!["It was a good ending to a day that started off not that great and I'm pretty excited about it. Pretty cool ride,” said Millsaps following Oakland.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/06/62/0662344f4cdd8ccae6b93c4745348786.jpg?itok=LU17MXrI ""It was a good ending to a day that started off not that great and I'm pretty excited about it. Pretty cool ride,” said Millsaps following Oakland.")
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto, of Poulsbo, WA, raced to his second-consecutive Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, 450SX Class Main Event win at O.co Coliseum before a record crowd of 46,896. Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen, of Germany, won his first Western Regional 250SX Class race of the season, snapping Eli Tomac’s three-race win streak.
Villopoto jumped out to an early lead, scoring the Nuclear Cowboyz® Holeshot Award. JGRMX/Toyota/Yamaha’s Justin Brayton, of Cornelius, NC, and Rockstar Energy Racing’s Davi Millsaps, of Murrieta, CA, followed Villopoto in second and third, respectively. A huge crash in turn two collected TwoTwo Motorsports’ Chad Reed, Yoshimura Suzuki’s James Stewart and Team Honda/Muscle Milk’s Justin Barcia. Stewart and Reed re-entered the race near the back of the pack and Barcia was forced to withdraw from the race.
By Lap 3, Villopoto established a 7-second lead over Millsaps, who passed Brayton for the number-two position on the same lap. Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey, of Belle Plaine, MN, passed Brayton for second place on Lap 11. Millsaps finished second and Dungey finished third.
“The points race is what we are going after, and winning the holeshot gives you a great advantage,” said Villopoto. “We made some changes to the bike today that I think really helped us out there tonight, so hats off to my team. It is a long season, and we are going to keep plugging away.”
Villopoto became the first repeat winner in this parity-packed season and is quickly making up for his 16th-place finish at the season opener.
JDR KTM’s Joey Savatgy, of Thomasville, GA, opened the Western Regional 250SX Class Main Event with the Nuclear Cowboyz Holeshot Award, leading Roczen and Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Honda’s Cole Seely, of Newbury Park, CA, respectively, through turn one. On the opening lap, Seely passed Savatgy for the lead and Roczen followed suit, passing Savatgy for second place. Current points leader Eli Tomac, of Cortez, CO, crossed the finish line on the opening lap in eighth place.
Tomac, who rides for the GEICO Honda team, crashed on Lap 1 and re-entered the race in 18th place. On Lap 5, Tomac crashed again in the whoops section and was unable to finish the race. Tomac came into night’s race undefeated and had a nine-point lead in season point standings. He now sits third overall, 15 points out of the lead.
Roczen stalked Seely until Lap 11 when he made the pass for the lead. Seely finished second and Rockstar Energy Racing’s Jason Anderson, of Edgewood, NM, finished third. Roczen has an 11-point lead in season point standings over Seely.
“I am so happy with this win tonight,” said Roczen. “There was a lot of bar banging on that opening lap, but I charged hard and got out front. I am excited to bring this momentum back to Angel Stadium next weekend.”
Monster Energy Supercross will continue next Saturday night, , at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif.
After four races and three different 450SX Class winners, Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, returns to Angel Stadium on Saturday, February 2, for the 60th time. Current points leader Davi Millsaps, who won the season opener in Anaheim earlier this year aboard his Rockstar Energy Racing machine, has a seven point lead on Team Muscle Honda Muscle Milk’s Trey Canard and an eight point lead on Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto, the two-time defending champion. In the Western Regional 250SX Class, Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen moved into the points lead after winning his first race of the season last weekend in Oakland. This weekend’s race will air live on SPEED at 7:30 p.m. PT.
Villopoto has five career wins at Angel Stadium and is hoping to win his third-consecutive race of the season this Saturday. Millsaps finished second in Oakland last weekend and controls the points race for the first time in his seven-year career.
"It was a good ending to a day that started off not that great and I'm pretty excited about it. Pretty cool ride,” said Millsaps following Oakland. “First practice and second practice were not that great. Third practice was better but I was still uncomfortable and not feeling it. Even in the Heat Race I was struggling. To come out on the podium, I definitely got my confidence back up [to where it needs to be]. Next week is next week. I’m going to take this one step at a time."
At last Monster Energy Supercross race at Angel Stadium, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer opened the 450SX Class Main Event with the Nuclear Cowboyz® Holeshot Award with Team Honda Muscle Milk teammates Justin Barcia and Trey Canard in tow. After a sixth-place start, Villopoto began to charge through the field, eventually passing Canard on Lap 5 for the lead and rode to victory.
The first supercross race held in Anaheim was December 4, 1976, when Marty Smith won on a Honda. This weekend’s race will be the 60th time the gate will drop for a race in Anaheim in 38 years. James Stewart, Ricky Carmichael and Jeremy McGrath are tied on the all-time 450SX Class win list in Anaheim at eight. Ivan Tedesco holds the 250SX Class all-time win record in Anaheim with five wins.
Tickets and pit passes are available at the Angel Stadium Box Office, all Ticketmaster Outlets, participating Yamaha Dealers, charge by phone at (800) 745-3000, or online. Practice and qualifying begin at 12:30 p.m. and the main event starts at 7:00 p.m.
Tickets for adults or children are: Club Seats $85, Gold Circle $60, Price Level 3 $45, Price Level 4 $35 and SuperValue Seats $20. All seats are $5 more day of show. Pit Passes are available for purchase at the Angel Stadium Box Office or Ticketmaster.com for $10 or for FREE when they purchase at participating Yamaha Dealers or when they recycle a MONSTER Energy Can at the stadium’s Pit Entrance on race day from 12:30-6:00 p.m. Tickets are subject to convenience and handling charges and are $5 more on the day of the race.
450SX Class Results: Oakland
1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
2. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki
3. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
4. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda
5. Mike Alessi, Hilliard, Fla., Suzuki
6. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda
7. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Fla., KTM
8. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki
9. Vince Friese, Cape Girardeau, Mo., Honda
10. Justin Brayton, Cornelius, N.C., Yamaha
450SX Class Points
1. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki – 85
2. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda – 78
3. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki – 77
4. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM – 68
5. Chad Reed, Australia, Honda – 65
6. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda – 56
7. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki – 47
8. Justin Brayton, Cornelius, N.C., Yamaha - 42
9. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda – 41
10. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Fla., KTM – 39
Western Regional 250SX Class Results: Oakland
1. Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM
2. Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda
3. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki
4. Martin Davalos, Ecuador, Kawasaki
5. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., KTM
6. Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, N.M., KTM
7. Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha
8. Austin Politelli, Riverside, Calif., Honda
9. Christian Craig, Wildomar, Calif., Honda
10. Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda
Western Regional 250SX Class Points
1. Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM – 91
2. Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda – 80
3. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda – 76
4. Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda – 58
5. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki – 52
6. Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha – 49
7. Martin Davalos, Ecuador, Kawasaki – 48
8. Christian Craig, Wildomar, Calif., Honda – 47
9. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., KTM – 45
10. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki – 45
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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