Baggett Excited After Successful Kawi Debut

Blake Baggett appears to be comfortable with his new team of Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki, as the second-year rider was able to capture third place at the recent AMA Supercross Lites race in Houston.

In the first East Lites race of the season, Baggett was able to overcome a bad start to eventually take third in the event and his first podium as a pro Kawasaki rider. After spending his entire amateur career racing for Kawasaki, Baggett debuted last season as a Supercross rider for Rockstar Energy Suzuki.

While Baggett showed promise in 2010, punctuated by an impressive win in Dallas, he felt that he needed to be back on a Kawasaki to achieve his goals. So the rider made the switch in 2011 and it appears to be paying off.

"I proved I can run with the fastest guys, I was catching those guys even though I was in traffic," he told Cycle News.

The third-place finish in the first race of the East Lites season means that Baggett is close to the top of the overall points leaderboard, although it's obviously still early in the year.

As Baggett is competing in the East portion of the Lites class, he won't be racing this weekend at the AMA event in San Diego, but will be back on the track and chasing the title when the action heads back to the East coast.