by Chase Stallo
Racer X Notebook: Daytona
Monday, March 12, 2012 | 11:40 AM
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Print- A hard crash at the opening round of the East Region Lites series would sideline MotoConcepts’ Tommy Weeck for the first three rounds of the series with a concussion. Weeck made his return at Daytona and secured a top ten in his first race back. Weeck’s teammate Jake Canada continues to impress, matching a seasons best 6th at Daytona—his fourth straight top ten to begin the year.
- Rockstar Star/Valli Yamaha’s rookie Kyle Peters made his first main event appearance of the year in Daytona, finishing 17th. Peters missed the first two rounds of the series with a collarbone injury. Joining fellow rookie, Peters, in his first main event appearance was Florida native Justin Starling. The DragonFuels/AGMotorsports fill-in rider finished 15th. Another impressive rookie performance came from Canada’s Cole Thompson. The privateer matched a career best in Daytona finishing 9th—which capitulates him into the top ten in the points standings.
- Troubles continued for Munn Racing/AnkleSavers KTM’s Lance Vincent in Daytona. Through two rounds Vincent was top ten in points, but after missing back-to-back mains has dropped back to 15th. Starts would be the demise of Vincent in Daytona—as he crashed in the same spot in both his heat and LCQ.
After an early season injury, Kyle Peters made his first career main event at Daytona.
Photo: Simon Cudby
- After a breakout season in 2011, HRT Racing Matt Lemoine’s rocky start to the 2012 season continued in the muddy waters of Daytona. The Texas native would miss his first main of the season, dropping him to 17th in the points standings. At this point in the season last year Lemoine sat seventh in points—including three top tens. He has zero top tens thus far in 2012.
- While his GEICO Honda teammate Justin Barcia was en route to his fourth straight win, rookie Justin Bogle was struggling just to get his bike off the track. Bogle was inside the top ten before a crash near the start/finish line. But the bleeding didn’t stop there. Bogle was able to remount but slid off the course into a massive mud hole and was unable to get his bike restarted. He finished the night in 18th.
- Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Broc Tickle has had hard time adjusting to the Supercross class in his rookie year. Struggling with a lack of results, Tickle had lost the confidence he garnered after winning the West Region Lites title in 2011. Daytona may prove to be a break out race for the rookie. Tickle ran inside the top ten all night, finishing a seasons best 8th.
- Kyle Regal made his long-awaited return to Monster Energy Supercross in Daytona after missing the first nine rounds of the season with dislocated hip and broken femur. Regal had moderate expectations entering the night stating, "I'm going to the beach to have fun and see where I'm at." Pitting out of the back of his van with help from Merge Racing, Regal didn’t miss a beat in Daytona. Running inside the top ten before crashing in a rhythm section, Regal would remount and fight back to finish 13th. We hear rumors of Regal getting picked up by a big team as a replacement rider as soon as this weekend in Indianapolis. Stay tuned.
It was a rough night in the mud for Justin Bogle.
Photo: Simon Cudby
- Troubles continued for the injury-riddled Dodge/Hart and Huntington team. Josh Hansen has been the rock for the injury ravished team, but struggled with mechanical issues in Atlanta and an ankle injury in St. Louis. But Daytona caused different problems for Hansen. After being shoved off the track in the first turn in his heat race, Hansen was relegated to the LCQ. Hansen’s night only got worse from there. He began the LCQ in third, but made an aggressive pass on Michael Stryker that sent Stryker to the ground and Hansen to the stands after his bike got tangled with Stryker’s.
- BTOSports.com Matt Goerke continues to impress in his fill-in role for the team. Goerke has steadily risen up the results page, capping off a seasons best 9th in Daytona. Better yet, he was battling as high up as fifth before casing a jump late and stalling. Georke is a Florida rider and is known for his prowess in sand, but he wanted to point out he’s been living in California and training on hard pack for the last few months—he thinks he can back up his Daytona performance on any track.
- It took all of one race for Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin to calm his nerves after a shaky beginning in his Supercross class debut. Although Musquin would finish ninth in St. Louis he stated after the race that his nerves got the best off him and he rode very tight. Well you can throw all of that out the window after Musquin rode to an impressive 4th at Daytona. And just in case you forgot, it was aboard a 350.
- Heartbreak of the night goes to… Ricky Renner and Ryan Smith. Bringing the two-stroke back to the masses Renner looked to have a qualifying spot on lock before suffering mechanical issues. Joining Renner on the two-stroke brigade was privateer Ryan Smith who contested the Supercross class on a Yamaha YZ250. Smith had problems getting his bike restarted after a crash in his heat race and was unable to qualify for the main.
Goerke continues to climb up the results ladder.
Photo: Simon Cudby
- It was a mixed bag of results for Honda in front of the big bosses at Daytona. Justin Barcia hung on for his fourth straight win and Kevin Windham was finally able to lock down his first podium of 2012. That was the good. The bad: Justin Brayton (16th), Cole Seely (17th) and Lites rider Justin Bogle (18th) all finished outside the top-15.
- A career night for JGR/Toyota Yamaha couldn’t have come at a better time and a better place. Deeply rooted in NASCAR traditions JGR had a monumental night at the most storied grounds in NASCAR—Daytona International Speedway. James Stewart picked up his second win of the season, with teammate Davi Millsaps following suit with a seasons best second, his first podium since 2010.
- Another team that turned around some early season misfortunes at Daytona was Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki. Although Darryn Durham has been strong all season, his teammate Blake Baggett has been riddled with inconsistent results. That all changed at Daytona. Baggett challenged Barcia for the win, before settling for second. Durham was also strong in Daytona, overcoming a bad start to charge past Ken Roczen late en route to his second podium of the year, moving him into second in points.
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Holeshot again! Sad to see the two-strokes didn't make it.
yeah...what up with Roczen....I thought he would shine in the mud with all that GP experience from across the pond....Durham came from way back to catch his assss.....Bagget looked awesome....Hopefully that ride in Daytona sparked a fire....Funny to see Alessi take a shot at RV only to do a "reverse nac-nac" I think Fro called it....Daytona has to give JS7 some confidence and hopefully a sign of things to come......on a track where bobbles, mistakes and the pressure just to stay on two wheels is an all time high, James pulled it off.... Title hopes are very slim, but anything can happen....some good races ahead I hope...
@killomoto At the end of the day you are where you finish. Roczen is what he is.
Same goes for Stewart and any other rider who has had "subpar" performances so far this year? The gate drops the same time for everyone - stuck in it or not...
Are they really sub-par performances or is it "is what it is"?
Go JB - love this guys swagger man...hoping for the 8-0.
You know K-Dub had to box-it sometime or other.
indeed dinosaur..... I think a lot of folks were predicting that Roczen was going to dominate the East.....I was one who contested that prediction, however I thought he would be on the podium just about every week and snag a win or two........Still some racing left and I think he'll pull a win off....but I think Bagget will be the guy to ruin the Barcia sweep.....James should be up front and on the box....he belongs there....I still feel overall, he and RV are the top two...even with Reed and Dungey in the fold......
Reed hinted that they are working on a outdoors rider.....I dont think we will see Reed on the track this year again unitl Monster Cup I am guessing, or some of the overseas racing....Wonder who Two Two is trying to recruit....I have to say I agree with Racerx, although Barcia is a good choice, I think he wants that Lites outdoor title......Maybe Tommy Hahn?? or Regal??
Pumped to see Regal back, wonder where he might end up doing fill-in? Hart and Huntington probably needs a rider, even if Hill comes back for Indy they are still down Hot Sauce and Partridge. Honda of some form? I think Seely is doing Indy but that's it for the 450 but then I think Wil Hahn is taking over. Short is riding again as of today but likely not returning for Indy. 22 Motosports is not going to fill in for SX but Reed said a MX fill-in was in the works. And I think Grant is coming back, so it's unlikely Regal will fill-in at JW Racing. Maybe if Dungey is out for a while Regal will be on a KTM?
I'm guessing Hart and Huntington.
Nature of the beast huh? The injuries and such..I swear, every year at the beginning of the season I tell myself not to get too hyped up because by the halfway point one-third of these guys won't be racing - it is like clockwork man.
For the RV faithful that bag on Dungey, and the Dungey faithful that bag on RV, take a gander at what a season looks like without RV or RD. No RV, Dungey takes the Title with 2 races left. RD gone this season, same thing likely for RV.
Reed is very fast but has maybe one year left. Stewart, though still fast, is also nearing the end of his career. Canard is very fast but always hurt. The 450 class desperately needs 1-2 more guys that can run with RV and RD. Hopefully, Barcia is that guy. A rejuvenated Stewart might be that guy.
With the RV-RD battle over, look at how the comments dry up. Nobody wants to see one guy destroy the field.
@JonR290 - you are right!!...like a desert in here...pretty refreshing in a way - sometimes the hate in here is so vile and putrid and based rarely on facts that Ijust stay away...
Here is to a great Indy show!
It sure would be great to see Regal on of the many unused Honda rides out there. I still think he's a better outdoor rider, but with the field thinning, he could be a top 5 guy in SX.
re Roczen, etc.. Roczen was going to ride West before he what, broke an arm? Couldn't train, couldn't ride until a week or two before East opener. Not saying anything other than I doubt we are seeing 100% of Roczen.
Actually; given that he has ridden a life total of like 6-7 SX, given that last year his 2-3 SX's looked sketchy by way of overenthusiastic inexperience, and given that everyone wants to see him healthy outdoors, I am kind of glad if he is forced by injury to back-off WFO mode and maybe learn more for the long term in SX.
Barcia himself may actually present an example: When he had the wrist injury and brace, he had to back it off a bit. He said (and one can see in Barcia's riding style since then) that it ended up helping him because he had to settle it down a bit and offset with some finesse.
OR.... I am full of poopy. Either way.
@Killomoto, hey I thought Fro said that Alessi had a reverse "nad sack". LOL How does he always get himself into this stuff? And it just begs the question, What is next? And yes, there is a lot of racing left and anything can happen. Especially this year. If it's racin'-it's good, good to see some new faces on the podium too.
@ElsinorRacer..great points but we have heard it all before going back years and years you know? - new names new numbers same drama.
I still feel that in mx you are where you finish...last weekend KR was a forth place guy. That simple...should we have an note accompanying the fourth place saying if it were not for this or that it could have been a win?
Injuries suck I know but if you are on the line you have to expect people like us in forums like this to say these kind of things you see...
dinosaurmedia, I don't really understand the 1st paragraph, but otherwise I agree with you. I merely said that we are not seeing 100% of Roczen which is not inconsistent with your comments above.
As to 1st paragraph... not sure what you mean.
It would be cool to see Kyle Regal on the 22 Motosports team for the outdoors. As for Roczen, I think he still needs a little time to get up in speed, I wouldn't count him out yet. I guess we won't see his true potential until the outdoors.
Rv and Js all year during the outdoors !
@ElsinoreRacer...1st paragraph is about expectations... and the analysis of why a rider doesn't do what we - fans, media bench racers etc. expect of them.
I'm over it. I want to see a race to the checkers in BOTH classes this weekend!
I think it will be Kyle Regal on the 22 bike. Did u hear Reed talking about him when he was on the air??
. I hope JS can keep the ball rolling, This makes 3 weeks in a row that he rode well.
. I hate to say it but I was right about the season. Lots of people said it would be better than 2011, I said what are the odds of us being that lucky again?? With 4 top guys making it all the way un hurt and TC almost making it the whole season, The Odds did not look good to me for this year and damn it I was right!!
If JS can get starts he will win a lot, RV only needs 3rd's and 4ths to win it so I hope to see him race JS but at the sme time hope he plays it smart.
Negotiations for Regal may be stalling on the "step-dad-must-keep-his-distance" portion of the contract. LOL
@MX Bob, I believe you are referring to the "Tony Alessi provision" which allows the team to immediately rescind the contract terms. It is sad that some fathers can't step back and allow "professionals" to do their jobs. It is amazing to me that some of these dads can't see the damage they are causing to the careers of their children.
I dont see RV doing anything dumb trying to chase a guy who is over 40 points behind..... RV is smarter than that. If RV gets the start he is gone, but if he comes through the pack, he will do what he can and get that title.. ITS MORE IMPORTANT THAN JUST A WIN>>>
I look for Regal to be on Reeds bike outdoors too. He is the obvious choice, he has been injured and doesnt have a top ride, so he is right there ready.. Reed wont be back this season..
@JonR290 The Tony Alessi Provision. I like that. He wasn't the first, Larrocco(sp?) and Reynard's dads come to mind, but Tony took it to a whole new level.
Let's not forget Pichon's dad. He got into a fight in the pits, which ended up costing Mickael his factory Honda ride. Of course, when he went back to Europe, he won a bunch of GP championships, so it worked out well for him.
Yeah, that would be great for Regal to fill in for Canard or Short to get a little time on a Honda and then 22's bike for outdoors.
Townley is healthy, been racing in Oz and NZ. I just read he has no 2012 ride, wants back in the USA. If he can stay healthy, etc. etc. and it's a big "if." But healthy, BT is right there with the lead group. Good guy, RV likes him a lot, Chad22, etc. Maybe...
just read in the twitter thing at the bottom regal is signing with h&h
It would be cool to see Townley on a 22 bike. The dude is fast. Big risk though, in the keeping healty part... It looks like it may start to become like this for Trey, eventually his appeal to a team will start to deminish... Lets hope he can stay healthy this next go around.
It would also be cool to see a season with JS RV TC RD and Barcia on a 450...All heathy long enough to give it a decent run. Unlikely I know... but it would be great to see.
he has had some pretty impressive finishes on a privateer honda. There was a time when Dowd could podium on a boyeson yamaha, then he was given mike craigs factory YZ toward the end of the season and immediately started winning races. Not likely, but you never know.
Barcia has a contract with Geico Honda, how can he leave them and ride for Reed?? I dont think he can for one. And why would he want too?? I would think he would want to try and win a 250 National title myself.. I dont see Barcia leaving that contract with Geico Factory Connection Honda.. Townley maybe , if Reed is happy with a maybe top ten guy, if he stays healthy.. Regal would be a better pick.
Whatever or whoever is taking on Regal is Honda related...that I can bet on.
Or not.....not happy to see him on Kawis but good for him.
Yeah I thought Regal was a Honda guy alghough that sure minimizes you options
I dont recall RV / JS going head to head, that said RV will want a piece of that .
@JonR290... re you the MSmith Jon R ?.
JimM
Pala374
my bad on the typos...
JimM
Pala374
BD200....Townley maybe top ten guy??? WHAT?? He lead and came within 1/4 of a lap of winning over RD and Reed in 2010, had many top 3's, I know your not a fan but come on he would be well inside the top 10.
I would like to see BT101 on the twotwo bike. I think he would be a top 5 guy in the outdoors. And think with a little help from CR he can learn the art of staying consistant. Nothing against KR He's great outdoors but I think he might be a bit desparate to make a name for himself which turns into in-consistant performance.
IMO the sponser's are looking for a guy thats gets 5th or 6th every week with a few podiums along the way, and most important be a fan favorite.
@JimboMX374, no, not me. However, if MSmith is looking for someone and I can get a great deal on stuff, I might quit my day job of 22 years. Of course, would have to run that one by my wife.
Hey guys pretty good posts and yes not much bickerin. I agree that the teams need to pick up some guys to fill in and also give them a chance. There are a few out there. Regal I think is a guy with more potential than he has been able to show. I could see Townley ride for Reeds team he also could use a good break unlike the ones of the past. Those injuries do start to add up. The most interesting thing would to see Tomac make a try while the east coast is on a break. Since Honda seems to have the most rides being wasted.
@JonR290
Yeah I know what you mean about wifee !
Jon Rosenthal was a Honda factory mechanic for M..............arty Smith
JimM
Pala374
Guys, I know for sure that Kyle Regal was testing one of Reed's bikes. Well, it has the TwoTwo Motorsports graphics on it. Look up "Kyle Regal 2012 at Underground MX" on Transworld.
Here's the link.
http://motocross.transworld.net/1000123534/ugc/ugc-videos/kyle-regal-2012-at-underground-mx/