STEWART WINS AGAIN
Suzuki’s James Stewart captured his third Monster Energy AMA Supercross win of the season at the weekend at Ford Field in Detroit.
Stewart’s win, in front of more than 50,000 fans, was his 48th, which tied him with Ricky Carmichael for second place on the all-time win list.
Meanwhile, Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo won the third Eastern Regional 250SX class race of his career and extended his points lead.
“The track was slippery tonight, so it was easy to put your bike on the ground,” said Stewart. “I pulled a nice gap in the middle of the race, but I let it go as time went on. It has been a while since I have raced here in Detroit, and it was an awesome night.”
Honda’s Cole Seely grabbed the holeshot with Stewart on his rear wheel through turn 1. Discount Tire Racing/TowTwo Motorsports’ Dean Wilson occupied the number-three position but was passed by Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto at the end of the opening lap.
At the end of lap one, Stewart passed Seely for the lead, and on lap four, Villopoto passed Seely for second place. After a small mistake before the finish line, Seely spun out, and KTM’s Ryan Dungey made the pass for third place on lap eight.
Stewart’s lead was 5.9 seconds after 10 of 20 laps and Dungey chased Villopoto, who had a 1.4 second advantage. Villopoto and Dungey finished second and third respectively and each have seven podium finishes on the season.
Stewart’s win marked his third at Ford Field, and he is the all-time leader at the venue. Villopoto has a 30-point lead over Dungey in season standings.
“I was able to get a good start tonight,” said Villopoto. “I made a mistake down the start straight but did regroup. It wasn’t enough, but I walked away with the points lead as we head into Toronto next weekend.”
Kawasaki’s Martin Davalos led the field through turn 1 with the holeshot to begin the Eastern Regional 250SX class main event. Cianciarulo and Honda’s Justin Bogle worked their way through turn one in second and third respectively, and on lap two Davalos crashed in the corner before the finish line. This allowed Cianciarulo to take over the lead with Bogle in tow.
At the halfway point, Bogle trailed Cianciarulo by 1.1 seconds, and Davalos continued to have more trouble, dropping back to ninth place. Last week’s winner and Cianciarulo’s team-mate Blake Baggett moved into third place, where he finished. Bogle finished second, marking the best finish of his career. Prior to the night, Bogle’s best finish was a third place.
“This year has started off great,” said Cianciarulo. “This was a very nerve-racking race for me because if I made one mistake, I would have given the race away. Overall, it was a great race, but it is only the fifth stop of the season, and there is a lot of racing left.”
“I am happy to be able to be out front and battling for a win,” said Bogle. “I hope to keep doing this the rest of the season and pick up that first win.
Monster Energy Supercross heads to Toronto’s Rogers Centre next Saturday night for the 12th stop of the 17-race championship.
450SX Class Results: Detroit
James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki
Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM
Justin Barcia, Pinetta, Fla., Honda
Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki
Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Suzuki
Josh Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Suzuki
Justin Brayton, Cornelius, N.C., Yamaha
Josh Grant, Corona, Calif., Yamaha
450SX Class Season Standings
Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 231
Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 201
James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki, 182
Ken Roczen, Murrieta, Calif., KTM, 181
Justin Brayton, Cornelius, N.C., Yamaha, 167
Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM, 143
Justin Barcia, Pinetta, Fla., Honda, 134
Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki, 126
Wil Hahn, Menifee, Calif., Honda, 115
Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Kawasaki, 111
Eastern Regional 250SX Class Results: Detroit
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki
Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Honda
Blake Baggett, Grand Terrance, Calif., Kawasaki
Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Honda
Matthew Lemoine, Pilot Point, Texas, Kawasaki
Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., Kawasaki
Vince Friese, Cape Giardeau, Mo., Honda
Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha
Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha
James Decostis, Peabody, Mass., Honda
Eastern Regional 250SX Class Season Standings
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki, 119
Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., Kawasaki, 102
Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki, 99
Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Honda, 94
Vince Friese, Cape Girardeau, Mo. Honda, 75
Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Honda, 63
Cole Thompson, Brigden, Canada, KTM, 58
James Decotis, Peabody, Mass., Honda, 54
Matthew Lemoine, Pilot Point, Texas, Kawasaki, 53
Blake Wharton, Beaumont, Texas, Honda, 51
