RK Excel America

Corona, Calif. (July 27, 2010) – Christophe Pourcel led the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki squad as the team took four of the top six spots this week at Washougal finishing 2-2 for second overall. Joining Pourcel on the podium was Tyla Rattray, who finished third after going 4-3. Rookie Dean Wilson finished 6-6 for fifth overall and Jake Weimer went 3-11 for sixth overall.

“The race was good for me,” said Pourcel. “I felt good during both motos, but I didn’t have a clutch in second moto. It was difficult in the slower sections because I was worried about stalling the bike.”

In qualifying Pourcel set the second fastest time with Wilson fourth quickest. Weimer continued to improve finishing qualifying sixth and Rattray was only able to set the 12th best time.

“Nothing really special happened today,” said Rattray. “I’ve been sick all week and my ears are still all clogged. I think I rode well.”

In the first moto, Wilson launched out of the gate and nearly grabbed the holeshot, with Weimer right behind him. Wilson stayed in second through the first two laps but then crashed and got back up in 19th place. Pourcel didn’t get a good start coming out 10th but he worked his way up to second on the 13th lap. Rattray started eighth and worked his way up to fourth with Weimer staying up at the front all moto to finish third.

“It felt good to get on the podium again in the first moto,” said Weimer. “I need to put together two strong motos and get back to the top step for an overall win.”

In the second moto, the start was almost identical for Wilson as he again nearly got the holeshot, but the rookie went down on the first lap falling back to 15th. The rest of the team held down the second, third and fourth spots with Pourcel, ahead Rattray and Weimer. On the 11th lap, Weimer went down and fell back to 11th. During the moto, Wilson worked his way up from 15th to sixth to earn a top five finish.

“I’m kind of bummed right now, but also I feel good about how I rode,” said Wilson. “I never want to crash and especially not twice in two motos, but at the same time I know I rode really well so that’s the positive I’m taking from this weekend.”

Now the team has two weeks off before heading to Unadilla in New Berlin, New York for the ninth round of the series with Pourcel holding a 38-point lead in the standings.

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.

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.

Corona, Calif. – There was no lone star for Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki this week in Texas as the team swept the podium at Freestone Raceway. Christophe Pourcel won the first moto with his teammates all coming home in the top 6. The second moto also saw nearly all green bikes at the front with Tyla Rattray taking the checkered flag, Dean Wilson third and Pourcel fifth. Jake Weimer recovered after falling in the first turn to finish 12th. Overall the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team finished first with Pourcel, second with Rattray, third with Wilson and eighth with Weimer.

In qualifying, Pourcel went against the grain posting the fastest lap in the first session while nearly every one of the remaining qualifiers posted their fastest lap in the second session. With Pourcel’s time came first gate pick while Rattray had fifth pick and Wilson sixth. Weimer rounded out the qualifying eighth with all the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki riders within one-and-half-seconds of the top spot.

In the first moto, Pourcel crossed the line in fourth on the first lap but by lap two he was sitting in second. He would stay there until lap 11. Behind Pourcel, his teammates were all dicing for position with Weimer starting in ninth, Rattray 11th and Wilson in 13th. All three continued to move up and by lap 13 they were running third, fourth and fifth with Wilson ahead of Rattray and Weimer respectively. Back at the front Pourcel went off the track, but recovered quickly and took the lead on lap 12. He wouldn’t look back as he took the moto win with Wilson joining him on the podium in third. Weimer finished fifth and Rattray was sixth.

“I was surprised I was able to catch the leader so fast after going off the track,” said Pourcel. “The races didn’t really go how I wanted them too, but I was able to get the win. There are a lot of fast riders out there so recovering from mistakes and moving up through the pack is hard.”

In the second moto, Wilson got the best start of the bunch coming out second with Rattray coming out in fifth. Pourcel crossed the line in 12th and after going down in the first turn, Weimer was 26th. Weimer worked his way through the field gaining 14 spots by the end of the moto. Pourcel also moved up steadily going from 12th on the first lap to eighth at the halfway mark and finishing third. Rattray also moved forward steadily gaining on the leader as he moved from fifth to first after making a last lap pass on Wilson. Wilson gained the lead at the halfway point and led eight laps before slowing on the last lap and losing two spots near the finish line.

“I knew I needed to be faster on the opening laps of the motos,” said Rattray. “That is something I’ve worked on the last two weeks and it paid off today. In the second moto, I didn’t see Dean at all until the last lap. I made up a lot of time on him and he let me by in the back. I was kind of surprised.”

“When I saw Tyla get the checkered flag, my heart shattered,” said Wilson. “I made a rookie mistake today and I’m crushed right now. We have another race next week though, so I have to put this behind me and move on. My bike was great today and I rode strong, so I’m just going to keep working to get my first win.

Corona, Calif. (May 5, 2010) – Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki is gearing up for the annual Dave Coombs Memorial East/West Shootout in Las Vegas as it’s the only time during the supercross season, all four riders will be competing at the same race. With both champions under the same tent, odds are the team will be battling itself throughout the night. Of the 16 races held this season, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki has won 10 times and is looking to add one more to the tally. Christophe Pourcel notched five victories in 2010, Jake Weimer added four on his way to the title and Josh Hansen closed out the West Coast season with a win.

“I’m really excited to go to Vegas,” said Weimer. “I get to run my No. 1 plate for the first time and I know that is something that is really special. The track is normally really fast and hard packed, which fits my style so I can’t wait to end the season with another win.”

While three of the four riders collected wins in 2010, Dean Wilson was only able to finish as high as second. With one last chance in his rookie year, the Canadian rider is going to give it his all to get on the top step of the podium.

“I need to get a win this weekend,” said Wilson. “I see those guys with all of there trophies and I want one too. This is going to be a tough race and I’m not sure what to expect, but I’m just going to push hard and do my best.”

While Wilson searches for his first victory, Hansen is looking to go back-to-back after winning last week in Seattle.

“After winning last wee, I want to do it again,” said Hansen. “Winning always feels good and with this team it is very special because of how hard everyone works. I want to repay all of that hard work with another win in Vegas.”

Pourcel comes to Vegas as the defending winner of the event and he wants to end his supercross lites career on a high note.

“The Las Vegas race is fun,” said Pourcel. “You don’t have to worry about points, you just have to think about winning. Everyone is giving it their all to win and it makes for some good racing.”

All of the action from Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas can be seen live on SPEED beginning at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT) on Saturday night.

Corona, Calif. – (May 3, 2010) – To say Saturday night was a good night for the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team would be an understatement. On a cold and rainy night in Salt Lake City, Josh Hansen returned to the top step of the podium and Jake Weimer clinched his first career championship making it a clean sweep of the 2010 AMA Supercross Lites titles for the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki squad.

On a weather-shortened day, Hansen was fastest in the only practice session followed closely by Weimer. In the first heat Weimer built an eight-second advantage by the checkered flag to take the victory. In the second, Hansen had his hands full, but he held on to claim the heat race win.

“I am really happy to finally grab a win,” said Hansen. “I feel like I’ve been capable all season and haven’t put it together. I’m not really a mud rider, but I really wanted it tonight. It’s definitely nice to thank my team with this win because they have had to put up with me all season. They never quit on me and I wanted to show them I haven’t quit.”

In the main event, Hansen got a great start out of the gate and he battled for the holeshot. Though he crossed the line in second on the first lap, he made a sweet pass on the leader and then rode away for a 16-second victory. While Hansen was pulling away from the field, Weimer was doing exactly what he had to do to win the title. In the sloppy track conditions Weimer knew he had to ride a smart race and avoid any major mistakes. The Idaho native did just that as he finished fifth and raised the No. 1 plate on the podium.

“It has been a long road to get here. I was so close last year and to earn it this year feels amazing,” said Weimer. “It was awesome to win this title in front of my home crowd. I always have so much fun when I’m around this awesome group of people. It helped out with the nerves knowing I had so many people supporting me here in the stadium.”

All four of the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki riders will race against each other this coming Saturday at the Dave Coombs Memorial East/West Shootout in Las Vegas. Weimer and Hansen will be joined by two-time East Coast champion Christophe Pourcel and Dean Wilson as the coasts come together for this big event. The Las Vegas Supercross will be shown live on Speed beginning at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT) on Saturday, May 8.

Corona, Calif. (April 26, 2010) – Jake Weimer is looking to match his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki teammate Christophe Pourcel by hanging a No. 1 plate on the door of his team’s transporter. He came one-step closer in Seattle, finishing on the podium and building a 19-point lead in the standings. Josh Hansen showed speed early, but a difficult track and lapped traffic saw him finish sixth.

The track in Seattle was one of the most difficult the riders had ever faced with large ruts forming early in the race, making some obstacles nearly impossible to clear. In qualifying practice, Weimer took control and set the quickest lap while Hansen posted the sixth fastest time.

In the first heat race, Hansen got out of the gate quick and finished second. In the Weimer’s heat, the drama started early as he was caught up in a first turn crash. After rejoining near the back of the field, Weimer started moving up, only to stall the bike and drop back once again. With mud caked on the back of his helmet, Weimer charged up to ninth and earned the final transfer spot into the main.

“I got up to third and was closing in on second,” said Hansen. “But I got cross-rutted and crashed and then later in the race I got caught up with a lapper and crashed again. The track was gnarly, but I was able to come through the pack so it’s frustrating I didn’t get the finish I wanted.”

With the 18th gate pick, Weimer had to come from the outside and he got a great jump off the gate and was second after the first turn. Unfortunately he went off the track on the next straightaway and dropped to 10th. The track continued to deteriorate as the laps clicked by, but Weimer was able to claw his way back up to third. Early on Hansen worked his way up from 7th to third before going down and falling back to sixth on lap 11. He would go down one more time, but he was still able to maintain his sixth place position.

“After I was stressed out for the hour between the heat and the main about my start, I got a great start,” said Weimer. “But then I fell down on the first lap and I didn’t know how far back I went, but I was just thinking I was the biggest idiot to ever ride a dirt bike. I thought Trey was leading so I just rode the best I could and ended up on the box. My goal was to push and get as much as I could and I did that.”

Weimer needs to finish 15th or better at the final round of the AMA Supercross Lites West Coast season at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City to clinch the championship.

Corona, Calif. (April 19, 2010) – Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Dean Wilson finished his rookie season in AMA Supercross Lites competition on the podium inside the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. Wilson rode to his best finish of the season coming home second, while his teammate Christophe Pourcel had trouble early and pulled off the track finishing 20th.

Wilson started the day in the right spot posting the second fastest time in qualifying while his teammate Pourcel was fourth fastest. In there heat race Pourcel and Wilson battled for the second position and Wilson was able to hold on while Pourcel finished third.

“I knew I could win this race, so I’m not as happy as I probably should be,” said Wilson. “I am happy to be on the podium after my last lap crash in Houston, but I just felt really strong all day and knew this was a huge opportunity for me.”

In the main event Pourcel contact with another rider sent Pourcel on top of a tuff block and he couldn’t get his bike off before going a lap down. Wilson got a good start out of the gate and was second after the first lap. On the third lap, Wilson went down just before the finish line and fell back to fourth. After collecting himself, Wilson charged back up to finish a career best second.
It took me forever to get the bike off the tuff block,” said Pourcel. “Once I got going, first place was just about to pass me. I didn’t want to get in the way of the racing and didn’t feel comfortable after I got bumped out.”

Both Pourcel and Wilson have a short break before the East/West Shootout in Las Vegas. Jake Weimer and Josh Hansen are now set to be center stage as the final two rounds of the West Coast series begin this week in Seattle. Weimer holds a 14-point lead in the series and is looking to claim his first supercross title.

Corona, Calif. (April 11, 2010) – Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Christophe Pourcel locked up his second straight AMA Supercross Lites Eastern Region Championship at Reliant Stadium in Houston. Pourcel raced to his fifth win of the season and scored enough points to claim the No. 1 plate while his teammate Dean Wilson crashed on the last lap while trying to make a pass for second, finishing ninth.

Pourcel has two races remaining in his remarkable AMA Supercross Lites career. There is the East Coast finale next week in St. Louis and the Dave Coombs Memorial East-West Shootout in Las Vegas on May 8. In his SX Lites career, Pourcel has 12 wins in 19 starts.

“I normally don’t think about the championship at the races, I just want to put in a good race,” said Pourcel. “I am really happy that I was able to wrap it up early, but next week I still want to go out with a win.”

Pourcel set the fastest time in qualifying practice for the seventh straight week more than a half-second ahead of his nearest competitor. It was Wilson who was second, a tenth faster than third place. In the Heat races, Pourcel earned another win while Wilson overcame a tough start to finish second.

In the main event Pourcel led wire to wire after getting out of the starting gate in a good position. Wilson was fourth after the first lap but then made the move to a podium spot on the second lap. The Canadian rider kept pushing trying to move up to second throughout the race and on the final lap he went down in the whoops section. Wilson saw an opportunity to make the pass but a small mistake cost him a spot on the podium.

“I was so disappointed that I made that mistake,” said Wilson. “I know everyone makes mistakes, but that one hurt a little bit. I really wanted to be on the podium. Next week I want to finish with my best result.”

The AMA Supercross Lites Eastern Region season will wrap up next week at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.