Stewart and Weimer Top Anaheim Series Opener
Defending Supercross Champion James Stewart rode a calculated race at the first Monster Energy Supercross event of 2010 and emerged with a popular win at Angel’s Stadium aboard his San Manuel Yamaha YZ450F. Stewart’s biggest competition came from his former training partner and Supercross-class rookie, Ryan Dungey of the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team. Veteran Kevin Windham of the Geico Powersports team rounded out the podium after working past Andrew Short and Ryan Villopoto. Chad Reed was a surprise DNF after pulling off at the start of lap two.
In the Western Regional Supercross Lites class, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer controlled the race from start-to-finish, leading formr Eastrn Regional Supercross Lites Champion Trey Canard and Rockstar Suzuki rider Ryan Morais across the finish line.
SUPERCROSS LITES
DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing/Yamaha rider Broc Tickle led the first Supercross Lites heat from wire-to-wire. Geico Powersports Honda rider Trey Canard pressured Tickle in the early stages but crashed in a corner and dropped to third behind Tickle’s teammate, British rider Max Anstie, who had a great showing in his first-ever Supercross start.
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer had an easy time winning the second Lites heat race. His biggest competition – teammate Josh Hansen – flew off the track in the first corner and spent the entire race playing catch up. Weimer’s good friend Ryan Morais did keep him fairly honest aboard his Rockstar Suzuki. At the flag, Hansen worked back into third, just ahead of rookie Cole Seeley aboard his Lucas Oils/Troy Lee Designs/Honda.
Motoconcepts Yamaha rider Jeff Alessi took control at the start of the Supercross Lites LCQ, but a mistake on the last lap allowed a hard-charging Sean Borkenhagen – aboard a Factory Services KTM 250SX-F – to pounce and steal the win.
SUPERCROSS LITES MAIN EVENT
When the gate dropped at the start of the 15-lap main event, Weimer rocketed off the line with the lead, just ahead of Hansen, Gautier Paulin and Morais. Hansen looked great as he pressured Weimer, but he washed his front end and crashed at the start of lap two and remounted in seventh. At the start of lap three, the order was Weimer, Morais, Canard and Geico Powersports Honda’s Blake Wharton, but Hansen was clearly on the move and gaining ground.
On the fifth lap, Canard showed a burst of speed and closed to Morais’ rear wheel, pressuring him for the runner-up spot. Morais, however, rode tough and held his ground until the ninth lap, when Canard worked past in a tricky rhythm section after the third-baseline triple. Hansen, meanwhile, pulled over and glanced down at his bike while running a solid fifth behind Wharton, and dropped back to ninth.
Up front, Weimer had an easy go of things until he began to encounter lapped traffic. The tight track conditions made it tough to work past the slower traffic, but Weimer did so with patience and precision. At the finish, he was four-seconds clear of Canard, who was only a couple bikelengths ahead of Morias, who worked through the lapped traffic like a madman. Wharton was a distant fourth, with a hard-charging Wil Hahn hot on his tail, while Tickle, Tommy Searle, Hansen, Anstie and Alessi rounded out the top 10.
SUPERCROSS LITES RESULTS
1. Jake Weimer (Kaw)
2. Trey Canard (Hon)
3. Ryan Morais (Suz)
4. Blake Wharton (Hon)
5. Wil Hahn (Hon)
6. Broc Tickle (Yam)
7. Tommy Searle (KTM)
8. Josh Hansen (Kaw)
9. Max Anstie (Yam)
10. Jeff Alessi (Yam)
11. Hunter Hewitt (Suz)
12. Sean Borkenhagen (KTM)
13. Bob Kiniry (Suz)
14. Cole Seeley (Hon)
15. Gautier Paulin (Yam)
16. Phil Nicoletti (KTM)
17. Chris Gosselaar (Hon)
18. Ben Evans (Suz)
19. Ryan Clark (Hon)
20. Travis Baker (Yam)
TAGS: anaheim 1, chad reed, championship, dirt bikes, jake weimer, james stewart, jason lawrence, josh hansen, Max anstie, Monster energy, motocross, Race Report, ryan dungey, ryan villopoto, season opener, supercross
