2014 AMA Supercross Detroit Race Results

James Stewart & Yoshimura Suzuki Win Detroit SX

Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing's James Stewart bounced back from several races of bad luck to create his own good fortune at round 11 of the 2014 AMA/ FIM World Supercross Championship at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday night.

Stewart raced his Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 to his 48th 450 class win and tied former Suzuki rider, Ricky Carmichael, for second place on the all-time 450 class wins list. This victory also moved Stewart back into third in the overall series points.

This weekend's race marked the series' return to Detroit for the first time since 2008. Stewart, having won there in '06 and '07, was blisteringly-fast on his Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 all day: He qualified second and went on to take his seventh heat race win of the season. In the 20-lap Main Event, Stewart got a good launch off the gate and took over the lead at the end of the second lap. From there, the Yoshimura Suzuki rider turned-in consistently smooth laps to gap the field and take his third win of the season and his third win in Detroit.

"I had a great night," said Stewart. "I was able to get a victory and we didn't have any weird situations. This is the first time we haven't been down on the first lap in three races and it feels good. I really felt like we got better and better all day, and then in the Main Event, we really nailed it. I've got to thank the Yoshimura Suzuki team, they've been solid and behind me the whole time, and it's been a rough couple of weeks. It was great to tie a legend like Ricky Carmichael for second on the all-time wins list and now we'll come back for Toronto and see what we can do up there."

Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing's next event is the 12th round of the 2014 AMA/ FIM World Supercross Championship on Saturday, March 22nd at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.



Source: Team Suzuki

Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Adam Cianciarulo Races To His Third Victory In Detroit

After a five-year hiatus, Monster Energy Supercross returned to Ford Field in Detroit, Mich., for Round 11 on Saturday. Rookie Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Adam Cianciarulo, fought off pressure like a true veteran to lead 13 of 15 laps and extend his points lead with his third win of the season. Joining him on the podium was Daytona Supercross winner Blake Baggett in third place. Martin Davalos grabbed the holeshot on his KX250F and had the early lead until a crash left him to finish in sixth. Monster Energy Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto was the fastest qualifier on his KX450F and finished second to further extend his championship lead. Dean Wilson continued to sharpen his skills in the 450SX class finishing 12th.

Rookie Or Veteran?
After finishing second at his hometown race in Daytona one week ago, Cianciarulo was looking to make a statement in Detroit. He dominated each qualifying session but could not put an end to his teammates heat race streak and finished second. In the main event Cianciarulo rounded the first corner in second and inherited the lead after two laps. From there the 17-year old rider withstood the pressure of his competitors to take his third career win and help extend Kawasaki's win streak to seven in the 250SX class.

"Tonight was probably the toughest win to get so far," said Cianciarulo. "Once I got into the lead I knew I had to try and build as big of a gap as possible. I had pressure on me for most of the 15-laps but was able to stay confident and focused. Each weekend is a new race and I just want to tackle each individually."

Steady As She Goes
Villopoto felt so comfortable with his Daytona set-up that he carried those changes into his regular supercross set-up for Detroit. As he has done countless times, the champ laid down a lap time that was insurmountable by the rest of the field. Villopoto pushed the limits all night long on the slippery Ford Field surface and although he did not stand on top of the podium, he was able to extend his championship lead over his closest competitors.

"I'm happy with another podium," said Villopoto. "We would have liked to get the win, but this track was tough and if you started to push too much you could end up on the ground quick. We gained a lot of points on some guys tonight. We're getting towards the homestretch."

Building Momentum
Last week's winner struggled at first to find his groove in the cold of Detroit. In the main event Baggett got off to a less than ideal start but quickly started moving forward from outside the top-10. Never faltering, he climbed his way into a podium position and with a third place finish also moved back into third in the points standings

"This was no easy track," said Baggett. "It was completely different from last week's track but gnarly in its own means. I'm happy we were able to rebound from a bad start and still get on the podium."

Shrug It Off
Each week Davalos takes turns holding the fastest lap time throughout qualifying. While throwing down a fast lap side by side with Cianciarulo, Davalos mistimed a rhythm section and crashed hard. Although sore, the Ecuadorian did not let the get-off interfere with his championship run. Davalos won his heat race to make it five in a row. In the main he got the holeshot but a mistake on the slippery and rough track put him on the ground. He fought back to sixth place and remains second overall in the championship.

"We had a big get off today," said Davalos. "I came back out and won the heat, but in the mean event I started to tighten up and it cost me. We'll rest up this week and be back at it in Toronto."

Learning Curve
Wilson impressed and surprised many in Daytona and Detroit was no different. The TwoTwo Motorsports/Discount Tire Kawasaki fill-in rider was fastest in the second qualifying session and transferred directly to the main from his heat race. He got a great start in the main event that saw him run amongst the top-five for the first half of the main event and eventually finished 12th.

"We continue to learn each week," said Wilson. "I know I have the speed to be a podium guy, I just need to continue to work on maintaining that speed for the full 20 laps. I'm enjoying my time in the 450SX class and look forward to next week and learning more."

Top Tech
After Davalos' crash in qualifying, the pressure turned from the rider to the mechanic. Dave Feeney, Davalos' mechanic, immediately started repairing the damage that occurred from hitting the ground. With limited time, Feeney got the bike together in time for the night show and for Davalos to take it to another heat race win earning Feeney the Top Technician Award.

Pontiac Throwback
To celebrate supercross returning to the state of Michigan, the track at Ford Field featured a lane that went up into the stands. The section in the stands was a staple in the 40 years of supercross history, which the riders were excited to see.

Great White North
Round 12 of Monster Energy Supercross brings the series to its one international stop in Toronto, Canada. The track inside Rogers Centre in downtown Toronto offers unique dirt taken from the elements of the frigid Canadian winter.

Source: Kawasaki Racing

Ryan Dungey Podiums At Detroit Supercross

[caption id="attachment_31055" align="alignright" width="200"] Photo: Simon Cudby[/caption]

Red Bull KTM Factory rider Ryan Dungey earned another podium finish at the eleventh round of the Monster Energy Supercross Series to maintain second place in the overall point standings.

Dungey and his teammate, Ken Roczen, were among the top riders in the early practice sessions. Roczen turned the 2nd fastest time while Dungey was 4th which placed both riders in the first heat race.

When the gate dropped for the first heat, Dungey was able to leap out to a 4th place start. He maintained his pace and finished in that position to qualify in the main event. Roczen had a mid-pack start and worked his way up to 5th place, just one spot shy of making the main.

[caption id="attachment_31050" align="alignleft" width="300"] Photo: Simon Cudby[/caption]

Roczen returned to the gate for the semi race where he earned a 4th place start. He began to make time on the top riders before making a small mistake and falling back. He was able to regain his 4th place position where he finished the semi to qualify into the main event.

In the main event, Dungey was able to garner a 5th place start around the first corner while Roczen was a few spots back in 8th place. While Dungey was busy moving up toward the top three riders, Roczen made an unfortunate mistake and stalled his bike. At the same time a rock got jammed in his rear brakes which caused his brakes to lock up. Roczen was able to get going again but continued to deal with brake issues throughout the remainder of the race.

Meanwhile, Dungey was making passes up front and was able to move around Dean Wilson into 4th on the first few laps. On the ninth lap of the race, he was able to pass Cole Seely and move into a podium position. Once in 3rd place, he settled in, and was able to finish the race in that position to earn another podium finish. His teammate, Roczen, finished the race in 20th after starting a lap down as a result of his brake issues.

[caption id="attachment_31056" align="alignright" width="300"] Photo: Simon Cudby[/caption]

"The track was really slick tonight and hard to make passes," stated Dungey. "I am happy I was able to move around a few guys and get on the podium. I hope to return to the top step of the box next week."

Roczen mentioned, "Unfortunately, I just had some bad luck with a rock getting stuck in my brakes and it ruined my night. I was able to return to racing but was a lap down and could not gain enough time on the other riders. I am just hoping for better luck next week."

Next Event: Toronto, Canada - March 22, 2014

Source: KTM North America

RCH Soaring Eagle Team In The Driver's Seat At Ford Field

[caption id="attachment_31061" align="alignright" width="200"] Photo: RCH Team[/caption]

Not only is RCH Soaring Eagle Supercross team rider Broc Tickle from nearby Holly, Michigan, the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort is located in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, so the Soaring Eagle folks decided to really make a statement and partnered with Feld Motor Sports® to host Supercross racing's return to the Motor City. After last week's round on the Ricky Carmichael-built track in Daytona where Tickle and his teammate Hill felt like they had a home field advantage, they were really in the driver's seat for the race at Ford Field in downtown Detroit!

The RCH Soaring Eagle team certainly made a statement in the opening ceremonies as Tickle swapped his traditional Fox MX jersey for a #20 Barry Sanders Detroit Lions jersey. Josh Hill made an impression by riding down through the stands on his #75 RCH Suzuki. Not to be outdone, Miss Soaring Eagle Sierra Merchant rode in on a Side-by-Side during opening ceremonies, shooting T-shirts out to the fans. Presenting sponsor Soaring Eagle also showed up in force with more than 100 Tribal members, family and VIPs to attend the race.

Riding as if they owned the place, afternoon qualifying saw Josh Hill just edge hometown boy Broc Tickle by 12/100s of a second as both of the teammates made the evening racing program with lap times well inside the top 10 (only the top 40 fastest qualify for the evening racing program). The evening started off with a little more TV time for Tickle as Fox Sports reporter Jenny Taft interviewed him. With more than 85 friends and family members in the stands, not to mention the event's title sponsor watching, Tickle wanted to do even better than last week's career best 4th place finish.

[caption id="attachment_31053" align="alignleft" width="200"] Photo: Simon Cudby[/caption]

"I'm really looking forward to tonight," Tickle told Taft and the TV audience. "All my family is here, and on top of that we have our title sponsor Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort, so I'm looking to keep building that momentum like I have the past couple of weeks and hopefully get some holeshots tonight."

Although Hill did't have his entire family in the grandstands, he still wanted to do well for the team's sponsors. Heat #1 had Hill squaring off against fastest qualifier of the day, James Stewart and holeshot artist Mike Alessi, also mounted on Suzukis. Despite getting boxed out at the start, Hill quickly moved into 4th by the end of the first lap. By the second lap, he slashed past Justin Brayton for 3rd spot. The TV cameras then concentrated on Hill's attempts to chase down Alessi and captured a Suzuki sweep of the top three qualifiers (only the first 4 transfer straight from the heat race, the rest have to race the Semi, or worse, the infamous LCQ "Last Chance Qualifier").

Tickle didn't quite take the holeshot he wanted in Heat #2, instead he ended up the first lap a distant 7th. Although he did get up into 5th by the last lap, remember that only the top 4 go straight to the Main. That meant a trip to the Semis. Tickle went into Semi #2 lined up on the far inside hoping to sneak through, although he didn't get the holeshot, his strategy paid off as he gated top five and quickly moved into second. After chasing Andrew Short for much of the race, Tickle set up a dramatic pass attempt in the final turn, but came up just short of Short to finish second and make the Main.

[caption id="attachment_31052" align="alignright" width="300"] Photo: Simon Cudby[/caption]

The 450 Main saw both RCH Soaring Eagle Suzuki Team riders finish inside the top 10 of the fiercely competitive field. Hill had a better start than Tickle, finishing the first lap in 7th, dicing with Short, while Tickle was back in 9th after getting squeezed off at the start. However on lap #3, Tickle passed privateer Suzuki rider Weston Peick for 10th position. "I was 9th on the start and rode really cautiously for the first five laps," explained Tickle. "I finally got into the flow and started picking guys off."

By lap #7, both teammates were battling each other for 7th. "I got into into 6th and then was closing the gap on 5th. Then I started losing my flow," said Tickle. "I tried to run it in on Barcia on the last lap, but couldn't make it stick. Still, I'm pumped with 6th and how I rode through the pack."

At the finish, Barcia just beat Tickle to the line. Following Tickle's career best 4th last week, he backed that up with a hard-fought 6th place in Detroit.

[caption id="attachment_31054" align="alignleft" width="300"] Photo: Simon Cudby[/caption]

Meanwhile, Josh Hill had a much better Main event than he had in Daytona, finishing a season high 8th. "I rounded the first turn in 6th or 7th," said Hill. "Then the night just kind of turned into a full on battle! It went back and forth and I made my way up pretty far at one point, but made a couple of mistakes."

Tickle moves up to 8th in the rider point standings and Josh Hill now holds 13th overall with six races left in the season to continue to make up for time lost due to injuries earlier in the season.

[caption id="attachment_31062" align="alignright" width="300"] Photo: RCH Team[/caption]

The RCH Racing Soaring Eagle Team pits are always the center of attention at a Supercross race, but they really pulled out all the stops for the Detroit round, including stepping up as the title sponsor for the race. "We're happy to support RCH Racing and the Monster Energy Supercross community," said Raul Venegas, director marketing entertainment, Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort. "Fans can check out the RCH Racing pit activation at any race for a chance to win an all-expenses-paid four-day/three-night get away to Soaring Eagle Resort. Partnering with Monster Energy Supercoss gives us an exciting platform for fans to learn more about our luxury resort."

After rolling out of the Motor City, the RCH Racing Soaring Eagle team heads north of the border to the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada for Round 12 on March 22. Although the pits are closed in Toronto, come and visit RCH Soaring Eagle's Activation at the Main Entrance of the Rogers Centre this weekend.

About RCH Racing Soaring Eagle:
RCH Racing is in its second season of the partnership between Ricky Carmichael and Carey Hart to campaign the Feld Motor Sports® 2014 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship season. Ricky Carmichael merged his Suzuki relationship and technical development with the established five year marketing giant of Hart & Huntington Racing in 2013. The RCH Racing Soaring Eagle Team continues its partnerships with Suzuki, Fox, Dodge, Sycuan Casino, Yoshimura and Bel-Ray. Stay up to date on all RCH Racing Soaring Eagle news, follow us on Instagram and Twitter @RCHRacing and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hartandhuntington.

Source: RCH Racing Soaring Eagle

Detroit Overview And Point Standings

Overall Results - Supercross Class Race Time: 18:45.872

1. Ryan Villopoto - 231
   
2. Ryan Dungey - 201
   
3. James Stewart - 182
   
4. Ken Roczen - 181
   
5. Justin Brayton - 167
   
6. Andrew Short - 143
   
7. Justin Barcia - 134
   
8. Broc Tickle - 126
   
9. William Hahn - 115
   
10. Chad Reed - 111
    

1. Kawasaki - 247
   
2. KTM - 239
   
3. Suzuki - 215
   
4. Honda - 180
   
5. Yamaha - 167
   

1. Adam Cianciarulo - 119
   
2. Martin Davalos - 102
   
3. Blake Baggett - 99
   
4. Justin Bogle - 94
   
5. Vince Friese - 75
   
6. Kyle Cunningham - 63
   
7. Cole Thompson - 58
   
8. James Decotis - 54
   
9. Matthew Lemoine - 53
   
10. Blake Wharton - 51
    

1. Kawasaki - 249
   
2. Honda - 277
   
3. KTM - 189
   
4. Yamaha - 153
   
5. Suzuki - 12