Sign of the Lap Times Anaheim 1

With another season opener tucked away in the record books, teams and riders now have a better understanding of what lies ahead in 2012. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto began his title defense with a controlling performance, as the defending champion began 2012 right where 2011 left off—winning races. Chad Reed and Ryan Dungey were their typical consistent selves, while James Stewart looked flat and out-of-sync en route to a disappointing sixth place finish. In Lites West, there looks to be a host of contenders, but for now Cole Seely controls his own destiny in a talented young field. We will have plenty of bench racing topics for you to digest throughout the week, so sit back, relax, and take a look at the lap charts from Anaheim.

Let’s keep this short and simple: Ryan Villopoto was a step above the rest at Anaheim, blasting the field en route to his second consecutive A1 win. He also set the fastest lap of the night with a 1:00.409 on lap 2.

Anaheim typically weeds out who did and who didn’t do their homework during the off-season. Jake Weimer obviously did his homework. Looking for redemption in 2012 after an injury-plagued 2011 season, Weimer was solid in his A1 SX debut—slicing through the pack finishing inside the top five. But what really stood out was that Weimer set his fastest lap, a 1:02.487, on lap 18! Really showing that he had plenty left in the tank down the stretch.

Whether you loved or hated the track (there seems to be little middle ground on this subject) you have to give credit to the track crew for extending the race. Many have been clamoring for longer lap times, and we saw them at Anaheim, as no one managed to set a fast lap under the one-minute mark.

Ryan Villopoto dominated the field en route to his second consecutive A1 win.
Photo: Simon Cudby

AMA Supercross Lites

Lap Rank	Finish	Best Lap	In Lap	Avg Lap Time	Rider
1	3	1:01:359	9	1:02:926	Eli Tomac
2	1	1:01:847	12	1:02:590	Cole Seely
3	6	1:02:041	10	1:04:209	Dean Wilson
4	4	1:02:127	10	1:03:641	Marvin Musqiun
5	8	1:02:186	4	1:04:424	Wil Hahn
6	2	1:02:344	13	1:02:931	Tyla Rattray
7	5	1:02:996	8	1:03:974	Ryan Sipes
8	7	1:03:150	8	1:04:099	Jason Anderson
9	9	1:03:437	5	1:04:789	Zach Osborne
10	19	1:03:636	2	1:06:659	Martin Davalos
11	12	1:03:681	14	1:05:039	Nico Izzi
12	10	1:03:689	8	1:04:801	Travis Baker
13	11	1:03:807	14	1:04:931	Matt Moss
14	20	1:04:346	2	1:11:609	Christian Craig
15	13	1:04:351	14	1:05:541	Teddy Maier
16	14	1:04:490	8	1:05:877	Billy Laninovich
17	15	1:04:889	3	1:06:632	Vince Friese
18	17	1:05:410	8	1:06:894	Ryan Marmont
19	16	1:05:456	9	1:06:600	Max Anstie
20	18	1:05:533	5	1:07:883	Jackson Richardson

Cole Seely may have won the war, but Eli Tomac won the lap chart battle. The sophomore sensation busted his way through the field, while setting the fastest Lites lap of the main with a 1:01.350 on lap 9.

The moniker on Nico Izzi the past few seasons is that he fades down the stretch. Well, it looks like we are seeing a new Nico Izzi in 2012. After a rough start, Izzi worked his way up to twelfth place finish, while setting his fastest lap on lap 14. A big step forward for the former amateur sensation.

Tomac set the fastest lap of the night with a 1:01.359 on lap 9.
Photo: Simon Cudby