Monster Energy Kawasaki enjoyed a weekend of dominance at the Daytona Supercross by Honda.
The following is from Kawasaki:
Irvine, Calif. (March 10, 2014) – It was nearly a perfect day and night for the Monster Energy Kawasaki and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki teams at Daytona International Speedway as Kawasaki riders dominated the Daytona Supercross. Starting in qualifying, Kawasaki held down the top-three spots in the 250SX class as well as the top-two spots in the 450SX class. In the night show Blake Baggett and Martin Davalos each won a 250SX heat race while Ryan Villopoto and Discount Tire Racing/TwoTwo Motorsports Dean Wilson also swept the 450SX heats. In the Main events it was a Baggett who grabbed the 250SX win with his teammates Adam Cianciarulo and Davalos filing out the podium. In the 450SX main, Villopoto returned to his winning ways, leading wire-to-wire to grab his third win of the year.
King of the Beach
For the fourth time in five years, Villopoto has hoisted the winners trophy at the Daytona Supercross, dominating both his heat and the main event. Villopoto rocketed to the holeshot and then never looked back as he cruised to the win with a margin of victory of more than 12 seconds. The Monster Energy Kawasaki team had Villopoto’s KX™450F dialed in as he set the fastest lap of the race more than one-and-half seconds faster than his closest competitor. With the win, Villopoto also extended his championship points lead to 28.
“Daytona is always a little special,” said Villopoto. “The track is always one of the most difficult we race on all year. Tonight the dirt was softer than it usually is, which made for some big ruts and made it a little difficult.”
First of the Season
Baggett came into Daytona looking to grab his first win of the season, and the veteran rider knew the supercross-motocross hybrid track would be a great spot to get on top of the podium. Baggett was fast all day and a crash in the second practice didn’t slow him down. In his heat race, the California native made quick work of his competition and in the main event, he grabbed the lead from Davalos on the second lap and pulled away for his second career win at Daytona.
“Tonight was a good race for me,” said Baggett. “There is something about racing at Daytona that I really like, I wish we had more races here. The track was difficult but I knew I had the speed to win tonight.”
Hometown Hero
Growing up in the shadows of Daytona International Speedway, Cianciarulo was primed for the event on Saturday night. Coming in riding a giant wave of momentum, the 17-year-old rider was looking to win his third race in four supercross starts. The pressure of racing at home didn’t effect Cianciarulo as he was leading his heat race, when on the final lap he had a mechanical issue that saw him drop to fifth. With a bad gate choice for the main event, the Florida native jumped out of the gate well and was battling for a top spot. He patiently worked his way around his teammate Davalos and held on for the runner-up finish.
“I was able to get out of the gate decent and tried to make a move super early in that first corner, but it didn’t quite work out for me,” said Cianciarulo. “I just tried to get around Martin then tried to ride consistent laps, because obviously it’s Daytona and a really tough track. I tried to ride smart. Blake had everyone tonight so I wanted to get as many points as possible.”
Riding at the Front
On loan from the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team, Wilson came to Daytona with another week of riding the TwoTwo Motorsports KX450F under his belt and he showed speed from the opening practice. In the final qualifying, it was the Scottish born Wilson at the top of the scoring pylon and after getting a great start in his heat, Wilson held off James Stewart for six laps to grab his first career 450SX heat race win. In the main event, Wilson got another great start and settled in behind Villopoto for 14 laps. Wilson would eventually finish in seventh.
“Tonight is a good start for how I want to ride in the 450SX class,” Wilson said. “I feel really comfortable on the bike and to get the heat race win felt really good. Riding up front with these guys is tough but it felt really good to be up there and I want to be up there next week.”
East Coast Proof
Since even before the 250SX Eastern Region season kicked off in Dallas, the Monster Energy Kawasaki team has been unstoppable. Saturday night’s podium sweep marked the sixth straight win for the team. Since Dallas, the team has won every heat race and main event as well as posting the fastest time in qualifying.
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