Forecasts of rain haunted the third round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross series, but as the day progressed on Saturday, rain didn’t touch the Dodgers Stadium after 9am. When the Dirt Wurx crew pulled the white tarp off of the track, they unveiled a perfectly dry layout. Instantly, all thoughts of a “mudder” had vanished, and the crowd in Los Angeles were able to witness some great racing action. For the first time since the season has started, TwoTwo Motorsports/Bel-Ray Racing’s Chad Reed took home a win in the Supercross class, while Geico Honda’s Eli Tomac also left L.A. with his first win in the 2012 Supercross Lites season.
Lites Qualifying
When the gates dropped for the first heat race of the night, Max Anstie blasted out front on his Martin Honda. Close behind was Rockstar/Valli-Star/Yamaha’s Ryan Sipes. Sipes quickly started to make passes at Anstie, and on the second lap the move stuck on the young British rider. Anstie tried to keep hold of second, but Dean Wilson blocked Anstie on the same lap and took the spot. Meanwhile Zach Osborne and Cole Seely were moving quickly through the pack and they eventually climbed into third and fouth. The top four riders pulled away from the rest of the pack as Sipes took the win in heat number one.
Heat One Results
1. Ryan Sipes (Yam)
2. Dean Wilson (Kaw)
3. Zach Osborne (Yam)
4. Cole Seely (Hon)
5. Michael Leib (Hon)
6. Max Anstie (Hon)
7. Vince Friese (Hon)
8. Scott Champion (Hon)
9. Billy Laninovich (Hon)
Eli Tomac quickly jumped out front in heat number two of the Lites class, but Martin Davalos moved his way into first after a couple of turns. After two laps, Davalos, Tomac, Nico Izzi, Tyla Rattray, and Marvin Musquin held down the top five positions. Rattray faltered and dropped back to seventh as Musquin moved up to fourth. Tomac kept the crowd on their feet as he consistently searched for lines to pass Davalos. The two riders ran in to one another multiple times, but Davalos was able maintain his position and he took the win in the second Lites heat race.
Heat Two Results
1. Martin Davalos (Suz)
2. Eli Tomac (Hon)
3. Marvin Musquin (KTM)
4. Nico Izzi (Yam)
5. Tyla Rattray (Kaw)
6. Teddy Maier (Hon)
7. Moss (KTM)
8. Travis Baker (Hon)
9. Nick Paluzzi (Kaw)
Lites LCQ
After a dismal heat race Rockstar Suzuki’s Jason Anderson found himself on the line for the night’s LCQ. Anderson handled the field from the moment the gate dropped, leading every lap and gapping the field in the process. Gavin Faith would take second and the final transfer spot in to the main on his debut ride for the Gieco Powersports Honda team.
1. Jason Anderson
2. Gavin Faith
Lites Main Event
Martin Davalos dashed ahead of the pack to the first turn and bypassed the carnage that claimed a slew of competitors, including Cole Seely and Nico Izzi. Davalos’ lead would be short lived as Eli Tomac swooped past the Suzuki rider and tore away on the open track. Tomac would lead the entire fifteen lap affair, taking both the overall win and point lead in the process. The struggle for the remaining podium spots raged on behind the Honda rider, as American export Zach Osborne and Dean Wilson both made passes on Davalos before engaging in a battle of their own. Osborne, who has limited Supercross experience since his move to Europe, set a high cadence that Wilson easily matched, and the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider stole second position in the waning moments of the race.
Jason Anderson would carry the momentum gained from his dominant appearance in the LCQ to the main event, finish fifth behind Tyla Rattray. Only two Lites riders, Anderson and winner Tomac, were able to triple-triple a difficult rhythm section that ran alongside the starting line, with Tomac being the sole rider capable of consistently landing it in the main event.
| Overall 1. Eli Tomac 2. Dean Wilson 3. Zach Osborne 4. Tyla Rattray 5. Jason Anderson 6. Max Anstie 7. Michael Leib 8. Matt Moss 9. Martin Davalos 10. Billy Laninovich 11. Nico Izzi 12. Ryan Sipes 13. Vince Friese 14. Teddy Maier 15. Cole Seely 16. Scott Champion 17. Nick Paluzzi 18. Gavin Faith 19. Marvin Musquin 20. Travis Baker |
250 Class West Coast Championship Standings (After 3 of 7 rounds) 1. Eli Tomac (63pts/1 win) 2. Dean Wilson (62pts/1 win) 3. Tyla Rattray (60pts) 4. Cole Seely (47pts) 5. Zach Osborne (47pts) 6. Jason Anderson (44pts) 7. Marvin Musquin (42pts) 8. MAx Anstie (32pts) 9. Nico Izzi (32pts) 10. Billy Laninovich (27pts) |
Top Lap Times
1. Eli Tomac 53.915
2. Martin Davalos 54.380
3. Dean Wilson 54.705
4. Marvin Musquin 54.889
5. Zach Osborne 55.018
TAGS: chad reed, dodger stadium, eli tomac, james stewart, la, ryan villopoto, supercross, SX
