The 2013 Monster Energy AMA Supercross series will make its final stop in California this weekend as round six of 17 heads to Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.
It’s been an exciting season so far, with four different winners in five rounds – Rockstar Energy Suzuki’s Davi Millsaps (Anaheim I), Muscle Milk Honda’s Justin Barcia (Phoenix), Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto (Anaheim II, Oakland), and Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Duney (Anaheim III).
And landing on four of five of those podiums, including his win, was Millsaps. Due to his performances, he controls the points race, having 107 points, 19 ahead of Dungey.
In the 250 Supercross class, Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen, who won the last two rounds, holds the points lead with 116, 20 over GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac.
Last Saturday was all about KTM following the Austrian motorcycle manufacturer’s first-ever sweep in both the 450 and 250 SX classes.
Dungey almost didn’t make it to the final due to suffering a DNF due to mechanical issues on his SX-F 450 in his heat race. In Last Chance Qualifying, Dungey had much work to do, and finished in the final qualifying spot to transfer to the main event.
But when the race got underway, Dungey got into the lead by the second lap, eventually winning by a large margin ahead of Millsaps and Barcia.
Ryan Dungey (Red Bull KTM SX-F 450 Supercross) says: “We felt some emotion coming into tonight’s race after barely making it into the Main Event. The team was sweating it, but we pulled it off. It’s a long season and this is a big step for the team.”
In the 250cc class, KTM’s Roczen took the lead on the opening lap, and was able to fend off constant pressure from Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Martin Davalos en route to his fourth career SX win. He would win ahead of Divalos and Tomac. The 250 SX series now heads to the east before returning to the west in eight weeks.
Ken Roczen (Red Bull KTM SX-F 250 Supercross) says: “I need to keep this up and take it to the next level. This has been a great two races for me, but the season is not over yet, so I need to keep the pressure on as we head to San Diego next week.”
At last season’s San Diego stop of Monster Energy Supercross, defending champion Villopoto and former champion Chad Reed provided one of the season’s most memorable battles. The pair traded positions on several occasions before Villopoto emerged with his third win of the year en route to the title. In the Western Regional 250SX Class, Dean Wilson took advantage of the misfortune experienced by then points leader Eli Tomac to win his second race of the championship and take over the points lead, Feld Motor Sports says.
The first race held in San Diego was October 25, 1980, and Mike Bell won on a Yamaha. Reed has the most wins of any rider in San Diego, winning six races in 10 career starts. Jeremy McGrath, James Stewart, and Ryan Villopoto are the only riders to win at San Diego in both the 450SX Class and 250SX Class. A rider hasn’t won a 450SX Class race inside Qualcomm Stadium over consecutive years since Reed did it in 2007 and 2008. In the 250SX Class, it hasn’t been done since Stewart back in 2002 and 2003, Feld Motor Sports says.
2013 San Diego AMA Supercross on TV
SPEED TV will broadcast the San Diego round of 2013 AMA SX from Qualcomm Stadium live at 10:30 p.m. PDT Saturday, Feb. 9.
2013 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 450 Point Standings (after five of 17 rounds):
- Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki – 107
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM – 93
- Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda – 92
- Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki – 90
- Chad Reed, Australia, Honda – 81
- Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda – 71
- Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda – 61
- James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki – 56
- Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Yamaha – 53
- Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki – 48
2013 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250 Point Standings (after five of 17 rounds):
- Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM – 116
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda – 96
- Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda – 89
- Martin Davalos, Ecuador, Kawasaki – 70
- Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki – 68
- Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda – 68
- Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha – 67
- Christian Craig, Wildomar, Calif., Honda – 54
- Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., KTM – 52
- Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda – 49