Mike Alessi was back to holeshot form as he led the 450 field through the first turn in the second moto. Unfortunately for the MotoConcepts team, his lead didn’t last long and the 800 machine fell back a handful of positions within the first couple of laps. Just Barcia was right there to inherit the lead and once again take control of the race early on. His Honda Muscle Milk teammate Trey Canard followed close behind while past champs Ryan Villopoto, Ryan Dungey and James Stewart rounded out the top five in the beginning laps.
Villopoto was able to make his way past Canard for second, but Dungey was not. Villopoto soon moved up to Barcia to engage in a battle for the lead while Dungey looked for lines around Canard. It didn’t take long for Villopoto and Dungey to pull the trigger. On lap five, both riders made moves on the Honda riders through the long downhill after the small triple—a popular passing section amongst the riders. Villopoto made his pass stick, but Canard fought back to regain his position from Dungey in the succeeding corner. Canard didn’t hold his position for long, though. Dungey made the pass for third stick the next lap.
Even though it was still early in the moto, Villopoto started to walk away with the lead, using the open track to his advantage. Canard didn’t let Dungey too far out of his sights, but a charging James Stewart was higher on the priority list. Stewart, too, made a pass stick on Canard not long after Dungey’s.
Stewart continued his charge forward, but still had ground to gain on Dungey. Dungey, however, had reeled in the 51 bike of Barcia’s. You could throw a blanket over the two riders as they came around the second turn after the start. As they continued forward up the long uphill, Dungey must’ve grabbed another gear to scrub the uphill double to land directly to the left of Barcia. They drag raced up the hill and back down, but Barcia couldn’t keep his position. Stewart was able to make a similar pass on Barcia a few laps after Dungey made his.
Some may think Alessi has a tendency to fade during a moto, but the MotoConcept’s rider proved the adage wrong when he made a late-moto charge against Clement Desalle. Alessi passed the GP rider and even pulled up on Canard, but couldn’t make anything happen.
For the majority of the moto, Dean Wilson, Tyla Rattray and Malcolm Stewart were practically attached by a string. The riders would pull apart from each other and subsequently close back up throughout the 36-minute moto.
The action tapered down towards the end of the moto, just as Villopoto had probably wanted. Dungey was unable to catch the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider, and likewise with Stewart’s charge for Dungey. The three past champions rounded out the podium, while Barcia and Canard sealed the top five.
450 Moto 2 Results
1. Ryan Villopoto
2. Ryan Dungey
3. James Stewart
4. Justin Barcia
5. Trey Canard
6. Mike Alessi
7. Clement Desalle
8. Kevin Strijbos
9. Dean Wilson
10. Tyla Rattray
11. Malcolm Stewart
12. Jake Weimer
13. Ryan Sipes
14. Weston Peick
15. Broc Tickle
16. Andrew Short
17. Fredrick Noren
18. Josh Grant
19. Robert Kiniry
20. Justin Brayton
