After snapping an eight-race winless streak last weekend at St. Louis' Edward Jones Dome, Team San Manuel Yamaha's James Stewart carries the momentum into Qwest Field tomorrow night for the 15th stop of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship.
Monster Energy Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto regained the Supercross class points lead with a third place finish in St. Louis.
"I've been really trying hard all season, and St. Louis really came through for me," Stewart said. "My bike was working great and to win really meant a lot to me. I can't thank my fans, my team, my sponsors, and my family enough. You guys (the fans) are the reason I'm still here. I'm really looking forward to Seattle and am hoping to keep the momentum going."
Stewart, who has 41 career Supercross class wins, has enjoyed success in Seattle, winning three consecutive main events from 2005 to 2007. He has two additional Supercross Lites class wins as well.
The local favorite this weekend, Villopoto sits just five points ahead of defending Supercross class champion Ryan Dungey. Villopoto won the main event in Seattle back in 2009, marking the first time in the sport's history that a rider beat Stewart in a race that he didn't crash in. This marked Villopoto's official arrival in the premier class.
"I'm really excited to go back home to Washington," said Villopoto. "There is a lot of family that I haven't seen for over a year. It will be good to have a lot of friends and family on my side. I know it's probably going to be a 'mudder' and I hope I can come away with another good finish. I want to win, but we'll see how it goes."
Dungey and his Suzuki were strong all day in St. Louis. After scoring the fifth fastest time in the afternoon timed practice, Dungey pulled the holeshot and walked away with the win in his heat race. Another great start on his RM-Z in the main put him in second place going into the first turn. After a bit of shuffling, he dropped one position in the first lap but was able to power his way back to second by lap three. Dungey rode smooth and steady for the remaining 17 laps and piloted his RM-Z450 across the line for a second-place podium finish. Dungey's consistency and string of podiums have paid off, as he now stands second in championship points, just five points out of first place.
"I think that all in all, it was a pretty good day in St. Louis," said Dungey. "Practice went really well. We were fighting a few areas, but my whole Rockstar Makita Suzuki team went to work and made a few changes that made me really comfortable out there on the track. My Suzuki got me off to a great start in my heat race and I was able to get the holeshot and come away with a win. That helped a lot and gave me a good gate pick going into the main event. I got another good start, which put me in second. I got passed and put into third but was able to get back to second in the next lap. I'm really thankful for a second on the night."
Dungey successfully clawed his way back from a 38-point deficit following the Anaheim 2 race, where a broken chain forced him to withdraw from the main event. Dungey has two Supercross Lites class wins in Seattle but hasn't won in the Supercross class.
