TLD/Lucas Oil/Honda Fights to the Finish in Utah
May 2, 2011, 9:30am
It was a cold night at Rice Eccles stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, as Troy Lee Designs riders Cole Seely and Travis Baker got ready to do battle in the penultimate round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Lites West Series.
Just coming off a big win in Seattle, Cole started off the night qualifying third, turning a 44.587 lap time, while Travis qualified ninth with a 45.725. Both riders would start in Heat number two.
When the gate dropped in the second heat race, it was the Troy Lee Designs / Lucas Oil / Hondas at the front of the pack, with Cole jumping into the lead after the first turn. Travis had some trouble in the rhythm section and lost a few positions on the opening lap. But out front, Cole was slowly checking out. At the checkers, Cole had built up over a seven second lead over the rest of the field. Travis crossed the finish line fifth, easily qualifying for the main event.
"I'm feeling pretty confident tonight," said Cole after his heat race. "I was able to get a good start, get out front and check out. It felt really good."
In the Main Event, it looked like another holeshot for the 36 of Cole Seely, until he was pushed wide in the first turn, and relegated to fourth position. Cole fought hard for the entire 15 lap race staying in front of Kyle Cunningham, and putting pressure on Brock Tickle and Ken Roczen ahead of him.
Despite turning some great laps late in the race, Cole finished just off the podium in fourth. He now sits fourth in the series points, 20 points behind Josh Hansen. Travis Baker put in some really solid laps, finishing 9th overall for the night. Travis is twelfth in the series points, just 6 points behind James Decotis.
"It was a pretty good night," said Travis Baker. "We've got one more to go in Vegas and then we'll switch over to the outdoors, so I am looking forward to that."
The team has just one week to prepare for the AMA Supercross finals in Las Vegas next weekend. Besides both East and West series championships being decided, the top Lites riders will compete in the East-West Shootout. Catch all the action live on Speed.
TLD would like to thank all of our team sponsors: Lucas Oil, American Honda, PPG, Red Bull, SillyBrandz Global, Adidas, BioLytical Labs, Dunlop, McQueen Racing, VQ OrthoCare, Shock Doctor, Skullcandy, Renthal, Alpinestars, Pro Circuit, Primm MX Collection, Couts Heating & Cooling, Selle Italia, N-Style, VP Racing Fuels, Boyesen, ODI, DID, Rossignol, Pacific Collision Centers, Muc-Off, Kasey Kahne, Elrod Racing, New Era, Leatt, Cycra, Hammerhead, Hinson, Light Speed, Moto Tassinari, Twin Air, Talon, QTM, and EPIC Action Camera.
Just coming off a big win in Seattle, Cole started off the night qualifying third, turning a 44.587 lap time, while Travis qualified ninth with a 45.725. Both riders would start in Heat number two.
When the gate dropped in the second heat race, it was the Troy Lee Designs / Lucas Oil / Hondas at the front of the pack, with Cole jumping into the lead after the first turn. Travis had some trouble in the rhythm section and lost a few positions on the opening lap. But out front, Cole was slowly checking out. At the checkers, Cole had built up over a seven second lead over the rest of the field. Travis crossed the finish line fifth, easily qualifying for the main event.
"I'm feeling pretty confident tonight," said Cole after his heat race. "I was able to get a good start, get out front and check out. It felt really good."
In the Main Event, it looked like another holeshot for the 36 of Cole Seely, until he was pushed wide in the first turn, and relegated to fourth position. Cole fought hard for the entire 15 lap race staying in front of Kyle Cunningham, and putting pressure on Brock Tickle and Ken Roczen ahead of him.
Despite turning some great laps late in the race, Cole finished just off the podium in fourth. He now sits fourth in the series points, 20 points behind Josh Hansen. Travis Baker put in some really solid laps, finishing 9th overall for the night. Travis is twelfth in the series points, just 6 points behind James Decotis.
"It was a pretty good night," said Travis Baker. "We've got one more to go in Vegas and then we'll switch over to the outdoors, so I am looking forward to that."
The team has just one week to prepare for the AMA Supercross finals in Las Vegas next weekend. Besides both East and West series championships being decided, the top Lites riders will compete in the East-West Shootout. Catch all the action live on Speed.
TLD would like to thank all of our team sponsors: Lucas Oil, American Honda, PPG, Red Bull, SillyBrandz Global, Adidas, BioLytical Labs, Dunlop, McQueen Racing, VQ OrthoCare, Shock Doctor, Skullcandy, Renthal, Alpinestars, Pro Circuit, Primm MX Collection, Couts Heating & Cooling, Selle Italia, N-Style, VP Racing Fuels, Boyesen, ODI, DID, Rossignol, Pacific Collision Centers, Muc-Off, Kasey Kahne, Elrod Racing, New Era, Leatt, Cycra, Hammerhead, Hinson, Light Speed, Moto Tassinari, Twin Air, Talon, QTM, and EPIC Action Camera.
