Rockstar Makita Suzuki St. Louis Report
March 23, 2009, 2:05pm
Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing’s Chad Reed won his third AMA Supercross race of the season on Saturday night at St. Louis, Missouri’s Edward Jones Dome. The two-time, defending AMA Supercross Champion got a great start and charged hard all night to take the win in the 20-lap main. Prior to the main, Reed also won his heat race at the beginning of the night. This overall victory allows Reed to continue to lead the championship points chase. Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammate Mike Alessi rallied after a mid-week crash to finish an impressive fourth in his heat race and then seventh in the main event. Finally, Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Michael Byrne remains injured and did not race. He hopes to be back racing again soon.
In the Supercross Lites class, Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Nico Izzi overcame a nasty crash in practice to have a good night overall. The young rider finished second in his qualifying heat race and then ran second in the 15-lap main event for most of the race before bringing home a strong third-place finish. Izzi has been on the podium in all but one of the Supercross Lites races this year.
Chad Reed:
“Like I say every week, you’ve got to be in it to win it, and that’s what we’re doing. I was having a ball out there. The track was just awesome – Suzuki freestyle rider Travis Pastrana designed a great track and I just love the St. Louis dirt… I just kept my head down and rode my Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 as hard as I could and it was good for the win this week.”
Mike Alessi:
“My day started out a little rough. I had some back issues after my crash during the week. But I rode practice and after practice, I had to make a decision on whether I was going to race or not. And I realized I just had to get out there and do it. I had to be a gladiator and tough it out. It was important to get the points and it turned out pretty good. In my heat race, I got a good start and was fourth. In the main, I got another good start on my Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 and was right there with my teammate Chad Reed. I wound up riding my own race and ended up seventh, which isn’t bad considering I wasn’t even sure if I was going to race.”
Nico Izzi:
“It was a good race at St. Louis. Getting ready for this race, I went home and had a solid week of training. I came out to the Edward Jones Dome and felt really good. In the first practice, I was fastest and then in the second practice, I had a pretty bad get-off but I hung tight for a good race and I have to thank the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team for doing such a good job for me.”
Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing will race next at the Rodgers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, CANADA, on Saturday, March 28, 2009.
Chad Reed, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing RM-Z450, #1
1st Place – St. Louis Supercross
1st Place – Overall Championship Points Standings
Mike Alessi, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing RM-Z450, #800
7th Place – St. Louis Supercross
7th Place – Overall Championship Points Standings
Michael Byrne, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing RM-Z450, #26
DNR – St. Louis Supercross
NA – Overall Championship Points Standings
Nico Izzi, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing RM-Z250, #20
3rd Place – St. Louis Supercross Lites
3rd Place -- Overall Championship Points Standings
AMA Supercross Top 10 Finishers:
1. Chad Reed, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing
2. James Stewart, Yamaha
3. Josh Grant, Yamaha (Holeshot)
4. Andrew Short, Honda
5. Jason Lawrence, Yamaha
6. Ivan Tedesco, Honda
7. Mike Alessi, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing
8. Davi Millsaps, Honda
9. Kevin Windham, Honda
10. Paul Carpenter, Kawasaki
AMA Supercross Lites Top 10 Finishers:
1. Blake Wharton, Honda (Holeshot)
2. Austin Stroupe, Kawasaki
3. Nico Izzi, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing
4. Matt Goerke, Suzuki
5. Christophe Pourcel, Kawasaki
6. Matt Lemoine, Yamaha
7. Steven Clarke, Suzuki
8. Daniel Blair, Honda
9. Darryn Durham, Yamaha
10. Shane Sewell, Yamaha
In the Supercross Lites class, Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Nico Izzi overcame a nasty crash in practice to have a good night overall. The young rider finished second in his qualifying heat race and then ran second in the 15-lap main event for most of the race before bringing home a strong third-place finish. Izzi has been on the podium in all but one of the Supercross Lites races this year.
Chad Reed:
“Like I say every week, you’ve got to be in it to win it, and that’s what we’re doing. I was having a ball out there. The track was just awesome – Suzuki freestyle rider Travis Pastrana designed a great track and I just love the St. Louis dirt… I just kept my head down and rode my Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 as hard as I could and it was good for the win this week.”
Mike Alessi:
“My day started out a little rough. I had some back issues after my crash during the week. But I rode practice and after practice, I had to make a decision on whether I was going to race or not. And I realized I just had to get out there and do it. I had to be a gladiator and tough it out. It was important to get the points and it turned out pretty good. In my heat race, I got a good start and was fourth. In the main, I got another good start on my Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 and was right there with my teammate Chad Reed. I wound up riding my own race and ended up seventh, which isn’t bad considering I wasn’t even sure if I was going to race.”
Nico Izzi:
“It was a good race at St. Louis. Getting ready for this race, I went home and had a solid week of training. I came out to the Edward Jones Dome and felt really good. In the first practice, I was fastest and then in the second practice, I had a pretty bad get-off but I hung tight for a good race and I have to thank the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team for doing such a good job for me.”
Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing will race next at the Rodgers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, CANADA, on Saturday, March 28, 2009.
Chad Reed, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing RM-Z450, #1
1st Place – St. Louis Supercross
1st Place – Overall Championship Points Standings
Mike Alessi, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing RM-Z450, #800
7th Place – St. Louis Supercross
7th Place – Overall Championship Points Standings
Michael Byrne, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing RM-Z450, #26
DNR – St. Louis Supercross
NA – Overall Championship Points Standings
Nico Izzi, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing RM-Z250, #20
3rd Place – St. Louis Supercross Lites
3rd Place -- Overall Championship Points Standings
AMA Supercross Top 10 Finishers:
1. Chad Reed, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing
2. James Stewart, Yamaha
3. Josh Grant, Yamaha (Holeshot)
4. Andrew Short, Honda
5. Jason Lawrence, Yamaha
6. Ivan Tedesco, Honda
7. Mike Alessi, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing
8. Davi Millsaps, Honda
9. Kevin Windham, Honda
10. Paul Carpenter, Kawasaki
AMA Supercross Lites Top 10 Finishers:
1. Blake Wharton, Honda (Holeshot)
2. Austin Stroupe, Kawasaki
3. Nico Izzi, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing
4. Matt Goerke, Suzuki
5. Christophe Pourcel, Kawasaki
6. Matt Lemoine, Yamaha
7. Steven Clarke, Suzuki
8. Daniel Blair, Honda
9. Darryn Durham, Yamaha
10. Shane Sewell, Yamaha
