A terrific Paulo Gonçalves on the Honda CRF450 RALLY takes the Stage and the Leadership

Courtesy of Team HRC

TEAM HRC continues to lead the Morocco Rally. In a 298 km second stage, including 240 against the clock, ‘Speedy’ Gonçalves carved out an amazing victory that places hims at the top of the leaderboard. The other TEAM HRC riders put in fine performances too, with Sam Sunderland third and Joan Barreda in fifth.   Another day, another type of rally. After the sand and dunes of yesterday’s opening stage, today saw an entire day of rocky mountain terrain with a lot of navigation. Joan Barreda started out first and rode a fine race, although this allowed the other riders to follow his tracks and thus gain time. His colleague TEAM HRC rider Paulo Gonçalves, seemed at ease on his Honda CRF450 RALLY and kept up the consistency in the first leg, before pushing hard in the later stages. Around Zagora he was practically unbeatable. Gonçalves finds himself leading in the overall standings after two days of rally.   British rider Sam Sunderland also put in a fine performance, overcoming a slight navigational error early on in the special and finishing in third. Joan Barreda’s fifth place leaves him behind Gonçalves in the overall standings. A good all-round team effort.   The tough rocky terrain suited much less Argentine Javier Pizzolito, who is looking forward again to the sand and dunes, where he hopes to better today’s seventh place.   Finally, Hélder Rodrigues, who set out from fourth position suffered an electronic failure some fifteen km from the end of the stage.

Paulo Goncalves 1st 2:50’22 TEAM HRC It was a mountain and rocky stage with a lot of navigation. I think I did well trying to stay on course. The Honda CRF450 RALLY never ceases to amaze me. In the hard terrain the traction is very important and it’s been great to see how it handles the curves. Let’s see how the next four days play out in this tough rally.

Sam Sunderland 3rd +2’09 TEAM HRC A very tough one today with loads of navigation and a lot of rocks. I kept up a great speed until the end after I had a small error near the start. I lost a little time but after was able to push hard. I navigated well and I’m happy.

Joan Barreda 5th +3’45 TEAM HRC I’m very pleased. Having two fast riders like Marc and Paulo behind pushing all day, means that I’ve got to be happy with the result. There was a lot of difficult navigation and I had to mark out the route up front. Tomorrow I start behind them so hopefully I’ll catch up and we can stay together.

Javier Pizzolito 7th +6’52 TEAM HRC We’ve finished a really hard, complicated stage with a lot of rocks. I’m getting used to that type of terrain now. It’s been a very positive stage and the idea was to not lose time. I think if I keep up this pace I should be able to make it up among the leaders.

Stage 2 Results 1 Paulo Goncalves 02:50’22 PRT HONDA TEAM HRC 2 Marc Coma +02’00 ESP KTM KTM Red Bull Rally Factory 3 Sam Sunderland +02’09 ENG HONDA TEAM HRC 4 Chaleco López +02’51 CHI KTM KTM Red Bull Rally Factory 5 Joan Barreda +03’45 ESP HONDA TEAM HRC 6 Ben Graham +06’31 AUS KTM KTM AUS Rally Factory 7 Javier Pizzolito +06’52 ARG HONDA TEAM HRC 8 Kurt Caselli +07’01 USA KTM KTM Red Bull Rally Factory 9 Alessandro Botturi +09’19 ITA SPEEDBRAIN Team Speedbrain 10 Ruben Faria +09’37 POR KTM KTM Red Bull Rally Factory

Overall standings after Stage 2 1 Paulo Goncalves 5:19’30 PRT HONDA TEAM HRC 2 Joan Barreda +00’17 ESP HONDA TEAM HRC 3 Marc Coma +01’47 ESP KTM KTM Red Bull Rally Factory 4 Chaleco López +08’40 CHI KTM KTM Red Bull Rally Factory 5 Sam Sunderland +09’50 ENG HONDA TEAM HRC 6 Javier Pizzolito +13’56 ARG HONDA TEAM HRC 7 Alessandro Botturi +18’02 ITA SPEEDBRAIN Team Speedbrain 8 Alain Duclos +18’56 FRA SHERCO Sherco Rally Factory 9 Ben Graham +25’24 AUS KTM KTM AUS Rally Factory 10 Ruben Faria +28’46 POR KTM KTM Red Bull Rally Factory

Event information TOMORROW STAGEStage 3 : Under the sun of MahmidLiaison : 65km Selective sector: 250km Liaison : 98km Back in the sand! The Cheggaga erg will be the playground of this third stage where co-pilots will have to keep an eye on the caps. The start will be on a rolling, fast track before the competitors descend into the valley via a simple but uneven track. On a sandy and undulated track, they will follow the Cheggaga Erg to reach Lake Iriki. Amateurs of speed will enjoy this fast portion on the lake, but co-pilots should keep an eye on their notes in order to reach the most Westerly point of the rally. The return takes place at the cap in order to cross the chott and access the dunes. Those who like the sand will be delighted! As these are the most beautiful dunes of the rally. Pilots must follow the caps to escape the erg via beautiful easy tracks with many parallels to reach the finish.

Rookie Barcia Soars to First-Ever Monster Energy Supercross Win in Phoenix

Courtesy of Supercross Media

Tomac Opens 250SX Class With Back-to-Back Victories

 

PHOENIX (January 12, 2013) – Honda/Muscle Milk’s Justin Barcia, of Ochlocknee, Ga., captured the first 450SX Class win of his career tonight at Chase Field in front of 50,109 fans. GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac, of Cortez, Colo., won his second consecutive Western Regional 250SX Class Main Event and now has a six-point lead in the season point standings.

 

Barcia, who is in his rookie season, picked up the Nuclear Cowboyz^® Holeshot Award in the 450SX Class Main Event as last week’s winner, Davi Millsaps, of Murrieta, Calif., and TwoTwo Motorsports Honda’s Chad Reed, of Australia, trailed in second and third, respectively. On Lap 1, two-time defending Monster Energy Supercross Champion Ryan Villopoto, of Poulsbo, Wash., spun out and dropped from fourth to eighth place.

 

Honda/Muscle Milk’s Trey Canard, of Shawnee, Okla., passed Reed for third place on Lap 11 and then passed Millsaps for second place on Lap 14. Villopoto rebounded and moved into fourth place aboard his Monster Energy Kawasaki on Lap 13, and then passed Millsaps’ Rockstar Energy Racing machine on Lap 15 for third place. Canard and Villopoto engaged in a battle for second place for several laps until Canard crashed on the last lap, allowing Villopoto, Millsaps and Reed to re-pass him. Villopoto finished second and Millsaps finished third, keeping the 450SX Class lead in the season point standings.

 

“I can’t tell you how excited I am right now,” said Barcia, who became the 56^th different winner in 450SX Class history. “I didn’t think this win would come so soon. I kept it smooth out there, but the track was super slick. It was a great night for me.”

 

Lucas Oil/Troy Lee Designs/Honda’s Jessy Nelson, of Paso Robles, Calif., earned the Nuclear Cowboyz^® Holeshot Award in the 250SX Class Main Event, leading Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Martin Davalos, of Ecuador, and GEICO Honda’s Zach Osborne, of Chesterfield, S.C., who followed in second and third, respectively, through the first turn. On the opening lap, Davalos, who suffered a frightening crash in his Heat Race earlier in the evening, moved into the lead.

 

After a fifth-place start, Tomac made his way to second place and passed Davalos on Lap 7 en route to his ninth 250SX Class race win with a 10.193 second margin of victory. Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen, of Germany, passed Davalos on the last lap to secure the runner-up spot. Davalos held on for a season-best third place.

 

“I am totally stoked,” said Tomac. “I am now two-for-two this season, and to get a win here in Phoenix is huge because I have a lot of family and friends here. I haven’t had a lot of great races here in the past, so picking up the win is awesome.”

 

Monster Energy Supercross will continue next Saturday night, January 19, at Angels Stadium in Anaheim, Calif.

 

450SX Class Results

1.     Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda

2.     Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Honda

3.     Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki

4.     Chad Reed, Australia, Honda

5.     Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda

6.     Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki

7.     James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki

8.     Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM

9.     Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda

10.  Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha
450SX Class Points

1.     Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki – 45

2.     Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda – 39

3.     Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda – 38

4.     Chad Reed, Australia, Honda – 36

5.     Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM – 33

6.     Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki – 31

7.     Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Honda – 27

8.     Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda – 27  

9.     James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki – 27

10.  Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha – 21
Western Regional 250SX Class Results

1.     Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda

2.     Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM

3.     Martin Davalos, Ecuador, Kawasaki

4.     Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda

5.     Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda

6.     Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda

7.     Ryan Sipes, Ekron, Ky., Suzuki

8.     Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha

9.     Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Honda

10.  Christian Craig, Wildomar, Calif., Honda
Western Regional 250SX Class Points

1.     Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda – 50

2.     Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM – 44

3.     Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda – 38

4.     Ryan Sipes, Ekron, Ky., Suzuki – 29

5.     Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda – 29

6.     Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha – 23

7.     Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki – 22

8.     Max Anstie, England, Suzuki – 22

9.     Martin Davalos, Ecuador, Kawasaki – 21

10.  Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Honda – 20

 

Supercross LIVE!^® is back in 2013 with a three-hour mid-raceday program from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. local time. Hosts, Jim Holley, a former World Supercross Champion, and Kevin Barnett, a former member of the U.S. Men’s Olympic Volleyball Team and professional broadcaster, will provide in-depth analysis of the afternoon’s practice and qualifying sessions as the riders and teams prepare for the night racing, in addition to interviews and behind-the-scenes coverage. As the only place to follow live practice and qualifying coverage from Monster Energy Supercross, Supercross LIVE! provides fans with an inside perspective before the gate drops on the night’s qualifying and Main Events.  Additionally, there will be video snippets made available throughout the race day that can be viewed on www.SupercrossOnline.com, the official website of Monster Energy Supercross, or the YouTube Channel www.YouTube.com/SupercrossLive. To access the live streaming broadcasts, go to www.SupercrossOnline.com/SupercrossLive or subscribe to the Supercross LIVE! streaming channel at http://new.LiveStream.com/Supercrosslive.

 

For more information on the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, please log on to www.SupercrossOnline.com, the official website of Monster Energy Supercross. For all media requests, please contact Denny Hartwig dhartwig@feldinc.com or 630-566-6305. To follow Monster Energy Supercross on Facebook and Twitter, log on to http://www.facebook.com/supercrosslive and http://twitter.com/supercrosslive.

 

About Feld Motor Sports^®

Feld Motor Sports^®, Inc. is the world leader in specialized arena and stadium-based motor sports entertainment.  Feld Motor Sports, Inc. productions include Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam^®, Monster Energy Supercross, AMSOIL Arenacross, Nuclear Cowboyz^®, and IHRA^® Nitro Jam^®.  Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a division of Feld Entertainment, the world’s largest producer of live family entertainment.  For more information on Feld Entertainment, visit www.feldentertainment.com.