With a record event
attendance of nearly 25,000 fans, the 45th running of the Red Bull Hangtown
Motocross Classic proved to be one for the history books as the 2013 Lucas Oil
Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, kicked off in
Sacramento, Calif. on Saturday. After missing an entire season in 2012 due to
injury, Monster Energy Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto made a valiant return,
sweeping both 450 Class motos atop one of the most stacked fields in the
series' recent history. Additionally, Red Bull KTM's Ken Roczen claimed his
first career 250 Class overall victory at Hangtown.
Yoshimura Suzuki's James
Stewart, who missed most of the second half of the 2012 season, made a comeback
of his own by grabbing the Motorcycle-Superstore.com holeshot in Moto 1,
garnering one point toward the overall championship holeshot bonus of $25,000
in the 450 Class. However, keeping the lead wasn't an easy task as three other
former 450 Class Champions and several returning contenders chased the 2008
champ early on.
Stewart was 2-for-2 on holeshots Saturday
Villopoto took over the
lead on the opening lap with Stewart and defending champion Ryan Dungey close
in tow. The trio diced it out in the first half of Moto 1 but it was ultimately
Villopoto who locked in the moto win, with Dungey in second and Stewart in
third.
Team Honda Muscle Milk's Trey Canard returned to the Hangtown Motocross Classic for the first time since his 250 Class championship-winning season in 2010. Canard made a statement early on as he jumped in behind the lead battle and even closed in on Stewart near the end of Moto 1. Just behind was the epic battle for fifth place between Canard's teammate Barcia, BTO Sports/KTM's Andrew Short, Lucas Oil Troy Lee Honda's Malcolm Stewart, Smartop/MotoConcepts Mike Alessi and 450 Class rookie Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Dean Wilson. Malcolm Stewart, Alessi and Wilson experienced issues that dropped all three in the running order, while Canard and Barcia prevailed, rounding out the top five, with Short sixth.
Team Honda Muscle Milk's Trey Canard returned to the Hangtown Motocross Classic for the first time since his 250 Class championship-winning season in 2010. Canard made a statement early on as he jumped in behind the lead battle and even closed in on Stewart near the end of Moto 1. Just behind was the epic battle for fifth place between Canard's teammate Barcia, BTO Sports/KTM's Andrew Short, Lucas Oil Troy Lee Honda's Malcolm Stewart, Smartop/MotoConcepts Mike Alessi and 450 Class rookie Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Dean Wilson. Malcolm Stewart, Alessi and Wilson experienced issues that dropped all three in the running order, while Canard and Barcia prevailed, rounding out the top five, with Short sixth.
Trey Canard posted a 5-5 score in his return
James Stewart began Moto 2
in similar fashion to the first, grabbing the Motorcycle-Superstore holeshot
once again and taking over the points lead in the season-long chase for the
end-of-the-year cash prize. From there, Stewart engaged in a battle for the lead
with Dungey, while Villopoto followed close behind. Near the halfway mark,
Villopoto made his move to the front, leaving Dungey and Stewart to fight for
the second place position. Dungey bested Stewart for the second place spot in
Moto 2, giving the Minnesota native second overall for the day with a pair of
second place finishes. Stewart, the 2012 Hangtown winner, scored (3-3) for
third place overall. Villopoto went on to secure the first overall win of the
2013 season with a score of (1-1).
Villopoto, Dungey and Stewart go 1-2-3 in both motos
"Hangtown has always
been a rough place for me so for the bike to feel like it did today was
amazing," Villopoto said. "I'm obviously happy with that and happy
with how I rode. I feel like we're in a really good place and it's only going to
get better from here."
Villopoto didn't encounter much resistance in this one
The 250 Class was set to
be a showcase with a full lineup of returning contenders, including defending
250 Class Champion Blake Baggett. Fresh off a wrist injury, the Monster
Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider had no reservations about getting to the front
early on as he grabbed the Motorcycle-Superstore holeshot in Moto 1. However,
the Red Bull KTM duo of Marvin Musquin and Ken Roczen quickly gained control of
the lead. Musquin led three laps before his teammate commanded the lead for the
remainder of Moto 1.
GEICO Honda's Eli Tomac
began the first moto just outside of the top five but made his way into podium
contention early on. Tomac first set his sights on Musquin and then made his
way around Baggett to eventually secure second place in Moto 1. Baggett finished
third, while Musquin took fourth and MyPlash Star RacingYamaha/Metal Mulisha's
Cooper Webb rounded out the top five in his Pro class debut.
Cooper Webb (left) performed well in his first moto as a pro
In Moto 2, GEICO Honda's
Zach Bell grabbed the Motorcycle-Superstore holeshot but it was once again
Roczen who jumped out front on the opening lap. Roczen set the pace early on
and Baggett remained close in tow throughout the first half of the race. Roczen
eventually put a gap on the defending champion in the final laps of Moto 2,
going on to secure his first career victory in the 250 Class.
"Coming here, I
didn't really know what to expect because I sort of took some time to have fun
during the week off [between supercross and motocross]," Roczen said.
"It's important to me to keep things fun but next week it's time to put in
some work and make my performance even better."
Roczen records his first career overall win
Baggett's score of (3-2)
was enough to give him second overall for the day, while Tomac went (2-3) for
third overall. Musquin captured a pair of fourth places to claim fourth
overall, while GEICO Honda's Zach Osborne rounded out the top five overall with
a (9-5) score.
Tomac and Baggett finish on the podium in both motos, putting them back on stage for the overall podium
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