Four Winners in Four Races: 2012 Monster Energy Supercross Season Living up to Hype as it Returns to Anaheim. Not Since 1976 Have There Been Four Different Winners Through Four Races

Entering the 2012 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, season, the attention surrounded the four former champions who were set to wage war inside the most storied and popular stadiums in North America. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto – the reigning World Champion, TwoTwo Motorsports/Bel-Ray Honda’s Chad Reed, Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey, and Toyota/Yamaha/JGRMX’s James Stewart had all reached the sport’s pinnacle over the past four seasons and were ready to provide the world with a sure-to-be-memorable 2012 championship. Now, after four races, each rider has taken his turn atop the podium and as the season makes its return to Anaheim’s Angel Stadium this weekend, the Supercross Class Championship is still wide open.

Press Day is Thursday, February 2, from Noon-2:00 p.m., featuring Monster Energy Kawasaki riders Ryan Villopoto and Jake Weimer, along with MotoConcepts Suzuki’s Mike Alessi, Jeff Alessi, and Vince Friese.

Stewart’s maiden victory of the 2012 season last weekend in Oakland also signified his first win as a member of the Joe Gibbs Racing team. The two-time Monster Energy Supercross Champion stayed on two wheels throughout the entire 20-lap main event for the first time this year, and was rewarded for it, passing Reed for the lead on Lap 9 and pulling away. While Stewart took the checkered flag, Reed secured the runner-up effort, fending off the challenges of Villopoto, who finished third. Dungey overcame a 10th-place start to finish off the podium for the first time in 2012, in fourth.

It was a special race for the entire Joe Gibbs Racing organization, which enjoyed just its second Monster Energy Supercross win in four years, and also signified a historic moment in the 39-year history of the sport.

For the first time since 1976 – when the Monster Energy Supercross Championship consisted of just six races – there are four different winners through the first four races of the season. Even more impressive yet, each of these four riders have claimed at least one Monster Energy Supercross title, which has only been achieved one previous time since the inception of the championship, during the 1985 season. However, never before have four former champions won consecutive races, particularly to start a season.

Despite being just a month into the 2012 schedule, this is the most parity in the history of Monster Energy Supercross and as a result, the championship is exceptionally close heading back to Anaheim. Currently, just 12 points separate these four riders, with Dungey and Reed sharing possession of the red number plate atop the standings. Villopoto sits a mere two points back of the leaders, while Stewart’s victory helped bring him to within a dozen points of the lead duo. Additionally, each of the four title favorites has captured at least two podium results through the first four races.

Trophy Girl: The Rockstar ladies will be on hand in Anaheim

In the fourth race of the Western Regional Supercross Lites Championship, GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac became the first rider in all of Monster Energy Supercross to become a repeat winner in 2012. The sophomore rider capitalized on a strong start, and the misfortune of Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Dean Wilson and Rockstar Energy Racing Suzuki’s Martin Davalos, to maintain control of the red number plate as the championship leader, and extend his advantage in the standings to 15 points over Wilson.
Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin tied a career-best finish with his second runner-up effort in three weeks, while Monster Energy/BikeIt/Cosworth Yamaha’s Zach Osborne rounded out the podium. Osborne has now posted back-to-back third-place finishes, vaulting him to third in the championship. Wilson recovered from his Lap 2 misfortune to climb from 19th to 10th in the main event.

Last year during the second visit to Anaheim, Stewart put forth his most convincing effort of the 2011 season to capture his third win of that championship. In the Supercross Lites Class, Josh Hansen overcame a broken hand suffered in practice earlier in the day, to take his third win of the season for Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki.

The first race held in Anaheim was on December 4, 1976. Marty Smith won on a Honda. Ricky Carmichael and Jeremy McGrath share the all-time Supercross Class win record at Angel Stadium with eight wins apiece. In the Western Regional Supercross Lites Class, three riders have swept each event at Angel Stadium: Hansen, Villopoto, Ivan Tedesco and Ernesto Fonseca. Villopoto, Stewart, Kevin Windham and McGrath are the only riders in history to win in the Supercross Lites Class and Supercross Class at Anaheim.

In 2012 Enduro team KORR will focus its efforts on younger riders, with Jonny Walker who will be just 21 years old this week and up and coming Expert rider 17 year old James Dent from KORR’s home town of Kendal.

In 2011 Jonny Walker was without doubt the most improved off-road rider in the UK, in his first real season of Enduro with support of KORR he established himself as one of the UK’s fastest Enduro riders and made his mark on the International scene with podium results at the International Six Days Enduro, European Enduro Championship and at Red Bull’s Extreme Enduro’s – “Erzberg” in Austria and “Sea to Sky” in Turkey.

Currently holding 2nd place overall in the FIM SuperEnduro World Championship and leading the UK’s Fast Eddy Extreme Championship, Walker is looking to really make his mark in 2012. He will not only to compete in all major Extreme races, but also the British Sprint Enduro Championship, British Enduro Championship, some EWC rounds, the X games in USA and if time allows the ISDE in Germany. Its a very busy schedule and can only be achieved with substantial and quality support.

KTM Austria and KTM UK are giving Jonny support to achieve his goals, the main focus being Erzberg’s Extreme race and the World Indoor Championship, although JW is developing into one of the World’s fastest Extreme riders he will not turn his back on regular Enduro and is one of only a handful of riders who can be competitive in all disciplines. He will keep all 2-stroke fans happy, as again he will race KTM’s versatile 300 EXC.

KORR’s of course thanks all sponsors from the previous season that helped Jonny get to his current level and we welcome several new sponsors to the team. Firstly “SHR” a Silcon manufacturer from Blackburn who also run a World Championship Supermoto team are one of the biggest sponsors of KORR and also have a big interest in helping young James Dent follow in the footsteps of Jonny at UK Championships on a KTM 250 EXCF. Austrian clothing brand “Kini” who are synonymous with Red Bull and KTM will supply the team with their apparel and goggles, Airoh giving Jonny the best Helmets in the market and class leading TCX boots finish off the clothing sponsors.

Of new technical sponsors we welcome Akrapovic with exhausts and Carbon fiber, TM Designworks with bombproof chainguide systems – an absolute must in extreme enduro, Rekluse with their unique Clutch Technology, Enduro Engineering for Disc Guards, Radiator protection and Handguards. Raptor – the biggest and lightest Titanium footrests and S3 for adjustable cylinder heads.

We also create a closer working relationship with D3-Racing who will be assisting with race support, supply of KTM parts and general assistance of the riders. D3 will also be working closely with KORR to supply WP service and parts, especially Cone Valve Forks and Trax shocks that KORR exclusively distributes in the UK.

New Winner as round three of the AMA Supercross heats up

The Monster Energy AMA Supercross series continues to throw out all manner of surprises this season, as for the third week in a row the main event is won by a different rider. This week it was the turn of Two Two Motorsports Chad Reed to step it up as he rode to the main event win inside the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Last week’s winner KTM’s Ryan Dungey, remains the only constant in an unpredictable championship as he remained on the podium to finish second behind Reed while also extending his points lead in the series. James Stewart – Yamaha finally remained relatively mistake free to grab his first podium of the season. GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac, also captured his first Western Regional Supercross Lites Class main event win of the season to secure Honda a winning night in Los Angeles

Out Front: Dungey is the points leader after round three

Series leader, Dungey had a decent gate pick for the main event and got off to a flying start. He grabbed the holeshot and was locked in battle for the lead with rival Ryan Villopoto. Shortly after the race was red flagged when Trey Canard and Ryan Morais crashed. He then got away well in the restart, was fourth at the first corner and sat there for the first seven laps in a four-way battle with Jake Weimer, James Stewart and Chad Reed. He was able to move up to third after Weimer went down and then fought for second place with Stewart, who also crashed and handed Dungey his second place. He is the only rider to have been on the podium in all three races so far this season and is now 4 points clear of Villopoto and Reed who are tied for second.

“I have been trying to figure out what I have been doing wrong this year,” said Reed. “I switched to a tyre that I used last year and it worked. I am going to keep trying to get better each week. I will take the good with the bad and keep moving forward.”

“It feels great to hold the red number plate as we head into the fourth round,” reflected Dungey. “It’s still early in the series, but it is definitely off to a good start for the Red Bull/KTM Team. I can’t thank everybody on the team enough. They have put in so many hours and we have made so much progress on the new 450. The bike is running amazing.”

Blast Off: The Lites division remains as unpredictable as ever

In the Lites division, Tomac’s win marked the third of his career, and he is now the Western Regional Supercross Lites Class point’s leader, one point ahead of Wilson.

“I was able to sneak into the lead and ride 15 solid laps,” said Tomac. “It’s makes a huge difference when you get a good start. I should have been getting starts like this all season.”

DESPRES TAKES FOURTH DAKAR TITLE; ELEVENTH WIN FOR KTM

Red Bull KTM factory rider Cyril Despres on Sunday rode into Lima in triumph to seal his fourth career Dakar title and to present KTM with its eleventh consecutive win in this, the toughest event on the annual motorsports calendar.

Victory Spoils: Despres, Coma, Rodrigues are the top three

His KTM teammate Marc Coma finished second overall in what was one of the most epic two-way battles in the rally’s history.

KTM has now won the motorcycle division of the Dakar rally every year since 2001, with the exception of 2008 when it was canceled because of security threats. In the 2012 edition, eight of the top 10 finishers and 15 of the top 20 rode KTM machines underlining the dominance of the Austrian brand’s sports bikes.

The race was a personal triumph for French-born Despres who first won in 2005 and repeated the victory in 2007, 2010 and again in 2012. His KTM factory teammate Marc Coma, who won the rally in 2006, 2009 and 2011 finished second after one of the Dakar’s most historic and closely fought battles. Both riders set the scene for a two-way competition right from the first stage and remained minutes apart until the penultimate stage on Saturday. Coma won five stages in the 2012 edition and Despres four but it was the turn of the Frenchman to ride in triumph into Lima.

Cyril Despres: Today we won and it’s simply fantastic. This is without a shadow of a doubt the toughest Dakar I’ve ever raced in. It was difficult physically, but even more psychologically. Challenging yourself every morning and fighting on the course takes its toll on your mind. It’s not like a 42-kilometer marathon; here, you have to earn your place every morning. All victories are beautiful, but this one is special because it came down to the wire and was decided at the last minute. This was an unimaginable scenario, with the leaders separated by mere seconds. I’ve done 90 or 85 rallies throughout my life, and this one was the one where I had to fight the hardest. Today will leave its mark on me.”

Four's a Charm: Cyril wins one of the most dramatic Dakar's of recent times

The final stage from Pisco to Lima was largely ceremonial with a 254 km liaison section along the Pacific coastline of southern Peru and a brief 29 km timed special, a final encounter with the coastal dunes in the middle of the liaison section. Riders started in reverse order for the final stage that completed this marathon, almost 9,000 km ride from Mar del Plata in Argentina to Lima. Along the way they encountered vastly different terrain ranging from the Argentinean pampas to the high Andes, the daunting Atacama Desert of Chile and finally the southern coastal plains and rios of Peru. It was the first time that the rally had included Peru and the first time it represented a dash from the Atlantic coastline to the Pacific

The last timed special went to Pal Anders Ullevalseter of Norway (KTM) who finished ahead of Coma in second place. Despres, who said after the penultimate stage that the effort to stay ahead of Coma had cost a huge amount of physical and mental energy coasted home in tenth place.

Only minutes had separated the two KTM leaders going into the penultimate stage and the competition was fierce. Since the beginning of the rally both riders had never let up in speed and determination. But in the heat of the battle on Friday, Coma made a huge jump on the bike and when he landed he knew he had gearbox problems. He nursed the bike back to the bivouac but also made a navigational error in the process and this was enough to give his rival the lead he needed.

A new Dakar rule in 2012 penalizes riders 15 minutes for the first change of engines and 45 minutes for the second. As the factory team had decided to change out both engines in the lead riders bikes one stage into the second half of the rally this meant that when Coma’s engine was changed a second time he was given another 45 minutes penalty, effectively handing the title to his teammate.

Alex Doringer, Team Manager for KTM’s factory team said he was delighted that his top two riders had taken first and second place. “The battle between them was amazing,” he said from the finish in Lima, adding the team was also very happy that Johnny Aubert from the KTM Enduro Factory Team finished in overall fourteenth place in his rookie Dakar ride. Johnny rode a standard series model KTM 450 Rally Replica and went into the rally with a mission to learn and enjoy.

Open Road: Tough, Demanding, Unpredictable, the Dakar had everything

KTM’s motorsports expert Heinz Kinigadner, himself a former Dakar rider said it was a great day for the company. “This battle between Cyril Despres and Marc Coma was one of the tightest and one of the most interesting in the history of the rally. They were virtually wheel on wheel in almost every stage. They both gave everything both physically and mentally and they both deserve to go into the Dakar record books for this great effort. It is naturally unfortunate that Marc had some gearbox problems in the penultimate stage and picked up a 45-minute penalty for the engine change. Otherwise their times at the finish line would have been only minutes apart.”

Centre Stage: Dungey gets his first win with KTM

Red Bull/KTM Factory riders Ryan Dungey and Marvin Musquin added a liberal dash of KTM orange to the Supercross and SX Lites categories of Round 2 of the AMA competition when Dungey won the SX class and Musquin was second in SX Lites. It was KTM’s first SX victory since the company committed to pursue a top place in the US competition to add to its honors in the World Championships.

Dungey, third in Round 1 now tops the points table and starts with the red plate in Round 3. Musquin is equal third in SX Lites points, trailing the leader by just two points.

Not only did Dungey take the win, he nailed the holeshot and led every lap of the twenty lap main event. His first career win on his KTM 450 machine also marks the first ever for the KTM brand in the SX class. Dungey qualified third fastest from practice and earned a fourth place finish in his heat to transfer to the main. Once he lined up on that gate, everything went his way.

“I was definitely motivated by my teammate tonight,” Dungey said on the podium. “I saw Marvin (Musquin) got second in the Lites main and knew I had to step up my game to match him and do well for our team. This win feels so incredible. The whole crew at KTM has been behind me 100% since I joined them in October and it is amazing to earn this win together!”

Red Bull/KTM Factory Team Manager Roger DeCoster, commented, “It is not just our team in the US but the whole crew in Austria at our factory that have helped us get here. It’s amazing to get a podium in only our second race of the season. It feels really good that we were able to deliver for the people that backed us. We have proved ourselves with a win and intend to keep progressing.”

Stadium Lights: Dungey looks very comfortable with KTM

It was naturally also a great night for Dungey’s teammate, 2 x MX2 World Champion Marvin Musquin of France who picked up his first career SX Lites podium when he finished second overall in Round 2 of the West Supercross Lites Series. Plagued with injury throughout the season in 2011, Musquin has now shown he is a serious player in the West Coast Lites category.

The French rider finished fifth place in his heat race to easily transfer to the main event. When the gate dropped for the Lites main event Musquin rocketed off the line to be second in the first corner. He tried to block pass holeshot winner Tyla Rattray to take the lead on the second lap but wasn’t able to make it stick. On the third corner he moved around Rattray but the pass slowed him up and allowed Wilson to overtake for the lead. Musquin crossed the line in second after 15 laps with Dean Wilson taking the eventual win.

“It feels awesome!” Musquin said after the race. “I have been dreaming of this moment since I was a young kid. This is honestly a dream come true.”

French Fighter: Musquin holds off Rattray for second

After two rounds Musquin is tied for third place in points with Dean Wilson. The next round of the series is in Los Angeles, CA on January 21, 2012.

Day 11: Marathon Stage

Alessandro Botturi is having a great Dakar - today he was 12th

Cyril Despres went into Stage 11 of the Dakar Rally on Thursday with the slimmest of overall margins just 21 seconds ahead of KTM factory teammate Marc Coma. At the end of the 534 km timed split section, Despres was first across the line and had extended his lead to 2 minutes 22 over his rival.

Gerard Farres Guell of Spain shocked everyone by finishing just 1 minute 39 behind Despres in second place while Johnny Aubert, competing in his first Dakar Rally on a series model KTM 450 Rally Replica bike posted his best stage result so far with fourth.  After winning Stage 10 and breaking the KTM stranglehold on the Rally, Speedbrain Husqvarna’s scored another top five result. EWC regular, Alessandro Botturi was 12th.

New Zealand’s Chris Birch finished 17th, Stan Watt was 34th.

Results Stage 11

Saviour:Paulo Goncalves pulled Despres out of the mud but Cyril forgot to return the favour

Dakar Day 8: Mud Glorious Mud!

Today the race for the lead got turned on its head once again as this time it was Cyril Despres’ turn to fall foul. Recent localized flash floods created a mud hole that wasn’t marked on the rider’s road books. First to open the road was Marc Coma who somehow cleverly spotted the danger that lay ahead and took avoiding action. Next on the road, Despres, wasn’t so lucky as he hit the hazard head on. Losing upwards of 17 minutes trying to dig his way out, Cyril watched his healthy advantage disappear. On appeal, organizers awarded part of this back to leave Coma with a smaller race lead than he’d originally hoped for, but it’s the lead nonetheless. Today was proof that in the Dakar anything can happen…

Today Aubert finished 11th to bump his way up to 17th overall.

Chris Birch was 35th and sits 39th overall.

Stan Watt was 59th  and is now 41st overall.

Stage Eight (amended results)

Overall Results after Stage Eight

Dakar Day 6: Cancelled

Zanol: Even on rest day the Dakar delivers some unbelievable scenery...

Bad weather (read rain and snow!) has resulted in the organisers being forced to cancel day six of the rally resulting in an unexpected rest day for competitors. The bad weather has left conditions unsafe for competitors to cross the Andes Cordillera Mountains. Situated at approximately 4700m above sea level the area was harshly hit by snowstorms overnight. Organisers instead will organise a convoy for all vehicles, which after the border crossing will follow the main road to Copiapo, Chile for the one rest day on Saturday.

Time Out: Chris Birch relaxes

Dakar Day 5: Despres Dominates the Dunes!
In the first real test of the sand in the rally, it was a reversal of order from Day 4 as Despres got the better of Coma to clinch victory in the 265km stage along the white sands of Fiambalá. Rodrigues is 3rd overall but is now over 47mins behind the leading duo.
Johnny Aubert had another good ride and improves to 21st overall.
Donegal’s Stan Watt is 46th overall one spot in front of Chris Birch in 47th.

Cyril Despres: “After the first day, you could have said that lots of other riders were going to be involved in the fight, but in the end, there aren’t too many! The gaps aren’t very big at the moment and we’re playing with gaps of two minutes. Today was easier for me, because I set off behind Coma. Perhaps tomorrow, it will be the opposite. I’ve got a lead over him and it’s a fairly comfortable cushion. Mind you, it can disappear quickly, so I need to keep the same state of mind and the same amount of concentration.”

Sand Castles: No time to play in the sand as Aubert powers his way to 21st

Dakar Day 4: Coma Fights Back!

After yesterday’s slight detour, Marc Coma kept things very squarely on track to claim the day’s stage win and claw another two minutes out of Cyril Despres’s lead. They now stand 8 minutes 10 seconds apart after nearly 12 hours of timed racing. Although starting sixth on the road, Coma was fastest through the opening Way Point and maintained advantage throughout the 326km special stage. Starting first on the road it was Despres turn to act as road sweeper laying down tracks for others to follow. Maintaing caution on the highest mountain of the rally of 3200m, Despres fought back in the later stages of the day to finish second. Third again went to Sherco’s Frans Verhoeven though Yamaha’s Helder Rodrigues is now third overall some 26 minutes behind Despres.

Dakar rookie Johnny Aubert sits 27th overall. Fellow rookie and extreme enduro specialist Chris Birch had a troubled day and drops to 53rd overall.

Donegal’s Stan Watt continues to show excellent form and after day four is now up to 43rd overall.

Marc Coma: “It was a very tough special, in particular at the beginning with the fast start. Then we had to focus on the navigation and tackle a lot of water in the rivers. I tried to ride at a very fast pace from the beginning, but it was difficult. I was able to overtake a few riders and make up some time on Cyril. Fiambala and many other stages still lie ahead. That is the way things are right now. And I keep on fighting every day.”

Dakar Day 3: Cyril Takes Over

Cyril Despres claims his first stage win of the rally – and it’s massive. 
Finishing over 8mins clear of 2nd place Frans Verhoeven, he more importantly beats rival Marc Coma by 13mins to now lead the race… Game On!

Out Front: Cyril Despres has the advantage

Frenchman Antoine Meo is hot property right now in Enduro World Championship circles. For the last two years straight the then Huqvarna mounted rider dominated both the E1 and E2 world championships while also toppling the might of the Austrian manufacture KTM. Now KTM don’t like to lose, so when it happened two years in a row they decided that they wouldn’t be prepared to let it happen a third time so they’ve brought Meo under their awning for 2012. Top French magazine Motoverte caught up with the Frenchman for a first look at Antoine in orange as he puts in some winter riding around his own “backyard”…

 

Credit: www.motoverte.com
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