Honda Red Riders Win at RedBud

The RedBud National in Buchanan, MI, marked the halfway point in the 2011 AMA Motocross Championship and Women’s Motocross Championship this weekend, and the Honda Red Riders put in commanding performances on their CRF250Rs and CRF450Rs in taking two victories. TwoTwo Motorsports’ Chad Reed extended his championship lead after taking the overall win in the 450 class, while American Honda Racing’s Ashley Fiolek swept both Women’s class motos to secure her second overall victory of the season.

American Honda Racing’s Kevin Windham put in a strong effort, going 12-6 for ninth overall. In moto one Windham got a midpack start but suffered a get-off on the opening lap, forcing him to ride a come-from-behind race. In the second, he got a better start, moving from 10th on the opening lap up to sixth by the race’s end. His American Honda Racing teammate Josh Grant finished moto one in seventh. However, after getting a great start in moto two and running inside the top 10, he injured his knee on lap 14 and he was unable to complete moto two. His good result in moto one put him 12th overall for the round.

Reed dominated moto one for the win and finished in third place in moto two for the overall round victory. Reed’s win aboard his TwoTwo Motorsports/American Honda Racing–prepared CRF450R extended his lead in the series to 16 points. “It was definitely a good result for the team,” said Reed. “There’s a lot of stiff competition this year—both the Ryans (Villopoto and Dungey) are incredibly fast—so to win is not an easy task. The RedBud crowd was crazy and to be on top of the podium in front of such a vocal group of fans was a great way to finish the weekend.”

Another Honda rider having a good weekend in the 450 class was Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Honda’s Christian Craig. He went 10-10 for 10th overall.

In the 250 class, GEICO Honda’s Wil Hahn made an impressive return to racing after being injured and not racing since January, going 8-6 for sixth overall. GEICO Honda fill-in teammate Lance Vincent finished the weekend in 17th position. Unfortunately, GEICO Honda teammates Justin Barcia and Eli Tomac suffered setbacks to their championship campaigns as both riders missed out on garnering points. Barcia showed good speed early in the day, recording the fastest lap time in qualifying. However, he crashed out of moto one and had a mechanical issue in moto two, thereby failing to earn points for the round. Tomac was on the pace in practice until he crashed hard and was then struck by another rider while attempting to remount his bike. He was taken to a local hospital for medical examination and released later in the day with no serious injuries. Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Honda’s Cole Seely finished ninth overall, while privateer Scott Champion nabbed 10th place.

In the Women’s class, Fiolek dominated both motos aboard her Honda CRF250R, taking wire-to-wire victories for the overall win and extending her lead in the championship to eight points. Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Honda’s Tarah Gieger finished third overall, while fellow Honda racers Kasie Creson and Lindsey Palmer rounded out the weekend in eighth and ninth spots, respectively.

450 Class Overall Results
1. Chad Reed (Honda) 1-3
2. Ryan Dungey 2-2
3. Ryan Villopoto 9-1
4. Brett Metcalfe 4-5
5. Mike Alessi 8-4
6. Justin Brayton 5-7
7. Andrew Short 6-8
8. Davi Millsaps 3-13
9. Kevin Windham (Honda) 12-6
10. Christian Craig (Honda) 10-10

450 Class Championship Points (after 6 of 12 rounds)
1. Chad Reed 268
2. Ryan Villopoto 252
3. Ryan Dungey 246
4. Brett Metcalfe 178
5. Davi Millsaps 173
6. Kevin Windham 172
7. Andrew Short 130
8. Christian Craig 119
9. Mike Alessi 115
10. Jake Weimer 112

250 Class Overall Results
1. Blake Baggett 1-1
2. Dean Wilson 2-2
3. Tyla Rattray 5-3
4. Kyle Cunningham 4-4
5. Broc Tickle 7-5
6. Wil Hahn (Honda) 8-6
7. Ryan Sipes 3-14
8. Martin Davalos 11-7
9. Cole Seely (Honda) 9-10
10. Scott Champion (Honda) 13-13

250 Class Championship Points (after 6 of 12 rounds)
1. Dean Wilson 258
2. Blake Baggett 244
3. Tyla Rattray 242
4. Eli Tomac 176
5. Kyle Cunningham 163
6. Broc Tickle 143
7. Justin Barcia 137
8. Gareth Swanepoel 120
9. Cole Seely 112
10. Martin Davalos 111

WMA Overall Results
1. Ashley Fiolek (Honda) 1-1
2. Jessica Patterson 2-2
3. Tarah Gieger (Honda) 3-3
4. Vicki Golden 4-4
5. Sayaka Kaneshiro 6-6
6. Jacqueline Strong 5-7
7. Marissa Markelon 9-5
8. Kasie Creson (Honda) 8-8
9. Lindsey Palmer (Honda) 7-10
10. Jackie Ives 10-11

WMA Championship Points (after round 4 of 8)
1. Ashley Fiolek 185
2. Jessica Patterson 177
3. Tarah Gieger 148
4. Jacqueline Strong 108
5. Kasie Creson 98
6. Marissa Markelon 97
7. Vicki Golden 95
8. Sayaka Kaneshiro 83
9. Lindsey Palmer 83
10. Sara Price 79

For more information, contact American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (310) 783-3745.

About Honda
American Honda Motor Co., Inc., is the sole distributor of Honda motorcycles, scooters, ATVs, MUVs and personal watercraft in the US. American Honda’s Motorcycle Division conducts the sales, marketing and operational activities for these products through authorized Honda dealers. For more information on Honda products, go to powersports.honda.com.