LAKEWOOD, Colo. (June 27, 2009) – For just the second time in history, the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship raced under the lights for round five from Thunder Valley MX in Lakewood, Colo., producing a pair of first time winners. Honda Red Bull Racing’s Ivan Tedesco, of Tallahassee, Fla., dominated the 450 Class, sweeping the evening’s motos while Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer, of Rupert, Idaho, captured the 250 Class victory.
Tedesco was the first rider out of the gates in each moto, grabbing the holeshot and never looking back, leading every lap on Saturday night. The evening marked Tedesco’s first wins, moto and overall, since moving into the premier 450 Class in 2006.
"This is actually my first win outdoors since 2005," said Tedesco. "I won here in the (250 Class) and that lead to a championship in that class. It’s been a long time coming and I’ve had to battle through some injuries over the years, but I feel like I’m in top form and it feels great. This year didn’t start out great at the first race, but I’ve had podiums and great runs since then."
Andrew Short, of Smithville, Texas, made it a 1-2 sweep for Honda Red Bull Racing with second overall (2-2). Canidae/Motosport.com/Kawasaki’s Tommy Hahn, of Decatur, Texas, rounded out the podium with a career-best third place.
450 Class points leader Chad Reed, of Australia, posted moto finishes of third and seventh for fourth overall. With their performances, both Short and Tedesco closed in on Reed. Short currently sits second, 14 points behind, while Tedesco moved into third, 34 points out.
After failing to score a single point at the previous round, Weimer bounced back in convincing fashion in Lakewood. The Kawasaki rider kept on the rear fender of teammate Christophe Pourcel, of France, throughout the first moto, brining home second. In moto two, he capitalized on a great start to grab the early lead. After a fall dropped him to third, Weimer recovered to re-take the lead and the overall win.
"This was something huge for me," boasted Weimer. "I didn’t know if I was going to ever get an outdoor win. I got two good starts on my Kawasaki and I only made one small mistake in the second moto. I’m really excited because this is my first moto and overall wins."
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Pourcel grabbed the runner-up spot (1-6) to give the team a 1-2 result while Muscle Milk/MDK/KTM’s Tommy Searle, of Great Britain, finished third (5-3) for the second race in a row.
The WMX Class also completed its fifth round of the 2009 season. Honda Red Bull Racing’s Ashley Fiolek, of St. Augustine, Fla., swept both motos to continue her undefeated streak for overall finishes this season. Cernics Suzuki’s Sherri Cruse, of Bakersfield, Calif., finished second while MotoConcetps/ASW/2B Racing Honda’s Mariana Balbi, of Brazil, finished third.
"In the first moto I come out and really try to push myself hard and get a good start," stated Fiolek. "(In the) second moto, I want to be there up front and race to get the overall so I just try and ride my best but ride smart as well."
The Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship continues next weekend with round six on Saturday, July 4 from Buchanan, Mich. for the Monster Energy Motocross National at RedBud. Coverage can be seen live on NBC at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship
Toyota AMA Pro National
June 27, 2009
Round 5 of 12
450 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Ivan Tedesco, Tallahassee, Fla., Honda (1-1)
2. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda (2-2)
3. Tommy Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Kawasaki (7-3)
4. Chad Reed, Australia, Suzuki (3-7)
5. Michael Byrne, Australia, Suzuki (6-4)
6. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha (5-5)
7. Ricky Dietrich, Menifee, Calif., Kawasaki (11-6)
8. Jimmy Albertson, Ozark, Mo., Yamaha (10-9)
9. Kyle Summers, Discovery Bay, Calif., Yamaha (9-10)
10. Jake Moss, Australia, Honda (4-33)
450 Class Championship Standings
1. Chad Reed, Australia, Suzuki, 195
2. Andrew Short, Smithville, Tex., Honda, 181
3. Ivan Tedesco, Tallahassee, Fla., Honda, 160
4. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha, 151
5. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki, 142
6. Thomas Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Kawasaki, 123
7. Michael Byrne, Australia, Suzuki, 117
8. Cody Cooper, New Zealand, Yamaha, 104
9. Ricky Dietrich, Menifee, Calif., Kawasaki, 88
10. Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., KTM, 79
250 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki (2-1)
2. Christophe Pourcel, France, Kawasaki (1-6)
3. Tommy Searle, Great Britain, KTM (5-3)
4. Justin Barcia, Cairo, Ga., Honda (9-2)
5. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki (6-4)
6. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Yamaha (3-8)
7. Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Honda (7-5)
8. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Honda (4-11)
9. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki (8-9)
10. Darryn Durham, Wildomar, Calif., Yamaha (10-12)
250 Class Championship Standings
1. Christophe Pourcel, France, Kawasaki, 217
2. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 208
3. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki, 160
4. Tommy Searle, Great Britain, KTM, 153
5. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Honda, 144
6. Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Honda, 141
7. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda, 139
8. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Yamaha, 130
9. Justin Barcia, Cairo, Ga., Honda, 117
10. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki, 113
WMX Class (Moto Finish)
1. Ashley Fiolek, St. Augustine, Fla., Honda (1-1)
2. Sherri Cruse, Bakersfield, Calif., Suzuki (2-4)
3. Mariana Balbi, Brazil, Honda (5-2)
4. Vicki Golden, El Cajon, Calif., Honda (4-3)
5. Jessica Patterson, Tallahassee, Fla., Honda (3-6)
6. Sara Price, Canyon Lake, Calif., Kawasaki (8-5)
7. Elizabeth Bash, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki (7-7)
8. Tatum Sik, Temecula, Calif., Suzuki (10-8)
9. Sarah Whitmore, Cheboygan, Mich., KTM (9-9)
10. Penni Cyrus, Queen Creek, Ariz., Kawasaki (11-11)
WMX Class Standings
1. Ashley Fiolek, St. Augustine, Fla., Honda, 247
2. Jessica Patterson, Tallahassee, Fla., Honda, 198
3. Sherri Cruse, Bakersfield, Calif., Suzuki, 194
4. Vicki Golden, El Cajon, Calif., Honda, 192
5. Elizabeth Bash, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki, 147
6. Sara Price, Canyon Lake, Calif., Kawasaki, 146
7. Sarah Whitmore, Cheboygan, Mich., KTM, 118
8. Penni Cyrus, Queen Creek, Ariz., Kawasaki, 105
9. Tatum Sik, Temecula, Calif., Suzuki, 101
10. Mariana Balbi, Brazil, Honda, 86