Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Dean Wilson was the fastest rider in the 250SX class on his KX250F, but a bad start kept him from the win, finishing second.

Villopoto started strongly as he clocked top times all afternoon in qualifying. In his heat race he jumped out to the early lead on his KX450F and never looked back. He laid down consistent sub-50 second lap times and took the win, giving him first gate pick for the main event.

Villopoto got off to a top five start in the main and began picking off riders until a red flag stopped the race on lap three. They restarted the race in a staggered start and he continued his quest for the lead. Villopoto was able to make quick passes and began to battle for the win. After multiple attempts, he was able to make a clean pass and build a gap to win by three seconds. Villopoto’s fourth win this season helped make up valuable points in the championship standings.

“It was a crazy race,” said Villopoto. “When the red cross flag came out, I made a costly mistake of jumping the double and as we lined up for the restart they docked me three positions. I knew I needed to make something happen and when I saw the leaders were right there, I knew it was on and it was going to get gnarly. I started pressuring the leader and we went back and forth before I was able to make a clean pass and get away.”


Wilson’s afternoon started off a little rocky, as he was not able to get in a solid lap in the first qualifying practice. He quickly rectified that problem by laying down the fastest lap in the next qualifying practice, besting the field by 1.1 seconds.

In his heat race, Wilson benefitted from an early red flag resulting in a restart. He got a much better start the second time around and quickly took over the lead to take his third heat race win of the season.

In the 15-lap main event, Wilson got a poor start and was buried in the back of the field, but his aggression and speed saw him cross the line in fifth by the end of lap one. Once he made his way into second place he continued his charge to catch the leader. Wilson was able to get close enough to make pass attempts, but could not make any of them stick and finished the night in second.

“The day started off really well,” said Wilson. “I felt really good and loose on the bike and rode well during qualifying, but got a horrible start in the main event. I tipped-toed through and avoided the carnage and got to the leader. I ended up losing time when I tried to make the pass. I was so close, it’s frustrating.”


After a red flag caused a normal restart from behind the gate in the 250SX heat race, the 450SX main event was red flagged as well. Although because they had already ridden three laps, the field lined up down the start straight in staggered position based on the previous lap. Villopoto benefitted from the restart, but had to be on his toes to avoid the carnage that surrounded him.

“It was crazy as we restarted,” said Villopoto. “There were guys passing each other, blocking, and roosting all in the first turn. I was able to get around a few guys but it was chaos once we passed the start barriers.”


Results

Monster Energy AMA Supercross – Round 9
Edward Jones Dome – St. Louis, Mo.
March 2, 2013

450SX Main Event
1. RYAN VILLOPOTO, MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI
2. James Stewart, Suzuki
3. Chad Reed, Honda
4. Ryan Dungey, KTM
5. Justin Barcia, Honda
6. Davi Millsaps, Suzuki
7. Mike Alessi, Suzuki
8. Trey Canard, Honda
9. Justin Brayton, Yamaha
10. Andrew Short, KTM
12. JAKE WEIMER, MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI

450SX Points Standings
1. Davi Millsaps, Suzuki, 189
2. RYAN VILLOPOTO, MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 177
3. Ryan Dungey, KTM, 166
4. Trey Canard, Honda, 148
5. Chad Reed, Honda, 147
6. Justin Barcia, Honda, 132
7. James Stewart, Suzuki, 122
8. Andrew Short, Honda, 113
9. Justin Brayton, Yamaha, 103
10. Broc Tickle, Suzuki, 87
13. JAKE WEIMER, MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 70

250SX Eastern Regional Main Event
1. Wil Hahn, Honda
2. DEAN WILSON, MONSTER ENERGY/PRO CIRCUIT/KAWASAKI
3. Blake Wharton, Suzuki
4. Marvin Musquin, KTM
5. Jeremy Martin, Yamaha
6. Vince Friese, Honda
7. James Decotis, Honda
8. Cole Thompson, Honda
9. Zach Bell, Honda
10. Peter Larsen, Honda
16. JUSTIN HILL, MONSTER ENERGY/PRO CIRCUIT/KAWASAKI

250SX Eastern Regional Points Standings
1. Wil Hahn, Honda, 70
2. DEAN WILSON, MONSTER ENERGY/PRO CIRCUIT/KAWASAKI, 69
3. Blake Wharton, Suzuki, 60
4. Marvin Musquin, KTM, 53
5. Vince Friese, Honda, 39
6. Gavin Faith, Honda, 38
7. JUSTIN HILL, MONSTER ENERGY/PRO CIRCUIT/KAWASAKI, 36
8. James Decotis, Honda, 34
9. Jeremy Martin, Yamaha, 32
10. Kyle Peters, Honda, 31