ANOTHER IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE FROM JAMES STEWART SEES HIM INCREASE HIS LEAD OVER DUNGEY IN SECOND, WITH MIKE ALESSI IN THIRD

Round 2 of the AMA Motocross Championship got underway last weekend at Freestone, Texas and the action didn't disappoint as championship favourites James Stewart and Raptor Titanium's Ryan Dungey of KTM Red Bull USA went toe-to-toe in close fought races, and in the Lites class Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Eli Tomac got well into his stride in the championship after a disappointing opening round at Hangtown for him winning both motos and the overall win ahead of Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Blake Baggett and Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Ken Roczen, also of KTM Red Bull USA.

250 Lites Class

The beginning of the first race was fast and furious as passes were made almost every corner between Phil Nicoletti and Jessy Nelson, with Raptor Titanium's Marvin Musquin in a close third but who was soon overtaken by his team-mate and fellow Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Ken Roczen. Eli Tomac got a relatively good start, but that soon proved irrelevant as he had already grabbed the lead by the third lap with Ken Roczen charging close behind. Blake Baggett had also got a decent start and was pressuring Roczen, eventually managed to pass the KTM man but Tomac was well ahead by then and won the race convincingly. Raptor Titanium's Justin Barcia was 4th, with fellow Raptor Titanium sponsored riders Marvin Musquin and Blake Wharton in 5th and 6th respectively.

The second 250 moto saw another holeshot for Jessy Nelson, who proved to be a formidable prospect off the starting gate on the day but was quickly passed by crowd favourite, Raptor Titanium's Blake Wharton on his Rockstar Energy Suzuki who quickly imposed a good lead. Raptor Titanium's Wil Hahn of Geico Honda was in third behind Nelson, with Wharton's team-mate and fellow Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Jason Anderson in fourth and moto 1 winner Eli Tomac in fifth. Tomac wasted little time in scything through the field and by the fourth lap was pressuring Wharton for the lead, eventually making a pass stick and storming off to a perfect 1-1 on the day for maximum points. Baggett had a great race as well, making a charge through the pack of his own from 13th to get past Wharton on the final lap to clinch 2nd, leaving Wharton to settle for 3rd. Barcia also cut his way through the pack from starting in 20th place to grab 4th.

Another fantastic result for our sponsored riders, with our first win of the 2012 AMA Outdoor Motocross Championship, and now Raptor Titanium riders occupy eight of the top ten overall places, and now account for sixteen of the top twenty in the points standings!

250 Lites Results

1. Eli Tomac HON 1/1
2. B Baggett KAW 2/2
3. Ken Roczen KTM 3/4
4. B Wharton SUZ 6/3
5. Justin Barcia HON 4/5
6. M Musquin KTM 5/8
7. Jessy Nelson 7/9
8. Wil Hahn 12/6
9. Jake Canada 8/14
10. Kyle Cunningham 13/12
11. M Davalos SUZ 14/13
12. J Anderson SUZ 22/7
13. Travis Baker 18/10
14. Kyle Peters 9/23
15. Alex Martin 16/15
16. Zack Freeberg 15/16
17. Gareth Swanepoel 10/38
18. M Stewart KTM 39/11
19. Ivan Tedesco KAW 11/22
20. Hunter Hewitt 17/20

250 Lites Points

Blake Baggett 94
Ken Roczen 80
Eli Tomac 79
Justin Barcia 76
Blake Wharton 55
Marvin Musquin 52
Wil Hahn 46
Kyle Cunningham 42
Ivan Tedesco 41
Jake Canada 41
Martin Davalos 40
Jason Anderson 39
Jessy Nelson 38
Travis Baker 29
Gareth Swanepoel 26
Kyle Peters 22
Justin Bogle 14
Hunter Hewitt 14
Alex Martin 12
Zack Freeberg 11

Eli Tomac

450 Class

Stewart and Dungey (somewhat predictably) sprinted out into the lead after dispatching Kyle Peters who got the holeshot with ease and opened up a huge lead early on. Dungey kept the pressure on the Suzuki man, but couldn't find a pass anywhere as Stewart always seemed to have a little extra up his sleeve when it counted and held off the KTM rider for a narrow victory.

The second race saw Raptor Titanium's Ryan Dungey and Mike Alessi get the top two positions, but Stewart showed why he's a great champion as he swept past both riders in one go to take the lead, and a repeat performance of the first race was underway with Stewart and Dungey providing some quality racing entertainment as Dungey pushed to get into the lead once again, but the wily Stewart maintained the lead, even despite a near-crash through the whoops section that could have seen his race ended, but his prowess on the bike saw him carry on and keep the lead until the chequered flag.

Raptor Titanium's Josh Grant of Jeff Ward Racing Kawasaki had a great day clinching 5th overall, with our sponsored riders Nico Izzi and Ryan Sipes rounding out the top ten.

450 Results

1. J Stewart SUZ 1/1
2. Ryan Dungey KTM 2/2
3. Mike Alessi SUZ 5/3
4. Jake Weimer KAW 3/6
5. Josh Grant KAW 6/4
6. Andrew Short HON 10/5
7. Tommy Hahn 9/7
8. Brett Metcalfe SUZ 13/10
9. Nico Izzi 4/25
10. Ryan Sipes 8/17
11. Michael Byrne 12/15
12. Robert Kiniry 17/11
13. J Brayton HON 14/14
14. Broc Tickle KAW 7/40
15. Kyle Regal YAM 25/8
16. Derek Anderson 22/9
17. Cole Thompson 19/13
18. Matt Lemoine 11/27
19. Kyle Chisholm 30/12
20. Kevin Rookstool 16/19

450 Points

James Stewart 100
Ryan Dungey 86
Mike Alessi 70
Jake Weimer 61
Andrew Short 61
Josh Grant 58
Brett Metcalfe 53
Broc Tickle 43
Nico Izzi 39
Tommy Hahn 39
Robert Kiniry 31
Davi Millsaps 29
Kyle Chisholm 23
Ryan Sipes 22
Matt Lemoine 19
Jimmy Albertson 19
Justin Brayton 18
Michael Byrne 17
Kyle Regal 14
Derek Anderson 10

Ryan Dungey takes it to Stewart all the way

MX1 CLASS REALLY HOTS UP AS MATISS KARRO SWEEPS ALL THREE MOTOS AND ELLIOT BANKS-BROWNE TAKES THE RED PLATE IN MX2 AT ROUND 4 OF BRITISH MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP IN MILTON, NORTHAMPTON

Scorching weather and crystal clear skies greeted motocross enthusiasts in Northampton this weekend as Round 4 of the increasingly exciting 2012 British MX Championship arrived to thrill the crowds all day.

MX2

The soil was loose and gravelly after morning practise and superpole qualifying, with Raptor Titanium's EBB of HM Plant KTM UK gaining the upper hand in the first race after his main championship rival, fellow Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Mel Pocock of Monster Energy Bike It Cosworth Yamaha was forced to take last gate pick after a technicality in qualifying saw him take a 1 minute penalty. EBB battled with fellow Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Nicholas Aubin of the Buildbase Honda squad through the first race, though was eventually able to ease out a decent enough lead to be able to hold off the Frenchman until the chequered flag.

Race 2 was similar to the first as EBB got a sufficient enough start to control the race from early on and hold off Aubin once again, and though despite a late charge from Aubin to threaten for the lead, EBB never looked like capitulating and took the race 2 win deservingly.

MX1

The star of the day in MX1 was Team KTM STR's Latvian sensation and Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Mattis Karro who was in utterly dominant form off the back of a highly successful couple of rounds in the South American leg of the FIM World MX GP Championship. The British Championship red plate holder and man-to-beat so far, Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Kevin Strijbos of HM Plant KTM UK was looking for matching form to Karro's after a great few rounds in GP racing himself including a podium at the GP of Brazil, but had a tough day as he was forced to work his way up through the pack in every race as his prowess out of the starting blocks so far this season seemed to be amiss slightly putting him at a disadvantage to his main rivals, particularly in the first race where he was immediately down half a lap to the rest of the field following his engine being clogged with dirt round the first corner. The Belgian persevered and fought back up to 9th in race 1, gaining him valuable points as his fellow Raptor Titanium sponsored rivals Karro won the race with TYCO TAS Suzuki's Stephen Sword in 2nd and Shaun Simpson of Monster Energy Bike It Cosworth Yamaha in 3rd.

The Latvian continued to dominate in the second race, though was pushed much closer by a pursuing Simpson who pressured him all race, but was still suffering with a shoulder injury from the Mexican round of the GP series so could not make a full challenge.

MX1 & MX2 Superfinal

The final races were combined to see out the day a little differently to the standard three race format seen in the British Championship so far this season, with the top 20 overall riders from both classes competing against each other with no MX2 head-start and the points would count in their actual race positions.

The battle for MX2 supremacy in the superfinal was between EBB and Samsung Yamaha's Stephen Lenoir who used the packed field to get a great start ahead of the rest of the MX2 riders and pull an early advantage on EBB, but it didn't last until the end as EBB made his quality show, eventually passing the Yamaha rider and finishing highest among the MX2 crowd to increase his lead over Mel Pocock in the championship and to make for a close few rounds in the last half of the season.

Another blistering start from Simpson and Karro meant the battle was on for precious points as the two stand-out riders of the day went head-to-head, Simpson gaining the early advantage through the dusty, dry conditions of Milton Park. Kevin Strijbos had the final nail put in the coffin of a bad day for him as throttle failure midway through the superfinal put an end to his chances of retaining the red plate. Simpson was soon closed in by Karro who affirmed himself as the dominant force of the day on his 350-F KTM and sprinted off to a big lead to take all three races on the day and maximum points, now putting himself in pole position for the MX1 title as the championship goes to the Desertmartin circuit in Northern Ireland on June 24th.

MX2 Overall

1 44 Elliott Banks Browne 65 25-25-15
2 272 Neville Bradshaw 46 16-20-10
3 131 Nicolas Aubin 44 22-22-0
4 121 Bryan MacKenzie 43 14-16-13
5 685 Steven Lenoir 38 6-18-14
6 5 Graeme Irwin 35 18-15-2
7 111 Ray Rowson 32 12-14-6
8 119 Mel Pocock 31 20-2-9
9 711 James Cottrell 31 15-13-3
10 9 Stuart Edmonds 22 13-1-8

MX2 Standings

1 44 Elliott Banks Browne 235
2 119 Mel Pocock 216
3 272 Neville Bradshaw 183
4 685 Steven Lenoir 175
5 121 Bryan MacKenzie 173
6 131 Nicolas Aubin 151
7 5 Graeme Irwin 146
8 114 Jordan Booker 109
9 9 Stuart Edmonds 96
10 711 James Cottrell 90

MX1 Overall

1 91 Matiss Karro 75 25-25-25
2 24 Shaun Simpson 64 20-22-22
3 9 Joshua Coppins 52 16-18-18
4 8 Stephen Sword 52 22-14-16
5 227 Kristian Whatley 51 15-16-20
6 37 Gert Krestinov 40 18-15-7
7 25 Jamie Law 33 11-11-11
8 22 Kevin Strijbos 32 12-20-0
9 31 Alex Snow 27 5-10-12
10 50 Martin Barr 27 14-13-0


MX1 Standings

1 91 Matiss Karro 248
2 24 Shaun Simpson 239
3 22 Kevin Strijbos 238
4 8 Stephen Sword 188
5 37 Gert Krestinov 176
6 227 Kristian Whatley 145
7 25 Jamie Law 131
8 212 Marc De Reuver 130
9 50 Martin Barr 125 123
10 31 Alex Snow 119 129

James Stewart in dominant form at Hangtown, but Dungey keeps him within striking distance getting 2nd on the podium

The racing was seriously fast and exciting at the opening round of the 2012 AMA Pro Motocross Championship at Hangtown, Sacramento last weekend. Motocross and supercross veteran and legend James Stewart had a storming come-back from his chequered 2012 Supercross season with the JGR Yamaha team, but looks to be right back on form now after taking both moto wins convincingly on his new Yoshimura Suzuki. Raptor Titanium's Ryan Dungey of KTM Red Bull USA kept Stewart within striking distance however, coming second leaving his points deficit at only 8 points going into the second round at Freestone Freeway, Texas next week.

The first 450 moto saw Stewart ease out an early advantage after Dungey got a bad start getting caught in the first corner and had to battle his way up to third from there as Stewart and his former team-mate Davi Millsaps had sprinted out to an un-catchable 1st and 2nd place in the first race. The second 450 moto saw Dungey get a much better start, however was soon passed by Stewart early in the race. Dungey kept the pressure on the Suzuki rider for much of the race, but when the two reached back-marker traffic Stewart was able to navigate his way through more efficiently and seized control of the race, giving him back-to-back wins in his first outdoor motocross for years. Raptor Titanium's Mike Alessi of Motoconcepts Suzuki claimed 3rd on the overall podium, and our sponsored riders Josh Grant of Jeff Ward Racing Kawasaki was 9th and Nico Izzi of Star Valli Yamaha was 10th.

In the 250 class it was Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Justin Barcia of Geico Honda, back-to-back East Lites Supercross Champion with both hole-shots of the day. However, he was to come under pressure from his fellow Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Ken Roczen of KTM Red Bull USA and Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Blake Baggett. The first 250 moto was a classic as it came right down to the wire with Baggett passing both Barcia and Roczen on the final few corners of the race to clinch the victory. The second 250 moto was a much more dominant display from Baggett as he closed up on Barcia much sooner to take the lead and ease out a sizeable advantage to take back-to-back races and the overall win. Raptor Titanium sponsored riders Justin Barcia and Ken Roczen got 2nd and 3rd on the overall podium respectively, with our sponsored riders getting 2nd to 12th place in the overall results.

450 Motocross Results

1. James Stewart 1/1 SUZ
2. Ryan Dungey 3/2 KTM
3. Mike Alessi 7/3 SUZ
4. Andrew Short 5/4 HON
5. Brett Metcalfe 4/5 SUZ
6. Broc Tickle 6/7 KAW
7. Davi Millsaps 2/14 YAM
8. Jake Weimer KAW
9. Josh Grant KAW
10. Nico Izzi YAM
11. Kyle Chisholm KAW
12. Rob Kiniry YAM
13. Jim Albertson SUZ
14. Tom Hahn HON
15. Matt Lemoine KAW
16. Vince Friese SUZ
17. Sean Collier HON
18. Ryan Sipes YAM
19. Justin Brayton HON
20. Nick Wey KAW

250 Lites Results

1. Blake Baggett 1/1 KAW
2. Justin Barcia 3/2 HON
3. Ken Roczen 2/3 KTM
4. Ivan Tedesco 6/5 KAW
5. Eli Tomac 4/10 HON
6. M Davalos 14/4 SUZ
7. K Cunningham YAM
8. J Anderson SUZ
9. Marvin Musquin KTM
10. Wil Hahn HON
11. J Canada HON
12. B Wharton SUZ
13. T Baker HON
14. G Swanepoel YAM
15. J Bogle HON
16. Jessy Nelson HON
17. K Peters YAM
18. H Hewitt SUZ
19. AJ Catanzaro KTM
20. S Sewell KTM

Another FIM World MX GP clean sweep from Raptor Titanium sponsored riders at Brazil GP mudbath

In by far the toughest conditions of the year so far for the riders in Round 5 of the 2012 FIM World MX Championship, the lap times were much slower than what we're used to, but the action was just as exciting as Raptor Titanium sponsored riders won every race in both categories and considerably tightened up the points standings.

MX2

It was looking set to be another dominating performance from Jeff Herlings on the Factory KTM in the MX2 class after setting a blistering fastest lap time in qualifying and winning the qualifying race ahead of race day on Sunday, but the weather proved to be a great equalizer in one of the muddiest events seen in years at the Beta Carrero track in Brazil.

The first MX2 race saw the field engulfed in the sticky red clay making it almost impossible to read the numbers or even distinguish which riders were which. Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Tommy Searle of the Floride Pro Circuit Monster Energy Kawasaki team got a good start, but the strength-sapping track conditions soon meant that Monster Energy Yamaha's Christophe Charlier was right on his back wheel after a few laps, with Herling's team-mate Jeremy Van Horebeek keeping pace on his Factory KTM. Searle eventually had to pull out of the race temporarily as he needed to change his gloves after coming off the bike, but the decision proved to be a wise one as from then on he seized control of the race, quickly passing back Van Horebeek and Charlier and opening out a sizeable lead to take the victory. Max Anstie on the Garibaldi Honda battled to a well deserved 4th place and then Searle's team-mate and fellow Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Joel Roelants rounded out the top five.

The second MX2 moto was a similar story for Tommy Searle as he got a great start, just being denied the holeshot by KTM DIGA racing's Jose Butron who led the first portion of the race, taking full advantage of the slippy conditions which weren't as bad as the first race but still testing for even the most accomplished riders. Butron held on for the first few laps, however Searle soon got past on lap 3 and stretched out a good advantage as the rest of the pack acclimatized to the deepening ruts. Herlings struggled to catch Butron and spent a huge chunk of the race getting past Roelants to take 3rd place, and eventually had to settle for that due to too many costly mistakes in the thick Brazilian quagmire.

MX2 Overall Results

1. T Searle 1/1 KAW
2. C Charlier 2/5 YAM
3. J Butron 8/2 KTM
4. J v Horebeek KTM
5. J Roelants KTM
6. Max Anstie HON
7. J Herlings 12/3 KTM
8. J Nicholls KTM
9. Alessandro Lupino HUSQ
10. Harri Kullas SUZ

MX2 Points Standings (After 5 rounds)

Jeffrey Herlings 223
Tommy Searle 203
J v Horebeek 189
Joel Roelants 152
Max Anstie 137
Jordi Tixier 128
Jake Nicholls 120
D Ferrandis 107
Al Lupino 103
Harri Kullas 99

MX1

It was a perfect example of how to ride the conditions from Raptor Titanium's Christophe Pourcel on the CP377 Monster Energy Kawasaki as he took a commanding lead early on in the first race and was not threatened at all as the rest of the field struggled in the mud. Behind Pourcel was Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Dean Ferris getting a fantastic start on his Ice1 Racing Kawasaki, but soon succumbed to the conditions and made a mistake, gifting second place to the last round in Mexico's overall 2nd place finisher David Philippaerts on the Monster Energy Kawasaki who went on to take 2nd place in the first moto ahead of Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Gautier Paulin in 3rd on his Factory Kawasaki Racing Team machine. Christophe Pourcel won the race by over a minute and a half ahead of Philipaerts while points stands leader Tony Cairoli on his Factory KTM battled to finish 8th. Raptor Titanium sponsored riders in the top ten included HM Plant KTM's Kevin Strijbos in 5th, Monster Energy Cosworth Yamaha's Shaun Simpson in 7th and KTM STR's Mattis Karro got a great result in 10th.

MX1 moto 2 turned out to be a classic after another great start from Christophe Pourcel who managed to take an early lead again, however wasn't able to keep hold of it this time as the drying track conditions meant the rest of the pack were able to go much faster and a mistake from Pourcel midway through the race handed the lead to fellow Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Xavier Boog of Kawasaki Racing Team. This was far from the end though, as a rampant Clement Desalle charged throughout the race to try and clinch the victory after successfully passing Pourcel as well who seemed to be fading slightly reminiscent of last week's second race in Mexico. Boog held out for the race win, his first of his career and Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Kevin Strijbos had a storming race through the mud as he managed to pass Pourcel as well to get 3rd in moto 2 and 3rd overall for the GP! Pourcel took the overall GP win with a 1st and 4th place and now sits 31 points behind his main championship rival going into his home GP at France in two week's time.

MX1 Overall Results

MX1 Overall Results

1. C Pourcel 1/4 KAW
2. D Philippaerts 2/6 YAM
3. K Strijbos 5/3 KTM
4. Gautier Paulin 3/5 KAW
5. R Goncalves HON
6. X Boog 16/1 KAW
7. Clem Desalle 13/2 SUZ
8. Tony Cairoli 8/9 KTM
9. E Bobryshev HON
10. S Simpson YAM

MX1 Points Standings

Tony Cairoli 203
Clement Desalle 179
Christophe Pourcel 172
Gautier Paulin 170
Ken d Dycker 154
D Philippaerts 142
Kevin Strijbos 139
Xavier Boog 129
Rui Goncalves 110
Tanel Leok 107

Consistent Mexican GP results for Raptor Titanium sponsored riders to keep pace with the Factory KTM Red Bull team

The heat and dust of Guadalajara made for very tough conditions indeed at the weekend as the FIM World MX GP Championship rolled into Mexico for Round 4.

MX2

The first race in the MX2 class started with the two Factory KTM's of Jeremy Van Horebeek, who took the hole-shot and an early lead, ahead of the championship leader Jeff Herlings who needed several laps to overtake his Belgian team-mate before easing out a sizeable lead. Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Tommy Searle of Floride Pro Circuit Monster Energy Kawasaki took a little longer to get into stride and left it until very late in the race to make it up to second position, however the flying Dutchman Jeff Herlings was out of sight by then and took the victory in the opening race. Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Dylan Ferrandis of Bud Racing Kawasaki finished a very well-deserved fourth place, and Tommy Searle's team-mate and fellow Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Joel Roelants charged up to sixth place, taking it right to the wire with the Factory KTM Red Bull rider Jordi Tixier who held off the Belgian to take fifth.

The second moto was a very similar story with the two Factory KTM's of Van Horebeek and Herlings sprinting out into the lead, however Herlings took a lot less time to pass his team-mate in this race and was soon uncatchable from then on, taking the second race win and overall victory with maximum points. Tommy Searle was bogged down in traffic through much of the race after a fall early on, but eventually managed to take second place to keep the damage from Herling's overall victory to a minimum. Van Horebeek took another third to gain third overall in the GP and moves up to second place in the championship points standings, one point ahead of Tommy Searle, who now trails Herlings by 41 points. Searle will be keen to gain back lost ground after bad luck in the previous round at Fermo going bar to bar with Herlings and getting taken out in the first corner, and will be looking for more GP victories going into the next round at Brazil. Joel Roelants took a better fourth place in race 2 to keep himself in fourth place in the overall points standings. Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Alessandro Lupinoof the Factory Husqvarna team rounded out the top ten.

MX2 Results

1. J Herlings 1/1 KTM
2. T Searle 2/2 KAW
3. J v Horebeek 3/3 KTM
4. J Roelants 6/4 KAW
5. C Charlier YAM
6. J Tixier KTM
7. J Nicholls KTM
8. M Anstie HON
9. G Coldenhoff KTM
10. Alessandro Lupino HUS

MX2 Points

Jeffrey Herlings 194
J v Horebeek 154
Tommy Searle 153
Joel Roelants 118
Jordi Tixier 107
Max Anstie 105
Jake Nicholls 95
D Ferrandis 91
Alessandro Lupino 80
Harri Kullas 76

MX1

The heat and altitude made the MX1 class an even harder proposition at Guadalajara at the weekend (if that were possible!) and the riders struggled to get to grips with the rough, loose and dusty track conditions. Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Christophe Pourcel of Floride Pro Circuit Monster Energy Kawasaki got a good start with the holeshot in the first race, but could not make the lead stick and was soon dicing with Belgian ace Clement Desalle of Rockstar Energy Suzuki and Antonio Cairoli of the Factory KTM Red Bull team. A costly mistake towards the end of the race meant he only finished 16th in the first race, losing him valuable points in the championship standings. Kawasaki Racing Team and Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Gautier Paulin kept his cool and finished fourth in the opening moto, and HM Plant KTM UK's Kevin Strijbos had a stormer with a fifth place finish on his Raptor Titanium footpegs. Raptor Titanium rider Shaun Simpson from Cosworth Monster Energy Yamaha had a tangle with the Factory Yamaha rider David Philipaerts early in the first race and was sidelined with a dislocated shoulder, moments before their MX2 man of the moment and second place finisher at Fermo, Michael Leib, had crashed out of the opening MX2 race with two broken fingers and continuing the run of terrible bad luck the team has suffered in the past few weeks.

Race 2 got even more exciting as Raptor Titanium sponsored rider and Kawasaki Racing Team man Xavier Boog got an excellent start out of the gate, pressuring Christophe Pourcel from the beginning. Cairoli soon found his stride though after a bad start and began to make progress through the field. The big story in moto 2 was Factory Yamaha man and 2008 MX1 World Champion David Philipaerts passing the likes of Ken De Dycker and Clement Desalle to take victory in the second GP of the day, capitalizing on a mistake from Desalle to secure an overall third for him on the day. No Raptor Titanium sponsored riders on the overall podium this time around as Gautier Paulin had a DNF in race 2 due to mechanical issues before the race began, and Christophe Pourcel getting a fourth in the second race not being enough to get on the box after his 16th in the opening race. Raptor Titanium riders Kevin Strijbos and Jonathan Barragan both had fantastic days as they got 7th and 8th overall respectively. Cairoli extends his championship lead after his overall victory in Mexico, however it's all to play for as they go to Brazil next weekend.

MX1 Overall Results

1. T Cairoli 1/3 KTM
2. C Desalle 2/2 SUZ
3. D Philippaerts 10/1 YAM
4. K d Dycker 3/5 KTM
5. T Leok SUZ
6. X Boog KAW
7. K Strijbos KTM
8. J Barragan HON
9. R Goncalves HON
10. C Pourcel KAW

MX1 Points

Tony Cairoli 178
Clement Desalle 149
Gautier Paulin 134
Ken de Dycker 131
Christophe Pourcel 129
D Philippaerts 105
Kevin Strijbos 103
Xavier Boog 99
Tanel Leok 92
Rui Goncalves 79

All wins for Raptor Titanium sponsored riders in the final round of the 2012 AMA Supercross Championship in Las Vegas

Riders on Raptor Titanium footpegs are at the very top level in all the major motocross and supercross championships right now, which was displayed in full glory on Saturday night as our sponsored riders won every Main Event on offer in the final round of the 2012 AMA SX Championship.

250 East Lites Main Event

Raptor Titanium's Justin Barcia, the number 1 East Lites Champion on the Geico Honda showed just why he's been so dominant so far this season as he surged into the lead around the first corner in the East Lites Main Event, with Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Ken Roczen of KTM Red Bull USA a close second behind the champion with Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Blake Bagget in third.

The Vegas track had a section that went outside of the stadium so the the riders came flying back inside down a long straight that was probably the fastest of the entire series. Five laps into the race and Justin Barcia had established a substantial lead over Roczen. The duo of Barcia and Roczen were setting the fastest laps of the evening at this point, and dominated the race until the end, with Justin Barcia winning the Las Vegas East Lites Main Event with Ken Roczen in second! In the end we had 7 of the top ten finishers in the East Lites Main Event using our footpegs!

250 East Lites Main Event Results

Justin Barcia - HON
Ken Roczen - KTM
Blake Baggett - KAW
Malcolm Stewart - KTM
Blake Wharton - SUZ
Kyle Cunningham - YAM
Hunter Hewitt - SUZ
Jake Canada - HON
Matt Lemoine - KAW
Kyle Peters - YAM
Justin Bogle - HON

250 West Lites Main Event

It was Geico Honda's night as it has been all season as their West Lites Champion and Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Eli Tomac took the holeshot and dominated the race, not looking threatened at any point by his championship rival Dean Wilson from Pro Circuit Kawasaki. Six of the top ten were Raptor Titanium sponsored riders, including Tomac's Geico Honda team-mate Wil Hahn in third, the Rock Star Energy Suzuki duo of Martin Davalos and Jason Anderson in fourth and fifth, KTM Red Bull USA's Marvin Musquin in sixth and Star Valli Yamaha's Ryan Sipes in eighth.

250 West Lites Main Event Results

Eli Tomac - HON
Dean Wilson - KAW
Wil Hahn - HON
Martin Davalos - SUZ
Jason Anderson - SUZ
Marvin Musquin - KTM
Matt Moss - KTM
Ryan Sipes - YAM
Scott Champion - HON
Landon Powell - HON

250 East/West Lites Shoot Out

Next up was the unique East/West Lites shoot out race that saw the cream of the crop from both East and West series' battle it out.

When the gate dropped, it was the quickest man in the East series with the quickest getaway, Raptor Titanium's Justin Barcia with the holeshot! Fellow Raptor Titanium sponsored riders Martin Davalos and Ken Roczen were right behind him, with Marvin Musquin sitting in fourth.

Barcia eased out an early lead with Martin Davalos next and Barcia's Geico team-mate Eli Tomac moving up to third. Ken Roczen and Marvin Musquin, the Raptor Titanium and KTM Red Bull USA team-mates battled it out behind Tomac. Davalos and Tomac soon began to close in on Barcia, and Davalos attempted some passes on the East Lites Champion, eventually making one stick, before relinquishing the lead shortly after succumbing to counter-pressure from the Geico Honda ace. Soon, Tomac put the pass on Davalos and went after Barcia, the two team-mates and Champions of each series in the 2012 SX season were battling it out to win the shoot out!

Barcia just managed to hold off Tomac for the win, with Tomac coming in second place to end a truly thrilling race. The top seven finishing riders in the shoot out race were all Raptor Titanium sponsored riders.

250 East/West Lites Shoot Out Results

Justin Barcia - HON
Eli Tomac - HON
Martin Davalos - SUZ
Ken Roczen - KTM
Marvin Musquin - KTM
Wil Hahn - HON
Ryan Sipes - YAM
Malcolm Stewart - KTM
Blake Wharton - SUZ
Matt Moss - KTM
Dean Wilson - KAW
Blake Baggett - KAW
Justin Bogle - HON
Kyle Cunningham - YAM
Matt Lemoine - KAW

450 Supercross Main Event

...And last but not least, the 450 Main Event drew the evening to a close as the dash for second place in the championship got underway with former champion and Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Ryan Dungey of KTM Red Bull USA stealing the lead early on after fellow Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Mike Alessi's fantastic holeshot.

Ryan Dungey opened out a sizeable lead early on and the rest of the field scrambled for points. By lap eight, Jake Weimer moved into second and was dicing with JGR Yamaha's Davi Millsaps in third, with Brett Metcalfe in fourth, Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Nico Izzi of Star Valli Yamaha in fifth and then Justin Brayton.

In the end, Ryan Dungey put in a sterling performance to seal his fourth win of the season and a crucial confidence booster going into the outdoor series starting May 19th.

450 Supercross Main Event Results

Ryan Dungey - KTM
Davi Millsaps - YAM
Justin Brayton - HON
Jake Weimer - KAW
Josh Grant - KAW
Nico Izzi - YAM
Mike Alessi - SUZ
Weston Peick - YAM
Andrew Short - HON
Nick Wey - KAW
Broc Tickle - KAW
Justin Sipes - KAW
Chris Blose - KAW
Gavin Faith - YAM
Tyler Bowers - KAW

...And here's a roundup of all the seasons standings at the end of the 2012 AMA SX Championship.


250 Lites East Final Point Standings

Justin Barcia - 210
Ken Roczen - 165
Blake Wharton - 158
Blake Baggett - 148
Darryn Durham - 143
Jake Canada - 131
Justin Bogle - 117
Kyle Cunningham - 85
Matt Lemoine - 78
Malcolm Stewart - 77
Alex Martin - 67
Les Smith - 50
Shane Sewell - 48
Phil Nicoletti - 47
Hunter Hewitt - 45

250 Lites West Final Point Standings

Eli Tomac - 184
Dean Wilson - 154
Marvin Musquin - 142
Cole Seely - 119
Jason Anderson - 111
Matt Moss - 106
Ryan Sipes - 96
Martin Davalos - 89
Billy Laninovich - 85
Nico Izzi - 78
Travis Baker - 75
Vince Friese - 73
Zach Osborne - 67
Wil Hahn - 67
Tyla Rattray - 60

450 Supercross Final Point Standings

Ryan Villopoto - 323
Davi Millsaps - 266
Ryan Dungey - 257
Justin Brayton - 257
Jake Weimer - 229
Mike Alessi - 206
James Stewart - 178
Brett Metcalfe - 177
Broc Tickle - 171
Kevin Windham - 166
Kyle Chisholm - 143
Chad Reed - 128
Andrew Short - 126
Nick Wey - 116
Weston Peick - 99
Rob Kiniry - 91
Josh Grant - 90
Josh Hansen - 89
Matt Goerke - 76
Justin Sipes - 61
Marvin Musquin - 59

Super Kevin Strijbos takes back command of the MX1 class and the competition really heats up in MX2 after Round 3 of the British MX championship at Lyng, Norfolk

Overcast, cloudy skies and a brisk wind greeted motocross enthusiasts on Sunday morning as qualifying for the three races in each main event got under-way, with Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Nicholas Aubin of Dave Thorpe's Buildbase Honda team making the fastest time in the MX2 superpole and Raptor Titanium and HM Plant KTM UK's Kevin Strijbos cruising to pole position in the MX1 class.

MX2

Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Elliot Banks-Browne was looking for a good result for the day after weeks of being dogged by awful luck in the British Championship and the World GP rounds. He wasn't to be disappointed after a blistering start in the first MX2 race and was soon out of sight of the next man, Samsung Yamaha's Graeme Irwin in second, and cruised to victory comfortably in the opening race. All the drama took place further down the field as Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Mel Pocock of Monster Energy Bike It Cosworth Yamaha strived to catch Irwin but just couldn't get close enough to the Irishman to make a pass and settled for third place in the opening race.

Race 2 looked like a similar affair as Pocock took the holeshot and an early lead but Banks-Browne soon made a domineering pass to edge out Pocock, but soon after a nasty crash for Banks-Browne sent him tumbling to the dirt and by sheer grit and determination managed to rejoin the race and hang on for fifth despite being a little dazed after the crash. EBB's crash gifted the race to fellow Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Mel Pocock, who took the opportunity with both hands and went on to win the race.

The final race was another dominant display by Banks-Browne as he launched out of the starting gate into the lead and didn't look back, winning by over six seconds. Pocock settled for second place to secure the overall win for the event and to retain the red plate for Monster Energy Yamaha going into Round 4

MX2 Overall Results

1. Mel Pocock YAM
2. Elliot Banks-Browne KTM
3. Graeme Irwin YAM
4. Steven Lenoir YAM
5. Bryan Mackenzie KTM


MX1

After a consistent display to grind out results in what was a tough round at Canada Heights for the British Championship red plate holder Kevin Strijbos, Round 3 at Lyng at the weekend was a totally different affair, much more reminiscent of his display at the opening round at Fat Cats in Doncaster where he took all three race wins comfortably.

Strijbos sprinted out into the lead in Race 1 after quickly passing fellow Raptor Titanium sponsored rider and former British MX Champion Stephen Sword of TYCO TAS Suzuki and didn't look back. Fellow Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Shaun Simpson of Monster Energy Bike It Cosworth Yamaha came in second after passing Stephen Sword as well as making up ground on Strijbos to pressure the Belgian towards the end of the race.

Race 2 was a similar display of dominance as Strijbos eased out an early advantage and commanded the race from there. Simpson took another second in front of fellow Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Marc De Reuver of Lanes Kawasaki.

Finally, race 3 saw an excellent result for Raptor Titanium sponsored rider Mattis Karro of KTM STR who took second after a mistake from Simpson who was pushing hard to catch Strijbos and went down, handing second place to Karro who had to fight hard for the position as Marc De Reuver had a late surge in the race and challenged the young Latvian for second place in the last few laps, however Karro hung on to secure the third step on the podium in the overall results.

MX1 Overall Results

1. Kevin Strijbos
2. Shaun Simpson
3. Mattis Karro
4. Marc De Reuver
5. Gert Krestinov