Two-Time Defending Monster Energy Supercross Champion Villopoto Rides Win Streak into Houston2013-04-01 17:54Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, returns to Houston’s Reliant Stadium this Saturday night for the 13th race of the season as the world’s greatest racers aim to remove two-time defending champion Ryan Villopoto, who rides for Monster Energy Kawasaki, from the number-one position. In the Eastern Regional 250SX Class, the hot steak continues for Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin. At the lone international stop of the Monster Energy Supercross Championship Villopoto reeled off his fourth consecutive 450SX Class win and his seventh of the season. After winning the Nuclear Cowboyz® Holeshot Award Villopoto slipped a few positions but staged a game of catch up. On Lap 11, Villopoto moved around leader Davi Millsaps and rode to his 31st-career victory. “It was unbelievable,” exclaimed Villopoto. “Davi [Millsaps] is riding really well and he was riding exceptionally well [tonight]. I got around him with about halfway to go [in the Main Event] and I was able to get a little bit of a gap. Everybody up here [on the podium] is unbelievable and it shows how fast we really are when we run a pace like that on a track that was so [difficult].” Millsaps went unchallenged en route to a runner-up effort, signifying his first podium finish since a third-place effort in Atlanta four races ago. “It was definitely a good race,” said Millsaps. “I got off to a pretty good start and I just tried to ride my own race as much as I could. I made a lot of mistakes here and there and throughout the first half of the race. Ryan [Villopoto] eventually got by me and I did the best I could to keep up and do whatever I could (to hang in there).” Shortly after Villopoto took over the lead, Dungey stalled his bike while trying to close the gap on Millsaps, losing the third spot to Reed. Just a couple laps later, Dungey reclaimed the position to secure his third consecutive podium finish. Villopoto now carries a 12-point lead over Millsaps into the 13th race of the season. Dungey sits 22 points out of the lead in third. In the Eastern Regional 250SX Class Main Event, Musquin won the Nuclear Cowboyz Holeshot Award and never looked back, leading wire to wire. Points leader Hahn finished second and has a six-point edge on Musquin in season standings with three races remaining. Prior to the 2013 season, Musquin had never won a Monster Energy Supercross Main Event, but now he has won three in-a-row and is closing in on the lead in the championship. “I need to get my starts back, it’s killing me right now,” said Hahn. “I’ve got to turn my brain back on and I’ve got to get back on that top step [of the podium] where I belong.” “Today my confidence wasn’t so much there because I had a crash [in practice],” said Musquin. “But I really need to thank the team, because they are better than me and helped push me tonight. It was a tough day. I had a great start [in the Main Event] and it’s such a good feeling when you’re hurting because you don’t know what’s going to happen. It was great.” Villopoto made history last year in Houston, clinching his second-consecutive 450SX Class Championship and becoming the first rider to do so with four races remaining on the schedule. “It’s huge,” said Villopoto after last year’s race. “There is a lot of hard work that went into this, and I am only one piece of the pie; the whole Monster Energy Kawasaki team has worked very hard all year to help me make this happen.” Current Western Regional 250SX Class points leader Ken Roczen grabbed his first win of the season and the second of his career. Roczen’s victory marked the first time that the Red Bull KTM team scored wins in both classes during a season. Since 1974, Houston has been on the 450SX Class schedule. From 1974-2000, the Houston Astrodome played host to the Houston stop until it was moved to Reliant Stadium in 2003. The first 450SX Class race in Houston was on March 15, 1974, where Jim Pomeroy earned the win. Eddie Warren became the first 250SX Class winner in Houston on April 20, 1985. Jeremy McGrath, the all-time winningest supercross rider, shares the all-time win record in Houston along with Mark Barnett with five. SPEED will broadcast the Houston Monster Energy Supercross races LIVE on Saturday, April 6 at 8:30 p.m. ET. Source: Feld Motor Sports Click here to visit our forums to discuss this story |
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