Yoshimura Press Release
CHINO, CA (January 24, 2012) – Yoshimura-backed teams pulled off top-five finishes at the third round of the 2012 AMA/FIM Supercross Championship Series in Los Angeles, CA on Saturday. The Honda Racing teams, Rockstar Energy Racing Suzuki and Yoshimura Suzuki teams took full advantage of their Yoshimura products to conquer Dodger Stadium.
Saturday night was a stellar night for Yoshimura Suzuki Racing’s Brett Metcalfe. The young Australian raced his Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 to a well-earned fifth-place finish at Dodger Stadium. This impressive result also moved Metcalfe up several positions in the overall series points chase.
Although the Yoshimura Suzuki racer had been fighting illness all week, Metcalfe still gave it his all at Saturday night’s event. Despite the day’s practice being abbreviated due to inclement weather, Metcalfe shined during qualifying and then put in a solid performance in his heat race to finish fifth. In the main event, which was restarted after a red flag came out for downed riders, Metcalfe continued to shine. He got a good start on the Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 and rode a smart, consistent race to bring home fifth place, his best result this season.
“The whole day was the best we’ve had so far,” said Metcalfe. “The Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 was working awesome. I think I had one of the best bikes on the track all day. The heat race went well, and I ended up fifth. But I rode really well and I think it’s the best ride I’ve had all year. Going into the main, the RM-Z450 was working great out on the track. I got a better start on the re-start, and I was up there early. After being sick, I knew I was going to be short of breath, so I just wanted to hit 20 laps consistently, and ride hard – but not to the point where I’d push myself to the limit and start going downhill. So I just maintained myself the whole race and came home fifth, which was by far the best result of the year.”
For Yoshimura-backed Rockstar Energy Racing Suzuki, Saturday’s Supercross Lites race was a stellar one. Jason Anderson rocked the entire night, first winning the LCQ and then going on to capture his best result so far this year: a fifth-place finish in the 15-lap main event.
“Although I had to go to the LCQ, I won that,” said Anderson. “In the main, I just tried to put my laps in and I got into fifth. The Yoshimura-equipped Rockstar Energy Racing bike’s working great and I’m feeling good, and that’s an awesome combination that we’ve got going. I’m just trying to keep improving and I feel like I’m doing that every weekend. Oakland should be fun and I’m just excited to get out there and race again.”
Rockstar Energy Racing teammate Martin Davalos also had plenty to smile about at the Supercross Lites race’s end. Davalos went out and won his heat race and then ran in second place for the first third of the main event. Although he made a small mistake that saw him finish ninth, Davalos still brought home a solid top-10 finish.
“We got great starts all night,” said Davalos. “We got the heat race win and in the main event, I was running second. But then I made a stupid mistake and lost my front end. After that, I tried to get into a rhythm but I couldn’t get going because my front end was twisted. But overall, I feel really positive about the night. Now I’m just looking forward to Oakland and hoping for good weather there.”
It was a tough night for Yoshimura-backed Team Honda Muscle Milk. After getting a bad start in his heat race Justin Brayton missed transferring to the main by one position. In the LCQ he got the holeshot and led for the first few laps but crashed in the whoops, sending him to sixth place, out of contention for the main. Right after the main began, fellow Team Honda Muscle Milk rider Trey
Canard got tangled up with a tuff block in the first corner, dragging the cover with him. As a result, he was hindered through the triple jump and was unfortunate enough to have another rider land on him. Canard was knocked unconscious and taken off the track by the Asterisk medical team, where he was then transferred to the hospital for further evaluation.
Canard injured his back in the accident, but has 100-percent movement of his legs. American Honda will release additional information on his condition as it becomes available.
Yoshimura-backed GEICO Honda Lites rider Eli Tomac was setting remarkable lap times during both his practice and heat race, showing that he was going to be the guy to beat that night. In the main event Tomac took the holeshot and never looked back. He quickly gapped the rest of the pack by several seconds, riding a solid 15 laps to the checkered flag. “I am excited for the win tonight and am happy to be leading the points into round four,” said Tomac. “If I can get consistently good starts, I believe I can win like I did tonight. I am comfortable out front and plan to stay there.”
All the Yoshimura-backed teams are looking forward to their next event, the fourth round of the 2012 AMA/FIM Supercross Championship on Saturday, January 28th, at O.co Coliseum in Oakland, CA.
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