On Saturday, Feb. 22, in the largest attended Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, race in 2013, 68,987 fans watched Yoshimura Suzuki’s James Stewart win his first 450SX Class race of the season. GIECO Honda’s Wil Hahn led wire to wire in tonight’s Eastern Regional 250SX Class Main Event en route to the first victory of his career.
Opening the 450SX Class Main Event with the Nuclear Cowboyz® Holeshot Award, Stewart – for the first time this season – led all 20 laps on the way to the win. Villopoto started the race in second place and chased down Stewart for the duration of the race, but came up 1.468 seconds short and finished second. Rockstar Energy Racing’s Davi Millsaps, who started the race mid pack, moved into third place on Lap 2, and finished third.
Stewart has now gone nine seasons with a win, tying Jeremy McGrath and Chad Reed in this exclusive category. Villopoto moved into second place in season standings, and Millsaps has a 22-point lead in the championship.
“I mean, what can I say, we won tonight,” said Stewart. “It [means] a lot; this whole season has been going crazy and to get a victory and to get a start, it was almost a perfect day. I was fastest in practice, fastest in the Heat Race, I got the holeshot in the Main Event and led every lap. I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous because I haven’t been out there in a while.”
Stewart is the fifth different winner eight races this season.
Hahn led the field of Eastern Regional 250SX Class riders across the Nuclear Cowboyz Holeshot line in turn one as Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Dean Wilson and Rockstar Energy Racing’s Blake Wharton tucked in behind him for second and third, respectively. Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin made a pass for second place on Wharton on Lap 2.
Hahn opened the season with a third-place finish last weekend and with tonight’s win, he moved into second place overall. Wilson, who finished second tonight, still has the championship points lead. Wharton finished third and is third overall.
“I put in a lot of hard work, and it paid off here tonight,” said Hahn. “I stayed positive out there and rode a smart race. It’s an amazing feeling to get my first win here at the Georgia Dome in front of so many fans. This has been a long time coming.”
Former 250SX Class Champion Tim Ferry’s son Evan won tonight’s KTM Junior Supercross Challenge.
Monster Energy Supercross resumes next weekend at St. Louis’ Edward Jones Dome.
Supercross LIVE!® is back in 2013 with a three-hour mid-raceday program from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. local time. Hosts, Jim Holley, a former World Supercross Champion, and Kevin Barnett, a former member of the U.S. Men’s Olympic Volleyball Team and professional broadcaster, will provide in-depth analysis of the afternoon’s practice and qualifying sessions as the riders and teams prepare for the night racing, in addition to interviews and behind-the-scenes coverage. As the only place to follow live practice and qualifying coverage from Monster Energy Supercross, Supercross LIVE! provides fans with an inside perspective before the gate drops on the night’s qualifying and Main Events. Additionally, there will be video snippets made available throughout the race day that can be viewed on the official website of Monster Energy Supercross, or the YouTube Channel.
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