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Lorenzo Claims Second in Sensational Brno Grand Prix Duel

Jorge Lorenzo
Position 2nd - Time: +0.178
“I really enjoyed that race, mainly in the last laps, Dani and I tried everything for the win. We are so close in the Championship that every point is important. It was a very strategic race, in some parts of it I was slowing down to relax a bit and get some air and I think Dani was a little later on as well, staying calm and preparing for the last laps. When Dani was pushing a lot I took a lot of risks to stay with him and finally I had to try to pass him, the victory was so close I had to try. This time Dani was cleverer than me and braver so congratulations to him, next time maybe it will be different! A big thank you to my team as well who worked really hard and made a very competitive bike for me.”

Ben Spies
DNF
“The crash today was no other fault than myself, I was trying to get back into a rhythm and catch the group in front of me because I could see they were coming back and I had a good lap times for coming through. I’m really disappointed not just for me but for the team as they’ve done an excellent job this weekend, we’ve showed speed and motivation all weekend which is hard to do after Laguna and Indy. The race was really over for me before turn one because the clutch overheated off the line. It was no one’s fault; we checked the data and my practice starts are identical to my race starts. We checked the clutch and there is nothing wrong with it, it just overheated and took over two laps to cool down enough to give it 100% by which time the race was over. I still tried to get the best out of it I could and just made a small mistake.”
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Lorenzo Podiums with Second at Indianapolis

Yamaha Factory Racing rider Jorge Lorenzo was back on the podium today, taking second place in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. The Championship leader had struggled all weekend to find an optimum set up, only making a step forward in yesterday’s qualifying session. Lorenzo, who was one of only two riders to take a gamble on the softer tyres for the race, dropped a couple of places from the start then worked to get behind his team mate Ben Spies in second. After the Texan’s unfortunate DNF he was promoted to second and began chasing down Pedrosa’s lead. Lacking the pace to stay with the leader he settled for second, taking 20 valuable Championship points.

Fellow Factory rider Spies was denied his chance to shine in front of his home crowd following an engine failure early in today’s race. After a strong weekend with impressive pace Spies made a superb start to today’s race, flying past pole man Dani Pedrosa to secure the lead on the second lap. Having then allowed Pedrosa past and tucked in behind disaster struck with an engine failure on lap six.

With no time to rest the team now head back across the Atlantic to Europe for the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic in Brno next weekend. Lorenzo leaves Indianapolis leading the Championship by 18 points, Spies remains in tenth place with 66 points.
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Second consecutive GP podium for Osborne

Michael Leib entered his first meeting on the YZ250F since recovering from Epstein-barr virus. The American had not seen GP duty since June and the enforced break clearly showed in his stamina levels to last the motos. The Californian attempted both races but did not have the condition to make the chequered flag.

On Saturday Kiara Fontanesi wrapped up her first FIM Womens World Championship with first and third positions in the motos on her YRRD-equipped YZ250F. Her remarkable 100% podium record that includes four overall GP victories from the seven rounds held so far and fourteen motos without dropping out of the top three means she was able to confirm the crown with a 72 point advantage and just 50 left to win with the final round in Germany next month.

A second corner crash for Mel Pocock in the first of the two European MX2 motos on Friday left the Briton with a lot of work to do. The twenty year old dashed back from dead-last and some distance behind the pack to finish a noteworthy tenth. In front of a bumper crowd on Sunday Pocock took second place to earn fourth overall and miss the podium for the first time this season. The current British Championship leader still holds the red plate after five rounds of seven in the series with a 34 point gap over Stefan Olsen and races in Holland and Italy to go.

The Grand Prix of Benelux will constitute round fourteen of the FIM Motocross World Championship and will take place through the rough sandy ripples of Lierop on September 2nd.

Zach Osborne:
It was a great weekend for me and I gelled with the track straightaway. In the first moto I didnt get such a good start but I closed down a five or six second gap to Jeffrey. I have only done three GPs and it is hard to come back on these guys when they have already done more than twenty-five motos. Im happy with the result I had this weekend and Im continuing to build my fitness and come back to a good level.

Arnaud Tonus:
I made a mistake on Saturday and had a bad crash. I hurt my back a bit and felt lucky to be able to ride today. I felt good with my arms and that was a positive thing, especially as I didnt have much preparation time for this race. I had two consistent motos and it was hard to get a good jump out of the gate with the position I had. Anyway, the rhythm came back to me today and I was strong at the end of the motos. I will keep on working and hope to be better and better each GP.

Michael Leib:
I underestimated myself coming back to the GPs early. The plan was to get through the weekend and finish both motos and that wasnt the case and it was a bit more than I expected. I need to crack down and follow my original goal of being able to do well in Italy and Germany. This is not the start I wanted so I just have to put it behind me. My fitness will be better just from the riding I did anyway and it would have been pointless pushing through the limits after the sickness Ive had.

Mel Pocock:
Obviously Im gutted. I wanted to win here. I was taken out by Olsen in the first moto and it was a hard track to come back from that far down. I was also getting some arm-pump which is really weird. Basically I wasnt myself this weekend and thats disappointing because I had such amazing support. Anyway looking at the bigger picture I got some more points with second place in the second moto and now we go to Lierop and I consider myself more of a sand rider.
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Fontanesi clinches first World Title

“I feel really good and I’m so happy to have won the world championship,” she said. “At the moment I’m pretty emotional and I’m frustrated with my second moto because I feel like it is one of my worst! I crashed and came back from last to third and focussed more on the championship and making sure of it rather than the race itself.”

“I think one of the best grand prix of the year for me was in Valkenswaard in Holland for the first round. Italy was special also, but to win in the sand like I did really started the series in the right way,” she added.

“I have to give so many thanks to my parents, family and all the people who helped me, especially Michele Rinaldi who I have said is like a second father to me! The support from Yamaha has been great and the bike has so much power. I’ve matured as a rider and the key to the results this year has just been more experience and learning how to be a better racer.”

Visit the Yamaha-Racing.com photo gallery or click here to download some special photos from Kiara’s victory celebrations at the British Grand Prix.
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Valentino Rossi to ride for Yamaha's MotoGP Team for 2013 and 2014

Lin Jarvis - Managing Director, Yamaha Motor Racing

“This announcement is once again excellent news for Yamaha. In June we were able to sign Jorge Lorenzo for the 2013-14 campaign and now we are able to confirm Valentino Rossi for the next two years. In doing so we have been able to put together the strongest possible team to challenge for victories and to promote the Yamaha brand.

We have run this ‘super team’ together in 2008, 2009 and 2010 and during that time we achieved the ‘triple crown’ titles with Rider, Manufacturer and Team World Championship victories for three consecutive years.

The target for the future is obvious and we will do our utmost to achieve our goals.

I have no doubt that with the experience, knowledge, skills and speed of these two great champion riders we will be able to challenge for many race wins and for the 2013 and 2014 World Championship titles.

The signing of Valentino completes our future planning for the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Team. Now that this is done we will put our 100% efforts into completing the job at hand and to supporting Ben Spies and Jorge Lorenzo in their search for race victories and for Jorge’s 2012 World Championship title challenge.”

Yamaha Factory Racing Press Statement
www.yamaha-racing.com
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Take The Yamaha MotoGP Challenge to Win the Ride of Your Life!

Yamaha has teamed up with their top MotoGP stars Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies to give you the chance to win one of three limited edition 50th Anniversary Yamaha bikes.

In 2011 Yamaha celebrated it’s 50th year in Grand Prix racing with a special red and white livery used by the stars on track as they fought for MotoGP glory. To celebrate this incredible 50th anniversary landmark Yamaha has created a limited number of bikes across the model range. Three European lucky winners will now be able to own these should they complete the challenges correctly. You could be the one to ride away on either a 50th Anniversary Yamaha YZF-R1, a 50th Anniversary Yamaha FZ-8 or a 50th Anniversary Aerox scooter.

For European Facebook members Lorenzo and Spies have set six challenges for fans to complete, each of which will be revealed individually each Sunday 16.00 CET of the next six MotoGP races - starting 19th of august. You will have until the 28th October to complete all six challenges so don’t panic if you don’t get a chance to start right away. All the details of the competition and how to get started will be revealed on facebook so head over to Facebook.com/yamaharacingcom to register and get ready! There’s also a cool short video featuring both Jorge and Ben and the bikes you could win, so what are you waiting for?

“We hope you have as much fun completing the challenges as we did making the video!” said Jorge Lorenzo. “It was cool hanging out at the Yamaha Dealership where we shot the film and getting to play with all the great products and bikes they have there, a real treat! We all thought the red and white colour scheme was really special and it was amazing to be part of the 50th Anniversary last year. You have to enter the competition to try and win one of the bikes so you can be part of it too!”

“The 50th Anniversary red and white livery is my all-time favourite colour scheme,” said Ben Spies. “It brought me a lot of good luck last year and some pretty impressive MotoGP results! Take on our challenges and see if you can be lucky too!”
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Osborne grabs first podium of 2012 as Pocock wins again

A second bottle of champagne was sprayed over a YZ250F but this time it was the 338 of Zach Osborne in the MX2-GP class as the American scored two fourth positions to raise the teams second trophy of the season in the competitive class. The 22 year old pushed hard in the second moto to overtake Jake Nicholls and ensure his rostrum celebration by virtue of the race ranking.

Arnaud Tonus missed out on the Czech Grand Prix due to the close proximity of the date to his wrist surgery. The Swiss was initially hopeful of making the gate at Loket but the delay of several days after the Russian GP waiting for an appointment with the best possible surgeon meant that the tissue and state of the arm post-op was too delicate for the rigours and demands of MX2-GP racing. 7 is expected to be fully ready to go for the teams home event on August 18-19.

The British Grand Prix at Matterley Basin will occur in two weeks and Monster Energy Yamaha now have a small respite from international and domestic racing commitments.

Zach Osborne:
It is great to be on the podium on what is such a special track. Today was a good result. I didnt set the world on fire but two fourth positions was a solid day. I didnt have the speed to run with Jeffrey and Tommy but I was the next best guy. Im looking forward to Matterley now. Its a circuit I like with a lot of ruts. I am going to train hard for it and today has given me a lot of motivation to work as hard as I can going into that race. It is tricky to come back mid-season from an injury because a lot of guys have good race pace and have done a lot more motos. It doesnt matter how much training you do, you cant really beat riding GPs week-in week-out. To be on the podium with two decent results and to get the ball rolling is really positive.

Mel Pocock:
Its great to win four from four and keep that overall streak alive. Im a bit disappointed I missed out on the win on Saturday but Maxime was going really quick. It is not my ideal surface as a rider; I prefer mud or deep sand or berms to hit! Maxime got away from me in that first race and I made a mistake that cost me the race. I backed down the speed a bit to make sure of the points for second. Today he made a small mistake and dropped the bike, so I had the lead and rode error-free ahead of Gasjer. It was a hard weekend but I made it work for me. I had to learn out there. A lot of people have sent me messages that they have their tickets for the British Grand Prix next week. It will be a big race and Im really excited.
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Yamaha France GMT94 Take Hard Fought Podium in Suzuka

The Yamaha France GMT94 Michelin Yamalube Team took a hard fought third place on the podium this weekend in the 2012 Suzuka 8Hour race, the 35th anniversary of what is one of the toughest road racing endurance races in the world.




After initially dropping down the field following an unexpected pit stop, the team made maximum use of the potential of the 2012 YZF-R1 to work steadily back up through the field, passing numerous back markers to reach the front runners.




The achievement was doubly impressive for the gathered Japanese fans as the team had just two riders competing instead of the normal three as regular member Matthieu Lagrive was injured. It fell to David Checa and Kenny Foray to lead the charge, Checa impressing with a final double stint push at the end to take the podium.




Monster Energy Yamaha YART made an impressive start to the race weekend with Japanese rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga taking his YZF-R1 to pole position, smashing the Endurance lap record in the process with an incredible 2’06.845 second run in the scorching heat. Joined by British Superbike Swan Yamaha riders Tommy Hill and Noriyuki Haga, the team made a strong start to the race. Nakasuga led initially and was working to increase the lead with an impressive pace until an unfortunate crash. After some time spent repairing the bike Hill and Haga were able to replicate Nakasuga’s potential race winning lap times but were unfortunately 27 laps behind the field by that point and so decided to retire.

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Yamaha Factory Racing Welcomes the BM Group as an Official Sponsor

Yamaha Factory Racing will be joined by new Official Sponsor BM Group for the remainder of the 2012 season and through 2013 and 2014. The BM Group already has strong ties with Yamaha having been a key sponsor of the World Superbike Team. As such it was a natural progression to move across to MotoGP and join forces with the Factory Team.


The Italian based BM Group has almost 50 years of experience in manufacturing and supplying electrical connections and is a global market leader in its field.

Lin Jarvis - Managing Director, Yamaha Motor Racing
“I am very happy to welcome the BM Group back into the Yamaha Factory Racing world and into the MotoGP Championship. Both of our companies share similar values of passion, quality, innovation and teamwork. We enjoyed a successful collaboration in the past in Superbike and we look forward to partnering together in the coming years and to sharing many exciting moments and successes both on and off the track.”

Andrea Mario Lodolo - President, BM Group
“We have developed a close and exciting relationship with Yamaha. From our first cooperation in 2009 with the Yamaha Superbike Team, our partnership has continued to go from strength to strength as it evolves. This international agreement is very important; it shows that our company is establishing itself as a centre of excellence and that we are going in the right direction. BM Group’s innovation and determination makes it a perfect match for the most prestigious motorcycling event worldwide, which attracts international media coverage.”
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Lorenzo Increases Championship Lead in Sachsenring

Jorge Lorenzo - Position 2nd - Time: +14.996


“Well, things can change completely in one race. In Holland we had a 25 point advantage then suddenly zero, one engine less and we were very disappointed. Then today we had some luck from Casey’s unfortunate crash. I would have been happy to have finished in third position because today the bike and the rear tyre was not so good. The race was very tough; I always seem to finish second here! I would have preferred not to crash in Assen and for Casey not to crash here but that is racing sometimes. We struggled a little all weekend with the changing weather so we must be happy with the end result.”




Ben Spies - Position 4th - Time: +20.740
“It was a frustrating race, but I guess we have to be happy with a top five. We had a lot more potential but we did the best we could with the set up we had. We didn’t have enough edge grip and acceleration so I had to sit behind Dovi and Cal and wait. I could see Cal was getting a little impatient and wanting to pass Dovi so I was hoping he would and maybe clear a spot for me to get by. I had a good pace but not enough to out brake them so had to play a waiting game.”

Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
“Today was a great result after a very difficult race. Our pace was never really there and we were not really happy with our set up in any session. What counts is the standings so we are happy to be back in the lead and heading to Mugello next weekend.”

Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director
“It has been a pretty tough weekend but we have to see it in a different way. We came here second in the Championship and we are leaving leading it. This is the important thing. We knew from the beginning that it was going to be a complicated race and the weather didn’t help us. This morning we were pretty satisfied with the set up then suddenly we had to run with the hardest tyre. Unfortunately this choice compromised our results.”

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Philippaerts operation a complete success

Monster Energy Yamaha’s David Philippaerts could be back on a motocross track in as little as three months after a thorough and extremely successful operation yesterday afternoon at Spedali Civili di Brescia hospital. The former MX1-GP World Champion suffered fractures to both wrists after a crash during the first moto of the Grand Prix of Sweden at Uddevalla last Sunday.

The Italian flew home for an operation that would involve replacement of the plates he had installed after his accident last summer. The damage to the radius bones of both arms was repaired by Dr Pier Paolo Borelli, who was able to stabilise the fractures by substituting and shifting the metalwork. Such was the comprehensiveness of the procedure that Philippaerts was already able to start stretching his fingers, felt considerably less pain and is able to sleep comfortably. ‘DP19’ is expected to leave the hospital over the weekend.

A period of rehab is expected to begin immediately and medical staff are confident that within two months the 28 year old will be able to use the limbs normally. “I am happy with how everything has gone and I am being taken care of very well here,” said Philippaerts who came back from a similar injury to claim two Grand Prix podiums and one moto victory this season. “It feels good not to have any pain and the doctor was confident that the new surgery will mean my wrists will be stronger than before. I will be home in two days and then looking to get fit and ready when I can.”
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Yamaha Factory Racing Ready for Qatar

Yamaha Factory Racing rider Jorge Lorenzo wrapped up the final pre-season test of 2012 today in Jerez with an impressive 84 laps covered. Lorenzo spent almost the entire day as the only rider to drop under the 1’39 mark, with rival Casey Stoner joining him to lead by 0.173 seconds in the last moments of the session. The Mallorcan delivered an impressive race simulation, showing his trademark lap time consistency over the distance.

Team mate Ben Spies also covered some distance, putting in 61 laps as he worked on final set up solutions for his 1000cc YZR-M1. The Texan ends the test as the fourth fastest rider, 0.715 seconds from the front. Spies also worked on a race simulation earlier in the test and was satisfied with a competitive pace.

The MotoGP paddock now moves to Qatar where the first race will be played out under the floodlights in the desert on the 8th April. With the gap to their rivals much closer than last year in testing, both Yamaha riders are keen to line up on the grid and get the season started.

Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 2nd Time: 1'38.953 Laps: 84
“I’m really happy because we tried to make some good lap times so we put new tyres on the rear this morning to make the 1’38.9 which is a good time. This afternoon we improved the bike for a race simulation which went really well. In general we are very happy, it’s not just me, Ben is also very close to the competition as are Cal and Andrea. We need to improve our braking a little, if we can do that we could gain some more tenths of a second.”

Ben Spies - Position: 4th Time: 1'39.495 Laps: 61
“I’m happy with how the test went. Both Jorge and I worked really methodically on getting through a number of different things, I think we’re quite happy with the bike going to Qatar, it’s been good here and good in Sepang. A couple of the areas where we had problems last year seem to be a lot better. We can’t say if they are completely fixed until we go to more tracks but we are happy with the balance of the bike and I think we have a very competitive bike for 2012.”
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‘Nitro Nori’ Haga fired up for MCE British Superbike Championship with Swan Yamaha

The Swan Yamaha team has today (Monday) confirmed that World Superbike sensation Noriyuki Haga will be completing their line-up for the 2012 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship as he permanently replaces the injured Ian Hutchinson for the forthcoming season.

Fans’ favourite Haga is famous for his flamboyant riding style with much of his World Championship success in the past powered by Yamaha. Japanese ace Haga joins the MCE BSB Championship with the Swan Yamaha team following a record of 43 race wins in the World Championship, finishing runner-up in the title race on three occasions (2009, 2007, 2000) and securing third in the overall standings in an additional four seasons (2008, 2006, 2005, 2004).

Haga has already celebrated success on MCE BSB Championship circuits at World level including podium finishes at Brands Hatch, Donington Park, Silverstone and Assen as the Japanese contender prepares for his first full season in MCE BSB which gets underway at Brands Hatch on Easter weekend (6-9 April).

Haga said: “It is a new challenge for me to race in BSB and I am now ready for the new season with Swan Yamaha. I feel that after many years in the same series this will be a kind of restart to my racing career. BSB has grown a lot and I have big support from the fans in the UK, so I liked the idea of racing in the Championship. It will also be a return to Yamaha, where I spent so many years taking many wins and now I feel like I am going back to my family. I have won races with Yamaha before in the World Championship and now I hope that we can do it again in BSB. I don't know several circuits in England and the BSB Championship but I will do my best to get results this year for the fans, myself and for Yamaha. We will start testing soon and I am very excited to get back on track as we have big ambitions for this season. Finally I hope that Ian Hutchinson can recover soon from his injury.”

Team Owner Shaun Muir concluded: “It was a difficult situation for the Swan Yamaha team when Ian (Hutchinson) was sidelined with just four weeks remaining before we begin our pre-season testing programme. We then had to set out to find a replacement rider and the result for us could not have been better. We are absolutely delighted that Noriyuki will be joining us and we are now looking forward to welcoming him into the team. Noriyuki has such vast experience of racing a Superbike and during his career has always had a strong partnership with Yamaha and we are happy that we can continue that relationship this year. The Swan Yamaha team won the title last season and Noriyuki is really ready for the challenge of BSB and is coming to race here to win.”

Swan Marketing Manager Mark Alldred concluded: “We are thrilled to confirm the full team line up for the 2012 season after Ian’s unfortunate injury. We are delighted to welcome Noriyuki Haga to the team at this late stage. He has a fantastic pedigree at the highest level and will be a real contender for the championship this year. We have a great rider line-up at Swan Yamaha having signed two of the top riders in the championship. We wish them both the best of luck for the forthcoming season.”
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Rodrigues completes Dakar adventure in 3rd position

Yamaha filled a place on the podium of the world’s toughest and most prestigious rally for the second year in succession as Portugal’s Helder Rodrigues claimed third position overall on his WR450F Rally. The 32 year old pushed through almost 9000km from Buenos Aires in Argentina to Lima in Peru via Chile in fourteen days and thirteen stages of the 33rd edition of the Dakar.

Rodrigues gathered two stage victories as the test of endurance, strength, belief and navigational skill took the competitors through the diverse topography of the three countries. From desert dunes to the Andes mountain range, 97 motorcycle riders were able to reach Plaza de Armas and the chequered flag in Peru.

“Making it to the end of a Dakar is always terrific,” the Yamaha rider said to the official website www.dakar.com. “So finishing on the podium is simply incredible. There are two great riders, Marc and Cyril, and they're tough nuts to crack. I lost 20 minutes in stage 4 and 20 more two days later. I was 40 minutes back, so I knew catching up with them would be hard. Winning the Dakar requires perfect preparation all year round and making sure everything goes well during the race. I'll try and find the solution to be as good as they are.”

Helder started the rally with a conservative speed but after 15th and 12th places on the first two timed ‘specials’ embarked on a run that saw him drop out of the top four only four times over the next ten days. He won stages eight and thirteen to consolidate his second podium result in a row and take his record to 4th, 3rd and 3rd from the last three attempts. The record – together with 2011 FIM Cross Countries Rally World Championship - establishes the Portuguese as one of the best rally specialists in the world.

Elsewhere in the two wheeled division Olivier Pain snared his best stage result of the rally at the final time-of-asking – with 6th – that cemented his final ranking of 9th and means that Yamaha technology filled two spots at the higher echelon of the leaderboard. The Frenchman posted ten finishes in the top fifteen. David Casteu was hunting a slot in the first five for almost half of the rally but ran into some technical trouble and could never regain the ground he has worked hard to grasp. Pain’s team-mate eventually rolled into Lima with the final position of 41st.

Also of note from the 2012 contest was Yamaha Dakar legend Stephane Peterhansel. The veteran put himself into the record books once more. The Frenchman won the car class of the rally for his tenth success. The win was his first in five years. “My finest victory will always be my first win in the motorcycle category, but this one has something special to it,” the 46 year old said.
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Yamaha Factory Riders Take Class in Indonesia

Yamaha Factory Racing riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies kicked off their one day visit to Jakarta this morning with a special visit to meet potential racing stars of the future. They shared some of their valuable knowledge with up and coming racers in the Indonesian Yamaha R Series Cup as part of a unique Yamaha Coaching Clinic. The MotoGP stars gave tips on rider positioning, cornering and overtaking to the delighted local riders.

Following the morning coaching session Lorenzo went on to help Yamaha Motor Indonesia launch the new Yamaha Byson motorcycle to an audience of over 3000 Indonesian Yamaha Dealers at a special event just outside Jakarta. The 150cc Byson street bike is Yamaha’s star new machine for 2012 in Indonesia. Spies was due to co-host alongside his team mate however a bout of food poisoning unfortunately meant he was unable to participate.

“It’s been a pleasure to meet the new Indonesian racers of the future,” said Lorenzo. “I think with good teachers they can be professional riders in world championships. It was important as well for us to see all the dealers here in Indonesia this afternoon who sell all the Yamaha bikes; I hope we helped to motivate them to achieve success in 2012.”

“It’s been extremely cool to come here and meet the Indonesian people” commented Spies. “They’ve been so warm and welcoming to me. I’m really sorry to have not been able to meet all the dealers this afternoon, just my luck to get struck down with a bug today. I’m off to Bali now to recover and take a few days rest but I’m already looking forward to another opportunity to come back here again and see everyone.”
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Stewart gets 2012 campaign underway with 6th at Anaheim

The 2012 AMA Supercross series was launched in front of a capacity 45,000 crowd at the Anaheim stadium in Los Angeles last weekend and Joe Gibbs Racing’ James Stewart took his YZ450F to sixth position in the opening main event of seventeen on the U.S. calendar.

The former Champion endured a dramatic first evening of the season. He had marked the fastest lap-time in the second qualifier but was undone at the beginning of the 20 lap sprint when a poor start left him deep in the pack. Behind runaway leader and winner Ryan Villopoto Stewart worked up to third position and then enjoyed a tight battle with 2010 champion Ryan Dungey.

The Floridian made a small mistake on the approach to a table-top jump and hit the hay bales at the side of the track, causing a crash and some light damage to his motorcycle. He was hit in the stomach by his handlebar but had no other problems. By the time he could rectify his radiator plastic shroud and regain his composure he had lost several places and needed to push again to reach sixth.

“James showed a lot of patience out there tonight,” said JGR/Toyota Yamaha team manager Jeremy Albrecht. “He didn’t get the best of starts, but he did a really good job of being patient and catching the leaders without taking too many risks. But the track was changing a lot throughout the night and he just got caught out over there and landed in the Tuff Blox. He was missing a radiator shroud when he got up, and the front end was kind of tweaked, but he still made the most of it. Championships are won on your bad days, and this wasn’t a good day, but he still salvaged sixth place. That’s pretty good.”

Ryan Morais and Davi Millsaps filled 15th and 16th places under the Anaheim lights. Ryan Sipes (5th spot) and Monster Energy Yamaha’s Zach Osborne – completing several West Coast events as warm-up for the FIM MX2 World Championship – (9th) posted finishes on the YZ250F in the Lites division.

Round two takes place next weekend at Chase Field in Phoenix.
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