Monster Energy Kawasaki Looks Good in
Dallas
On an odd night in Dallas, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto scored a fourth place finish at the new Cowboys Stadium while snow fell outside on the first day of spring. In the lites class, Christophe Pourcel was caught up in a big first turn crash and had to fight his way up to finish seventh.
One Spot Away
Villopoto rode a strong race as he worked his way up from 10th on the first lap to finish fourth. The 21-year-old posted the third fastest time in practice and was second in his heat race.
“Everything was a little bit off today,” said Villopoto. “The first problem I had was not getting a good start in the main event. I knew I should have picked a more inside gate. With the way the track was, the start was even more important than normal. It was 100 percent of why I finished where I finished tonight was the start.”
Big Pileup
In the lites main event, nearly three-quarters of the field was on the ground in the first turn and unfortunately for Pourcel he was near the bottom of the pile. Once he got going, he was 20th in the lineup and began a difficult march to the front. Pourcel rode strong to get up to seventh and maintain his points lead in the championship standings.
“I don’t know what happened, but pretty much everybody crashed in the first turn,” said Pourcel. “I tried to ride my way back up to the front, but it was difficult. I’m a little sore from my crash in Toronto and going down at the start didn’t help. It wasn’t a fun night.”
Injury Update
Chad Reed was in Dallas for the supercross and he gave an update on his return.
“I’m still working hard to come back during the supercross season,” said Reed. “I want to come back as soon as I can, but I also want to make sure I am 100 percent. It is really week to week, but I’m riding now and we’re going to do some outdoor testing soon.”
Absent
Dean Wilson was unable to compete at Dallas after having trouble re-entering the United States following the Toronto round. Wilson is working hard with government officials to make sure he is able to compete next week at Jacksonville.
One Line
The dirt at Cowboys Stadium was inconsistent outside of the main line and it made passing difficult all night long.
“You had to take the main line everywhere tonight,” said Villopoto. “The dirt wasn’t the greatest. If you got off line the track was super clumpy and you didn’t know what the bike would do.”
Standings
As the start at Dallas proved, anything can happen in the next three races as the AMA Supercross Lites Eastern Region championship comes to conclusion. As the defending champion in the series, Pourcel knows what he has to do to repeat.
“We’ll see what will happen in the next three races,” said Pourcel. “You never know what will go on. I’m just going to work hard and get good starts and hopefully not crash again.”
Filling the Gap
After finishing fourth at Dallas, Villopoto is 24 points back in the championship. The Washington native isn’t throwing in the towel and he knows he can work his way back.
“We should have some better dirt for sure in Jacksonville,” said Villopoto. “I’m going to go there and do my best to get as many points as possible, but I’m going to need some help.”
