Atlanta SX Results
Ryan Villopoto takes a surprise win on wild night of Supercross racing in Atlanta in front of a near-sellout crowd of 69,500 fans packed inside the Georgia Dome on Saturday night, as Monster Energy AMA Supercross, continues the eastern portion of its 2011 season.
When not used for Supercross, the Dome is the home venue for the Atlanta Falcons, and has been host to Super Bowl, the Olympic Games and the NCAA Final Four. Â
But tonight it was a wild final lap that helped Monster Energy’s Ryan Villopoto (RV2) and his 2011 Kawasaki KX 450 F grab the third win of the stadium racing season and extend his SX championship points lead.
As the Supercross class riders came out of the gates for the 20-lap main event, San Manuel’s James Stewart (JS7) on his 2011 Yamaha YZ 450 F grabbed the holeshot with Bel-Ray Racing’s Chad Reed on his 2011 Honda CRF 450 R and Muscle Milk’s Justin Brayton on his Yamaha YZ450F.
On the second lap of the Supercross race, Stewart made a slight bobble, allowing #22 Chad Reed to get by and lead for the next 15 laps.
On Lap 18, a lapped rider allowed Stewart to close in on his rival before reclaiming the lead as the pair came to take the white flag.
As they entered the whoops, Reed dove to Stewart’s inside and the two collided, falling to the ground. That allowed Villopoto to assume the lead and take the victory after holding down the third position for nearly the entire race.
Ryan Villopoto (Kawsaki KX450F) says: "Sometimes it’s not about being the fastest. You’ve got to be smart too," comments the injury-free Kx rider. "I figured (Stewart and Reed) would do that, but not with a lap-and-a-half left. We still have a lot of racing though. I’ll just go back home and keep my program going and take it one race at a time."
Behind him, Stewart and Reed remounted in second and third, respectively. However, their battle wasn’t done yet. As the duo came to the final turn before the finish, Stewart attempted to block Reed, forcing them to make contact again.
This allowed Rockstar Makita’s Ryan Dungey on his 2011 Suzuki RM-Z 450 to pass both and grab his third consecutive runner-up finish. Reed moved past Stewart to take third.
Chad Reed (Honda CRF450R) says: "James put a hard pass on me earlier in the race, so I just put one right back on him," comments the comments the Australian who has no love loss for Stewart. "I’m just happy to be up there racing for podiums and challenging for the lead."
Villopoto now holds a 10-point lead over Stewart heading into next weekend’s race.
2011 Atlanta Supercross Results
1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
2. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki
3. Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Honda
4. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha
5. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda
6. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM
7. Justin Brayton, Cornelius, N.C., Yamaha
8. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda
9. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki
10. Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki
Supercross Point Standings (Atlanta)
1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki – 171
2. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha – 161
3. Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Honda – 150
4. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda – 146
5. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki – 145
6. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM – 110
7. Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki – 104
8. Justin Brayton, Cornelius, N.C, Yamaha – 90
9. Davi Millsaps, Carlsbad, Calif., Yamaha – 88
10. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki – 78
The 2011 Monster Energy AMA Supercross action continues next weekend from Daytona International Speedway in Florida during the famous Daytona Bike Week.