Round 13 - AMA Supercross Series
Toronto, Ontario, CANADA
Rogers Centre
March 28, 2009
Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing's Chad Reed continues to lead the AMA Supercross Championship points chase, thanks to another second-place finish at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, this past Saturday night. The two-time and defending AMA Supercross Champion won his heat race on his Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 and then brought home a strong secondplace finish in the 20-lap main event. This result means that Reed has been on the podium for every round so far this season. Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammate Mike Alessi celebrated his fifth Supercross main holeshot of the year, even as he battled illness and fatigue. The Californian was able to run with the frontrunners at the start of the race before finishing in 11th place. Finally, Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Michael Byrne remains injured and did not race. He hopes to be back racing again soon.
In the Supercross Lites class, Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Nico Izzi began the night strong by getting a good start in his heat race and then battling for the lead before finishing third. In the 15-lap main, however, the young rider battled an injured hand as well as his competitors. Although Izzi got a rough start, he had worked his way through the pack to sixth place before he went down. By race's end, he managed to bring home 11th place.
Chad Reed:
"It was tough, I never felt really 'on it' on Saturday night. This season, I've been trying to get good starts on my Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 and ride consistently. I felt like I rode decent in Toronto, but I just struggled. I made too many mistakes, and too many really big mistakes so I'm happy with second. It took a little while to really sort out the lines and then just hit them consistently. I made a lot of costly mistakes that cost me a lot of time and you can't do that. I really needed to get a good start, be patient and push to be out front."
Mike Alessi:
"It was an OK race. I struggled all day with the ruts and I never felt really comfortable. I've been kind of sick lately and I've just been trying to get through these last couple of races. This is tough, the season has kind of worn on me and I'm starting to get kind of tired, but I'm trying to tough it out the best I can. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 was fine but the track was really gnarly. It was just an exercise in survival for me, just to stay on two wheels. The start was good, and I was good for the first five or six laps and then I started feeling really sick during the race and that was pretty much it."
Nico Izzi:
"I got a pretty bad jump off the gate, and went into the first turn mid-pack. I was able to make up a few spots on my Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z250 and I got up as far as sixth. But after that, my hand started getting sore from where I hurt it in St. Louis. I just don't have much feeling or much grip in it, so I can't hang on. I've been trying to let it heal, but that means I haven't been able to ride during the week. I didn't break it but it's still pretty tender. Hopefully, it'll be better next weekend at Jacksonville."
Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing will race next at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday, April 4, 2009.
Chad Reed, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing RM-Z450, #1
2nd Place - Toronto Supercross
1st Place - Overall Championship Points Standings
Mike Alessi, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing RM-Z450, #800
11th Place - Toronto Supercross
7th Place - Overall Championship Points Standings
Michael Byrne, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing RM-Z450, #26
DNR - Toronto Supercross
NA - Overall Championship Points Standings
Nico Izzi, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing RM-Z250, #20
11th Place - Toronto Supercross Lites
3rd Place -- Overall Championship Points Standings
AMA Supercross Top 10 Finishers:
1. James Stewart, Yamaha
2. Chad Reed, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing
3. Josh Hill, Yamaha
4. Josh Grant, Yamaha
5. Ivan Tedesco, Honda
6. Kevin Windham, Honda
7. Davi Millsaps, Honda
8. Matt Boni, Suzuki
9. Andrew Short, Honda
10. Ben Coisy, Honda
11. Mike Alessi, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing (Holeshot)
AMA Supercross Lites Top 10 Finishers:
1. Christophe Pourcel, Kawasaki
2. Austin Stroupe, Kawasaki
3. Broc Tickle, Yamaha (Holeshot)
4. Branden Jesseman, Kawasaki
5. Matthew Lemoine, Yamaha
6. Wil Hahn, KTM
7. Matt Goerke, Suzuki
8. Vince Friese, Honda
9. Daniel Blair, Honda
10. Blake Wharton, Honda