Irvine, Calif. – Monster Energy Kawasaki finished off the 2014 Monster Energy Supercross season in true championship form as Ryan Villopoto along with Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Dean Wilson and Justin Hill all collected wins on Saturday night at Sam Boyd Stadium. Villopoto won his heat race and got off the gate in second place in the main, moved quickly to the front and led all 20 laps of the race. In his second race back from injury, Jake Weimer grabbed the holeshot in the main event and went on to finish eighth after crashing late in the race. In the 250SX West main event, Wilson battled at the front of the field until he forced the issue on Lap 9, out jumping the competition to take the lead and his second win of the season. Right on the heels of the leaders was Hill who finished third in the main event, but the roles reversed in the East/West Shootout with Hill leading all 10 laps to take his second win of the season along with Wilson hot on his tail finishing in second place.
Going Out on Top
After wrapping up his fourth consecutive championship last weekend at MetLife Stadium, this weekend the Champ wanted to go out and make a statement. Villopoto ran away from the competition and led all 20 laps, displaying exactly why he was crowned the champion for the fourth straight season. RV led the last 80 laps of racing on his KX™450F winning the last four main events and seven total for the year.
“The pressure was off this weekend,” said Villopoto. “But we wanted to end on a high note so we could really celebrate. The track was extremely difficult and one little mistake could have put you down hard. The Kawasaki KX was near perfect in these conditions and I really want to thank the team for this long hard season.
Finishing Strong
Wilson may have not been in the title chase in Vegas but that wasn’t going to stop him from showing the field where he should have finished. The Scotsman got into second place on the first lap and hounded the leader until he could make a move in the main event. Once into the lead, Wilson built a nice gap on his KX™250F and took home his second win of the season. In the East/West Shootout he started behind his teammate Hill and stayed on his heels for the 10 laps to finish a close second.
“This is where we should have been all season,” said Wilson. “I really wanted the championship and I showed that I was the guy to beat. It didn’t work out but I’m happy to take another win and carry this momentum into outdoors.”
Never Settling
After getting third in the West main event, Hill was not pleased. He felt he had more in the tank and headed down to the gate for the shootout fixed on getting out front. Hill made it easy on himself by getting the holeshot and pushing hard for 10 laps to hold his gap over the field and take the bragging rights as the fastest 250SX rider of both coasts.
“I was very confident coming into Saturday,” said Hill. “In the main event I just didn’t make my moves fast enough, but that holeshot in the shootout made my night. I’m looking forward to more runaway wins.”
Back In the Mix
Weimer took advantage of the last two supercross rounds to get back behind the gate and mix it up before lining up for the start of outdoors. He transferred directly from his heat in third place, giving him a great gate pick for the main event. Weimer got a great jump out of the gate for the main and seemed to have a bike length on the field before some had even crossed over the gate. He battled within the top five for the majority of the race until two laps to go when the whoops got the better of him. He remounted and finished off the race and was rewarded with an eighth place finish.
“I felt really good tonight, but the track was treacherous,” said Weimer. “Everyone was having moments at some point and eventually one put me on the ground. Getting that holeshot sure makes things nice and I’m happy to be upfront with the contenders.”
KX Domination
Three victories in Las Vegas were a great end to the KX domination of the 2014 season that saw Villopoto claim seven wins and lead the final 80 laps of the season. Over the course of the season, RV led 45% of the 340 laps run this season while the KX450F led more than half of the laps run.
Switching Gears
With 17 rounds of Monster Energy Supercross complete and a fourth straight championship for Kawasaki, the team now switches gears to prepare for the 2014 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. In the 250 class, Wilson and Hill will be joined by Blake Baggett and Darryn Durham who are returning from injury and ready for a fresh start. Round 1 kicks off at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, Calif., on May 24th.
Results – Monster Energy Supercross
Sam Boyd Stadium – Las Vegas, Nev.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
450SX Main Event
1.Ryan Villopoto, Monster Energy Kawasaki
2.Ryan Dungey, KTM
3.Ken Roczen, KTM
4.Justin Barcia, Honda
5.Trey Canard, Honda
6.Josh Hill, Suzuki
7.Josh Grant, Yamaha
8.Jake Weimer, Monster Energy Kawasaki
9.Chris Blose, Honda
10.Andrew Short, KTM
450SX Championship Standings
1.Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki – 368
2.Ryan Dungey, KTM – 304
3.Ken Roczen, KTM – 285
4.James Stewart, Suzuki – 272
5.Justin Barcia, Honda – 250
6.Andrew Short, KTM – 218
7.Justin Brayton, Yamaha – 196
8.Josh Hill, Suzuki – 159
9.Broc Tickle, Suzuki – 126
10.Mike Alessi, Suzuki – 123
250SX West Main Event
1.Dean Wilson, Kawasaki
2.Cooper Web, Yamaha
3.Justin Hill, Kawasaki
4.Cole Seely, Honda
5.Malcolm Stewart, Honda
6.Jason Anderson, KTM
7.Zach Osborne, Honda
8.Shane McElrath, Honda
9.Jessy Nelson, Honda
10.Jake Canada, Honda
250SX West Points Standings
1.Jason Anderson, KTM – 193
2.Cole Seely, Honda – 188
3.Dean Wilson, Kawasaki – 163
4.Justin Hill, Kawasaki – 159
5.Cooper Webb, Yamaha – 143
6.Malcolm Stewar, Honda – 137
7.Jessy Nelson, Honda – 115
8.Zach Osborne, Honda – 114
9.Shane McElrath, Honda – 109
10.Jake Canada, Honda – 83
250SX East/West Shootout
1.Justin Hill, Kawasaki
2.Dean Wilson, Kawasaki
3.Jason Anderson, KTM
4.Cooper Web, Yamaha
5.Jeremy Martin, Yamaha
6.Cole Seely, Honda
7.Jake Canada, Honda
8.Kyle Cunningham, Honda
9.Shane McElrath, Honda
10.Jessy Nelson, Honda