Stewart Wraps Up Championship In Dramatic Series Finale
By Michael Antonovich
Photos by Chris Kinman and Donn Maeda
Lites Heat One West Coast
Just like the practice order earlier in the day, the West Coast riders took to the groomed layout first. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider Ryan Morais flew into the stadium with the holeshot and looked like the man to beat, but his lead was short lived once he clipped a Tuff Block just before the finish line double. Rockstar/Makita Suzuki and West Coast champion took full advantage of Morais’ misfortune to take the lead, with Geico Powersports/Factory Connection Honda’s Trey Canard hot on his heels. A battle would never form between the two, but they along with Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki and West Coast runner up Jake Weimer would go on to gap Muscle Milk/KTM pilot Justin Brayton by over 20 seconds. Behind them, the show was the charge established by Morais to gain a spot in the last main of the season. Morais was a green blur has he tore from last place to fifth, finding the limit on the throttle and launched the fly-away jump past the competition and charged the whoops like a mad man. He would come close to snagging forth away from Brayton, but would run out of time at the flag.
1st Ryan Dungey
2nd Trey Canard
3rd Jake Weimer
4th Justin Brayton
5th Ryan Morais
6th Jake Moss
7th P.J. Larsen
8th Ben Evans
9th Sean Borkenhagen
Lites Heat Two East Coast
Determined to show that he had the speed to beat his teammate and East Coast champ Christophe Pourcel, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki runner up Austin Stroupe came out with the holeshot and the early lead. His teammate Pourcel was behind him trading positions with Geico Powersports/ Factory Connection Honda rookie Blake Wharton. The riders would battle lap after lap, showing the sheer skill both possess, as Pourcel switched up lines in the middle of a run across the whoops and Wharton held off the advances and caused Pourcel to blow an opportunity at the position. That failed chance let Star Racing/Division Seven Yamaha’s Matt Lemoine get by and added one more rider for Pourcel to challenge, but the Frenchmen skipped over the whoops right past the teenager and both made moves on Wharton to knock the curly headed Texan to forth. Stroupe held a lead that couldn’t be closed in the small time slot, and got the win over his well known East Coast competitors.
1st Austin Stroupe
2nd Christophe Pourcel
3rd Matt Lemoine
4th Blake Wharton
5th Broc Tickle
6th Matt Goerke
7th Wil Hahn
8th Jimmy Albertson
9th Vince Friese
Lites LCQ
Geico Powersports/Factory Honda called Daniel Blair to fill the open spot left by the injured Brett Metcalfe, and the former privateer led the LCQ from the gate drop to the final flag to lock himself into the Shootout. His lead was dwindling when Troy Lee/Red Bull/ Honda’s Chris Blose hit the obstacles with good form, but Blose cased a double-double and settled safely for second place. Division Seven/Star Racing Yamaha teammates Darryn Durham and Michael Hall battled for third and the Gas Card, but the two didn’t expect Kyle Cunningham and his Canidae/Motosport Kawasaki to breeze by and steal the consolation money away the way he did.
1st Daniel Blair
2nd Chris Blose
Page 1: Lites Qualifying Page 2: SX Qualifying Page 3: Lites Main Page 4: SX Main
TAGS: andrew short, chad reed, Christophe Pourcel, james stewart, las vegas sx, ryan dungey, ryan villopoto, sam boyd, supercross, trey canard
