By Jordan Powell
Photos by Jeff Kardas
The seventh round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross series made its way East this weekend into a packed Dallas Cowboys Stadium. While Dallas marked the seventh round of the series, it also marked the first round for the East Coast Lites riders. Cold temperatures and heavy rain kept fans away from the pits, but the giant Dallas Cowboys’ Stadium offered a dry climate and incredible racing action for the 53,952 fans in attendance. In the 450 class, Ryan Villopoto rode a dominant race, and took an easy win while further extending the points lead. In the Lites class, 2011 East Coast Lites champion Justin Barcia started the 2012 season off right by winning his main, and collecting 25 points.
SUPERCROSS LITES HEAT 1
Blake Baggett grabbed the holeshot at the start of the first Lites heat race, but Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen immediately took over the lead. Kyle Cunningham kept close to the rear tire of Baggett, but he was unable to make the pass in the six laps. Justin Bogle made his first Supercross appearance, and he took a stylish fourth place finish by throwing down some huge whips on the last lap. JDR KTM’s PJ Larsen rounded off the top five.
RESULTS SUPERCROSS LITES HEAT 1
1. Ken Roczen (KTM)
2. Blake Baggett (Kaw)
3. Kyle Cunningham (Yam)
4. Justin Bogle (Hon)
5. PJ Larsen (KTM)
6. Phil Nicoletti (Hon)
7. Jake Canada (Hon)
8. Angelo Pellegrini (Suz)
9. Hunter Hewitt (Suz)
SUPERCROSS LITES HEAT 2
Rockstar Suzuki’s Blake Wharton led the pack through the first turn while Darryn Durham and Justin Barcia stayed close behind in second and third, respectively. Within the first lap, Durham tried to make some moves on Wharton, but he was unable to find that open door on the Suzuki rider. At the same time, Barcia was able to close the door on the two riders, and he took second away from Durham after a couple of laps. Wharton quickly had some company from Barcia, and within a couple of turns, the number one plate holder took the lead. As soon as that happened, Durham made the block pass on Wharton, as did Malcolm Stewart. Matt Lemoine had a solid ride back in fourth, but a bobble dropped him back to fifth, where he would eventually finish.
RESULTS SUPERCROSS LITES HEAT 2
1. Justin Barcia (Hon)
2. Darryn Durham (Kaw)
3. Malcolm Stewart (KTM)
4. Blake Wharton (Suz)
5. Matt Lemoine (Kaw)
6. Cole Thompson (Hon)
7. Alex Martin (Hon)
8. Lance Vincent (KTM)
9. Les Smith (KTM)
SUPERCROSS LITES LCQ
Sean Hackley took control of the Lites LCQ right from the start, while Daniel Herrlein sat in second. Austin Politelli had a fourth place start, but he found his way into second by the third lap, and he took the final transfer spot.
LITES LCQ RESULTS
1. Sean Hackley (KTM)
2. Austin Politelli
SUPERCROSS LITES MAIN EVENT
At the start of the 15 lap main, Darryn Durham rocketed out front on his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki. As the pack of riders made their way around the track for the first time, Durham controlled the lead while Justin Bogle, Justin Barcia, Ken Roczen, and Malcolm Stewart took up the top five. The first rider within the top five to start making some moves was Barcia. He sat behind his teammate for a couple laps, and then he made his move on him and started to reel in Durham. When Barcia finally caught up to Durham, the two riders traded positions with each other a couple of times, but Bam Bam was able to make the move stick right about the halfway point. Roczen was the next rider to challenge Bogle for third, and he was able to make his pass stick, too. As Bogle came up through the whoops, he went side by side with Stewart. As the two entered the following corner, Malcolm dove in to make the pass, and the two riders collided. Both of them remounted, but lost positions. This collision allowed Blake Wharton and Phil Nicoletti to advance.
On the final lap, Barcia was far up front, and he crossed the finish as the new points leader headed into Atlanta. Darryn Durham was ecstatic with his second place finish, as was Ken Roczen with his third place finish.
| Overall 1. Justin Barcia (Hon) 2. Darryn Durham (Kaw) 3. Ken Roczen (KTM) 4. Blake Wharton (Suz) 5. Phil Nicoletti (Hon) 6. Malcolm Stewart (KTM) 7. Jake Canada (Hon) 8. PJ Larsen (KTM) 9. Cole Thompson (Hon) 10. Lance Vincent (KTM) 11. Alex Martin (Hon) 12. Hunter Hewitt (Suz) 13. Austin Politelli (Hon) 14. Justin Bogle (Hon) 15. Blake Baggett (Kaw) 16. Les Smith (KTM) 17. Angelo Pellegrini (Suz) 18. Sean Hackley (KTM) 19. Matt Lemoine (Kaw) 20. Kyle Cunningham (Yam) |
250 Class East Coast Championship Standings (After 1 of 9 rounds) 1. Justin Barcia (25/1 win) 2. Darryn Durham (22) 3. Ken Roczen (20) 4. Blake Baggett (18) 5. Phil Nicoletti (16) 6. Malcolm Stewart (15) 7. Jake Canada (14) 8. PJ Larsen (13) 9. Cole Thompson (12) 10. Lance Vincent (11) |
TOP LAP TIMES
1. Justin Barcia 48.903
2. Justin Bogle 49.100
3. Ken Roczen 49.147
4. Darryn Durham 49.150
5. Blake Baggett 49.709
TAGS: 2012, ama, dallas cowboys, dallas supercross, Darryn Durham, jake weimer, Justin Barcia, Ken Roczen, Monster energy, race results, ryan dungey, ryan villopoto, supercross
