As millions of NFL fans were preparing for Superbowl 44 between the Colts and the Saints, worrying about the latest lines or players that are hurt, the 2010 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship was about to get tighter.
The Saturday night race at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego went to Davi Millsaps of Tallahassee, Fla. The win at round 5 was the Honda Red Bull Racing rider’s first this season, bumping him from seventh to fourth in point standings with 82 points.
“Yeah it was a good night for me,” Millsaps said. “I came out on top. American Honda is the best crew in world. The tack was slick. You had to just be smooth, consistent and make no mistakes and that’s what I did. It was such an amazing race and I can’t explain how good it feels.”
Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider Ryan Dungey remains the points leader with 105, although he went down twice during the main event. Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., went on to finish sixth.
The SPIKE Holeshot award went to Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Nick Wey of Murrieta, Calif. Wey was followed by Millsaps teammate Andrew Short of Smithville, Texas, and Valli Motorsports Yamaha rider Ivan Tedesco of Murrieta, Calif.
Shortly after the gate dropped, Dungey lost traction and went down, taking out several riders with him. Dungey got back on, but then fell again heading to the double near the finish lane, and dropped to the back of the field.
By the end of lap 3 of 20, Millsaps passed Wey for the lead, having nothing but clear track until he took the checkered flag. By midpoint, the leaders were Millsaps, Short, Tedesco, GEICO Powersports Honda rider Kevin Windham of Centerville, Miss., and San Manuel Yamaha rider Josh Hill of Yoncalla, Ore., in fifth.
During lap 18, Short went down, and the track crews had to help him up; as of Sunday, it's not known what injuries Short has sustained. This gave Millsaps an even bigger lead as Hill raced past Tedesco to grab second place. Millsaps grabbed the win with Hill finishing second, Tedesco third. Grabbing fourth was Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Ryan Villopoto of Poulsbo, Wash. Fifth place went to Muscle Milk Toyota Yamaha rider Justin Brayton.
Rivals James Stewart and Chad Reed both remain out of action due to injuries. Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Reed is out with a broken hand for the next few weeks, and defending champion Stewart is also out for a few weeks. The San Manuel Yamaha rider broke a bone in his left wrist and underwent successful surgery on last week.
Both riders were involved in “the crash heard ‘round the world” during round 2 in Phoenix.
For complete Supercross results and standings, click here. For the remaining Supercross Schedule, click here.
Supercross Lites West
In the AMA Supercross Lites class, it was all Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider Jake Weimer of Rupert, Idaho. The race started with GEICO Powersports Honda rider Trey Canard of Shawnee, Okla., getting the SPIKE Holeshot award, but Canard went down during the first lap, giving the lead to Weimer.
Weimer kept the lead until the end, and Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil Honda's Cole Seely of Newbury Park, Calif., had his best-career finish of second and his teammate Wil Hahn of Decatur, Texas, finished third.
“Yeah it was a good night,” said Weimer. “I was able to get a good start right behind Trey (Canard) and unfortunately he went down. I was able to get by and I just tried to be consistent from there. The track was definitely tricky but it held up well.”
