Ferry, Townley Rule Washougal

| July 29, 2007

Kawasaki’s Timmy Ferry, of Largo, Fla., picked up his first win in six years before a crowd of 26,342 at the Unbound Energy National Presented by Snap-on, Scott USA and Yamaha, round eight of the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship Presented by FMF. The Kawasaki rider picked up the victory with a 2-2 score after his teammate and current points leader, James Stewart, DNF the second moto after tweaking his knee in a tip-over. Factory Yamaha’s Grant Langston picked up the second moto win for second overall over Honda’s Andrew Short, who finished third overall with a 3-4 finish.

The Lites class marked another Kawasaki victory as New Zealander Ben Townley claimed his fourth AMA Motocross Lites overall victory of the season, his third in a row. The former World Motocross Champion was also finally able to gain some ground on his Monster/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki teammate, Ryan Villopoto in the championship,  barely. Townley’s 2-1 finish over Villopoto’s 1-3 gives him a two-point lead after eight rounds. Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey finished third overall with a 3-2 score.

Ferry used two second-place finishes and some fortunate happenings in the close of the second moto to capture his first overall victory since a 2001 win at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, Calif. With Yamaha’s Grant Langston safely out front in moto two, Ferry’s Kawasaki teammate James Stewart was in position to capture the overall win before a late-race crash ended his day and handed the win to Ferry. Stewart, of Haines City, Fla., was carted off the track by the medical crew with an apparent knee injury.

“I was doing the math (on who was going to win the overall) as we were getting close to the end,” Ferry said, “but still didn’t realize that I had won when we came off the track.”

Ferry now trails Stewart by just seven points in the AMA Motocross class standings.

“(The Championship) is definitely something to think about now,” Ferry continued. “I’ve never been in this position before but I’m confident and looking forward to the final four races of the season.”

Townley out-dueled local hero Ryan Villopoto to claim his third consecutive win of the season. After looking all but untouchable in the first moto, Villopoto, of Poulsbo, Wash., was in position for the overall win before a terrible start in moto two placed him at the back of the pack while Townley sprinted to the lead.

Villopoto was a man on a mission as he charged through the pack from nearly dead-last. But after overtaking Helper for third, the slippery track got the best of Villo, who crashed and lost the position. He wasn’t able to catch Townley and wound up finishing third behind Dungey for second overall. Townley now leads Villopoto by two points, 357 to 355, in the AMA Motocross Lites standings.

The AMA Toyota Motocross Championship Presented by FMF will break for one week before heading to Millville, Minn., for the Honda Spring Creek Pro National Presented by Unbound Energy and Scott USA, on August 11-12.

Washougal Motocross Park

Washougal, Wash.

Results: July 29, 2007 (Round 8 of 12)

Motocross (Moto Finish)

1. Timmy Ferry, Largo, Fla., Kawasaki, 2-2

2. Grant Langston, Clermont, Fla., Yamaha, 4-1

3. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 3-4

4. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda, 6-3

5. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM, 5-7

6. David Vuillemin, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 8-6

7. Ivan Tedesco, Montgomery, Texas, Suzuki, 10-5

8. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki, 1-35

9. Kyle Lewis, Henderson, Nev., Honda, 11-8

10. Troy Adams, Homosassa, Fla., Suzuki, 12-9

Motocross Class Point Standings

1. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki, 290

2. Timmy Ferry, Largo, Fla., Kawasaki, 283

3. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 275

4. Grant Langston, Clermont, Fla., Yamaha, 256

5. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM, 254

6. Ricky Carmichael, Tallahassee, Fla., Suzuki, 241

7. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda, 238

8. David Vuillemin, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 192

9. Davi Millsaps, Cairo, Ga., Honda, 186

10. Michael Byrne, Newnan, Ga., Suzuki, 148

Motocross Lites (Moto Finish)

1. Ben Townley, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki, 2-1

2. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 1-3

3. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 3-2

4. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Honda, 6-4

5. Brett Metcalfe, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki, 5-5

6. Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., KTM, 7-6

7. Broc Tickle, Cary, N.C., Yamaha, 8-11

8. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Honda, 13-8

9. Broc Hepler, Kittanning, Pa., Yamaha, 4-35

10. Joaquim Rodrigues, Temecula, Calif., KTM, 15-10

Motocross Lites Point Standings

1. Ben Townley, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki, 357

2. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 355

3. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Honda, 286

4. Jason Lawrence, Murrieta, Ga., Yamaha, 258

5. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 254

6. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Honda, 162

7. Thomas Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 141

8. Andrew McFarlane, Newport Beach, Calif., Suzuki, 132

9. Josh Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Yamaha, 128

10. Broc Tickle, Cary, N.C., Yamaha, 127

By Freelance