KTM Race Report: Motocross Round 2 - Freestone

June 7, 2010, 1:41pm

Wortham, TX – Jagermeister/KTM rider Mike Alessi and FMF/KTM rider Tommy Searle each had disappointing rides at the second round of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship Series but managed to earn some much needed championship points to stay in the race.

Alessi had a great start to his day turning the fastest lap time of the qualifying practice session to earn first gate pick heading into the first moto. He had a good jump off the start of moto one but had a bobble which caused his foot to fall off the foot peg and miss a shift down the start straight which gave him an untypical bad start.

From his mid-pack start Alessi was able to work his way toward the top ten. He soon found himself in 11th place and settled there for the majority of the race. “I felt really tight the first moto and couldn’t get in a good groove,” commented Alessi. Right before the two lap mark Alessi suffered a crash while closing in on the 10th place ride of Davi Millsaps. Alessi was quick to recover with the electric start on his KTM 350 SX-F and only lost one position. He finished the moto in 12th place.

While Alessi returned to the pits to evaluate his race and recover from the 100 degree plus temperatures, FMF/KTM rider Tommy Searle headed to the start line. Searle had a remarkable first moto at the opening round of the series earning 2nd overall but suffered a hard crash in the second moto putting him into the ground on his injured shoulder. “I took most the week off after Hangtown to let my shoulder heal but it is definitely still causing me some problems here,” remarked Searle.

When the gate dropped Searle took off down the start straight with a mid-pack start. He came out around 16th and tried his hardest to move up through the pack and salvage points while trying not to push too hard on his injured shoulder. He finished the first moto in 12th. “It’s definitely disappointing to finish outside of the top ten as my goal was to be within the top three at each round this series,” stated Searle.

All eyes were on Alessi in 450 moto two as the gate was about to drop. This time Alessi had a much better start coming around the first corner in 3rd position. He quickly moved into 2nd place and began to close on leader Brett Metcalfe. The top five riders pulled on the pack out front and Alessi remained right on the tail of Metcalfe. On lap three Alessi was able to make a pass for the lead. He led the race approximately three laps before he crashed in the same corner he did in the first moto handing the lead to Ryan Dungey. Alessi recovered in 6th place about 25 seconds down from Dungey. Alessi did his best to recover and gain back lost positions. He eventually caught up to Andrew Short on the final lap and made the pass for 5th position. Alessi’s 12-5 scores gave him 7th for the day and he is now 3rd in overall points.

“This definitely wasn’t my best race but I still felt good on the bike and I know I had the speed to run up front – I just made a few mistakes that cost me today,” remarked Alessi.

The second 250 moto was a repeat of the first for Searle. His start was slightly better completing the first lap in 8th place but a series of mistakes and a weakening shoulder put him right outside the top ten for the majority of the race. He did have a good battle with Jake Weimer and Blake Baggett in the final three laps for the 11th place position but eventually finished in 13th. His 12-13 scores earned him 12th overall.

Next Event: June 13, 2010 – Mt. Morris, PA – Highpoint Raceway

Overall Results 450 Class:
1. Ryan Dungey (1-1)
2. Chad Reed (2-3)
3. Kyle Regal (6-2)
4. Brett Metcalfe (7-4)
5. Josh Grant (5-10)
6. Thomas Hahn (4-12)
7. Mike Alessi (12-5) – KTM
8. Ben Townley (3-16)
9. Kyle Chisholm (9-9)
10. Michael Byrne (8-11)
11. Kyle Cunningham (13-8)
12. Nick Wey (11-13)
13. Andrew Short (6-15)
14. Matt Goerke (38-7)
15. Heath Harrison (15-14)

Overall Results 250 Class:
1. Christophe Pourcel (1-5)
2. Tyla Rattray (6-1)
3. Dean Wilson (3-3)
4. Broc Tickle (8-2)
5. Trey Canard (4-7)
6. Eli Tomac (2-11)
7. Wil Hahn (9-6)
8. Jake Weimer (5-12)
9. Max Anstie (15-4)
10. Justin Barcia (10-8)
11. Martin Davalos (13-9)
12. Tommy Searle (12-13) – KTM
13. Blake Wharton (7-34)
14. Matt Lemoine (14-15)
15. Phil Nicoletti (16-14) – KTM

Overall Points 450 Class:
1. Chad Reed – 87
2. Ryan Dungey – 76
3. Mike Alessi – 68
4. Brett Metcalfe – 66
5. Josh Grant – 60

Overall Points 250 Class:
1. Christophe Pourcel – 86
2. Eli Tomac – 77
3. Dean Wilson – 69
4. Trey Canard – 68
5. Broc Tickle – 61