Ashley Fiolek was all smiles after claiming gold in her first-ever Moto X Super X competition.
Ashley Fiolek used speed and strategy to claim gold in the Women's Moto X Super X competition this afternoon. The Red Bull Honda factory rider got a poor start in the 10-rider final but somehow slipped into the top two positions in the first few corners where she battled briefly with Geico Powersports Honda's Jessica Patterson. Patterson, a multi-time WMA champion, looked to have things under control as she took the wide sweeping lines on the slippery hard-pack course. Fiolek seemed as though she was fighting a losing cause as she tried to take the inside line on virtually every corner, but as the reigning WMA champ, she knows what it takes to knock off the mighty Patterson.
On the last lap, Fiolek slipped to the inside in a right-hander leading into the whoops and let her CRF250R drift wide to steal the line away from JP and disrupt her run through the moguls. Patterson tried to retaliate but overjumped heading into a rhythm section and was forced to single her way through the rest of the straight, leaving Fiolek to hop, skip and jump into a solid lead with half a lap to go. She would hold on to claim her first X Games gold with Patterson second and Elizabeth Bash third.
Last year's winner, Tarah Gieger, failed to run at the front, but sixth was a good start to her comeback as this was her first competition since an injury earlier this year. Tatum Sik suffered a nasty trip over the bars around the halfway point which took her out of contention.
X Games 15 Moto X Super X Women's Results:
1. Ashley Fiolek, 6:12.472
2. Jessica Patterson, 6:15.818
3. Elizabeth Bash, 6:37.318
4. Sherri Cruse, 6:38.577
5. Jacqueline Strong, 6:59.005
6. Tarah Gieger, 7:08.202
7. Sayaka Kaneshiro, 7:11.212
8. Penni Cyrus, 7:21.079
9. April Zastrow, 10:32.359
10. Tatum Sik, 16:06.926
