Honda Red Riders First and Third at Budds Creek

June 20, 2011, 8:20pm

Torrance, CA: Round four of the 2011 AMA Pro Motocross Championship took place at Budds Creek Raceway in Mechanicsville, MD, over the weekend, and the Honda Red Riders used their Honda CRF250Rs and CRF450Rs to score a couple of podiums. TwoTwo Motorsports’ Chad Reed picked up his third overall victory of the season, while GEICO Honda’s Justin Barcia had his best showing of the year, finishing third overall. American Honda Racing rider Josh Grant made an impressive return to racing, while teammate Kevin Windham finished just off the podium.

After getting a mid-pack start in moto one, Windham rode a solid come-from-behind race to take the checkers in fourth. In the second moto, he again finished a solid fourth to end the weekend fourth overall. Grant made a strong return to Motocross racing after sitting out the first three rounds in the series due to injury, going 8-10 for 10th overall. “It definitely feels good to be back racing with the team,” said Grant. “My goal for this weekend was to finish inside the top 10, and I achieved that. It’s a matter of riding myself into racing shape, and I’m looking forward to even better things in Colorado next week.”

Reed recorded his third overall win of the season by going 3-1 aboard his TwoTwo Motorsports/American Honda Racing–prepared CRF450R. In moto one Reed put in a solid ride, running near the front of the pack the entire moto and eventually crossing the finish line in third place. He launched off to a strong start in the second moto, making a strong pass for the lead on lap five. Once out front, Reed never relinquished control and took his fourth-straight moto-two win and his third overall victory of the season. In doing so, he protected his 15-point lead in the championship. “It’s been a great season so far,” said Reed. “I’ve got a great team around me, and I’m having an absolute ball out there racing. There’s a lot of talent in the 450 class, so there’s no room for slacking. I will have to bring my A game every week if I want to stay on top.”

In the 250 class, GEICO Honda’s Justin Barcia scored his first podium result of the season, going 6-2 aboard his CRF250R for third overall. His GEICO Honda teammate Eli Tomac put in a strong performance by finishing fifth in both motos for fourth overall. Honda racer Nico Izzi earned 10th overall.

450 Class Overall Results

1. Chad Reed (Honda) 3-1

2. Ryan Villopoto 1-3

3. Ryan Dungey 2-2

4. Kevin Windham (Honda) 4-4

5. Mike Alessi 5-5

6. Brett Metcalfe 6-6

7. Davi Millsaps 7-9

8. Jake Weimer 10-7

9. Andrew Short 9-8

10. Josh Grant (Honda) 8-10

450 Class Championship Points (after 4 of 12 rounds)