ANAHEIM, Calif. (February 7, 2009) – The penultimate round in California produced a lot of excitement as 43,812 diehard fans braved the rain and cold temperatures inside Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California to witness San Manuel Yamaha’s James Stewart, of Dade City, Fla., take his fifth consecutive win of the 2009 Monster Energy® AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship. Rockstar/Makita Suzuki’s Chad Reed, of Tampa, Fla., brought home his fifth straight second place finish to retain the points lead. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer, of Rupert, Idaho, garnered his third win in the AMA Arenacross Lites class and grabbed the class points lead.
Stewart led the field through the first corner with Red Bull Honda’s Davi Millsaps, of Tallahassee, Fla., and JGRMX/Toyota/Yamaha’s Josh Grant, of Riverside, Calif., in tow. The 2007 series champion never looked back and led all 20 laps of the main event. Reed found himself mid pack and moved into the top five by lap 2.
Reed would continue his charge, breaking into the top three on lap 5 and second on lap 7. He maintained a blistering pace to close in on Stewart, but settled for the runner-up spot. Millsaps held off the late charges of teammate Ivan Tedesco, of Tallahassee, Fla., to take third.
“Man it was crazy out there,” explained Stewart. “I was just riding out there and realized it was raining. We got one more race out here in California and so far it’s been good. The thanks really goes out to my team. Larry Brooks, San Manuel, and all the crew they’ve been awesome this year.”
“It was sketchy,” said Reed. “I just tried to put in some consistent laps. The guys put the bike together for the mud and we just tried as hard as we could. Starts are part of the race. I just need to work on them. I really want to thank my team Rockstar/Makita Suzuki. I’m definitely feeling a lot better now than I have been.”
Weimer opened the AMA Supercross Lites main event with a mid-pack start but worked his way to the front behind leader Justin Brayton, of Murrieta, Calif., before the conclusion of lap one. The two riders engaged in a heated battle until lap eight when Weimer made the winning pass and brought teammate Ryan Morais, of Murrieta, Calif., along with him. Morais would stay close, keeping Weimer honest to bring home a runner-up finish. Brayton maintained his hold on third.
“Yeh this is a huge win for sure,” said Weimer. “Once I got by Justin (Brayton) I just kept my head down and tried to ride consistent for the rest of the main. It feels great to take the points lead and the momentum into San Diego next weekend.”
AMA Supercross Class Results, Anaheim 3
- James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha
- Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Suzuki
- Davi Millsaps, Tallahassee, Fla., Honda
- Ivan Tedesco, Tallahassee, Fla., Honda
- Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha
- Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda
- Kevin Windham, Centerville, Miss., Honda
- Josh Hill, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
- Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Yamaha
- Tim Ferry, Largo, Fla., Kawasaki
AMA Supercross Class Season Standings
- Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Suzuki, 130
- James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha, 127
- Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha, 111
- Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 102
- Ivan Tedesco, Tallahasse, Fla., Honda, 91
- Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 88
- Kevin Windham, Centerville, Miss., Honda, 82
- Davi Millsaps, Tallahassee, Fla., Honda, 75
- Mike Alessi, Apple Valley, Calif., Suzuki, 68
- Tim Ferry, Largo, Fla., Kawasaki, 67
Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites Class Results, Anaheim 3
- Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki
- Ryan Morais, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki
- Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., KTM
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki
- Jeff Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Honda
- Ryan Sipes, Vine Grove, Ky., KTM
- Dan Reardon, Menifee, Calif., Honda
- P.J. Larsen, Stanley, N.C., Kawasaki
- Chris Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., Honda
- Eric McCrummen, Oakley, Calif., Honda
Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites Class Season Standings
1. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki, 113
2. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 110
3. Ryan Morais, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki, 102
4. Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., KTM, 88
5. Ryan Sipes, Vine Grove, Ky., KTM, 69
6. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., Honda, 68
7. Dan Reardon, Menifee, Calif., Honda, 56
8. P.J. Larsen, Stanley, N.C., Kawasaki, 51
9. Jeff Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Honda, 39
10. Eric McCrummen, Oakley, Calif., Honda, 38
The AMA Supercross class will air on SPEED, Sunday, February 8 at 2:30p.m. EST and the Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites class race will also air on SPEED on Sunday, February 8 at 3:30 p.m. EST.