Moto XXX Round 7 Race Report: San Diego, California
After last weekends cool and cloudy weather in Houston, the entire Supercross community was looking forward to round seven of the Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross series held in sunny San Diego, California. The sunny skies and 80 degree weather brought out some 60,000 fans to catch some of the best racing of the year.
This past week took it's toll on the Moto XXX team as Kyle Lewis was forced to sit the weekend out after battling a stomach virus all week. Josh Summey was also in bad shape after a practice crash on Tuesday left him pretty beat up and sore coming into the weekend. Never one to give up, Josh geared up, gritted his teeth and posted a very respectable qualifying time. After practice, Josh commented: "I took most of last week off to try and heal up from crash. This morning I was hurting pretty bad but after practice I actually felt quite a bit better than I did this morning or all week."
Josh's qualifying time landed him in the second heat race where he lined up just inside the doghouse. He got an excellent jump on the gate and held his Honda 450 wide open coming through the first turn in fourth place. Josh put in some steady laps and was still sitting top five at the half way mark. After a brief stall on lap five Josh was able to hang on and cross the finish line in eight position, easily transferring to the main event.
As the riders took their parade lap, the track looked like it was holding together much better than it had earlier in the day. The riders lined up and the gate dropped for the final California Supercross of 2007. Josh was lined up toward the outside of the gate and even though he got a good jump he was forced to shut off early coming into turn one. In typical Summey fashion, Josh weaved his way through the pack and was sitting just outside the top 10 by turn number two. The first few laps are crucial for making passes and Josh made some amazing impressive ones working his way up to seventh position with two riders in striking distance. Then, just before the half way mark Josh washed the front end out in the tight 180 degree turn after the finish line. He quickly remounted and went back to work passing riders left and right. When the checkered flag flew Josh ended the night in 12th position. Even though Josh finished 12th he was still one of the fastest riders on the track posting the sixth fastest lap time, two-thousandths of a second off of fifth place. After the race Josh was pleased with his results; "I wasn't sure what to expect this weekend. Making the main event and earning some points were my main goals but to be close to a top five finish was a bonus. I know I have the speed to run with those guys, it's just a matter of putting in 20 solid laps with no mistakes."
Hopefully this weekend, with the series rolling into Atlanta, Georgia, the family support will be just what Josh needs to break into the top five. "This is the closest race to my home in North Carolina so I have quite a few friends and family coming out to support me." Josh said.
The upcoming round will also see Josh's veteran teammate, Kyle Lewis, return to action as well as the addition of the team's East coast lites rider;
Yoshihide Fukudome. Fukudome comes to the team from Kumamoto, Japan, where he was the 2005 Japanese Lites national champion. "Dome" hopes his past success in Japan will translate into some strong finishes for himself and the team here in the states. So be sure to make it out to the Georgia Dome this weekend and show your support for team Moto XXX. See you there!
Moto XXX Racing is proudly supported by:
Honda, Supersports Inc., Deluge Sport, Akrapovic, Moose Racing, Scorpion Helmets, Tag Metals, Sidi Boots, Pro Honda Oils & Chemicals, Race Tech, Dunlop, Honda Genuine Parts, Braking, Motion-Pro, Atomic 22, Ti-Lube, Pro-Comp Wheels and Tires, Polisport Plastics, Lucky 13, RK Racing Chain, Excel, Honda Rider's Club of America, Sunline ARC, Carbon Fiber Works, Scott USA, SDG, VP Racing Fuels, Crower Power, Vortex Ignitions, LA Sleeve, Scott USA, Hinson Clutch Components, Ogio, N-Fab, Darkside, Ready Racing.
For more information or to contact Moto XXX please visit www.motoxxx.com or call (951) 359-6999.