By Michael Antonovich
Photos by Brendan Lutes
The 2012 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship came to a close at the new Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park in Southern California, where two titles were decided. The track sprawled across both the main portion of the facility and into the short-course stadium, creating 2:40+ lap times and a enough time for opportunities to change one’s position in the field. Ryan Dungey continued his winning ways in the 450 class, while Blake Baggett added another title to Pro Circuit rig doors. In the WMA division, Italian import Chiara Fontanesi shook up the results as Ashley Fiolek took advantage of Jessica Patterson’s bad luck to claim her third professional championship.
450 Moto One
After earning the fastest time in qualifying, Mike Alessi blasted out of the gate aboard his MotoConcepts Racing bike to take the holeshot in the first moto and lead Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Tyla Rattray and Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey for the early portions of the moto. While the majority of the pack cleared the first turn, a handful of riders, including Nico Izzi, Josh Grant, Bobby Kiniry, and Jake Weimer were claimed in a pile-up and suffered immediate setbacks.
Alessi wasted no time at the front of the field and by the end of the first lap was ahead of Rattray by nearly five seconds. Dungey raced with his own sense of urgency and overtook Rattray for second place within moments, while Broc Tickle followed suit and bumped Rattray out of a podium spot. With no competition standing between himself and Alessi, Dungey closed on the leader quickly despite numerous errors and near-crashes. This set the stage for multiple attacks by both racers, and by the end, Dungey would emerge unshaken to claim the moto win.
As Dungey, Alessi, and Tickle rode to podium finishes, the action took place much deeper in the back. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer charged through the pack to fifth place after his first turn crash, while Kyle Regal had a surge of his own to claim sixth. Southern California locals Austin Politelli and Weston Peick would upset the running order in the first moto, as Politelli ran as high as fifth before a mechanical would force him to pull off. Peick would claim the top finish of the two in moto one as the Wildomar native finished 13th.
450 Moto One Results
1. Ryan Dungey
2. Mike Alessi
3. Broc Tickle
4. Tyla Rattray
5. Jake Weimer
6. Kyle Regal
7. Christian Craig
8. Andrew Short
9. Fredrik Noren
10. Ben LaMay
11. Jimmy Albertson
12. Justin Brayton
13. Weston Peick
14. Derek Anderson
15. Vince Friese
16. Preston Mull
17. PJ Larsen
18. Cole Martinex
19. Chris Plouffe
20. Austin Howell
450 Moto Two
Alessi would once again be the first across the stripe, but Dungey would be deeper in the pack on their second go of the day. Christian Craig and his Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Honda separated the two and gave Dungey an added challenge in his bid for the lead. The miscues by the newly crowned champion continued, as he landed on the side of a massive double while pursuing Craig before ultimately besting the Honda rider in a drag race down a “smooth” straightaway. Craig would later lose his top-five position to Tickle and Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Justin Brayton.
Dungey tracked down Alessi and was within three seconds of the leader in the first 10 minutes of the race, but as the winds increased, so did the mistakes by both racers. In a bid to take the lead, Dungey again veered off the track and allowed the 800 bike to pull away. The two would throw everything they had at one another before Dungey would again take the lead, pull away, and sweep the day.
The most notable charge in the field came from Rattray, as he came from deep in the pack, stopped mid-moto to change goggles, then continued his blitz to take fourth.
450 Moto Two Results
1. Ryan Dungey
2. Mike Alessi
3. Broc Tickle
4. Tyla Rattray
5. Justin Brayton
6. Josh Grant
7. Nico Izzi
8. Kyle Chisholm
9. Jake Weimer
10. Christian Craig
11. Weston Peick
12. Ben LaMay
13. Andrew Short
14. Vince Friese
15. Robert Kiniry
16. Jimmy Albertson
17. Austin Politelli
18. Vann Martin
19. Preston Mull
20. Derek Anderson
| Overall 1. Ryan Dungey 2. Mike Alessi 3. Broc Tickle 4. Tyla Rattray 5. Jake Weimer 6. Justin Brayton 7. Christian Craig 8. Andrew Short 9. Ben LaMay 10. Weston Peick 11. Josh Grant 12. Jimmy Albertson 13. Kyle Regal 14. Nico Izzi 15. Kyle Chisholm 16. Vince Friese 17. Fredrik Noren 18. Derek Anderson 19. Preston Mull 20. Robert Kiniry |
450 Class Championship Points Standings (After 12 of 12 rounds) 1. Ryan Dungey (580) 2. Mike Alessi (453) 3. Jake Weimer (355) 4. Andrew Short (354) 5. Broc Tickle (349) 6. Josh Grant (277) 7. Justin Brayton (247) 8. Kyle Chisholm (211) 9. Davi Millsaps (176) 10. Tyla Rattray (172) |
TAGS: blake baggett, lake elsinore, lake elsinore 2012, ryan dungey
