Racer X Race Report: Pala
Sunday, September 11, 2011 | 10:40 AM
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PrintOne of the most competitive and compelling seasons in the 40 year history of American Motocross came to a fitting conclusion this afternoon at the Traxxas Pala National in California, with Ryan Villopoto overcoming one more small contribution of drama to claim the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship in the 450 class. His title rival Ryan Dungey claimed the 450 overall win via 2-1 scores, but both he and Villopoto had to overcome bad starts in both motos, and race it out for a championship while coming through traffic, which only made the race more exciting. The 250 class was fun to watch, as well, with Dean Wilson winning two close races to go 1-1 and win the overall, a cap on his 2011 250 Championship campaign.
The 450 Championship captured much of the attention coming into the day, with Villopoto holding a 14-point advantage coming in. That's a sizable gap, but a big mistake could have swung the title to Dungey. And then things immediately turned crazy in moto one when TwoTwo Motorsports Bel-Ray Racing's Chad Reed bumped both Ryans off the start, and a few seconds later Reed went down in the first turn. Both Villopoto and Dungey ended up way back, and early on, Villopoto made the type of mistake Dungey was looking for. Villopoto landed so hard off of a jump that his right hand came off the bars. He was side by side with Dungey at the time, and Dungey even gave a look to see if Villopoto was able to hold on.
He did. They continued their march forward while Red Bull KTM's Mike Alessi led American Honda's Justin Barcia. Barcia then passed Alessi to snag the lead. Villopoto and Dungey passed each other back and forth a few times, with Villopoto finally locking down second and then going after Barcia. Late in the race, he made the move for the lead, and with two laps to go Dungey made the pass on Barcia as well. Dungey charged hard to the end, but came up short on Villopoto, who won the moto and extended the lead to 17 points heading into the final moto.
In both motos, Dungey (1) and Villopto stayed in close formation while fighting through the pack. Note the Motocross of Nations graphics and gear on the Team USA riders.
Simon Cudby photo
Villopoto could have cruised, but he won the first moto to take a step close to the title.
Simon Cudby Photo
A first-turn crash hurt Chad Reed in moto one, but he led several laps in moto two before another small crash.
Simon Cudby photo
They got bad starts in the second moto, too, while this time Reed jumped out front along with Muscle Milk Toyota JGR's Justin Brayton, and Barcia. It appeared the two Honda riders, Reed and Barcia, were set to go 1-2 while the Ryans had to battle through traffic again. But Reed fell while leading, handing the top spot to Barcia. Dungey then passed Reed to take over second, and Villopoto followed him through to third. With Barcia leading, he held the overall win with 3-1 scores, but with two laps to go, Dungey pushed the pace even harder and was able to reel in the Honda man to take the lead before the white flag came out. With that, Dungey was set for a 2-1 overall win, while Villopoto locked down the title with 1-3 scores, with Barcia rounding out the podium--after coming within two laps of the overall win.
Reed fell while leading the second 450 moto, leaving Barcia in the lead to collect the overall. He came within two laps of getting it.
Simon Cudby photo
Villopoto with another number one plate.
Simon Cudby photo
In the WMX class, American Honda Racing's Ashley Fiolek claimed her third career championship by staying smart and consistent, while Jessica Patterson swept both motos, but came up short of defending her crown.
Dean Wilson and Blake Baggett put on a superb first moto battle.
Simon Cudby photo
Ashley Fiolek claimed her third WMX crown in four pro seasons.
Simon Cudby photo
Jessica Patterson scored a 1-1 overall win but had to hand over her number one plate.
Simon Cudby photo
In 250 action, the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team continued their season of dominance. Blake Baggett grabbed the early lead in moto one, but Wilson made an early pass on him. Tyla Rattray went past Baggett as well, with Marvin Musquin close behind in fourth on a Red Bull KTM. But in the second half of the race, Baggett began to show flashes of his early-season speed, passing Rattray back and closing back in on Wilson. They engaged in a great battle for the lead down the stretch, but Wilson held off repeated pass attacks from Baggett to take the moto win by just one second. After the race, tempers flared as Baggett took issue with Wilson. He claimed Wilson cross jumped him, and they argued after the race. In the pits, Team Owner Mitch Payton quickly calmed his boys down and declared the fued was over.
They never got a chance to battle in moto two. Instead, GEICO Honda men Jimmy DeCotis and Justin Bogle got out front. Wilson moved up to second, but Bogle held the lead late, with Wilson finally getting by around the 25 minute mark. Bogle rode hard to the end, and he had to, with Bagget overcoming his bad start to get to third and nearly run him down. But Baggett ended up third, good enough for second overall. Musquin's 4-4 made him third for the second-straight weekend.
Rattray's 3-5 allowed him to edge Baggett by just three points for second in the championship. Another close battle came next, with Eli Tomac overcoming rough starts to salvage ninth overall, and edge Kyle Cunningham for fourth in the final standings by three points.
New pro Justin Bogle nearly won the second 250 moto.
Simon Cudby photo
Wilson made big leaps look easy on his way to a win.
Simon Cudby photo
The 450 podium.
Simon Cudby photo
The 250 podium.
Simon Cudby photo
Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship
Traxxas Pala National
Pala Raceway - Pala, Calif.
September 10, 2011
Round 12 of 12
450 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki (2-1)
2. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki (1-3)
3. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda (3-2)
4. Brett Metcalfe, Mannum, Australia, Suzuki (5-5)
5. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM (4-7)
6. Kyle Regal, Howell, Mich., Suzuki (6-8)
7. Chad Reed, Kurri Kurri, Australia, Honda (12-4)
8. Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Yamaha (9-6)
9. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki (10-12)
10. Les Smith, York, S.C., Yamaha (14-9)
450 Class Championship Standings
1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki - 526
2. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki - 514
3. Chad Reed, Kurri Kurri, Australia, Honda - 429
4. Brett Metcalfe, Mannum, Australia, Suzuki - 374
5. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM - 304
6. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki - 271
7. Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Yamaha - 218
8. Andrew Short, Colorado Springs, Colo., KTM - 196
9. Kevin Windham, Baton Rouge, La., Honda - 193
10. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha - 173
250 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Dean Wilson, Glasgow, Scotland, Kawasaki (1-1)
2. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki (2-3)
3. Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM (4-4)
4. Tyla Rattray, Durban, South Africa, Kawasaki (3-5)
5. Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Honda (10-2)
6. Gareth Swanepoel, Johannesburg, South Africa, Yamaha (5-7)
7. Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha (6-8)
8. Jason Anderson, Las Cruces, N.M., Suzuki (8-9)
9. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda (7-11)
10. Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Honda (14-10)
250 Class Championship Standings
1. Dean Wilson, Glasgow, Scotland, Kawasaki - 538
2. Tyla Rattray, Durban, South Africa, Kawasaki - 472
3. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki - 469
4. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda - 314
5. Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha - 311
6. Gareth Swanepoel, Johannesburg, South Africa, Yamaha - 300
7. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki - 253
8. Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Honda - 213
9. Martin Davalos, Quito, Ecuador, Suzuki - 213
10. Darryn Durham, Butler, Pa., Honda - 195
WMX Class (Moto Finish)
1. Jessica Patterson, Tallahassee, Fla., Yamaha (1-1)
2. Tarah Gieger, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico., Honda (3-2)
3. Ashley Fiolek, St. Augustine, Fla., Honda (2-3)
4. Vicki Golden, El Cajon, Calif., Kawasaki (4-4)
5. Steffi Laier, Germany, KTM (6-5)
6. Sayaka Kaneshiro, Osaka, Japan, Suzuki (5-6)
7. Mariana Balbi, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Yamaha (11-7)
8. Sarah Whitmore, Cheboygan, Mich., KTM (10-9)
9. Marissa Markelon, Bridgeport, Conn., Yamaha (12-11)
10. Tatum Sik, Fallbrook, Calif., Honda (9-14)
WMX Class Standings
1. Ashley Fiolek, St. Augustine, Fla., Honda - 363
2. Jessica Patterson, Tallahassee, Fla., Yamaha - 349
3. Tarah Gieger, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico., Honda - 310
4. Jacqueline Strong, Cottonwood, Ariz., KTM - 209
5. Vicki Golden, El Cajon, Calif., Kawasaki - 207
6. Marissa Markelon, Bridgeport, Conn., Yamaha - 187
7. Kasie Creson, Vallejo, Calif., Honda - 180
8. Alexah Pearson, Sacramento, Calif., KTM - 176
9. Sayaka Kaneshiro, Osaka, Japan, Suzuki - 171
10. Lindsey Palmer, Albuquerque, N.M., Honda - 155
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The first moto was awsome!! RV showed why he is the CHAMP!!! He could have just stayed behind RD but NO, takes the lead and puts 7 sec on RD!!! With 4 moto's left either could have won the title but it was RV who won 3 of the last 4 motos. He just got better and better as the year went on. Props to RD aswell he stepped it up this year with speed and the last 3 races showed more aggression then I have ever seen from him. It was nice to see. Both these guys are good guys and seem to respect each other too. Man I can't wait to see what they do to the world next week!!!
.Can't wait till next year already!!
They both mad Barciae look slow!!! RD passed him the same spot both moto's like he was going backwards!!! RD had that section dieled all day. They must have been doing 70mph thru that section!!! Crazy!!
WTF was REED doing in the first moto on the start?? Came over on the 10 guys inside him!! That looked bad!! What was that all about??
@BillC Determination for a holeshot?
Congrats to Ashley on winning her 3rd title in 4 seasons, better than most men. And guys say JP is faster, no way, great job for the women though.
The picture of the two Ryan's is priceless! They are class acts! Alot of people could learn form this, you dont have to hate to compete. In 97 MC and Emig were going at it for the title, at the Millville round, after the races, at the Holiday Inn I had a knock on my door. It was Button asking if he could borrow my trash can, I gave it to him and he left. Come to find out Mc and Button were in the room next to mine and they were not alone. I could here a party going on, so I gathered my courage and a pizza then knocked on their door. Emig opened it, invited me in as he took a piece of pie. To my surpise here were 12 of the racers in the room havin a beer together. I wont go into the rest of the evening,as it got wild, but my point is even though they are were going at it on the track,thats where it stayed, on the track. Those guys all respected each other cause they knew what went into racing at that level. So congrtats to The New Champ, you earned it ! To the Dunge and all the rest Thanks for all the hard work put in to makeing it a wonderful year! Now go kick some Euro butt!!!! USA USA USA USA USA USA USA
Thank god for these two racers. Could you imagine another year if either one of these two were not racing. Boooring! And love him or hate him even Barcia was a breath of fresh air as he at least gives these guys a test. Please stay healthy Trey! That will even add more to this class. Some of these other riders really need to step up as they are finishin nearly a minute or more behind these guys. Alessi needs to compete or pops is going to have a coronary!
What an awesome day of racing!!! Pala lived up to their promise. I was looking forward to a horrible traffic mess both coming and going but it was well organized.Got in and out of the event with ease!!! They seemed to give priority to the people leaving the event verus people just traveling on Hwy 76. Good for us but bad for them!!!
Crusing the pits was easy too. Riders made themselves accessible for chatting and autographs.
It was fun watching the new kids coming up. Bogle was flippin his bike sideways, BIG TIME!!! Wilson not to be outdone put on a good show as well.
Ashley seemed to be riding a bit on the guarded side. Not sure what was going on with her. Tara passed her a few times. Maybe just riding smart. Patterson looked awesome. She was riding like the big boys!!! Hope Kasie Creson is OK. She was on the Medic Mule and was holding her arm or shoulder. She was not happy.
Congrats to Villopoto. I hope he wears the #1 next year.
Go team USA!!! VILLOPOTO, DUNGEY & BAGGETT Awesome team!!!
I'm with you Bill. Can't wait for next year!!!
penguin_bob... I get that but seemed a little bit of an odd move at this point in the season...no? Maybe Suz payed him figuring if RD came out on the good end of it knowing it was going to happen RD could win the title?? Hmmmmmmmmmm LOL
BD200 I would argue that JP is "faster" but because she crashes it away se lost. Head to head JP almost always come out oin top... OH NO its the whole JS is the fastest thing again!! LOL
Johnmotoman RV will run the #1... Y have to now, no choise any more.
Good job to "The Flying Canuck" Dean Wilson. Showed that the Great White North can put out some real talent.
And congrats to RV. Definitely worthy of the title. However, it is also important to acknowledge that once and for all, Dungey proved he was a worthy outdoor champ. Villopoto got the title, but it was a back and forth battle. There were some races where Villo smoked Dungey, but there were races where "The Dunge" smoked Villo just as convincingly. And certainly, there were some bike problems that were out of Dungey's hands. However, Villopoto showed that he deserved the title in the last four motos, no question.
If the two Ryans are the future of the sport, then the future looks bright.
Remember all the victims of the september 11, you are all heroes.
Villo AMA 450 Champion? one word, JUSTICE! Thanks and kudos to Ryan Villopoto, Ryan Dungey, and Chad Reed for that terrific national outdoor championship. one question, nobody get hurt on that great but crazy Pala track? sorry for my bad English.
It's really a pity that mega-wee-knee JS7 couldn't see fit to join the REAL pros in the fabulous season. It would have been SPECTACULAR watching James get his clocked cleaned week after week! My guess he is just too busy with his collection of high dollar toys and playing fake cop on the streets of Central Florida to find the time and join in on the best that motocross has to offer. I remember a time when he was a thrill to watch. Guess he's find his new nitch with disrespecting his fans and our sport and his sponsors. This years field of REAL PROS will make is very hard for Mr. Stewart to make a respectable showing in the upcoming SX season or whatever that Monster Energy Shootout thing brings. That is of course if Mr. Stewart chooses to show up! If you do do "Bubba"...ur gonna' have your work cut out for you even before the first drop of the gate! These boyz are primed and ready to support the fans and sponsors! You on the other hand....in the opinion of OH so many of your once loyal fan base...not so much!
nice. bash james...your a dork moto dog wait till next season..
Got a chip on your shoulder there "motodog2012"?? Geez!!Haha. Anyway, there obviously must be something i don't understand about MX track design because so many people complained about the Pala track and i thought it was awesome!! That was one of the most exciting tracks to watch these guys ride this year. Maybe it was just the high speed nature of it but that was just too much fun to watch!! Barcia is no fluke on that 450 either, i'm thinking he might do some damage in that class! Congrats to both Ryan's on great seasons!! Go get 'em at the MXoN!!
-formerly MX117 (someone already took that name)- Awesome year. I was pulling for Dungey, but I couldn't help but feel happy for Villopoto when he held up that number one plate. What a well earned championship. I love how respectful both of the Ryans are to each other. Very humble of Dungey to congratulate him like he did. Nothing dirty all year from either of them, aggressive but never dirty. We haven't been treated to races like these since Carmichael vs. Stewart, ironically on the same teams. Props to Reed as well. He was on fire until his crash snuffed out the flames a bit. The guy keeps on surpassing everyone's expectations. Bring on the des Nations!
@BillC, JP is fast, but Ashley has won the title 3 of the last 4 times, she is the one who has been winning. And I think she is fast and smoother with her speed. JP has to really let it hang out to beat Fiolek, so I feel Ashley has that little bit of an advantage. I have met both of them a few times and both are very cool. really ea
sy going, my wife is a big fan of thiers, and my son is of Ashley of course. LOL!!
@pizzacorner, really?? The fastest didnt win, sounds like a Stewtard making excuses. they both raced every moto the whole season, and the best one won the title. Easy enough.
How fitting that after the last round the first episode of The Moto aired (or at least I watched it for the first time). Alessi's camp happy that #800 "made" Dungey pull over in practice. Tony is so animated it almost makes you think he has a Screen Actors Guild card.
@pizzacorner.....Salma Hayek, that woman from Modern Family, J Lo when she's shown from the front, um, Ricky Martin. Whoa, wait.
@pizzacorner, its obvious you have favortism towards JP, and thats fine, but to say Fiolek gets "perks" because she is deaf is sickening, and your an as$ for even implieing that. She deserves and has earned everything she has by winning, 3 of the last 4 titles, and she got 2nd the one she didnt win. JP herself last season said she had equipment as good as Ashley and that allowed her to beat her. Ashley is fast and wins titles, its why she has the good ride. No different than RD or RV, or any other rider. "treated to perks" Your a piece of sh#t for even implieng that.
pizzacorner i know ash ! and when i read your comment i felt like jumping threw my monitor knocking your ass out !!! we dont need people like you in MX !!! stay off this site !!!
great season, and penguin_bob i couldnt stop laughing at what u said, GO TEAM USA, and i no everyone is saying things about dungey and im on board as well with " dont go to ktm" but isnt that what everyone said when carmichael left honda for suzuki and then rode even harder, just curious how it is all going to come together, it will be interesting
pizzaface is an idiot for making a comment about Ashley like that. That gal has worked hard for everything she has. I have watch her at many nationals and she is a great rider. So did they hand her 3 titles too, no she worked for it also. No doubt Jessica is fast, in fact she destroyed the rest of the field yesterday, just came up short on the points. I was also impressed with Justin Bogles ride, that kid hauls ass and was throwing some sick whips yesterday. But Deano is just amazing how fast he just lays it down, wasn't aobut to let Bagget beat him. It was great to get up there close and watch those kids go. Great job to all of them.
so dang, I'd be doomed to hell or riding a factory Honda if i typed anything that you guys didn't like. I thought it was a nice day to be as one. About 10 years ago to the day I reenlisted into the U.S. Army and immediately deployed to Germany. In 2003 my unit was in Kuwait waiting for a war. Some conflict, somewhere, house clearing, desert training.... We were just hanging on "movement orders." Training to sweat..
I came home in 07 and learned that Carmichael ( the Little Red One) was the man.
I have not raced since 2001 but me and a bunch of others limp to Budds every summer. Dungey and Villopoto and the locals who show up make us feel better than any VA hospital doctor ever could. It's been a great year. Way to go Villopoto
The Wilson boy sure isn't afraid to hang it out!!!! Reminds me a bit of Pastrana in his younger years. He looks like he will adapt to the bigger bikes just fine when that time comes also....As for the Ryans...They are both worthy of the championship, that's for sure...Poto was just able to keep it together and showed true grit when it was needed..Go USA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What was Baggett all pissy about after the first moto?? Fro did not see anything nor did I. Mitch ended it real soon too LOL
Like Jordan in the fourth quarter, Villopoto closed it out down the stretch. Hes unbelievable when everything is on the line and thats what legends are made of. Awesome season for Dungey as well, our sport is in good hands!!
Sharff150, Thats right!! With 4 moto's left the title could have gone to either butRD is the one who needed wins more but RV wins 3 of the last 4 and could have won the 4th I would bet. Like I have said before the kid loves the pressure and it dose not affect him at all. RD rode more aggressivelythe last 5 motos than I have ever seen I think.. whitch was nice to see. Next year should be EPIC!!! But I will put my money on the little red head again... In SX I still think JS will be there, RV and JS in SX will win the most races again is my bet and one of them will win the title too.
Congrats to Ashley and RV on their titles. Maybe they should get married and have some SuperMXers.