Race Results: Glen Helen - Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship

By: ChrisWorden

Posted: 05/23/09

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SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (May 26, 2009) - A new era of American Motocross began on Saturday as the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship kicked-off its 2009 season at the 15th Annual South Point Hotel & Casino Motocross National from Glen Helen Raceway. In his 450 Class debut, Monster Energy Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto, of Poulsbo, Wash., rode to an impressive pair of moto victories to become just the third rider in history to win his first premier class race. In the entry-level 250 Class, Rockstar/Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey outlasted his highly-talented competition to take a hard-earned overall victory.

Villopoto overcame mid-pack starts in each moto and battled his way through the field to take each win, passing long-time rivals to take the top spot in each race. In the final moto, the pre-season title favorite overcame a 10-second deficit over runner-up Mike Alessi, of Victorville, Calif., to secure the overall and establish the early season momentum. Alessi's third and second place moto results landed him second while JGRMX/Toyota/Yamaha's Josh Grant, of Riverside, Calif., finished third.

Villopoto puts some distance on Reed
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"It was tough," explained Villopoto. "My starts out of the gate were good but we can get better. The first moto wasn't too bad, I was fourth, but in the second I was 10th so I had a lot of work to do and Mike (Alessi) was way ahead of me. I knew where he was and paid attention to him but I kept doing what I was doing and running (my pace), not letting myself get into my head that I couldn't catch him and I eventually I caught him."

Dungey was in the midst of a stellar 250 Class battle throughout both motos. After moving into the lead late in moto one, he was passed by Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Christophe Pourcel, of Corona, Calif., and settled for second. In the final moto, a mid-pack start forced Dungey to come from 10th place out of the gate, but he stalked GEICO Powersports Honda's Justin Barcia, of Ochlocknee, Ga., in the closing laps and made the pass for the win with just two laps to go to take his fourth win in the last five races going back to last season. Pourcel brought home the runner-up spot while his teammate Tyla Rattray, of Murrieta, Calif., rounded out the overall podium in his U.S. debut.

Ryan Dungey
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"It feels good to start (the season) off the way we did," said Dungey. "Glen Helen is always a tough track for me. Not physically but more in other areas since I didn't really ride on anything like this until I was about 16. I really look forward to the east rounds, but to be able to win at a track like Glen Helen that's so tough is awesome."

Making its debut as a part of the race day schedule, the Women's Class of the Lucas Oil Motocross Championship opened up the first of eight rounds of action this season. Reigning series champion and Honda Red Bull Racing rider Ashley Fiolek, of St. Augustine, Fla., swept both of the day's motos to claim the overall victory. Honda of Houston's Jessica Patterson, of Tallahassee, Fla., brought home second while Cernic's Suzuki's Sherri Cruse, of Bakersfield, Calif., finished third.

"I didn't really feel any pressure," stated Fiolek. "I just go out and do my best and that's all I can do. My bike is awesome and my team is awesome so there is no pressure at all. The track was really rough but it was great to be out there."

In an effort to clarify current procedures, MX Sports Pro Racing and AMA Pro Racing will release a competition bulletin updating the scoring process for the 2009 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship season.

Round two of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship continues next weekend from legendary Prairie City SVRA in Rancho Cordova, Calif. for the Hangtown Motocross Classic. Coverage of next weekend's race can be seen live on SPEED, Saturday, May 30 at 9 p.m. ET.

Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship
15th South Point Hotel & Casino Motocross National
Glen Helen Raceway - San Bernardino, Calif.
May 23, 2009
Round 1 of 12

450 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki (1-1)
2. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki (3-2)
3. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha (2-4)
4. Chad Reed, Australia, Suzuki (4-3)
5. Davi Millsaps, Tallahassee, Fla., Honda (6-5)
6. Thomas Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Kawasaki (7-6)
7. Mike Brown, Bluff City, Tenn., KTM (8-7)
8. Cody Cooper, New Zealand, Yamaha (11-12)
9. Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Honda (13-11)
10. Andrew Short, Smithville, Tex., Honda (5-21)

450 Class Championship Standings
1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 50
2. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki, 42
3. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha, 40
4. Chad Reed, Australia, Suzuki, 38
5. Davi Millsaps, Tallahassee, Fla., Honda, 31
6. Thomas Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Kawasaki, 29
7. Mike Brown, Bluff City, Tenn., KTM, 27
8. Cody Cooper, New Zealand, Yamaha, 19
9. Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Honda, 18
10. Andrew Short, Smithville, Tex., Honda, 16

250 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki (2-1)
2. Christophe Pourcel, France, Kawasaki (1-7)
3. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki (5-2)
4. Tommy Searle, England, KTM (4-4)
5. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda (3-8)
6. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda (9-3)
7. Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Honda (7-6)
8. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki (6-9)
9. Austin Stroupe, Lincolnton, N.C., Kawasaki (13-5)
10. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Honda (8-10)

250 Class Championship Standings
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 47
2. Christophe Pourcel, France, Kawasaki, 39
3. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki, 38
4. Tommy Searle, England, KTM, 36
5. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda, 33
6. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda, 32
7. Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Honda, 29
8. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki, 27
9. Austin Stroupe, Lincolnton, N.C., Kawasaki, 24
10. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Honda, 24

Women's Class of the Lucas Oil Motocross Championship (Moto Finish)
1. Ashley Fiolek, St. Augustine, Fla., Honda (1-1)
2. Jessica Patterson, Tallahassee, Fla., Honda (3-2)
3. Sherri Cruse, Bakersfield, Calif., Suzuki (5-3)
4. Vicki Golden, El Cajon, Calif., Honda (4-4)
5. Sara Price, Canyon Lake, Calif., Kawasaki (2-5)
6. Elizabeth Bash, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki (6-7)
7. Tatum Sik, Temecula, Calif., Suzuki (7-8)
8. Sayaka Kaneshiro, Torrance, Calif., Suzuki (8-12)
9. Penni Cyrus, Queens Creek, Ariz., Kawasaki (9-10)
10. Sarah Whitmore, Cheboygan, Mich., KTM (10-9)

Women's Class of the Lucas Oil Motocross Championship Standings
1. Ashley Fiolek, St. Augustine, Fla., Honda, 50
2. Jessica Patterson, Tallahassee, Fla., Honda, 42
3. Sherri Cruse, Bakersfield, Calif., Suzuki, 36
4. Vicki Golden, El Cajon, Calif., Honda, 36
5. Sara Price, Canyon Lake, Calif., Kawasaki, 34
6. Elizabeth Bash, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki, 30
7. Tatum Sik, Temecula, Calif., Suzuki, 28
8. Sayaka Kaneshiro, Torrance, Calif., Suzuki, 23
9. Penni Cyrus, Queens Creek, Ariz., Kawasaki, 22
10. Sarah Whitmore, Cheboygan, Mich., KTM, 22

For more information about the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, please contact media coordinator Brandon Short via email at brandon@mxsports.com or by telephone at (949) 365-5752.

For fan and racing information on the 2009 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, including television coverage of the 250 Class, log onto www.allisports.com.

About MX Sports Pro Racing
MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc., manages and produces the world's most prestigious motocross series - the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship. For over 26 years MX Sports has been an industry leader in off road powersport promotions and marketing. Through its various racing properties, partnerships and affiliates, MX Sports fields more than 60,000 action sports athletes each year and attracts millions of active fans, spectators and enthusiasts. For more information, please visit www.mxsportsproracing.com.

Alli, the Alliance of Action Sports
Alli, the Alliance of Action Sports, is a global business that encompasses national and international action sports tours and events, multimedia production, and a consumer facing lifestyle brand. The Alliance includes: the Dew Tour, Winter Dew Tour, China Invitational, Maloof Money Cup, Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, King of Wake series, and the Gatorade Free Flow Tour; Alli TV Productions, which creates original content, produces and presents content with partners, and distributes Alli content through a variety of channels. Alli is owned by NBC Sports and MTV Networks and represents a network of athletes, fans, brands and properties. Its mission is to facilitate the momentous growth of action sports, through competition and lifestyle, for a new generation of fans and athletes. The Alli properties are home to more than 550,000 spectators each year and broadcasts more than 150 hours of original content in 100 countries and 280 million homes worldwide. More information can be found at www.allisports.com.

Lucas Oil Products
Lucas Oil is a worldwide leader in the production of oils, greases, and additives. Based in Corona, Calif., Lucas Oil Products is one of the fastest-growing additive lines in the consumer automotive industry, featuring a premium line of oils, greases, and problem-solving additives. Through innovative product research and development, along with aggressive marketing programs, Lucas Oil Products has established itself as the top-selling additive line in the American truck-stop industry.

Forrest Lucas and his wife, Charlotte, founded Lucas Oil Products in 1989 after he spent 20 years as a truck driver and owner of a nationwide long-haul trucking fleet. They experienced firsthand the need for better lubricants and fuel treatments to maintain their equipment.

Lucas Oil is involved in an array of motorsports sponsorships, including the "Official Motor Oil of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship." For more information on Lucas Oil, please visit www.LucasOil.com.