AMA Arenacross Series Hits the Halfway Point This Weekend in Youngstown

After Another Strong Outing, Babbitt’s Kawasaki Continues to Impress

AURORA, Ill. (February 8, 2010) – When the checkered flags flew at the Tulsa AMA Arenacross Series tour stop last Saturday, a trio of familiar faces thus far in the season stood on the podium – Babbitt’s Monster Energy/Ti Lube Kawasaki’s Tyler Bowers, Chad Johnson and Josh Demuth. It was the second time this season the team swept the podium and as the series heads to its halfway point this weekend inside the Coveli Center in Youngstown, Ohio, it will be interesting to see how the dynamic at the front of the field plays out.

Despite a series-leading six victories, Bowers has seen his advantage over the AMA Arenacross class field decrease a bit, both on the track and in the standings. His pair of teammates have proven they have what it takes, serving as the only other winners in 2010, and are consistently on pace with the points leader. Furthermore, Tuf Honda’s Jeff Gibson and Brock Sellards are quietly making headway into the Babbitt’s echelon, running at the front of the pack on a regular basis. With the last three AMA Arenacross class titles to their credit, expect the red riders to be making their presence felt on the podium in the second half of 2010.

The AMA Arenacross Lites Eastern Regional Championship returns this weekend after a two-week break. The top of the standings are knotted up between Foremost Insurance Yamaha’s Tyler Bright and Factory Pech Racing Kawasaki’s Devon Pilkington. Through six races, Pilkington has thrived on youthful exuberance, showing outstanding speed and consistency during his rookie season. Bright, on the other hand, is on a wave of momentum. With one win to his credit in the Eastern Regional Championship, the North Carolina native has also garnered a pair of victories in the Western Regional Championships over the past two weeks and hopes to continue that trend this weekend. Ironically enough, both the Eastern and Western Regional Championships currently showcase a tie atop the standings, one of the rare yet unique occurrences of the AMA Arenacross Series.

This weekend’s Friday and Saturday-night battles from Youngstown mark the first time the series has raced at the Coveli Center since the 2008 season. That year, four different winners across the AMA Arenacross and AMA Arenacross Lites classes stood atop the podium during two nights of action. Former AMA Arenacross Lites champion Shane Sewell raced to the class victory on Friday night while series veteran Kevin Johnson grabbed the premier class victory. On Saturday night, current Western Regional Championship co-leader Cory Green took the AMA Arenacross Lites class win while Tom Hofmaster came out victorious in the AMA Arenacross class.

With the halfway point approaching and a considerable advantage working in Bowers’ favor, the talented lineup of premier class competitors know now is the time to make their move and the chance to do so begins this weekend.

Advance tickets are available for this weekend’s Youngstown Arenacross at the Coveli Center Box Office, Ticketmaster charge by phone and ticketmaster.com. Tickets cost $2 more the day of the race.

Tickets are available online at www.arenacross.com and www.ticketmaster.com. For more information on the AMA Arenacross Series log on to www.arenacross.com.

AMA Arenacross Class Points (After Race 8 of 19)

Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki – 181
Chad Johnson, Rhinelander, Wis., Kawasaki – 161
Josh Demuth, North Richland Hills, Texas, Kawasaki – 147
Nathan Skaggs, Chillicothe, Ohio, Honda – 133
Brock Sellards, Sherodsville, Ohio, Honda – 119
Jeff Gibson, Thornville, Ohio, Honda – 116
Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Honda – 105
Dave Ginolfi, Lake Hopatlong, N.J., Suzuki –97
Kevin Johnson, Spring, Texas, Kawasaki – 93
Robbie Reynard, Oklahoma City, Okla., Suzuki – 79
AMA Arenacross Lites Class Eastern Regional Points (After Race 6 of 9)

Tyler Bright, Lexington, N.C., Yamaha – 99
Devon Pilkington, Virginia Beach, Va., Kawasaki – 99
Chad Wages, Frederick, Md., Suzuki – 97
Daniel Aulsaybrook, Ortonville, Mich., Kawasaki – 86
Taylor Futrell, Clinton, N.C., Honda – 74
Patrick Massie, Washington Court, Ohio, Honda – 51
Kurt McCabe, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Honda – 43
Davey Sterritt, Athens, N.Y., Kawasaki – 43
Ryan Zimmer, Angier, N.C., Honda – 36
Derrick Brister, Boyd, Texas, Yamaha - 34
AMA Arenacross Lites Class Western Regional Points (After Race 2 of 10)

Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Kawasaki – 42
A.J. Catanzaro, Middlefield, Conn., Kawasaki – 42
Tanner Moore, Auburn, Kan., KTM – 25
Ricky Draper, Bellevue, Neb., Honda – 21
Jim Neese, Clinton, N.C., Yamaha – 21
Justin Berry, Edmond, Okla., Kawasaki – 18
Parker Eckman, Tustin, Calif., Honda – 16
Jason Hussey, Moscow Mills, Mo., Kawasaki – 15
Tanner Young, Marland, Okla., Yamaha – 13
Chad Cook, Oklahoma City, Okla., Kawasaki – 12
Kyle Hussey, Moscow Mills, Mo., Kawasaki – 12
 

About Feld Motor Sports℠

Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is the world leader in specialized arena and stadium-based motor sports entertainment.  Feld Motor Sports, Inc. productions include Monster Jam®, SuperBull℠, Monster Energy Supercross, AMA Arenacross Series, Nuclear Cowboyz℠, Gravity Slashers℠, and IHRA® Nitro Jam®.  Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a division of Feld Entertainment, the world’s largest producer of live family entertainment.  For more information on Feld Entertainment, visit www.feldentertainment.com.

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Monster Energy Supercross Returns to Angel Stadium with First-Ever Pink-Themed Race to Raise Breast Cancer Awareness

AURORA, Ill. (February 8, 2010) – Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, returns to Angel Stadium this Saturday for its third and final stop in Anaheim, Calif., with Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer, of Rupert, Idaho, leading the AMA Supercross and AMA Supercross Lites class points races, respectively. For the first time in Monster Energy Supercross history, Feld Motor SportsSM and Angels Baseball are teaming up for the final Anaheim race of the season in support of finding a cure for breast cancer. This first-ever PINK supercross race will help fund the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure 60-mile walk.

Media day will be held Thursday, February 11 from Noon-2:00 inside the Diamond Club at Angel Stadium. DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing/Yamaha and Monster Energy Kawasaki will be available for interviews and will ride the track for the media.

Davi Millsaps won his First AMA Supercross Class race of 2010 in San Diego

Photo Credit: Brian Robinette

Last weekend at San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium, Honda Red Bull Racing’s Davi Millsaps, of Tallahassee, Fla., became the fourth different rider this season to win an AMA Supercross class main event.

“It was an amazing race for me, and I have the world’s best people around me,” said Millsaps. “Honda has always been behind me regardless of how bad my results were, and I am happy to give them this win.”

Millsaps, who now has three career AMA Supercross class wins, moved into the lead on lap three and never looked back. Millsaps came into San Diego in sixth place in points, and the win moved him up to fourth place.

Jake Weimer Continued his Winning Ways in San Diego

Photo Credit: Brian Robinette

Dungey carries a four-point lead into Anaheim this weekend after a forgettable night in San Diego. Dungey and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto collided in the first turn and started at the rear of the field. Dungey was able to charge up to sixth while Villopoto rebounded to finish fourth.

For the third consecutive week in a row, San Manuel Yamaha’s Josh Hill finished in second place in the AMA Supercross class main event and trails Dungey by just four points.

“I made some mistakes at the beginning of the race, so I slowed down and waited for the right time to begin my charge,” said Hill. “I was trying too hard in the beginning and was a little out of control.”

AMA Supercross Class Points Leader Ryan Dungey (#5) Crashed in the First Turn and Rallied Back to Sixth Place Overall in San Diego

Photo Credit: Chris Ganz

In the Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites class main event in San Diego, GEICO Powersports Honda’s Trey Canard, of Shawnee, Okla., grabbed the SPIKE Holeshot Award with Weimer and teammate Blake Wharton, of Pilot Point, Texas, in second and third, respectively. Canard found trouble and went down on the first lap, allowing Weimer to get by and lead the rest of the way, inching closer to the Western Regional title.

“Yeah it was a good night,” said Weimer. “I was able to get a good start right behind Trey (Canard) and unfortunately he went down. I was able to get by and I just tried to be consistent from there. The track was definitely tricky but it held up well.”

Through five rounds, Weimer has garnered an impressive 122 points out of a possible 125 by virtue of his four wins and a worst result of second coming in San Francisco. His advantage over Canard in the standings now sits at 26 points with only three races remaining in the eight-race championship.

Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil Honda’s Cole Seely, of Newbury Park, Calif., earned his best-career finish of second at San Diego while teammate Wil Hahn, of Decatur, Texas, finished third.

Last year at Anaheim 3, eventual AMA Supercross class champion James Stewart captured his fifth win of the season. In the Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites class, Weimer earned his third win of 2009.

AMA Supercross Class Results: San Diego

Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Honda
Josh Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Yamaha
Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki
Tommy Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Suzuki
Grant Langston, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
Nick Wey, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki
Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Yamaha
 

AMA Supercross Class Season Standings

Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 105
Josh Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Yamaha, 101
Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 95
Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 82
Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha, 77
Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha, 72
Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 69
Kevin Windham, Centerville, Miss., Honda, 66
Tommy Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Suzuki, 56
James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha, 51
 

Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites Class Results: San Diego

Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki
Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda
Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda
Max Anstie, Hemet, Calif., Yamaha
Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Yamaha
Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda
Phil Nicoletti, Bethel, N.Y., KTM
P.J. Larsen, Murrieta, Calif., KTM
Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Honda
Chris Gosselaar, Spring Valley Lake, Calif., Honda
 

Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites Class Season Standings

Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki, 122
Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda, 96
Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 94
Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Yamaha, 78
Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda, 76
Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Honda, 71
Max Anstie, Hemet, Calif., Yamaha, 63
Josh Hansen, Elbert Colo., Kawasaki, 56
Jeff Alessi, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha, 45
Ryan Morais, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki, 42
 

CBS Sports will broadcast the AMA Supercross class Sunday, February 14 at Noon EST. SPEED will broadcast the AMA Supercross Lites class on Sunday, February 14 at 6:00 p.m. EST.

Tickets are available at www.SupercrossOnline.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000 or 714-740-2000, the Angel Stadium box office, Ticketmaster, Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com, and participating Yamaha dealerships. Club Level tickets are $75; Diamond Club seats and Trackside Seats are $50; Extreme seats and Upper Deck seats are $30.  All seats are $5 more on the day of the race. Practice and qualifying begin at 12:30 p.m. and racing begins at 7:00 p.m.  Just recycle any empty Monster Energy can at the Pit Entrance for your free admission to the Pit Party with a valid Saturday event ticket from 12:30PM – 6:00PM.  Pit Passes will also be available for purchase for $10 on the event day at the Angel Stadium box office. 

A season-long subscription to the official webcast of Monster Energy Supercross, Supercross LIVE®, is available for $39.99:  http://www.supercrossonline.com/supercrosslive.  Supercross LIVE® is the only weekly live Monster Energy Supercross race call, and features long time voices of supercross, Jason Weigandt and Jim Holley. 

For more information on the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, please log on to www.SupercrossOnline.com. For all media requests, please contact Denny Hartwig dhartwig@feldinc.com or 630-566-6305.

About Feld Motor Sports℠

Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is the world leader in specialized arena and stadium-based motor sports entertainment.  Feld Motor Sports, Inc. productions include Monster Jam®, SuperBull℠, Monster Energy Supercross, AMA Arenacross Series, Nuclear Cowboyz℠, Gravity Slashers℠, and IHRA® Nitro Jam®.  Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a division of Feld Entertainment, the world’s largest producer of live family entertainment.  For more information on Feld Entertainment, visit www.feldentertainment.com.

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Interview with Ryan Millar
By Brett Lee

Ryan Millar is often referred to as the man child. He’s a big, tall Manitoba boy who made the jump at a young age to the MX1 Pro class this past season at the CMRC Monster Energy Motocross Nationals.
Ryan, along with his trainer/mechanic Ryan Lockhart, are down in Texas working and racing to get ready for the 2010 season. We caught up with Ryan for a quick chat...enjoy.

Ryan Millar looks pretty happy.

MXP: First, let’s start off by congratulating you, you have a team!! You are back with KTM for 2010.

Ryan: Yeah, it’s great. I am really pumped about that, and it gives me the opportunity to hit all the Nationals on really good equipment. It gives me the confidence to have a great season in 2010.

MXP: 2009 was your first year on the 450F, and it went quite well. How did you feel about it?

Ryan: I was kind of bummed at the beginning with my results, but as the year went on I began to finish in the top 10 consistently so that is something I am happy about. I really wish I had that speed and results at the beginning so that I could have pulled off a top 10 in the series points.
Hey, it was my first year in the MX1 class, and I learned a lot. Like I said, the only thing I wish was I had the speed at the beginning of the year.

MXP: We have seen you are in Texas and popping up in race results. Seems you are racing lots still.

Ryan: Yeah, we are racing a lot. We are hitting every race we can down here, and keeping in race shape. I think it is important to be on the line with fast guys. We have been staying at Oak Hill and there have been a lot of fast guys riding here. Tommy Hahn, Jason Anderson, Lowell Spangler were out just yesterday, and it is so good to ride with them. We are all out there doing practice motos; I learn a lot when I ride around those guys. I mean, I know the track conditions change, but since I got down here my lap times have really improved a lot. I am feeling really good.

Millar will re-join the KTM Royal Distributing team for 2010.

MXP: You said you have learned a lot. I’m sure your trainer of the stars (Ryan Lockhart) has helped!

Ryan: Trainer to the Stars! No, Ryan has helped me a lot. He is out there when I am practicing with the lap board and giving me my times. That gives me a chance to race myself and the clock. I can do a moto and change my lines, or maybe change how I hit something and see how it reflects in my lap times. We are working on sprints and building my speed with some shorter 20 minutes motos. It’s really going good, I feel really on top of it this year, and Ryan has really helped me.

MXP: What is the plan leading up to the Nationals?

Ryan: I am going to finish out the Texas Winter Series, and then hit the Whitney and Oak Hill warm up races. I’m going to do the two big Amateur Nationals at Oak and Whitney. Those two races are legit Amateur Nationals with a lot of great riders. I don't have a lot to prove there so there is not a lot of pressure, but I hope to do well.

MXP: Okay, we aren’t going to ask you about your expectations for 2010. What we want to know is at your pre-Morden party are the Hutterites going to crash it again?
Editors Note: The Hutterites are a Christian group who live according to a strict code based on the Ten Commandments. They also love free beer, and partying.

Ryan: Yeah, I don’t know! I’m sure they will when they see the fireworks going off again! It’s a surprise, but I do actually know. I’m just not letting it out of the bag of what we have planned, so you will just have to show up for the party!!

Ryan is down in Texas with the Newf training for the upcoming season.

MXP: Okay, thanks for doing this and good luck. Do you have any closing words?

Ryan: Yeah, first thanks for taking the time to talk to me. I want to thank my trainer Jim Fredrickson who just flew down to help me here, Andy White and KTM Canada for the support they have given me for this year and the years past, Dragon Goggles, Thor and Alpinestars who have really hooked me up and I cannot thank them enough, and Ogio and Cti. There are others for sure that support our team back home, and thanks of course to Ryan Lockhart for his work down here. Thanks!