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February 5, 2008
ANAHEIM, Calif. – In the season’s final visit to Angel
Stadium in Anaheim, California, the Torco Racing Fuels Honda team looked to
improve in both classes. In the 450cc class, Kevin Windham was looking for his
first win of the season. In the Lites class, Jake Weimer was looking for his
second, and Dan Reardon was looking to improve from fourth place and get up
onto the podium for the first time in America.
However, if it were easy, everyone would be doing it.
Weimer started out the night strong in practice, and then
went out and passed his teammate Reardon on the last lap to win his Heat race.
“In practice, I was stoked,” Weimer said. “I didn’t ride
super-good the first practice, but I was pumped on the track, so I was feeling
good. Then, I got a good start in my qualifier and followed Reardon around the
whole time. I knew that I could make a pass where I did, because I felt like I
was a little bit faster right there. I got close enough on the last lap, and
with a couple straightaways to go, I made the pass and got the win. And we had
the fastest Heat by a pretty good amount, so I was feeling good going into the
main.”
Unfortunately for Weimer, the main ended just as it began.
Heading into the sand section just after the first turn, he clipped another
rider, went down, and then was hit by the riders behind him.
“I got maybe around a fifth-place start,” Weimer said, “and
a green bike got sideways in front of me, and I highsided off the back of it
and went down. I got hit a couple times. I’m all right. I’m a little bit sore,
but that knocked me out of the race. I’m really bummed out for how things
turned out because I felt like I could’ve won. I guess I just have to start
pulling every holeshot so I don’t have to deal with that stuff.”
Weimer slipped to 15th in the points standings with three
rounds left to run.
Reardon’s night got tough just after Weimer passed him in
their Heat race, when Jason Lawrence cleaned Reardon out for second and knocked
him down in the last turn.
“The night was pretty crazy for me from the start,” Reardon
said. “The Heat was going good, but me and Lawrence came together, and
obviously I came out second-best. I tried to push [my bike] up over the finish
line, but it wasn’t going. That ramp was steep. I was last, and then I had last
pick in the LCQ. I was sitting about eighth until the last couple laps, then I
just got through for fourth, which gave me last pick again in the main.”
In the main, Reardon came through from a mediocre start, but
then fell, which likely cost him another top-five finish.
“I was way outside off the start, and I worked my way up to
about sixth, but then I crashed,” Reardon said. “That put me back in like 11th
or something, and I caught back up to eighth. I’m just kind of bummed out that
I crashed. It was a silly mistake on my behalf, so we’ll pick it up. I’m
working well during the week, but I’ve just got to put all of the pieces
together on the weekend.”
Despite the mistakes, Reardon still sits solidly in third in
the points standings with three rounds left to run.
Windham was fast all day on the Anaheim III track, and he
briefly challenged points leader Chad Reed for the lead in his Heat race before
going down. He recovered for third in the Heat, but went into the main event
with confidence, knowing he could run with Reed. However, in the main event, he
started behind Reed and challenged him for the first few laps, but then began
to fade, eventually finishing fourth.
Did he get tired?
“I think that I rode good enough that probably people would
think that, but around lap six or eight, I got a double pinch on my front
[tire] tube,” Windham said. “Right as Davi [Millsaps] was coming by me, I was
kind of losing my front end a little bit, and I couldn’t figure it out. But
then when [Timmy] Ferry came by me, I knew something was up. By lap 10, I was
on the rim on the front. My guys knew what was going on, and they did a great
job keeping their eyes on it, and I would make sure to look down and make sure
it’s still circular when I was in the air. The tire held on good, and the rim
held together incredibly well, so we’re thankful for that. When you have a bad
night, and you have a flat front for over half of the race, and you get fourth,
I think we’re pretty optimistic about that. I just think that I rode good
enough that people wouldn’t have imagined that I had a flat, so in a way, I’m
thankful, and I’m ready for the news to hit the air so that people don’t think
that I dropped anchor.”
It was the first time that Windham missed the podium since
round one, but he lost valuable points in the championship and sits 26 points
behind Reed in second place. However, there are still 12 rounds left to run,
and anything can happen.
From here, the Torco Racing Fuels Honda team heads down the
California coast to San Diego for round six of the AMA Supercross Series on
January 12 inside Qualcomm Stadium.
Team Sponsors: Torco Race Fuels, Honda, Planet Fitness, No
Fear Energy, AMSOIL, Factory Connection, No Fear, Shoei, Gaerne, Spy, DVS,
Cycra, Dunlop, EK, Ferodo, Hinson, Ogio, One Industries, Pro Circuit, Renthal,
Showa, TAG, Twin Air, and Works Connection.
Anaheim III Lites Main:
1. Jason
Lawrence Yam
2. Austin
Stroupe Kaw
3. Brett
Metcalfe Kaw
4. Billy
Laninovich KTM
5. Kyle
Cunningham Hon
6. Tommy
Hahn Kaw
7. Justin
Brayton KTM
8. Dan
Reardon Torco
Racing Fuels Honda
9. Bobby
Kiniry Hon
10. Gavin
Gracyk Hon
22. Jake
Weimer Torco
Racing Fuels Honda
AMA Western Lites Standings (After 5 of 8 rounds):
1. Ryan
Dungey (96/2
wins)
2. Jason
Lawrence (88/2
wins)
3. Dan
Reardon (80)
4. Brett
Metcalfe (47)
5. Austin
Stroupe (38)
6. Tommy
Hahn (38)
7. Justin
Brayton (36)
8. Broc
Hepler (33)
9. Gavin
Gracyk (53)
10. Kyle
Cunningham (47)
15. Jake
Weimer (31/1
win)
Anaheim III 450cc Main:
1. Chad
Reed Yam
2. Davi
Millsaps Hon
3. Timmy
Ferry Kaw
4. Kevin
Windham Torco
Racing Fuels Honda
5. Andrew
Short Hon
6. Mike
Alessi Suz
7. Nathan
Ramsey Yam
8. Nick
Wey KTM
9. Troy
Adams Hon
10. Manu
Rivas Kaw
AMA Supercross Standings (After 5 of 17 rounds):
1. Chad
Reed (122/4
wins)
2. Kevin
Windham (96)
3. Timmy
Ferry (77)
4. Mike
Alessi (69)
5. Andrew
Short (67)
6. Davi
Millsaps (65)
7. Nathan
Ramsey (57)
8. Ivan
Tedesco (53)
9. Nick
Wey (53)
10. Josh
Hill (49)
Web photos from the event can be found at:
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