The 15th round of 17 in the United States Supercross Championships at Seattle on Saturday night saw Honda’s Justin Barcia post a wire-to-wire performance to win his second career 450SX class main event.

Even with Barcia’s win, defending champion Ryan Villopoto (Kawasaki) finished second to maintain his stranglehold on the championship lead.

The crowd of more than 53,000 fans inside Seattle’s CenturyLink Field also saw German KTM rider Ken Roczen capture his third 250SX class victory in four races in the Western Regional Championships’ return to competition.

Barcia raced to the holeshot to begin the 450SX class main event, with Mike Alessi and Honda’s Vince Friese in tow. Series leader Villopoto positioned himself in the top five, while a first-turn pileup claimed both Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey and TwoTwo Motorsports Honda’s Chad Reed, of Australia.

Villopoto wasted little time in moving forward and was in second place by lap two, just a few tenths behind Barcia. Suzuki’s Davi Millsaps followed Villopoto into third place.

Both Barcia and Villopoto slowly pulled away from Millsaps as the race progressed, setting the stage for a battle to the finish. The Seattle crowd cheered on Villopoto, their hometown rider, but as the duo encountered lapped riders, Barcia’s lead began to increase.

Barcia led all 20 laps of the main event, mirroring the performance from his inaugural 450SX Class victory at the second race of the season in Phoenix.

“I tell you what, that holeshot is so key,” said Barcia. “We made some great changes today on the bike. It was a tough track with so many lines, but there was one main line that was so much better than any other. I’ve been waiting for this since Phoenix.”

Villopoto’s runner-up finish extended his podium streak to nine races, during which he has finished either first or second.

“I didn’t get the start I wanted, so to come out the way I did and salvage that was awesome,” said Villopoto. “I rode 20 solid laps but Justin [Barcia] was on it. I just really couldn’t do anything with him. The way it turned out tonight was pretty good for what we were up against [at the start].”

Millsaps finished third for his 10th podium finish of the season, and moved into second in the championship standings. Dungey overcame the incident on the opening lap to finish fourth after starting in 18th position.

Villopoto holds a 25-point lead over Millsaps in the 450SX Class standings and can clinch his third straight Monster Energy Supercross title if he maintains that advantage following next weekend’s 16th race of the season.

In the first Western Regional 250SX Class Championship main event since the sixth race of the season in February, Honda’s Eli Tomac grabbed the holeshot and quickly pulled away from the field. Behind him, Suzuki’s Ryan Sipes and Honda’s Christian Craig assumed second and third, respectively. Roczen positioned himself in fourth, but moved into a podium spot prior to the conclusion of the opening lap.

With his championship rival behind him, Tomac opened a multiple-second margin as Roczen methodically moved past Craig into second on lap two. For several laps, the pair maintained their distance from one another until Tomac came up short on a jump on lap nine and was thrown off his motorcycle. Roczen assumed the lead, but Tomac was able to remount in second.

Roczen pulled away for the remainder of the 15-lap main event to extend his lead in the point standings. He has finished first or second in each of the seven Western Regional 250SX class championship races this season.

“It’s good to bounce back from a bad Heat Race with good start,” said Roczen, who crashed twice in his heat race. “I just put my head down and rode smart. The track was really technical out there, with a lot of ruts. It feels good to get a win after such a long break; it’s tough to get in a groove after so much time off, but I’m so happy I was able to walk away with this one.”

Despite his misfortune, Tomac still finished second, but faces a significant deficit in the championship with only two races remaining.

“The track was getting tough in the main event,” said Tomac, who still has the most wins in the class with four. “I got a good start and started pulling away, but then I made a big mistake. It’s kind of a bummer, but that’s racing. I was lucky enough to be able to get up in second and still finish on the podium.”

Honda’s Zach Osborne secured his first podium finish of the season in third.

Roczen carries a 20-point advantage over Tomac into next weekend’s eighth race of the Western Regional 250SX class championship.

450SX Class Results: Seattle

1.      Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda

2.      Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki

3.      Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki

4.      Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM

5.      Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki

6.      Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki

7.      Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki

8.      Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Yamaha

9.      Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM

10.    Phillip Nicoletti, Bethel, N.Y., Yamaha

 

450SX Class Season Standings

1.      Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 321

2.      Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki, 296

3.      Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 295

4.      Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda, 245

5.      Chad Reed, Australia, Honda, 213

6.      Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda, 202

7.      Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM, 189

8.      James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki, 174

9.      Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Yamaha, 162

10.    Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki, 155

 

Western Regional 250SX Class Results: Seattle

1.      Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM

2.      Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda

3.      Zach Osborne, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Honda

4.      Cole Seely, Murrieta, Calif., Honda

5.      Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki

6.      Austin Politelli, Menifee, Calif., Honda

7.      Ryan Sipes, Ekron, Ky., Suzuki

8.      Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., KTM

9.      Martin Davalos, Ecuador, Kawasaki

10.    Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki

 

Western Regional 250SX Class Points

1.      Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM, 163

2.      Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 143

3.      Cole Seely, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 113

4.      Zach Osborne, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Honda, 102

5.      Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki, 99

6.      Martin Davalos, Ecuador, Kawasaki, 94

7.      Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha, 86

8.      Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., KTM, 75

9.      Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki, 74

10.    Austin Politelli, Menifee, Calif., Honda, 72