MDK KTM Anaheim II Race Report - Dirt Rider Magazine

Anaheim, CA - "Welcome to 1986!" hollered Supercross announcer Terry Boyd to kick off the third round of the AMA Supercross FIM World Championship at the Angels Stadium.The AMA and FIM succeeded in reproducing the 1986 replica race track that held the epic battle between Rick Johnson and David Bailey. Furthermore, to honor that battle, they had both past champions take an honorary lap around the track. Johnson rode his brand new KTM alongside Bailey as the crowd cheered. The 80's retro theme was prominent around the track and the pits. Fans were decked out in 1980's clothing and riders were dressed in vintage gear.As the evening began, MDK KTM Lites rider Billy Laninovich and MDK KTM support rider Drew Gooselaar lined up for Heat #1. Both riders had a decent jump from the gate. Gooselaar rounded turn one in fourth while Laninovich was two spots back in 6th. Laninovich quickly moved into 5th and held that position through the finish. Gooselaar qualified for his first main event by finishing 7th in the heat.MDK KTM Lites rider Justin Brayton got ready for Heat #2. He was second around the first turn and then passed for the lead for a brief second before the hard charging #338 bike of Jason Lawrence made the pass for first. Brayton stayed close and rode in second looking to repeat his Anaheim 1 heat race. Unfortunately, he accidentally stalled his bike on lap 4 losing only three positions. He got the bike started on the second kick and began closing back in on the 3rd and 4th place riders. He passed for 4th on lap 5 and moved into 3rd on the last lap, qualifying into the main.MDK KTM Factory rider Nick Wey got a mid-pack start in the Supercross class Heat #1. He was twelfth around the first turn and began picking off riders. By the end of the first lap he had moved into 10th and was only one position short of qualifying. He made the pass into 9th on lap 3 and held that position to transfer into the main.At 9:16pm the Lites gate dropped with Laninovich and Brayton both getting pushed out around the first turn sending them to the back of the pack. Laninovich had moved up to 9th and Brayton to 12th by the end of the first lap. Brayton soon passed two riders to move up behind his teammate. The two MDK KTM Lites riders rode together for a couple laps before Brayton moved around Laninovich taking over 9th place. Brayton soon began battling with the #45 bike of Bob Kiniry for the second half of the race; getting past him with four laps to go. Brayton was now in 7th closing in on 6th when a last lap crash laid him down. He remounted and was able to salvage a top ten finish with a ninth place overall. His teammate, Laninovich, finished 7th.MDK KTM Lites Team Manager, Danny Paladino commented, "Both boys had a rough start tonight but were able to catch up to the lead pack rather quickly. It's unfortunate that Justin crashed but he was able to finish in the top ten which will help him in the points. Billy is getting stronger every weekend and I know with more work on hisstarts he will be a front runner."The Supercross main event had a wild start. Wey got a good jump but lost momentum when he had to maneuver around the #8 bike of Grant Langston and the #29 bike of Andrew Short, both of whom had crashed in the first turn. Halfway through the 1st lap Wey was in 15th desperately trying to gain ground on the riders ahead. By the end of the second lap he had moved into 11th place. He rode strong and stayed close to the pack right on the tail end of the group. Around the halfway point Langston and Short had moved up behind him. Wey held off Langston for a couple laps until Langston got a flat and had to slow down. Wey held off Short a bit longer until Short eventually passed. At this point, Wey kicked it up a gear to move closer to the group ahead. Wey wasn't able to move into the top ten but he was able to stay close to the top ten in the points chase. Wey now sits 12th overall in points, just one point shy of the 10th and 11th place positions.The fourth round of the AMA Supercross will be held in San Francisco, CA. Please come out and cheer on all the orange riders!Supercross Lites Results:
1. R. Dungey
2. B. Hepler
3. A. Stroupe
4. D. Reardon
5. B. Metcalfe
6. R. Kiniry
7. B. Laninovich - KTM
8. G. Grayck
9. J. Brayton - KTM
10. T. HahnSupercross Results:
1. C. Reed
2. J. Hill
3. K. Windam
4. M. Alessi
5. I. Tedesco
6. T. Ferry
7. N. Ramsey
8. J. Hansen
9. A. Short
10. J. Summey
11. D. Vuillemin
12. N. Wey - KTM