RK Excel America

Dear Sponsors,
The opening round at Hangtown last weekend was ok, but not the best race for me. In the first qualifying practice I struggled but by the second I was a little more comfortable and I qualified fifth overall just a few seconds off of first.

Moto one I got a good start. I was running in 4th for a few laps behind Steffi Laier (guest ride Factory KTM), Ashley Fiolek (Factory Honda) and Jessica Patterson (Star Yamaha). I made a few mistakes and finished up 5th.

Moto two was at the end of the program around 6pm. I got a decent start and was moving up through the pack. I jumped a double on the north part of the track and hit the back of Tarah Geiger’s tire and crashed. I remounted in around 9th or 10th and passed a few riders but on a table top another racer crossed over in the air and hit my bike. This time was a hard crash and it really hurt. I was taken to the Asterisk medical facility and get checked out. Luckily nothing was broken. I ended up 13th overall.

I saw my doctor on Monday and I am cleared to race this Saturday at Freestone. I feel confident that I will have better moto results.

Thanks again to Doc Bogner for the great medical care at the track, to Kawasaki’s Tania Satchwell for all the support over the weekend, and to my team Moto-usa.com Langston Motorsports Kawasaki and mechanic Charles Marchant for working to get my program together in only three weeks – I know it is just going to get stronger, and to my sponsors: Parts Unlimited, Thor MX, MBM, Dunlop Tires, Resner Builders and Hardware, DRC, Zeta, FMF, Factory Connection, MotoTassinari, One Industries, Vortex, RK Excel America, Maxima, LightSpeed, Hinson Clutches, X Factor, K & N Filters, Viper Tool Box, Spy Goggles and Miki Keller

Rancho Cordova, CA. (May 21, 2011) The AMA MX National Series got the twelve race championship underway at Hangtown MX Park this past Saturday. DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing/Yamaha attended with a huge presence, fielding our six rider team comprised of, #25 Ryan Sipes, #35 Kyle Cunningham, #387 Gareth Swanepoel, #533 Gannon Audette, and the WMA title holder #1 Jessica Patterson who will contend the entire women’s series, as well as, #76 Kyle Partridge who is racing the 450 class under the teams tent. 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 Sipes who obtained the 5th gate pick for the opening moto.

Finding good form here early in the series, after sitting out with injuries all season, Swanepoel dug deep and took control of his outcome. The first moto was a trying one at that, Swanepoel started 22nd, then after a few calculated moves near mid moto. Swanepoel had climbed the charts slightly, holding steady at 14th, he rallied to close the gap and make more advances. In doing so, just past the halfway Gareth 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, as the moto concluded he’d settle in at 9th. In moto two Swanepoel’s start panned out a little more to his liking, with him in 5th, however he kept on the pressure and passed for 4th in the first few minutes of the race. Finding his comfort zone and holding 5th easily 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. Not settling one iota, Swanepoel displayed great strength on the rough terrain and when it was over, he’d come away with a 5th, netting him 6thoverall on the day.

Cunningham had a good start to his first season of outdoors on the team, through his consistency he did fairly well but it was not where he would have liked to land on the results page. For the Texas rider moto one began with him in 7th, from there Cunningham maintained his composure and put his head down. Impressively, Cunningham rode in the thick of a battle for the top five for much of the race, and now sat in a solid 8th. In the closing stages Cunningham had one bad bobble which cost him a few seconds on the clock as he crossed the finish line in 8th. Cunningham’s second part of his tally had him starting 9th; and that was after passing a couple of riders in lap one. By the halfway mark he had crept his way into 8th, riding solidly he maintained this position for most of the race, leaving him to a finish of 8th and a 7th overall.

The rookie learning curve of Audette could be felt, starting 5th in moto one, the DNA backed rider could not find his 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 tough showing, only allowed Audette to muster up a 14th finishing position. Moto two looked more promising, as he started 12th, and then moved to back a few spots into 14th. Racing with some passion, Audette pushed hard in 15th where he’d finish out salvaging 14th overall.

In closing, Ryan Sipes had a rough start to his outdoor series, starting off in a mid pack position unfortunately he crashed in a first turn pileup and had trouble restarting the motorcycle. This resulted in Sipes riding a portion of the moto, before pulling off with an injured wrist. Moto two was not in the cards and as of early this week his prognosis is fine and he’ll be attending the next round in Texas.

Holding the torch high for the team, Jessica Patterson went out and destroyed her competition in a convincing fashion. Starting out in 1st, Patterson checked out and took the win leading every lap. Moto two was a little more dramatic, starting 5th after making a mistake; Patterson forged forward every lap and took the 1st spot by the halfway mark which gave her the overall win with a statement.

Also adding to the great race results, was Kyle Partridge our 450F pilot who put two steady moto’s together going 27-28 for 28th overall.

CORONA, Calif. (May 23, 2011) – Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Blake Baggett started the AMA Motocross Championship on a high note, riding to his first-career motocross win at the season opener at Hangtown MX in Rancho Cordova, Calif. His 2-1 was good enough to beat out his teammate Dean Wilson, who scored the first moto win and ended the day with a 1-3 score for second overall. After finishing fifth in the first moto, Tyla Rattray ran up front most of the second moto and rounded out the overall podium with a 5-2. Broc Tickle overcame a tough first moto to finish the day ninth overall with a 13-7.

Although Baggett has won races in his short professional career, his first overall victory on the rough terrain of motocross was something he won’t forget. Baggett came from behind in both motos and rode with intensity the entire 60 minutes plus two laps, helping him grab the deserving victory.

“Winning at supercross was awesome, but this almost feels better because I had to work so hard to get it,” said Baggett. “Supercross is gnarly in a different way, but motocross and especially the track at Hangtown takes a lot to get around every lap. I felt good in both motos and I’m just happy to start the season on a good note.”

Earning the first moto win of the season, Wilson looked strong for the overall. He was running up with the front in the second moto, but a fall pushed him back. He finished the moto in third and second on the day.

“I felt really good during both motos,” said Wilson. “I made a stupid mistake in the second moto and pushed me pretty far back from the front two guys. I knew that I wanted to make it through the first round with a good amount of points and I did that. Now I just need to stay consistent. I learned that in supercross and I think I’m even more comfortable outdoors, so it should be good.”

After finishing second in the points last season, Rattray showed he was ready to make his move for the top of the standings. He came from behind in the first moto to finish fifth and was eager to bounce back in the second moto. Rattray nearly grabbed the holeshot, leading for over half the moto before finishing second to take third overall.

“I’ve been looking forward to outdoors for a while now and I’m glad to get through the first race with a podium,” said Rattray. “I wanted to win, but I’ll take it one race at a time and hopefully the wins will start coming. I know I have the speed, I just need to put together two good motos.”

While his results weren’t what he wanted, Tickle left Hangtown knowing he put in two good rides. In the first moto, he was pushing his way to the front-runners when he went down. He worked his way back up to 13th and was able to improve on his position in the second moto with a seventh-place finish for ninth overall.

“I feel like my results didn’t show how I felt out there,” said Tickle. “The day didn’t go how I wanted, which makes me even more eager to go racing again next week. I know I can get be up there with the guys. I like Texas a lot so I’m really looking forward to coming back strong.”

The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team will head to Wortham, Texas as the series makes its second stop on the circuit at Freestone Raceway. Baggett currently leads the points with 47, while Wilson is close behind with 45 and Rattray with 38. Tickle’s comeback finish landed him 22 points going into the second round.

Well the Hangtown Classic kicked a lot of riders’ butt this weekend, including ours.
We struggled with bike set-up for most of the day. Matt did pretty good during the first moto. Unfortunately Matt lost his front brake in the first couple of turns and rode with with without front brakes the whole moto till around the end of the motor where he couldn’t hold on any longer and pulled off the track. The second moto was a little better, but Matt started getting some horrible cramps halfway through the moto. However like the fighter he is, he managed to bear the pain and end the moto in 16th.

Overall we got our butts kicked but we still motivated and moving forward. Getting ready for Freestone!

Thanks
Bruce Lemoine
MotoExtreme Kawasaki=

JDR/J-Star/KTM rider Tye Simmonds had a decent showing at his first-ever U.S. AMA Pro Motocross Championship Series race finishing 16th overall.

The opening round of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship Series took place at Hangtown Raceway. Simmonds qualifying times were not as decent as he expected, qualifying 28th fastest into moto one. Despite his poor gate pick for the moto, Simmonds was able to come around the first corner in 12th position.

“I was able to get a pretty nice start in the first moto and was very close to the top ten as we rounded the first corner. The start is key in every race and starting better than I typically do really helped me in the first moto score,” remarked Simmonds.

Simmonds moved up to 11th on the second lap and maintained that position for the majority of the race. With only three laps to go he lost one position to Ricky Dietrich before crossing the finish line in 12th overall.

The second moto was a bit tougher for the Australian as he rounded the first lap in 19th place. He passed one rider for 18th on lap two but then struggled to find his pace in the moto.
“I was riding really tight the first few laps and wasn’t able to get into a good rhythm,” stated Simmonds. He eventually got into his comfort zone around the halfway point at which time he picked off two more riders and moved into his finishing position of 16th overall. His 12-16 moto scores earned him 16th overall for the day.

“My overall goal is to be inside the top ten. I think this is a realistic goal for me in my first race season. I am really looking forward to Texas as I know my conditioning should come into play at that round and hopefully I inch closer to a top ten result.”

Next Event: Freestone MX – May 28, 2011

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (May 21, 2011) – For the 40th time in AMA Motocross Championship Series history, Prairie City Recreation Park in Sacramento, Calif. hosted the Annual Hangtown Motocross Classic.

Justin Brayton, who sustained ligament injuries during the final round of the supercross series in Las Vegas, Nev. was not able to compete in Sacramento. Brayton is undergoing rehabilitation therapy at the Muscle Milk Training Facility within the NASCAR headquarters of Joe Gibbs Racing’s three Sprint Cup teams. Brayton’s goal at this time is to return to racing at the third round of the series.

Davi Millsaps, who has not raced motocross in nearly a year due to a potentially career ending injury suffered at the 2010 Budd’s Creek, Md. round was ready to race. When the gate fell for the first moto Millsaps began the race inside the top-10 of the 40 rider field. During the 30 minute plus two lap moto he methodically advanced, finishing fourth. The second moto began in similar fashion for Millsaps, completing the first lap in seventh position. Throughout the race he would fluctuate within a place or two, ultimately taking the checkers in seventh. Millsaps four-seven moto finishes were good for sixth overall on the day.

The first moto from Sacramento was broadcast live on allisports.com and Fuel TV. The second moto will air on SPEED tomorrow, 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.

The next round of the AMA Motocross Championship will be at Freestone Raceway in Wortham, Tex. on May 28. The first moto will be broadcast live on allisports.com and Fuel TV at 2:00 p.m. (EST). The second moto will air on SPEED at 10:00 p.m. on May 28. Fuel TV will broadcast a highlights and re-cap show of the event Thursday, June 2 at 10:00 p.m.

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.