Yoshimura Suzuki High Point Report
MT. MORRIS, PA – Round four of the 2012 AMA Pro Motocross Championships saw Team Yoshimura Suzuki Racing celebrate a solid sixth-place overall result for rider Brett Metcalfe and his Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450. But the High Point National, held in Mt. Morris, PA, on Saturday, also saw Metcalfe’s Yoshimura Suzuki teammate James Stewart struggle with a wrist injury that occurred at the previous weekend’s race.
Although Metcalfe himself struggled in qualifying, the Yoshimura Suzuki rider bounced bike at race time to put in two impressive motos. In the first, Metcalfe got a great start on the Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 and finished seventh. After making small changes to the bike between motos, Metcalfe returned to get another excellent launch in the second race. He held onto fourth for almost the entire moto before a small mistake saw him slip into fifth. Still, Metcalfe finished the day in a commendable sixth overall.
“I got great starts in both motos,” said Metcalfe. “The Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 was awesome off the gate and that helped me get up there with the front-runners. In the first moto, I ended up seventh but I learned what I could do on the track and how I needed to change the setup for moto two. In the second moto, I should’ve had fourth, but on the last lap I spun out and lost a spot. But we made big improvements throughout the day and I’m looking forward to carrying that momentum to Budds Creek.”
Although Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Stewart was hampered by his injured wrist, he planned to race High Point nonetheless. But in the first moto, it was apparent that he wasn’t 100 percent. The championship-winning rider got a poor start and fought to hang on to his bike throughout the moto. Despite all this, Stewart still managed to finish fifth. But afterward, he and the Yoshimura Suzuki team decided the wisest move would be to sit out the second moto.
“The weekend started off a little slow in the first practice,” said Stewart. “But then I ended up quickest overall in qualifying. My Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 was working great and I was trying to do my best, but in the first moto I got a horrible start – outside the top 20. I was able to work my way up to fifth, which was pretty good, but about halfway through the race I was barely able to hang on. It just didn’t make sense to race the second moto. It was a tough decision to make between the races – especially because everybody worked so hard. We’ll go back and reevaluate the situation. I’ll probably just wait until the end of the week and see where we’re at, and go from there.”
Team Yoshimura Suzuki Racing’s next event is the fifth round of the 2012 AMA Pro Motocross Championship on Saturday, June 16th, at the Budds Creek National in Mechanicsville, MD.
2012 High Point MX 450 Results:
1. Ryan Dungey
2. Mike Alessi
3. Jake Weimer
4. Andrew Short
7. Broc Tickle
8. Ryan Sipes
9. Nico Izzi
10. Michael Byrne
2012 AMA Pro Motocross 450 Standings:
1. Ryan Dungey – 186
2. Mike Alessi – 144
3. Jake Weimer – 141
4. Andrew Short – 128
5. James Stewart – 116
6. Brett Metcalfe – 114
7. Nico Izzi – 95
8. Broc Tickle – 90
9. Josh Grant – 84
10. Kyle Chisholm – 66
