Team Suzuki Press Office – January 24. Team Rockstar Energy Suzuki scored a podium and an 11th-place finish in the third round of the 2011 AMA/FIM Supercross Lites West Championship season on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
Ryan Morais piloted his Yoshimura-equipped Suzuki RM-Z250 to a third-place podium finish in the 15-lap Lites Main Event and team mate Martin Davalos finished the evening 11th.
After qualifying 18th, Morais rode his Suzuki RM-Z to a third-place finish in the first heat race and in the Main, the Rockstar Energy Suzuki rider was eighth at the start but rode a strong, consistent race, working his Suzuki up to a third-place podium finish.
“Overall a pretty good night,” said Morais. “I made good progress from last weekend to this weekend and I feel like I rode a lot better. Hopefully I’ll be able to carry it over to next weekend. The Rockstar Energy Suzuki team did a great job and I’m happy to put my Suzuki RM-Z on the podium. I’m going to go home and work on my starts. It seems like whoever gets the starts winds up winning this year. I’ll be ready to step it up for Oakland.”
Davalos qualified fastest for the day and dominated the second heat race on his RM-Z250 to end up with a convincing win. He had a solid fourth-place start in the Main but had some issues and fell back to eventually finish in 11th place.
“My day started off really good,” said Davalos. “I felt great on my Suzuki RM-Z and got a really good practice time. I got a decent start in the heat and took my time in the first corner – put myself in a good place and ended up with my first heat race win with the Rockstar Energy Suzuki Team. In the Main Event, I got a decent fourth-place start but was maybe a little too cautious and ended up going down. I think I need to work on my confidence and be more aggressive to improve my Mains. I’m looking forward to a better result in Oakland.”
The 2011 Rockstar Energy Suzuki team’s next event is Saturday, January 29th, at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California.
Los Angeles Supercross Lites Class Results:
1. Cole Seely
2. Eli Tomac
3. Ryan Morais (Rockstar Energy Suzuki)
4. Broc Tickle
5. Joshua Hansen
6. Ken Roczen
7. Ryan Marmont
8. James Decotis
9. Nick Paluzzi
10. Kyle Cunningham
11. Martin Davalos (Rockstar Energy Suzuki)
2011 Supercross Lites Class Standings (after 3 rounds):
1. Joshua Hansen – 66
2. Broc Tickle – 62
3. Cole Seely – 59
4. Ryan Morais (Rockstar Energy Suzuki) – 55
5. Eli Tomac – 49
6. Tyla Rattray – 42
7. Martin Davalos (Rockstar Energy Suzuki) – 40
8. Travis Baker – 36
9. Ken Roczen – 31
10. Nick Paluzzi – 30