Alessi & MotoConcepts Dodge a Bullet at Dodger Stadium . . .
ALESSI & MOTOCONCEPTS DODGE A BULLET AT DODGER STADIUM . . .
January 26th, 2012—Round 3 Race Recap
Temecula, CA. MotoConcepts Racing (MCR), led by their star Mike Alessi, pulled into Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA under ominous skies for the third round of the 2012 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series.
Though many predicted a muddy mess of a race, those conditions never materialized. This because of mercy by Mother Nature and great work in protecting the track by Feld Motorsports until the storm passed.
To a rider, the team of Mike Alessi, Jeff Alessi, and Vince Friese clocked their worst qualifying
positions of the year, checking in at 18th, 33rd, and 20th place respectively – good enough to make the night show but also indicating that each rider needed to find a lot more speed to achieve good results in the night of racing ahead.
And Mike Alessi did not disappoint, seemingly cranking it up three or four levels in his heat race. Pulling a patented Mike Alessi start from an admittedly poor gate pick, Mike exited the first turn right behind James Stewart. Fighting off determined challenges from both Davi Millsaps and Andrew Short, Mike found his groove and pulled away from those riders as the heat race wore on. In what may have been Mike Alessi’s single best race since moving up to the Supercross class, Alessi stayed close to James Stewart throughout the entire heat, actually gaining time on him towards the end. He ended up 2nd at the checkered flag, a mere one second behind Stewart.
Jeff Alessi had a night he’d rather forget, struggling in his heat and then crashing hard in the Last Chance Qualifier – so hard that he required the services of Doc Bodnar and the Asterisk Mobile Medical Center. After a complete check-up, it was determined that although Jeff was bent, he was not broken. Expect to see Jeff mount his trusty stead again in Oakland, CA for round four of the series.
Vince Friese, as usual, gated well in both his heat race and main event but couldn’t find the pace to make his good starts stick, eventually finishing 7th in his heat and 13th place in the main.
As Mike Alessi lined up for the Supercross main event, hopes for an outstanding finish by him were high by his team. He had shown in his heat and the prior events this year he has the raw speed, endurance, program, and team behind him to run among the elite riders in the premier class. Mike grabbed a solid start when the gate dropped and was running a solid 5th place when the race was red flagged on lap one after a horrific crash left Trey Canard and Ryan Morais blocking track.
After almost 30 minutes, the main was restarted, this time with a totally different order through the first turn. Instead of a top five start, Mike Alessi exited the first turn dead last after misjudging the gate drop and getting hung up in it for several seconds. Unfazed, Mike put in fast, solid laps and crossed the checkered flag in 10th position.
Mike Alessi currently sits in a tie for 10th in points with Davi Millsaps after three rounds of the championship series. Vince Friese is in 15th place in West Coast Lites points.
MotoConcepts Racing sends its sincerest wishes for a speed and full recovery to both Trey Canard and Ryan Morais and look forward to seeing them back at the track soon.
To follow the ascent of MotoConcepts Racing and see MotoConcepts products, please go to www.MotoConcepts.com Details of Mike, Jeff, and Tony Alessi’s racing season can be found at www.AlessiRacing.com
ABOUT MotoConcepts & MotoConcepts Racing
MotoConcepts, based in Spokane, WA, is an innovative manufacturer of Motorsports Accessories designed for the professional and recreational racer and rider. Products include the award-winning MotoPad, MotoStand, MotoShelf, MotoStep, MotoBin, and Helmet Hook. For more information visit: www.MotoConcepts.com.
MotoConcepts Racing, of Temecula, CA, is a Supercross/Motocross race team committed to impeccable sponsor representation, continuous operations improvement, and ever better results. 2012 team sponsors include JT Racing USA, FMF Power, Silkolene, We All Ride Clothing and All Balls Racing Bearings.
