Pastrana returns to race the track he designed; his first supercross race since 2006.
Not since 2006 has Travis Pastrana raced on an AMA Supercross track but that will all-change this weekend at Monster Energy® AMA Supercross at St. Louis’ Edward Jones Dome as the former Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites class champion takes to the track he helped design. Pastrana jumps into the Monster Energy® Supercross championship at a time when one of the greatest points races in history is unfolding between Rockstar/Makita Suzuki’s Chad Reed and Team San Manuel Yamaha’s James Stewart. Just eight points separate the two racers and this weekend will be yet another epic chapter in this story.
Interestingly enough, Pastrana assisted in the design process of this weekend’s Monster Energy® Supercross track. “I want to have fun this weekend and mix it up on the track,” said Pastrana.
“I’m looking forward to St. Louis,” said Reed. “Travis Pastrana, who does freestyle on Suzuki’s, is going to be there and the racing is always entertaining when he’s around. Travis is designing the track and building it, and I think we’ll have some fun things, some new ideas from a rider’s point of view. I’m just looking forward to it.”
Alessi is making huge strides in his quest for a top-5 finish this season.
Seventh overall in AMA Supercross class standings is Mike Alessi. Alessi picked up his best result of the 2009 season at the recent Indianapolis race, finishing third. A late-race crash in New Orleans kept him off the podium last weekend.
“We have the St. Louis race coming up and it’s been a tough season so far,” said Alessi. “And it’s still not over, so we need to work hard. The goal is for us to get top five - that would be huge for me. We just need to keep putting our heads down and charging hard. I’m happy with my conditioning, it’s good and I felt that I was a little bit stronger at the middle and the end of the race at New Orleans, unfortunately, I just fell. So I’ll keep working hard and training on my Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 and come back strong at St. Louis.”
It was a weekend of hard luck for Rockstar/Makita Suzuki’s Nico Izzi at New Orleans. The sophomore Lites class rider crashed in his heat race and the LCQ, which eliminated him from the main event. He still sits in third place overall.
“Last week at New Orleans was a real bummer because I’d been riding well all day and my Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z250 was working good,” said Izzi. “But this week, I’m just trying to regroup and get ready for the St. Louis race.”
Broc Hepler took the third spot in New Orleans, making his first podium appearance of the 2009 season.
Despite Yamaha’s Broc Hepler missing from six races of the 2009 season, he climbed atop the podium for the first time in his AMA Supercross class career in New Orleans, finishing third.
“I think that the entire team was happy to see Hepler's podium finish and hopefully he will be a contender for many more in the last six races,” said Team Manager Jim Perry. “He has a good work ethic and he has been in Florida at James Stewart’s place. He has always been fast he just needs a little luck, not bad luck.”
With six races remaining, Hepler sits in 16th place. “Broc needs to put himself in contention to get as many points as possible each week and stay healthy the rest will take care of itself,” said Perry.
In 2008 Yamaha’s Josh Hill won the Minneapolis main event as a rookie, and this year he’s struggled to find the ingredients to put together a solid night of racing. He finished a season-nest seventh at San Francisco and finished 11th at the last two races.
“His results are a little disappointing but, he is improving each week in different areas,” said Perry. “Like I said a couple weeks ago, he is just missing the main event results. He is working hard Monday through Friday. In practice he has been in the top five, and he won a heat race over Reed in Daytona. This weekend he was in fourth place and was riding well, but he crashed with Alessi. Josh is also staying with Stewart in Florida, and I think that has to help.”
The Muscle Milk/MDK/KTM Factory Team had a decent weekend at the New Orleans supercross with the exception of Martin Davalos who did not qualify due to a couple crashes in both his heat and the last chance qualifier.
Davalos hopes to repeat his Daytona results.
“Unfortunately, I have been crashing a lot this year,” said Davalos. “Some have been my fault but others I could not avoid. I am looking forward to St. Louis to hopefully repeat what I did in Daytona and land on the podium again. I want to put the New Orleans race behind me,” commented Davalos.
His teammate Wil Hahn, has finished fifth the past two weekends in a row and looks to improve at St. Louis. “I have been happy with my results so far this year but I know that I can get on the podium. My goal in the remaining rounds will be to place on the podium. I have been training every day I can and hope that my hard work will pay off before the season ends,” stated Hahn.
Justin Brayton and Ryan Sipes will fly to St. Louis to compete in the AMA Supercross class aboard their KTM 450 SX-F machines. Both riders have already raced at least one AMA Supercross race this season, both earning finishes inside the top ten. “I was really excited to lead some laps in my heat race last weekend but wish I would have had more for them in the main,” said Brayton. “I am excited with my eighth-place finish but know that I can do better. My goal would be to improve upon that finish.”
With two podium finishes in 2009, Honda Red Bull Racing’s Andrew Short is third overall. He finished on the podium last year in St. Louis and needs a good start to get on the box again this year.
“I finished third on the St. Louis podium last year and I’m feeling good heading there again this week,” said Short. “I really need to work on getting better starts because the last couple of races that has probably been my biggest challenge. I’ve got the speed – that’s definitely not an issue, but I have had to fight my way through a bunch of riders in order to get up with the lead riders and by then, they have been able to pull a big lead. The racing is so close that you just can’t afford to give the opposition valuable time at the start of each race.”
Short has worked up to third in points but has to watch out as Villopoto is close behind.
New Orleans’ hometown favorite Kevin Windham brought home the second best finish of his season last weekend, finishing fourth after working his way through the field. Windham is the defending winner of the St. Louis race.
“It was great to race in front of my home crowd again in New Orleans,” said Windham. “I finished just shy of the podium in fourth in what was a good race right down to the checkered flag. Heading to St. Louis, I’m excited because I won this race last year. The team is working well and we continued to make good progress testing and developing the new Honda CRF450R. I expect a good race this week”
A dream came true last weekend in New Orleans for GEICO Powersports’ Blake Wharton. Wharton, a rookie this year, finished a career-best third place in New Orleans and is sixth overall in Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites class competition, two points behind fifth-place rider Wil Hahn.
“I am really happy for the team and myself to have finished on the podium in New Orleans last week,” said Wharton. “As an amateur you always dream of one day making it onto the supercross podium in front of a big crowd and I did it. The GEICO Powersports Honda team has been so supportive and helped me out a lot this year which is awesome. It’s great to be able to give them this reward in return and it gives me even more confidence for St. Louis this weekend.”
Tickets are available at
www.SupercrossOnline.com, by phone at 314-241-1888 or 618-222-2900, the Edward Jones box office, Ticketmaster, Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com, and participating Yamaha dealerships. Club Level seats are $45; Goldcircle seats are $30; Mid-Level seats are $25 for adults and $10 for children; Extreme seats are $20 for adults and $10 for children; Treadhead seats are $10. Practice and qualifying begin at 12:30 and racing begins at 7:00 p.m.
This weekend’s AMA Supercross Lites class race will air on SPEED Sunday, March 22 at 5:00 p.m. EST and the AMA Supercross class race will also air on SPEED on Sunday, March 22 at 6:00 p.m. EST.
Monster Energy AMA Supercross Stats in St. Louis
• The first race in St. Louis was held on April 27, 1996 and Jeff Emig won on a Kawasaki
• This will be the 14th time the gate will drop for an AMA Supercross class race in St. Louis
• There are no first time winners in St. Louis
• In 1996, Jeff Emig stopped Jeremy McGrath's win streak at 13 by winning in St. Louis. It was Emig's first AMA Supercross class win on a Kawasaki
• In 2007, Ricky Carmichael won his last AMA Supercross class race in St. Louis
• Kevin Windham, Ricky Carmichael, and Chad Reed have all won St. Louis in both classes. Can Davi Millsaps join them? He won the Lites class in St. Louis in 2006
• Chad Reed will make his 113th career AMA Supercross class start, which is his 109th consecutive start.
• 11 years after winning the AMA Supercross class main event in St. Louis, Windham lines up for another shot at victory
• For the 8th time in his career he made it to the 12th race of the season uninjured.
AMA Supercross Class Wins by Brand in St. Louis
Yamaha (6)
Suzuki (3)
Kawasaki (2)
Honda (2)
New Orleans AMA Supercross Recap
• James Stewart earned his 8th win of the season, which is the 33rd AMA Supercross class victory of his career
• For the 8th time this year Chad Reed finished in second place and is ahead by eight points
• Broc Hepler earned his first-ever AMA Supercross class podium with a 3rd place.
• Kevin Windham earned his 9th top-10 finish with a 4th
AMA Supercross Lites Class Stats in St. Louis
• The first race held in St. Louis was April 27, 1996, and Windham won on a Yamaha
• This is the 14th time the gate will drop for an AMA Supercross Lites class race
• Chad Reed gave Yamaha their last win in St. Louis in 2002
• Travis Pastrana is the only rider to win back to back in St. Louis
• In the 13 races here there have been 12 different winners
AMA Supercross Lites class Wins by Brand in St. Louis
Kawasaki (4)
Yamaha (3)
Suzuki (3)
Honda (3)
New Orleans AMA Supercross Lites Class Recap from New Orleans
• Austin Stroupe earned his 2nd win of the year.
• Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki stays perfect in the East coast.
• After 11 races of AMA Supercross Lites racing, Monster Energy Kawasaki has won 8 of them
AMA Supercross Laps Led
James Stewart 149
Chad Reed 27
Jason Lawrence 14
Josh Grant 14
Kevin Windham 11
Ryan Villopoto 3
Mike Alessi 2
AMA Supercross Lites Class Laps Led
Jake Weimer 42
Austin Stroupe 37
Ryan Dungey 36
Christophe Pourcel 27
Martin Davalos 10
Justin D. Brayton 7
Ryan Morais 4
Daniel Reardon 2
Matthew Lemoine 1
Holeshot Award (AMA Supercross Class)
James Stewart (Anaheim 1)
Josh Grant (Phoenix)
Mike Alessi (Anaheim 2)
Mike Alessi (Houston)
James Stewart (San Francisco)
James Stewart (Anaheim 3)
Mike Alessi (San Diego)
James Stewart (Atlanta)
Chad Reed (Indianapolis)
James Stewart (New Orleans)
Holeshot Award (AMA Supercross Lites Class)
Daniel Reardon (Anaheim 1)
Jake Weimer (Phoenix)
Ryan Morais (Anaheim 2)
Christophe Pourcel (Houston)
Jake Weimer (San Francisco)
Justin Brayton (Anaheim 3)
Ryan Morais (San Diego)
Austin Stroupe (Atlanta)
Christophe Pourcel (Indianapolis)
Austin Stroupe (New Orleans)
MMI Top Tech Award
Mark Valcore (Anaheim 1)
Rich Simmons (Phoenix)
Mike Gosselaar (Anaheim 2)
Glenn Hobson (Houston)
Jon Mitcheff (San Francisco)
Carlos Rivera (Anaheim 3)
Mike Gosselaar (San Diego)
Craig Lyons (Atlanta)
Nick Stevens (Indianapolis)
Patrick Baker (New Orleans)
US Smokeless Tobacco Company Pro Privateer Challenge
1. Heath Voss 70 Points
2. Nick Wey 64 Points
3. Matt Boni 56 Points
Asterisk Medic Card
Cole Seely (Anaheim 1)
Derek Costella (Phoenix)
Alex Martin (Anaheim 2)
Fred Karrle (Houston)
Michael Hall (San Francisco)
Chris Gosselaar (Anaheim 3)
Justin Keeney (San Diego)
Spencer Dally (Atlanta)
Matt Georke (Indianapolis)
Nico Izzi (New Orleans)
Racer X Gas Card
Jacob Marsack (Anaheim 1)
Sean Hamblin (Phoenix)
Josh Summey (Anaheim 2)
Ben Lamay (Houston)
Nicholas A. Wey (San Francisco)
Ben Lamay (Anaheim 3)
Josh Hansen (San Diego)
Heath D. Voss (Atlanta)
Thomas K. Hahn (Indianapolis)
Shaun Skinner (New Orleans)
AMA Supercross Class Results, New Orleans
1. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha
2. Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Suzuki
3. Broc Hepler, Kittanning, Pa., Yamaha
4. Kevin Windham, Centerville, Miss., Honda
5. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda
6. Mike Alessi, Apple Valley, Calif., Suzuki
7. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha
8. Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., KTM
9. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
10. Matt Boni, Geneva, Fla., Honda
AMA Supercross Class Season Standings
1. Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Suzuki, 246
2. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha, 238
3. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 179
4. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 165
5. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha, 152
6. Ivan Tedesco, Tallahasse, Fla., Honda, 148
7. Kevin Windham, Centerville, Miss., Honda, 146
8. Mike Alessi, Apple Valley, Calif., Suzuki, 146
9. Davi Millsaps, Tallahassee, Fla., Honda, 139
10. Josh Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Yamaha, 102
Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites Class Results, New Orleans
1. Austin Stroupe, Lincolnton, N.C., Kawasaki
2. Brandon Jesseman, New Brighton, Pa., Kawasaki
3. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Honda
4. Christophe Pourcel, Corona, Calif., Kawasaki
5. Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, KTM
6. Darryn Durham, Wildomar, Calif., Yamaha
7. Daniel Blair, Modesto, Calif., Honda
8. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Yamaha
9. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Fla., Suzuki
10. Steven Clarke, Cairo, Ga., Suzuki
Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites Class Season Standings
1. Christophe Pourcel, Corona, Calif., Kawasaki, 115
2. Austin Stroupe, Lincolnton, N.C., Kawasaki, 84
3. Nico Izzi, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki, 82
4. Branden Jesseman, New Brighton, Pa., Kawasaki, 73
5. Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, KTM, 68
6. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Honda, 66
7. Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., KTM, 57
8. Matt Lemoine, Collinsville, Texas, Yamaha, 51
9. Steven Clarke, Cairo, Ga., Suzuki, 51
10. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Fla., Suzuki, 50
AMA Supercross Class Rider Finishes
James Stewart
Anaheim 1: 19
Phoenix: 1
Anaheim 2: 1
Houston: 1
San Francisco: 1
Anaheim 3: 1
San Diego: 1
Atlanta: 1
Indianapolis: 2
Daytona: 7
New Orleans: 1
Chad Reed
Anaheim 1: 3
Phoenix: 2
Anaheim 2: 2
Houston: 2
San Francisco: 2
Anaheim 3: 2
San Diego: 2
Atlanta: 2
Indianapolis: 1
Daytona: 1
New Orleans: 2
Broc D. Hepler
Anaheim 1: N/A
Phoenix: N/A
Anaheim 2: N/A
Houston: N/A
San Francisco: N/A
Anaheim 3: N/A
San Diego: 19
Atlanta: 5
Indianapolis: 19
Daytona: 12
New Orleans: 3
Kevin W. Windham
Anaheim 1: 15
Phoenix: 6
Anaheim 2: 3
Houston: 9
San Francisco: 6
Anaheim 3: 7
San Diego: 7
Atlanta: 6
Indianapolis: 20
Daytona: 5
New Orleans: 4
Andrew T. Short
Anaheim 1: 2
Phoenix: 5
Anaheim 2: 6
Houston: 4
San Francisco: 5
Anaheim 3: 6
San Diego: 3
Atlanta: 4
Indianapolis: 11
Daytona: 8
New Orleans: 5
Mike A. Alessi
Anaheim 1: 11
Phoenix: 11
Anaheim 2: 9
Houston: 7
San Francisco: 9
Anaheim 3: 11
San Diego: 6
Atlanta: 11
Indianapolis: 3
Daytona: 4
New Orleans: 6
Joshua M. Grant
Anaheim 1: 1
Phoenix: 3
Anaheim 2: 5
Houston: 5
San Francisco: 4
Anaheim 3: 5
San Diego: 20
Atlanta: 13
Indianapolis: 4
Daytona: N/A
New Orleans: 7
Justin D. Brayton
Anaheim 1: N/A
Phoenix: N/A
Anaheim 2: N/A
Houston: N/A
San Francisco: N/A
Anaheim 3: N/A
San Diego: N/A
Atlanta: N/A
Indianapolis: N/A
Daytona: N/A
New Orleans: 8
Ryan D. Villopoto
Anaheim 1: 5
Phoenix: 7
Anaheim 2: 4
Houston: 3
San Francisco: 3
Anaheim 3: N/A
San Diego: 4
Atlanta: 3
Indianapolis: 9
Daytona: 6
New Orleans: 9
Matt Boni
Anaheim 1: 14
Phoenix: 20
Anaheim 2: 20
Houston: 15
San Francisco: N/A
Anaheim 3: 12
San Diego: N/A
Atlanta: 12
Indianapolis: 12
Daytona: 18
New Orleans: 10
Joshua R. Hill
Anaheim 1: 16
Phoenix: 8
Anaheim 2: 12
Houston: 11
San Francisco 7
Anaheim 3: 8
San Diego: N/A
Atlanta: 9
Indianapolis: 15
Daytona: 11
New Orleans: 11
Nicholas A. Wey
Anaheim 1: 9
Phoenix: 15
Anaheim 2: 13
Houston: N/A
San Francisco: N/A
Anaheim 3: 15
San Diego: 9
Atlanta: 15
Indianapolis: 16
Daytona: N/A
New Orleans: 12
Ivan Tedesco
Anaheim 1: 6
Phoenix: 4
Anaheim 2: 7
Houston: 6
San Francisco: 10
Anaheim 3: N/A
San Diego: 10
Atlanta: 7
Indianapolis: 5
Daytona: 13
New Orleans: 13
Tyler T. Bowers
Anaheim 1: N/A
Phoenix: N/A
Anaheim 2: N/A
Houston: N/A
San Francisco: 16
Anaheim 3: N/A
San Diego: N/A
Atlanta: 18
Indianapolis: 18
Daytona: 14
New Orleans: 14
Nathan Ramsey
Anaheim 1: N/A
Phoenix: N/A
Anaheim 2: N/A
Houston: N/A
San Francisco: N/A
Anaheim 3: N/A
San Diego: N/A
Atlanta: N/A
Indianapolis: N/A
Daytona: N/A
New Orleans: 15
Heath D. Voss
Anaheim 1: 7
Phoenix: N/A
Anaheim 2: N/A
Houston: 12
San Francisco: 11
Anaheim 3: 16
San Diego: 15
Atlanta: N/A
Indianapolis: 13
Daytona: 15
New Orleans: 16
Troy K. Adams
Anaheim 1: N/A
Phoenix: 19
Anaheim 2: 15
Houston: N/A
San Francisco: 18
Anaheim 3: 20
San Diego: 16
Atlanta: 17
Indianapolis: N/A
Daytona: N/A
New Orleans: 17
David D. Millsaps
Anaheim 1: 12
Phoenix: 10
Anaheim 2: 10
Houston: 10
San Francisco: 8
Anaheim 3: 3
San Diego: 5
Atlanta: 10
Indianapolis: 7
Daytona: 3
New Orleans: 18
Kyle P. Chisholm
Anaheim 1: N/A
Phoenix: N/A
Anaheim 2: N/A
Houston: 17
San Francisco: 14
Anaheim 3: 9
San Diego: 13
Atlanta: 14
Indianapolis: N/A
Daytona: 16
New Orleans: 19
Robert S. Kiniry
Anaheim 1: 18
Phoenix: 16
Anaheim 2: 19
Houston: N/A
San Francisco: N/A
Anaheim 3: N/A
San Diego: N/A
Atlanta: N/A
Indianapolis: 17
Daytona: N/A
New Orleans: 20
Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites Class Rider Finishes
Austin L. Stroupe
Houston: 4
Atlanta: 7
Indianapolis: 1
Daytona: 19
New Orleans: 1
Branden L. Jesseman
Houston: 12
Atlanta: 5
Indianapolis: 4
Daytona: 13
New Orleans: 2
Blake Wharton
Houston: 5
Atlanta: 4
Indianapolis: N/A
Daytona: 9
New Orleans: 3
Christophe Pourcel
Houston: 1
Atlanta: 1
Indianapolis: 2
Daytona: 1
New Orleans: 4
Wil A. Hahn
Houston: 6
Atlanta: 6
Indianapolis: 15
Daytona: 5
New Orleans: 5
Darryn L. Durham
Houston: 8
Atlanta: 17
Indianapolis: 19
Daytona: 7
New Orleans: 6
Daniel M. Blair
Houston: 9
Atlanta: N/A
Indianapolis: 7
Daytona: 11
New Orleans: 7
Broc Tickle
Houston: N/A
Atlanta: N/A
Indianapolis: N/A
Daytona: 8
New Orleans: 8
Matthew C. Goerke
Houston: 10
Atlanta: 9
Indianapolis: N/A
Daytona: 6
New Orleans: 9
Steven J. Clarke
Houston: 13
Atlanta: 10
Indianapolis: 5
Daytona: 16
New Orleans: 10
Levi W. Kilbarger
Houston: N/A
Atlanta: 12
Indianapolis: 6
Daytona: 12
New Orleans: 11
Dennis G. Jonon
Houston: N/A
Atlanta: N/A
Indianapolis: N/A
Daytona: N/A
New Orleans: 12
Tyler A. Wharton
Houston: 16
Atlanta: 11
Indianapolis: 17
Daytona: N/A
New Orleans: 13
Jacob Saylor
Houston: 11
Atlanta: 14
Indianapolis: 16
Daytona: N/A
New Orleans: 14
Teddy P. Parks
Houston: 15
Atlanta: 20
Indianapolis: N/A
Daytona: N/A
New Orleans: 15
Chad E. Ward
Houston: 19
Atlanta: N/A
Indianapolis: N/A
Indianapolis: N/A
Daytona: N/A
New Orleans: 16
Matthew J. Lemoine
Houston: 18
Atlanta: 8
Indianapolis: 8
Daytona: 4
New Orleans: 17
Phillip J. Nicoletti
Houston: N/A
Atlanta: N/A
Indianapolis: 18
Daytona: N/A
New Orleans: 18
Bryan K. Johnson
Houston: N/A
Atlanta: N/A
Indianapolis: N/A
Daytona: N/A
New Orleans: 19
Jason W. Thomas
Houston: N/A
Atlanta: N/A
Indianapolis: N/A
Daytona: 20
New Orleans: 20
