On Saturday, January 5, 2013, before a sold-out crowd of 45,050 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Rockstar Energy Racing Suzuki’s Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., won the opening race of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship. GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac, of Durango, Colo., opened the Western Regional 250SX Class Main Event with a dominant win besting he field with a 6.44 second margin of victory.
Millsaps picked up the Nuclear Cowboyz Holeshot Award with Honda/Muscle Milk’s Trey Canard, of Shawnee, Okla., and his teammate Justin Barcia, of Ochlocknee, Ga., following in second and third respectively. Two-time defending 450SX Class Champion Ryan Villopoto, of Poulsbo, Wash., started in 12th place.
On Lap 8, while working his way through the field, Villopoto crashed and dropped several positions before re-entering the race. Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., held down the fourth position and began making up time on Barcia, but on lap 15, he crashed in a turn. After waiting patiently for 16 laps, Canard made his move around Millsaps for the lead, and on the same lap, Barcia suffered a crash. Millsaps made a last-ditch effort on Canard, zipping through the whoops around Canard for the win. Canard finished second and Dungey finished third.
“It was a great night for me,” said Millsaps. “This is my first win since 2010, and I was just trying to keep calm out there. It has been a long time since I have led a race, so it was hard to calm my nerves.”
Lucas Oil/Troy Less Designs Honda’s Cole Seely, of Newbury Park, Calif., opened the 250SX Class Main Event with the Nuclear Cowboyz Holeshot. Following turn one, he was one of several riders, including Heat Race winner Martin Davalos, of the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team, that were involved in a crash. Tomac, the defending 250SX Class Champion, assumed the lead as Malcolm Stewart, of Haines City, Fla., moved into second followed by Ken Roczen, of Germany, in third.
On lap 1, Roczen, who rides for the Red Bull KTM team, passed Stewart for second place. After winning the holeshot, Seely dropped to fourth place, but passed Stewart on lap 6 to secure third place. Tomac’s win marked the eighth of his career. Roczen finished second and Seely finished third.
“I had a tough Heat Race, and that was kind of a wake-up call for me,” said Tomac. “This is how I wanted to start the season. I did a few off-season races, like the Monster Energy Cup, and that kept me in shape.”
The Monster Energy Supercross series returns to action next Saturday night at Phoenix’s Chase Field.
450SX Class Results: Anaheim Opener
1. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki
2. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda
3. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
4. Chad Reed, Australia, Honda
5. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki
6. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda
7. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda
8. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki
9. Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Yamaha
10. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda
450SX Class Season Point Standings
1. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki – 25
2. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda – 22
3. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM – 20
4. Chad Reed, Australia, Honda – 18
5. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki – 16
6. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda – 15
7. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda – 14
8. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki – 13
9. Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Yamaha – 12
10. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda – 11
Western Regional 250SX Class Results
1. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda
2. Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM
3. Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda
4. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki
5. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., KTM
6. Ryan Sipes, Ekron, Ky., Suzuki
7. Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda
8. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki
9. Max Anstie, England, Suzuki
10. Michael Leib, Mission Viejo, Calif., Honda
Western Regional 250SX Class Season Point Standings
1. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda – 25
2. Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM – 22
3. Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda – 20
4. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki – 18
5. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., KTM – 16
6. Ryan Sipes, Ekron, Ky., Suzuki – 15
7. Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda – 14
8. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki – 13
9. Max Anstie, England, Suzuki – 12
10. Michael Leib, Mission Viejo, Calif., Honda – 11
For more information on the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, please log on to www.SupercrossOnline.com, the official website of Monster Energy Supercross. For all media requests, please contact Denny Hartwig dhartwig@feldinc.com or 630-566-6305. To follow Monster Energy Supercross on Facebook and Twitter, log on to www.facebook.com/supercrosslive and twitter.com/supercrosslive.
The West Palm Beach Motorsports Examiner will continue to bring you highlights from the two-wheeled side of motorsports in 2013, with (hopefully) enhanced coverage from the Daytona International Speedway in March.
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