Roczen wins on debut!
In Anaheim, Ken Roczen managed to take victory in his debut race in the 450 class. The former world champion previously showed that he had the right speed. After a good start he remained calm and was able to take advantage of falls from Villopoto and Stewart to drive to victory. His teammate Dungey was second and Chad Reed third.
It was Villopoto who got the fastest start ahead of Roczen, Grant and Reed. Villopoto quickly took a small lead but crashed in a corner just before the halfway point, putting Roczen in the lead and the champion dropping to sixth place. Roczen rode his own race and got James Stewart in his wheel a few laps before the end. However, Stewart was a little too impetuous in the whoops and went off hard. His handlebars were bent and he was eventually classified 17th. Dungey passed Reed for second place. Villopoto finished fourth and Justin Barcia rounded out the top 5. An exciting start to the season!
Eli Tomac did not reach the final after being beaten by Jake Weimer in the heat race. A nerve was reportedly hit in the shoulder and Tomac went to the hospital.
Results 450
1.Ken Roczen
2. Ryan Dungey
3. Chad Reed
4. Ryan Villopoto
5. Justin Barcia
6. Justin Brayton
7. Josh Grant
8. Brock Tickle
9. Andrew Short
10. Jake Weimer
17. James Stewart
In the Lites we got a win for Jason Anderson. The KTM rider took the fastest start, quickly giving up the lead to Cole Seely, but stayed in the leader's wake. In the very last lap, Anderson still saw his potential and he dived hard into Seeley's side in the penultimate lap. Both stayed on the bike, but Anderson was able to take the win ahead of Seely. Zach Osbourne played leapfrog with Dean Wilson for a long time and finished third ahead of Wilson.
Valentin Teillet qualified for the evening program via the extra qualification. In his heat he was in ninth place for a long time, which would have given him a ticket for the main, but he still crashed. In the last chance he came second, which meant he could still participate. In the main event, Teillet finished 17th in his first match. Dean Ferris finished 14th on his debut in the States.
Results Lites :
1.Jason Anderson
2. Cole Seely
3. Zach Osbourne
4.Dean Wilson
5. Cooper Webb
6. Justin Hill
7. Darryn Durham
8.Malcolm Stewart
9.Jessy Nelson
10. Austin Pollitelli
11. Michael Leib
14. Dean Ferris
17. Valentin Teilet
Photos S. Cudby/KTMimages
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