Racer X Race Report: High Point
Saturday, June 11, 2011 | 10:40 PM
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PrintIf you’re a rider who doesn’t like the way things are going for you in Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross, just wait a bit and things will change. Ryan Villopoto and Blake Baggett both demonstrated great patience through the third round of the series, the 35th Annual Rockstar Energy Drink High Point National in Mt Morris, Pennsylvania.
Villopoto was patient through the first two weekends of the season, while his bike and body were not quite 100 percent, and then took advantage of a weekend off in the schedule last week, and showed up at High Point much closer to the form that made him a three-time champion in this series in the 250 class. For Baggett, he was patient in the races, choosing to save himself at the beginning for incredible charges late in the races.
A dominant moto win in the first race and a steady ride in the second netted Ryan Villopoto his first AMA Motocross win in over two years.
Cudby photos
Villopoto immediately demonstrated his return to form in the first 450 moto. Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey, the defending series’ champion, grabbed the early lead but made a mistake coming out of the second turn, allowing Villopoto to slip past him. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Villopoto immediately began logging fast laps and pulled a gap on Dungey. Dungey had a bolt break on his helmet visor right before the moto began, and had to ride the race with his visor pointing upwards.
Meanwhile, Mike Alessi made a high-profile return to the series on his Red Bull KTM when he mistimed the gate off the start and plowed right through it. He ran third for most of the moto, while behind him Muscle Milk Toyota Yamaha’s Davi Millsaps, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer and series points leader, TwoTwo Motorsports Bel-Ray Racing’s Chad Reed, battled for the final podium spot. Reed got hit in the collarbone with a rock and had to slow his pace slightly, allowing Millsaps to slip past and take over fourth, behind Alessi, Dungey and Villopoto. But Alessi was then penalized a position for jumping the start, handing third over to Millsaps.
Ryan Dungey rode to a solid second in the first moto, while Mike Alessi crossed the finish in third but was penalized a position for jumping the starting gate. Davi Millsaps was credited with third.
Cudby photo
Then the whole “just wait” thing came into play again. The race changed completely when heavy rain came down between the motos, leaving a muddy mess for moto two. Alessi grabbed the holeshot and checked out early, while Dungey crashed while running second. Then Millsaps crashed while running third. Alessi led Reed by a big margin until he fell, too, putting Reed into the number-one spot. Villopoto rallied in the slop to get second, which gave him the overall on the day via 1-2 finishes. Dungey rode hard to get back to third, pushing Alessi to fourth. Dungey’s 2-3 gave him second overall on the day ahead of Reed’s 5-1.
Chad Reed stayed steady in a sloppy second moto to take the victory.
Cudby photo
Patience paid off in the 250 class for Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Blake Baggett, too. Baggett won the season opener at Hangtown, then crashed back into the pack at round two at Freestone Raceway in Texas. He logged the fastest qualifying lap in 250 practice at High Point and got a good start, but soon dropped back to the tail of the top ten.
Up front? Pennsylvania’s own Darryn Durham, a privateer on an ElevenTen Mods/Morgantown Powersports Honda, and a rider who grew up racing in the area. Durham has never won an AMA Pro moto, but he was looking good as he passed Kilbarger Racing’s Nico Izzi for the lead and took off. DNA Shred Stix Star Racing Yamaha’s Ryan Sipes took over second but then crashed out for the day. This moved a torrid battle between Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki teammates Dean Wilson and Tyla Rattray in second. Wilson made the pass to take the runner up spot, but he was running out of time to catch Durham,
Then Baggett caught fire, and the whole race changed.
At the halfway mark, the Californian found another gear (just like he did en route to his overall win at Hangtown), passed Rattray and Wilson, and then closed the gap and passed Durham for the lead. Durham came unravled and made a few mistakes, partially because mud had built up under his rear brake pedal. Wilson and Rattray both got past to relegate the home track hero to fourth. Baggett took the win over Wilson and Rattray.
PA's own Darryn Durham dominated most of the first 250 moto.
But Blake Baggett logged a strong late-race charge to get him and take the win.
Dean Wilson followed his teammate Baggett through for second in moto one.
Cudby photos
Wilson and Rattray led off the start in moto two, and Wilson snagged the lead. It lasted for half only a few turns before he washed out and fell. Soon Baggett was in the lead again and looking to pull a big lead. He did, until he got sideways on a downhill and crashed hard. Rattray took the lead over Lucas Oil Troy Lee Honda’s Cole Seely, while Baggett went back to third, riding with his helmet visor bent backwards after the crash.
For a moment, it looked like Rattray would deliver the moto win. But once again Baggett found a whole different level of speed in the second half of the race, reeling in Seely and Rattray and simply leaving them behind, heading to an unquestioned 1-1 result and overall win for the day. His late race laps were up to four seconds faster than anyone else on the track.
Rattray’s 3-2 finishes put him in second overall, and he took the points lead from Wilson. Wilson fought valiantly to come back to eighth after his first lap crash, while GEICO Honda's Eli Tomac caught fire late in the race and snagged third. Tomac’s 6-3 scores put him on the podium for the day.
The series next moves to Budds Creek in Maryland next weekend.
Baggett now has two wins in three races.
Nico Izzi (42) had good starts but couldn't hold on for a top ten overall, but Tyla Rattray (28) took second overall to take over the series' lead.
Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship
Rockstar Energy High Point National
High Point Raceway - Mt. Morris, Pa.
June 11, 2011
Round 3 of 12
450 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki (1-2)
2. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki (2-3)
3. Chad Reed, Australia, Honda (5-1)
4. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM (4-4)
5. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha (3-9)
6. Kevin Windham, Baton Rouge, La., Honda (6-5)
7. Tommy Hahn, Great Bend, Kan., Yamaha (10-7)
8. Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Suzuki (8-10)
9. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki (7-11)
10. Nick Wey, Dewitt, Mich., Yamaha (14-8)
450 Class Championship Standings
1. Chad Reed, Australia, Honda - 138
2. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki - 123
3. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki - 111
4. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha - 104
5. Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Suzuki - 88
6. Kevin Windham, Baton Rouge, La., Honda - 76
7. Ricky Dietrich, Snohomish, Wash., Yamaha - 72
8. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki - 68
9. Tommy Hahn, Great Bend, Kan., Yamaha - 65
10. Christian Craig, El Cajon, Calif., Honda - 59
250 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Blake Baggett, Redlands, Calif., Kawasaki (1-1)
2. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki (3-2)
3. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda (6-3)
4. Dean Wilson, Scotland, Kawasaki (2-8)
5. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki (10-4)
6. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda (8-7)
7. Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda (11-5)
8. Kyle Cunningham, Irving, Texas, Yamaha (5-11)
9. Darryn Durham, Butler, Pa., Honda (4-14)
10. Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Honda (13-6)
250 Class Championship Standings
1. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki - 127
2. Dean Wilson, Scotland, Kawasaki - 125
3. Blake Baggett, Redlands, Calif., Kawasaki - 116
4. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda - 104
5. Kyle Cunningham, Irving, Texas, Yamaha - 90
6. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda - 79
7. Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda - 68
8. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki - 67
9. Gareth Swanepoel, South Africa, Yamaha - 61
10. Martin Davalos, Ecuador, Suzuki - 53
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Baggett is lookin something like RC
HOLESHOT!!!
during supercross this board would have had over 30 replies. dare I say, this is truly what racing dirtbikes is all about? Or is the coverage really that bad?
really :)? look the number of comments in followings pages ....
- 250 Moto 2 Report: High Point
- 250 Overall Results: High Point
- 250 Moto 2 Results: High Point
- 450 Moto 2 Report: High Point
- 450 Overall Results: High Point
- 450 Moto 2 Results: High Point
- 250 Moto 1 Report: High Point
- 250 Moto 1 Results: High Point
- 450 Moto 1 Report: High Point
- High Point 450 Moto 1 Results
Go Villo, Go Reed, Go Geiko Honda, Go Millsaps, Go Dietrich !!!
I like Andrew Short but the 350 thing is not working out. Alessi proved that today on the 450. KTM has ignored the big bike and threw everything into the 350. It might work with someone like Roczen on it but Shorty is a big bike rider.
U don't get it, son. Shorty chose for himself. Tested both bikes, and picked the 350. so IMO, I think he s faster on that, than he would've been on a 450. dontcha think?
everyone should know by now that i know everything about durtbickes.on a scale of 1-10 with 6 being the highest the tv coverage being split up like it is scores a solid big fat #2....wth? watch the first motos and come back 100 hrs later to see the results? ..its like going to a restaurant and they serve you your meal and then tell you that if you want a fork it will come in a hr or so after your meal is cold...
Honestly, I didn't like the track changes!
Looked like an outdoor sx with all the little rythm sections! There was no room for creative lines, and no passing also. Aside from crashes or fading.
A few years ago there was definitly more real outdoor arcing....
But what the heck is Bagget eating or drinking???
He makes the other riders look really, really bad in the second half of the motos!
Sorry for Durham, had the 1st moto in the bag before fading and mind games came into play
Has anyone noticed the 2-stroke KTM during the 1st 450 moto???
Cool!
Baggett was this fast last season on the Rockstar Suzuki Team. I implore everyone to watch Freestone lites moto 1 from last year . Watch #66 charge late in the race, coming from out of nowhere to get on the podium. The moment I saw that, I knew he was for real.
I went to Budds 2 rounds later telling anyone who would listen to watch out for this kid, Baggett on the Zuk. He ends up breaking his arm after having the 3rd fastest qualifying time in practice. Needless to say, I was bummed.
i think we all knew Baggett is fast from watching him last year, but d amn
this kid flies around the track.That 2nd moto was incredible. Looks as he weighs under a Benjamin. Wonder if he can hold onto a 450. Curious to compare the fastest lap times of both classes in the 1st moto ,since the 450`s raced in slop the 2nd. Is Cristian Craig hurt,dont persecute me if i spelled something wrong, i was riding dirt bikes instead of going to class
BB57 is nothing but business, that guy does not mess around. Impressive
really wanted to see dungey win but its all good, i`m also a huge villopoto fan. hope things keep on rollin, love this sport so much
@ The Dungey crew,,,,,,,, the seven P's.,..... P.P.P.P.P.P.P.! proper prior planning prevents piss poor performance.(compliments of U.S.M.C.) Outta gas, my visor broke... I'm not say'n second is bad, but I have to believe some distractions are at work here. I do not believe in luck. good or bad. WTF? over? Glad V2 back on his game.
whats that segment on NFL today? "CMAAAAWN MAN"
joemotocross ask the U.S.M.C about the seven Ps and D-day. not like he fills his own gas tank? and a broken visor? he deffinitly didnt plan that one out right. shit i know i would check the visor of a helment that fox handed to me outta the box.
either way sounds like the series is heating up. now that villipoto pulled one off its going to get really tight. 3 guys with the confidence to win is going to get interesting. worst part is i have been a fan of each one of these guys at some point through out their career.
that was a great first moto. Had to get the second moto updates on twitter, brutal!! Props to V2 on the O/A. Reed limited the damages by winning the second. Great season so far!!!!
the battlefiels is always fluid :P but C'moooooon man :P
the marine corps wasnt second on d day may i remind you sir
Last post to clarify "dungey crew" meaning mechanics, fuel people, goggle people, helmet people, it all goes hand in hand. And if ya picked a brand new helmet out the box, as you suggested, maybe better have a look see before ya get to the line? Any idea where most of that stuffs made? c'mooooon man.
Where is pourcel? Isnt Broc Hepler from pennsylvania? what ever happened tp him?
Dungey to KTM, I can't see him staying on Suzuki. Battery- unreal, what an awesome set of rides.
I for one applaud the guys at mx sports for getting every single moto televised. Sure we would all love to have four hours of live coverage every sat. But i believe this is a great step forward towards that goal. Big thanks and props to DC and crew!
I camped next to blake and his dad at glen helen in 03 and they were a great family and very nice people, its awesome to see him do so well as a pro.
Congrats to him and his crew.
Pourcels bike was not at the track. Something fishy is up.
@2-Stroke from Germany, I agree 100%, on the track changes. Its beginning to look like outdoor supercross. Rythym sections and whoops and all that. A few man-made jumps fine, but the rythyms and all are getting to be too much. And the timed qualifiers are making the tracks one-lined. The guys want to turn the fastest lap for qualifying so they wont get out of the fastest race line in the qualifyers, so the track gets one-lined. And its all due to the one-day format. It really has changed the sport and there isnt the multi-lined tracks we all used to love. Makes it too hard to pass.
But on the racing side, glad to see RV is healthy, he made short work of everyone the first moto. And I dont think the 350 is going to cut it outdoors. Short looked pretty good at the Des Nations, especially the last moto, and now he looks not so fast. I know on a top rider like RV or something he could be towards the front, but being down 8 horsepowr just isnt going to cut it for racing at the top level of the sport. For someone like myself it is a great bike, but not the top racers in the world. Alessi sure looks alot better on the 450.
Frenchy is headed back to Europe to ride on team his dad manages and will be back on kawi's
Hepler is retired after too many head injuries ( has the same dr that branden jessemen see) and is currently in community college working on a phys-ed degree.. hope he comes out for a few races, it be cool to see him bust out a few motos at his local tracks high point & steel city, i heard he still practices regularly and runs a few hare scramble on a yz 250 2smoker and still flies.
Anyone know where Shane Durham was in moto 2- finished 20th in moto1 but DNS for mot 2 ?
His brother Darryn looked great in moto ! almost won the dang think on a privateer bike, would be great if he got on Geico or PC equipment and training programs.
I Was there and only have 1 complaint which was the EPIC FAIL of the flaggers and medics in 250 moto 1 - #60-RUSK went down hard and wasn't moving and no sh*t it was 6laps he was down in back section of track until any of the medics came over,we actually grabbed the girl who was suppose to be flagging and HAD ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE what her job was and took her flag and then grabbed some of the yellow track markers and were waving them so the rest of the class would avoid crushing the downed rider and not cause even more wrecks.The other flagger who was up above the wreck and who also should have been waving the flag was busy sitting on a hay bale watching the moto and talking to his friend.
There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for this to happen- rider down for 6 laps before even being attended to and the flagger having no idea what they are suppose to being doing or what the purpose of being a flagger is !!!
Thankfully #60 Rusk was okay and there were many spectators around to get his bike off him, keep him from getting run over, and grab flags and tracker markers off of clueless flaggers to warn the rest of the riders and thanks to the TV cameraman who was filming who was able to get on his radio after he was notified but the crowd of people about the rider being down and not moving !
All in all it was great racing at high point as usual
@joemotocross, Dungey didnt just "run out of gas" as you seem to think. His gas boiled in the tank, and evaporated out the vent hose. The crew didnt forget to put gas in it. Give me a break, you didnt really think that did you??
@bd200
Ya i def agree with ya!!
I wish they would go back to the old style of outdoors and run 2 Heat races and a LCQ,
PRO Practice and Amateur Day racing on Saturdays
followed by Pro Qualifiers and Motos on Sundays :)
Congrats to Chad Reed on being appointed a Member of the Order of Australia!!! What a huge honor this must be!! He is a national Icon! And Mega Props to him and his proud Family!!!
I certainly agree about Short's 350 not adding up. I think #800 made a great return to the track & is going to be the bright spot for the Red Bull boys. Little misfire in moto 1 otherwise, back to back holeshots! Dang I'd like to have his starting skills!
Also, RV getting the O/A should quiet the "What's eating Villopoto?" people. He's still got an uphill task ahead of him to take the title that was all but handed to him at the beginning of the season.....I guess that's why we still run the races, eh?
Reed did exactly what a seasoned vet should do. Maximize assets & minimize liabilities.......walks out of PA. still in the drivers seat. Oh, and straight up beat a "fit" Villopoto in the 2nd moto which, should quiet down all the "RV will smoke Reed when he's healthy" jibber jabber.
Too early to nominate Baggett for an MX2 spot on Team U.S.A.????
Wanna know what I think? I think the suits at Suzuki made a huge error in not giving the man that made their motocross bikes worth riding a silly 3 yr contract. After all Roger has won Suzuki 5 world championships, he expressed he would like to retire from suzuki, (can't imagine why) but nope, Now somehow the gas disapears , evapotates, boils, whatever....then a gear problem on the line? I think Dungey is doing all he can to win, I dont think his supporters are, thats what I really think.
I am thinking that Bags tips the scales at around 125. This should translate into holeshot material on a 450 ... if he can hold on.
@joemotocross, I see what your saying, I really do. But I dont think Decoster can change the weather. I do agree he is probably one of the best team managers we will se in our lifetime. But Decoster doesnt make the helmets and he doesnt control the weather. I dont see how he could have changed anything in Freestone, it was hot, and it was exactly the same tank Dungey ran in Texas the year before with Decoster, so it is what it is.
@Carlsbad, yes Reed beat RV straight up, but I'm not sure how fit Rv is yet, and it was a muddy track. Reed is a great rider and I have always defended him against the Stewtards, but I dont think he is as fast as RV is. But we will see, I cant wait..
he might? ;0 I have thought god asked roger for advice all my life?
Baggett was crazy fast! Super impressive! And I'm not a Dungey fan, but I'm not a hater either- I want to like him, I mean he is a hard worker and he seems like a really nice kid- he looks way better outdoors than he did in the supercross season... and I have said it before and I'll say it again, but Chad Reed is really winning me over- his attitude is a complete 180, I mean I always thought of him as kind of a punk that thought too highly of himself, but across the board his attitude and his riding is nothing short of phenomenal! I really want to see him win this title, but I also think RV2 is only going to get faster... it is an exciting outdoor season, but It would be better if JG33, Canard, and JS7 were racing the whole season- and does anyone know what K-Dub is doing after Redbud- I mean will he switch back to Geico or will he just not be racing outdoors at all after that?
Baggett is an animal !! But he was taking a pretty big risk with that move on Rattray! Damn, he was cutting that close! He was so much faster, and he had some time left, that pass could have easily backfired. Wow, if Trey comes back healthy for the remainder of the season, choosing the MXDN team is gonna be impossible.
Four seconds a lap faster than anybody else ! You dont hear that said very often.
Blake Bagget is making it more interesting. Out-gutting Tyla Rattray at the end of a moto? Whew !
I hope Reedy can dominate this thing. so far he has won a moto at each race. Thats nice. Also I want Alessi to get up there too. He has a 450 now, no excuses.
I don't know for sure what K-dub's gonna do after Red Bud!!!,....but I'm guessing he'll be sitting in a hot-tub someplace, with a cold beverage, wife & kids.
All is right in the moto world now... RV is back!!! Just wait till Bud's... RV will be gone both moto's unless he has some real bad starts!! If he rides like he did there at the MXDN no one will be close!! He put 8sec on RD in moto 1 in about 3 laps on Saturday!!!
I hope Stewart decides to go racing because if RV keeps riding the way he did in the first moto things are going to get really boring. MotoGP is already a snoozer I hope this doesnt go the same way.
Shame about the rain before the second Motos. Speed only covered moto 2 and I saw only a handful were doing the big step-up double. That's what I wanted to see.
RV's riding style is strange. He doesn't look smooth or fast to me, but somehow he is. Shame about his (lack of) personality though. I can't stand watching his interviews. " my sponsors blah, blah blah". I wish he would just hold up a sign with all his sponsors and talk about the race.
yeah, but Dungey would have won that moto if his visor wasn.t jacked up... HAHAHA.....just kidding....Great to see RV back on track... Red Bud will be awesome...rumor has JS7 on the entry list?? Guess we'll see in a few days....
Why can’t we get some cameras on the track? Every other televised racing event has that perspective to allow new comers and seasoned fans alike to appreciate the speed of the combatants. Instead, this sport gets a few camera men who still have issues getting the rider in the frame. Maybe next round will be better.
I'm confused,I thought Obsolete man was Stewart!!!!
@Rick Melon, I really hope not about Stewie and Red Bud. Dont really need any part-timers showing up and causing a mess.. And I go to Red Bud every year and dont want to deal with a bunch of Stew-tard drama. Just real moto from real moto racers.
@Singletrack, RV has no personality?? Really? I have read and heard several interviews and he seems like a normal guy to me, very relaxed and driven to win. Just what we need in a Champion.
BB 4 seconds a lap faster at the last 2 tracks. He is the future.
Man that crazy ain't it? 4 secs? a lap.....s.o.b. im in, on the BB wagon.