SX Race Report
Supercross racing at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto lead 19 laps on his KX450F on his way to the his fifth victory of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship series, an FIM Championship.
Although still double-digit points behind Dungey, Villopoto is proving to be the man to beat headed into Dallas and the other remaining rounds.
In the Supercross Lites class, MonsterEnergy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Christophe Pourcel finished third and Canadian Dean Wilson earned his first heat race win of the season and finished fourth in the main event. Both were mounted on Kawasaki KX250Fs. Pourcel continues to lead the Eastern Lites points championship headed into round 11 in Dallas.
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Chad Reed wasn’t in Toronto this weekend as he continues his recovery from a broken hand. Reed, a two-time AMA Supercross champion may return this week in Dallas. Defending AMA Supercross champion James Stewart is also injured, and there is no return date set for the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Yamaha team rider.
Since finishing 19th in Atlanta, Villopoto has been continuously shrinking his points deficit, winning the last two races in dominating fashion. On Saturday night in Toronto, Villopoto took the lead on the second lap and never looked back on his way to his fifth win of the season.
Ryan Villopoto speaks…
"It definitely feels good to win tonight. The track was tough. We had lap times of almost a minute, which is big for a typical supercross track. I left Atlanta down 23 points in the standings and now it’s down to 17. I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing and give myself a chance to win the championship. The lappers were tough out there tonight."
"They built the rhythm sections with a couple of different options ,which helped, but because the track was so tough, lapped riders were going to be a part of the race. With the huge floor in Toronto, they built a good track. This was my first race up here and, from I’ve seen of the dirt on TV, tonight was a lot better than the past. It got hard-packed and slippery out there with a lot of rocks. I think that is typical of the dirt up north, it was a lot like Seattle."
Shaking off a hard crash in his heat race, Pourcel recovered to finish third in the main event. The defending Eastern Region Supercross Lites champion continues to lead the standings in his title defense as the AMA Supercross Lites Eastern Region season passes its midpoint. Pourcel won the first three races of the series.
Christophe Pourcel speaks…
"I’ve got bruises everywhere from the crash, but I’m not really hurt. The crash was my fault. I hit the kicker on the tabletop and went over the bars. I didn’t get a good gate pick for the main and got an okay start. The track was good tonight and I rode a smart race and still have the points lead."
Wilson’s Eastern Regional Supercross Lites debut in Canada started with a holeshot in his heat race, and he went on to get his first heat race win of the season. In the main event he got a good start and rode near the front for all 15 laps, finishing fourth. Wilson, who is Canadian, had a busy week in Toronto as he flew in early to help promote the race. The media attention paid off, as the crowd was clearly partial to Wilson as he received more cheers than any other rider.
Dean Wilson speaks…
"Getting a heat race win is awesome. I knew I had the speed and the heat race just went my way. In the main event I didn’t get the start I wanted and I rode as best as I could. I’m a little disappointed finishing fourth at my home race, but only because I know I have the speed to be on the podium every week. Hearing all the fans cheering for me was amazing. I wasn’t nervous racing in Canada, it was a lot of fun. I had a busy week up there doing a lot of interviews and making appearances."
The Rogers Centre in Toronto has the largest stadium floor in the Monster Energy AMA Supercross series, which gives the Dirt Wurx crew an opportunity to put together a great layout. They also brought new dirt to the stadium, which made for some good racing.
AMA Supercross Race Results: Toronto
1. Ryan Villopoto
2. Ryan Dungey
3. Trey Canard
4. Ivan Tedesco
5. Kevin Windham
6. Josh Hill
7. Nick Wey
8. Tommy Hahn
9. Justin Brayton
10. Matt Boni
AMA Supercross Point Standings
1. Ryan Dungey, 214
2. Ryan Villopoto, 197
3. Josh Hill, 177
4. Davi Millsaps, 152
5. Kevin Windham, 147
10. Tommy Hahn, 89
Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites Race Results
1. Justin Barcia
2. Austin Stroupe
3. Christophe Pourcel
4. Dean Wilson
5. Ryan Sipes
6. Brett Metcalfe
7. Kyle Cunningham
8. Troy Adams
9. Mike Willard
10. Nico Izzi
Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites Class Point Standings
1. Christophe Pourcel, 95
2. Austin Stroupe, 88
3. Dean Wilson, 71
4. Brett Metcalfe, 65
5. Justin Barcia, 64
7. Blake Baggett, 46
With three wins, Dungey currently holds a 17-point lead over Villopoto in the AMA Supercross standings. Three-time winner Pourcel leads Stroupe by seven points in the AMA Supercross Lites Eastern Regional Championship. The 2010 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season continues next weekend, running inside the newly built Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.Â