Buchanan, Mich., July 2, 2011 – Chad Reed scored a strong opening moto win and then followed it up with a solid third-place finish in moto two to claim his fourth overall win of the season at round six of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship at RedBud Raceway in Buchanan, Michigan.
In moto one, Reed moved his TwoTwo Motorsports/Bel-Ray Racing Honda into the lead on lap seven, passing Muscle Milk/Toyota/JGR’s Davi Millsaps to do so. Reed then proceeded to lead the remaining nine laps, fending off last-lap pressure from Rockstar/Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey to take the win.MIllsaps ended the moto in third ahead of Dungey’s Suzuki teammate Brett Metcalfe and Muscle Milk/Toyota/JGR’s Justin Brayton. Meanwhile, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto ended the moto in ninth, having crashed on the opening lap, which dislodged his muffler.In Moto two, Villopoto rebounded nicely from his disappointing first moto finish by taking the early lead and holding it to the finish.
Dungey found his way into second, but was unable to make a dent in Villopoto’s lead.
Reed, on the other hand, battled early on with Red Bull KTM’s Mike Alessi before settling into third, which was good enough for the overall win.”I got a good start in Moto two and got into third,” said Reed. “Dungey made some mistakes and I tried to get by, but then I made mistakes and Alessi passed me. At that point I knew I had to just settle down and be smart.”Dungey claimed the runner-up spot with his 2-2 score, while Villopoto rounded out the podium with a 9-1 finish.”I felt good today,” said Dungey. “It was just a little unfortunate. I wanted to run in contention with Villopoto, but I wasn’t making it happen.”With half the schedule in the books, Reed’s 1-3 finish combined with Villopoto’s first-moto ninth increased the Aussie’s advantage in the series standings to 16 points over Villopoto.In the 250 division, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Blake Baggett dominated both motos to score a 1-1 overall win, his fourth overall victory of the year.In the opening moto, GEICO Powersports Honda’s Justin Barcia took the early lead, only to crash out on lap four. DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing Yamaha’s Ryan Sipes took over at that point and led until giving in to pressure from Baggett on lap nine.
Baggett held on to take the win, while teammate Dean Wilson slipped past Sipes on lap 12 to take second. Sipes was third, ahead of teammate Kyle Cunningham and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Ryla Rattray.In Moto two, Baggett took the lead on the opening lap and led wire-to-wire, while Wilson rode the entire race in second. Rattray moved up through the pack to finish third.”Going 1-1 is a pretty good day I’d say,” said Baggett. “The championship is still really far out. Neither of my teammates has had a bad race yet, but if they do, I want to be there to capitalize. I just want to be there in the end, and if it happens, it happens. No matter what, I’m going to give it my all.”
Wilson went 2-2 to take his fifth runner-up finish of the season. Meanwhile, Rattray completed the team sweep in third with a 5-3 score.Wilson maintains the points lead he held coming into the weekend, holding a 14-point lead over Baggett.450 Class
1. Chad Reed, Kurri Kurri, Australia, Honda (1-3)
2. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki (2-2)
3. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki (9-1)
4. Brett Metcalfe, Mannum, Australia, Suzuki (4-5)
5. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM (8-4)
6. Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Yamaha (5-7)
7. Andrew Short, Colorado Springs, Colo., KTM (6-8)
8. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha (3-13)
9. Kevin Windham, Baton Rouge, La., Honda (12-6)
10. Christian Craig, El Cajon, Calif., Honda (10-10)250 Class
1. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki (1-1)
2. Dean Wilson, Glasgow, Scotland, Kawasaki (2-2)
3. Tyla Rattray, Durban, South Africa, Kawasaki (5-3)
4. Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha (4-4)
5. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki (7-5)
6. Wil Hahn, Wichita, Kan., Honda (8-6)
7. Ryan Sipes, Louisville, Ky., Yamaha (3-14)
8. Martin Davalos, Quito, Ecuador, Suzuki (11-7)
9. Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda (9-10)
10. Scott Champion, La Jolla, Calif., Honda (13-13)
