Race Report: Daytona SX 2012

Supercross Qualifying

Supercross Heat One

Kevin Windham took the holeshot in the first 450 race of the night atop his Geico Powersports Honda over JGR/Toyota/Yamaha’s Davi Millsaps. Millsaps struggled down the first straightaway and dropped to the middle of the field, but would come back to finish in runner up position behind race winner Windham. Millsaps would have to pass a stacked field of riders, including American Honda Muscle Milk’s Justin Brayton and Merge Racing privateer Kyle Regal. Daytona marked Regal’s return to the Supercross tour and his third place finish in the heat race locked him in to the night’s main event.

Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Jake Weimer would tip over as he exited a deep left hand turn and collected American Honda Muscle Milk replacement rider Cole Seely in the process. Weimer would remount to finish fifth while Seely was forced to face the LCQ.

1. Kevin Windham (HON)
2. Davi Millsaps (YAM)
3. Kyle Regal (HON)
4. Justin Brayton (HON)
5. Jake Weimer (KAW)
6. Brett Metcalfe (SUZ)
7. Nick Wey (KAW)
8. Weston Peick (YAM)
9. Robert Kiniry (YAM)

Supercross Heat Two

The fastest rider of the day, James Stewart, claimed the lead over current points leader and defending champion Ran Villopoto and never looked back. Stewart bombed his JGR/Toyota/Yamaha through the ruts and water and was the only rider to run the creative line of rolling the take off and the doubling out of the track’s first water logged triple, which helped him to avoid the deep puddle and pull away. Villopoto overcame an eventful first lap, in which he was pushed wide by MotoConcept’s Mike Alessi and then tipped his Monster Energy Kawasaki, to finish in the runner up position. Marvin Musquin rounded out the podium in his second race aboard the Red Bull KTM SX-F 350.

1. James Stewart (YAM)
2. Ryan Villopoto (KAW)
3. Marvin Musquin (KTM)
4. Matt Georke (SUZ)
5. Mike Alessi (SUZ)
6. Justin Sipes (KAW)
7. Broc Tickle (KAW)
8. Kyle Chisholm (KAW)
9. Ryan Clark (KAW)

Supercross LCQ

Cole Seely wasted no time in his bid to make it to the front of the pack and took control of the LCQ over Hart & Huntington/Dodge Motorsports/Sycuan Casino’s lone rider Josh Hansen. Hansen’s race would come to an early end when he tangled with WMR1’s Michael Stryker. Seely would be pursued by Storm Lake Honda racer Gavin Faith, who put on a charge in the brisk six lap affair, but his early lead was too much for the Iowa privateer to overcome. Seely and Faith would both make the main event.

1. Cole Seely (HON)
2. Gavin Faith (HON)

Supercross Main Event

Davi Millsaps claimed his second consecutive holeshot of the year when he powered around the slick left hand turn ahead of teammate James Stewart and veteran Kevin Windham. Millsaps’ long legs played a role in his early lead, as he was able to maintain his balance in the tenacious ruts with ease. Stewart took the lead away from Millsaps in the beginning of the third lap, after the two drag raced down the long main straightaway. Stewart would set the pace for the final fourteen laps of the reduced sixteen lap main event before cruising to the win. Millsaps and Windham would finish second and third, respectively.

Ryan Villopoto spoke throughout the day that although his closest competitor in the championship chase, Ryan Dungey, was absent, he would still have to fight to claim the title. Villopoto’s words were almost prophetical, as the defending champion was forced to claw through the pack after an awkward series of events transpired early in the main event. In an aggressive move to steal a competitor’s position, the Kawasaki rider found himself tangled on the inside bales and off his bike, and then off the track after he attempted to remount the then moving bike. This placed the points leader in twentieth place and down a considerable amount of distance from the front of the pack. Over the course of the sixteen-lap race, he picked off a slew of racers, including Broc Tickle and teammate Jake Weimer in one swift section. Villopoto efforts earned him a fifth place overall finish.

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Top Lap Times
1. James Stewart 1:27.558
2. Kevin Windham 1:27.583
3. Davi Millsaps 1:28.783
4. Ryan Villopoto 1:30.884
5. Jake Weimer 1:31.021

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