Rockstar Energy Racing Suzuki’s Davi Millsaps, of Murrieta, Calif., will lead the world’s top riders into Phoenix’s Chase Field this Saturday for the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship. GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac, of Durango, Colo., opened the Western Regional 250SX Class Main Event with a dominant win and carries the points lead into Chase Field this weekend for the 16th Monster Energy Supercross race in Phoenix.
Media day is Thursday, January 10 from Noon-2:00 p.m. Riders will be available for interviews and will ride the track for the media.
Last weekend at the season opener in Anaheim, Millsaps earned the Nuclear Cowboyz® Holeshot Award with Honda/Muscle Milk’s Trey Canard, of Shawnee, Okla., and his teammate Justin Barcia, of Ochlocknee, Ga., following in second and third respectively. Two-time defending 450SX Class Champion Ryan Villopoto, of Poulsbo, Wash., started in 12th place.
On Lap 8, while working his way through the field, Villopoto crashed and dropped several positions before re-entering the race. Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., held down the fourth position and began making up time on Barcia, but on lap 15, he crashed in a turn. After waiting patiently for 16 laps, Canard made his move around Millsaps for the lead, and on the same lap, Barcia suffered a crash. Millsaps made a last-ditch effort on Canard, zipping through the whoops around Canard for the pass and win. Canard finished second and Dungey finished third.
“It was a great night for me,” said Millsaps. “This is my first win since 2010, and I was just trying to keep calm out there. It has been a long time since I have led a race, so it was hard to calm my nerves.”
The win marked Millsaps’ first since 2010 and the fourth of his career. Millsaps’ previous wins came aboard a Honda motorcycle, giving the Rockstar Energy Racing Suzuki team their first-ever 450SX Class win. He finished second overall in the 2012 Monster Energy Supercross Championship.
Two-time defending 450SX Class Champion Villopoto finished 16th after a series of crashes.
Lucas Oil/Troy Less Designs Honda’s Cole Seely, of Newbury Park, Calif., opened the 250SX Class Main Event with the Nuclear Cowboyz Holeshot. Following turn one, he was one of several riders, including Heat Race winner Martin Davalos, of the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team, that were involved in a crash. Tomac, the defending 250SX Class Champion, assumed the lead as Malcolm Stewart, of Haines City, Fla., moved into second followed by Ken Roczen, of Germany, in third.
On lap 1, Roczen, who rides for the Red Bull KTM team, passed Stewart for second place. After winning the holeshot, Seely dropped to fourth place, but passed Stewart on lap 6 to secure third place. Tomac’s win marked the eighth of his career. Roczen finished second and Seely finished third.
“I had a tough Heat Race, and that was kind of a wake-up call for me,” said Tomac. “This is how I wanted to start the season. I did a few off-season races, like the Monster Energy Cup, and that kept me in shape.”
Tomac’s win was the ninth of his career. Last year he finished fourth in Phoenix before going on a two-race win streak en route to the first 250SX Class Championship of his career.
During the Phoenix stop in 2012, former 450SX Class Champion Dungey earned his first victory of the season and gave his Red Bull KTM team their first ever win. In winning last year’s Main Event, Dungey joined James Stewart as the only riders in history to win both classes in Phoenix. In the 250SX Class, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Dean Wilson also earned his first win of the season.
Throughout the 15 years that Monster Energy Supercross has stopped in Phoenix, an average of 47,199 avid fans have come out each year to see the sport’s greatest battle it out for their division’s prestigious championship titles. Stewart holds the record for most wins in the 250SX Class in Phoenix and is tied with Ricky Carmichael for the most wins in the 450SX Class with four inside Chase Field.
SPEED will broadcast this weekend’s race live from Phoenix’s Chase Field on Saturday, January 12 at 9:30 p.m. ET. (Supercrossonline)
