RK Excel America

Mechanicsville, MD – The AMA MX National Series headed to the far east of the country visiting Budd’s Creek MX Park in Maryland. DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing/Yamaha rolled in with high hopes of #20 Broc Tickle, #48 Max Anstie, #341 Nico Izzi, and #577 Martin Davalos obtaining a placing high up the overall rankings. Track conditions were pristine, yet still rough with the weather being very nice and hot.

Taking top honors of the team and having a rather consistent day was Tickle. When moto one got underway, Tickle sat just outside the top ten in 12th. Some quick moves allowed the Yamaha pilot to forge up to 10th, where he then fluctuated up and down slightly for most the race. In the closing stages, Tickle put his great fitness to use and secured 6th as his finishing position and then prepared for the second moto. Race number two for Tickle began with a stellar 9th place start. As the moto progressed, the North Carolina native rode aggressively, raising his status to 6th halfway in, and even acquired 5th briefly. A small bobble resulted in a slight move backwards, never willing to settle Tickle bounced back to capture 5th in the moto.

Next in line on the day would be Davalos, after a strong start to the weekend. Davalos’ moto one showed great promise after a 6th place start, Martin put on a slight fade in the tally near mid race and fell back to 11th. Lap by lap, the FMF backed rider inched his way back into the hunt, and very convincingly took a well deserved 9th. An eventful moto two saw Davalos start 8th, and remain competitive until a major endo down a steep hill jump tried to change things. However, the resilient Davalos climbed back aboard his machine in 15th and pushed his way up to 10th to make it a positive race day.

Having an absolutely brilliant beginning to his day and once again making a breakthrough was Anstie. Starting moto one in 3rd, Anstie moved into 2nd on lap three. Riding at his potential Max fought off two attacks and solidly forged ahead, all the while he kept the championship leader honest by staying within three seconds of him for most of the moto. With only a few laps to go, a small mental lapse caused #48 to washout the front end. Remounting instantly, Anstie went on to finish 8th. After severely twisting his ankle in the first moto, Anstie made a valiant effort in moto two. Getting a poor start, made bettering his day very difficult. Though he tried hard, continuing on wasn’t working out properly so the team had Max exit the track to not push the injury any further.

A less than stellar day for Izzi was truly unfortunate, after gutting out a 19th in moto one. Izzi tried to race through adversity, as he seems to be suffering from some sort of a complicated fatigue issue that is going to have him seeing specialists in the coming days. Although he finished he finished moto two, a hard fought 25th would be all he could muster.

Results:

Moto 1 Moto 2 = Overall Finish
Broc Tickle 6th 5th = 6th
Martin Davalos 9th 10th = 8th
Max Anstie 8th 39th = 13th
Nico Izzi 19th 25th = 24th

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, Cosworth.

Corona, Calif. – (June 22, 2010) Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Dean Wilson earned his first career AMA overall win as well as his first moto win at Budds Creek in Maryland. The 18-year-old rookie went 4-1 to claim his first victory just two weeks after nearly earning the win at Freestone. Tyla Rattray continued his string of podium finishes going 2-3 to finish third overall. The 250-class points leader Christophe Pourcel was fourth overall going 1-6. Jake Weimer went 21-7 to finish 12th overall.

Pourcel once again dominated qualifying as he earned the first gate pick for the fourth straight event. Wilson was fifth fastest, Rattray was ninth quick and Weimer was 11th in qualifying.

“I felt really good in the first moto,” said Pourcel. “I didn’t get a good start in the second moto and I ended up crashing really big. I am happy that I still have the points lead and just need to put together two good motos.”

In the first moto, Pourcel got a good start and led wire-to-wire to claim his fourth moto win of the season. Behind him, Rattray again got a good start crossing the line in fifth with Weimer just back in seventh. Weimer was running well until lap eight when he dropped back to 33rd in the order. He spent the last half of the moto clawing his way back up to 21st. Also moving up was Wilson who moved from 11th to sixth in 10 laps. Rattray rode a steady race slowly working his way into second.

“In the second moto, I thought I had the pass, but I just barely went off the track and that pushed me back a few seconds so I settled in for third,” said Rattray. “It was a pretty tough race with the humidity. I am definitely happy to be on the podium, just wish I could have made that pass.”

In the second moto it was Wilson who got the jump out of the gate, running second for two laps before making a pass for the lead. Wilson went on to lead the last 14 circuits to claim his first moto win, but he wasn’t sure if it was enough to clinch the overall. Pourcel, Rattray and Weimer were all running together fifth through seventh early in the race and the trio kept picking off spots. Rattray held the best lines as he worked his way up to third while Pourcel would finish sixth and Weimer seventh.

“The feeling of winning my first race was incredible, but I think it would be that much better if I would have known it at the checkered flag,” said Wilson. “It’s been a long time coming so it’s nice to finally get the monkey off my back and hopefully I can put some more wins together.”

Pourcel, Rattray and Wilson continue to hold down the top three spots in the championship standings, as the team now must prepare for the challenges of Thunder Valley, just outside of Denver.

The hot and humid weather at Budds Creek Raceway didn’t stop Ben Townley and Wil Hahn from having impressive rides at round four of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship. Even team rookie, Cole Seely, logged his best overall finish outdoors with an eleventh place.

Ben Townley opened the day with a solid ride in moto one of the 450 class. After working his way up to fourth position, Townley looked to have a firm grasp of the position. Then, with only a few laps to go, something went wrong. Townley began to slow and would lose time and positions due to a malfunctioning fuel pump. The fluke incident dropped Ben from fourth to fourteenth by the time the race was over. He came out firing in moto two and again charged towards the front, this time settling into the third spot. Josh Grant would challenge for the position late in the race but Ben held on to put his TLD/ Lucas Oil/ Honda ride up on the podium and earn the Muscle Milk Recovery Ride of the Day award.

“It feels good to end the day on the podium,” said Townley. “I’ve not been able to put two solid motos together yet, riding the way I know how to ride and that is frustrating. Today was just one of those things that happens sometimes in racing. I feel like I was in good position to be on the podium overall but it will have to wait. Colorado will be tough but if we can have a good week I think we can accomplish our goal there.”

Wil Hahn continues his hot streak off the gate by running near the front in the first 250 moto. He proved that he is fit enough and fast enough to run at the front by holding fifth position down in the first moto. The second moto was even more impressive as Wibur pulled a big holeshot and led the first several laps of the race. He would drop to fourth by hold off Christophe Pourcel for fourth in the moto, an impressive ride for the Texan. Wil’s 5-4 motos landed him fifth overall on the day.

Cole Seely struggled with his endurance in the heat but still went 13-11 for eleventh overall on the day. The talented rider is still learning what it takes to compete at the absolute highest level of motocross racing.

You can come meet the team at round five of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship in Denver, Colorado this weekend.

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

Mechanicsville, MD – Jagermeister/KTM rider Mike Alessi finished 5th overall at the fourth round of the Lucas Oil AMA Motocross Championship Series.

Alessi had a decent start in the first moto coming around the first turn in 4th position. He quickly moved up to 2nd place and was able to maintain a quick pace behind leader Andrew Short. After a strong ride he was able to finish the moto in 2nd place, holding off a hard-charging Ryan Dungey who finished 3rd.

In the second 450 moto, Alessi had another good jump but went a little wide and came out of the first turn in about 5th position. Near the end of the first lap Alessi made contact with another rider while going for a pass which heavily damaged the front brake causing complete loss of his front brake system. Unfortunately, having no front brake caused Alessi to take wide lines to handle the track which caused his lap times to fall. He eventually salvaged a 12th place position. His 2-12 moto scores earned him 5th overall.

In the 250 class, FMF/KTM rider Tommy Searle had a mid-pack start in moto one and had to try and work his way up. He struggled to make up some time due to a nagging shoulder injury and eventually finished 12th.

At the start of the second 250 moto, Searle got a good jump out of the gate but was hit from behind which sent him sailing across the track into the repeater banner and dropped him to the tail end of the pack. As he picked up his pace and began to make some passes he came to the triple step-up and took a middle line between two riders. The rider on the outside squared up the next turn cutting into Searle’s line sending his handlebar into Searle’s already injured shoulder. The pain was too much to finish the race and Searle didn’t finish the moto. He will return to his home in Murrieta, CA for another MRI. It is undetermined if he will race the next round.

Next Event: Thunder Valley – June 26, 2010

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (June 20, 2010) – Budd’s Creek MX Park in Mechanicsville, Md. was host to round four of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship. Budd’s Creek is rich in racing history. The facility has held a round of the AMA Motocross Championship for 17 years, as well as hosting both a round of the world championship Grand Prix Series and a Motocross of Nations event. A lesser known element of Budd’s Creek history is that J.D. Gibbs raced several amateur events there in the early nineties with Coy and Joe Gibbs, who was the head coach of the Washington Redskins at the time supporting his efforts. Almost 20 years since J.D. competed at the track, Joe Gibbs, now a Pro Football Hall of Fame coach found himself back at the track supporting his younger son’s Muscle Milk/Toyota/JGRMX professional motocross team while J.D. was in Sonoma Valley, Calif. overseeing the Gibbs’ three-time Sprint Cup Championship NASCAR team.

Josh Grant, who came to Budd’s Creek last season and put in an inspiring effort with two severely injured ankles arrived fit and healthy. Justin Brayton continues to recover from his recent injuries and is nearly back to full health. Grant and Brayton started the first moto just outside of the top-10. Within the first lap Grant had moved up to eighth with Brayton in 11th. Over the course of the following 30 minutes Grant would make his way to fifth with Brayton claiming 10th.

The second moto start was almost an exact replay of the first, with both riders just outside of the top-10. Brayton settled into the pace in 10th position, while Grant started a charge that would bring him to fourth. With two laps to go Grant was all over the rear wheel of the third-place rider, Ben Townley. The two riders had the crowd’s full attention as they battled for the final step on the podium. Riding just inches apart from one another and nearly colliding several times Grant made the pass with just over a lap remaining. Townley however re-grouped and managed to take the position back on the last lap. Grant ended the day with five – four moto scores for fourth overall. He retains sixth place in series points. Brayton put in consistent 10 – 10 finishes for 10th overall.

SPEED broadcast the action from Budd’s Creek last night (same day coverage) at 9:00 p.m. (EST). The next race of the series will be June 26 at Thunder Valley Raceway in Lakewood, Colo. The original broadcast from Lakewood will be June 26 at 11:00 p.m. (EST) on SPEED.

Cameron did very well this week at High Point in PA.

Although Cameron’s results aren’t indicative of how well he performed, Cameron qualified 27th which was the best he has to date.

In the first moto he worked his way up to 21st and ran there for most of the race. He was ahead of many top riders and was gaining on two riders just ahead of him. At minute 24 with only a few laps to go, he got tangled with another rider and had a quick fall which he recovered from quickly. He kept going but he was hurt more than he thought. He had to slow down and was passed by a few riders and then pulled off.

He was not seriously injured, thank goodness and he was able to start the second moto with some apprehension on my part. I told him to think about the series and not race if he was in too much pain to continue.

In the second moto he was gated all the way to the far right. He got an incredible start and went into the second turn in the top ten! He flat-tracked the far inside of the corner actually off of the course and was shocked when another rider who was even more inside plowed into him sending Cameron off of his bike into the path of the remaining 30 bikes. He got ran over a few times and the bike was pretty badly torn up.

He was not injured except for bumps and bruises ( I think he’s made of steel), but he was done for the day.

He is now even more confident in his speed and endurance, and now knows he can get a start with the fast guys. I am looking forward to next week. Cameron told me he wants to do six 40 minute sessions this week at race pace so we will be busy with that and keeping his bike together for the abuse.

Thank you for your support.

Mike

The Troy Lee Designs / Lucas Oil / Honda team battled tough conditions in the mountains of West Virginia last weekend. Ben Townley put in two solid efforts to post a fourth overall on the day while his 250 class teammates would have a more difficult time of it, ending the weekend in eleventh and seventeenth respectively.

Townley started just outside the top five in the opening moto and gradually moved his way into fourth position. Despite the strong finish, Ben never felt comfortable on the bike and expected much more from himself in moto two. Unfortunately he would start the second moto outside the top twenty and have to move forward. And he did just that, passing riders two and three at a time on his impressive march to the front. A stall and a tip-over in a corner would slow his progress but Ben still made it to sixth position, good enough for fourth overall.

“I was really unhappy with the way I rode in the first moto,” said Townley. “I never got in a rhythm and I just didn’t ride like I know how to ride. The second moto I definitely showed my speed again but the couple mistakes I made are just unacceptable. We knew we would be getting the polish back as the season went on but it’s getting to be time to put it all together. We came up with some good ideas to work on this week with bike setup and I think we’ll be ready to go for it next weekend.”

Wil Hahn was once again the top finishing 250 rider on the team. Wil battled hard both motos, scoring 12-8 finishes for eleventh overall. His teammate, Cole Seely, had a difficult day that he would rather forget about. In moto one his roll-off system was damaged by a rock on the opening lap and it forced him to pit for goggles the second lap around. In moto two Cole was in good position and ran into the back of a downed rider, holding him up for quite a while. He charged back to 14th that moto and set some of the quickest lap times in the class in the process.

All three riders are already looking forward to Budds Creek next weekend. The famous circuit is a favorite among the team riders and all of them have high expectations going into the Maryland round.

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.

Mt. Morris, PA – Jagermeister/KTM rider Mike Alessi and FMF/KTM rider Tommy Searle didn’t have the results they wanted to see after each made a few mistakes at the third round of the series held at High Point Raceway but both riders put in two impressive charges in the final stages of their second moto to build confidence heading to the fourth round next week.

Alessi qualified second fastest in the timed practice earlier in the day. In the first moto he took a 4th place start and maintained that pace for the first part of the race. In the second half he made a few mistakes as the rain lightened up and eventually fell to 7th where he finished the moto.

“I rode a little tight in the first moto and felt tired. Between the motos I tried to rest as much as I could and better prepare myself for the second moto,” commented Alessi.

His second moto was much stronger. This time around he earned a 3rd place start and quickly moved into 2nd. He battled with Ryan Dungey and Josh Grant early in the race. Alessi continued to battle with the top riders throughout the moto making impressive passes in the process. At the end of the race he finished 5th. His 7-5 scores earned him 5th overall.

In the 250 class Tommy Searle earned a 4th place start in the first moto. At one point he ran as high up as 3rd place which was a remarkable feat considering the continuous troubles he has been having with his shoulder. He pushed through the pain and finished a respectable 6th overall.

In the second moto Searle got a mid-pack start and charged hard to come up through the pack. At one point he was as high up as 6th place. It looked like he would continue to move forward until a big mistake over a corner double sent him to the ground hard. “The crash was so big that the wheels on the ground flag came out and I had to sprint over to the area to check him out,” remarked FMF/KTM Team Manager Casey Lytle. Searle collected himself and decided to get back in the race.

Now on the fifth lap of the race, Searle returned to the track over one minute down from 20th position. “We were hoping he could catch 20th so he could get at least one point for the moto,” commented Lytle.

Searle did more than that. He caught up to 20th with just three laps to go with no sign of settling. Over the next three laps he caught and passed five more riders and eventually put himself in 15th position. “The passes he was making were insane. The entire team is proud of him. I believe that once he watches the playback his charge through the pack will inspire a deeper confidence heading into the next round,” said Lytle.

Searle’s 6-15 scores earned him 12th overall and the confidence to fight for a podium position at the next round.

Next Race: Budds Creek MX – June 19, 2010

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (June 13, 2010) – High Point Raceway in Mt. Morris, Penn. was host to round three of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship Series yesterday. High Point is aptly named as the track sits majestically atop the Blue Ridge Mountains along the border of Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Justin Brayton who was injured with a punctured lung and broken ribs just before the season opener decided to come to Mt. Morris and attempt to race. Brayton was cleared to ride by his doctors but advised that riding would be very painful for the next couple of weeks.

When the gate fell for the first moto Josh Grant rounded the first turn in second position. Before the first lap was completed it was Grant leading the pack. Brayton began the race in ninth. Rain began to fall and the track became treacherous and slick. Grant looked very comfortable in the lead, holding the position until well past the halfway mark when he had a minor fall in a turn that relegated him back to second place where he stayed until the checkers. Brayton was riding inside the top-10 when he also fell in the muck, dropping to 16th. He re-mounted and rode through the pain finishing 14th.

By the start of the second moto the sun had reemerged and the track was much improved. Grant once again started toward the front of the 40 rider field in third, moving into second before the close of the opening lap. Brayton had a more difficult start, and was in 20th position. On the second lap when it appeared Grant would challenge for the lead he realized his front tire was going flat. The mountainous terrain at High Point Raceway lends itself to large rocks in the soil that when hit just the right way frequently cause flats. Grant was forced to make a NASCAR style pit stop to change the front wheel. The team is always prepared for flats and was ready with a replacement wheel but after the swap Grant was a lap down. He rejoined the race in 30th position and made an all out charge trying to salvage valuable championship points. Meanwhile, Brayton had advanced into the top-10, and finished the moto in eighth. Grant was able to salvage a 24th place finish in moto two for eighth overall and despite the difficulty with the flat lose only one position in the series standings, dropping to sixth. Brayton’s 14 – eight moto scores gave him 12th overall for the day.

NBC broadcast the race from Mt. Morris live. The next race of the series will be June 19 at Budd’s Creek MX Park in Mechanicsville, Md. The original broadcast from Budd’s Creek will be June 19 at 9:00 p.m. (EST) on SPEED.

Corona, Calif. – (June 14, 2010) Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki didn’t let the weather or the changing track conditions slow them down at High Point Raceway in Mt. Morris, Penn. as Tyla Rattray and Christophe Pourcel grabbed the top-two spots of the podium. Rookie Dean Wilson finished fifth overall and Jake Weimer was 10th overall.

For the third straight event, Pourcel paced qualifying and earned the first gate pick. The Frenchman chose his gate wisely as he was able to nail the holeshot in both motos. Wilson qualified ninth with Weimer 13th and Rattray 16th during the qualifying all setting their best times during the second session.

“This is a very good track,” said Pourcel. “Everything was going good for me in the first moto until I went down. In the second moto I was able to stay up and raced for the win. I extended my championship lead so I’m happy about that.”

In the first moto, Pourcel rocketed out to the holeshot with Rattray right behind him in third. Weimer was also near the front, ending the first lap fifth and Wilson sitting in eighth. On the second lap, Pourcel went down and fell back to fourth with Weimer and Wilson occupying the spots right behind him. Rattray moved up to second and rode consistently to stay there. The other Pro Circuit riders all jockeyed for position ending up fourth for Pourcel, fifth for Wilson and seventh for Weimer.

“It feels good to get my first overall win,” said Rattray. “I’ve been trying to get this for the last two years and I got moto wins, but to claim the overall is what I need to do. Consistency is the key to this championship so though I’d rather go 1-1, but going 2-2 for the overall is still good.”

The second moto started off nearly the same for three-quarters of the team as Pourcel again grabbed the holeshot, with Wilson right behind him and Rattray sitting in fourth. Weimer went down in he first turn and had his work cut out for him as he crossed the line 32nd on the first lap. While Weimer was making quick work of the field, moving up 20 positions in 10 laps, eventually finishing 11th. Pourcel continued to set the pace with Wilson following his lines, but on lap four Wilson made a small mistake on a jump face and he went down, dropping to seventh in the running order and eventually finishing sixth. With Rattray on his back fender, Pourcel pushed hard to get his third moto win of the year.

“In the second moto, I got a good start,” said Wilson. “I was just behind Chris (Pourcel), following his lines when I cross-rutted on a jump face and I’m not sure what happened but I went over the bars. It was a pretty rough weekend for me. I didn’t feel good in either moto.”

Pourcel, Rattray and Wilson now hold down the top three spots in the championship standings, as the team gets ready for Budds Creek this week.