Supercross Heat 1
The first heat for the Supercross class was almost a sensory overload for those in attendance. The three most talked about amateur riders of possibly all time, Red Bull/Honda’s Davi Millsaps, Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto, and Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki’s Mike Alessi, showed what a moto at Loretta Lynn’s looked like in their minicycle days. Numerous back and forth passes over every obstacle had the fans on their feet as Alessi and Villopoto came close to disaster a few times, fighting inches away in the whoops and making small contact in the “S” curve before the finish. This all went on while Millsaps watched carefully, then slipped by and pulled away to a small cushion of a lead, until coasting on the last lap and allowing Alessi to be on his back tire at the checkered. His win was not without a near loss as Villopoto caught a Tuff Block in the sand and right into Millsaps line, who then hopped right over it and continued his chase. The heat didn’t go as well for Josh Hill, as the Washington teen stalled up the face of the finish line, and nearly bringing ampm/Monster Energy/Troy Racing’s Nick Wey and Red Bull/Honda’s Ivan Tedesco to a stop. The two veterans of Kevin Windham and Tim Ferry showed promise in their heat race, and both finished in the top five. The final five would Davi Millsaps, Mike Alessi, Ryan Villopoto, Kevin Windham, and Tim Ferry.
1. Davi Millsaps
2. Mike Alessi
3. Ryan Villopoto
4. Kevin Windham
5. Tim Ferry
Supercross Heat 2
Fifth fastest of the day and 450 rookie Jason Lawrence will have the Internet buzzing this week, as he felt sick all day and then before his heat pulled out of the night’s show. Even with J-Law’s absence, the second heat had more than enough star power as a teaser for the Main Event. As Chad Reed and James Stewart battle tooth and nail for the points lead, they also got a few laps to check the other’s lines. The Cenric’s Kawasaki of Bobby Kiniry grabbed the early lead and set the pace while Stewart and Reed clawed at one another, until Reed hit the wall jump a bit faster than Kiniry and Stewart and launched himself ahead two spots in one turn. Stewart fired right back to get past Reed for first and Chad nearly lost it in the rhythm section before the finish in a failed attempt to reclaim his spot, and that was where the two would finish. Red Bull Honda pilot Andrew Short passed former teammate and current Moto Concepts Honda rider Ben Coisy for third after cutting at the Frenchman’s lead for a few laps. The same would not be happening for Joe Gibbs Toyota Yamaha rookie Josh Grant, as he was on the bubble after a few mistakes set him back to eighth. The final finishers would be James Stewart, Chad Reed, Andrew Short, Ben Coisy, and Ryan Sipes.
1. James Stewart
2. Chad Reed
3. Andrew Short
4. Ben Coisy
5. Ryan Sipes
Supercross LCQ
The Supercross LCQ was basically the Josh Hill riding school, as he showed many what he planned on doing in the main event. Behind him Canidae/Motosport/ Kawasaki’s Tommy Hahn, Bobby Kiniry, and the lone Hart and Huntington rider Troy Adams had a close battle for the transfer. Adams would later coast to fourth, and Kiniry used the move Reed pulled on him in his heat to hold down second over Hahn. Hahn got the Racer X Gas Card and said the sand sections on the track is where he didn’t feel his fastest all day. This marked the end of the night for Ben Lamay, James Povolny, and Jacob Marsack, among others.
1. Josh Hill
2. Bobby Kiniry
Photos by Bayo Olukotun
TAGS: Austin Stroupe, chad reed, Christophe Pourcel, indianapolis, indy, james stewart, Mike Alessi, Nico Izzi, Race Report, ryan villopoto, supercross
