Jackonsville Supercross: Yoshimura Report

2011 AMA Supercross

Yoshimura-backed teams showed off the performance advantage of their Yoshimura products by dominating the 11th round of the 2011 AMA/FIM Supercross Championship at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, FL. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki and Honda Racing supercross teams dominated the podium after an exciting night of racing.

Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey rode a strong race aboard his all-powerful Yoshimura-equipped Suzuki RM-Z450, claiming a third-place podium finish in the 20-lap main event. Teammate Brett Metcalfe sat out once again to continue his recovery from recent crashes in Atlanta and Daytona. Metcalfe is hopeful to return to action at next week's event in Toronto.

Dungey rode determined in practice, grabbing the second fastest time in timed qualifying. After a good start in his heat race, Dungey's RM-Z powered him to the front for a convincing win.

After a decent start in the main, Dungey was able to work his way up to third position by the end of the first lap. Dungey rode tenaciously on his RM-Z450 but couldn't quite catch the leaders and crossed the line, claiming a third-place podium finish. Dungey's consistent results have paid off, as the Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider now sits third in the championship points race.

Ryan Dungey (Rockstar Makita Suzuki RMZ450) says: "All in all, today was a good day. My Rockstar Makita Suzuki felt great, practice was good, and the bike settled in really well too. Going into the night race, I got a good start in my heat race and got the heat win. In the main,

"I got caught up in the pack a little bit but was able to work up to third. I was trying to gain on the leaders, but I just couldn't make up enough time and then made a pretty big mistake on my part.

"Overall, I think it was a great night and big step in the right direction. I'm looking forward to Canada. It's a big stadium and the track layout is pretty amazing there. It will be good to go to another country as well. Hopefully we can get good starts and put ourselves in a good position there."

American Honda Racing's Trey Canard won the supercross race, recording his second supercross-class win in his rookie season aboard his Honda CRF450R, while GEICO Honda's Justin Barcia came out on top and scored his second victory of the season aboard his CRF250R.

After finishing second in his heat race, Canard got away to a good start in the main event, moving into the lead on the opening lap. Once out front, Canard held on to his lead for the majority of the race until fellow Honda racer, TwoTwo Motorsports' Chad Reed, made a pass for the lead during the closing stages of the race. Canard retaliated and passed Reed that same lap to resume control out front and take the victory for the second time this season.

Trey Canard (American Honda CRF450R) says: "I got a great start in the main tonight, which I'm pumped about because starts are something I've worked really hard to improve. And I'm ecstatic to get my second win of the season.

"I was really fast on most areas of the track, but the whoops were a thorn in my side tonight. However, I definitely made up time by keeping low over the jumps and scrubbing hard. Reed was fast through the whoops, and he was there to capitalize on my mistakes.

"We had a good battle late in the race in which he passed me, and I got him right back. We battled to the very end, and I'm just stoked to put the American Honda Racing Team on top for the second time this season, plus it's awesome to see Honda finish one-two on the podium."

Canard's fill-in teammate Cole Seely finished sixth in his heat race, and after getting a mid-pack start in the supercross main had worked his way up into seventh position when he went down on lap five. Losing a lap in the fall, Seely recovered to finish a hard-fought 15th overall.

The next stop of the 2011 AMA/FIM Supercross Championship for the Yoshimura-backed teams is Saturday, March 26, at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

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