with a 5-2 for third overall.
Ivan Tedesco (9) duked it out with Josh Grant (33) in the first moto, with Grant getting the nod. Amazingly, Tedesco's 4-9 was good enough for fourth overall.
Grant was third in the first moto, but a crash caused him to get lapped in moto two.

Yes, everyone knows that Mike Alessi is a great starter, but he was beaten to the first turn by Texas resident Andrew Short and former Texas resident Ivan Tedesco, both of the Honda Red Bull Racing team. However, it was only a matter of turns before Alessi zipped by both of them and took the lead, never to be headed.

Alessi’s closest rival and teammate, Chad Reed, started just inside the top five and pressured the two Hondas for a few laps before a crash cost him a couple of spots. Forced to work his way around JGR/Toyota Yamaha’s Cody Cooper and Josh Grant (running fifth and fourth), Reed got Cooper, but could never get close enough to the top four to make a charge.

Alessi took the win ahead of Short, Grant, Tedesco and Reed.

In moto two, Alessi led a few extra turns, as he actually got the holeshot ahead of GEICO Powersports Honda’s Dan Reardon, Short, TLD/Red Bull/Lucas Oil Honda’s Jake Moss, Monster Energy Kawasaki replacement rider Ricky Dietrich, Moss’ teammate Chris Blose and Reed. Reed begins moving forward slowly and eventually gets hung up behind Dietrich for a few laps before moving past both he and Moss, then past Short, and then Reardon (on the ninth of 16 laps) to move into second. By that time, Alessi was too far gone, and Reed wasn’t thinking much about chasing Alessi down anyway.

Due to a stomach ailment, Reed – not knowing what position he was in – nearly quit part way through the race and was surprised when he pulled into the pits afterward to find out he finished second. Short was third, then Reardon, Tommy Hahn, Dietrich, Byrne and Moss. Four of the top eight in the moto (Moss, Byrne, Reardon and Reed) were Australian.

Alessi now carries a 31-point lead into the High Point National next Saturday.

450 O/A:
1. Mike Alessi (1-1)
2. Andrew Short (2-3)
3. Chad Reed (5-2)
4. Ivan Tedesco (4-9)
5. Ricky Dietrich (7-6)
6. Dan Reardon (12-4)
7. Michael Byrne (8-7)
8. Cody Cooper (6-13)
9. Weston Peick (9-11)
10. Justin Brayton (11-10)

450 Points (After 3 of 12 rounds):
1. Mike Alessi (142/2 wins)
2. Chad Reed (111)
3. Josh Grant (94)
4. Andrew Short (93)
5. Ivan Tedesco (70)
6. Dan Reardon (68)
7. Tommy Hahn (68)
8. Cody Cooper (60)
9. Justin Brayton (57)
10. Ryan Villopoto (55)

250

For the third week in a row, Ryan Dungey won the second moto. This week, he also won the overall.
Also for the third week in a row, Christophe Pourcel won the first moto. This week, he lost the overall, though.
Trey Canard was third overall with a 3-2. He has only had one moto off the podium so far this year.
Blake Wharton (61) parlayed good starts and minimized mistakes to grab fourth overall with a 7-3.
Brett Metcalfe went 4-7 for fifth overall despite a crash in moto two.

GEICO Powersports Honda’s Trey Canard – in the closest thing he has to a home race, being from Oklahoma – came out of the gate like a bullet to grab the holeshot at the beginning of the first moto, and he began pulling away, only to wash out the front end and go down on the second lap, handing the lead to Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Christophe Pourcel while he remounted in 11th.

Canard immediately went back to work while Pourcel began to distance himself from GEICO Powersports Honda’s Brett Metcalfe, Muscle Milk/MDK KTM’s Tommy Searle, Pourcel’s teammate Jake Weimer, Dungey, Blake Wharton and the rest of the field.

Pourcel was never challenged, while Dungey eventually moved passed Metcalfe and into second, and on the last lap, Canard caught his teammate Metcalfe and passed him for third. Metcalfe hung on for fourth, in front of Tyla Rattray, Searle, Wharton (who suffered a crash in the moto) and the rest of the field.

Max Anstie looked to have the holeshot in the second moto, but he went wide, handing the lead to Canard, who took over in front of Matt Lemoine, Blake Wharton, Dungey, Anstie, Searle, Broc Tickle, Kyle Cunningham and Brett Metcalfe.

Canard attempted to make a break, but somehow Dungey flew around the outside of the two riders between them and then set off for Canard out front. Just before the midway point, Dungey managed to find a way past the feisty Honda rider and began to pull away. Canard eventually lost a lot of ground to Dungey, then began making it back up when, at the two-lap board, he went off the track, shooting down his only hope of catching Dungey. Dungey took the moto, and overall, win. Canard hung on for second over teammate Wharton, and then Pourcel was fourth despite starting out well outside the top 10.

Heading into High Point, Pourcel and Dungey are only six points apart in the championship, with Canard trailing only a further 10 points back.

250 O/A:
1. Ryan Dungey (2-1)
2. Christophe Pourcel (1-4)
3. Trey Canard (3-2)
4. Blake Wharton (7-3)
5. Brett Metcalfe (4-7)
6. Tommy Searle (6-5)
7. Tyla Rattray (5-6)
8. Broc Tickle (9-8)
9. Darryn Durham (8-12)
10. Kyle Cunningham (13-9)

250 Points (After 3 of 12 rounds):
1. Ryan Dungey (133/2 wins)
2. Christophe Pourcel (127/1 win)
3. Trey Canard (117)
4. Tyla Rattray (101)
5. Brett Metcalfe (95)
6. Blake Wharton (86)
7. Tommy Searle (79)
8. Broc Tickle (72)
9. Jake Weimer (66)
10. Justin Barcia (54)