MDK KTM Race Report Round 5

June 30, 2008 6:48am

Lakewood, CO – The 5th round of the AMA National Motocross Championship Series kicked off at 6:00pm Saturday night for the first “under the lights” race in National Motocross history.

MDK KTM Factory Lites rider Martin Davalos enjoyed the change in the schedule while also proving that the two-week break prior was just what he needed to get back up to pace. He started an impressive 5th place in Lites moto one, followed closely by his teammates Matt Goerke and Ryan Sipes holding 7th and 8th. The final team member, Justin Brayton, had a much worse start, appearing 28th around the first turn.

Matt Goerke

“I felt great today! The track was rough, but I enjoyed it. My training and endurance has improved significantly in the time off and I’m at a point where I can hold a fast pace much longer than I’ve shown in the previous four rounds,” commented Davalos. He was a man of his word, as he battled up front the first five laps of the moto not dropping from the pace until a mistake on his part caused him to lose his front end in a turn. That tip-over caused Davalos to fall back to 9th. His crash moved the MDK KTM rides of Goerke and Sipes into the 6th and 7th position. Meanwhile, at the halfway mark, Brayton had moved up six positions from his mediocre start.

Ryan Sipes

With few laps remaining all eyes were on the KTM riders as Davalos had caught up to Sipes to pursue a battle for 8th. The two riders chased each other for two laps with Davalos attempting four passing alternatives before making the pass stick. Davalos would hold on to secure 8th place; his best moto finish of the year. Goerke certainly deserved a shout out after battling for a top five spot the majority of the moto eventually falling one spot shy to take 6th. Sipes finished 11th after losing a couple positions with a last lap mistake. Brayton struggled throughout the moto, only able to climb from his poor start into 21st.

In Motocross moto one, the first KTM in view was local Colorado boy on the RPM KTM backed ride, Kyle Summers. MDK KTM Factory riders Nick Wey and Billy Laninovich got shut out on the start appearing 25th and 32nd respectively around the first turn.

Wey picked up his pace and passed one to two riders every lap throughout the halfway point desperately trying to catch up to the top riders. Meanwhile, Summers had passed two riders to move into 11th. On lap 11, Wey passed Justin Sipes and Matt Boni to move into 16th coming within a bike length of Josh Hill whom he’d been pacing the entire moto. Wey eventually finished 15th picking off one more rider before the checkers. Summers finished 10th overall in one of the most amazing runs of his motocross career, while Laninovich struggled in his first return back to racing since mid-way through the Supercross season finishing 32nd overall after one hard crash.

Nick Wey

In Lites moto two, Davalos jumped out front again, this time in 2nd off the start. Sipes came around 7th, Goerke 8th and Brayton in 22nd. Davalos held a fast pace and clung to that number two position behind current moto leader Josh Grant. Sipes and Goerke were riding just as well behind him battling inside the top ten.

By lap 7, Davalos was still holding on to 2nd until a hard charging Ryan Villopoto got around him. Davalos slipped back to third but was still going strong when a bike problem on lap 10 put him out of the race. He was eventually credited for 32nd in that moto. Despite his bad luck his teammates were still in hot pursuit of a top finish. Goerke finished 10th, Sipes was one position in front of him in 9th while Brayton had put in an impressive ride from the back to finish 13th. Goerke and Sipes combined moto scores earned them both a top ten finish for the day.

Motocross moto two, went much better for the MDK KTM Factory ride of Wey as he started the moto closer to the front in 12th. Summers came around in 18th while Laninovich was near last in 38th. Wey stayed smooth and consistent throughout the moto to finish 10th. Summers had another great finish in his rookie year of the Motocross class, moving up to 13th while Laninovich finished 30th. Wey’s 15-10 results earned him 12th overall while Summers finished one spot better in 11th.

Next Event: Round 6 – Red Bud, July 5-6, 2008, Buchanan, MI

Motocross Lites Class Overall Results:

R. Villopoto – 1,1
J. Grant – 4,2
N. Izzi – 2,4
T. Canard – 5,3
D. Reardon – 7,7
M. Lemoine – 10,5
M. Goerke – 6,10
J. Weimer – 9,8
M. Brown – 12,6
R. Sipes – 11,9
R. Dungey – 3,38
A. McFarlane – 13,11
B. Metcalfe – 15,12
M. Davalos – 8,32
W. Hahn – 17,15
K. Chisholm – 16,17
J. Brayton – 21,13
K. Cunningham – 25,14
J. Lawrence – 14,34
B. Tickle – 20,16

Series Points – Motocross Lites:

R. Villopoto – 241
R. Dungey – 183
A. Stroupe – 152
J. Weimer – 152
B. Metcalfe – 143
J. Lawrence – 120
D. Reardon – 104
N. Izzi – 92
M. Goerke – 89
T. Canard – 83
R. Sipes – 80

Motocross Class Overall Results:

J. Stewart – 1,1
M. Alessi – 2,2
D. Millsaps – 4,3
A. Short – 3,4
M. Byrne – 5,6
T. Ferry – 8,5
S. Hamblin – 7,8
S. Collier – 6,9
J. Hill – 13,7
J. Alessi – 9,12

K. Summers – 10,13
N. Wey – 15,10
M. Blose – 11,16
A. Balbi – 17,11
M. Boni – 14,14
T. Sewell – 12,17
S. Skinner – 16,19
R. Clark – 29,15
R. Grantom – 18,18
R. Fitch – 19,33

Series Points – Motocross:

J. Stewart – 250
M. Alessi – 199
D. Millsaps – 188
T. Ferry – 179
A. Short – 141
M. Byrne – 130
N. Wey – 103
S. Hamblin – 102
I. Tedesco – 95
J. Alessi - 94