Irvine, Calif. – After a few years of rain and snow, the weather finally cooperated for Monster Energy AMA Supercross in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Not far from his hometown in southern Idaho, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer showed speed all day and finished third in the main event. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Broc Tickle rode to his best finish of the season in sixth. In the Supercross Lites class, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Dean Wilson battled through the pain to finish 19th.

Going for the W

Coming off a podium finish last weekend, Weimer was determined to keep his KX™450F on the box. Weimer came out swinging in practice and posted some of the fastest times of the day. With a short start straight, gate pick was very important. Weimer made sure he got out front in his heat race and took the win securing a good gate pick for the main event. In the main, Weimer got off the gate and pushed up to second by the end of lap one. He got into an aggressive battle for position and as much as he wanted to win, he knew points are just as important. Weimer settled into the third position and finished on the podium for the second consecutive week.

“Overall it was a good day,” said Weimer. “I felt really comfortable in practice and came out and won my heat race. In the main, I put myself in the right position off the start, but I started worrying about the guys behind me and wasn’t focused on moving forward. I wanted to win tonight and felt like I had the speed, but I’m happy with third. The track was tough and could jump up and bite you at any point. You had to be careful because it was slippery on top and ruts were developing, which really kept you on your toes.”

Finishing Out Strong

Tickle has been finding speed and gaining confidence as the season winds down and in Salt Lake City he put together his best finish of the season in Salt Lake City. He was impressive in qualifying practice, posting the fourth fastest time and finished third in his heat race. In the main event, Tickle didn’t get the jump out of the gate but quickly made up for it. Battling back and forth, he crawled his way into the sixth position, just outside the top-five. Tickle currently sits 10th in the points standings.

“All day I felt I rode really well,” said Tickle. “My times were good in practice and in the main event I started around 10th and started pushing towards the front. I had a good battle at the beginning and towards the end of the main my lap times continued to drop. I need to get the start though. I think if I start at the front with those guys, I’ll be able to get close to the podium; I just need to be there in the beginning. I’ve got one more chance to get up there next weekend.”

Coming Up Short

Last weekend during a heated battle on the track with his championship opponent, Wilson suffered a crash that injured his right shoulder. All week he did not ride, but instead concentrated on therapy and rehabilitation. Wilson came out in qualifying practice and threw down the second fastest lap, demonstrating that he wasn’t ready to let the championship get away easy. Wilson won his heat race and in the main event, the battle was on. Wilson started third and moved into a battle for second. Wilson swapped positions back and forth, but with three laps remaining, got cross-rutted and was thrown to the ground. He would finish 19th and currently sits second in the points standings.

“My day started off well, but didn’t finish the way I wanted,” said Wilson. “I really wanted this championship and fought my hardest. I didn’t get the greatest jump in the main event, but was able to push up to second. I tightened up and started making mistakes, which ended with a crash. It’s pretty disappointing to come this close to the title and fall short. Now the focus is outdoors and getting healthy for Hangtown.”

Hometown Crowd

Growing up in Rupert, Idaho, Salt Lake City is just a few hours from home for Weimer. The pits were packed with Weimer fans, which he went out of his way to accommodate throughout the day. The crowd would ignite every time his name was mentioned and Weimer could feel their energy on the track and on the podium.

“The love I got from the fans was so awesome,” said Weimer. “I had to get close to 50 tickets for family and friends and it was cool to talk to fans that have been watching me since I was on an 80. Hearing the crowd go wild when I was on the podium was amazing. It was first time I’ve ever gotten a response like that. It was pretty unreal.”

Racing at Elevation

At over 4,300 feet above sea level, the elevation can play a part on race day. The higher the elevation, the lower the oxygen level in the air, which can affect both the motorcycle and the riders. The motorcycles can lose a small percentage of power and riders can show signs of fatigue quicker compared to at sea level. Neither of these were issues for Weimer, Tickle, or Wilson, as they were consistently among the fastest riders on the track in both classes and felt no effects of the climate.

Viva Las Vegas

Next weekend, Monster Energy AMA Supercross heads to Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., for the season finale. What’s unique about Las Vegas is that it is host to the final round of both the Supercross Lites East and West. Instead of heat races, each region will have a 15-lap main event, followed by a 10-lap East-West shootout where the top 10 from both regions will race against each other. With this being the final supercross round, everyone is sure to be going for broke.

Results

Monster Energy AMA Supercross – Round 16
Rice-Eccles Stadium – Salt Lake City, Utah
April 28, 2012

Supercross Class Results
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
2. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
3. JAKE WEIMER, RUPERT, IDAHO, MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI
4. Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., Honda
5. Mike Alessi, Hilliard, Calif., Suzuki
6. BROC TICKLE, HOLLY, MICH., MONSTER ENERGY/PRO CIRCUIT/KAWASAKI
7. Andrew Short, Smithville, Tex., Honda
8. JOSH GRANT, CORONA, CALIF., JWR KAWASAKI
9. Bobby Kiniry, Holland Patent, N.Y., Yamaha
10. TYLER BOWERS, DANVILLE, KY., HART & HUNTINGTON KAWASAKI

Supercross Class Championship Standings
1. RYAN VILLOPOTO, POULSBO, WASH., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 323
2. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha, 244
3. Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 237
4. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 232
5. JAKE WEIMER, RUPERT, IDAHO, MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 211
6. Mike Alessi, Hilliard, Calif., Suzuki, 192
7. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha, 178
8. Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki, 174
9. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda, 166
10. BROC TICKLE, HOLLY, MICH., MONSTER ENERGY/PRO CIRCUIT/KAWASAKI, 161

Supercross Lites Western Region Results
1. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda
2. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki
3. Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., Suzuki
4. Wil Hahn, Decatur, Tex., Honda
5. Marvin Musquin, Murrieta, Calif., KTM
6. Matt Moss, Murrieta, Calif., KTM
7. Billy Laninovich, Riverside, Calif., Honda
8. Topher Ingalls, San Luis Obispo, Calif., Honda
9. Vince Friese, Cape Girardeau, Colo., Honda
10. Scott Champion, Sun City, Calif., Honda

19. DEAN WILSON, MENIFEE, CALIF., MONSTER ENERGY/PRO CIRCUIT/KAWASAKI

Supercross Lites Western Region Points Standings
1. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 159
2. DEAN WILSON, MENIFEE, CALIF., MONSTER ENERGY/PRO CIRCUIT/KAWASAKI, 132
3. Marvin Musquin, Murrieta, Calif., KTM, 127
4. Cole Seely, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 119
5. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki, 95
6. Matt Moss, Murrieta, Calif., KTM, 92
7. Billy Laninovich, Riverside, Calif., Honda, 84
8. Ryan Sipes, Ekron, N.Y., Yamaha, 83
9. Nico Izzi, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha, 78
10. Travis Baker, Temecula, Calif., Honda, 75