RK Excel America

Ben Townley had another impressive weekend that put him on the podium at the end of the day. Tarah Gieger backed the teams premier class finish up with a podium of her own in the WMX class and Cole Seely had a tough day but salvaged some points in both of his Motos.

In the first 450 race Townley Started second but it wouldn’t take him long to move into the lead. After a brief battle with Andrew Short he moved into the point position and looked to have things under control. Late in the race Dungey closed in and the two riders began an epic back-and-forth that was easily the best racing of the summer so far. The two riders passed each other at least six times until a rare mistake from Dungey gave Ben some breathing room. On the last lap Ben made a small mistake entering a turn and went down, stalling the bike in the process. The fall cost Ben the moto win and dropped him to fourth. In moto two Townley started fourth but once again quickly sliced his way to second behind Dungey. Ben shadowed the points leader for several laps until he came under fire from Chad Reed. Reed eventually slipped by and Townley settled into a comfortable third. Bens third in the moto would give him third overall, his second podium finish in as many weekends.

“I am so gutted about that first moto,” said Townley about his last-lap crash. “I gave That one away. The good news is that we are making progress every weekend and I feel better and better with each week that goes by. The team has been working really hard and it’s good to start getting some results. I really want to win in Millville.”

Tarah Gieger added another podium finish to her credentials this weekend. Tarah put in solid, steady rides in both motos to get third and third overall.

“Im pumped to be on the podium,” said Gieger. “I need to find a little more speed to run with Ashley and Jess but I feel like Im getting closer. This track was fun and the fans here are unreal. I can’t wait until Millville.”

Cole Seely suffered bad starts and some bad luck and found himself working from the back of the pack in both motos. In moto one he worked into thirteenth and in the second he came up to fifteenth after a couple falls.

“This definitely wasn’t the result I was hoping for but I feel like I rode pretty well,” said Seely. “I have been making progress during the week and I know what I need to do to be ready for the next round. If i can get a start I want to get into the top five at the next race.”

The TLD Team will take a much deserved weekend off and then set their sights on the Spring Creek facility in Millville, Minnesota.

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

Corona, Calif. (July 5, 2010)– It seems at every event the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team is threatening to sweep the podium and Red Bud was no exception as Dean Wilson and Christophe Pourcel finished second and third overall respectively. Tyla Rattray was also in position for a podium before a crash sent him back to sixth overall. Jake Weimer rode strong before a crash finishing eighth overall.

There was a new name on the top of the qualifying sheets this weekend, but his livery was still the same black and lime-green of Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki. Rattray became the first rider to eclipse Pourcel in qualifying this year, posting the fastest lap less than three-tenths of a second quicker than the Frenchman. Pourcel was second, with Wilson sixth and Weimer eighth.

“I thought I was riding well today,” said Rattray. “I had some bad lines early, but I was behind Pourcel and followed him to find some good lines. In the second moto I was making a charge at Dean (Wilson) on the off-camber turn. I didn’t see the bump until the last minute. I tried to wheelie over it, but I couldn’t and I went over the handlebars.”

In the first moto, the start looked like an advertisement for Pro Circuit power as Pourcel, Rattray and Weimer pulled the field through the first turn. Wilson didn’t get the jump out of the gate crossing the line at the end of the first lap in seventh. Pourcel and Rattray began to pull away from the field and the teammates would ride in lock-step throughout the 15-lap moto to finish 1-2. Weimer was right there running fourth until the 12th lap when he lost his rear brake and crashed coming down a downhill dropping back to 11th. At the same time, Wilson was charging through the field, and the young rookie made it up to third by the checkered flag.

“I was up front and riding well and then my rear brake was just gone,” said Weimer. “I’m not sure what happened, it was probably a rock or something, but the brake didn’t fade it just didn’t work. Coming down the hill, I had nowhere to go and I hit someone and went down.”

The start of the second moto was great for Wilson and Rattray as they came out 1-2, but Pourcel and Weimer had a battle on their hands coming out seventh and ninth respectively. Wilson led the first ten laps but an aggressive pass by Trey Canard sent him off track and he fell back to second. Right on his rear fender was his teammate Rattray, who also had a go at him, but a breaking bump sent the Rattray over the bars and dropped him to 11th in the order. Both Pourcel and Weimer tried to make their way through the pack on the tight track and the French rider made it up to fifth, while Weimer ended up seventh.

“I tried to pace myself out there,” said Wilson. “I knew it would be a long moto, and the track was rough, so I rode steady and didn’t push too hard. It felt good to lead the second moto early. (Trey) Canard made a pretty aggressive pass to get by me, but it was clean. I went off the track, but I stayed on the throttle and didn’t lose too much ground. It was a good weekend, I finished second and stayed safe.”

The team will now enjoy the weekend off before heading to Minnesota for the Spring Creek National at Millville.

Buchanan, MI – The largest crowd of the year turned up at the Red Bud Motocross National to witness an exciting weekend of racing on the anniversary of our country’s Independence.

In addition to Jagermeister/KTM rider Mike Alessi competing in the 450 class, KTM also invited 38 year-old veteran Motocross racer Mike Brown to fill in for the injured Tommy Searle. Brown had not competed in the 250 class since 2005 but was excited and ready for the opportunity. If that wasn’t enough, FMF/KTM rider and reigning GNCC XC2 Champion Kailub Russell decided to make his pro motocross debut in the 450 class at the Red Bud National.

Alessi and Russell were up first in 450 Group A practice. Alessi had solid practice times throughout the day and was able to qualify 8th heading into the main. Russell wasn’t as fortunate. “I struggled to adjust to the track in the first practice session and then I had a huge crash in the second practice session where I hurt my knee,” commented Russell. He had to return to the pits to evaluate his injury and missed the remainder of the second practice session, and as a result, did not qualify. “I am disappointed in my performance today but I am more determined to qualify at another national. I am going to try to come back for Unadilla and hopefully will achieve my goal of qualifying for my first pro national.”

Brown turned some fast lap times in the 250 practice but also had a few issues. He tweaked his knee in the second practice but still managed to turn lap times inside the top twenty. Not too bad for someone who got the call to race Red Bud three days before the race. “I had so much fun out there on the 250. It is definitely the fastest 250 I have ever ridden in my life,” remarked Brown of his ride.

The 450 class was the first moto of the day. Alessi started 5th around the first turn and remained close to the top four as they made their way around the track. Unfortunately, he made a mistake on a step up jump at the back of the track part way into the first lap and fell dropping to 30th position. The remainder of the race he set out to make up as many positions as he could. He eventually passed half the field to move up to 10th place at the moto end. It was an impressive ride for such and unfortunate start.

In the second 450 moto Alessi again garnered a top ten start but made a few mistakes that dropped him back to 7th after the first few laps. He continued to push but lost two more positions before the moto end to finish 9th in the second moto. His 10-9 moto scores earned him 9th overall for the day.

In the 250 class Brown got out to a 10th place start in both motos. In the first moto, he started 10th and was holding his position when he made a costly mistake which caused him to stall the bike in a corner and dropped him to 24th. He spent the remainder of the moto picking off riders to eventually finish 19th. In the second moto he took his 10th place start and managed

to use it to his advantage. After a few good battles with both Darryn Durham and Vince Friese, Brown was able to finish 12th in the second moto. His 19-12 scores earned him 17th overall in his first 250 motocross race in five years.

“I had so much fun today. I really enjoyed being here and revisiting with the fans. I love to come back here and race every once in a while in between the WORCS and EnduroCross races that I am currently contesting.” Finishing right behind Brown were KTM privateer riders Killy Rusk and Phil Nicoletti. In addition, there were three more KTM privateer riders qualifying for the Red Bud main event: Tevin Tapia, Willy Browning and Greg Durivage – for a total of 6 KTM’s in the 250 main event.

Next Event: Millville, MN – July 17, 2010

Buchanan Results

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (July 4, 2010) – Red Bud Track and Trail in Buchanan, Mich. was host to round six and the mid-way point of the 2010 AMA Pro Motocross Championship. The event was the 37th year an AMA national motocross race was held at the facility. The track is best known for hosting its event during the July 4th holiday weekend, and having the largest jump on the circuit, a 120 foot triple jump called LaRocco’s Leap. The jump is named after the first rider to ever conquer the obstacle, the now retired Mike LaRocco.

In the first moto Josh Grant looked to be in contention for the podium but then fell victim to a crash on lap six. He remounted and was able to move up to sixth position at the checkers. Justin Brayton also suffered a crash early in the race and was not able to finish the first moto and was credited with 35th. At the start of the second moto Justin Brayton experienced a fall and started the race in 40th position. He quickly remounted and started to charge from the back of the field. Grant began the moto around mid-pack and also started to advance ending the first lap in 14th. Brayton determinedly worked his way through traffic to end the moto in 19th. Grant was able to advance to sixth.

Grant’s six – six moto scores gave him sixth overall for the day, while Brayton’s 35 – 19 finishes earned him 18th. Grant remains sixth in series points.

The action from Buchanan was broadcast live on NBC at 3:30 p.m. (EST). The next race of the series will be July 17 at Spring Creek Motocross Park in Millville, Minn. The original broadcast from Millville will be on July 17 beginning at 9:00 p.m. (EST) on SPEED.

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