Second-Consecutive Podium Finish for Savatgy in St. Louis

2015-03-30 16:05
Round 13 of Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM Championship returned to Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri on Saturday where Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Joey Savatgy put his KX™250F on the podium for the second-consecutive weekend. Savatgy won his heat race and came from a mid-pack start to battle to the front and finished third. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Davi Millsaps finished in between the Discount Tire/TwoTwo Motorsports Kawasaki’s of Josh Grant and Chad Reed. Grant finished sixth for the second straight race, followed by Millsaps in seventh and Reed in eighth.



Looking for the Win

Savatgy continues to gain momentum as the Eastern Region winds down and he was ready to put his Kawasaki on the box in St. Louis. Building on last week’s podium in Detroit, Savatgy qualified two tenths of a second off the fastest lap time. On pace for his best finish of the season, he grabbed the holeshot in his heat race and led all six laps to claim his second heat race win of the season. Anxious for the gate drop in the 15-lap main event, Savatgy rounded the first corner mid pack and had his work cut out for him. The Georgia native made some quick moves on the opening laps and climbed into fifth on second lap. By Lap 3 he had made it into third place and attempted to reel in the leaders but the gap was insurmountable. Savatgy finished third for his second podium of the season and sits fourth overall with one round remaining in four weeks.

“I’m really disappointed with tonight’s results,” said Savatgy. “I was on pace to win tonight and really felt good after my heat race. When the gate dropped I didn’t get the jump and I had to try and make up the ground. I think had I got into third a little sooner, I could have latched on to them. I know I have the speed to win and I have an amazing bike. We’ve got one more chance to prove it in New Jersey before we square off against the West riders in Las Vegas.”



Building Blocks

Millsaps had the opportunity to see the St. Louis track design earlier than usual as the Monster Energy Kawasaki team took part in the press activities leading up to Saturday’s race. The local Fox, NBC, and CBS affiliates all came out to cover the race and talk with Millsaps. With some extra track time, Millsaps posted some fast qualifying times in the afternoon and transitioned that into a runner-up finish in his heat to transfer to the main event. In the 20-lap main event, the “Duke” battled through the top-10 to finish seventh.

“The track was difficult tonight,” said Millsaps. “I rounded the first turn around tenth and had to tip-toe around the first lap in traffic. Once we spaced out a bit, I was able to hit my lines to make up some ground, but if someone took your line there wasn’t many options to make passes. It’s always good to come out and help promote the sport in the cities we visit as well as visit the top Kawasaki dealership in the area.“



KX Proof

The Discount Tire/TwoTwo Motorsports teammates of Grant and Reed once again put their KX™450Fs in the top 10. Grant, Millsaps, and Reed became a Kawasaki freight train that tore towards the front of the pack in the main event. Grant and Millsaps battled for top honors throughout most of the main while Reed closed in from behind. Outside the top 10, Kyle Chisholm and Nick Wey matched their best finishes of the season in 11th and 12th, respectively and Tony Archer had his best finish in 17th.



Behind the Scenes

In addition to the local media that covered Monster Energy Kawasaki in St. Louis, Transworld Motocross also traveled along for the week in between Detroit to St. Louis to document every aspect of the Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team. They joined Senior Transportation Specialist Brain Barnhart aboard the Kawasaki semi for the eight hour journey and experienced first-hand the hard work and logistics that go into a championship team.



Off Week

Following 13 consecutive race weekends, Monster Energy Supercross takes a much-needed weekend off for Easter. The riders, mechanics, and team personnel have been on the go since the start of the calendar year and although there is not a race this coming weekend, the work does not stop. For Monster Energy Kawasaki, the weekend off marks the first opportunity to get a head start on preparations for the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. Savatgy and Millsaps will hit the outdoor tracks in Southern California for the first time this year and Millsaps is excited to have his teammate Wil Hahn back by his side. Hahn will begin riding this week for the first time since his season-ending crash at the opening round of supercross back in January and plans to make his return for the Pro Motocross season. It will be back to the grind in two weeks time as Monster Energy Supercross heads to Houston, Texas on April 11 and the Western Region 250SX class returns to the gate.



Results

Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM Championship
Edward Jones Dome – St. Louis, Missouri
Saturday, March 28, 2015

450SX Main Event


Ryan Dungey, KTM
Eli Tomac, Honda
Jason Anderson, Husqvarna
Cole Seely, Honda
Weston Peick, Yamaha
Josh Grant, Discount Tire/TwoTwo Motorsports Kawasaki
Davi Millsaps, Monster Energy Kawasaki
Chad Reed, Discount Tire/TwoTwo Motorsports Kawasaki
Broc Tickle, Suzuki
Blake Baggett, Suzuki

450SX Points Standings
Ryan Dungey, KTM - 296
Eli Tomac, Honda – 216
Trey Canard, Honda - 204
Cole Seely, Honda - 198
Chad Reed, Discount Tire/TwoTwo Motorsports Kawasaki - 183
Jason Anderson, Husqvarna - 165
Blake Baggett, Suzuki – 165
Ken Roczen, Suzuki - 156
Broc Tickle, Suzuki – 146
Andrew Short, KTM - 137
Davi Millsaps, Monster Energy Kawasaki - 133
Josh Grant, Discount Tire/TwoTwo Motorsports Kawasaki - 110

250SX Eastern Region Main Event
Marvin Musquin, KTM
Jeremy Martin, Yamaha
Joey Savatgy, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki
Justin Bogle, Honda
Anthony Rodriquez, Yamaha
Jimmy Decostis, Honda
Luke Renzland, Yamaha
Kyle Cunningham, Honda
Jace Owen, Honda
Kyle Peters, Honda

250SX Eatern Regional Points Standings
Marvin Musquin, KTM - 169
Justin Bogle, Honda - 149
Jeremy Martin, Yamaha - 125
Joey Savatgy, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki – 113
RJ Hampshire, Honda - 84
Anthony Rodriquez, Yamaha - 84
Jimmy Decostis, Honda - 84
Kyle Peters, Honda – 76
Martin Davalos, Husqvarna - 63
Kyle Cunningham, Honda – 60

Source: Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A.

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