Dodger Stadium Supercross
AMA Supercross fans got the drama they were hoping for this weekend as James Stewart, Ryan Villopoto and Ryan Dungey battled it out at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday night, Jan. 22.
Competing at the stadium for the first time in Supercross history, San Manuel/Red Bull Yamaha’s Stewart finished second to Villopoto (Monster Energy Kawasaki KX450F) after recovering from a mid-race fall, with Dungey in third, Trey Canard fourth and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Justin Brayton fifth on another Yamaha.
MotoConcepts Yamaha’s Kyle Chisholm rounded out the top 10 on a third Yamaha YZ450F. Stewart is now five points behind Villopoto with three of 17 Supercross rounds completed.
Stewart went to work immediately on Saturday afternoon, setting not only the fastest time in qualifying, but also the only lap time under 52 seconds.
Though when the gate dropped for the 20-lap Supercross main event that evening, it was rival Brett Metcalfe (Rockstar Makita Suzuki RMZ450) who grabbed the holeshot, with Dungey (Rockstar Maktia Suzuki RMZ450) in second, Stewart inside the top five and Villopoto inside the top 10. Metcalfe soon crashed, giving the lead to Dungey until Stewart took control of the race from lap three until his fall on lap 11.
At that point an advancing Villopoto took over the lead as Stewart remounted and gave chase. At the flag the Yamaha rider was just 4.7 seconds in arrears.
James Stewart (San Manuel Yamaha Supercross) says: "I felt like I had the race but the track was slippery and I just lost the front end. I am not too happy about that, but it still worked out because I ended up second. To just give one away is definitely frustrating. But I’m just being hard on myself – it won’t happen again."
Regardless of the outcome though, the premiere motorsports event at LA’s historic baseball stadium definitely ended on a high note, with balmy Southern California winter weather enticing more than 41,000 fans to the event. And best of all, eight of the 20 main-event finishers were on Yamaha.
2011 Supercross Class Results: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles
1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
2. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha
3. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki
4. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda
5. Justin Brayton, Cornelius, N.C, Yamaha
6. Kevin Windham, Centerville, Miss., Honda
7. Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Honda
8. Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki
9. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM
10. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Yamaha
2011 Supercross Class Season Standings
1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki – 72
2. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha – 67
3. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki – 58
4. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda – 56
5. Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Honda – 48
6. Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki – 39
7. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM – 37
8. Justin Brayton, Cornelius, N.C, Yamaha – 36
9. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Yamaha – 33
10. Kevin Windham, Centerville, Miss., Honda – 32
