Red Bull/KTM Factory riders Marvin Musquin and Ken Roczen made it a night to remember for the team in Seattle Washington with Musquin taking second in the SX Lites West Coast and Roczen doubling the fun in the Supercross division riding the KTM 350 SX-F.

Because we needed more?

Andrew Short, in my opinion, is one of the most under rated riders out there. He's got great style on the bike and, unless he's been out injured, he's a constant in the top 10, but coming back from his latest injuries in New Orleans no one thought he'd be taking home the win in the very next race, except maybe him and buddy Ken Roczen, the unsuspecting Lites rider who threw his leg over a SX 350 and rode the wheels off it for a 2nd place over all in his first big bike main!

The two were so excited, for themselves and each other, that soon as the race was done there were hugs all around. It's nice to see such a great show of sportsmanship, of good sportsmanship, especially when so often we focus on bad behaviour. It doesn't need to be a bro-hug; a hand shake or a high five between the top three riders shows the fans that while they can be fierce competitors on the track, that is where it is left.

Often times we focus on the poor behaviour of a few riders, who shall remain nameless. This season, however, we've seen some great instances of riders riding aggressively, but letting it stay on the course. No one could argue that Roczen wasn't trying to pull every extra ounce of speed from that 350. Right out of the gate the German was charging, and when his good friend Short got in front, well, he wasn't going to stop pushing to win his Supercross class debut.

You can be aggressive without crossing the line into what is unacceptable behaviour (dirty block passes, purposely taking out riders, "team tactics" and the like). These riders, especially on the highest levels, are seen as heroes, role models, for the younger generation. When they act badly, and win, and nothing comes of it because they win, it sets a bad example. When the AMA fined Justin Barcia for his poor behaviour after the Huston event, it was a start. These riders are heroes for the younger generation of riders; it is very important the example the set.

Here's to Andrew Short, and Ken Roczen, and to all of the other fantastic models of good sportsmanship! Congrats on a well deserved win for Short and an amazing Supercross debut for German transplant, Roczen. Gute Arbeit, Ken!

Red Bull/KTM rider Ken Roczen rounded off a good ride in the penultimate round of the AMA East Supercross Lites Series in the Louisiana Superdome New Orleans but arm pump let him slip from third to fifth in the closing stages of the race.

 

Roczen Races to First Supercross Lites Class Win of 2012 Season

 

HOUSTON (March 31, 2012) – Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto, of Poulsbo, Wash., clinched his second Supercross Class Championship tonight at the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, at Reliant Stadium in front of 48,962 fans. Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen, of Murrieta, Calif., captured his first Western Regional Supercross Lites Class win of the season.

JGRMX/Toyota/Yamaha’s Davi Millsaps, of Murrieta, Calif., opened the Supercross Class with the Nuclear Cowboyz^® Holeshot Award but was quickly passed by Villopoto. Star/Valli/Yamaha’s Bobby Kiniry, of Holland Patent, N.Y., secured the number-three spot on the opening lap but was passed by Motoconcepts Suzuki’s Mike Alessi, of Hilliard, Fla., on Lap 2.

Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer, of Rupert, Idaho, passed Alessi on Lap 3 and held this position to lock in his second third-place finish of the season. Millsaps picked up his second runner-up finish of the season.

“It’s huge,” said Villopoto. “There is a lot of hard work that went into this, and I am only one piece of the pie; the whole Monster Energy Kawasaki team has worked very hard all year to help me make this happen.”

Millsaps moved into third place in Supercross Class point standings.

“I want to congratulate Ryan (Villopoto) on his championship; he rode great all year,” said Millsaps. “It was slippery out there all day, so you had to choose your lines wisely. I am excited to be back up on the podium.”

In the Eastern Regional Supercross Lites Class Main Event, GIECO Honda’s Justin Barcia, of Ochlocknee, Ga., won the Nuclear Cowboyz Holeshot Award with Roczen and Rockstar Energy Racing’s Blake Wharton, of Pilot Point, Texas, following in second and third, respectively. Roczen passed Barcia on the opening lap, and one lap later, Barcia re-passed him to take over the lead.

On Lap 7, Blake Baggett, of Grand Terrace, Calif., moved around Wharton to take over third place. On his way to what was expected to be his sixth win of the season, Barcia collided with another rider on the final lap of the race and crashed. He re-entered the race and finished second. This allowed Roczen to move into the lead and ride to the second victory of his career.

“This is so awesome,” said Roczen. “This is not how I want to win a race. Justin (rode a great race and was really fast tonight, so it is unfortunate that he crashed. I am super happy to be back on top of the box.”

Barcia still leads the championship points race by 32 points over Wharton.

“I don’t know what I can say,” said Barcia. “There is nothing I could do about the crash. I will fight through this and be back in New Orleans.”

CBS will broadcast the Supercross class race at 12:00pm EST tomorrow, April 1, 2012.

Supercross Class Results: Houston

1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
2. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
3. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki
4. Mike Alessi, Hillard, Fla., Suzuki
5. Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., Honda
6. Robert Kiniry, Holland Patent, NY, Yamaha
7. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki
8. Nico Izzi, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha
9. Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Kawasaki
10. Josh Grant, Corona, Calif., Kawasaki

Supercross Class Season Standings

1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki – 296
2. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM – 192
3. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha – 191
4. Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., Honda – 181
5. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha – 178
6. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki – 170
7. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda – 166
8. Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki – 154
9. Mike Alessi, Hilliard, Fla., Suzuki – 154
10. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Honda – 128

Eastern Regional Supercross Lites Class Results: Houston

1. Ken Roczen, Murrieta, Calif., KTM
2. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda
3. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki
4. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Suzuki
5. Phillip Nicoletti, Cochecton, NY, Honda
6. Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Honda
7. Jake Canada, Sun City, Calif., Honda
8. Darryn Durham, Butler, Pa, Kawasaki
9. Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Honda
10. Matthew Lemoine, Collinsville, Texas, Kawasaki

Eastern Regional Supercross Lites Class Season Standings

1. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda – 167
2. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Suzuki – 135
3. Ken Roczen, Murrieta, Calif., KTM – 127
4. Darryn Durham, Butler, Pa., Kawasaki – 118
5. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki – 106
6. Jake Canada, Sun City, Calif., Honda – 104
7. Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Honda – 87
8. Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Honda – 65
9. Matthew Lemoine, Collinsville, Texas, Kawasaki – 57
10. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., KTM – 55

Racing returns to action on Saturday, April 14 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.

Tune into the enhanced exclusive weekly video content from Supercross LIVE! during the entire 2012 season on SupercrossOnline.com, the Official Website of Monster Energy Supercross.

Weekly Supercross LIVE! Video Content Schedule

The Official Supercross LIVE! Pre-Show                        Race Days at 11 AM Local Race Time
Behind the Scenes with Supercross LIVE!          All Day on Race Days
2 Minutes on the Track                                      Race Days at 3:30 & 5:30 PM Local Race Time
And on the Podium Tonight                                Following Each Round’s Main Events
The Official Supercross LIVE! Post-Show          Saturday Nights at Each Round
Toyota Tailgate Talk                                          Wednesdays at 5 PM ET
After The Checkered Flag                                  Thursdays at 5PM ET

For more information on the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, please log on to www.SupercrossOnline.com, the official website of Monster Energy Supercross. For all media requests, please contact Denny Hartwig This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 630-566-6305. To follow Monster Energy Supercross on Facebook and Twitter, log on to http://www.facebook.com/supercrosslive and http://twitter.com/supercrosslive.

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 Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam^®, Monster Energy Supercross, AMA Arenacross Series, Nuclear Cowboyz^®, 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.

Kenny Roczen overcame flu and a rough start to his day at the Toronto, Canada SX Lites East round on Saturday night to finish on the podium in second place while Red Bull KTM Factory teammate Marvin Musquin battled his way to sixth in the SX at the Rogers Stadium, home of the Blue Jays. 

1              1 Justin Barcia    Ochlocknee, GA, USA Honda CRF250 15 Laps Geico/Honda/Alias/Amsoil/Factory Connection/Planet Fitness
2              70 Ken Roczen   Murrieta, USA KTM 250 SX-F +7.439 Red Bull/KTM/Akrapovic/Dunlop/Motorex
3              956 Blake Wharton          Pilot Point, TX, USA Suzuki RM-Z250 +13.008 Rockstar Energy Racing/Suzuki Yoshimura/One/Bel Ray/Losi/Dragon/DC/
4              57 Jake Canada                 Sun City, CA, USA Honda CRF250 +25.219 Motoconcepts Racing
5              35 Darryn Durham           Butler, PA, USA Kawasaki KX250F +28.567 Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki Motors
6              30 Alex Martin   Millville, MN, USA Honda CRF250 +37.610 K&N/FMF/Scott/Motion Pro/SDG/Galfer/Tag/ICW/Crankworks/Wiseco/Dubya/
7              78 Tommy Weeck            Menifee, CA, USA Honda CRF 250 +41.120 Motoconcepts/FMF/JT Racing/We All Ride
8              49 Justin Bogle Cushing, OK, USA Honda CRF250 +41.629 GEICO/Honda/Alias/Amsoil/Factory Connection/Planet Fitness
9              60 Matthew Lemoine     Collinsville, TX, USA Kawasaki KX250F +44.047 TiLube/J&M Racing/Rekluse/Red River Motorsports/FMF/Oneal/Shoei/Scott/
10           275 Jeffrey Gibson          Blacklick, OH, USA Honda CRF450 +47.116 K&N/FMF/Scott/Motion Pro/SDG/Galfer/Tag/ICW/Crankworks/Wiseco/Dubya/
11           93 AJ Catanzaro                Portland, CT, USA KTM 250 SX-F +50.203 Ohlins USA/Langston Motorsports KTM
12           68 Shane Sewell               Westville, IN, USA KTM 250 SX-F 14 Laps Violation1.com/Shea Racing/SMS Racing/KTM/National Switchgear/Fly/Decal
13           37 Malcolm Stewart        Haines City, FL, USA KTM 250 SX-F +1.681 JDR/JStar/KTM/Answer/FMF/Motorex/Bell/DC/Pro Taper/Hammerhead/Dunlop/
14           74 Tyler Bowers                Danville, KY, USA Kawasaki KX250F +15.762 MonsterEnergy/ProCircuit/Kawasaki/TomMorganRacing/ENZO/GLContracting/
15           12 Blake Baggett               Grand Terrace, CA, USA Kawasaki KX250F +24.212 Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki
16           166 Dakota Tedder          urfside, CA, USA Kawasaki KX250F +32.722 Monster Energy Drink/Team Tedder/Malcolm MC/Kawasaki/Pro Circuit/Leatt/
17           55 Lance Vincent              Youngsville, LA, USA KTM 250 SX-F 12 Laps Munn RacingAnkleSaversKTM/EBR Perf/Fox/Ricks Towing/DEP/PMP/Enjoy/
18           96 Kyle Peters   Greensboro, NC, USA Yamaha YZ250F 11 Laps Star Valli Yamaha
19           714 Shawn Rife                 Mechanicsburg, OH, USA Honda CRF250 10 Laps UtterMotorsports/Fox/Cycra/Pit Posse/Magnummx.com/Renthal/Scott/Dunlop/
20           715 Phillip Nicoletti          Cochecton, NY, USA Yamaha YZ450F 5 Laps none listed

Red Bull KTM rider Marvin Musquin pulled off another top 10 position in his final Supercross race on the 350 SX-F for the season when he finished seventh in Indianapolis on Saturday night. Meanwhile factory teammate Ken Roczen crashed out while in the lead of a restarted SX Lites race and eventually finished in nineteenth place.

Red Bull KTM rider Ryan Dungey and Ken Roczen had a good night out in St. Louis at the AMA SX and SX Lites East on Saturday night when they both finished on the podium in second place. Marvin Musquinrounded off a good night for KTM finishing ninth in his debut ride in the SX class on the 350 SX-F.

Red Bull/KTM Factory Team riders Ryan Dungey and Ken Roczen made it a night to remember at the Cowboy Stadium in Texas to both finish on the podium in second and third places respectively in the seventh round of the AMA Supercross and the opener of the SX Lites East.