James Stewart chasing JG33 during the A1 main. Photo: Ryne Swanberg.
UNIT moto rider Josh Grant has started his 2013 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season strongly after finishing one place outside the top 10 at the first round in Anaheim, Los Angeles, California, over the weekend.
In an event that saw many of the big stars fail to reach the podium Josh Grant stuck by his words leading into A1 and came through in a solid position to work from come round 2, “For me I think the biggest thing is to get through the first few rounds healthy, build a good base, and bring more momentum in towards the end of the season to have a good ending result,” he said before the race. “I know a lot of guys are going to go wide-open from the first round, something I usually do, but I’m going to step back as I’ve always gone hard for the first couple of years and its bitten me in the arse.”
JG33 all style aboard his JGR Yamaha YZ450F. Photo: Ryne Swanberg.
Grant, riding the JGR Yamaha YZ450F, started off the night holeshotting his heat and rode smooth to finish fifth and advance straight through to the main where he gated well against what is considered one of the strongest fields seen in AMA Supercross racing history.
Rounding the first lap inside the top ten Grant avoided being sucked into the mayhem that unfolded around him as the 20 lap main went down.
2012 champion Ryan Villopoto crashed twice trying to reach the front runners after a bad start and settled for 16th. Justin Barcia, a rookie in the 450 class also went down fighting for the lead against Davi Millsaps, Trey Canard and Ryan Dungey, with Millsaps getting the better of them all come the final lap. Chad Reed was slightly off the pace in fourth, and James Stewart riding with a tweaked knee from practice rode cautiously to salvage eighth. Grant rode smart to finish closely behind Kevin Windham and team mate Justin Brayton to finish 11th.
Kyle Chisholm put in a good ride to finish 13th in the 450 class. Photo: Ryne Swanberg.
UNIT moto rider Kyle Chisholm secured his main event start after finishing second in the LCQ behind Brayton. Chisholm then put together 20 consistent laps aboard his Velocity3 Racing Yamaha YZ450F to finish in 13th place, which is a great start to the series for the up and coming 25-year-old.
Austin Politelli is a youngster to watch in the future. Photo: Ryne Swanberg
UNIT moto rider Austin Politelli made a big impact in the 250 class when he finished fourth in his heat race. Politelli showed he has raw speed but lacked main event experience to finishing in 16th. This kid is one to watch in future rounds!
Scott Champion just missed the cut for the main in the 250 class. Photo: Ryne Swanberg.
Round two of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross series moves on to Phoenix next weekend, and UNIT will be throwing weight behind our team riders in the race for the 2013 championship.
For more information on the series and to find out how to watch it live log on to www.supercrossonline.com
Anaheim Rd 1 Results
450SX Main Event
1. D. Millsaps
2. T. Canard
3. R. Dungey
4. C. Reed
5. J. Weimer
6. A. Short
7. J. Barcia
8. J. Stewart
9. J. Brayton
10. K. Windham
11. J. Grant
12. M. Goerke
13. K. Chisholm
14. W. Peick
15. M. Lemoine
16. R. Villopoto
17. V. Friese
18. B. Tickle
19. R. Kiniry
20. M. Alessi
250SX Main Event
1. E. Tomac
2. K. Roczen
3. C. Seely
4. J. Anderson
5. M. Stewart
6. R. Sipes
7. Z. Osborne
8. T. Rattray
9. M. Anstie
10. M. Leib
11. K. Cunningham
12. C. Craig
13. J. Savatgy
14. B. Baggett
15. T. Baker
16. A. Politelli
17. J. Ramos
18. J. Nelson
19. J. Canada
20. M. Davalos
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