RK Excel America

Tarah Gieger joins the Troy Lee Designs / Lucas Oil / Honda Race Team

To Compete in the 2010 Lucas Oil Women’s Motocross Championship

Troy Lee Designs/ Lucas Oil/ Honda welcomes their newest rider to their 2010 Motocross racing team roster with the addition of top-ranked female racer Tarah Gieger. She will be competing in all eight stops of the Lucas Oil Women’s Motocross Championships on her #18 Honda CRF250R, starting May 22 at the Hangtown Motocross Classic in Rancho Cordova, Calif. Tarah will be joining the TLD squad which includes former World Champion and 250 Supercross champion Ben Townley, Wil Hahn, Cole Seely and Christian Craig.

“I am super excited to be on the Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Red Bull team,” said Gieger. “Everyone on the team and at the shop has been very supportive of me being on the team. The bikes are awesome, and I know they will be very competitive.”

One of the most recognizable names in women’s motocross, Tarah Gieger’s success can be measured in podiums and accomplishments. Since her pro debut in 2003, Tarah has won at every major contest and, in 2008, took home the gold medal at the X Games, the very first Women’s Moto X event. Her past achievements include 2nd Overall in 2007 AMA/WMA series, taking 1st Place at the famous AMA Loretta Lynn’s Championship in 2006 and 2007 and as well becoming the first female in history to compete in the Red Bull Motocross of Nations in 2007, representing Puerto Rico. Injuries prevented her from competing for a majority of the 2009 season, but she is now back, healthier and more focused than ever on winning a championship.

“I’m really excited to have Tarah on the team,” added David ‘Ping’ Pingree, TLD team manager, “For me, racing is racing and if she’s running up front it’s going to be fun. I think she’ll be in the hunt to win every weekend with the Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Honda team on her side.”

“I am also glad to see that several teams are taking on female riders,” said Gieger. “It just helps validate our series. We have been racing in our own series for some time, and now we are able to get the support that the men have enjoyed. It’s going to be refreshing pitting with a real team, especially one that is as well respected as the TLD team. I am looking forward to the upcoming season and want to thank everyone that helped make this a reality.”

Besides her racing, Tarah will also be the face of Troy Lee Designs Women’s motocross and casual product line, as she will be featured through the brand’s advertisements, in-store displays and select events.

The Troy Lee Designs Lucas Oil Honda race team would like to thank all of the companies that have supported our racing efforts over the years. They include Lucas Oil, American Honda, Red Bull, PPG, Wings for Life, Alpinestars, Avia, Couts Heating and Cooling, Dunlop, Epic Action Video Cam, Leatt Brace, McQueen Racing, Oakley, Pacific Collision, Pro Circuit, Rossignol, Santa Cruz, Selle Italia, Skullcandy, All Sport Dynamics, Cycra, Fasthouse, Flexfit, Hinson Clutch, Hot Wheels, Kahne Racing, Light Speed, Muc-Off, N Style, Nameplate, ODI, Primm, QTM, Renthal, RK Chain, Excel, Twin Air, Vasser Racing and VP Racing.

Follow the Troy Lee Designs / Lucas Oil / Honda team at www.troyleedesigns.com. Check out video of Tarah riding her TLD/Lucas Oil/Honda CRF250R at http://www.youtube.com/user/troyleedesigns

Corona, Calif. (March 10, 2010) – As the AMA Supercross Lites Eastern Region season heads to its midpoint at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada, Christophe Pourcel leads the points standings after winning the first three races. His teammate Dean Wilson is sitting third in the standings after earning his first career podium last Saturday in Daytona. As a Canadian, Wilson enters Toronto with a little extra pressure as it will mark his first race as a professional in his home country.

For Pourcel, staying consistent is the key to winning races and earning his second straight AMA Supercross Lites Eastern Region championship.

“Toronto should be a good event for me,” said Pourcel. ”It is the biggest stadium floor we race on, so there are usually a lot of obstacles which means a technical track. I think the more technical track the better. I want to keep riding well and keep getting on the podium.”

For Wilson the week in Toronto starts early as his adopted country has made many media demands of the 18-year-old rookie. Thursday and Friday will be busy for Wilson, but once Saturday comes, he is all about racing and getting back on the podium.

“This is going to be a great race,” said Wilson. “There will be a lot of fans cheering for me and I hope I give them something to cheer about. Getting on the podium was good last week, and that’s where I want to be every week.”

All of Saturday’s action from the Rogers Centre can be seen live on SPEED starting at 7:30 pm ET.

Daytona, Florida- With America’s most famous race track providing the backdrop, the Florida-based BTOSports.com/BBMX/Palmetto Suzuki SX team returned to show its sponsors, families and friends just what it takes to compete on the highest level of supercross. With it being round nine of the seventeen race series, the team’s lone 450 rider, Jason Thomas was happy to be home and once again dominated the LCQ to make it into the main.

“I know everyone says the main event is the one you want to win and I sort of agree with that” said Thomas “But still, a wins a win and the people in the stands and some of our key FL sponsor like Palmetto Motorsports Suzuki were there and I got to give them all a good shout out up on the podium.”

Once in the actual main, the diminutive Thomas stood tall in his charge from the back. He eventually finished 14th for his best finish in four weeks and now stands 16th in the points.

Teams riders, Troy Adams, Kyle Keylon fared pretty well in the cold Florida night. Adams and Keylon made the 250 main but once there got bad starts and a couple of crashes each. Adams won the battle between them and captured that elusive 17th place with Keylon 18th. Our supercross rookie, Lucas Crespi crashed in the first turn in his heat and was unable to qualify.

For more team updates, sponsor news and race updates go to:

btosports.com and butlerbrothersmx.com

There’s no way that BTO Sports.com/BBMX/Palmetto Suzuki team can go racing without the help of their sponsors and would like to thank the following companies:

BTOSports.com, BBMX, Palmetto Suzuki, FLY Racing, Bel-Ray, Vortex, Pro-Circuit, WMI, Vanquish MX, Smith, FLU Graphics, Jett Boot, Wiseco, Leatt Brace, McGraw Insurance, Umbrella Girls, Dream Traxx, ASMF, ASV, Ti-Fuel, Factory Connection, Applied, Hinson, ICW, Twin Air, RK / Excel, QTM, Faction MX, Pit Posse, Outlaw, Dunlop, FLmx, MX Press, Polisport, Engine Ice, Galfer, Hookit.com, STMX, Kinetic Animation, Safety Kleen, Axcel

HOT Daytona Race Report
The Daytona Experience

Heat Race

All 4 H.O.T. riders easily qualified for the night program but were all placed into the same heat race. Extensive testing in the week leading up to Daytona proved to be time well spent when the #505 Sean Lipanovich ripped the hole shot in the first heat, followed closely by teammate #36 Darryn Durham. One lap 1 Durham made a pass for the lead and held on for 4 laps. Levi Kilbarger #412 and Michael Willard #92 did not fair as lucky but battled hard for a spot in the main. Throughout the qualifier, Darryn showed the speed and tenacity necessary and when the checkered flag flew he found himself in 2nd place behind Austin Stroupe. Kilbarger and Willard qualified 8th and 9th respectively, securing the last 2 qualifying positions. Lipanovich was claimed by his team mates in the closing lap and did not advance to the main event.

Lites Main Event

Durham came off the gate mid pack and battled Nico Izzi the majority of the moto before claiming an impressive 8th place overall. Kilbarger worked his way up to 14th before dropping back to 20th after facing some minor health issues that have been plaguing him all week. Willard struggled to find a rhythm and ended the race in 19th place. He is looking forward to returning to Canada, where he formerly held the Lites National Championship, for the upcoming Toronto Round.

This week we have been invited to be the feature Team in the Toronto Press Day so we are looking forward to getting an early look at the track and getting everyone involved with our program some additional exposure.

The Honda of Troy/Kilbarger Racing Team would like to acknowledge the sponsors who make this effort possible.

Honda of Troy, Kilbarger Racing LLC, Eleven 10 Mods, WAR – We All Ride, Fox Racing Shox, Cycra Racing, Motorex, TAG Metals, Yoshimura, Motion Pro, Renegade Race Fuel, Faction Mx, N-Style, Dunlop, DP Brake Pads, QTM, G2 Ergonomics, ARC, Boyesen, Light Speed, Hinson, RK/Excel, Ride Eng., Hammerhead, Straight Shot Air Filters, Bell Helmets, Hot Hedz Designs, Von Zipper, Total Image AutoSport, Kicker, ICW, Rocks Racing Services, Injectioneering, IMS Foot Pegs, Franklin Equipment, and Gabriel Logan

Don’t miss your opportunity to ride and learn from Max and Mervyn Anstie!
Where: Glen Helen Mx Park
Cost: $200 plus $20 Track Entry Fee

For more information regarding dates, times and sign up, please contact Devin Mitchell at devinmitchell@rocketmail.com or call 951-767-1872

March 6, 2010

The AMA Supercross series visited Daytona Motor Speedway and massive crowd last Saturday for round three of East coast Lites championship. DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing /Yamaha’s fielding of two riders, #341 Nico Izzi, and the rider from Ecuador #577 Martin Davalos. Like every year, conditions at this race are extremely challenging and everything needs to lineup just right for a great finish. Preliminary action got underway in good fashion as Izzi stood high up in the charts at 3rd and Davalos clocked the 6th fastest Timed-qualifying lap.

Slated into Heat #1; Davalos reeled off a fair start only to get taken down in the first lap. Once back going again, Davalos was far from qualifying unfortunately. So in the dreaded LCQ, Davalos played it cool and took 1st, securing himself into the Main Event. When the Main Event took to the track, Davalos and his #577 bike were in the mix sitting in 9th. Finding his grove, Davalos quickly made his way through a few battles, and on lap three he had reached 8th. Once there, Davalos had a bobble on lap five which took him back to 11th. From there, Martin put together consistent laps and got back into being in race mode, which carried him to the finish of 10th.

Next in line would be Izzi, starting Heat #2 in the thick of the field, the Georgia native showed good speed and raced on to a transfer position of 5th. With a subpar start to the Main Event, 13th, Izzi jumped to 8th on lap five. However, while on the move he fell victim to a few mistakes and would end up being shuffled back to 11th on the eleventh lap. Shaken a little, Izzi pushed on to close out the remaining laps strong. Certainly feeling some effects of the bobbles he had, the last lap saw Izzi relinquish another few positions when he hit the ground momentarily, once back up Izzi went on placing him in 13th, where he’d finish out at.

Star Racing thanks our valued sponsors for their great assistance.

DNA Shred Stix, Division 7, Yamaha Motor Corp, FLY Racing, DNA Energy, NCY, Bell Helmets, Easton ExP, FMF, Sunstar, Factory Effex, Dunlop, Enzo, DC Shoes, RK Chains, Yamalube, GYTR, Ride Engineering, Mechanix Wear, Twin Air, Lightspeed, ARC, Braking, Vortex Ignitions, CP pistons, Web Cams, ICW, JD Built, Renegade Fuels, Crank Works, Eibach, EVOMX fuel foam, Met Tec, Champion Tools.

El Centro, CA – FMF/KTM rider David Pearson finished 3rd overall at the end of the most challenging Hare & Hound of the season at the third round of the series.

Nobody could have predicted the storm that would pass through El Centro during round three of the series. “It was warm and sunny on Saturday as we were prepping for the race. Nobody was prepared for the storms that passed through on Sunday completely soaking the desert course,” commented David Pearson.

Pearson got a great start sitting in 4th position at the end of the bomb behind Kendall Norman, Jacob Argubright and Destry Abbott. Argubright went over the bars early in the race, losing a position and helping Abbott and Pearson to move into the top three. Abbott and Pearson remained close and battled for a good portion of the race. Pearson was able to pass for 2nd position and held that spot until he got stuck in a mud hole and had trouble starting the bike. After he recovered, he was down 2 minutes. He eventually charged forward to pick up 3rd place and finish on the podium.

Pearson’s teammate, David Kamo, also had a good start off the line. Shortly into the race he got water in his goggles and struggled with poor visibility through the remainder of the race. When the checkered flag flew Kamo had worked his way into 5th overall.

Next Round: March 21, 2010 – Murphy, ID – Round 4

Overall Results –
1) Kendall Norman
2) Destry Abbott
3) David Pearson – KTM
4) Robert Underwood
5) David Kamo – KTM

Overall Points –
1) Destry Abbott – 71
2) Kendall Norman – 64
3) David Pearson – 64
4) David Kamo – 62
5) Jacob Argubright – 34

Corona, Calif. (March 8, 2010) – The Daytona supercross is always a special event and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rose to the occasion on Saturday night with Christophe Pourcel taking his third straight win and Dean Wilson earning his first career podium after finishing third.

The rich history and tradition of the Daytona supercross isn’t lost on Pourcel who has now won twice at the “World’s Center of Racing.”

“This is a very important race,” said Pourcel. “It is one you hear about all around the world and I am so happy to win at Daytona again. This is probably the biggest race on the schedule. I’ve won three races this year and I need to stay on my game to finish with the championship.”

During qualifying practice, the track was changed between the first and second sessions with Pourcel posting the fastest overall time in the second session while Wilson used his time from the first practice to qualify second. In the first heat, Wilson didn’t get a great start and moved up from tenth to fourth in the short 6-lap race. In the second heat, Pourcel had little trouble getting his third heat race win of the season.

“Getting on the podium feels so great,” said Wilson. “Chris gave me some advice this weekend and it paid off for me. He told be to pace myself better and I was able to charge late in the race to get the last podium spot.”

In the main event, Pourcel crossed the line after the first lap in third and steadily made his way to the lead on lap six. Pourcel rode a smooth race through the remaining nine laps to win by more than two seconds. Wilson was right behind Pourcel on the first lap and he rode in fourth until lap 12 when he made his move to the podium. The late charge saw him get to the rear wheel of the second place rider, but there wasn’t enough laps left and Wilson settled for third.

The team now heads to Wilson’s adopted country of Canada for the fourth round of the AMA Supercross Lites Eastern Region season. Pourcel holds a strong points lead with Wilson sitting in third position in the standings. Saturday’s race will be at the Rogers Center in Toronto with live coverage on SPEED beginning at 7:30 pm ET.

AMA H&H
Round 3
March 7, 2010
Superstition Mountain, Ca.

Race Day:
I can’t believe the first three rounds have been wet and this one was by far wetter than any of them. The start had puddles everywhere, and I only ran the bomb three times before the race since I was soaked, cold and it was raining again. When the banner dropped I didn’t get a first kick start, but it started the next try. I was trying to pass guys, but was getting soaked by a ton of riders with all the standing water. A mile out I had already used all my tear-offs and knew right away I should’ve went with roll-offs. UGH! A few miles in I was around 10th and just was trying to play it smart and get a good feel for the ground, since it was so slippery. I kept picking guys off, but was having a tough time seeing out of my goggles. At this point I saw Jacob on the ground, and he gave me the thumbs up so I kept going. By now I had moved into 4th and had Gary Sutherlin right in front of me with David Pearson right in front of Gary. I knew Kendall was leading, but couldn’t see him. Just before the alternate pit (mile 21) I was able to get by Gary, and get right on David. I stopped for a splash and put roll-offs on. I left a little bit behind David, but was able to get right on him and then made the pass. I could now see Kendall and wanted to get on him so I could key off him. Around the 35-mile mark, I lost my front end over some really slicks hills and went down. I was soaked with mud and my gloves and left grip were really bad. I took off and was thinking this isn’t going to be good, but luckily I came up to a big water crossing and I slowed down to clean the mud off and then was back on the gas. After the first 59-mile loop was over, Kendall had about 2-minutes on me and David was about 45-seconds in front of me. I stopped for a quick splash and changed my gloves (which was really nice since it was still raining). Now I knew the second loop was where it was going to be won, but Kendall had a pretty good lead on us. I was pushing and was able to catch David about 10-miles into the last 37-mile loop. I passed him, and then once we got into the rocks I started to really feel comfortable and had a great pace going. However, David was able to stay on me since it was so much easier to key off the guy in front of you. The rain really played havoc on the arrows, and they folded up or fell off so it was super hard to follow the course (not the clubs fault). Halfway into the loop I could tell we had really closed the gap on Kendall, and were within a minute of him. David and I kept pushing each other and were going back and forth for quite a while. Next thing I knew we were within about 20-seconds of Kendall, and was looking forward to a three way battle for the win! David was ahead of me at this point, and I was following him down this really tight ravine that had two big drop offs that were filled with running water. Unfortunately David rolled off it and went flying over the bars. I sat there for a few seconds and I could tell he was struggling to pick it up so I figured I would try and jump over his front end, but it was going to be tight. I tried anyway and boy was it a bad call on my part! My front end slammed into his, and now we were both stuck in the deep puddle of water and neither one of us could do anything to get unstuck. He finally had to lay down his bike the opposite way we were going to get it unstuck, but there still wasn’t enough room to get by so I had to sit there and wait for him to try and get his bike flipped around. I knew we had just thrown away any shot we had at the win, since we were there for at least 2-minutes. Once we took off it was another epic battle and we kept going back and forth, but with about 3-miles to go he made a good pass on me. Right after that his bike came to a stop and I knew it was because of the huge wash we were trying to ride up that was flowing a few feet deep in areas. I was thinking I should be on a jet ski here instead of a dirt bike (it really was that deep for a good mile). I ended up finishing 2nd and a few minutes ahead of David who finally got his bike started. Kendall put in a great ride and got his first National H&H win.

Overall Summary:
Even though I finished 2nd I had a blast and felt really good on the bike again (my conditioning is getting better too). I really felt I could’ve been right there for the win, until the last mistake which was my fault. The conditions really made it fun, and challenging, and then to have some great battles just made it that much better. Definitely a fun day of racing for me!

Results (Overall):
1st Kendall Norman
2nd Destry Abbott
3rd David Pearson
4th Robert Underwood
5th David Kamo

Other Notes:

Here’s a short video clip from Beau. He wasn’t able to get a ton of coverage because of the weather, but it’s still pretty cool! http://www.promoto.tv/

It’s nice to be in the points lead, but I really want to be pulling off some wins again. I’ve been close, but just haven’t won one this year! Come on Idaho!

I would rate this H&H with one of the coolest ones I’ve done in years. The first loop was unbelievably slick and you had to ride smart. The second loop was awesome, and the weather conditions made it interesting and challenging. Even though I didn’t win I had a blast, and thought the club did a great job considering the conditions they had to deal with (all the rain). It definitely wasn’t easy and I think that’s what national events should be like, but the rain did help make it that way!

I’d like to give a big thanks to the Argubright’s for letting Jonny and I use their truck to help us stay dry. Jacob was putting in a great ride and was running 2nd early, but took a big digger and had to call it a day.

Yesterday Gary Sutherlin teamed up with Justin Soule to win the Laughlin Hare Scramble and then showed up late last night to race the H&H. He had a solid 4th place until he bent his sprocket really bad, 20-miles from the finish, and ended up with a DNF.

I have this weekend off and then have a long drive up to Idaho the following week for round four of the H&H series.

Here’s a little video clip that me and my teammates did to plug Kawasaki’s new Facebook page. It was kind of funny! http://www.kawasaki.com/Racing_news/Article.aspx?id=1360

——————–

Best Wishes,
Destry
www.destryabbott.com
2010 Sponsors: Monster Energy Kawasaki, Thor, Dunlop, GPR stablilzers, Shoei, Akrapovic exhaust, Stephen Gall Training, SIDI, IMS, Zip-Ty, HoyFox.com, Motion Pro, BRP, Braking, Works Connection, Concept2, CTI2, Maxima, Kicker, O’GIO, Traxxas, Renthal, Hinson, Jonre Multimedia, dragonfireracing.com, Scott, Cyto Sport, N-Style, UNI, Parkway Chiropractic, Tire-Balls, and ZLT.

Washington, GA – FMF/KTM rider Kailub Russell earned his first win of the season in the XC2 class at the second round of the GNCC Series dubbed “The General’ while his XC2 teammate Steward Baylor also put in a decent ride to finish 4th.

Russell was out front early after earning a 2nd place start. He spent the majority of the race swapping the lead position with competitor Jason Thomas. Baylor started in 9th position and quickly worked his way up through the pack. The cold, soggy conditions seemed to fit the South Carolina native well as he blitzed by riders to the front of the pack. At one point Baylor actually took the lead but shortly after got stuck in the mud and lost time. After he recovered from the mud hole he collided with a lapper and lost a few more positions. He eventually finished in 4th while Russell pulled away out front to take the win with a 38 second lead over Thomas. KTM privateer Jesse Robinson rounded out the podium in 3rd. All top three XC2 riders finished 6th, 7th and 8th respectively in the overall standings for the day from all classes combined.

“It feels great to get my first win of the season. This round went a lot better for me than the first week. I felt comfortable all day and really had fun on my bike,” commented Russell after the race.

In the XC1 class, FMF/KTM rider Nate Kanney got a good jump off the line rounding the first corner in 7th position right behind the 2009 AMA National Enduro Champion and FMF/KTM rider Russell Bobbitt. The third factory KTM rider, Cory Buttrick came around the first lap in 9th. Kanney and Bobbitt quickly sprinted into the top five within the first half of the race. At one point, Kanney took the lead and Bobbitt was as high up as 3rd. At the end of the race both riders had trouble with lappers causing Kanney to drop to 5th and Bobbitt to 7th. Buttrick who climbed through the pack early in the race got stuck in one of the tracks six deep mud holes and was fortunate enough to recover and finish 6th for the day.

Once again, KTM privateer Chris Bach, surprised fans in the XC1 class earning his second podium of the year. Bach rode a smooth race and finished 3rd overall showing all race fans that his podium in Florida was not a fluke.

In the Women’s class, RPM/KTM rider Maria Forsberg finished on the podium with a 3rd overall. Forsberg was looking to earn another win, but like her FMF/KTM teammates, a mistake in the mud hole set her back and she recovered in time to earn the final podium position.

The second round of the series was a great weekend for KTM having 5 of the top 10 riders in the XC2 class and 6 of the top 10 in the XC1 class finish aboard KTM motorcycles.

Next Round: March 20-21, 2010 – Morganton, NC – Round 3

Overall XC1 –
1) Joshua Strang
2) Paul Whibley
3) Chris Bach – KTM
4) Charles Mullins
5) Nate Kanney – KTM
6) Cory Buttrick – KTM
7) Russell Bobbitt – KTM
Homero Diaz – KTM
9) Kenneth Gilbert
10) Eric Bailey

Overall XC2 –
1) Kailub Russell – KTM
2) Jason Thomas
3) Jesse Robinson – KTM
4) Steward Baylor – KTM
5) Dustin Gibson – KTM
6) Scott Watkins
7) Jake Korn – KTM
Brad Bakken – KTM
9) Josh Weisenfels
10) Robby Norwood