Race Report: Steel City 2012

During its time on the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, Steel City has become known as the site where many championship changing moments have taken place. It is where Ryan Hughes pushed his bike uphill after the chain snapped, where Grant Langston’s wheel came apart and handed the title to Mike Brown, and where Ricky Carmichael broke the record for most 125 class wins. This is due to its slot on the schedule, as it used to be the final round of the year until recently, when things are coming down to the wire. It was no different this season, has a dramatic shake-up in the overall standings puts just 14-points between Blake Baggett and Eli Tomac heading into the final round. Tomac continued his streak of wins with a 1-1 sweep of the day, moving himself up a position in the point standings and turning the pressure up yet another notch. In the 450 class, newly crowned champion Ryan Dungey once again outpaced and outlasted the field to score his own 1-1 overall.

450 Moto One

Recently crowned 450 champion Ryan Dungey led the class to the first turn, just ahead of JGR/Toyota/Yamaha’s Davi Millsaps and Star/Valli/Rockstar/Yamaha’s Robert Kiniry. With a clear track ahead, Dungey wasted no time to distance himself from the other 39 racers, and with that would take his Red Bull KTM to another moto win. With the leader pulling away, the attention turned to the deeper runners in the field. Chaparall/L&Mc/Honda rider Andrew Short swept into second place on the opening lap after making his way around three racers, and then gave chase to Dungey before claiming second place. Yamaha racers Millsaps and Nico Izzi diced for control of fourth place early in the moto, with Izzi claiming the spot before he would go down later in the moto, coming back to finish eight. Jeff Ward Racing/DNA Energy/Kawasaki’s Josh Grant quietly moved through the pack and then passed Millsaps for fourth place, something that would be key later in the day. Moto

The first race of the day forced a number of racers to drop out with issues, including Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Broc Tickle, Kyle Regal, and Kiniry.

450 Moto One Results  

1. Ryan Dungey
2. Andrew Short
3. Mike Alessi
4. Josh Grant
5. Davi Millsaps
6. Tyla Rattray
7. Jake Weimer
8. Nico Izzi
9. Christian Craig
10. Kyle Chisholm
11. Phil Nicoletti
12. Justin Brayton
13. Ben Lamay
14. PJ Larsen
15. Vince Friese
16. Jimmy Albertson
17. Robert Marshall
18. Austin Howell
19. Jason Thomas
20. Evgeny Mikhaylov

VIEW: THUMBS ENLARGE

PREVIOUS

NEXT

(image 39 of 41)

450 Moto Two

The first drops of rain began to fall just as the 450 launched out of the gate, turning the already hard packed Steel City soil into a shiny and technical challenge. Mike Alessi took another patented holeshot aboard his MotoConcepts machine and began to set the pace for the rain-caused slower second moto. Josh Grant paced after Alessi in the early going before being tracked down by Ryan Dungey, but would claim third overall with 4-4 scores. Further up front, the ongoing battle between Dungey and Alessi resumed, as both would gain ground then falter and lose time to the other due to the slipperiness of the track and its numerous holes. Dungey would make his move for the lead late in the race, but this would not go unanswered by Alessi, who fought back to take the lead back momentarily. As the two came back into the center of the track, Dungey would make his pass stick and take the checkered flag.

450 Moto Two Results

1. Ryan Dungey
2. Mike Alessi
3. Jake Weimer
4. Josh Grant
5. Broc Tickle
6. Phil Nicoletti
7. Robert Kiniry
8. Nico Izzi
9. Tyla Rattray
10. Justin Brayton
11. Davi Millsaps
12. Ben Lamay
13. Fredrik Noren
14. PJ Larsen
15. Austin Howell
16. Kyle Chisholm
17. Evgeny Mikhaylov
18. Vince Friese
19. Shane Durham
20. Jimmy Albertson

RELATED ARTICLES

Practice Report: Steel City 2012

“How Was Your Weekend?” – Steel City MX 2012

Race Report: Unadilla 2012

Troy Lee Designs / Lucas Oil / Honda Hammers Steel City