RK Excel America

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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