2014 Houston Monster Energy Supercross Results
Heading into this Saturday’s 14th round of the 2014 Monster Energy Supercross Championship at NRG Stadium in Houston, all eyes were on Yoshimura Suzuki’s James Stewart.
The Floridan took his fifth win of the season last week at St. Louis Supercross, which was also the 50th victory of his 450SX career. Due to his performances, he was able to gain some ground on the overall leader, three-time AMA Supercross Champion Ryan Villopoto (Monster Energy Kawasaki KX-F450F; following St. Louis Supercross, Stewart was 36 points off the top.
But the scenario changed once again in Houston when Villopoto dominated the 20-lap main event, taking his fourth win of 2014 SX. He was joined on the podium by Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Justin Barcia and Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen, respectively. As for Stewart, he was battling an illness, and didn’t have the best performance.
When the 41st Supercross visit to Houston began, Villopoto, who suffered a hard crash in his heat race – took the Nuclear Cowboyz Holeshot before nearly 50,000 fans. Title contender Ryan Dungey ended up crashing during the opening lap, as Stewart struggled to stay within the top five.
As Villopoto opened a gap, Barcia and Roczen took the second and third positions, respectively. All three would remain in these positions for the remainder of the race, never challenged.
Villopoto took a wire-to-wire win, which was also his fourth-straight race win in Houston.
“It was awesome tonight considering everything we had to overcome,” said Villopoto. “With the start the way it was, I don’t think I could have asked for anything more and it made my life easy. The track was tough, but our Kawasaki was able to handle everything. That’s not the way I wanted the Heat Race to go, but we were able to bounce back even stronger.”
Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Honda finished fourth, and Stewart would earn fifth, allowing him to slip into second in the point standings. With three rounds remaining, Stewart now trails Villopoto by 45 points.
Dungey regained his rhythm to pass 11 riders after his opening-lap crash, and finished seventh. He is now third in points, 46 points behind Villopoto.
In the return of the Western Regional 250SX Class Championship for its seventh race of the 2014 season, Rockstar Energy Racing’s Jason Anderson captured his fourth win of the season to extend his points lead.
Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil Honda’s Jessy Nelson started the 15-lap 250SX Class Main Event by grabbing the Nuclear Cowboyz Holeshot Award with Anderson and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Justin Hill in tow, Feld Motor Sports says.
Anderson made a pass for the lead by the time the field entered the second corner and opened a gap. Hill and his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki teammate Dean Wilson followed suit and took over second and third, with Wilson making the pass on Hill and setting his sights on Anderson out front. On Lap 4, Hill crashed in the whoops, giving up the spot to Troy Lee Designs/MAVTV Honda’s Malcolm Stewart, Feld Motor Sports says.
Anderson maintained about a two-second margin for the bulk of the race, until Wilson started closing in as they approached lappers. Wilson put on the pressure over the final two laps, with mere bike lengths separating the two, but was unable to make a pass happen before the finish, Feld Motor Sports says.
It was the first Western Regional 250SX Class Championship race since the San Diego stop on February 8.
“It feels great to come back strong after such a long break. I’m super stoked to get the win,” said Anderson. “We did a lot of work over the break and it paid off. We killed it off the start and were able to run our own race. That’s going to be the key to winning this championship over the last few rounds, put myself up front and move into a position so we can do what we need to do.”
Wilson overcame a dislocated shoulder suffered in a crash during his Heat Race to finish second and grab his third podium in four races, while Stewart posted the third podium result of his career in third. Anderson’s main challenger in the Western Regional Championship standings, Cole Seely, finished fourth aboard his Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil Honda, Feld Motor Sports says.
Anderson’s lead over Seely in the championship now sits at 11 points with two races remaining in the Western Regional 250SX Class Championship.
Monster Energy Supercross heads to Seattle’s CenturyLink Field next Saturday, April 12, for the 15th race of the 2014 season. Live broadcast coverage on FOX Sports 1 begins at 10:30 p.m. ET.
2014 Houston Monster Energy Supercross 450SX Class Results:
1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
2. Justin Barcia, Pinetta, Fla., Honda
3. Ken Roczen, Murrieta, Calif., KTM
4. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda
5. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki
6. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM
7. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
8. Mike Alessi, Hilliard, Fla., Suzuki
9. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda
10. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., Honda
2014 Monster Energy Supercross 450SX Class Season Standings:
1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 293
2. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki, 248
3. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 247
4. Ken Roczen, Murrieta, Calif., KTM, 235
5. Justin Barcia, Pinetta, Fla., Honda, 198
6. Justin Brayton, Cornelius, N.C., Yamaha, 196
7. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM, 181
8. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki, 126
9. Wil Hahn, Menifee, Calif., Honda, 122
10. Josh Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Suzuki, 112
2014 Monster Energy Supercross Western Regional 250SX Class Results:
1. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.M., KTM
2. Dean Wilson, Wesley Chapel, Fla., Kawasaki
3. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Honda
4. Cole Seely, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Honda
5. Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda
6. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha
7. Shane McElrath, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda
8. Jake Canada, Sun City, Calif., Honda
9. Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Kawasaki
10. Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda
2014 Monster Energy Supercross Western Regional 250SX Class Season Standings:
1. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.M., KTM, 156
2. Cole Seely, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Honda, 145
3. Dean Wilson, Wesley Chapel, Fla., Kawasaki, 120
4. Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Kawasaki, 119
5. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Honda, 109
6. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha, 107
7. Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda, 87
8. Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda, 85
9. Shane McElrath, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda, 85
10. Dean Ferris, Murrieta, Calif., KTM, 63
Toyota Triple Challenge Standings:
1. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki, 39
2. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo Wash., Kawasaki, 38
3. Justin Barcia, Pinetta, Fla., Honda, 38
4. Ken Roczen, Murrieta, Calif., KTM, 37
5. Justin Brayton, Cornelius, N.C., Yamaha, 31
6. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Kawasaki, 25
7. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM, 23
8. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 22
9. Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Suzuki, 16
10. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki, 14
KTM Jr. Supercross Challenge Results:
1. Jay Covert, Manchester, Pa., KTM
2. Jackson Glathar, St. George, Utah, KTM
3. Bryson Ray, Canyon, Texas, KTM
4. Brandon Shaw, Lubbock, Texas, KTM
5. Nate Betten, Milano, Texas, KTM
6. Drayton Smith, Spicewood, Texas, KTM
7. Eric Vidal, Fort Worth, Texas, KTM
8. Matthew Goatley, Louisville, Ky., KTM
9. Patrick Callahan, Foxboro, Mass. KTM
10. Christopher Welchko, Las Cruces, N.M., KTM
11. Riley Bertsch, Pine Haven, Wyo., KTM
12. Cooper Marshall, Tacoma, Wash., KTM
13. Hudson Lambert, Pearland, Texas, KTM
14. Luna Fairtrace, Gulfport, Miss., KTM
15. Luke Butler, Syracuse, N.Y., KTM
