San Diego Supercross: Yoshimura Report

2011 Supercross

Yoshimura-backed teams showed off their talent at the seventh round of the 2011 AMA/FIM Supercross Championship season Saturday night at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, Calif.

The Rockstar Makita Suzuki, Rockstar Energy Suzuki, and Honda racing Supercross teams all showed off the performance advantage of their Yoshimura products with their strong results in the rain-soaked main events.

Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey powered his Yoshimura-equipped Suzuki RM-Z450 to a second-place podium finish in San Diego Supercross. Teammate Brett Metcalfe had a solid race aboard his RM-Z, scoring an eighth-place finish in the wet 20-lap main Supercross event.

Ryan Dungey (Rockstar Makita Suzuki Supercross) says: "The track was actually in pretty decent shape at the start of the main. I got a great start right up with the front guys and really tried to put my Rockstar Makita Suzuki in a good position and make no mistakes because the rain was coming down. The track was getting greasy so I just tried to keep my lap times good and not make any mistakes.

"To finish off with a second was good – a great step in the right direction and one step closer to that win. I’m looking forward to Atlanta Supercross. We have press day there so we’ll get a chance to check out the track a bit. Atlanta has been really good to me – I really enjoy going back there. The fans are great and it’s always one of the biggest crowds."

Brett Metcalfe (Rockstar Makita Suzuki Supercross) says: "I really enjoyed riding the track tonight. I’m just a little disappointed in my results. I got a bad start in the main – I had a lot of wheel spin at the start because the gate was so slick. I had to fight my way through the pack with my RM-Z a bit but I was a little inconsistent.

"It was a difficult one, but I still picked up an eighth and I’m happy that my Rockstar Makita Suzuki is still sitting seventh in points. I need to start pushing and get some better results. I’m glad to go to Atlanta. I’ve done well there in the past and it’s a good layout with a lot of floor space. The dirt is tacky and it suits my style. I look forward to a better result with my Suzuki there."

Despite the weather conditions, American Honda Racing’s Trey Canard put in a solid performance aboard his Honda CRF450R, finishing second in his Supercross heat race before going on to finish one spot shy of the podium in fourth in the main event.

Trey Canard (American Honda Supercross) says: "I’m bummed yet happy all at the same time," said Canard. "I’m bummed because I really thought I was going to win the race tonight yet happy with my bike set-up and the way it handled tonight in the incredibly wet and slippery track conditions. It was definitely gnarly out there – big ruts and very slippery.

"I’m also pumped that I managed to get a great start and be among the top five rounding the first turn. I put myself in a good position from the start to be up front. My fourth-place result doesn’t really reflect how hard I worked tonight and how well I actually rode. But considering I fell twice, I’m happy with fourth."

Team Rockstar Energy Suzuki scored a top ten finish in the sixth round of the lites west championship season Saturday night in San Diego. Ryan Morais rode a strong race in the wet conditions, powering his Yoshimura-equipped Suzuki RM-Z250 to a ninth-place finish. Teammate Martin Davalos had a tough night, finishing 12th in the 15-lap Supercross lites main event.

Ryan Morais (Rockstar Energy Suzuki Supercross) says: "I just didn’t get a good start in the main," said Morais. "After that, I was trying to make something happen in the first couple laps and ended up crashing. I got back up nearly last but I put my head down, felt pretty good, and clicked off some pretty good laps on my Suzuki RM-Z and ended up finishing ninth. I’m not real happy with the result but I felt I actually rode pretty well. I plan on working hard over our break and come back to Seattle strong."

Martin Davalos (Rockstar Energy Suzuki Supercross) says: "I started out decent in practice," said Davalos. "But I made a couple mistakes in my heat race and ended up having to go to the last chance qualifier, which I won. I crashed twice in the main event, struggled a bit, and ended up 12th. I’m going to go back home to Georgia over the break and try to get ready for the last three rounds. I really want to win and I know I can put my RM-Z on top of the box."

The next stop of the 2011 AMA/FIM Supercross Championship for the Yoshimura-backed teams is Saturday, Feb. 26, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA. You can meet all of the Team Suzuki riders on Friday, Feb. 25, from 6 to 7 p.m. at Freewheeling Suzuki, 6408 Fairburn Road, Douglasville, Ga.

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