Barcia Finishes on the Podium at the Daytona Supercross by Honda

Torrance, CA: Round 10 of the 2013 Supercross season took place Saturday at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. This year’s Daytona Supercross by Honda marked Honda’s 22nd year sponsoring this unique and historic event. Race fans filled the stands to witness an impressive showing by the Honda Red Riders, with four out of the top six aboard Honda CRF450Rs. Team Honda Muscle Milk rookie Justin Barcia took the podium with a third-place finish in his first Daytona 450 Supercross-class appearance. Muscle Milk-supported GEICO Honda’s Wil Hahn finished a solid second place at round four of the Eastern Regional 250 Supercross class.

450 Race
Despite the brutal track conditions, it was a noteworthy night for Barcia who nabbed his fourth podium appearance of the season with a third. Following a strong heat race win, Barcia spent the first half of the main event in second place. Succumbing to the pressure of another rider, Barcia settled into third and focused on staying consistent the remainder of the race.

“I am happy with how tonight went and love being up on the podium,” stated Barcia. “I want to win but both Ryans were riding really good tonight, so I’m happy just to be up here with them. The track was brutal, and felt like an outdoor race for me. I rode the best I could and had a lot of fun.”

Sitting in fifth on the opening lap, Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Trey Canard did his best to log consistent laps throughout the 20-lap main event. A few small mistakes moved him into sixth, which is where he finished. “It has been a rough couple of weeks for me,” stated Canard. “I gave all my effort but know that I have some things I need to work on. I’m happy to be healthy and moving onto the next race.”

Muscle Milk-sponsored GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac scored his career-best finish aboard his Honda CRF450R with a fourth-place overall. Despite a mid-pack start Tomac moved steadily through the field, making his way from ninth on the opening lap to fourth by the halfway mark, which is where he settled.

“I am really pleased with how tonight went,” stated Tomac. “I finally rode like I know how to and felt really comfortable on the bike. I didn’t get the best start but was able to relax and make the passes I needed to. I’m learning a lot this time on the 450 and definitely feel like I know what it takes to ride at this level.”

TwoTwo Motorsports’ Chad Reed put together an impressive performance in his heat after a first-lap crash left him at the back of the pack. He charged through the field and managed to go from last up to fifth, transferring him into the main. In the main, Reed grabbed a good start and quickly worked his way into the top five before a mistake at the halfway mark dropped him two positions. He was able to recover and finish fifth.

250 Race
Muscle Milk-backed GEICO Honda rider Wil Hahn continued to impress aboard his CRF250R, nailing down second and extending his points lead to five heading into the next round. Hahn started the night out strong, grabbing the holeshot in his heat and leading wire-to-wire. In the main event he came through the first turn in fourth before quickly making his way into third. With six laps remaining Hahn made his move on second, which is where he finished.

“I am satisfied with a second this weekend,” Hahn said. “The heat win really helped my confidence heading into the night, so that was cool. I got a fourth-place start in the main and just tried to stay consistent and capitalize on any mistakes that were made in front of me. I wanted to win but by the time I got into second Marvin (Musquin) was gone.”

Following a second-place finish in his heat, teammate Zach Bell went down twice in the main event to place 18th overall. “I had a really good heat race finishing second behind Wil (Hahn) so I wanted to work off that, but the main didn’t go as well as I had hoped,” said Bell. “I got a great start but came together with Dean (Wilson) and fell down. I made my way back up to eighth but towards the end fell again and finished 18th.”

The Focus: Honda Daytona Kick-Off Party
The 2013 Supercross season marked the 22nd anniversary of The Daytona Supercross by Honda, and this high-profile event served as the perfect venue to also celebrate American Honda’s 40 years of motocross racing in the USA. To help celebrate, Honda hosted a Daytona Supercross Kick-Off party Friday evening. Team Honda Muscle Milk riders along with the other Honda racing stars came out to Honda’s main display area for a meet and greet with fans and an autograph session. Hundreds of fans arrived to enjoy music, snacks and to meet their favorite riders. It was an impressive list of riders in attendance including: Trey Canard, Justin Barcia, Chad Reed, Kevin Windham, Eli Tomac, Wil Hahn and Zach Bell. Also in attendance were Honda racing legends Gary Jones, Jeff Stanton and Supercross King Jeremy McGrath.

450 Supercross Class Overall Results
1. Ryan Villopoto
2. Ryan Dungey
3. Justin Barcia (Honda)
4. Eli Tomac (Honda)
5. Chad Reed (Honda)
6. Trey Canard (Honda)
7. Ken Roczen
8. James Stewart
9. Broc Tickle
10. Davi Millsaps

450 Supercross Class Championship Points (after 10 of 17 rounds)
1. Ryan Villopoto 202
2. Davi Millsaps 200
3. Ryan Dungey 188
4. Trey Canard 163
5. Chad Reed 163
6. Justin Barcia 152
7. James Stewart 135
8. Andrew Short 122
9. Justin Brayton 104
10. Broc Tickle 99

250 Supercross East Class Overall Results
1. Marvin Musquin
2. Wil Hahn (Honda)
3. Jeremy Martin
4. Dean Wilson
5. Blake Wharton
6. Justin Hill
7. Kyle Peters
8. Zack Freeberg
9. Cole Thompson
10. Vince Friese

250 Supercross East Class Championship Points (after 4 of 9 rounds)
1. Wil Hahn 92
2. Dean Wilson 87
3. Blake Wharton 78
4. Marvin Musquin 76
5. Jeremy Martin 52
6. Justin Hill 51
7. Vince Friese 50
8. Kyle Peters 45
9. James Decotis 43
10. Gavin Faith 40

About Honda
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. was established in 1959 and is the sole distributor of Honda motorcycles, scooters, ATVs and side-by-sides in the U.S. The American Honda Motorcycle Division is responsible for the sales, marketing, and operational activities for these products through authorized Honda dealers. For more information on Honda products, go to www.powersports.honda.com.

About Muscle Milk
Muscle Milk® Ready-to-Drink is a protein-enhanced functional beverage that promotes workout recovery, lean muscle growth, and sustained energy. Muscle Milk takes the guesswork out of high performance nutrition, delivering a precise blend of premium proteins, complex carbohydrates, functional fats, vitamins & minerals. CytoSport™, the maker of Muscle Milk®, is among the largest sport nutrition protein beverage companies in the U.S. and offers a complete line of protein-enhanced powders, shakes and bars. Muscle Milk® was named Ready-to-Drink Beverage of the Year by bodybuilding.com, Best Functional Beverage and Beverage of the Year by BevNet and Company of the Year by Beverage Forum presented by Beverage Marketing Corporation and Beverage World.

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