Utah Supercross
Utah Governor Gary Herbert and President & CEO of the Utah Sports Commission Jeff Robbins welcomed back the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, today at Salt Lake City’s Rice-Eccles Stadium at a pre-race press conference.
Joining Herbert and Robbins were Western Regional Supercross Lites class points leaders Broc Tickle and Josh Hansen as well as former two-time Supercross class champion Chad Reed.
Gov. Gary Herbert says: “We are honored to have some of the best supercross athletes here in Utah. We expect around 40,000 fans here Saturday night.
“To have supercross here in Utah is a significant event. Supercross brings in $9 Million to our economy. We receive about $2 Million in media exposure on television and we are going to be exposed to over 180 countries as this goes throughout our media markets.”
For the third consecutive year, the Utah Sports Commission has been instrumental in delivering a world-class event to the legion of Monster Energy Supercross fans in the Rocky Mountain region.
Jeff Robbins says: “Our goal is to leverage the business of sports here in Utah. The athletes you are going to see this week match up to the exposure of the world’s other top athletes. This is truly a great event for us to be a part of and we have developed a great relationship with Feld Motor Sports.”
TwoTwo Motorsports/Bel-Ray Racing Honda’s Reed sits just six points behind Supercross class leader and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto. Reed has one win and eight additional podium finishes heading into this Saturday’s race.
Chad Reed (Two-Two Motorsports Honda) says: “I’m excited to be a part of what has been considered the greatest seasons ever.
“A lot of the industry people turned their back on me and didn’t believe in me anymore. I was left in a position to start my own team and go racing. I’ve been having a blast so far. With two races to go it’s time to lay it on the table and bring it.”
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki teammates Tickle and Hansen are separated by just two points headed into Saturday night. Tickle moved into the leader position after the main event in Seattle two weeks ago.
Broc Tickle says: “I’ve never been in this situation to been in contention for the championship. My goal before the season started was to be consistent. I’ve had a few issues, but I’m where I want to be and look forward to the race this weekend.”
Hansen controlled the points lead through the first five races and has been struggling with a hand injury he suffered during practice at Anaheim 2.
Josh Hansen says: “The beginning of the season started off well. I’ve been riding on adrenalin and hanging in there. I look forward to the race this weekend.”
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto, Rockstar/Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey, TwoTwo Motorsports/Bel-Ray Racing Honda’s Chad Reed and Stewart round out the top four places, respectively. Nine points separate the top four riders with only two races remaining on the schedule.
The first supercross race held at Rice-Eccles Stadium took place in 2001 where 42,135 fans packed the venue to witness Ricky Carmichael win his 13th race of the 16 round season.
