Australians, TwoTwo Motorsports/Bel-Ray Racing’s Chad Reed has finished a credible third place, while Yoshimura Suzuki's Brett Metcalf (above) raced to another top 10 finish at Saturday night's fifth round of the AMA/FIM Supercross series at Anaheim in California.
Reed, who was struck down with a stomach bug in the days leading up to tonight’s event, struggled throughout practice and qualifying. While he wasn’t able to push as hard as he would have liked, Reed rode two solid races finishing his heat second before taking third in the ‘Main Event’.
Although Metcalfe admitted he was a little underwhelmed by his performance, the Suzuki rider still put in some impressive laps in both his heat race and in the Main Event:
Chad Reed:
“I was happy with third tonight as I have been throwing up the last few days and just felt awful. Today was tough, I tried to honour all my fans and sponsor obligations but I felt wiped out.
“In the main I got a good start and passed Ryan (Villopoto) for the lead on the opening lap. He passed me back and then I lost a spot to James (Stewart). I tried to put the pressure on him towards the end of the race but I just didn’t have anything left in the tank."
Brett Metcalf:
"I had a rough weekend last week. I went down and didn't have a good result so I was really determined to put in a good result at Anaheim. I was feeling good on the track, but I was a little bit 'off' all day, so that was kind of a 'bummer.' Going into the heat race, I felt good and things were looking up, but I wheelied off the gate and got a bad start and ended up finishing eighth.
"In the Main, I got another bad start and was never able to get it going. But now, I'm looking forward to getting back into it this week and working hard and coming out for San Diego and trying to get things back on track."
The next event is the sixth round of the 2012 AMA/ FIM Supercross Championship on Saturday, February 11th at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California.
Monster Energy AMA Supercross Results: Anaheim
1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
2. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha
3. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Honda
4. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
5. Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., Honda
6. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda
7. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
8. Mike Alessi, Hilliard, Calif., Suzuki
9. Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki
10. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki
Monster Energy AMA Supercross Season Standings (after Rd 5 of 17)
1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki – 108
2. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Honda – 105
3. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM – 103
4. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha – 95
5. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda – 73
6. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki – 71
7. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda – 59
8. Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki – 57
9. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha – 56
10. Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., Honda – 53 |
