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Corona, Calif. – (May 25,2010) – Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Christophe Pourcel left the 2010 AMA Motocross season opener in Sacramento, Calif. tied for the points lead after finishing second overall with moto finishes of 1-3. His teammate Jake Weimer was fourth overall with Dean Wilson sixth overall and Tyla Rattray 11th overall.

Pourcel started off on the right foot earning the first gate pick with the fastest time in overall qualifying. Weimer was fifth in qualifying, Rattray 10th and Wilson 11th.

“I feel like I rode better than my results show,” said Weimer. “I’ve been working hard on my outdoor program and I feel really good about it. I need to work on my starts so I can get out front early and not have to worry about finding a way around the other riders.”

In the first moto, both Pourcel and Wilson jumped out to good starts with Pourcel taking the lead on the first lap and Wilson holding down the fourth spot. Just behind them was Weimer in sixth. Pourcel continued to lead until lap 11 when he went down and dropped to third. Over the next five laps, the French rider regrouped and moved up to the rear fender of the leader. On the final lap, Pourcel pushed hard and was able to take the lead and grab the moto 1 victory. Weimer rode a steady race throughout, moving up to fourth early and staying there. Wilson fell on the second lap and dropped form fourth to 14th and by checkered flag he worked his way up to 10th.

“The track was difficult today,” said Pourcel. “I was riding well up front and then I went down. I wasn’t nervous at all; I just did what I needed to get back up to the front. The last lap was fun and it was good to make the pass.”

In the second moto, it was Wilson who was the fastest Pro Circuit rider out of the gate sitting in fourth. Pourcel was right behind him in sixth while Weimer was 10th and Rattray 18th. The tight track at Hangtown made it difficult to pass so each of the riders was focused on moving up as much as they could. Wilson moved into third on the sixth lap with Pourcel right on his rear fender. The two rode in lock-step until the final lap when Pourcel passed Wilson to take third in the moto. Weimer and Rattray finished eighth and 16th respectively.

“I rode tight during the first moto,” said Wilson. “I just didn’t know what to expect and once I loosened up I was able to find some good lines and stay consistent. In the second moto things went a lot better and I stayed loose all the way through.”

The team now has a weekend off before heading to Freestone County, Texas for the second of 12 AMA Motocross rounds.

Somerset, PA – FMF/KTM riders Cory Buttrick and Kailub Russell both landed on the podium at the seventh round of the GNCC Series after each earning 2nd overall in their respective classes.

Buttrick started the XC1 Pro race in 2nd place around the first turn and had moved into the lead by turn two. Buttrick led the majority of the first lap before being passed by his teammate Nate Kanney who led the race as they passed the check point at the end of lap one with Buttrick right behind him.

Kanney, Buttrick and Barry Hawk marked the top three as the second lap began. The three swapped positions multiple times the next few laps with Kanney leading the end of the second lap and Buttrick leading after the third lap. “It was really fun today. I would be leading Nate and then a lapper would get in my way and he would go around me. Then moments later the same would happen to him and I would get back around. It was cool to be battling for the lead with my teammate,” remarked Buttrick.

Soon Charles Mullins had moved up into the mix for the lead position and it became a four-way battle for the number one spot. “I felt great out there,” remarked Kanney. “My bike was running great the whole race and every time someone caught me I was able to increase my speed and get right back around them.”

Unfortunately, during the battle for the lead, Kanney suffered a big crash on lap five sending his bike to the ground and his body into a tree. Kanney was down for about a minute before he recovered and continued to race. “I was really bummed after my crash because I felt so good today. I tried to make back the time I lost but it was so close to the end of the race, I didn’t have enough time. I am just glad to know that I was able to run the pace needed to lead the race today and that I will be healthy for the next round.”

When the checkered flag flew, Mullins took the win and Buttrick finished 2nd overall. Kanney was able to finish in 5th place after his crash.

The XC2 Pro Lites class also had its share number of crashes as the muddy and rocky course proved to be one of the most challenging courses so far this season. Rookie FMF/KTM rider Steward Baylor nailed the holeshot on his 250 XC two-stroke, followed by Jason Thomas and fellow FMF/KTM rider and current points leader Kailub Russell. Shortly into the race, Russell had his first crash of the day.

“I think I fell three times on the first lap. I was just having an off day and making rookie mistakes,” remarked Russell. Despite his early race crashes, Russell was able to pass the entire field before the end of the first lap and came across in the lead at the completion of lap one.

A crash on the second lap allowed Thomas back by and the remainder of the race Russell had to play catch up to make up for time lost during his crashes. “Unfortunately I didn’t perform the best today and the win went to Jason. I am happy to still be in the points lead but will definitely shoot for being back on top of the podium at the next round,” stated Russell.

Baylor, who dropped to 3rd after his early holeshot, had a pretty good lead on the 4th place runner nearing the final lap. Unfortunately, he got stuck in a mud hole which allowed the 4th place bike of KTM rider Jesse Robinson to get around him and take the 3rd place position. Baylor finished 4th overall putting three KTM riders in the top five.

For the fifth straight race in a row, RPM/KTM rider Maria Forsberg dominated the Women’s class and took home another win. She continues to lead the points as the series heads to round 8.

Next Event – Millfield, OH – June 6, 2010 – Round 8

I am just returning from the opening round of the Women’s Motocross Championship at Hangtown. I went up early to do local press for the event. I did some local radio shows, an in studio interview with my bike for the local CBS new affiliate on Sunday, a feature for the Fox 40 on women’s racing and the track ride for the NBC affiliate. I also had a “5 Minutes With…” feature in the July issue Racer X Magazine which was the issue on hand at Hangtown. That is the good news. The unfortunate news is that although I felt familiar with the track and was personally prepared I ended up crashing in practice and injured my hand. I was checked out in the Asterisk medical unit and was told that I could not race.

I have been to the hospital since and do not have any broken bones. The swelling in my hand is pretty severe. I have a splint and am icing on a regular basis. I am going in for an MRI just to be sure there’s no other damage. There is some chance I could be back for Round Two at Freestone. It is just unknown right now. I will keep you posted.

Thank you for your support and I hope to be practicing very soon.

Sherri Cruse # 3

May 22, 2010
Rancho Cordova, CA -The AMA MX National Series got the twelve race championship underway at Sacramento, Ca at Hangtown MX Park this past Saturday. DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing/Yamaha attended with a huge presence, fielding our five rider team comprised of, #20 Broc Tickle, #48 Max Anstie, #341 Nico Izzi, #577 Martin Davalos and the WMA title threat #2 Jessica Patterson who will contend the entire women’s series for the team. Saturday’s timed qualifying started out promising with our ultra fast YZ 250F’s powering each rider to a fast lap time, the fastest being Tickle who obtained the 2nd gate pick for the opening moto.
Finding good form here early in the series, was Tickle who dug deep and took control of his outcome. The first moto was a trying one at that, Tickle started 10th, then after a few calculated moves near mid moto. Tickle had climbed the charts slightly, holding steady at 7th, he rallied to close the gap and make more advances. In doing so just past halfway Broc lost his wheels and crashed. Remounting in a distant 12th position, the always tough kid raced back up to 11th only to yet again take another soil sample. Dropping a spot one more time Tickle made up the ground needed, moving forward with only a few laps until the finish. Still charging in good fashion to snatch up a few tiring riders, he’d come up short as the moto concluded and was forced to settle in 11th. In moto two Tickle’s start panned out a little more to his liking, with him in 8th, however he kept on the pressure and passed for 7th fifteen minutes into the race. Right till the bitter end, Tickle looked to have a top five finish coming his way. As he rode at the tail end of a four rider freight train, he made smart moves on a section of the track where he excelled. Lots of persistence paid off, which allowed Broc to get into 5th inside of four laps to go. Not settling one iota, Tickle hounded the moto one winner, nearly passing him on several occasions, but he never got it done. When it was over, Broc came away with a 5th, netting him 7thoverall on the day.

Anstie had a good start to his first season of outdoors on a Yamaha, through his consistency he did fairly well but it was not where he would have liked to land on the results page. For the English rider moto one began with him in 11th, from there Anstie maintained his composure and put his head down. Impressively, in just six laps he gained two positions, and now sat in a solid 9th. In the closing stages Anstie had one bad bobble which cost him a few spots as he crossed the finish line in 12th. Anstie second part of his tally had him starting 19th; and that was after passing a slew of riders in lap one. By the halfway mark he had crept his way into 15th, riding solidly he maintained this position for most of the race and right at the end Max moved passed a fatigued rider, leaving him to a finish of 14th and a 11th overall.

The struggles of Davalos could be felt, starting 9th in moto one, the DNA backed rider could not find his usual contending speed after tightening up early on. Doing what he could all the while, one rider after another would shift him back through the moto. The embarrassing showing, only allowed Davalos to muster up a 16th finishing position. Moto two looked more promising, as he started 11th, and then moved to back a few spots into 14th. Racing with some passion, Davalos pushed hard and made it back to 11th where he’d finish out salvaging 20th overall.

In closing, Nico Izzi had a rough start to his outdoor series, starting off in 12th unfortunately on lap two he crashed and had trouble restarting the motorcycle. This resulted in a long moto for Nico, but he did comeback to 22nd. Moto two was a solid showing for Izzi, who is coming off injuries. With lap one in the books, once again he held 12th and maintained that position the entire moto. Izzi’s uneventful combined moto scores gave him an overall of 18th and gave him something to build on.

Holding the torch high for the team, Jessica Patterson went out and destroyed her competition in a convincing fashion. Starting out in 2nd, she made an awesome pass on lap two to go by her arch rival. From there, Patterson checked out and took the win. Moto two was all of the same but better as Patterson led every lap and took the overall win with a statement.

Star Racing extends a great deal of gratitude to our sponsors.

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.

It was a busy weekend for the TLD crew as they had riders in all three classes of competition at the season opening round of the AMA motocross championship. When the day was done every rider on the team had something promising to build from for the next eleven rounds.

Ben Townley fought through a case of nerves as the gate dropped for his first 450 national in two years. The former world champion ran near the front all moto long and gave up one spot near the end of the race when he stalled his bike in a tight corner. The second moto was even more encouraging as BT made a charge to the front of the pack that saw him pass into second and begin to close in on the race leader. A small mistake near the twenty-minute mark would cost him several positions and a shot at an overall podium finish. His 6-7 motos were good enough for a sixth place finish overall.

“I was quite nervous before the start of the race,” said Townley at the days end. “I’m feeling pretty good about my speed though and I think by the time I hit round two or three my fitness will be where it needs to be in order to race for wins. I’m really happy with the team at the moment and now that the first round is out of the way I feel like we can really focus on the task at hand. It was a good start for me.”

Will Hahn and Cole Seely represented TLD well in the 250 division. Cole spent much of the first moto in sixth position until a fall forced him out of the race. Wil suffered a bad start but fought all the way to 13th by the motos end. The second moto started with a big Wil Hahn holeshot. Wil led for a couple laps and then spent the race dicing with the worlds best 250 riders at the front of the pack. He would score a 6th in moto two giving him eighth overall on the day. Cole didn’t get the start he needed but he managed to work into 17th and earn a handful of points by the end of the race. Both 250 riders are looking fast and ready to race at the front, they just need to get good starts and stay on two wheels.

Tarah Gieger scored the team’s only podium finish of the day, a fact she was quick to point out to her male teammates. The star WMX rider rode consistently all day long and earned third overall with her 2-6 motos scores. Tarah was certainly not content with a third and she is already looking forward to another shot at a win in Texas.

“I really didn’t get a chance to ride the way I know I can,” Tarah explained. “I couldn’t get comfortable with the track all day and I hit a stalled rider in the second moto that knocked me down and had me riding from the back the whole race. Texas is a good track for me and I’m looking forward to getting out there.”

The TLD/ Lucas Oil/ Honda team will set up at Glen Helen Raceway this weekend for the GP round in California. Ben Townley will use the event as another stepping stone towards his goal of winning the 2010 AMA national championship. Look for the #101 flying around the hilly circuit in San Bernardino this weekend. The rest of the team riders will focus on preparing for the next round of the AMA series in Freestone, Texas in two weeks time.

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

Prairie City, CA – Jagermeister/KTM rider Mike Alessi reinforced that the KTM 350 SX-F is a bike that can run with the 450cc machines after earning 4-1 moto scores for 2nd overall at the opening round of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship at the Hangtown Classic.

The week started for Alessi at the Hangtown press conference at the State Capitol building on Thursday morning. Alessi was repeatedly questioned by competitors and media for his choice in racing a 350 SX-F machine – 100cc less than the competition. Alessi answered the skeptics during the second moto on Saturday afternoon when he pulled the holeshot on his new machine and led every lap of the race – earning the bikes first U.S. win.

Alessi’s second moto win coupled with his 4th place finish in moto one after a great battle with Josh Grant and Davi Millsaps earned the KTM rider 2nd overall for the day. Alessi now sits 2nd in points, just two points behind leader Chad Reed.

In the Motocross Lites class FMF/KTM rider, Tommy Searle, was ready to prove that he had been putting in the hard work to put himself in contention for a top three finish since his injury at the beginning of the West Supercross Lites season earlier this year. He qualified with the 9th fastest practice time – running times in the same second as six of the guys qualifying ahead of him.

At the start of the first moto, Searle was running 3rd as they came around the first lap. Christophe Pourcel had the early lead followed by Trey Canard, then Searle and Eli Tomac. The top four remained close throughout the whole moto rarely changing position until the halfway mark.

It was shortly after the halfway point that Pourcel crashed, handing the lead to Tomac who had just moved around Searle. Shortly after, Tomac made a mistake giving the lead to Searle who sprinted forward. Pourcel quickly caught Tomac and moved around him for 2nd. He had his sights set on Searle and soon the two competitors were side by side on the final lap. Pourcel tried to go to the outside in a corner and Searle retaliated with a block pass that sent both riders to the far outside of the track as they headed down hill. Pourcel nearly ran off the track, but saved it at the last second to squeeze by Searle and earn the win. Searle finished right behind him in 2nd to put himself in good contention for the overall. .

Moto two, was not as kind to Searle. He started around 6th place and remained close to the top five riders until his shifter got lodged and made him miss some shifts early in the race pushing him to the back of the top ten. He fixed the problem but soon after suffered a crash, falling on his injured shoulder. He remounted and tried to ride a few laps before the pain caused him to DNF as he was having trouble holding on to the bike. “I have been training really hard for this series and this is a huge disappointment. I will play it safe as to not injure my shoulder anymore and hope that I can be recovered to race in time for the next round,” remarked Searle.

Searle was credited with 31st overall for the moto. His combined moto scores of 2-31 earned him 9th overall for the day. Searle will return home for further evaluation and will make an announcement later in the week as to if he will race the Glen Helen GP this coming weekend.

Next Event: Round 2- Freestone MX – June 5, 2010

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (May 23, 2010) – The Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship Series kicked off with the 42nd running of the annual Hangtown Classic in Sacramento, Calif. Josh Grant was the sole Muscle Milk/Toyota/JGRMX Team rider on hand, as Justin Brayton is still recovering from a practice crash sustained last week.

Grant set the fastest time during qualifying earning his choice of gate pick for the first moto. Grant rounded the first turn of moto one in fourth position. Over the ensuing 30 minutes he would stalk the third place rider, at times pulling up alongside. With two laps to go Grant made his move into third, and with less than a lap remaining he made the pass into second finishing just behind the leader.

In the second moto Grant encountered difficulty at the start and began the race crowded in mid-pack. Hampered by traffic, Grant began to move forward making passes at every opportunity. When the checkers flew he had moved up to 10th position. Grant’s two – 10 moto scores awarded him fifth overall for the day, and ironically 33 (Grant’s racing number) championship points placing him fifth in series points at the close of the opening round.

The series will take a weekend off before resuming on June 5, in Wortham, Tex. Justin Brayton’s recovery will be carefully monitored by the trainers and physicians at the Muscle Milk Fitness Center at Joe Gibbs Racing headquarters to determine if Brayton will be ready to race in Wortham.

The original broadcast from Hangtown will air today at 6:00 p.m. (EST) on SPEED. As noted above, the next event of the 12-round series will be on June 5, in Wortham, Tex. Allisports.com will air the first motos live at 2:00 p.m. (EST) and SPEED will broadcast same day coverage at 9:00 p.m. (EST).

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (May 19, 2010) – In a twist of fate oddly reminiscent of Josh Grant’s injury just before the opening round of the AMA Supercross Championship Series earlier this year, Justin Brayton was injured Tuesday, May 18 while practicing. The injury occurred only three days before the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship Series kick-off at the 42nd Annual Hangtown Classic in Sacramento, Calif. this Saturday, May 22.

The high speed crash resulted in a pair of bruised lungs and some rib damage. Brayton is recovering in a nearby hospital.

Brayton’s recovery will be carefully evaluated by his doctors and the Muscle Milk Training Center staff at the Joe Gibbs Racing Sprint Cup headquarters in Huntersville, N.C. A weekend off after the opening round of the series will provide an opportunity to better access the situation and determine a likely date for Brayton to return to racing.

Josh Grant is ready to race and looks forward to challenging for the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship title.

Nellis Air Force Base – Las Vegas, NV

The following press release comes from Greg Primm, a long-time friend of Troy Lee and proprietor of the Primm MX Collection in Las Vegas.

I have been a strong supporter of Nellis Air Force Base here in Las Vegas for as long as I can remember. I try and give back as much as possible to those who keep us safe. Four years ago I met Colonel Terrence “SkinS” Fornof who, like myself, has been a fan of motocross his whole life. Through my love for the Air Force and “SkinS” love for MX we have built a great friendship. Three years ago “SkinS” put a tour of Nellis Air Force Base together for Heath Voss and his family and extended an invitation to me. I rarely pass up a chance to see fighter jets fly!

This tour was designed to show the supercross industry what the military does on a daily basis to keep us all safe and allow us to do what we love. The Air Force’s professionalism and patriotism is second-to-none, which is why it is imperative for the supercross industry to be conscious of it.

In three years the tour has gone from fourteen people to over fifty this year. For this tour we wanted to take another step forward and add a charity component to raise money for a Nevada based military charity. The non-profit charity we have chosen is Nevada Military Support Alliance.

The Nevada Military Support Alliance (NVMSA) is designed to provide support and coordinate integration to all Nevadans who have served or are presently serving in the United States military at a level that has not been achieved until today. The Nevada Military Support Alliance works with all aspects of the military to identify gaps in service and create the bridges to close those gaps.

The Nevada Military Support Alliance was “created by the leaders of The Nevada Patriot Fund and the Nevada Military Support Alliance, who recognized the missions of their organizations overlapped and neither offered the full complement of services that Nevada’s soldiers, sailors, marines or airmen require, decided to combine both organizations to create a single entity that will offer an unprecedented level of assistance and support to Nevada’s military members and their families” (The Nevada Military Support Alliance).

My friendship with Troy Lee goes back many years, as a result I knew that he was the only person who could design something that would look as cool and go as fast as the United States Air Force. Troy designed an amazing tribute helmet and is launching his 2011 gear line with a tribute to the United States Air Force in support of the Nevada Military Support Alliance. Troy and his amazing staff of dedicated people at Troy Lee Designs (TLD) have given 100% to make sure this tour and charity auction are a success.

TLD will auction off one set of race worn gear, including this one-of-a-kind tribute helmet of the United States Air Force. The helmet will be signed by pilots of an F-15 Eagle, F-16 Viper, F-22 Raptor, A-10 Warthog, C-130 Hercules, C-17 Globe Master III, MQ-1 Predator UAV as well as the TLD race team.

I look forward to seeing Team TLD and the United States Air force Tribute TLD gear on the podium this Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium. If you are a supporter of our troops, please consider making a bid.

Auction Information

SE2 Helmet / SE Jersey / SE Race Pants
eBay item number: 250627670999
Auction Begins: 5/10/10 – 12pm PST
Auction Ends: 5/20/10 – 12pm PST
You can follow this auction at: www.troyleedesigns.com/auctions.