2011 Supercross Lites
Spoiler Alert: Las Vegas AMA Supercross Lites results revealed below.
The 2011 AMA Supercross Lites Championship wrapped up Saturday evening in Sam Boyd Stadium, with racing from both the Easter Regional and Western Regional series.
In the Eastern Regional Supercross Lites class, the title went to Justin Barcia (GEICO Honda CRF250R) after taking third place in the Vegas final. In the Western Regional Supercross Lites series, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Broc Tickle also secured his first career title after taking second in Vegas.
In the Eastern class, Barcia got the early lead, followed by DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing Yamaha’s Ryan Sipes and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Blake Baggett.
On the third lap, Barcia crashed out, and Baggett and Sipes battled to the final lap. On that lap, Baggett took the lead for the win, followed by Sipes and Barcia.
and after Barcia crashed out of the lead on Lap 3, put on a bar-to-bar showdown for the win. The duo traded the top spot on several occasions before Baggett made the winning pass on the final lap to secure his second win of the season.
Justin Barcia (GEICO Honda CRF250R) says: “I’m lost for words right now. It hasn’t set in yet that I’ve won the championship. It’s been an awesome season. The racing has been crazy all year and I’ve had a lot of fun. I have an awesome team behind me that have given me 100-percent support every race. This is a moment I will remember forever.”
In Western Regional Supercross Lites, Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen took the holeshot, followed by Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil Honda’s Cole Seely.
As these two pulled away from the rest of the field, Tickle and GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomax began battling for second.
With just two points separating them coming into the evening, Tickle and Tomac kept one another in sight throughout all 15 laps of the main event. Tomac held the upper hand for the majority of the race, until Tickle slipped by on Lap 13 and held off his rival to take the hard-earned championship with a runner-up effort.
Broc Tickle (Monster Energy Kawasaki KX250F) says: “It really is a dream come true,” said Tickle. “I still don’t think it’s real. I know it happened but I still can’t believe it. The past few weeks have been pretty bad for me. I’ve struggled in practice and in the races. I am so happy right now and hope I don’t wake up from this dream.”
Following the respective regional Supercross Lites class main events, the stars from both coasts competed one final time in the Dave Coombs Sr. East/West Shootout. Fresh off his championship win, Barcia grabbed the Nuclear Cowboyz Holeshot, but crashed out of the lead on Lap 2, allowing Sipes to move into the lead. From there, the veteran rider never looked back, dominating en route to his second win of the 2011 season.
“(This is) cool,” said Sipes. “After losing the east main the way I did, it’s nice to come back and get this (win). I feel good and I feel that was the best way to end the season.”
Seely secured second while Roczen grabbed the final spot on the podium in third.
Earlier in the evening, the Bret Michaels “Rock Hard-Ride Hard” Award was handed out for the first time. The distinction honors the hardest charging, comeback supercross rider who ultimately proves to push the limits in a quest towards winning the Monster Energy Supercross championship. The award was given to Chad Reed, after the former champion came just four points shy of his third title in his inaugural foray into the world of team ownership.
2011 Western Regional Supercross Lites Class Results: Las Vegas
1. Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM
2. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki
3. Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha
4. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda
5. Cole Seely, Corona, Calif., Honda
6. Tyla Rattray, Wildomar, Calif., Kawasaki
7. Ryan Morais, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki
8. Travis Baker, Temecula, Calif., Honda
9. Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., Suzuki
10. Josh Hansen, Elbert, Colo., Kawasaki
2011 Western Regional Supercross Lites Class Season Standings (Unofficial Results)
1. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki – 187
2. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda – 181
3. Josh Hansen, Elbert, Colo., Kawasaki – 162
4. Cole Seely, Corona, Calif., Honda – 147
5. Ryan Morais, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki – 138
6. Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM – 130
7. Tyla Rattray, Wildomar, Calif., Kawasaki – 126
8. Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha – 125
9. Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., Suzuki – 107
10. Ben Evans, Garden City, Idaho, Kawasaki – 75
2011 Eastern Regional Supercross Lites Class Results: Las Vegas
- Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki
- Ryan Sipes, Vine Grove, Ky., Yamaha
- Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda
- Dean Wilson, Menifee, Calif., Kawasaki
- Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki
- Matthew Lemoine, Collinsville, Texas., Kawasaki
- Lance Vincent, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki
- Hunter Hewitt, Pilot Point, Texas, Suzuki
- Les Smith, York, S.C., Honda
- Justin Sipes, Vine Grove, Ken., Kawasaki
2011 Eastern Regional Supercross Lites Class Season Standings (Unofficial Results)
- Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda – 205
- Dean Wilson, Menifee, Calif., Kawasaki – 183
- Ryan Sipes, Vine Grove, Ky., Yamaha – 163
- Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki – 159
- Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Honda – 125
- Matt Lemoine, Collinsville, Texas, Kawasaki – 120
- Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki – 89
- Lance Vincent, Youngsville, La., Honda – 83
- P.J. Larsen, Murrieta, Calif., KTM – 80
- Hunter Hewitt, Pilot Point, Texas, Suzuki – 80
2011 Dave Coombs Sr. East/West Shootout Results: Las Vegas
- Ryan Sipes, Vine Grove, Ky., Yamaha
- Cole Seely, Corona, Calif., Honda
- Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM
- Dean Wilson, Menifee, Calif., Kawasaki
- Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., Suzuki
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda
- Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha
- Lance Vincent, Youngsville, La., Honda
- Travis Baker, Temecula, Calif., Honda
- Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki
