RK Excel America

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (May 8, 2012) – A sold out crowd filled Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas for the 17th and final round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross series this past weekend. Nick Wey, Chris Blose and Justin Sipes of the MotoSport.com/TiLUBE/Foremost Insurance team arrived heathy and ready to put in one last top finish.

The design of Sam Boyd Stadium allows for changes to be made to the traditional supercross track layout, presenting riders and fans with longer lap times, an outside-the-stadium start and high speeds. The afternoon’s qualifing session went well for the team with Wey securing seventh place, Blose in 20th and Sipes in 21st.

Blose was the lone team rider in the first heat race and with a good start and steady laps; he qualified directly to the main event. The second heat race also went according to plan as both Sipes and Wey qualified directly to the main event. This marked the second time in only three attempts that the MotoSport.com/TiLUBE/Foremost Insurance team would have all three riders lined up for the main event.

The trio of Wey, Blose and Sipes were ready to let it all hang out and see what they could do in the final Supercross race of the season. With the pack roaring into the stadium at over 50 mph, all three riders were positioned toward the back of the pack. Fortunately, the extended lap times afforded the riders a little extra time to improve their positions. At the half way mark, they were running in 13th (Wey), 14th (Blose) and 15th (Sipes). When the checkered flag waved, Wey had worked his way up to 10th position, Sipes had moved up to 12th and Blose up to 13th.

“I had some good speed out there and I think that showed with my seventh place qualifying position,” said Wey. “My starts have been a little off all season and while I worked hard to improve them, I never got them to where I wanted them to be. But another top 10 is always good. I know what to work on for 2013 and hope to be able to continue to build the great team we have here.”

“Transferring straight to the main event was exactly what I was looking for tonight,” said Sipes. “I felt good in the heat race but in the main I wasn’t able to get a good flow going. All-in-all I’m happy with a 12th place finish tonight and 20th overall in the points.”

“I really like this race and after my result here last year I had pretty high expectations,” said Blose. “I felt like I rode well in the main, just did not get the start I was looking for. This season was tough but I’m glad the team stuck by me all year. I can’t thank them enough.”

About MotoSport.com TiLUBE Foremost Insurance Racing:

MotoSport.com has become an industry leader that remains focused on providing their customers with the parts they need when they need them. MotoSport.com is one of the fastest growing retailers of power sports apparel, parts and accessories on the Internet today. TiLUBE products offer engine protection in extreme conditions, outperform the manufactures requirements, are dyno tested to offer high performance in both race and recreational applications. Foremost Insurance is part of the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies®; Foremost Insurance Group has been a leader in personal lines insurance since 1952.

MotoSport.com TiLUBE Foremost Insurance is proudly supported by:

MotoSport.com, TiLUBE, Foremost Insurance, Wiseco, Motion Pro, Podium Ink, Pit Pass Radio, UFO Plastic, Mafia M/C, Fusion Graphics, Dunlop, Crower Performance, ARC Levers, SDG USA, Excel A60, Crank Works, Sunstar Sprockets & Chains, Metaltek, ODI Grips, Brembo, Talon, Dubya, Pro Filter, Bermcannon, CIA Stands.

For more info or to contact TiLUBE please visit www.tilube.com or call (641)464-3195, for Adrenaline Konnections contact Ed Kuhlenkamp at ed@adrenalinekonnections.com or call (336)293-9103, for Brown Motorsports contact Allan Brown at abrownmx@gmail.com or call (951)359-6970

CORONA, Calif., (May 8, 2012) – The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki race team rolled into Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas this past weekend for this year’s final round of Monster Energy Supercross. The action-packed night saw Dean Wilson, Blake Baggett and Broc Tickle take to the track for the final time this year in their respective classes, and also pitted Supercross Lites riders from both coasts against each other for the Dave Coombs Sr. East/West Shootout.

Wilson was on a mission to rebound from last week’s DNF in Salt Lake City. He was on the attack as he navigated through the field after a bad start in the Supercross Lites West Region Main Event. He began picking riders off one-by-one, and eventually finished in the second-place spot after a hard-fought race. He ends the series second overall in the Supercross Lites West Region point standings.

Baggett jumped off to a good start in the Supercross Lites East Region Main Event, and found himself in a podium position early in the race. He held strong to finish third, and caps off his season in fourth overall in the Supercross Lites East Region point standings.

Wilson and Baggett were looking to dominate in the Dave Coombs Sr. East/West Shootout, but both were plagued with mid-pack starts that prevented them from making an impact. Both riders are now eager to embark on the upcoming 2012 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Series, and are looking forward to a competitive season.

Tickle finishes his season ninth overall in the Supercross Class point standings. He started the night off strong by finishing fourth in his heat race. In the Main Event, he navigated into top-ten territory early, but encountered some bad luck near the end of the race and finished in the 11th place position.

Teammates Tyla Rattray and Darryn Durham sat the night out due to injuries sustained earlier in the season. Durham finishes fifth overall in the Supercross Lites East Region, while Rattray ends up 15th overall in the Supercross Lites West Region after completing only three rounds.

After closing the books on 17 rounds of Monster Energy Supercross action, the team now focuses on the upcoming 2012 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Series, which kicks off Saturday May 19 at the Hangtown National in Sacramento, Calif.

Las Vegas, NV. (May 7, 2011) The AMA Supercross series rolled into Sam Boyd stadium for the final round of 2011 and to close out the season in style with some epic racing action before 39k plus amped up fans. DNA Shred Stix /Star Racing/Yamaha came equipped with our four standout riders for the final main events of both the East and West, plus the Dave Coombs East/West shootout for all the bragging rights. FMF backed #25 Ryan Sipes, #533 Gannon Audette, #35 Kyle Cunningham, and #72 Nick Paluzzi all had a big task in front of them as they were set to do battle with the Top 20 riders from each region. Timed – Qualifying went really well with all the Star boys keeping themselves in the mix of times, fastest being Sipes in 1st on the East side and Cunningham taking 1st in the West. Unfortunately, Audette crashed hard in practice and it was decided that he should sit this race out after hitting his head.

With no Heat races, the highly anticipated Lites East Main got underway first in a positive way. Once out of the gate, Sipes was able to avoid any first lap carnage, in doing so he put his YZ 250F in the 2nd position. Riding the wheel and pressuring for the lead, Sipes was able to assume the lead in the early stages of the race. Out front, the veteran rode with great poise for the entire race, as he fended off heavy pressure. Riding without error, Ryan lead the majority of the main event, all the while having done his best to protect all of the passing lines. Although, on the last lap he unfortunately was overtaken and crossed the finish in 2nd.

In the Lites West Main, Cunningham and Paluzzi both grabbed less than stellar starts to get things going. On lap three Cunningham was on a fight towards the front, while Paluzzi was just inside the top 15. Riding a step above the rest, near the halfway mark Cunningham moved into the 2nd position, and established himself as a rider to beat lap after lap. Unfortunately near the end, in the heat of a crazy battle, Kyle cased an rthyme section and relinquished second place. Assuming the 3rd spot from there, it worked out to where he would go on to finish out in that exact position.

The LCQ blitzed out of the gate, with Paluzzi circling the track upfront where it was crucial to be. Riding at the edge to make the main, Paluzzi assumed the lead on lap one and rode on to the victory. While Paluzzi took a deep breath knowing he was in the main event, he knew it was going to be even tougher with such a bad gate pick.

The East/West shootout Main event time came, and with that the final try in 2011 to turn some heads was upon us, on lap one Sipes sat 1st, while Cunningham held 10th, and Paluzzi was sitting 17th. In the first half of the race, Sipes was riding on point, leaving much of his competition to chase. Cunningham was 7th, and having to dig deeper to achieve any sort of good result. However, Paluzzi kept putting fast laps down and pulled up to the 14th spot and hung tough while dicing it out all the way through lap seven. In the meantime, Sipes took his speed on the track to a higher level and raced forward making substantial gains on the chasing field. With the closing laps in progress, Sipes had nailed down the 1st position, and Cunningham had rebounded to 7th, while Paluzzi took 13th on the last lap making a good outcome to all the struggles they both incurred during the 10 lap race.

Star Racing had its most successful night of racing to date, and a huge thanks goes to all of the key backers for their quality service that helped make the 2011 Supercross season a success.

Star Racing is proudly supported by:
DNA Shred Stix, Yamaha Motor Corp, Scott Sports, N-Fab, FMF, Cosworth, North County Yamaha, DNA Energy Drink, GYTR, Factory Effex, Dunlop, Easton EXP, Enzo, Renegade Fuels, Sunstar, Motion Pro, ARC, ODI Grips, RK Chains, Excel A60 rims, Yamalube, Ride Engineering, Twin Air, LightSpeed, Braking, Vortex Ignitions, ICW, JD Built, Crank Works, Eibach, Met Tec, Tammer MX

CORONA, Calif. (May 9, 2011) – Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Broc Tickle earned his first-career championship after an exciting AMA Supercross LItes, Western Region main event at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. His second-place finish in the race put him on top of the standings by six points. Western Region teammates Tyla Rattray and Josh Hansen finished the night in sixth and 10th, respectively. The AMA Supercross LItes, Eastern Region main event also treated fans to an exciting race as Blake Baggett came from behind to earn his second win of the season. His Eastern Region teammate Dean Wilson finished just off the podium in fourth. The East/West Shootout race saw Wilson again take fourth, Tickle finishing 10th, Rattray in 11th, and Baggett ending the night in 12th.

The AMA Supercross Lites, Western Region championship has been one that Tickle had dreamt about since he was a young amateur racer. His consistency all season long put him in the position of collecting his first title and with a late-race pass for second; he secured the No. 1 plate for the first time in his career.

“All of this doesn’t even seem real,” said Tickle. “I’ve seriously dreamed about winning this championship since I was young and racing amateurs. I don’t think it will hit me even when I see the No. 1 plate on the door of the semi. I knew I could win the championship coming into the season, but I had to go through a lot to get here. Between struggling to get my first win and then breaking my collarbone, it has been a championship that could have easily gotten away from me. I’m just very thankful to the whole team for constantly reminding me that I am capable of winning.”

With the championship no longer in his grasp, Baggett knew there was one thing he could do to turn heads and that was to win the final main event of the season. With a decent start, he worked his way close to the leader and made the pass in the final laps of the race to capture his second win of the season.

“It’s great to go out with a win,” said Baggett. “After a few laps, I knew I just had to be patient and it ended up paying off. I found a clean line to pass and took it. It’s been a hard season, but ending it with a win is pretty special. I think it will definitely help my confidence going into the outdoors.”

Wilson found himself working his way through the pack in both the Eastern Region main event and the East/West Shootout race, but was able to push his way through the field and finished just shy of the podium.

“I definitely felt like I could have won tonight, but I wasn’t able to get a good enough start to put me up there,” said Wilson. “My season wasn’t the best this year, but I feel like I learned a lot from it. The person that was the most consistent won the championship and I just have to remember that next year when I come out swinging.”

With his first supercross season now in the books, Rattray was able to look back and see how far he has come since he started riding the indoor tracks. His sixth-place finish in the Western Region main event put him seventh in the overall standings.

“I had a lot of fun this season and really learned a lot,” said Rattray. “I am really thankful to the team for sticking behind me even when I had to sit out a race. Supercross is a lot different from motocross and it took some time to get it down, but I think I could come out pretty strong next year after getting one year under my belt. Now I’m excited that we get to go back outdoors and race where I feel the most comfortable.”

As a championship contender throughout the season, Hansen was able to realize his ability both physically and mentally. He raced with a broken hand in Anaheim and a re-injured hand in the final three races of the season. With a season-high three wins in the AMA Supercross Lites, Western Region class, he was able to finish third in the point standings.

“I had to overcome a lot this year and I think I became mentally stronger than I have ever been,” said Hansen. “It was tough to see the championship slip away, but overall this season I am happy with the rides I put in. I didn’t know that I could ride with a broken hand or a re-injured hand. I learned a lot from all the people around me and really want to be able to get back out and ride again next year.”

With the supercross season finished, the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team will have one weekend off to make final preparations for the first AMA Motocross Championship race. The first race of the 12-round series will take place on May 21 at Hangtown MX in Sacramento, Calif.

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About Pro Circuit
Based in Corona, Calif., Pro Circuit Inc. is a leader in off-road motorcycle and ATV exhausts and aftermarket performance parts. Started in 1978, Pro Circuit is the go to shop for recreational riders and professionals for everything from suspension work to complete engine packages, and everything in between.

Created by former desert racer Mitch Payton, Pro Circuit proves its products and services week-in and week-out through its tagline “We Race.” Every product that dons the Pro Circuit stamp stems from the legendary Pro Circuit race team. A staple in the professional paddock, Pro Circuit Racing has earned 26 AMA championships and more than 200 race wins in more than 30 years of competition.

JDR/J-Star/KTM rider Tye Simmonds earned his career best finish at the final round of the AMA Supercross Series held at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, NV when he crossed the checkered flag in 10th overall.

Simmonds had a great heat race starting inside the top four. He rode a smooth race only losing two positions and qualified 6th into the main event.

In the main event, Simmonds earned another great start almost nailing the holeshot. “I got a great jump and nearly pulled the holeshot but I went a little too wide at the end and ended up about 4th through the first corner,” stated Simmonds.

Simmonds fell back to about eighth at the end of the first lap and then slipped to 11th on the second lap. He rode a strong and consistent race and stayed around the top ten throughout the entire twenty lap main. “I wasn’t sure how many laps were left so I just kept pushing as hard as I could. I didn’t even know I was in 10th at the end of the race, I was so happy to find out when I crossed the finish line.”

Simmonds went on to finish 10th overall and put in his season best finish at the final round of the series. “Starts were the key to my results today. I was able to get great starts in my heat and the main and that helped me finish up where I belong,” remarked Simmonds.

The JDR/J-Star/KTM Team will spend the next two weeks preparing for the Outdoor Motocross Series which will begin May 21, 2011 at Hangtown Raceway.

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (May 8, 2011) – Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev. was host to the final round of the 2011 AMA Supercross Championship. The event has been sold out for several weeks, and 39,506 fans filled the stadium to capacity while those that could not be on hand were able to watch the action in its entirety live on SPEED.

Justin Brayton and Davi Millsaps were very fast in qualifying as well as in their respective heat races, easily transferring to the main event. However, Brayton snagged his foot on a tuff block cover during the heat race wrenching his ankle badly. He went to the Asterisk Mobile Medical Unit for treatment prior to the main. Though he lined up at the gate and tried to race, the pain was unbearable and Brayton had to pull off. Millsaps began the main in 12th position, quickly moving up to fourth, just one spot from the podium with more than half the race to go. Unfortunately a flat tire on lap eight ended his night early as well. Brayton was credited with 19th while Millsaps finished 13th. Millsaps earned eighth in series points for the season with Brayton ninth.

CBS will air a supercross season wrap-up special today at 2:00 p.m. (EST). The next event for the Muscle Milk/Toyota/JGRMX Team will be opening round of the 2011 AMA Motocross Championship Series. The 43rd Annual Hangtown Motocross Classic at Prarie City State Recreation Park in Sacramento, Calif. will kick off the 12 round series on May 21. The first moto will be broadcast live on allisports.com and Fuel TV at 4:00 p.m. (EST). The second moto will air on SPEED May 22 at 11:00 a.m. (EST). There will also be a highlights and re-cap show of the race Thursday May 26 at 10:00 p.m. (EST) on Fuel TV.

Tickle Maintains Points Lead in Salt Lake City

CORONA, Calif. (May 2, 2011) – Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Broc Tickle retained his two-point championship lead after earning his sixth podium of the season at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. His third place finish helped keep him out front of the AMA Supercross LItes, Western Region championship standings as the series heads into its final race. Teammate Josh Hansen overcame a crash on the second lap to work his way back to 13th. Tyla Rattray finished the night just outside the top-five in sixth place.

Tickle continued to show his consistency with another good ride in cold conditions in Utah. He has not finished outside of fourth place and with his third-place finish, tallied up his sixth podium finish so far this year.

“When I started the year, I really wanted to be up front every weekend,” said Tickle. “I want to win races, but ultimately it’s about putting up another number one place on the front of the semi. I know what I have to do in Las Vegas and I will do everything I can to put myself on top for the season.”

Coming into the night, Tickle’s teammate Hansen was his biggest threat for the championship. After getting a second-place start, Hansen made a mistake on the second lap that put him over a half-lap down. He was able to push his way through the pack to finish the night in 13th.

“I can’t even describe how disappointed I am with myself,” said Hansen. “I had everything I needed to be out front and I let a lot of people down. It’s really hard to watch the championship slip away again, but I can say I learned a lot tonight. Whenever I make a mistake, I want to learn from it. I just hope I can redeem myself with one more win in Las Vegas.”

Excited the season is winding down, Rattray showed off his supercross speed with a sixth-place finish. In just his first year riding supercross, he has been able to race for sixth or better six times this season.

“It’s been fun so far this year and a big learning experience since the first day I rode supercross,” said Rattray. “I came from a motocross background and supercross is a very different type of racing. I’m glad things are coming to an end and I’ll be looking to stay healthy in Las Vegas so we can start the motocross season off strong.”

The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki West Coast riders will finalize the AMA Supercross Lites, Western Region series at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas this weekend. Tickle leads the championship standings with 165 points, two points over second place. Hansen sits in third with 151 points. Rattray remains in sixth position with 111 points.

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About Pro Circuit
Based in Corona, Calif., Pro Circuit Inc. is a leader in off-road motorcycle and ATV exhausts and aftermarket performance parts. Started in 1978, Pro Circuit is the go to shop for recreational riders and professionals for everything from suspension work to complete engine packages, and everything in between.

Created by former desert racer Mitch Payton, Pro Circuit proves its products and services week-in and week-out through its tagline “We Race.” Every product that dons the Pro Circuit stamp stems from the legendary Pro Circuit race team. A staple in the professional paddock, Pro Circuit Racing has earned 26 AMA championships and more than 200 race wins in more than 30 years of competition.

Salt Lake City, UT. (April 30, 2011) The AMA Lites West coast Supercross series penultimate round took place in Salt Lake City, Utah this past Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium before 39,329 fans. For DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing/Yamaha and the riders, #35 Kyle Cunningham, and #72 Nick Paluzzi closing out the last two races with strong finishes had a high priority. By the end of the Timed-qualifying sessions, Cunningham and Paluzzi had established themselves as capable candidates for a run at the front of the field.

Slated into Heat #1, Paluzzi got to the first turn well up in the front of the field. Sitting around 7th, the youngster stayed in the mix of the leaders helping the Yamaha pilot find 5th place by races end. Cunningham’s night of racing started out promising, when in Heat race #2 he was able to take his FMF supported ride up to 2nd quite convincingly, allowing the confident rider to secure a good gate pick for the finale.

The main event took off with all of the hype; Cunningham and Paluzzi were right in the mix from the drop of the gate. Lap one concluded, with Cunningham holding down 5th, while Paluzzi who obtained a good start in 10th, was forced to recover after going down on lap three. For the next four laps Cunningham remained in a forging forward assault, which had him tailing the top four. Near the halfway mark Cunningham’s conditioning began to shine seeing him continue on with consistency, which brought him to battle for a possible podium finish. Paluzzi, who was back in 20th in the same time, and a lap down continued on just to gain valuable experience. From this point, Cunningham closed out the remainder of the race with a valiant effort, but finished out the night in 5th.

Star Racing is proudly supported by:
DNA Shred Stix, Yamaha Motor Corp, Scott Sports, N-Fab, FMF, Cosworth, North County Yamaha, DNA Energy Drink, GYTR, Factory Effex, Dunlop, Easton EXP, Enzo, Renegade Fuels, Sunstar, Motion Pro, ARC, ODI Grips, RK Chains, Excel A60 rims, Yamalube, Ride Engineering, Twin Air, LightSpeed, Braking, Vortex Ignitions, ICW, JD Built, Crank Works, Eibach, Met Tec, Tammer MX

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (May 1, 2011) – The penultimate round of the 2011 AMA Supercross Championship was held at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. As was the case last year, snow preluded the event through Friday night, with flakes falling sporadically early Saturday as well. The crew at Feld Entertainment had the track covered in preparation for the expected precipitation and that along with an adjusted practice schedule allowed the track to be in decent shape despite the conditions. 39,329 hard core fans braved the frigid temperatures to watch the race from the cold stands in the open air stadium.

Justin Brayton returned to racing after missing two rounds due to a back injury sustained in Dallas. He was still sore but able to race. Davi Millsaps and Brayton easily qualified for the main event from their respective heat races. In the main Brayton began the race in third but still feeling the effects of four recently sprained vertebrae found himself drifting back during 20-lap event. Millsaps started in eighth and moved forward finishing in fifth with Brayton ninth.

The original broadcast from Salt Lake City airs today at 12:00 p.m. (EST) on CBS. The season finale will be held in the already sold-out Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev. on May 7. SPEED will air the action from Las Vegas live, beginning at 10:00 p.m. (EST). There will also be a special series wrap up show on May 8 at 2:00 p.m. (EST) on CBS.

CORONA, Calif. (April 28, 2011) – Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki teammates Broc Tickle and Josh Hansen take their championship battle for the AMA Supercross Lites, Western Region to the Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City as the series winds down with two races to go. Tickle currently leads the series over Hansen by two points with both riders hungry to take home their first AMA championship.

Tickle took over the lead at the previous round in Seattle with a third-place finish. The podium result came only a short time after he injured his collar bone while preparing for the race, and now with more time on the bike going into the penultimate round, he looks to extend his lead in Salt Lake City.

“I didn’t really want to make excuses in Seattle and now that I have a little more time back on the bike, I am feeling a lot more confident that I can go out and win,” said Tickle. “I’ve really liked Salt Lake City in the past. I want to get another win under my belt this season, but obviously the championship is the most important thing I’ll be thinking about.”

Not going down without a fight, Hansen continued to prove he is determined to win the championship. In Seattle, he re-injured his hand, but still went on to win his heat race and eventually finish sixth in the main event despite the pain. With an off-weekend prior to Salt Lake City, Hansen has been able to recover to go out and collect more points to get him to his first AMA championship.

“I’m not giving up on this championship,” said Hansen. “I might be less than 100 percent physically, but I’m going to give more than that when I’m on the track. I have had a championship slip away from me before and I will do everything I can to not see that happen again.”

Looking to grab his third podium finish of the year, Tyla Rattray continued to prove he is worthy of being out with the front-runners after a fourth-place finish in Seattle. He has four top-five finishes this year and the supercross rookie is hoping to add to that already impressive number.

“For my first year racing supercross, I think I’ve done pretty well,” said Rattray. “I’ve had a few bad races and had to deal with an injury, but it’s been fun. I want to end the year well and move onto what I know best (motocross).”

The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team is in the home stretch with only two rounds remaining in the AMA Supercross Lites, Western Region series. The series makes it penultimate stop at Rice-Eccles Stadium with Tickle currently leading the series with 145 points. Hansen is right behind him in second with 143, while Rattray moved into sixth with 96 points.

About Pro Circuit
Based in Corona, Calif., Pro Circuit Inc. is a leader in off-road motorcycle and ATV exhausts and aftermarket performance parts. Started in 1978, Pro Circuit is the go to shop for recreational riders and professionals for everything from suspension work to complete engine packages, and everything in between.

Created by former desert racer Mitch Payton, Pro Circuit proves its products and services week-in and week-out through its tagline “We Race.” Every product that dons the Pro Circuit stamp stems from the legendary Pro Circuit race team. A staple in the professional paddock, Pro Circuit Racing has earned 26 AMA championships and more than 200 race wins in more than 30 years of competition.