Red Bull KTM rider Mike Alessi grabbed the 450cc holeshot at Round 3 of the Lucas Oil AMA MX National Championship at High Point Raceway. Photo courtesy of www.alessiracing.com.
Over the weekend, E3 Motorcycle Spark Plug racing fans turned out in record numbers to line the Pennsylvania hillside for the first East Coast round of the 2011 Lucas Oil AMA Pro MX Championship. Over the past thirty five years of outdoor motocross, High Point Raceway has become the measuring stick that determines which riders and teams are ready to make a run at the national championship title. This year, Kawasaki rider Ryan Villopoto would use Moto One to make a solid statement about his intentions to compete for the 450cc title.
Defending national champion Ryan Dungey grabbed an early lead but Villopoto wasted little time in passing the Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider and pulling away to a huge lead. Current points leader Chad Reed had a bad start but would quickly begin picking off riders on his way to a fifth place finish in the opening moto. After recovering from early season injuries, Red Bull KTM’s Mike Alessi had an impressive ride at Mount Morris with a third in Moto One but was docked one position for jumping the gate at the start. Dungey would finish in second place with Yamaha’s Davi Millsaps in third.
Steep off-chamber turns, deep ruts and mud (lots of mud) would put a damper on Villopoto’s dominant performance in the day’s first race. To no one’s surprise, Mike Alessi’s big bore KTM pulled the holeshot in Moto Two but gave up the lead to a hard-charging Chad Reed. Villopoto and Dungey started working their way through the pack to a second and third place finish. Alessi would hold on for 4-4 finishes and fourth overall for the day. Dungey and Reed would round out the National podium with Villopoto claiming his first overall win of the season.
There is no rest for the weary as the Lucas Oil Pro MX Championship continues next weekend with Round 4 in Mechanicsville, MD, at the famed Budds Creek MX Park. With less than 35 points separating the top four riders in the 450cc class, E3 Spark Plug motorcycle race fans are expected to line the fences once again. If you’re looking for a spark plug that was “Born to Burn”, pick up an E3 replacement plug for your motorcycle at an authorized online dealer, or your favorite auto parts or discount store.
