Muscle Milk/MDK/KTM Factory

Muscle Milk/MDK/KTM Factory rider Justin Brayton earned his second top five finish of the season after finishing in 4th place at the fourth round of the AMA West Supercross Lites Series at AT&T Park.

Brayton and his teammate, Ryan Sipes, had great practice times earlier in the day which came into place as they both lined up for the first Lites Heat. Brayton jumped out front from the gate coming around the first turn in second place and passed Ryan Morais for the lead before the next turn. Unfortunately, Sipes was not as lucky as he came around in 11th after the first lap. As Brayton stretched his lead out front Sipes quickly began picking off riders to move himself into qualifying position. By the second lap, he had done that as he secured ninth place. Soon Brayton crossed the line on the final lap to take his first heat win of the season while Sipes forward momentum continued to earn him a 6th place qualifying position. "I was really happy with my heat race win and hope to repeat the same result in the main," commented Brayton on the podium after his win.

KTM support rider Michael Sleeter and All American KTM/Fire and Police rider Justin Keeney raced heat two. After a good start and a smooth race Sleeter qualified in 6th while Keeney picked up the 9th and final qualifying spot.

As the gate dropped for the main event, three KTM riders, Brayton, Sipes and Sleeter, were inside the top ten. Sipes came around the first lap in 5th, Brayton in 7th and Sleeter in 9th. The rider's remained close for the first five laps. On lap six Brayton put on a charge and by lap seven he had passed Sipes, Kyle Cunningham and Cole Seely and was now sitting in a hard earned 4th place spot. Although Brayton continued to run the pace of the leaders he was too far back by the time he worked into the top five and he remained in 4th position for the night. Sipes rode a solid race to finish 6th overall while Keeney finished 12th and Sleeter finished 17th.

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Yamaha Racing

The fifth round of seventeen in the 2009 AMA Supercross Championship (also an FIM World series) in San Francisco was owned by LandM San Manuel rider James Stewart with his YZ450F for the fourth time this season and for the fourth meeting in a row. The 23 year old has soared up the standings since his unlucky DNF at the opening event and now lies a clear second and just six points behind Chad Reed.

Stewart - who had previously won in Los Angeles, Houston and Phoenix - rode the perfect race after acing the holeshot around the first corner of the open-air AtandT Park stadium. He was able to pull away and beat Reed by almost five seconds by the chequered flag. The main event was the seventh to be held in the picturesque city and was the third victory for Yamaha.

"I'm starting to feel like my old self and I've just been training as hard as I can. Right now it's showing, and we'll see what happens. It has definitely been better the last couple of weeks than in weeks past, so we'll see what happens," said Stewart who increased his career win haul to 29. "We're going to Anaheim soon and we're just going to have to try to keep it going. We're still six points back and there's still a long way to go."

Joe Gibbs Racing's Josh Grant maintained his 100% record of top five positions in each event. The 2009 rookie is having an impressive campaign to-date and added 4th place in San Francisco to his tally of 1st, 3rd, 5th and 5th. Grant is third in the table, seven points behind his brand-mate.

Stewart will be looking to gain further points over Reed and possibly seize control of the championship for the first time this year at Anaheim (for the third and final visit) in Los Angeles next weekend.

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Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki

Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Chad Reed and Ryan Dungey continue to lead the AMA/ FIM Supercross and West Coast Lites Championships after racing to podium positions at Saturday's San Francisco fifth round in America.

RM-Z450-mounted Reed gated fourth in the Supercross Main at AT & T Park in front of 39,000 fans, moving to second place on lap three behind James Stewart (Yamaha) where he remained until the flag.

He said: "I still have the points lead, which is important, and we go back to Anaheim next weekend, so we will work to get better."

Team mate Mike Alessi gated second behind winner Stewart and finished the 20-lap event in ninth position.

In the Lites class, Dungey put his RM-Z250 fourth into the opening corner but cut through to second by the end of the lap. He chased leader Jake Weimer (Kawasaki) for 11 laps then crashed trying to take the lead. However he remounted and recovered quickly to take second at the flag.

Said Dungey: "I was a little impatient. I made the move and it didn't work out. We will see what happens next weekend in Anaheim."

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Bridgestone Motorsports

Stewart, Weimer Continue Bridgestone’s Winning Ways in AMA Supercross

James Stewart and Jake Weimer rode to victories Saturday night at AT&T Park in San Francisco as Bridgestone remained perfect in 2009 Monster Energy AMA Supercross competition. In addition, Bridgestone-equipped riders captured five of the six possible podium positions in Supercross and Supercross Lites.

James Stewart (Team San Manuel / JSE Yamaha), the 2008 AMA Motocross championship on Bridgestone tires, raced to his fourth consecutive Supercross victory. He grabbed the lead on the holeshot and was never headed, winning by 4.5 seconds. Chad Reed (Rockstar / Makita Suzuki) finished second to Stewart for the fourth straight week, and with Ryan Villopoto (Monster Energy Kawasaki) taking third, it made for a Bridgestone podium sweep in Supercross.

“We needed all the help we could get tonight with the soil conditions and track layout,” Stewart said. “Bridgestone really came through with the tires.”

Despite being winless so far in 2009, Reed, the 2008 AMA Supercross champ, retains the points lead with 108 after five of 17 events. Reed is six points ahead of Stewart and 13 in front of fellow Bridgestone rider Josh Grant (JGRMX / Toyota Yamaha).

In Supercross Lites Western Regional competition, Weimer (Monster Energy / Pro Circuit Kawasaki) and fellow Bridgestone rider Ryan Dungey (Rockstar / Makita Suzuki) battled for the lead until Dungey crashed on lap 11. Weimer rode on to the victory while Dungey recovered to finish second and retain the points lead. Dungey has 92 points, four ahead of Weimer and 12 up on Bridgestone’s Ryan Morais (Monster Energy / Pro Circuit Kawasaki).

Weimer credited his Bridgestone tires, saying, “With a track this slippery, it’s great to know that my (Kawasaki) has the power to allow us to use the new 120/80-19 size rear tire for maximum traction and control.”

Doug Schopinsky, who oversees Bridgestone tire development for the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, summarized the winning weekend, “With so much debris and stone in this soil, we really had our work cut out for us at this event,” he said. “The key tonight was having a fresh edge for the all-important start. The loose, stony soil was very abrasive on the tires, but our riders’ consistent lap times highlighted Bridgestone's predictability as the tires wore.”

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Team San Manuel

Team San Manuel Yamaha’s James Stewart took his fourth win of the 2009 Monster Energy AMA Supercross series, an FIM World Championship, earning him another 25 points and moving him into the second overall spot within the championship points race!

After setting the fastest lap times of the evening, for the second week in a row, Stewart won Heat Race 2, for the direct transfer to the Main. Teammate Kyle Chisholm also ran Heat Race 2, finishing a season-best 5th for a direct transfer to the San Francisco main.

The main event had Stewart grabbing the holeshot in front of an enthusiastic San Francisco crowd of 39,414 at AT&T Park. Stewart immediately stuck his San Manuel Yamaha YZ450F out front where he stayed for the entire race finishing almost 5 seconds ahead of the race’s second place finisher. Teammate Chisholm, qualifying for the second Main of his rookie season, finished a hard-earned 14th, improving over last weeks finish by three spots.

Post-race Stewart had this to say, “We are working really hard this year – my new team is just really coming together!” “This was a great night for me and a great win for Team San Manuel Yamaha!”

Team San Manuel Yamaha Highlights/San Francisco – Round 5 –
James Stewart – Number 7, YZ 450F - Event Finish: 1st
Kyle Chisholm - Number 38, YZ 450F - Event Finish: 14th
James Stewart - Heat Race #2 – 1st
Kyle Chisholm - Heat race #2 – 5th
James Stewart – Season to Date: 4 wins; 1 - 19th
Kyle Chisholm – Season to Date: 1 – 14th; 1 – 17th
James Stewart – Championship Points - 102

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Monster Energy Kawasaki

Weimer Wins and Villopoto Grabs Podium for Monster Energy Kawasaki in San Francisco
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Jake Weimer rode to his second win of the season at AT&T Park in San Francisco, moving him into second in the AMA Supercross Lites West Region championship standings. Ryan Morais brought his Kawasaki KX250F home in fifth after riding a strong race on the tight track. In the supercross class Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto raced to his second consecutive podium to finish third. Contact on the first lap of both his heat and the last chance qualifier kept Timmy Ferry out of the main event.

Golden State
With his victory in San Francisco, Weimer now has won two of the three races held in California this year. Through both his heat race and the main event , Weimer battled with Ryan Dungey. In the heat race, Weimer made a great pass on the inside of the second turn to take the lead and then held on for the victory. During the main, Weimer jumped out to the holeshot and then spent the next 15 laps working to stay in the lead. The slippery track made for some exciting moments, but Weimer was consistent and grabbed his second win of the season.

“There must be something about the Bay Area,” said Weimer. “I got my first podium here and now a win. Ryan (Dungey) was riding really well all day and the track was slick with all the marbles. I wasn’t very comfortable with the track, but I knew I could get a finish well if I got a good start. After getting the holeshot, I rode the best I could and came away with the win. I’m happy I’m back in the points chase and I’ve got the ball rolling again.”


Back to Back
Villopoto grabbed a good start in the main event and rode with the leaders to finish third for the second straight week. As his rookie season progresses, Villopoto continues to find the speed he needs to run at the front of the field.

“Last weekend it felt good to finally get on the podium, and this weekend it feels even better,” said Villopoto. “Getting a decent start and running right behind Chad (Reed) for 20 laps was definitely a step in the right direction. The Kawasaki KX™450F is a great bike and we’re getting it better every week. We’ve made a lot of progress and we’re going to keep working to get better.”


Home Race
With his hometown just outside of San Francisco, Morais was excited to be racing in front of his family and friends and he started off on the right foot. He pulled the holeshot in his heat race and finishing second. During the main event, Morais didn’t get a good jump out of the gate and had to work his way from the back of the pack. On the tight and slippery track, Morais chose his spots or lines? wisely and worked his way up to fifth by the checkered flag.

“I salvaged what I could out of the race,” said Morais. “I think I was about 15th place on the first lap. I was trying really hard and the track made it hard to pass. It was a weird night; I think it was difficult for a lot of people. We can build off of this. I think I rode well and I was aggressive when I could be. I charged throughout the race.”


Looking Ahead
Weimer is keeping his eye on the prize as his supercross lites season crosses the halfway point. With just four points separating him from the championship lead, Weimer knows he needs to keep riding consistently to claim the number one plate.

“It’s big to make up points in the championship,” said Weimer. “I want to stay right there and capitalize on mistakes. I made a mistake in Phoenix that cost me and he made a mistake tonight. It’s all about being in the right place at the right time, staying smooth and riding smart to put yourself in a position to do well.”


Confidence Builder
The 20-year-old Villopoto is still cutting his teeth on the supercross class and is using every session on the track as a chance to learn the best way to get his Kawasaki KX450F around the track.

“Running up front really helps with my confidence,” said Villopoto. “I could see where those guys were fast on the track and I could learn where I need to improve. The track was so hard to make a pass on. With the speed Reed was running it would have been tougher, but in some sections I was faster than him.”


Halfway Point
With the West Coast supercross lites season at its halfway point, Morais is sitting third in the championship standings with three podium finishes and a worst finish of fifth. He and his team are going to keep pushing as the schedule moves back to Angels Stadium in Anaheim, Calif. where Morais has earned two runner-up finishes this season.

“I’ve had a great season so far,” said Morais. “This is probably the best season I’ve ever had. I know how much work the guys here at Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki put in, and how much work I put in. It’s a shame because all of the work shouldn’t add up to a fifth place finish. We can’t win them all and things don’t always go the way you want them to, so we’re just going to keep working hard.”


Track Position
One of the oldest sayings in all of racing is the fastest rider doesn’t always win the race. Though Weimer was one of the fastest on the track, he wasn’t the fastest. After jumping to the lead out of the starting gate, Weimer rode a mistake-free race to hold onto the victory.

“(Dungey) was probably a little bit faster than me,” said Weimer. “It was hard to make passes and I’m sure he was getting a little frustrated. He had to make a pretty aggressive move to get in the lead. The track was slick and it kind of got away from him. When he came in I thought for sure he had the pass made, but then I saw him sliding so I stayed really high on the berm. When he went down I took my time to make sure I got around him without clipping him.”


Regrouping
When the gate dropped on the his heat race, Ferry looked to be in good position getting a quick start and coming through the first turn in third. When the track turned back 180 degrees in the second corner, the front pack got bottled up and Ferry was hit and went down. With the majority of the field still coming through the corner, Ferry’s KX 450F was damaged. After fixing the damage, Ferry lined up for the last chance qualifier. In his second race of the night, Red Dog didn’t even make it through the first turn before he was hit from behind and sent off the track.

“I was in third at the start and I was just trying to stay inside and (Andrew) Short came in and clipped my leg,” said Ferry. “There was really nowhere I could go. We tried to squeeze four guys into the corner and I was just at a standstill and Short hit my leg and I went down. I don’t know what happened after that, guys just kept hitting me. It was kind of a rough go there. I messed my bike up a little when it got run over in the heat so I had to come back and replace the fork guard on my brake side so I was a little nervous to ride. I had a bad gate pick and maybe with a perfect start I could have got the holeshot but it didn’t work out and somebody clipped me from behind going into the first turn and I went off the track again. It was one thing after another, it seems it was a snowball effect. I had a crash during practice, and I just couldn’t get out of my own way, or Short’s way, I guess.”