2014 AMA Supercross Seattle Race Results

Ryan Villopoto Captures 40th Monster Energy Supercross Win In Seattle

In front of his hometown crowd of Seattle, Washington, the site of his very first 450SX win, Monster Energy Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto captured his fortieth career Monster Energy Supercross win at Century Link Field on Saturday. Villopoto grabbed the holeshot in the main event and went on to lead all 20 laps uncontested. In the 250SX East Region, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Justin Hill won his heat race, the first of his career, and went on to battle to a third place finish in the main event. Dean Wilson grabbed the holeshot in the main event, but crashed while pressuring for the lead and finished fourth.

Hometown Hero
Growing up just a couple hours from downtown Seattle, Villopoto always enjoys a warm welcome from the city. The champ achieved his first career 450SX class win in Seattle back in 2009, but had not seen the top of the podium at Century Link Field since. A poor start in his heat race sent him to the semi for the second consecutive week, which he took the win and was set to turn things around in the main event. Almost a carbon copy of last week in Houston, Villopoto grabbed the lead out of the first turn on his Kawasaki KX450F and continued to check out on the field leading all 20 laps and taking his fifth win of the season and the 40th of his career. The champ now has a 48-point lead in the championship standings with two rounds remaining.

"It feels great to win in front of all my friends and family here in Seattle," said Villopoto. "We were a little off in the heat race, but in the main event the bike was on and I was on. We inched closer to wrapping the title up but all we can do is win races and see where everything falls."

Mistake-Free
Hill has been patiently waiting to make his return to the podium after racing to his first win in San Diego in February. In Seattle, The Northwest native jumped into the early lead in his heat race and took his first heat race win of his career. Rocketing out of the gate on his KX250F in the main event, Hill worked through the top-five and got into second place. From there he battled for podium position as well as battling the soft, rutted Seattle track. When the checkered flag flew, Hill crossed the line in third place and although he wanted more, he was happy to be back on the podium. Hill's third place finish is his third career podium and moved him into third overall in the Western Regional standings.

"I knew the track was going to be just as tough as the competition," said Hill. "I had the speed to win tonight but the track was sketchy in spots and I didn't want to risk hitting the ground. I'm excited to get to Vegas to go head to head with everyone to finish off the season."

Going for the Win
Wilson has consistently been the fastest rider on the West coast this season, which he continued by taking the top spot in qualifying. In his heat race he grabbed the holeshot and carried on to take the win despite crashing mid-way through the race. In the main event Wilson grabbed the holeshot and battled back and forth for the lead for the first five laps until he got hung up in one of the deep ruts. Wilson was able to regroup and finish strong in fourth place.

"Tonight wasn't what I wanted," said Wilson. "But at least we were up front going for it. The goal is always to win races and that's all I want. I felt great all day, but just made one too many mistakes. I'm looking forward to go out on top in Vegas."

Electric
A hometown favorite always brings a crowd to their feet, but that was an understatement in Seattle. Villopoto's day was one of the busiest of the year as the pits were jammed surrounding the Monster Energy Kawasaki truck all day as hundreds of RV fans looked on to get a glimpse of the their local boy. On the final laps of the main event, the crowd roared as Villopoto circled the track on his way to only his second 450SX win in Seattle.

Moving Up
Although Wilson has already stated that he plans to move up to the 450SX class in 2015, after his fourth place finish in Seattle he has officially pointed out of the 250SX class. He did so by accumulating a total of 135 points in three separate seasons of supercross. Wilson proved earlier in the season that he has the speed to mix it up with the 450SX class and will be one of the top rookies making their full-time debut next year.

Cross-Country
With just two rounds remaining in the 2014 Monster Energy Supercross season, the riders get their first weekend off after 15 straight races. The series will resume and make its debut at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. on April 26th. The Eastern Region will be back in action as Martin Davalos plans to extend his points lead before the final round in Las Vegas, while Villopoto will have the opportunity to wrap up his fourth-consecutive championship.

Source: Kawasaki Racing

James Stewart Races To 2nd At Seattle SX

Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing's James Stewart to a well-earned second place in front of a packed and enthusiastic Pacific Northwest crowd at round 15 of the 2014 AMA/ FIM World Supercross Championship at Seattle's CenturyLink Field on Saturday night.

Although Stewart came into the weekend not quite 100 per cent, he still managed to put forth a solid effort in qualifying and pick-up his 10th heat race victory of the season. In the 20-lap Main Event, Stewart got a good start and overtook a podium position right away. Turning aggressive laps on his Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450, Stewart was riding on the edge as he quickly moved into second position and then continued to charge hard and bring home a podium finish.

"Today was a bit of a struggle," said Stewart. "I never could really get comfortable with changes we made to the bike. I was trying to make-up time in the race, but it was really easy to override the track because of the ruts. I'm not quite 100 per cent yet but I felt like I rode good, so this was kind of a bummer. But we've still got two races left and I'm looking forward to having a week off to get totally healthy. I have to thank the Yoshimura Suzuki team for their hard work and for standing by me. We're second in the overall championship points and I'm just looking forward to going into the last two races of the season strong."

Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing takes a weekend off prior to their next event, the 16th round of the 2014 AMA/ FIM World Supercross Championship on Saturday, April 26th at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.



Source: Team Suzuki

Ryan Dungey 3rd At Seattle Supercross!

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Red Bull KTM Factory rider Ryan Dungey earned 3rd overall at round fifteen of the Monster Energy Supercross Series held at Century Link Field while teammate Ken Roczen finished a hard fought 7th overall.

Ken Roczen and Ryan Dungey were among the top contenders in the early practice sessions. Roczen finished qualifying atop of the lap times placing him in heat race one. Dungey was fourth fastest in practice putting him in heat two.

Dungey kicked the night show off in fine form launching from his start gate in 2nd spot. By lap five he had found his rhythm and after making a few attempts to take the lead from Mike Alessi he made a pass stick with a lap to go and went on to win the heat.

[caption id="attachment_31490" align="alignleft" width="300"] Photo: Simon Cudby[/caption]

Roczen qualified for the main by finishing heat two in 3rd spot. He didn't get the best of starts getting out of the gate around 7th position; however, by lap two had worked his way up to 4th. Successfully maneuvering his way past Short he started to reel in Barcia in 2nd. Unfortunately time was not on his side and he was unable to get by Barcia transferring to the main event in 3rd.

In the main, Dungey got a good start on his KTM 450 SX-F rounding the opening turn just shy of the holeshot behind Villopoto. However, several mistakes early on allowed James Stewart who was in 3rd at the time to gain ground on Dungey and Stewart got past on lap four. Dungey pulled it together and held off a hard charging Eli Tomac to finish the night on the podium beside Villopoto and Stewart.

Roczen got a reasonable start and rounded the opening lap in 5th position. However a mistake in the rutted out whoops section prior the finish line jump on lap five cost him several positions. Soon a three way battle between Roczen, Short and Canard ensued for much of the remainder of the race with Roczen ultimately taking the checkers in 7th place.

[caption id="attachment_31488" align="alignright" width="200"] Photo: Simon Cudby[/caption]

"I am not happy with the way I rode and I made quite a few mistakes tonight," stated Dungey. "I need to go back to the drawing board this week with the team in California. Having a weekend away from racing should do me good and I want to come out at New Jersey feeling refreshed and ready to go."

"I just didn't ride very well," said Roczen. "I am really lucky that I managed to save myself from crashing in those whoops. That could have ended up a lot worse. I just didn't find my rhythm again after that. I battled with Shorty and Canard for quite a bit but I just didn't have my A game on tonight."

Next Round: April 26, 2014 - New Jersey

Source: KTM North America

RCH Racing Soaring Eagle Flies High In Seahawk Airspace

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After great run that included three consecutive top 10 finishes and his first Heat race win of the season last week, Josh Hill ran out of real estate and crashed in the first turn of the Main event in Houston. Although he was able to battle back from dead last up to 12th, Hill entered Century Link Field hoping to get things back on track at the Seattle Supercross. The evening certainly started off on the right track as Hill was 6th fastest qualifier, just 1.4 seconds behind German sensation Ken Roczen's factory KTM.

"Qualifying was really good," said Josh Hill. "I was the first guy to hit the big quad in practice and I felt really solid." By virtue of his fast qualifying time, Hill had third gate pick for the first Heat. Because he is from nearby Yoncalla, Oregon, the Fox Sports cameras focused on Hill in the starting gate.

Even more airtime came RCH Racing Soaring Eagle's way as Hill, newly signed RCH outdoor rider Weston Peick and defending SX champ Ryan Villopoto battled for the final transfer spot to the Main event all race long (top 4 transfer from the short 6 lap Heat race, the rest have to ride in a Semi). Peick proved he has it takes by holding off RV on the night when he was looking to clinch his fourth consecutive Supercross title. This meant both Hill and hometown hero Villopoto had to race the Semis. "The Heat race didn't really go my way," admitted Hill. "I made a couple of little and didn't quite make it."

[caption id="attachment_31527" align="alignleft" width="300"] Photo: Simon Cudby[/caption]

Speaking of TV time for the RCH Soaring Eagle team, just before the Semis, Fox Sports aired a teaser of an upcoming sit-down interview with team principal Carey Hart and his wife Alecia - A.K.A. Pink. The full interview with Fox Sports trackside reporter Jenny Taft is set to air in two weeks after the Easter break during both the live and follow up showings of New Jersey SX on FS1 and CBS. This is the first weekend off for the 450SX riders since the season started in Anaheim in January - 15 straight races).

Hill heads into the break with his mojo rising. After getting a top 5 start in the first Semi, he went on a charge! He knifed through the pack into second, cutting some of the fastest lap times of the night. Then with two laps to go, Josh jumped into the lead! Once in front, he began playing to the partisan crowd with some stylish whips and riding a stand-up wheelie through the entire whoop section. "I had a lot of fun," said a happy Hill after his second Semi win of the season. "You know it was good to get a little win in front of the hometown crowd."

But before the break, there was the little matter the Main event in Seattle. Although he had a top 10 start, Hill couldn't find a way to move the mountains of riders between him and the podium. "I had a decent start... around 10th place, but then I kind of got bumped going into the second turn and went backwards."

[caption id="attachment_31529" align="alignright" width="200"] Photo: Simon Cudby[/caption]

Finally with just five laps to go in the 20-lap Main event, Josh jumped up into 9th, where he would ultimately finish. "I still felt good, and I was pushing for it, but I ended bending my rear rotor so my back brake was locking up on me and I couldn't really tell what was going on. It was a tough race," said Hill of his bad break. "I tried to just ride through it and get into the top 10."

Despite a bad break losing team leader Broc Tickle to injury a couple weeks ago and now Hill's bad brake in the Main in Seattle, the season points total show RCH Racing Soaring Eagle with two spots in the top 10: Tickle still holds onto 8th and Hill moves up a spot into 9th overall.

Of course the RCH Racing Soaring Eagle pit was the place to be in Seattle. The popular Suzuki Holeshot experience and the sign ups for a chance to win an all-expenses-paid four-day/three-night get away to Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort continue to draw crowds. A new addition to the RCH Racing Soaring Eagle vibe is the new [mageProductLink sku="13386-001-s" title="Fox Racing RCH Racing Fanwear Zip Hoody"]RCH Racing Fanwear[/mageProductLink] collection from team riding gear sponsor Fox Racing. Show your support for both Broc Tickle and Josh Hill by flying the Soaring Eagle colors.

Seems like everyone is excited about next week's trip to Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, for round 16 of the 17 race season.

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

Cole Seely Takes A Win At Seattle Supercross Main Event

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Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Honda racer Cole Seely, graced the top of the winner's podium for the 250SX Class main event at CenturyLink Field in Seattle.

Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Dean Wilson took the hole shot, but it wouldn't last. After falling on lap four, Wilson ended the race in fourth place. Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Justin Hill and Rockstar Energy Racing's Jason Anderson were battling back and forth for second and third, but when the race finally ended it was Anderson who was in second.

Seely's win puts him eight points behind the Western Regional 250SX Class overall leader, Jason Anderson. But, with only one race remaining, it appears Anderson's lead might be enough to hold Seely at bay.

"I'm just trying to stay alive in the points hunt," Seely said. "I've been solid and he's been solid. I got off to good start then Wilson made a mistake and I capitalized. We were able to put together 15 solid laps. This is where I need to be, so I'm pumped. I'm not thinking about the points. Whatever happens happens. It's been a fun year."

The final race of the Western Regional 250SX Class will be held on May 3 at the Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas.

Jason Anderson On Podium In Last Seattle Supercross

[caption id="attachment_31502" align="alignright" width="300"] Photo: Simon Cudby[/caption]

Jason Anderson continued his consistent 2014 championship campaign with yet another solid podium ride. Unfortunately for the fans of NW Supercross, it also marked the last time the series will visit Washington. The team traveled to the NW with only Jason under the tent, dealing with a slew of injuries to all of it's 450 contenders this season. Cole Thompson being the most recent to go down with a knee injury one week ago.

With the level of competition in the West Coast 250 class, it's very unlikely that any rider could win every race and take the title easily. The key to taking the #1 plate is to be near the front in every main and do the work necessary to do so during the week. Anderson wasn't able to secure the victory in Seattle but it was certainly not for a lack of effort and he was rewarded with a 2nd place finish by race's end. Doing exactly what he had to and keeping the points lead.

Once again he showed blazing speed in practice, posting lap times faster than any of the 450's. He had to come through the pack a bit in his heat race but still qualified easily with a good gate pick. As he rounded the first turn in the main event, he sat a ways back again, just inside the top 10. He had some work to do but there was no question that he would rapidly move to the front.

[caption id="attachment_31486" align="alignleft" width="200"] Photo: Simon Cudby[/caption]

It was pretty obvious that Jason was the fastest rider on the track throughout the entire main event. Unfortunately he also made a couple costly mistakes dashing his hopes to pick up a 5th win. He made his way past Justin Hill for 2nd and began reeling in Cole Seely. Then he washed out his front wheel in a berm and went down. JA quickly remounted and passed Hill for the second time shortly there after. He then followed that up by getting cross rutted on a triple and jumping completely off the track.

He had to find a safe place to put his #17 back on the track and once again chase down Justin. He did just that, passing him for an incredible 3rd time. It definitely appeared that with the speed he was possessing, the victory should have been his, but that was not the case. He still accomplished what was needed however, picking up valuable points.

Jason Anderson:
"Seattle was a pretty good weekend. Coming out with the points lead. Going into the last race with a very good chance to win this championship. That's all I want!"

The series will now head all the way back to the opposite end of the Country in New Jersey after a weekend off. The battle for the West Coast Championship will also be put on hold for two weeks before finally being settled in Las Vegas, NV. Anderson will not rest during this time as he focuses on winning his first ever professional Supercross title.

Source: Rockstar Energy Racing

Seattle Overview And Point Standings

Overall Results - Supercross Class Race Time: 18:34.142

1. Ryan Villopoto - 318
   
2. James Stewart - 270
   
3. Ryan Dungey - 267
   
4. Ken Roczen - 249
   
5. Justin Barcia - 214
   
6. Justin Brayton - 196
   
7. Andrew Short - 194
   
8. Broc Tickle - 126
   
9. Joshua Hill - 124
   
10. William Hahn - 122
    

1. Kawasaki - 334
   
2. KTM - 317
   
3. Suzuki - 303
   
4. Honda - 262
   
5. Yamaha - 203
   

1. Jason Anderson - 178
   
2. Cole Seely - 170
   
3. Justin Hill - 139
   
4. Dean Wilson - 138
   
5. Cooper Webb - 121
   
6. Malcolm Stewart - 121
   
7. Jessy Nelson - 103
   
8. Zach Osborne - 100
   
9. Shane Mcelrath - 96
   
10. Jake Canada - 72
    

1. Kawasaki - 338
   
2. Honda - 319
   
3. KTM - 267
   
4. Yamaha - 212
   
5. Suzuki - 16
   

Motocross Gear Every Rider Should Consider

Just because the 2014 Supercross season is nearing its end doesn't mean riders will be putting their dirt bikes in the garage for good. Fans and riders will still be looking for leading motocross gear in high numbers in the coming months, especially since the 2014 AMA Motocross season is scheduled to start three short weeks after Supercross ends in May. Quality motorbike helmets, boots and parts can be found online that will suit the needs of any rider.